Sanjay K Jain has been re-elected chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI). T Rajkumar is deputy chairman. D L Sharma is vice chairman.

TT managing director Sanjay Jain has been part chairman of the Textile Sector Skill Council, Northern India Textile Research Association and the Northern India Textile Mills Association and is on the committees of Texprocil, the South India Mills Association and the Cotton Association of India. He is young, dynamic and very articulate in dealing with the core issues of the textile industry. His priority would be to strongly pursue important issues so that the Indian textile industry becomes a significant global player.

T Rajkumar is chairman of the Kerala-based Sri Mahasakthi Mills.

DL Sharma, managing director of Vardhman Yarns and Threads, is also TSC vice chairman and a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry National Committee on Textiles.

CITI has also signed two memoranda of understanding. One is with the National Stock Exchange to create awareness on managing currency risk and raising of equity capital for micro, small and medium enterprises through the stock exchange platform.

The second is with ZDHC for creating awareness among textiles and clothing industry players on zero discharge of hazardous chemicals and addressing environmental issues in a sustainable manner.

ROICA Eco-Smart Family, a range of the world's first responsibly made premium stretch fibers, have created ROICA smart yarns that offer sustainable solutions and awarded with the following certifications:

Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certificate awarded by Textile Exchange for ROICA being constructed with over 50 per cent pre-consumer recycled content. Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Level Certificate for Material Health Product and Ingredients: For this certificate ROICA yarn was evaluated throughout the supply chain for lower impacts on human and environmental health.

Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certificate for breaking down without releasing harmful substances.

At the corporate level, ROICA was awarded with the following certifications: Oeko Tex 100, ISO 14001:2004, ISO 9001:2008. Moreover, ROICA mills in Germany achieved the certification of ISO 50001:2001.

Première Vision Paris trade show experienced an 8.3 per cent decline in visitors in September 2018, falling to 55 497 visitors, in comparison to the number of visitors seen in September 2016.

The organisers believe the drop was due to Yom Kippur, which caused the event to be held Wednesday to Friday, as well as due to a change in behavior among brands. As a result, Première Vision SA recommended a tighter and more direct operational teams as well as shorter visit times, while professionals adapt to market instabilities.

This edition, the international attendance was recorded at 72 per cent. This included 11 per cent visitors from was Italy, 7 per cent from UK followed by Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. The organisers also noted a strong presence of Swedish and Danish visitors. Asia, which represented 14% of total visitors, was represented by a strong Chinese, Japanese and South Korean presence.

North America, for its part, registered a slight decrease with 2,269 visitors, 1918 of whom came from the United States. Turkey also experienced a fall of its presence directly linked to its monetary and economic problems.

According to a survey of more than 3,000 consumers across China, Europe and the US by UBS Group AG, 18 to 35 year olds contributed 85 percent to growth in the luxury market last year and will represent 45 percent of total high-end spending by 2025.

Gucci and Louis Vuitton are the millennial’s favorite brands. While the intent to buy online is higher in the age group than among older consumers, physical stores continue to feature highly among preferred places to shop.

Chinese millennials, a major driving force behind sales growth, allocate about 20 percent of discretionary income to purchasing luxury goods, a similar share as older generations. Younger people in Italy and the US have higher spending budgets than their elders.

The 14th edition of Milano Unica China highlighted the importance of public private partnership (PPP). The exhibition’s success reinforces the international expansion of the Italian business and also boosts the image of Italian-made products in a strategic market like China. The economic commitment of the Italian Government is fully justified by the positive results recorded by the trade show.

Milano Unica China was held in Shanghai from Sept 27- 29, 2018 by Messe Frankfurt. The show featured 42 exhibitors who witnessed positive results in terms of contacts and new orders. New Consul General in Shanghai, Dr. Michele Cecchi also attended the show. He appreciated the quality of the products on display and underlined how Milano Unica is a virtuous example of collaboration between private businesses and public institutions, teaming up to promote the excellence of Italian made products.

Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, by The Nikkei India, strengthened in September to reach 52.2 from 51.7 in August. A reading of over 50 on this survey-based index indicates expansion, below that contraction.

As per the survey report, underpinning the overall expansion was a firmer increase in levels of new work and gains in both domestic and foreign demand. Moreover, export sales strengthened, with the net gain the best recorded since the start of the year. Firmer gains in new orders, output and employment were some of the factors that led manufacturing record an improvement in growth in September

Rising prices continued to weigh on sentiment as a strong US dollar and supply shortages exacerbated high global prices for steel and fuel.

The survey showed that optimism about future output slipped to the lowest since June.

Schoeller Textil has won recognition for its technical fabrics and smart textile finishing technologies. The company produces an average of over six million meters of performance textiles per year.

Sustainability has always been of great importance at Schoeller. In 1994, it was the first active wear and leisurewear manufacturer to receive the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Schoeller also served as one of the founding developers of the bluesign system, which has since become established worldwide.

Innovations include its c_change membrane technology, the world’s first intelligent membrane, as well as the well-known NanoSphere, coldblack and corkshell technologies. 3XDRY Bio and ecorepel Bio, the new PFC-free technologies based on renewable raw materials, were first introduced to customers in 2016.

The company began as Switzerland’s first worsted yarn spinning mill in 1868. That mill would soon launch the very first elastic fabric for the ski industry – or the world’s very first soft shell fabric – under the name skifans. Schoeller’s headquarters include its production facilities that house weaving, dyeing, lamination and coating departments, as well as the state-of-the-art research, development and testing laboratory. Its on-site administrative building is home to the design and sales, IT, marketing and accounting teams.

Schoeller has more than 500 brand partners in 50 countries.

Cordura is collaborating with leading Japanese brands to showcase specialised manufacturing techniques and cutting-edge design.

In the first phase of the project, Cordura will release a video made in collaboration with a leading bag brand. Through close-up shots of the detailed work of artisans, from design planning to cutting and sewing, the video emphasises the intricate detail and beauty of Japanese craftsmanship with Cordura fabric.

The campaign is testimony to Cordura’s appreciation and support for Japanese craftsmanship.

Phase two of the campaign will feature a special collaboration with CIE, an up and coming, innovative Japanese bag brand that has taken a military approach to carry solutions. Cordura Nyco fabric, which is used widely in US military uniform applications, is integrated in CIE’s designs with minimalistic and functional design.

Cordura fabric technologies are trusted by the US military for strength and durability. Cordura fabrics are used in a wide variety of stylish and long-lasting products from apparel to bags, packs, and footwear, and are trusted by many militaries and protective clothing companies around the globe.

Pushing the boundaries of durable fabric technology through its latest innovations, combined with forward-thinking collaborations with its supply chain and brand customers continue to help drive Cordura’s success.

According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh’s export of home textiles, in fiscal 2017-18 including those of terry towels, bedsheets, linen, curtains and pillow covers, grew by 9.95 percent year-on-year to reach $878.68 million. However, the export of terry towel declined by 4.40 percent year-on-year to $42.35 million last fiscal year.

The sector's growth declined from January 2014, when the European Union (EU) allowed zero-duty benefit to Pakistan under it GSP Plus scheme, on export of home textiles and some other products.

According to the European apparel and textile confederation, Euratex, the EU imported over $6.86 billion-worth home textiles in 2016. Of it, China accounted for 33 percent, Pakistan 25 percent, Turkey 16 percent and India 11 percent. Bangladesh's share was 7-8 percent. The EU's data shows that its preferential import of textiles and clothing from Pakistan increased by 82 per cent year-on-year in 2014.

Bangladesh previously enjoyed 9.6 percent duty privilege over Pakistan as a least developed country in the EU, its main export destination. With a trade advantage of nearly 15 percent, including 6 percent cash incentive, the sector in Bangladesh, especially terry towels, was performing well even amidst high yarn prices in the local markets.

Inkjet Conference, this year will be held in Germany, October 16 to 17, 2018.

The event covers digital printing for textiles, inkjet engineering and inkjet chemicals. There will be presentations on pigment inks, nano pigment dispersions. Leading print head manufacturers will discuss advances in core technology. Further developments in hardware components, system integration, software and vision inspection will be examined along with ink formulation, fluids and inkjet chemistry.

More than 60 world leading authorities will explain technologies in existing and future printing systems – for all industrial and functional applications. From scientific papers on jetting reliability through to the latest innovations in software and print heads, attendees can expect the latest core technology developments.

Inkjet Conference is the meeting point of the inkjet industry which offers a unique mix of educational and networking opportunities. It has already attracted many new names for 2018, including BASF Personal Care & Nutrition, Ceradrop, Cyan-Tec, DSM, Gardner Denver Thomas, Notion Systems, Siegwerk and Tiger Coatings.

Inkjet Conference is a yearly ESMA and Digital Direct Technologies event. Attended by C-level industry executives, developers and researchers, it is leading the way for those that are building the future.

The event includes a focus on inkjet engineering, a review on fluid and ink components such as nano particles, conductive, aqueous and UV inks.