The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), the leading body for Sri Lanka's apparel industry, recently held its 19th Annual General Meeting, where industry veteran Sharad Amalean was re-appointed as Chairman. The Executive Committee was also unanimously re-elected, including Saifudeen Jafferjee and Felix Fernando as Deputy Chairmen.

In his Chairman's address, Amalean emphasized the importance of bringing in new, young leaders to drive the industry beyond 2025. He noted that JAAF's credibility has helped the industry work closely with the government and relevant authorities, contributing to a favorable business environment. Despite challenges faced in 2022, the textile and apparel sector recorded a turnover of LKR 5.5 billion.

Aroon Hirdaramani, past Chairman of the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association, warned that 2023 will be a challenging year, with luxury brands expected to perform better than others. JAAF Secretary General Yohan Lawrence highlighted vital policy priorities and expressed concern over Sri Lanka's declining market share in the face of growing competition from Bangladesh.

JAAF is pushing for relaxation on rules of origin for the EU's GSP+ and UK's DCTS schemes. The AGM was also attended by JAAF's constituent associations, who thanked JAAF for its leadership during trying times and urged authorities to reassess measures affecting the industry's competitiveness.

The export of textile waste and used clothing from the EU to countries such as Pakistan has increased due to fast fashion trends. In 2021, 46 million USD worth of used clothing was exported from the EU to Pakistan.

This lack of distinction between textile waste and second-hand clothing, along with the lack of regulations, has caused the rise of textile waste in landfills and an increase in GHG emissions and unsustainable water consumption.

The EU is now promoting textile circularity and regulating the export of textile waste. Pakistan has a large resale market for secondhand clothing and has the potential for recycling and redesigning used textiles. The introduction of recycling plants for recycled Polyester Staple Fiber (rPSF) has the potential to uplift the industry.

The EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles will greatly transform the textile production patterns in Pakistan and drive fast fashion out of fashion. The EU's strategy requires the industry to adopt resource-efficient processes and circular business models, with a focus on eco-design and recycling of used textiles. This will require skilled labor, efficient policies, and technical progress for recycling and treatment of used clothes.

The EU's stricter regulations will require tracking the origin of all textiles, and mandatory requirements for the second life of used textiles. The shift towards recycled secondhand textile products will ultimately help decouple textile waste generation from growth.

Karl Mayer, a textile technology specialist, has introduced a new lace called Symm-Net, which is characterized by an extremely precise and intricate appearance. The lace is made using a new multibar jacquard raschel machine, equipped with a split threaded jacquard bar and two ground bars, allowing for equal and counter-lapped patterns.

The Symm-Net lace is made using typical Chantilly yarns, including polyamide and 15% cotton, and is designed as a cross-band flounce on the MJ 92/1 B machine.

Lace expert Jamie Heather has used Symm-Net to create a rigid cross-band galloon for outerwear, relying on a delicate Chantilly-style design. He believes that Symm-Net's strength lies in its symmetry, which is particularly evident in designs with small holes and fine mesh structures. The new rigid Symm-Net patterns have received positive attention and Jamie Heather is already working on further developments, including several clip patterns.

Karl Mayer's Symm-Net lace brings clarity and balance to clothing, and is ideal for adding pizzazz to collars, cuffs, and inserts. The lace's visual clarity and fine mesh structures have been a hit with customers, making Symm-Net a must-have for the latest fashion trends.

EGO, a new ozone finishing system under the Tonello brand, offers simple and efficient garment treatment processes.

With its innovative features, it reduces water consumption by 80% and simplifies wastewater purification operations. This new technology is characterized by its ease of use, maintenance, and improved ozone generation system with a capacity of up to 3000 g/h.

EGO encompasses three different technologies for maximum flexibility and a wide range of aesthetic solutions. It is a strategic component in Tonello's "All-in-One System" and reflects their philosophy of constant optimization and responsible garment washing and finishing processes.

EGO is applied to Tonello washing machines, allowing for garment neutralizing without risk to the operator and with no loss of time.

The demand for intimate wash care products is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% between 2022 and 2032, reaching a total of around US$7,922.4 million by 2032, says a study conducted by Future Market Insights.

This growth is driven by increasing awareness of the importance of health and hygiene in intimate areas, as well as government initiatives and health campaigns. Despite this growth, the market is faced with challenges such as the risk of allergies and other problems associated with intimate wash products.

North America is expected to be a leading market for intimate wash care products, with a market share of 17.4% in 2022, due to the growing demand for naturally formulated products. Europe is also a major market, with a share of 18.2% due to increasing disposable income and awareness of the risks of not maintaining intimate hygiene.

With about 20-50% of the women still using clothes and other substitute materials to manage intimate hygiene, to overcome these issues companies have scaled their capacity by introducing new products. Some of the leading players in the intimate wash care products market include Kao Corporation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Organic Glide Company, and others.

Companies have launched new products to meet consumer demand, such as Svish's line of products for men's intimate hygiene and Piramal Pharma's 'i-feel Gentle Intimate Wash', which is free of sulfates, paraben, and alcohol. Millennium Herbal Care has also launched GynoVash, a women's intimate wash brand that uses foam-based application for deep cleansing.

Premiere Vision will be held in Paris, France, February 7 to 9, 2023.

With the return of exhibitors from Japan, Korea and China, plus an uptick in pre-registrations by attendees from inside and outside Europe, the outlook for the fashion world’s largest sourcing marketplace is positive in every one of its segments, which span fibers, fabrics, leather, accessories, design and manufacturing.The overall increase in exhibitors is 25 percent compared to February 2022, with more than 100 newcomers this year. There will be more Japanese and Korean exhibitorsand more than 40 Chinese weavers.

New at the textile marketplace, a barometer of the global supply chain, is sourcing by geographical zone, a deadstock purchasing itinerary and a dedicated Smart Tech area.The latter aims at helping designers, labels and sustainability teams decipher the explosion of digital solutions, particularly in traceability, which is an impending legal requirement. The show has reorganized its zone navigation by geography.

This spring/summer 2024 event is being held in the context of high inflation and rising sourcing environmental challenges. Inflation, the energy shock and the ongoing war in Ukraine are impacting companies across the fashion sector, as manufacturers grapple with rising operational costs. While luxury is resisting the slowdown, the entry-to-mid market is fragile.

Pakistan’s textile sector exports fell by 12 per cent in January 2023 in comparison to the same month of the previous year.

The country’s textile exports in the first seven months of fiscal year 2023 decreased by eight per cent. The decline in textile exports is concerning for the South Asian economy, which is already facing depleting foreign exchange reserves.

The textile sector, the single largest manufacturing sector of Pakistan, is confronted with numerous challenges. The worsening international economic situation primarily caused by the Ukraine crisis combined with floods in Pakistan has negatively impacted the already inefficient supply chains of the country. Flooding in dozens of districts of Pakistan has destroyed a wide swath of agricultural land.

While the industry requires 14 million bales of cotton, the country could only produce five million bales domestically.To meet this gap cotton needs to be imported. However forex issues in the economy have curtailed imports of cotton and other essential inputs for exports. The issue of raw material clearance from the ports remains unresolved owing to unavailability of forex and therefore mills are currently unable to obtain cash against documentation and are closing down owing to the shortage of raw materials.

The apparel industry of Turkey is going green. The approach will be based on a circular economy, adopting the principles of raw material efficiency and renewable energy use.

More than 40 per cent of Turkey’s total exports are to the EU countries and the ratio for apparel exceeds 60 per cent. EU countries are of vital importance for the country’s exports.

Turkey’s apparel industry has a zero carbon target by 2050. In order to reach this target, the sector is bringing its design, innovation and branded production under green principles as EU-based companies are restructuring their supply chain on the basis of sustainability criteria.

In this emerging green supply chain, apparel products will have to be long-lasting, recyclable and eco-friendly. To protect and increase its market share, the industry is making its preparations with this fact in mind and is rapidly transforming its infrastructure.However the apparel industry has already completed many projects and has been having ongoing projects on sustainability for years.

Turkey is one of the rare countries in the apparel supply chain where all apparel products from fiber to final product are produced. Turkey also distinguishes itself from its competitors with its design power, quality, proximity to target markets and strong supplier infrastructure.

Nigeria is rebranding cotton farming.

The aim is to make cotton farming attractive to the younger population.Nigeria is revamping the cotton value chain.The golden age of cotton and textile was truncated after Nigeria discovered oil, which led to the closure of the popular Kaduna textile and other textile factories across the country.

Subsequently due to interventions in the cotton and textile value chain production increased from 80,000 metric tons to 133,000 metric tons. The number of factories in operation rose from seven to 23. The value of Nigeria’s cotton lint exports reached $64 million as of November 2022. An executive order mandating the military to patronise local textiles in producing their uniforms has also been a contributing factor to the growth of the cotton and textile sector. Some 24 states currently produce cotton in Nigeria. The country has developed two varieties of transgenic cotton. These are aimed at addressing the issues of low yields, high production costs and insect attacks on cotton farms.

However the revamp of the cotton, textile and garment sector significantly hinges on reducing smuggling at the country’s borders. Finished cotton products are being smuggled into the country. So the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) has urged for more aggressive control at the country’s borders by setting up an anti-smuggling task force.

Global consultancy Research and Markets has pegged an estimated $27.89 billion in 2022 for India's sports equipment, footwear and apparel market and by 2027 it is expected to reach $40.64 billion growing at a CAGR of 7.82 per cent.

Growth drivers

So, what is driving this healthy growth? For a start, the two years of working from home has raised awareness levels about sports and fitness significantly. Even the average urban couch potato has risen to attempt at a fitter lifestyle. Secondly, awareness has benefitted as India sees more organized community activities and sports events. Growing access to online retail platforms has exposed the Indian consumer to trendy athleisure and accessories that look good and promise to be comfortable.

However, while the change is more visible in adults market, the kids market does not show the same enthusiastic growth as Indian kids seem more inclined towards video games rather than real ones. Indian retailers vouch this fact as they state despite life returning to normal, fervent festive clothing and occasion wear sales between September and December 2022, athleisure and sportswear held their ground.

In fact it is quite the trend to mix a piece of athleisure wear with formal clothing, particularly footwear. As Venu Nair, MD and CEO Shoppers Stop points out, India’s casual wear space has really expanded and will continue do so in the foreseeable future as the casualization of attire continues in India’s post-Covid life. He feels, Indians now see no reason to look casually smart and feel wonderfully comfortable all at once. Shoppers Stop has witnessed that despite festive and wedding season purchases, athleisure and sportswear just kept selling.

Jubi Samuel, Senior Director, Myntra’s sports division says, more brands are designing and producing trendy and comfortable wear, being inclusive with sizes and creating lines of wear anywhere and every day kind of clothing. And tapping the lucrative market, Bollywood sar Akshay Kumar recently launched his leisure line of T-shirts, sweat shirts and caps called Force IX. Retailed online exclusively through Myntra, the brand targets consumers looking for trendy street and casual wear. Experts say, with a young population with higher disposable income, athleisure and sportswear will have a good run ahead.

Global trend also simila

Data from research company SkyQuest shows, globally, the athleisure and sportswear market is expected to reach $548 billion by 2028 from $326 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 8.4 per cent, slightly higher than the Indian CAGR. Athleisure is a popular category because it appeals to several broad trends, such as the global shift toward consumers wearing more casual attire, the desire for comfortable clothing, and the increase in athletic activity among health-conscious consumers who need performance clothing for these activities.

Sales of athleisure and sportswear have received a robust boost from online retail platforms that continue to be the largest distribution channels for this category. The online distribution segment witnessed a 16.3 per cent surge in sales in 2021 and experts feel this will continue for the forecasted period between 2021 and 2028. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to develop significantly as concerns about leading healthy lives among people increases. Additionally, the region’s athleisure market growth is growing due to increased foreign brand penetration, rising disposable income, and a desire for better lifestyles. The North American region is anticipated to have a significant market share due to rising health and fitness concerns.