The Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum held from October 10-11 had the theme ‘Invest in a Sustainable Future Together: Turkey and Africa’. The forum included a series of sideline meetings between a Ghanaian delegation and Turkish investors.

In the forum, a few Turkish textile-garment manufacturing companies expressed their desire to expand their presence in Ghana. A deal for a Turkish company to establish a ‘One-District-One Factory’ project in the Shai Hills area was also finalised. According to reports, the Ghanaian trade and industry ministry, under its industrial transformation plan, selected garment and textiles as one of the strategic sectors to generate employment and foreign exchange.

The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) has requested the Union ministery of commerce and industry to consider 6 per cent Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) rate yarns and fabrics exports. The council has also urged the ministry to include yarns and fabrics segment under RoSL scheme. The state taxes and duties are neither included in the ambit of GST nor rebated.

On priority basis, the government should consider various issues including refund of Input tax credit availed on input services, inclusion of MMF textile products falling under equal or lower rate of GST, refund of IGST on capital goods, removal of double taxation on ocean freight, immediate refund of accumulated Input Tax credit and inclusion of MMF textile products falling under equal or lower rate of GST. Also, exclude import of capital goods from GST as it is adversely affecting investment in the textile sector and defeating the purpose of the 'Make in India' initiative of the government.

South Asia Textiles, a leading Sri Lankan textile manufacturer specialised in producing exceptional quality weft knitted fabric for leading global brands like Victoria Secret, Next, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Calvin Klein, Decathlon, Hugo Boss and Adidas, has won the Silver Award, in the “Suppliers and Service Providers to Exporters Extra Large” category, at the recently concluded NCE Export awards 2018.

In its 26th year, the NCE Export Awards recognises and rewards exemplary Sri Lankan exporters. Organised by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), the 2018 awards witnessed the highest number of applicants vying for these highly sought-after accolades. Additionally, participants in 2018 were judged on general export criteria including export performance, market/product development, value addition, financial performance, effective management efforts, sustainability, significant achievements related to the company and country, implementation of quality management/environment protection systems, efficient energy and waste management, branding and innovation in addition to contemporary requirements to compete in the global arena, government economic and export policies.

South Asia Textiles, a subsidiary of Ambeon Holdings, commenced its commercial operations in 2004. The company maintains its manufacturing dominance through ultra-modern manufacturing plant that produces exceptional quality weft knitted fabric. The company also specialises in knitting, dyeing, finishing, printing, brushing, sueding and preshrunk fabric.

Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew 7.8 per cent till August 2018, compared to last year. Exports to the EU fell 7.8 per cent in August 2018 due to Brexit which is disturbing the market.

Britain is the biggest market for Sri Lankan apparel within the EU. The UK took in 40.9 per cent of Sri Lankan apparel exports to Europe in 2017. Shipments to the US grew 21.5 per cent. Sri Lanka is a big supplier to US-based Victoria’s Secret. This brand has been hit by competition in the recent past. Fluctuating Victoria’s Secret sales over the past two years has trickled down to Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the US. But Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers have coped by increasing sales to other brands such as Calvin Klein, which are capitalising on new consumer trends to compete with Victoria’s Secret’s traditional products.

The country’s apparel exports to other markets were up 20.8 per cent from a year earlier. Exports for the first eight months of 2018 were up 4.5 per cent from 2017. Exports to the US were up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier and shipments to the EU were up 5.1 per cent.

New research by McKinsey suggests near-shoring of apparel production will soar as automation and rising labor costs in Asia add up to production costs of apparels. McKinsey surveyed industry executives and sourcing teams at leading international apparel brands. Nearly 79 per cent said near-shoring is likely to be a key purchasing factor for mass-market apparel consumers by 2025.

The report suggests sustainability is a key factor in executive decision making on this issue. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the traditional linear apparel production modes, and the public outcry concerning overstock liquidation is becoming louder. The report also points out that while brands shifted production to Asia en masse two decades ago, the benefits of producing far away are becoming outweighed by the costs. Moreover, more nimble operators such as Boohoo – which produces much of its product in the UK – are grabbing market share.

According to traders and market experts, new cotton prices in Gujarat are likely to rise in the near future. The new cotton season in Gujarat opened with 20 per cent higher prices as compared to last year (2017-18). The main reasons for this are supposed to be the delay in arrival, good demand from mills and higher minimum support price (MSP). Prices for new cotton in the state range between Rs 46,200-46,500 per candy of 355 kg this year in mid-October as compared to Rs 38,500-39,000 per candy in the corresponding period last year.

For long staple variety, MSP has increased 26.16 per cent to Rs 5,450 per quintal, while for the medium staple, it has been hiked by 28 per cent to Rs 5,150 per quintal. Currently, daily arrival of new cotton has reached to about 55,000 bales (a bale of 170 kg) in India and about 10,000 bales in Gujarat. According to traders, arrivals of cotton are likely to touch 70,000 bales across India and 15,000 bales in Gujarat.

Brazilian campaign Fashion Revolution has ranked 20 apparel brands and retailers for their transparency. The campaign group’s new Fashion Transparency Index is the first regional edition of its broader, global Transparency Index and assesses businesses based on their own public disclosure of social and environmental policies, practices and impact. The study looks at openly available information from sources such as websites, corporate social responsibility reports and sustainability reports, and evaluates them on: policies and commitments, governance, traceability, knowledge, communication and resolution, and featured topics.

The research for the index was conducted by the global and Brazilian Fashion Revolution teams, and in technical partnership with the Getulio Vargas Foundation’s Centre for Sustainability Studies (FGVces). The Brazilian Fashion Transparency Index shows similarities to the global index, in what brands prioritise. Around 12 of the 20 brands scored high for their policies on human rights, anti-discrimination and forced and child labor policies while only two companies report on carbon emissions and energy reduction.

MarediModa will be held at the Palais de Festivals, November 6 to 8. This is a leading trade show for textiles and accessories of beachwear and intimates.

The new edition will highlight athleisure. A large group of companies (more than 40) will present a specific collection of fabrics and accessories. A specific area of the trade show will be dedicated to athleisure manufactured with fabrics and accessories supplied by some of the exhibiting companies. Beach wear, innerwear and sportswear have become more mixed and merged together.

Key themes of the fair are: Paradise Found, Activism and Bloom. Paradise Found is about longing for sensory stimulation. Colors are dominated by acid bright that flash against deep and dense nocturnal backgrounds. Activism is about people hoping to make a difference using fashion to communicate. Patterns represent a mishmash of streetwear inspired looks spanning comics, folk motifs and popular brands’ logos. Bloom is dedicated to flowers that trigger emotions. Fabrics are tender and soft with drape in fine and featherweight qualities. Patterns are about all things botanical.

The growth of clothes-mending workshops and pop-ups in Hong Kong has given rise to a nascent movement against fast fashion. Designers are now parading recycled fabrics on the catwalk. For example, designer Jesse Lee, displayed everything from broken umbrellas to discarded curtains, at a recent sustainable fashion show in Hong Kong. Realising that humble household goods could be the springboard for creativity, Lee turned an old sofa's leather cover into a jacket and has since made clothes from old curtains and bed linen, as well as a raincoat using umbrella fabric. His designs are unisex and adjustable and hence can be easily shared.

The growth of clothes-mending workshops and pop-ups in Hong Kong has given rise to a nascent movement against fast fashion. Designers are now parading recycled fabrics on the catwalk. For example, designer Jesse Lee, displayed everything from broken umbrellas to discarded curtains, at a recent sustainable fashion show in Hong Kong. Realising that humble household goods could be the springboard for creativity, Lee turned an old sofa's leather cover into a jacket and has since made clothes from old curtains and bed linen, as well as a raincoat using umbrella fabric. His designs are unisex and adjustable and hence can be easily shared.

Consumer awareness boosts growth of local stores

A McKinsey reports says, global consumers purchased 60 per cent more clothing in 2016 than in 2000 and only kept each item half as long. Hong Kong alone dumps 343 tons of textiles every day. As a 2016 report by Greenpeace reveals, almost one sixth of clothes owned by residents are seldom or never worn after purchase. However, high-profile scandals like the deadly 2013 collapse of a building in Bangladesh raised consumer-awareness of the human environment cost of fast fashion. Lee and others hope to capitalise on this growing awareness. The tragedy triggered a drive among activists to encourage shoppers to buy from local stores, rather than large multinational fast fashion brands. Hong Kong-based charity Redress hosted a show recently where Lee displayed his creations, alongside other designers who transformed vintage kimonos and bridal wear samples and even used silicone and rubber.

Recycling textile waste on an industrial scale

Hong Kong designers Kay Wong and Toby Crispy have founded Fashion Clinic to help people mend garments. They set up pop-up stalls at clothing stores providing repair and reshaping services and also hold workshops teaching basic needlework.

However, some want to address the waste problem on an industrial scale. A cutting-edge upcycling spinning mill that turns discarded clothes into new yarns will be fully operational in this October, developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute for Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA). The 1,765 sq. mt. factory will sterilise, sort and turn used textiles into fresh fibre, processing three tonnes of textile waste each day. Six workers will remove zips and buttons and categorise the fabrics before machines carry out automated colour sorting and re-spinning. Mixed-fiber clothing will go through a high-tech treatment to separate the different elements. The recycled yarn will be of the same quality as that of virgin materials, while their selling price will be 30 per cent lower. The new mill will serve as an inspiration for other cities.

As per calculations, Vietnam will most likely witness a total export-import turnover of $475 billion, including $238 billion in exports and $237 billion in imports this year. Thus, the trade surplus for 2018 will be $1 billion. In the first nine months of this year, total export-import turnover is estimated to hit $352.43 billion, far higher than the $308.12 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, Vietnam enjoyed a record trade surplus of $5.39 billion during the period. As per MPI, despite the US-China trade war, in the first nine months of this year, the country’s total export turnover is estimated to touch $178.91 billion, increasing by 15.4 per cent on-year, with local exporters earning $51.07 billion, up 17.5 per cent, and foreign exporters raking in $127.84 billion (including crude oil exports), up 14.6 per cent. The export turnover of FIEs accounted for 71.5 per cent of total export turnover.

Meanwhile, the total import turnover is estimated at $173.52 billion, an increase of 11.8 per cent on-year, with $69.34 billion from domestic enterprises (up 11.7 per cent) and $104.18 billion from FIEs (up 11.9 per cent). It is expected that in the fourth quarter of 2018, the country’s total export turnover will be $59.09 billion and the total import turnover will be $63.48 billion.