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According to the Readymade Garments Export Council, Europe has been allocated 30 percent of the Egyptian readymade garments’ exports.
The council plans to increase its ability to access the European market in cooperation with all export councils in Egypt, accelerating the completion of the Trade Ministry’s plan to increase Egyptian exports in accordance with the 2020 strategy.
The 2020 strategy was launched in November 2016 by Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil.
It includes five main components: industrial development, small and medium enterprise (SME) development and entrepreneurship, export development, training and technical education development, and corporate governance and development.
The strategy aims at increasing exports after strengthening the local industry. Exports recorded $22.4 billion in 2017, with an increase of $2 billion, while imports decreased $10 billion to $56 billion, compared to $66 billion in 2016.
Project Effective is a multi-company collaboration to produce more sustainable fibers and plastics for commercial use by using renewable feedstocks and biobased technologies.
With participation from 12 companies, including brands like H&M, Carvico, Vaude and Balsan, Project Effective is one of the broadest industrial-driven efforts to reshape entire product value chains and drive economic growth.
Project Effective includes 12 organizations from eight countries and extends across entire product value chains. Participants include renewable feedstock providers, conversion technologies, makers of intermediate and finished products, major consumer brands and recycling/reuse technologies.
One of the key objectives of Project Effective is to develop a more sustainable nylon, made from bio-based caprolactam produced using renewable feedstocks. The nylon will be validated by brands to make apparel and carpet textiles.
An advantage of Project Effective is the early involvement of major consumer brands, allowing them to contribute valuable customer- and industry-driven perspectives. This brand participation is expected to facilitate broader and faster adoption of sustainable technologies and products. Brands will better understand what monomers, polymers and sustainability initiatives are commercially available, enabling them to develop more effective plans with suppliers regarding bio-based ingredients and materials.
This consortium is an important step toward a more circular economy.
A group of panelists speculated at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit (CFS) about the various impacts that robotics, automation and A.I. may have on the global apparel industry in coming years, highlighting the plight of today's human workers.
All jobs in the industry right from manufacturing to design, to business analysis are likely to change as some tasks will be automated through the use of robotics and artificial intelligence.
Global Fashion Agenda, the organiser of the summit is urging companies throughout the fashion industry to embrace environmentally and socially responsible practices, and maintains that companies like H&M are leading the way.
If the future is to be bright for workers, as well as planet, technological innovation's impact on people within the supply chain must be monitored closely. If it isn't, the heaviest blow will be dealt to workers in garment factories around the world.
Because of the uncertainty over China, supply chain managers in the US are considering a backup plan and eyeing Vietnam as an alternative sourcing destination.
US businesses are sourcing more products and goods from Vietnam, with imports doubling in the last five years. The top products sourced from Vietnam include furniture, textiles, tires and electronics.
But even before the tariff tit-for-tat with China, many companies were looking to Vietnam over the past few years as another place to source goods. Exports from Vietnam to the US totaled 46 billion dollars last year, and that figure is expected to rise to 51 billion dollars by the end of this year.
There are quite a few reasons the Vietnamese market is appealing for businesses. It's one of the world's fastest growing economies. The country is open to foreign investment and strives for transparency and ease of doing business. Its strategic location positions the nation as central to several of the world's main shipping routes.
But sourcing from Vietnam doesn’t come without risk. The quality of suppliers is not very high. Vietnam's evolving economy continues to have issues with sustainability and unsafe or forced labor.
What sourcing managers importing goods from Vietnam are looking for is transparency. They feel that as long as suppliers are transparent, the benefit definitely outweighs the risk.
The US does not wish to concede on its current stance to terminate benefits to the Indian textile industry under the GSP scheme.
The developing and the least-developed countries are allowed to export textiles and other products on a preferential tariff framework by industrialised countries on an MFN (most-favoured-nation) basis that requires all partners be treated on an equal footing.
The donor countries—the US, the European Union (EU), and Japan, among others—want to discontinue the MFN framework that would allow equal treatment for all countries for GSP benefits and introduce “differentiation” wherein they will decide which countries can avail of GSP benefits on their conditions.
The United States is the world leader in exporting used textiles.
Exporting used clothing and textiles is extremely valuable, provides income to low- and middle-income countries helps the environment as well as where non-agricultural jobs are scarce.
The secondhand clothing industry accounts for 3,55,000 jobs in five East African countries.
As consumer incomes rise in low-income and middle-income countries, those countries expand their food imports from the United States, benefitting farmers and food processors in the US. Other benefits include employing 55,000 to 70,000 people in trucking and port operations and in organizations that collect, sort, bale, and export the goods.
Exporting used textiles also benefits the environment. Rather than ending up as waste in American landfills, exported textiles are used abroad. About 30 per cent of the 12.4 million tons of textile waste generated in 2013 was recovered for export. This recovery contributed to a 20 per cent drop in total waste tonnage deposited in US landfills.
The production of new textiles is widely recognized as being one of the most environmentally and socially damaging industries in the world.
The secondhand clothing industry dramatically helps close the loop on post-consumer textile waste, and provides many people around the world the only affordable access to quality apparel.
Full-bodied UK women feel so uncomfortable in their swimwear that they would never partake in beach sports.
They do not feel comfortable taking part in an activity like volleyball on the beach while wearing swimwear, talking to other holidaymakers in swimwear or frolicking in the pool or sea.
A survey of 1,000 women conducted by lingerie and swimwear brand Bravissmo who wear a cup size D and above has shed light on women’s preferences when it comes to swimwear. Beyond fashion, quick dry fabrics and lots of coverage, women with big breasts care about comfort, a flattering silhouette and good support for breasts.
While comfort is one of the top priorities for women with big breasts, 91 per cent of those surveyed have never been fitted for swimwear, and 68 per cent didn’t know this was an available service.
Finding a good choice of stylish bra-sized swimwear that fits and supports properly can be life changing for women with big breasts as it enables them to feel more confident and able to take part in the fun things they want to do on holiday.
The survey estimates that 40 per cent of women should wear a D cup or above, and that a more customisable swimwear offer is crucial for empowering UK women to feel ready for the summer.
New York Denim Days festival will be held on September 22 and 23, 2018.
Spearheaded by true denim insiders, the event connects denim professionals, designers and brands to denim consumers. It acts as a spotlight on the global denim scene.
Denim lovers from across the spectrum - fashionistas searching for the perfect pair of jeans, fade junkies looking to compare notes on raw denim, purists on the hunt for handmade indigo items, and designers shopping for Americana inspiration - will find the largest selection of indigo available at one event during New York Denim Days. Food, live music, and art will round out the festival experience. Plans include events with retail partners.
Invited are speakers of the denim trade, from top designers to creatives and executives on the cusp of what’s next in the denim industry.
With its mix of denim-heads, the best brands and retailers and the most forward fashion, New York is the perfect home for Denim Days.
New York Denim Days is organized by Kingpins, the global denim sourcing trade show. Last year Kingpins brought Denim Days to New York believing the concept would resonate with the New York denim scene. This year the event will be shining an even bigger spotlight on the jeans industry.
H&M is looking to source from South Africa. H&M, which has 18 stores in South Africa, currently imports all its clothing into the country, so a decision to produce clothes locally would be a big boost for the domestic textile industry, which competes with rivals such as Ethiopia and Swaziland. H&M is the world’s second largest clothing retailer.
South Africa wants to boost the textile sector which has been hit hard by Chinese clothing imports that have led to factory closures and thousands of job losses.
H&M faced protests in South Africa in January this year over an ad which featured a black child wearing a sweatshirt with the slogan “Coolest monkey in the jungle.” H&M apologised for the ad and removed it from its marketing.
Following the apology, South Africa insisted that H&M atone very practically by sourcing goods from South Africa.
The main aim of the South African textile and clothing industry is to use all the natural, human and technological resources at its disposal to make it the preferred international supplier of textiles and apparel. Although the industry is small, it is well placed to make this vision a reality.
Textile production has evolved into a capital-intensive industry, producing synthetic fibers in ever-increasing proportions.
Gartex has joined hands with Denim Manufacturers’ Association (DMA) of India to facilitate a platform for denim fraternity to showcase denim fabrics, various applications possible using denim fabrics and as well as showcasing upcoming trends in the denim fashion industry.
The show will be a great opportunity to denim fabricators, garment manufacturers, apparel brands, buying houses, merchandisers and other industry players to interact with India’s leading denim mills to witness the latest range and innovations in the sector.
Broad exhibit categories at Gartex 2018 include embroidery machines, cutting and sewing machines, fabrics & accessories, needles & threads, laundry & washing equipment, finishing equipment, laser cutting machines, digital textile printing machines, automation and software. The show will be organised MEX Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.
Leading denim fabric companies like Arvind Ltd., Raymond Uco Denim, Ginni International Ltd. And others will showcase their products at the exhibition.
