FW
Active wear brand The North Face has launched a pilot program that will promote a circular fashion system through the sale of recycled products.
The collection features apparel sold by the brand that was returned to the company after use. Comprising returned, defective and damaged pieces, this campaign brings greater awareness to different sustainable shopping and manufacturing options.
After customers provide the previously worn apparel to the company, the pieces are then processed for resale. Following a thorough inspection, products are cleaned and refurbished during a process that ensures the items are repaired according to The North Face’s standards.
The line is meant to generate attention toward manufacturing and distribution that will reduce threats to the environment by using different methods of recycling. Through repairing and reselling secondhand items, The North Face hopes to fortify its presence as a vehicle for change toward greener practices in the apparel manufacturing industry.
The North Face takes a holistic approach to sustainability. As the brand addresses the impacts of its products over their entire lifecycle, recommerce is an important next step in opening new markets and minimizing the impact on the planet. The brand is furthering its sustainability goals without sacrificing durability or technical standards. Ultimately, it will be proving a larger, circular model for the industry.
The main aim of EURATEX General Assembly 2018 was the revival of the textile and clothing industry and its visions for the future, among numerous participants in Brussels.
The event, held in Brussels on June 7, 2018, attracted more than 120 attendees. It offered an opportunity to gain interesting insights on the sector which is regaining a leading position in the EU industrial landscape.
The topic of this year’s event was investments in the textile and clothing factories of the future in Europe. The conference was moderated by John Scrimshaw, Head of Content, World Textile Information Network (WTiN), with Irmfried Schwimann, Deputy Director-General of DG Grow, being the keynote speaker.
The main discussion at the event was divided in two panels. It focused on investment trends in recent years and visions for the industry in the future, respectively.
Also, CEOs and representatives from seven European companies shared their first-hand experience in facing the challenges of the sector, from the need of skilled workforce, efforts in moving to sustainable processes and materials, and surpassing barrier regulations that can hinder exports.
Thai Acrylic Fiber has launched a new gel-dyed acrylic textile fiber which uses less energy and water than conventionally dyed acrylics.
Gel-dyeing of wet-spun fibers is not new. But this method is supposed to give an average of 20 per cent savings in water and energy compared to conventional techniques. In addition, because there’s no need to dye at the yarn or fabric stage, the method lightens the effluent pollution load of wet processing further downstream.
Although gel-dyeing has been used before to dye tow where soluble dyes are applied to wet-spun fibers such as acrylic, the new method is even more efficient – especially when it comes to water savings.
The new fiber is a ready-to-use gel dyed product which comes in a range of vibrant colors, which is said to shorten dyeing times considerably. It is said to have good color fastness, consistency and shade uniformity. It can be blended with other fibers such as polyester or can be spun as 100 per cent.
Thai Acrylic Fiber is owned by Aditya Birla. The company is now working with a Chinese supplier to spin its dyed fibers which are being used for a range of woven blankets, sweaters and other types of high-loft knitwear in a wide range of yarn counts and gauges.
Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA have announced the summer 2018 speaker listing and educational series topics.
This season, a multitude of relevant themes will be presented including discussions on preferred fibers, sourcing, the upcoming fall and winter trends outlook and a movie screening of Riverblue, the ground-breaking documentary about the destruction of rivers.
This July, the Texworld Showcase will highlight trends for the autumn/winter 2019-20 season.
Riverblue spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this ground-breaking documentary examines the destruction of rivers, its effect on humanity, and solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.
A panel will examine the subject of microplastics, which has been linked to a number of plastic products. Recently, the subject of microfibers has come into the spotlight as research has shown discharge from washing synthetic fiber garments contributes to wastewater pollution.
Texworld USA is one of the largest sourcing events on the East Coast for apparel fabric buyers, research and product development specialists, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals.
This international business platform offers a wide product range covering the entire fabric spectrum. From casual cotton to function fabrics and sophisticated knits to intricate laces, season-to-season attendees discover textiles of innovative structures, material mixes and surprising color palettes.
On May 31, Garmon Chemicals, CCI, Cottonsmith, a Cotton USA brand license, and the College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University, jointly held an event Cotton Creation Era - Denim Creative Design Award Ceremony in Shanghai.
Cotton USA promotes the traceability and sustainability of US cotton throughout the entire supply chain from cultivation, spinning, weaving, to ready-to-wear, bringing about the safest, most comfortable and healthy experience.
Garmon Chemicals is a leader in the R&D and marketing of total chemical solutions for the apparel industry. Cottonsmith gathers senior domestic first-rate textile designers and professional R&D teams dedicated to the R&D of fiber technology and textile technology research.
From cotton fields to clothing, from soil to ready-made garments, all parties work together to innovate cotton life and promote the traceability and sustainability of cotton raw materials and fabrics, design and production.
For this event, Cotton USA created opportunities for the integration of upstream and downstream supply chains, demonstrated design and fashion trends of cotton innovation and cotton apparel, creating high-quality cotton garments. It demonstrated the natural properties and practicality of cotton based on the concept of environmental protection and sustainability.
Contestants from Donghua University brought design works that are agile, pure, elegant, and dynamic, expressing the multi-dimensional interpretation of cotton and its unique style.
The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) and Perundurai SIPCOT Textile Processors Association recently arranged a meeting of industrialists of textile processing units.
SIPCO stand for State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited.
The meeting discussed about the various proactive measures that need to be undertaken to ensure compliance at Perudurai SIPCOT and protect the environment.
As per the resolutions passed at the meeting, each textile processing unit should comply with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board norms by adopting specified methods including zero liquid discharge technology apart from conserving water and recording the effluent treatment performance data with TNPCB Water Quality Watch Centre. It was also unanimously decided to enforce self-discipline and monitor the same by engaging a competent and credible external body.
Additionally, each textile processing unit has invested Rs.10 to Rs.30 crores for zero liquid discharge effluent treatment plant and is also spending huge recurring expenditure to comply with the environmental norms and protect the environment.
Coloreel, based in Sweden, has gone into a partnership with Ricoh, an inkjet technology leader. The partnership will launch an EU-supported innovation which increases design options, improves production efficiency and minimises the environmental impact.
With the support of EU funding, Coloreel has developed technology which achieves high-quality textile thread coloring on demand during production. The unit to be launched later this year will be developed with Ricoh, which will build one of its major sub-systems based on its inkjet printing technology. It is intended to be used in conjunction with existing industrial embroidery machines and will improve production efficiency and expand the range of unique designs possible.
The project uses one thread reel instead of several, opening up embroidery design to new colors and gradients which can now be combined in innovative ways, for example, for smooth color shifting and shading. By instantly coloring a white base thread during embroidery production, Coloreel enables freedom to create unique embroideries offering completely new combinations of colors.
Development of the thread coloring unit was undertaken with Ricoh’s engineers in Japan and England, in tandem with Coloreel’s engineers in Sweden. Working with specialists in computer software and hardware alongside mechanics, chemistry and physics has meant the project could develop this disruptive technology from a synthesis of cutting-edge solutions across disciplines.
In fiscal years ’16 and ’17, Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan kept declining.
However, fiscal year ’18 recorded better results than the past two years. Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan reached a two-year high during the first ten months of the current fiscal year.
The performance in the remaining two months could help surpass the previous three-year record.
Afghanistan imports mostly food products such as wheat flour, rice, meet, etc from Pakistan. However, up to 50 per cent of flour mills have now been closed due to low exports.
Pakistan’s textile products have historically had a large share in Afghanistan but the recent penetration of Indian and Chinese products has replaced the country from its traditional market for finished and unfinished textile products.
It is also believed due to prevalent smuggling to Afghanistan, the size of the exports is likely to be twice as much as the official figures of Pakistan report.
Overall exports of the country have shown a growth of 14 per cent during the ten months, with sales to Afghanistan being a contributory factor.
Exports of pharmaceutical products from Pakistan have sharply dropped due to cheaper supply from India and China.
Pakistan is a major exporter of pharmaceutical products to Afgha¬nistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh as well as some African countries.
The global lingerie market has been bifurcated on the basis of product types.
Bra has captured the largest market share in 2015. Knickers and panties also occupied a significant position in the same year, thus contributing significantly to the overall market size of the lingerie industry.
The market is further segmented on the basis of distribution channel into online stores and storefront. Online stores captured the largest market in 2015 due to high penetration of internet services and rapid advancements in the field of technology, thus creating a strong platform for the manufacturers of lingerie.
Further, the e-commerce giants are engaged in strong promotional activities due to which they provide with continuous discount options and various other offers which attract both consumers and manufacturers to avail this platform.
The global lingerie market is experiencing moderate growth in the apparel segment as nowadays individuals are more inclined towards branded items, most of which are usually priced on the higher.
Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period.
Although majority of business organisations and industry associations such as the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the National Retail Association (NRA) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) are protesting against President Trump’s proposed tariffs, there is one association which is taking the contrary stance and actually proposing new 25 percent tariffs on apparel and textile products coming from China.
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), has proposed to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on behalf of the U.S. textile industry to add apparel and textiles to the government’s initial proposed list of categories that will make up the first $50 billion in targeted China imports.
This 25 per cent proposed tariff on clothing would be in inclusion to all other duties currently leveled against clothing, which make up a significant portion of all the import duties collected by the government.
Levying of these tariffs, according to NCTO, will not only protect the intellectual property of the U.S. textile industry but also punish China for its unfair trade policies.
