FW
Global synthetic fiber price index fell by 6.3 per cent in October on top of an almost five per cent drop in September, capping a 13-month slide in the measure. Though falling price of cotton has put tremendous pressure on synthetic pricing in the past several months, declining crude oil prices, which have fallen by more than 10 per cent since early September, and the resulting ingredients’ cost declines, have been the most recent cause of the downward pressure on manmade fiber pricing, helped along by overcapacity in fiber and raw materials production in Asia for both nylon and polyester.
In Asia, the world’s largest fiber producing region, synthetic fiber prices fell by more than almost 8 per cent in the month, their biggest decline in five months. Most of the drop was due to declining polyester filament and staple prices in both China and India. The biggest drop in polyester prices actually occurred in the first three weeks of the month, followed by a bottoming out and slight rise in the last week. However, these remain far below their pre-holiday levels of September, and are not expected to firm appreciably as long as intermediates prices remain low and apparel market growth remains sluggish.
A large number of garment factories in Bangladesh aren't members of registered association like the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) or the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). There are about 800 such factories, out of 3,500 now in operation. Since they don’t come under a regulatory framework, they pose a problem. Many of them disregard safety rules. Generally these units are small and medium enterprises and are doing subcontracting jobs for big factories.
These factories are rife with irregularities. They don’t follow the government-announced wage structure, don’t issue appointment letters, identity cards and deny employees benefits like maternity leave and allowance. The Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety, comprising 26 North American retailers and brands, has said that the government of Bangladesh must decide whether it would be responsible for the country's readymade garment sub contractors.
Apparel trade bodies have declined to take responsibility for those units saying they are not affiliated with them. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments prefers dialogue to convince these units to be members of any of the two associations. The commerce ministry has drafted a policy to bring those factories under a regulation, but it is yet to be finalised, though more than one year has elapsed since the move was taken.
European retailers are confident Bangladesh's apparel sector will continue to thrive and the country will be able to supply garments at competitive prices. They base their optimism on the fact that buyers have good links with Bangladesh and a good relationship with factory owners. Once garment owners become more responsible, they will not require foreign firms to coach them on compliance issues for sustainability.
The country’s garment sector has been going through major reforms since the Rana Plaza building collapse in April last year. Bangladesh needs responsible entrepreneurs as the garment industry is already a mature. Retailers have been working with factory owners, managers and workers to improve their compliance with labor laws, workers' rights, fire safety, management styles, wages and working hours and environmental issues. There have been training programs on fire safety.
These efforts seem to be paying off. Industrial relations have improved a lot in Bangladesh. The incidents of unrest in the sector have declined a lot over the years. These foreign retailers are willing to consider a price hike, an issue that’s bothering factory owners a lot, but only if they are certain the extra amount will go to workers.
Labor unrest over wages continues in Cambodia. Activists have decried a decision by the Ministry of Labor to disregard union pleas for a hike in the minimum wage for some of the country’s 500,000 garment workers.
In December 2013, the minimum wage was set at $100, prompting workers and unionists to protest in thousands. But the movement was violently shut down on January 4, when military police forces opened fire on striking workers, killing five people. The process of trying to establish a minimum wage in Cambodia is proving to be tortuous. The industry has already seen its fair share of unrest over the past 12 months.
There is a demand that the process of fixing a minimum wage should be transparent and that it should involve unions, factory owners and government officials. Now virtually every brand investing in Cambodia has called on the government to be proactive. Brands on their part have committed to adjusting their costs in order to see an increased minimum wage.
The Cambodian garment industry produces clothes for brands such as Gap, H&M and Zara and exported 5.5 billion dollar worth of garments last year, which accounts for 80 per cent of its exports. In the first nine months of 2014, garments worth $4.44 billion were exported.
The Pakistani textile industry wants to enhance its competitiveness in South Asia. Hence it is working toward improving the efficiency and quality of some of its products to increase its market share in the region. One of the ways this will be done is by comprehensively studying the textile value chain within Pakistan and India. It will identify potential synergies, prospects for growth, benefits to the economy and challenges faced by businesses and policymakers on trade between Pakistan with India.
The country feels there is a huge demand for fine textile products within the region which it is in a position to meet if some hurdles are removed. Pakistan stands at the crossroads as it is slowly becoming uncompetitive. Textiles mills have to move from producing raw materials to the final stage of garment manufacturing. One of the most important reasons for that is that manufacturing consumes only one per cent of electricity compared to 30 per cent of power used in the spinning process.
Another important factor is that the garment industry gives the highest number of employment opportunities. And this is something Pakistan desperately needs at this point in time. In addition there are challenges of future regional integration in South Asia.
The Premiere Vision event held in Turkey from October 29 to 31 showcased products like yarns, fashion and denim fabrics, trimmings and patterns in the business services industry. There were 150 exhibitors along with designers, couture, luxury or ready-to-wear brands, chain stores, garment manufacturers.
Denim, design and threads spaces filled up the quadrilateral hall’s different corners, while accessories held a central place in the fair, largely dominated by manufacturers. Istanbul is a veritable hub and is recognised as a regional fashion and market centre. Première Vision Istanbul is a new biannual event in the Première Vision network, aimed at fashion professionals from throughout the Eastern Europe and Middle East region.
Première Vision SA, the leading international trade show for the fashion industry, and CNR Holding, a leading organizer of trade shows in Turkey, have signed a partnership agreement for the creation and organization of Premiere Vision Istanbul. The event presents creative, innovative and quality textiles and materials and services selected by a committee of ad hoc industry professionals, comprising both of Turkish and international companies. Based on the Première Vision show concept, specific services and fashion information adapted to the area's markets will also be established.
Each season a premium show will be offered in Turkey based on the Première Vision brand.
www.premierevision-istanbul.com/
During the 30th IAF World Fashion Convention in Colombia, Medellín, Colombian designer Andrea Landa was announced the winner of the IAF Designer Award, for her collection ‘Tribal Queens’. Head of the Jury, Leslie Holden, who is the Head of Faculty of the Departments of Design and Management at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, praised Landa for her creative concept. It was well styled and she showed a good combination of craftsmanship and fabrication. ‘Tribal Queens’, according to Andrea Landa, is a tribute to the feminine strength and the elegance of women’s nature, support with homage to the amazing Colombian craftsmen tradition.
For the first time, the IAF Designer Award was not announced during a traditional catwalk show of the nominees. Instead, the nominees’ best pieces were displayed on mannequins in one of Medellín’s prime shopping centres, El Tesoro. This choice highlights the connections between all of the fashion industry’s components, including retail and design. Last year’s winner Marga Weimans from the Netherlands also displayed her latest Spring collection. Even Andrea Landa will be invited to attend next year’s convention and present her collection.
For many years now the IAF International Designer Awards have been one of the highlights of the annual IAF World Apparel Conventions. It offers designers from all over the world a platform, which recognises and rewards the next generation of future designers.
Iafnet.eu
On October 29, 2014, the Global Denim Awards 2014 will debut coinciding with the Amsterdam edition of the Kingpins Show, which takes place on October 29, and 30, 2014. Six emerging international designers were selected and each one was paired with six international denim mills. Each of the designers visited their designated mill to develop an in-depth understanding of fiber, fabric, washes and denim development. Further, each designer developed a capsule collection of five looks, including treatments and washes, which will be presented on the runway on October 29 during the show. The six mills involved are Candiani Denim, Royo Textile, ITV Denim, Bossa, Orta Anadolu and Prosperity Textile.
The collections will be judged by a panel of international denim experts based on the merits of design and the innovative nature of the denim fabrications. The winning designer will be awarded €10,000 and have his or her winning designs displayed at the Kingpins shows in Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and at the Amsterdam Denim Days 2015.
The concept for the Global Denim Awards was developed by HTNK, the Amsterdam-based fashion recruitment and consultancy firm, in collaboration with the Kingpins Show. The initiative was sponsored and made possible by e3, a Bayer CropScience’s environmentally responsible certified cotton fiber.
The Kingpins Show is an invitation-only, boutique denim sourcing show featuring a highly-edited selection of vendors that include denim and sportswear fabric mills from the US, Japan, China, India, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Thailand, Spain and Mexico, wash houses, full package manufacturers, trim providers and business solutions. Kingpins launched in 2004, organises biannual shows in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.
Tanzania is taking various steps to encourage investment in the textile sector. In recent years, investments in this sector have grown quickly. Tanzania is a rare example of a country which can support a profitable, integrated manufacturing value chain from cotton field to finished garment production. In addition, there are opportunities for joint venture partnerships. Its domestic and regional markets are both growing.
The government has set its sights on reaching middle-income status by 2025, and manufacturing will be the key driver. The country’s low wages, low electricity costs, extensive cotton production and prime positioning for land and sea access to major markets like Kenya make it advantageous for sourcing.
Products from Tanzania will soon have long-term free and unlimited access to the EU market. The country also has at least for now duty-free access to the US market for textiles and garments. Its exports to the US in 2013 were up 190 per cent from 2003.
Cotton production levels have varied as a result of price and weather instability in recent years, but the country has introduced contract farming in some of its growing regions, which has already led to higher, more stable yields and better quality cotton.
Canada will withdraw duty benefits to Indian garment imports after January 2015. But Tirupur garment exporters hope Canada continues with the General Preferential Tariff scheme. Canada wants to discontinue the GPT to 72 countries, including India. It took this decision after these 72 countries were classified as high income or upper middle income countries by the World Bank for two consecutive years or have had a share equal to or greater than one per cent of world exports for two consecutive years.
India's competing countries like Pakistan and Vietnam continue to get duty benefits under GPT. Vietnam, which was exporting less than India, has now increased its exports two times and is also showing a steady growth rate, whereas India's exports have come down by 31 per cent. Tirupur exporters feel once the normal customs duty of 18 per cent is imposed for their knitwear garments in Canada, they will lose competitiveness and the market for knitwear garments will go out of their hands.
So they want the Indian government to request Canada to continue with GPT after January 2015. They also feel the time is right to make efforts to sign a free trade agreement with Canada mainly to recapture and increase exports to Canada.
