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A combination of factors has muddied the waters of the global cotton market. Cotton demand is up, especially in Asia and South Asia but drought conditions in the West Texas region of the United States and the potential of new tariffs on cotton are serious concerns. Relations between the world’s largest exporter, the United States, and the world’s largest consumer, China, have been tense.
China has announced a 25 per cent tariff on uncombed US cotton that is scheduled to go into effect on July 6. While both production and consumption are projected to increase in 2017-18, higher production will result in world stocks increasing three per cent, to 19.3 million tons, following two seasons of continual decreases in global stocks. Consumption in 2018-19 is projected to grow five per cent with production projected at 25.9 million tons. With consumption expected to outpace production in 2018-19, global stocks are expected to decrease to 17.8 million tons.
Prices have dropped from a season-high of 102 cents per pound. However, current price of cotton is still higher than the season average of 87 cents per pound and considerably higher than the 20-year historical average of 73 cents per pound.
Euratex, the European Textile and Apparel Confederation, has drafted certain recommendations to promote quality and sustainability of EU textile and clothing productions. These include the work done in the European Parliament (EP) that can be a great opportunity to improve sustainability in the global garment supply chain, stopping abuses and prevent incidents.
As per these recommendations, there is a need work together to help voluntary-based initiatives to delivery at global level. Build on achievements of OECD, ILO, UN, other successful public/ private initiatives. Refrain from new mandatory regulatory systems. Promote transparency and simplicity, support (not imposing) traceability for SMEs, encourage green public procurement, reduce audits fatigue by sharing audit results, harmonise standards while maintaining diversity. Enable a level playing field for a global impact, same conditions for EU and non-EU companies. Inform consumers, facilitate simple information and transparency for consumers, and help consumers choosing sustainable products.
The Woolmark Company hosted the Merino Wool Awareness Day in Hanoi recently, which was attended by over 100 industry professionals including international and local experts, experienced designers, suppliers and manufacturers in the textile and garment industry.
The event highlighted the benefits of Merino wool and provided guidance on how to access and process the fibre in innovative ways, as well as giving domestic companies an opportunity to showcase their wool products and connect with more than 80 supply chain brands in Vietnam. Participants learnt valuable lessons from experienced experts from leading brands in Vietnam and across the world such as Canifa, Ivy Moda, Fixxed Studios and Appeal Korea.
The Woolmark Company has been working in Vietnamese market for five years, watching the country’s growing interest in use of natural fibres and its potential for production of quality wool product.
The knitwear industry in Tirupur has urged mills not to increase cotton price further, as exporters are already struggling to survive. The falling rupee has given no respite to the industry as the price of yarn, its key raw material, has zoomed. Cotton yarn price has risen by Rs 20 a kg this month to Rs 240 per kg for 40 count yarn. With strengthening cotton prices, industry fears another hike of Rs 5 per kg in July. The price hike has put the knitwear garment export sector in a difficult situation, hard to sustain in the competitive global environment.
Beleaguered knitwear export sector has been passing through a challenging business environment following the implementation of GST. This was evident from the continuous decline of knitwear exports month after month since October 2017, after three months transition period was over. The exports declined by as much as 21 per cent during the second half of 2017-18. The most worrying factor is that the negative growth trend in exports is continuing in the current financial year and the average decline of knitwear exports in the month of April and May was 34 per cent.
Print Make Wear, the new textile printing technology was launched recently at the Global Print Expo 2018. The technology, launched by FESPA, was viewed as an opportunity to update industry knowledge in the areas of increased efficiency and sustainability, workflow and technology and evaluate equipment and technology to inform future investment.
Around 467 delegates at the event registered specifically for Print Make Wear. They were joined by the 17 per cent of visitors to the FESPA event who came with a specific interest in garment decoration and/or manufacturing, and who visited the Print Make Wear area, as well as more than 2,000 visitors who took advantage of the expert-guided feature tours.
Technology investment was high on the agenda of visitors to Print Make Wear, with more than half planning to invest within six months, supported by average investment budgets of over Euros 180,000. The audience comprised 90 per cent senior managers, with 76 per cent of visitors having purchasing authority.
Albstadt-based circular knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. (MCT) has been named one of Germany’s most innovative SMEs for the second time. The company was awarded for its innovation management and success, the most well-known example of which is currently their spinitsystems spinning and knitting technology.
A compact machine with the dimensions of a conventional knitting machine, the technology combines two previously separate processes, spinning and knitting. This saves a great deal of time, space and energy. Operating for over 100 years, Mayer & Cie has sold over 75,000 machines worldwide since its founding. The company invests 5 to 6 per cent of its turnover each year into research and development. Around 7 percent of the employees are engaged in development and construction. Mayer & Cie. keeps a close ear to the market – and not just with the sales and marketing staff in the headquarters in Albstadt, but also with 80 representatives around the world.
Febratex, the Brazilian Textile Industry Fair, will be held from August 21-24 August, 2018 in the German Village Park in Blumenau (SC).The fair will be attended by 2,400 national and international companies who will showcase innovations in the entire global production chain. Karl Mayer will showcase its Warp Knitting Business Unit at the event. This will include the first high-speed tricot machines, type HKS 3-M, with a working width of 130 inches; and featuring the KAMCOS ® 2 computer platform.
The Warp Preparation Business Unit will also be exhibited on an infostand showcasing products that can be manufactured on a variety of machines and equipment for producing warp beams. Karl Mayer also plans to target weft knitting companies at the fair. In Blumenau, an HKS 3-M will be processing elastane to produce a stretch filet fabric for use in sportswear. This product and the performance of the machine are designed to offer producers of weft-knitted fabrics an attractive, alternative technology.
The knowledge segments at the upcoming Home Textiles Sourcing Expo will focus on the global home textiles landscape, colour trends for Autumn/Winter 2019-20 and a unique panel on translating fashion trends into home décor. The expo will be held alongside Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA offering a wide variety of seminars and panels. As a marketplace for networking, education and sourcing, it is the only trade event in North America to centre entirely on home textiles and finished soft goods for all home applications.
Seminars at the expo include a session dedicated to sheets, towels, tariffs and trade: what it all means for the global home textiles market in 2018 and beyond. The expo panels feature two sessions. Translating Fashion Trend to Décor with Staying Power will be presented by Jana Platina Phipps. Many couture fashion trends have the chance of looking absurd in home design. However, many of the innovative fabrications, textiles, embellishments and color palettes seen on the runway serve as great indicators and inspiration for what will trickle down to decor in surprising ways. Embellishment expert and design blogger Jana Platina Phipps, known as Trim Queen, will invite participants on a fast-paced visual tour through what's "haute" and which trends can be integrated right into the home market.
A panel titled ‘The New Home Textiles Landscape - What’s Needed to Survive and Thrive Tomorrow’ will discuss burning issues of interest to importers, product developers, marketers, sources, and creatives. A panel of experts will present exclusive research about consumer shopping behaviors, trend forecasts that address changing consumer’s lifestyles, and insight from a retail disruptor about the new landscape.
Twine Solutions has announced Delta Galil Industries, a global manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label apparel, as its first beta customer for proprietary Digital Selective Thread Dyeing System and Solutions. The system will be used to support Delta's goals in developing new fabrics, products, finishing technologies and marketing concepts.
Delta Galil leads the industry in technological innovation in textile manufacturing, products and design hence, Twine's Digital Selective Treatment (DST) technology is the right match in to Delta's mission in evolving and innovating with high impact emphasis on the environment.
Delta Galil will join forces and collaborate with Twine which will enable Delta to produce the most updated digital solutions for textiles, making sure they continue to be the market leaders in their field. Delta Galil is dependent on leading apparel designers and retailers worldwide to help them introduce new products and innovative manufacturing solutions that answer consumer demands and help grow their market share, commented Gil Shimon, President of Global Upper Market at DGI.
Twine Solutions was founded in 2015 in Israel. Twine’s system continuously dyes a single raw or off-the-shelf thread to any requested length and in any colour, with a choice of millions of colours, shades, as well as colour gradients. Delta is a high quality apparel global leader that focuses continuously on quality, design and innovation. The companys are thrilled that they have embraced twine's cutting-edge technology, together they would revolutionise the thread, fabric and garment industries.
A meeting of the leaders of the Uztekstilprom Association with Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jiang Yak noted Chinese investments into Uzbekistan’s textile industry has been on the rise increase. Investments now exceed $ 200 million.
They discussed issues of development of cooperation between Uzbek and Chinese textile associations, large textile companies, expansion of investment activities of Chinese companies in Uzbekistan, increase in trade turnover between the countries, in particular, consideration of the issue of optimization of rates of customs duties on the import of Uzbek textiles to China were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on the development of the Chinese government's technical assistance program aimed at training and upgrading skills of young specialists for the textile, clothing and knitting industries.
Also, the Chinese side invited representatives of the textile industry of Uzbekistan to participate in the upcoming International Exhibition “Expo China 2018” to be held in November. In its turn, the Association invited Chinese companies to take part in the International Exhibition of Textile and Fashion Industry “UzTextile Expo 2018” and the international conference “Uzbekistan Textile Conference,” which will be held in Tashkent from September 4-7, 2018.
