Karl Lagerfeld, who died yesterday at 85, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the greatest designers of our time. He was also an unstoppable eclectic creative mind, artist, illustrator, publisher, interior designer, photographer and unique style icon.

In addition to being the creative director of his namesake brand, Karl Lagerfeld was the creative director of both the Chanel and Fendi houses respectively since 1983 and 1965.

Along with his prestigious creative direction of the two high-end brands, he also kept the same position at the Karl Lagerfeld brand, which conveyed his own vision and aesthetic through aspirational, accessible collections, an ethos that will continue to remain at the core of the brand.

His last appearance on social networks happened on February 5, 2019, through his own Instagram page thanking his fans after he had reached one million followers. Virginie Viard, a long-time and close co-worker of Lagerfeld, will succeed in his role at Chanel.

The designer had aroused some worries about his state of health among fans and insiders a few weeks ago when on January 22 he did not show up at the end of the Chanel show in Paris. He simply commented on his absence explaining he was feeling extremely tired.

During leading fashion trade event Moda at NEC Birmingham, the ITE Group announced a three-year plan of investment, support and growth to offer exhibitors and visitors incredible events to promote trade and offer unique platforms for all fashion buying needs.

This three-year plan will include investment across the shows including new appointments, shared intelligence and data analysis, the development of its educational content programmes and the continued commitment towards sustainability through our Power of One campaign. Working together as a portfolio, each show benefits from the knowledge and experience of the teams and their networks, but they will continue to be run separately as they are each unique.

The group is committed to investing in each of the shows, building on its visitor acquisition programme, delivering newness, innovation and creativity. Each event is tailored to meet the specific needs of buyers across the UK, in Europe and around the world.

Cotton procurement by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) crossed 8.5 lakh bales in the ongoing 2018-19 cotton season as prices remained below the minimum support prices (MSP) due to weak global prices and low exports. The Corporation expects procurement to touch 15 lakh bales by the end of the season.

A majority of this stock had been procured from Telangana and Maharashtra where farmers are now coming forward to sell to the CCI instead of approaching traders. Cotton is also being bought from Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha. Daily arrivals were 13,000-16,000 bales. As per CCI, this increase in procurement is due to a drop in prices. Prices have been declining in the global market. On the Intercontinental Exchange, the price hit a 15-month low last week, while on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, prices are currently ruling at 10-month lows.

Accord wants an extension beyond its five-year operation term. Pressure has been mounting on Bangladesh to let Accord continue operations. Accord, the platform of European buyers and retailers, wants time to make a prepared transition of its factory inspection and remediation work to the Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC).

Nearly 200 investors and the Clean Clothes Campaign have been spearheading demands for an extension of Accord’s tenure and have called upon global partners to coerce action against Bangladesh on the Accord issue.

Accord’s five-year-term to remediate Bangladesh’s apparel factories ended on November 30. But apparel industry leaders are unwilling to let it stay on in Bangladesh any longer. They say Accord has forced many of them to undergo expensive remediation work, but even after such expensive remediation work, buyers, though they are happy with the compliance work, are not paying a fair sum to enable factories to recover their costs.

Some other actions of Accord – like terminating ties with over 500 factories for noncompliance – have also been highly criticised. Bangladesh wants to impose conditions on Accord—but international rights groups say this will strip it of its independence. Accord’s petition challenging the directive to stop activities will be heard by the court on April 7.

Bangladesh is facing the pressure from buyers to deliver cheap apparel. Exporters say they cannot afford to refuse orders and buyers know this and exploit this weakness and mount pressure. The apparel industry is Bangladesh’s single biggest export earner and accounts for about 83 per cent of Bangladesh’s total exports.

But the country’s apparel exporters are hoping retailers and brands pay a fair price for their products. For one, say the exporters, they have spent huge amounts on beefing up workplace safety and that has increased the cost of production by 25 per cent to 30 per cent. Their complaint is that buyers always demand higher compliance at the factory level but do not want to increase the prices of products.

One reason Bangladesh’s exporters do not get fair and reasonable prices is the lack of negotiation skills. Exporters get lower prices for readymade garment products than what Cambodian and Vietnamese exporters from global buyers. Buyers do not want to pay higher prices, although the cost of production will go up further with wage hike, port congestion and higher transportation cost. Factories in Bangladesh that need to relocate have to bear the relocation costs and do not receive financial support from buyers, the government or their industry associations.

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) is investing Rs 114 crore to set up a new apparel manufacturing plant in Rayagda district of Odisha with potential to create over 2750 jobs. This unit will have a capacity to produce 3.6 million pieces of apparel per annum. The plant will be financed 30 per cent by equity and balance 70 per cent by term loan. The project will be implemented within 24 months from the date of approval.

ABFRL sells in-house brands such as Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Peter England and also operates the fashion retail chain Pantaloons. The company’s first unit in Odisha has a capacity of four million shirts per annum and employs around 2,000 employees who are mostly women.

Bangladesh’s earnings from exports of readymade garments rose 14.51 per cent in July to January period compared with the same period of the previous fiscal year. Earnings from the sector were 7.65 per cent higher than target. Export earnings of knitwear products rose by 13.86 per cent. Export earnings of woven products rose by 15.18 per cent.

Relative peace in the country, US-China trade war, and improvement in safety conditions in the readymade garment factories are the main reasons behind the increase in readymade garment exports. Earnings from specialized textile sector was up 41.11 per cent while earnings from home textile fell 0.79 per cent. Earnings from leather and leather goods fell 11.71 per cent and earnings from jute and jute goods fell 24.66 per cent.

India, Brazil, Mexico and Chile are also turning into major export destinations for Bangladesh. Similarly, China, the largest apparel supplier worldwide, has also been turning into a major export destination for Bangladesh. China also allows duty-free access to over 5,000 Bangladeshi products, most of which are garment items.

Bangladesh’s garment exports to non-traditional markets have been growing since 2010-11 and have been made possible by a stimulus package and duty-free market access.

AATCC research committee RA111, Electronically-Integrated Textiles, recently approved its first evaluation procedure. The AATCC EP13, Evaluation Procedure for Electrical Resistance of Electronically-Integrated Textiles, is one of the very first international standards for e-textiles.

The procedure provides detailed instructions for measuring resistance of e-textiles—a key indicator of functionality. It also includes guidance and calculations for determining change in resistance after laundering, stretch, or other treatment.

AATCC EP13 is currently available for purchase from the AATCC website as a downloadable PDF. It will be included in the 2019 AATCC Technical Manual Mid-Year Supplement published this summer.

AATCC standards are developed, approved, and periodically reviewed by a global team of volunteer subject matter experts. All stakeholders are welcome to participate in this consensus-based process. The standards are recognized and used around the world.

Leading Japanese computerised flat knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki, of Wakayama, Japan, will exhibit at the upcoming Garment Technology Expo (GTE 2019) to be held in New Delhi, India, later this month.

A pioneer of Wholegarment knitting technology, Shima Seiki will present exclusive solutions to meet the current needs of the Indian market, as well as future market needs. Such solutions are provided by the company’s MACH2S Wholegarment knitting machine that offers the flexibility of producing Wholegarment knitwear using every other needle, as well as conventional shaped knitwear using all needles. “This feature helps users to invest in their technology wisely,” the company says.

Demonstrations will also be performed on the latest version of Shima Seiki’s 3D design system SDS-ONE APEX3. At the core of the company’s Total Fashion System concept, APEX3 is designed to provide comprehensive support throughout the product supply chain, integrating production into one smooth and efficient workflow from yarn development, product planning and design to production and even sales promotion.

“Especially effective is the way APEX3 improves on the design evaluation process with its ultrarealistic simulation capability, whereby virtual samples minimise the need for actual sample-making,” the manufacturer explains. “Together with Wholegarment knitting, APEX3 realises significant savings in time, cost and material, contributing to truly sustainable knit manufacturing.”

Exhibition details

Exhibition: Garment Technology Expo 2019 (GTE 2019)

Date: 22-25 February 2019

Location: NSIC Exhibition Complex

Okhla Industrial Estate, Near Kalkaji Temple, New Delhi, India

Tel: +9111269262750

Organiser: Garment Technology Expo

Tel: +911141601662

Booth No.: C7

Exhibited technology

MACH2S 8G Wholegarment knitting machine

SDS-ONE APEX3 3D design system

For more information please contact:

Voltas Limited

Tel: +914226619002

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Attn: Mr. Kishor Dash

+919958322200

Family-run Italian hosiery knitting machine builder Busi Giovanni presents its complete range of machines capable of knitting certified-compression medical socks. The company announced extending its portfolio in September 2017, with the introduction of a 5-inch diameter to the previously existing ones of 4" and 4.5".

“Our complete range of machines for medical (certified compression) socks is available in 4", 4,5" and 5" diameters, capable of covering approximately 90% of the required sizes and producing items in compliance with the international medical classes 1, 2 and 3,” said Michele Castagna, Export and Marketing Manager.

The available versions include Busi Medical and Busi Medical Terry machines, equipped with two feeds for the main yarns, plus two more feeds for elastic ones. Sandwich terry and selected terry options are available on the Terry version only. The machines are provided with two knitting feeds for both plain stitch and true rib.

The compression graduation is achieved by using the automatic stiffening, which is available on all the stitch motors and by graduating the tension of the inlaid elastic yarn.

All of these versions are available equipped with the company’s Rimaglio automatic, stitch-by-stitch, toe-closing device, even up to the highest possible gauges. It downloads the sock from the machine, after completion of the knitting operation, and it transfers the sock to the linking device, where it is sewn loop by loop. The sock is turned inside out, so that the linking remains on the inside of the sock, resulting in a perfect traditional-looking linking. After being sewn, the sock, already reversed to the right side, is removed from the machine and is ready for the next boarding operation.

Since 1958 Busi Giovanni has specialised in the design and construction of single-cylinder machines with rib needles in the dial for the production of high-quality stockings, socks and tights. The company is a supplier to the most important producers of stockings, socks and tights, for the men's, women's and children's markets - classic, patterned, sports, technical-sports, as well as medical, with special solutions for graduated compression.

The family-run company sells in 63 countries around the world (90% export) through a network of partners that provide distribution and service. With 61 years in the business, Busi manufactured 8,066 machines so far.