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The 8th Interfilière Hong Kong will be held in from April 1 to 2, 2014. The trade show will focus on sustainability, trends, networking and innovation and collaborations among fashion and industry experts leading the world intimate apparel market. A wide array of events and projects including the eco-system showcase, Sustainable Development Conference, Creative Lab, Trend Forum, Seminar Program, Personal Shopper, Selection Guide is planned.
Leading manufacturers and specialists demonstrating eco-responsible initiatives in the market will speak about their latest research and developments. An educational and explanatory overview on ecological manufacturing, green textile certifications, sustainable marketing and much more will be delivered through the seminar program.
Finished prototypes will be showcased at the Creative Lab, a closed showroom to illustrate the longings of the New Woman, the Instagram Woman. Supervised by Concepts Paris, this project will give designers and buyers a fresh and forward-looking perspective on the international lingerie consumer. Top-class manufacturers from the Hong Kong Intimate Apparel Industries’ Association will create prototypes using the latest innovations and techniques ranging from new gluing methods, laser technology, 3D printing and more.
Evolution 23, a 60-page trend guide book containing the essence and details of the forum, will be released at Interfilière Hong Kong. Evolution is a unique and fine-tuned trend resource developed for the intimate apparel market. Interfilière Hong Kong has been co-organized with the French Knitwear and Lingerie Federation.
www.interfiliere.com/hongkong/
The GSP Plus facility has helped boost Pakistan’s textile export orders by 30 per cent. An increase in textile orders to Pakistan suggests that European buyers want to take advantage of the GSP plus facility to Pakistan. Accordingly, Pakistan has revised its growth rate from 3.6 per cent to 5.1 per cent for 2013-14. It hopes to raise textile exports from $13 billion to $26 billion per annum in the next five years. The country will invest an estimated $5 billion in weaving and processing textile projects in the proposed textile integrated parks.
So beneficial has been the effect of the GSP plus status that it may shift the textile business from Vietnam to Pakistan in the years ahead. Germany in particular wants more cooperation with Pakistan and feels this can be ensured by removing impediments in export credit guarantees, by improvement in the security situation, vocational training for skill enhancement, energy supplies and implementation of social compliances by Pakistan.
Pakistan in turn hopes German brands like Puma, Adidas, Marc O’Polo, Hugo Boss, and Tom Tailor see Pakistan as a sourcing destination. It also seeks help for ventures under buy back arrangements of semi manufactured technical textiles with Germany.
Guinness Peat Group has released its preliminary financial results for the year ended December 31, 2013, incorporating the preliminary results for Coats, world’s leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business. Coats reported robust revenue growth at $1,704 million dollars, up 5 per cent like-to-like for both its divisions.
Operating profits are up 12 percent on like-to-like basis before exceptional items. Commenting on Coats’ full year 2013 results Paul Forman, Group Chief Executive, Coats plc said, “I am pleased to report that despite muted market conditions, Coats' results for the year showed growth in sales and profit across both divisions. This illustrates the underlying resilience of our core markets and our strong global market positions.”
With a rich heritage dating back to the 1750s, Coats is present in more than 70 countries, employing over 20,000 people across six continents. Revenues in 2013 were 1.7 billion dollars (over Rs 10,530 crores). Coats’ offers value added products and services to the apparel and footwear industries, developing products in new areas such as tracer threads, aramids and fibre optics.
www.coats.com
A team of scientists has given cotton and polyester fabrics a coating that repels almost any type of substance. SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) is a slick coating that repels water, oil, tomato juice, eggs, wax, and blood, among other substances.
The obvious benefit of SLIPS technology is preventing stains in everyday clothing. Cotton and polyester fabrics given the coating retain exceptional protective properties even after rubbing, twisting, or washing. The coating can be applied to specialty textiles exposed to extreme environments. A broad range of applications of this latest modification include tactical suits for military and firefighters, medical gowns and lab coats, and specialty garments for construction and manufacturing. Further, certain properties such as anti-icing would provide an advantage in large awnings, tents, and open-air buildings such as sports stadiums.
The inspiration for the coating was the carnivorous pitcher plant. The plant utilizes a mixture of fluids and a mechanical trap to ensnare insects. By replicating these defense mechanisms, scientists were able to develop a porous material which could hold the water in the same way a sponge holds water.
A coat of SLIPS has been found to improve the efficiency of various appliances, such as refrigerators, by preventing continual defrosting in the coils, ultimately reducing costs, freezer burns, and spoilt produce.
With a sudden surge in import of cotton in the last two months, Pakistan is expected to import a total of 2.5 million bales during the ongoing fiscal 2013-14. Pakistan has imported approximately 1.7 million bales so far during this fiscal year. Traders are importing a significant amount of cotton from India as this saves freight cost and transportation time. So far, Pakistan has imported approximately 1.2 million bales from India.
In the beginning of the year, imports were slow because of two reasons. Spinning mill owners were waiting for local cotton to arrive in the markets. Secondly, import cost was higher because of the continuous appreciation in dollar value against rupee at that time.
Now, the situation has changed. The rupee has considerably recovered its value against the dollar during December and January. Secondly, ginners in Pakistan have a small quantity of high quality cotton in stock. The low availability of high quality cotton always forces traders to increase imports. Pakistan imports high quality cotton from India, US, Argentine and Central Asia every year. However, imports from India may slow down after India raised the price of cotton higher than other exporting countries.
Conventional textile production is one of the most polluting industries on the planet. It's estimated that the textile industry is responsible for as much as 20 per cent of land and river pollution. Finding ways to curb environmental pollution caused by textile production starts with producing fabrics that don't require toxins and large amounts of water, and which minimize harm to the ecology.
Organic cotton is grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Textiles made of organic cotton require less water to manufacture than conventional cotton textiles and are often more comfortable. Silk is produced by moths, and conventional methods destroy the moth and cocoon in the process. Sustainable products, such as ahimsa silk, use methods that don’t kill the moth pupa. Eco-friendly silk is produced primarily in India, North Asia and Africa. This lacks the harsh dyes that are common in conventional silk production. There are a variety of types of sustainable silk, each with their own unique colors and characteristics. The most common is produced by a creamy white-colored silk worm that is found on the mulberry tree in India.
Bamboo is considered a sustainable source for textiles. It is an extremely fast growing plant that doesn’t need to be replanted each year, doesn’t require massive amounts of pesticides and keeps the air clean.
Leading apparel retailers like Adidas, Marks and Spencer, Patagonia and Phillips-Van Heusen have taken steps against cotton from Uzbekistan entering their supply chain to protest against forced labour practices in the country. A survey named ‘Cotton Sourcing Snapshot: A Survey of Corporate Practices to End Forced Labor’, of 49 apparel and home goods firms released by the Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN) looked at what the companies are doing to identify risks, establish policies, implement procedures, and disclose practices to eliminate and prevent incidents of forced labour in cotton harvesting. Evaluations covered 11 indicators across policy, public disclosure, engagement, and implementation and auditing.
While only five companies scored over 50 points, 19 scored under 25 points, and two companies scored zero. Among those with the lowest rankings were Costco, Forever 21 and Sears, with All Saints and Urban Outfitters coming last according to the report.
The report found that only 2 per cent of companies surveyed fully disclose progress and/or challenges with their strategies on Uzbek cotton, and only 6 per cent have fully implemented a traceability or spinner verification program.
Of those that do implement best practices, 18.5 per cent are involved in spinner efforts individually or through another initiative; 16 per cent provide training and require their suppliers/spinners to abide by their policies; an additional 8 per cent also include this in their supplier contracts; and 12 per cent have independent third-party audits of their spinners/mills.
www.sourcingnetwork.org
Two investment licenses have been granted by the Ho Chi Minh city Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority in Vietnam that will lead to the construction of two apparel complexes worth nearly $200 million. The investments are spurred by duty-free opportunities that would eventually be offered from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade treaty with countries including Canada and the US.
The first will see Gain Lucky Limited, a Vietnamese subsidiary of China’s leading textile and garment maker Shenzhou International Group, build a $140 million apparel complex in the Dong Nam industrial park near Ho Chi Minh. The complex will include a design centre and manufacturing facilities producing high-quality apparel. The Hong Kong stock exchange listed Shenzhou International Group currently supplies goods for international brands including Puma, Nike, Adidas, Mizuno, Fila and Uniqlo.
The second license has been given to Taiwanese water sports apparel maker Sheico Group, which is to invest $50 million in a facility at the same industrial park. This complex will extend from fabric production to sewing lines, and will employ around 3,550 local workers.
C.L.A.S.S. has once more joined hands with NICE and the Danish Fashion Institute to be their official materials partner for textiles at the 3rd edition of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in April this year. This event is known as the leading and largest conference dedicated to all the key issues relating to sustainable fashion on a global scale.
C.L.A.S.S. and NICE have worked well together since 2009, because of their common objectives and philosophy, as well as their understanding of bringing innovation and sustainability to the fashion industry. These projects help facilitate a more responsible way fashion brands and designers can acquire materials and processes.
In December 2013, during an exchange workshop titled ‘The Design Challenge in Copenhagen’, new designers selected fabrics and materials from the C.L.A.S.S. eco-library. The seven designers who participated included Remix, Barbara I Gongini, Gudrun & Gudrun, Marimekko, Nina Skarra, The Local firm and Leila Hafzi. These designers will next present their vision of sustainability on the conference catwalk in Copenhagen, and Giusy Bettoni will be part of the Design Challenge Jury to select the best and overall winner of this year’s event.
Fabric Source, the first Nordic sustainable fabric platform, created for the fashion and textile industry commenced on February 24. The aim is to prove that fashion can be sustainable without compromising design, price and quality. C.L.A.S.S. is the main partner of the event. It has brought its knowledge and eco-library into the new platform. C.L.A.S.S. product categories available at the Fabric Source will include the whole range from natural and organic textiles, to recycled fabrics and innovative renewables.
Pakistan's textile exports to China are in the form of low value-added fabric and yarn. China transforms the product into a higher value-added form. There has been a slowdown in Chinese demand for yarn and fabrics but Pakistan has made up for it in the value-added segment by increasing exports to European Union on the back of its new GSP Plus status. Pakistan’s yarn exports to China dropped 8.6 million kg. The country exported 43.41 million sq. mtr less fabric in January 2014 compared to January 2013.
In the value added segment, Pakistan’s exports of knitwear to EU jumped by 16 per cent between January 2013 to January 2014. Exports of bed wear increased 8.8 per cent and readymade garment exports were up 8.4 per cent. Had exports to China been normal, textile exports would have posted an overall gain of 15 per cent in January this year, over exports made during the corresponding month of the last year.
The uptrend in value-added exports shows that GSP Plus is positively impacting Pakistan. The country’s textile industry is now gearing up to capitalise on the GSP Plus status. Since the time Pakistan has got GSP, the number of summary orders has been rising.
