Textiles (142)
Smriti Irani’s cotton campaign trends on Twitter as celebs join in
Written by FWUnion textile minister Smriti Irani is back on ‘WearHandloom' that has been trending on Twitter. A selfie in a cotton sari, with the hashtag 'Cotton’s-Cool', and asked netizens to post their selfies and tag five friends was tweeted by her on Tuesday. The hashtag started trending, with people still tweeting their pictures in cotton attire.
Irani has kept a low profile in the textiles ministry, her Twitter campaigns seem to be a hit, enforcing her image as a social media savvy politician. It's the second twitter campaign of Irani which has managed to get people talking, even as she has consciously stayed away from traditional media, preferring to be visible on twitter and Instagram.
Irani's #CottonIsCool campaign certainly got the attention of twitterati. Following up her selfie with posts in which she termed cotton as a "celebration of Indian summer and the cotton industry", Irani had celebrities and regular folk, not to mention her Cabinet colleagues posting pictures of themselves in cotton wear.
The list had names like Advaita Kala, Amish Tripathi, Rajat Sharma, Gul Panag, Randeep Hooda, Anita Dongre, Vir Sanghvi, Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, Manish Malhotra, Kirron Kher, Hema Malini and Vijender Singh. Those from the government included Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Kiran Rijuju, Piyush Goyal, Manohar Lal Khattar, Swapan Dasgupta etc. Minister for railways Suresh Prabhu and minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha expressed their support as well, with Prabhu calling it his personal choice.
Still in red Mothercare’s digital, international operations lend positivity
Written by FWMothercare reported its latest full-year results and had good news with the second half having returned to underlying profit in its core UK operations. The mother and child specialist’s focus on digital also helped position it for future growth with 41 per cent of its sales now coming online after a 7.8 per cent rise last year.
UK comparable sales rose 1.1 per cent, margin were up 54bps, 70 per cent of the store estate is now in the newly refurbished club format, 10 new website opened around the world and international total sales growth was 10.6 per cent.
CEO Mark Newton-Jones says the company is now in the third year of its turnaround. He further added following a difficult start to the year, the UK recovered in the second half, returning to underlying profit for the first time in six years. International markets showed signs of recovery with strong growth in Russia and Indonesia, and a sales recovery in China, albeit the country is yet to return to positive cash profit.
Digital revenue is currently on a growth trajectory to be over half of its turnover with 83 per cent of traffic coming from mobile. Store numbers are being reduced steadily. Newton-Jones stressed stores still count, outlining a vision that could be repeated across the retail sector as the digital revolution continues.
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), the apex body representing the entire textile industry in the country, has elected its new office-bearers at its committee meeting held recently. J Thulasidharan, Managing Director of Coimbatore-based The Rajaratna Group of Mills, has been elected the new chairman of the apex body.
Thulasidharan, who was the Vice Chairman of CITI till now, has also served as the chairman of The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), president of Open End Spinning Mills Association and SIMA Cotton Development and Research Association (SIMA CD&RA). He is also the president of Indian Cotton Federation, formerly known as South India Cotton Association who holds directorship in Coimbatore Capital and Coimbatore Commodities.
CITI is the apex body representing the entire textile industry in the country. Sanjay K Jain, Managing Director of T T, a vertically integrated textiles company (fibre to fashion) having its manufacturing units in various States of the country is the new Vice Chairman. T Rajkumar has been elected the deputy chairman
UK industrial thread giant Coats’ sales in the four months ending April went up seven per cent at constant exchange rates and four per cent on an organic basis. Reported sales were up two per cent in the apparel and footwear sub-division and 17 per cent in performance materials. But the crafts division saw sales falling three per cent.
Craft sales fell largely due to the business disruption caused by the tornado strike at the distribution centre in the US. However, the impact of lost profits and incremental costs of re-establishing operations there are expected to be covered in full by the group’s insurance cover.
Coats is an UK industrial threads giant. The four per cent growth in total group sales on a reported basis, which is lower than the five per cent constant exchange rate growth, reflects the stronger dollar, primarily against the Turkish lira, Mexican peso and Egyptian pound, compared to the same period in 2016.
The good results came despite continued mixed demand from clothing retailers and manufacturers. An improvement in the US consumer durables markets helped as also the contribution of Gotex, acquired in June 2016.
Coats has had a strong start to the year and now expects to deliver 2017 full-year results ahead of expectations.
The global textile chemical market is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of four per cent from 2016 to 2024. The fast growing markets are: China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Malaysia who are triggering demand. Asia Pacific is the leading market for textile chemicals by revenue which accounted over half of the gross revenue in the world over the past couple of years.
Textile chemicals are specialty chemicals in demand due to an increase in the variety of fabrics manufactured. These chemicals give fabrics better quality, flexibility and durability. They are a crucial part of the textile industry and play a vital role in manufacturing different type of fabrics like water resistant fabrics.
The global textile chemical market is segmented as surfactants, desizing agents, colorants and auxiliaries, coating and sizing chemicals, yarn lubricants and finishing agents. According to its applications the market is further segmented into home furnishing, apparels, industrial and others.
However, the major restraining factor for textile chemicals market is its harmful effects on the environment. The textile manufacturing process includes consumption of large volumes of water and specialty chemicals for dyeing, washing, bleaching, desizing and other processes. These chemicals contain surfactants and other toxic material which can cause potential harm to the environment.
US is the largest raw cotton exporter with 36 per cent export value
Written by FWThe United States is currently the largest raw cotton exporting country in the world, accounting for 36 per cent of the total cotton export value in the world. The biggest market for US cotton is Honduras followed by Mexico. The Dominican Republic is the third leading importer of US cotton and China is the fourth leading cotton export market for the US.
World production of cotton is about 25 million tons annually. China is the world’s leading cotton producer but most of the cotton produced is consumed by the domestic market. India ranks second in cotton production but a large proportion of the cotton produced is also consumed by the Indian textile industry. The United States ranks third in cotton production in the world.
India is the second leading exporter of raw cotton in the world. Exports of raw cotton from India account for 15 per cent of the total global export value of this product. Cotton plays a vital role in the economy of the country and cotton exports contribute significantly to the country’s GDP. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana are the three leading cotton producing states in the country.
Africa’s share in the cotton trade has doubled since 1980. Although Africa does not have a significant domestic textile industry, cotton is grown by small holders in some countries of Africa.
For the first quarter Century Textiles and Industries has gained massive profits compared to the same period last year. Net profit stood at Rs 36.83 crores compared to a net loss of Rs 2.3 crores in the corresponding quarter last year. Total income from operations rose four per cent to Rs 2,353.5 crores on a year-on-year basis.
EBITDA – earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation – grew 4.8 per cent to Rs 204.83 crores compared to Rs 195.37 crores as compared to the same period last year while EBITDA margins expanded 11 basis points to 9.67 per cent in the same period.
Mumbai-based Century Textiles and Industries is active in textiles, viscose filament yarns, cement, and pulp and paper. In the textile business, Century has two revenue streams: cotton fabric and denim units that can be integrated with ABFRL’s businesses. The company has a vertically integrated plant at Bharuch for manufacturing cotton fabrics. Century earned about Rs 1,817 crores, or 8.6 per cent of total revenues, from its fabrics and denim business.
The cotton division of Century is one of the oldest in India and manufactures a wide range of premium textiles and supplies to many international players, including Royale Linen, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Belk and US Polo.
AAFA releases industry testing guidelines for legwear, hosiery and socks
Written by FWThe American Apparel and Footwear Association, in collaboration with the Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC), has released industry guidelines establishing testing standards for legwear, hosiery, and socks. Covering a range of issues - including product safety, labeling, and physical attributes such as color, fastness, and fit this resource provides useful, product-specific testing recommendations for the industry and its lab partners.
Rick Helfenbein, President and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association says these testing guidelines are the latest in a series of member-driven tools that AAFA has released to help the industry ensure cost-effective solutions for common problems.
The legwear industry is unique explained Dan St Louis, Director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center at Catawba Valley Community College. Specific industry testing guidelines are long overdue to ensure the industry has the proper and specific guidance it needs to produce quality, compliant products.
This testing guidelines document is a free, open-industry resource that will be housed on the AAFA and MSC websites. Future versions will be released as updates become necessary.
Woolmark has partnered with Australian shopping centre Westfield to put the spotlight on wool this winter’s retail season. Australian wool is the star in a curated selection of winter accessories, boots, denim and apparel. The campaign supports local retailers, starring wool in a curated selection of winter accessories, boots, denim and apparel, and celebrates Australian merino wool, the growers who produce the fiber and the designers who use it.
Westfield and Woolmark are telling the farm to fashion wool story, recognising people who produce one of the most important fibers for fashion worldwide. The campaign gives customers inspiration on how to integrate wool into their new season wardrobe, alongside a wide range of winter footwear, accessories and apparel from a number of Australia’s favorite brands, all available at Westfield.
The initiative champions the eco-credentials of fiber and says it is the perfect choice for today’s conscious consumer and that, natural or biodegradable, wool provides the global apparel industry with the most renewable, recyclable and reusable fiber on the planet.
The event is not only an engaging way for consumers to experience the natural attributes and luxuriousness of Australian merino wool, it also offers Australian woolgrowers a window into the commercial aspect of the fiber they work hard to produce.
Circular Fibers is an industry-wide initiative to build a new global textile system based on the principles of the circular economy. The initiative has been launched by Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Circular Fibers brings together key industry stakeholders, such as H&M and Nike, to collectively define a vision for a new system that benefits businesses and citizens, and also phases out negative impacts such as waste and pollution.
The project will encourage businesses to shift away from the current take, make and dispose model, which puts high demand on land, energy and other resources. It aims at catalysing change across the industry by creating an ambitious, fact-based vision for a new global textile system, underpinned by circular economy principles, that has economic, environmental, and social benefits, and can operate successfully in the long term.
Textiles play an important role in the global economy. But a growing trend in consumerism has led to an inefficient waste and resource management system. In the US, for example, an estimated 85 per cent of clothing waste ends up in landfills.
Circular Fibers will provide an analysis of the textile industry. It will look at what a new circular economy for textiles could look like, and lay out the steps needed to build it.
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Export-oriented Cividini to look to China for further growth
Written by FWChina will be the next stop in Cividini's growth strategy. The men's and women's clothing brand, which was founded by Piero and Miriam Cividini in the late 1980s, generated 90 per cent of its €12 million turnover in 2016 from sales abroad.
Piero Cividini explains the company has made a deal with a local distributor, Singapore IFFG, to expand in the Far East over the next five years, with a network of ‘shop in shops' in some of China's most prestigious malls. The first store opened at the end of April in Shanghai, inside the Golden Eagle International Shopping Center. The day after a multi-brand IFF Gallery was inaugurated in Nanjing: 3,000 sq. mt. of space dedicated to high-end fashion, including Cividini's collections.
So far in 2017, the brand has shown signs of development, with a positive sales campaign: Piero Cividini, states that the orders for the fall winter 2017/18 season ended with a slight increase and the company is looking to end the year with a single-digit increase in sales. Cividini's main markets are Japan, where it has 20 shop-in-shops and 60 MBOs, and the United States, where they're present in 40 multi-brand boutiques.
The company from Gorle, near Bergamo, Italy, is present in 250 wholesale stores elsewhere throughout the world, in Italy, Europe, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan. In order to reach their global clientele, the company enacted a development process that, according to the founder, the company has a great deal to do with the generational change and it is important to look for demographics that have different consumption habits.
Women make up the major share of Cividini's clientele, their menswear collection was launched only a few years ago and these clients appreciate the brand's quality and discreet elegance.
Wear Sustain, a collaboration between seven organisations across Europe, is a wearable technology project. It’s offering funding for teams of creatives and technologists to develop the next generation of sustainable wearables and e-textile ideas.
The program is seeking applications from teams of art, design, technology or engineering practitioners and businesses to co-develop compelling, ethical, innovative and sustainable solutions for wearable technology and e-textiles. It will help get great ideas off the ground and set a benchmark for ethics and sustainability in the technology field. The project represents an opportunity for people and businesses in different sectors to collaborate and also access real financial support and expertise in areas such as prototyping, business and venturing.
Competition applicants must address one of seven ethics and sustainability themes, such as manufacturing, waste, energy and health, as well as personal data and ethics, during the development of their prototypes. Wear Sustain’s goal is to develop best practices for future creative and technology collaborations. In addition, it will create sustainable and ethical innovation methodologies for wearable technology, smart and electronic textiles.
The program’s aim is to boost synergies between technology and the arts across Europe and highlight awareness of ethics in technology, using wearables and e-textiles to explore key issues such as personal data, ethics and sustainability in current technology use.
Textiles India will be held in Gujarat from June 30 to July 2, 2017. This will be a mega trade event for the textile and handicraft sectors, showcasing the entire range of Indian textile products from farm to fiber to fabric to fashion.
Textiles India 2017 will also provide an opportunity to participants to hold B2B meetings with around 2500 international buyers, international and Indian exhibitors, and 15,000 Indian buyers. Over 33 round-tables will also be held on issues of concern for the various segments of textiles and handicrafts with prominent international speakers and industry leaders.
The three-day event will also include global conferences on the last day with six different themes related to the textile sector. Textiles India is the first ever global B2B textile and handicrafts event in India. It holds the promise of becoming a landmark annual trade event for the Indian textile and apparel industry at the global level. It is celebrating the significant achievements of India's textile industry and the enormous promise of spectacular growth over the next few years.
India’s textile sector is a major contributor to overall industrial production, exports and employment. The textile sector is also rising on the new digital wave with players vying with each other to grab a higher share of online fashion.
In the past two years, Egypt has taken measures to restore seed purity and cotton quality. Egyptian cotton’s reputation and quality had deteriorated significantly due to the seed companies’ lack of effective quality assurance systems that resulted in inferior, mixed-variety output.
Egyptian cotton’s length, strength, firmness, color, trash count and maturity have all improved in 2016-2017 compared to 2015-2016. This development has increased demand and the prices for Egyptian cotton in local and international markets. Egypt’s cotton exports jumped 63.9 per cent during the first quarter of the planting season of 2016-17.
Internationally, retailers have begun to more closely monitor their products labeled as 100 per cent Egyptian cotton, many requiring manufacturers to provide attestation for products labeled as such. About 90 per cent of global supplies of Egyptian cotton last year were fake.
In an effort to crack down on fraudulent practices and ensure quality, the Cotton Egypt Association started licensing the use of the Egyptian cotton logo to suppliers and manufacturers all over the world. Carrying the logo means that the association certifies the authenticity of the Egyptian cotton. If Egypt’s cotton industry returns to its previous glory, the economy would flourish, the spinning and textile industries would boom, and stalled factories would reopen.
