FW
The third edition of Avantex 2016, the first trade show to bring together companies that supply the ultimate in high-tech fabrics, trimmings and services for the fashion of tomorrow in Paris (Avantex Paris) concluded last month. With this, the fair consolidated its position in the forefront of textile innovation. The September 2016 Avantex show expanded the categories it offered for technical/technological services that support fashion. This diversification was highly acclaimed, as witnessed by a number of exhibitors, organisers report.
For example, the cap with built-in headphones from the Taiwanese Sound Team received a wealth of requests for samples, as well as the all-in-one photo equipment from Picapics which received expressions of interest in buying from several American, Indian and Chinese companies. Also, the concept for instantaneous dyeing and embroidery from Coloreel, was given a special preview at Avantex Paris and aroused keen interest on the part of manufacturers. Initiated in September 2015 for the new field of technical clothing and fabrics, as well as e-clothing, Avantex Paris addressed a strong demand for convenience, everyday use and functionality from consumers who seek functional, suitable fashion, fanciful at times but more practical and rational.
Growth in Bangladesh's apparel export to the United States dropped below 1.0 per cent during the first eight months of the current calendar year over the corresponding period of 2015. According to sources, sluggish economic recovery in the country's single-largest shipment destination-the US market-is largely to blame for the slowdown in the export growth. A growing competition by other exporters, particularly Vietnam for the market share and denial of duty-free and quota-free access for Bangladeshi apparels are also seen as deterrents.
The country's exports grew by 0.85 per cent to $3.71 billion while that of Vietnam recorded a growth of 3.04 per cent to $ 7.25 billion during January-August period of 2016. By the data of Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), the trade scenario became clear and became a source of concern of the US Department of Commerce.
Export earnings grew by 10.99 per cent in January and 8.52 per cent from January to February in 2016, the data revealed. Exports of the country's non-apparel items including shrimp and plastic products, also declined. The turnover amounted to $142.17 million during the January-August period, accounting for a negative 6.88 per cent growth. On the other hand, Chinese apparel exports also witnessed a negative growth of 7.73 per cent to $ 18.28 billion during the same period of this year.
DuPont Advanced Printing (DuPont) has launched DuPont™ Artistri® Xite S1500 dye sublimation ink. Backed by more than 25 years of digital inkjet manufacturing and technical support, the innovative ink will now be available for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and printers. Artistri® Xite S1500 offers superior product consistency, jetting reliability and color print performance.
The Artistri® Xite S1500 ink is a new digital ink offering for printing on polyester textile substrates. Designed to work with coated dye sublimation papers, the ink meets the needs of quality conscious textile printers in multiple areas including garment decoration, fast fashion/couture, point of purchase signage and trade booth construction.
Earlier this year, DuPont Digital Inks launched new and improved DuPont™ Artistri® inks that delivers brighter colours, shorter production cycles and higher production throughput for direct-to-garment and roll-to-roll digital printing. DuPont Advanced Printing brings together leading technologies and products for the printing and package printing industries. DuPont™ Cyrel® is one of the world’s leading flexographic plate-making systems in digital and conventional formats, including the new Cyrel® EASY photopolymer plates and Cyrel® FAST plates and processing equipment.
The Pakistani government has approved Rs 185 million under the Export Development Fund (EDF) for the development of textile sector in the country. This was revealed at a meeting of EDF that was held under the chairmanship of secretary of Ministry of Textile Industry which approved various development projects for promotion of textile sector and boost its exports.
A senior official of Ministry of Textile Industry said that allocations of Rs 100 million has been approved for washing facilities in the Karachi garments institute while Rs 75 million was also approved by the EDF for land acquisition of new training institute in Sailkot. Further, the government also allocated Rs 10 million for garment training institute in Lahore.
A production of up to 11.2 million bales of cotton was expected this crop season, as compared to 10 million bales produced in the same period last year, he added. However, the government had set 14.1 million bales of cotton for this year, which had to be revised, as some of the growers in cotton producing areas opted to cultivate sugarcane crop, the official said.
The selling price of cotton seeds was also lowered from Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,000 per 40 kg in order to encourage farmers to cultivate cotton crops on more land and enhance the cotton production in this season, the official said. He further said that experts and scientists helped in providing training to more than 8,000 farmers to overcome losses of cotton crops and evolved measures against the virus, which harmed the cotton crops in the past. This year farmers were likely to get good prices for the cotton crop, as the increased cotton prices in international market would benefit farmers, as compared to previous years when they suffered huge financial losses, he added.
For the second time in the current season, the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) of Pakistan has revised cotton production estimates downward to 11.039 million bales against the initial estimates of 14.1 million bales for the current season (2016-17). This came after the second meeting of CCAC that was held to assess the volume of current cotton crop in the country. Hassan Iqbal, Federal Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry is the chairman of CCAC.
In 2015-16, the country had missed the crop production target by around 30 per cent and it remained around 10 million bales which according to the Finance Minister caused a GDP growth of 0.5 per cent. However, according to sources, the prospects for the current season are not very bright as well and the country may face significant shortfall in the crop production as well.
The plant protection department, officials of Trading Cooperation of Pakistan (TCP), cotton growers from Punjab, representatives of Pest warning department, Punjab, members of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) and Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) attended the meeting. The Chair welcomed the participants and appreciated the stakeholders' interest and participation in the process of cotton crop assessment and described the objectives of the meeting.
Cotton Commissioner, Dr Khalid Abdullah discussed the overview of cotton crop production in the country and challenges faced by the cotton crop especially of climate and pests like pink boll worm and white fly. The house was informed that cotton sowing has decreased by 21 per cent in Punjab. However, it was increased by 2 per cent in Sindh, with overall decrease by 15 per cent than the last year. This decrease in area has proportionately depicted in the production as well.
Since India has strength in textile technology and Việtnam is dependent on feedstock for its textile industry from many countries, they could mutually benefit by co-operation, says the Vietmam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). On this, Vo Tan Thanh, director of VCCI’s HCM City chapter said that the garment and textile sector happened to be the country’s second largest export earner last year after increasing by 17 per cent to US$ 27.5 billion. Yet, the sector relied heavily on imported raw materials, he averred at the India Textile Machinery Exhibition (IMTE 2016).
Nguyen Ngoc Lan, deputy director general of Nha Be Corporation said that 70 per cent of the feedstock needed for production has to be imported and last year this accounted for around $15 billion. Both Thanh and Lan were of the view that existing and future free trade agreements including the TPP and Vietnam-EU FTA, would open up export opportunities for the sector.
The sector urgently needs to invest in technologies to produce its own raw materials so that it can benefit from the FTAs, especially the TPP, he said. India, the second largest garment and textile producer in the world, has advanced technologies and equipment at competitive prices, offering Vietnamese firms a good choice, he added.
After several years of decline, the fashion cycle appears to slowly be shifting back towards denim. Interest in the once dear item has been building thanks to new styles which include rips and wider bottoms.
Americans have fallen in love with denim again one again and that too at the expense of yoga pants. Amid a debate over whether the athleisure trend is waning away, a search data from Google Trends shows that interest in denim is picking up. Meanwhile, it is learnt that fewer shoppers are showing a requirement for yoga pants.
Jefferies analyst Randal Konik, who published the data in a note to investors, said that brands like Lululemon should watch out. He further said that the athleisure trend is fading away.
The data from Euromonitor confirms this thesis, Konik added. It shows that growth in the sports apparel market has recently slowed to 5 per cent from 7 per cent in years gone by. The category's rate of growth is expected to remain in the 4 per cent to 5 per cent range over the next several years, the analyst noted. Retailers from Macy's to American Eagle have recently said that requirements of denim has been increasing.
Underdeveloped infrastructure, restrictive environment and a lack of trade agreement with key markets have been identified as the main reasons for the unsatisfactory foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in the Indian textile sector, says a recent study commissioned by the Indian ministry of textiles. Stringent labour laws were also cited as one of the major challenges that hamper the FDI inflow.
In order to attract large scale investments, acquire global scale and bring India at par with other competing countries, there is an immediate need to review the labour laws to make them investor and labour friendly, adds the study. Labour laws restricting women from working in night shifts and the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 that stipulates that companies employing over 100 people must obtain necessary approvals for lay-offs need to be amended to rectify the situation. Despite India offering a large domestic market, competitive labour costs and a well working democracy, its performance in attracting FDI flows has been far from satisfactory. The country's weakness lies in underdeveloped infrastructure and restrictive operative environment and lack of trade agreement with key markets, notes the study.
Apparel and textile exporting nations like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey, Cambodia and Pakistan have duty advantage ranging from 10 to 30 per cent for different products in the US and EU markets. This advantage enables them to achieve exports growth rates higher than that of India, according to media reports.
All eyes are set on the 2016 Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics to be held from October 11-13, 2016. With close to 4,600 exhibitors from 29 countries and regions, the show will feature an all-encompassing selection of products across 10 halls in the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai.“After 22 years of development, Intertextile Shanghai has become the world’s most comprehensive trade and communication platform for the textile industry, providing an unrivalled range of fabrics & accessories and establishing its leading status in the industry,” said Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
All eyes are set on the 2016 Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics to be held from October 11-13, 2016. With close to 4,600 exhibitors from 29 countries and regions, the show will feature an all-encompassing selection of products across 10 halls in the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai.“After 22 years of development, Intertextile Shanghai has become the world’s most comprehensive trade and communication platform for the textile industry, providing an unrivalled range of fabrics & accessories and establishing its leading status in the industry,” said Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
To offer exhibitors and buyers an easy access to the entire event spread, the extensive array of products is grouped in various ways. International halls encompassing 5.2 & 6.2 will host over 1,100 exhibitors. The ever-popular SalonEurope features the finest European-made products in the France, Germany, Turkey and MilanoUnica Pavilions, as well as from individual exhibitors from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The Asia pavilion is also no less with participation from India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, plus the brand new Hong Kong Pavilion showcasing some of the most popular and innovative products in the Asian market.
Meanwhile, cutting-edge and creative textile materials and fabrics can be found in seven Group Pavilions organised by the industry’s leading firms and associations including DuPont, Hyosung, INVISTA, Lenzing and OEKO-TEX, as well as the Korea Textile Trade Association (KTTA) and the Korea Chemical Fibers Association (KCFA).
Aimed at fulfilling market demands, six distinctive product zones bring together the top suppliers from various spectrums to provide visitors extensive range of high-quality sourcing options. These zones include:
• Accessories Vision (hall 4.1): Over 500 international and domestic exhibitors will present the latest fashion and garment accessories. An Accessories Trend Forum is also included to display the next seasons’ fashion accessories under three domestic trend themes
• All About Sustainability (hall 5.2): Increasing by 10% in scale, all kinds of sustainable products and services will be demonstrated in three main sections: Educational Zone, eco Boutique and ForumSpace
• Beyond Denim (hall 7.2): Over 170 exhibitors will exhibit the newest denim products, such as denim yarns, fabrics, accessories and production machinery under the new concept ‘Brooklyn Today’,while the Beyond Denim Forum will illustrate the evolution of denim’s 200-year history.
• Functional Lab (hall 5.2): The returning INVISTA Pavilion, the debut Taiwan Pavilion, plus exhibitors from China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan and Korea will present some of the world’s most advanced fabrics with various functions such as thermo-regulation, moisture wicking, increased durability, elasticity, windproof and more.
• Premium Wool Zone (hall 6.2): An exclusive platform to explore premium wool and cashmere fabrics brought by high-quality suppliers from France, Japan, Peru, the UK and elsewhere
• Verve for Design (hall 6.2): Well-known design studios from Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the UK will impress and inspire visitors with their newest original fabric designs.
Intertextile Shanghai is just not a platform for the meeting of minds, it offers learning experiences to the industry by way of Fringe Programmes. This programme aids visitors in exchanging technical know-how and discover different industry perspectives. Events in the programme include the A/W17-18 Intertextile Directions Trend Forum(hall 6.2), Trend Tours led by top trend forecaster I.S. Planning, theFrankfurt Style Award display (6.2-E02), Fabrics China Trend Forums (halls 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2 and 8.2), China International Fabrics Design& amp; Fabrics Creations Competitions, as well as a number of seminars, aDigital Printing Forum and panel discussions. Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2016 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of TextileIndustry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre.
Paving the way for fixed-term employment in the apparel manufacturing sector, the Labour Ministry has notified the amendments in the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders). The decision on the part of the government would facilitate employment of workers in apparel manufacturing on fixed term basis in the backdrop of seasonal nature of sector and would also ensure same working conditions, wages and other benefits for fixed term employee in the sector as a regular employee.
On the termination of fixed term employment, the workman will not be entitled to any notice or pay, the notification reads. However, the move has been criticised by the central trade unions (CTUs) including the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) that termed the same as anti-worker.
Fixed term worker will also be eligible for all statutory benefits available to a permanent workman proportionately according to the period of service rendered by him even though his period of employment does not extend to the qualifying period of employment required in the statute, the notification added. This is one of the measures approved under the Rs 6,000 crore package for the textile sector announced in June this year.
