Apparel imports by the United States touched pre-pandemic levels in January’22 after almost three years of struggle due to global disruptions in fashion supply chain. US’ apparel imports reached $7.54 billion, similar to January 2019 values, in January’22, show latest OTEXA stats. Imports grew 36.77 per cent over 2021 and 11.68 per cent over 2020 respectively. China remained the largest exporter of garments to the US growing 47.11 per cent to $1.91 billion over January ’21.

However, compared to January ’19, China’s apparel exports value shrunk 24.20 per cent in January’22. Export value of Vietnam marginally crossed pre-pandemic export values as it clocked in $1.28 billion in January ’22 as against $1.26 billion in January ’19.

Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the US reached $755.16 million in January ’22 from $519.30 million in n January ’21, $622.24 million in January ’20 and $531,70 million in January ’19.Apparel exports from India increased 53.40 per cent on Y-o-Y to $441.40 million in January ’22.

Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, US footwear majors Skechers and Crocs have temporarily halted shipments to the eastern European nation. Clog maker Crocs plans to halt direct-to-consumer business, including e-commerce and retail operations, in Russia. The US company has also paused imports into the country though it continues to pay corporate and retail staff within Russia. Crocs has also decided to make a donation to UNICEF to support those directly impacted by the war, says Andrew Rees, CEO.

Skechers too has temporarily suspended shipments to Russia. The sneaker manufacturer has also made $250,000 in donations to humanitarian aid to organizations on the ground in Ukraine and Poland, as well as matching employee donations up to an additional $250,000 to support the Ukrainian people.

The boycott of Russia by Skechers and Crocs follows a similar move by other big brands including L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton who have temporarily ceased business operations in the nation

Market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, Kornit Digital has collaborated with UK-based manufacturing enterprise Fashion-Enter to open a first-of-its-kind Fashtech Innovation Centre in London.Located at Fashion-Enter’s state-of-the art training and manufacturing site, the innovation center aims to bring on-demand fashion and textile mass customization back to the UK. It is fully supported by Kornit Digital’s revolutionary, direct-to-fabric and direct-to-garment digital production solutions.

The innovation centre aims to reduce overproduction and water usage. Around 30 per cent of textile production across the world is excess production, says Kornit Digital’s Impact and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report while 95 per cent of water waste is created by companies globally.Besides highlighting production capabilities to minimize carbon footprint, the Fashtech Innovation Centre helps brands and fulfillers mitigate logistical complexities, time-to-market and supply chain risks by bringing production nearer to the end consumer.

The Centre includes both Kornit Presto direct-to-fabric and Kornit Atlas MAX direct-to-garment systems, as well as numerous graphic design and workflow tools and systems to enable cut-and-sew operations for a comprehensive ‘pixel to parcel to doorstep’ cycle.

Leading industrial sewing and printing technology company, Brother will not participate in the upcoming Texprocess Europe 2022 exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany amid rising COVID concerns. Reports suggest the company will prioritize the health of customers, traders, employees and the general public despite it being a strong advocate of physical trade fairs and face-to-face meetings for business strategy.“

However, despite skipping the event –scheduled from June 21-24 in Frankfurt, Germany -- Brother will offer customers the alternative of contacting it via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and knowing about its latest innovations.

Brother Industries is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment company headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Its products include printers, multifunction printers, desktop computers, consumer and industrial sewing machines, large machine tools, label printers, typewriters, fax machines, and other computer-related electronics. Brother distributes its products both under its own name and under OEM agreements with other companies.

Canadian buyers recorded a 13.88 per cent growth in apparel imports during January ’22, reports Apparel Resources. Imports of both knitted and woven, garments surged to $746.89 million during the month, compared to $655.86 million in the corresponding period of 2021.However, the value of imports declined 5.88 per cent compared to December ’21 when Canada imported apparels worth $793.61 million.

Canada’s imports from China declined 4.11 per cent to $ 212.97 million in January ’22 over January’21 while it declined by 9.94 per cent over December ’21.Imports from India grew 58.34 per cent Y-o-Y and 34.62 per cent M-o-M to $280.95 million during January ’22.Imports from Bangladesh grew 36 per cent to $1.17 billionY-o-Y while it declined by 5.06 per cent over December ’21.

Vietnam’s shipments tumbled over 1.90 per cent over December ’21 while they grew by 25 per cent over January ’21 to $1.05 billion.

China seems to be bearing the brunt of the ongoing Ukraine –Russia war as its share of textile and apparel exports to both countries dwindled to 2.5 per cent to total $8.2 billion in 2021.

A few downstream weavers in China received suspension notices from Eastern European customers before the conflict broke out. Orders to these weavers are not expected to improve soon, as per a CCF Group report.

Exports to Russia surge six times in 20 years

An important export market for China's textiles and apparel, Russia also enables China to diversify to other countries. Bilateral trade between the two countries has always focused on the textiles and apparel sector. From 2000-2020, China's textile and apparel exports to Russia increased from $1.11 billion to $7.65 billion. Its exports to Russia increased by almost six times over the past 20 years,

In 2021, China exported 2.2 of its total textiles and apparels to Russia. Apparels dominated China’s exports to Russia from 2017 to 2021. Its’ apparel exports to Russia doubled as compared to textiles in 2021. One of China’s top five export markets till 2019, Russia’s position has declined in the past two years.

Ukraine’s share in China’s exports declines

From 2019-2021, China’s textile and apparel exports to Ukraine increased from $680 million to $760 million. They accounted for about 35-40 per cent of Ukraine's imports. Ukraine accounted for 0.23 per cent of China’s total textile and apparel exports in 2021 despite China being the largest source of textile and apparel imports for Ukraine.

With a total annual export value of $400 million, Ukraine mainly exports textiles and apparels to Germany, Denmark and Italy. The country is the fabric distribution center of Central and Eastern Europe with the Odessa market being the largest and most concentrated fabric market. Around 55 per cent-70 per cent of Ukraine textile and apparel products are sold in the domestic market and the remaining 30 per cent-45 per cent are exported

Shipments to Russia suspended indefinitely

The war has made textile and apparel shipments to both Russia and Ukraine difficult. Shipping companies Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping, Dafei, Hebrot, etc have suspended shipments to Ukrainian ports from February 24. They also plan to stop accepting new bookings in and out of Ukraine until further notice. Exports to Russia have also been affected with shipments to the Sea of Azov suspended until further notice.

Ahmad Heri Firdaus, Researcher, Indef's Center for Industry, Trade and Investment says, to maintain competitiveness, the Indonesian government needs to provide incentives to pursue the competitive advantage of Bangladeshi textiles.

The government needs hold limited meetings and introduce policies to enable the industry compete on a level playing field, adds Heri.

A number of factors in the production cost structure such as industrial gas, electricity, worker wages, and ease of logistics must be taken into account both in negotiating agreements and in formulating incentives.

Heri believes the textile industry will remain one of the prima donnas among other manufacturing sectors. Instead of experiencing a sunset, the textile industry can continue to grow if it is supported by policies that support performance and recovery.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is considered to be unable to compete with Bangladesh. From industrial gas prices, for example, Bangladesh applies a price of $3.22 per MMBTU for textile players. In addition, the electricity tariff is also flat at $ 0.105/kWh. Bangladesh is also the second largest exporter of apparel in the world with a value as of 2020 of $36.13 billion.

The upcoming event will be held from April 27-28, 2022 at the Messe München exhibition centre in Munich, Germany.

The winter edition of Performance Days will be held at the MOC Center from 3-4 November 2022, as a once-only venue. With the latest scheduling, the hybrid event facilitates the industry’s wish to exchange information concerning innovations, highlights and trends for the Winter 2024/2025 season at an earlier stage. The MOC is well established in the textile sector and, in addition to having good infrastructure, it also provides good accessibility to the centre of Munich.

The usual concept of the fair will be maintained on site, guaranteeing that all participants can look. In order to respond effectively to the needs of the new sourcing schedule, the Performance Days winter edition will be put forward to October, and the summer edition to April.

South Asia’s largest apparel and textile manufacturer, MAS Holdings, has announced plans to significantly expand its global footprint to capitalize on opportunities stemming from the pandemic while aligning further with the needs of its customers.

Indonesia is now one of MAS’ largest manufacturing destinations outside Sri Lanka. The company expects to double its current footprint and production capacity in Indonesia by 2024. Currently, the company employs over 10,000 associates in Indonesia. MAS’ lace manufacturing arm, Noyon Lanka, recently established a joint venture with PT Sinar Para Taruna (SIPATATEX) Indonesia, adding to its raw material capabilities in the country, which already include bra cups, elastics and trims.

In the Middle East, MAS recently opened its third manufacturing facility in Jordan. The company also has manufacturing capabilities in Amman, Madaba, and Dulayl and hopes to ramp up its ability to supply duty-free sports and performance apparel to customers in the US and EU.

As part of its expansion in Africa, MAS is targeting to double the capacity of MAS Intimates in Kenya within the next two years, capitalising on opportunities stemming from the suspension of Ethiopia from the AGOA trade program, losing duty-free access for its exports to the US.

Similarly, MAS’ Joint Venture company, Linea Aqua, is geared to expand operations in Vietnam in 2022. The country has duty free access to many large economies via the RCEP, including Europe, Australia and many Asian countries. Given accelerated growth and strong prospects, MAS is poised to double its production capacity in India by 2024. For the world’s second-most populated nation, the company can support brands that have adopted an ‘India-for-India strategy,’ focusing on sourcing entirely for the Indian retail market from within the country itself.

MAS’ planned expansions also cover many of its operations in Sri Lanka, with the company signing an agreement with the Sri Lankan Board of Investment to expand a number of its Sri Lanka based businesses, namely MAS Legato, Bodyline, Unichela and Trischel.

Ghanian clothing manufacturer DTRT Apparel Group plans to develop its sustainable fabric mills and also expand its garment manufacturing factory near Ghana in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

As per an Engineering News report, cooperation between the two firms will help IFC advance West Africa’s position as an increasingly competitive global textile cluster by exploring the company’s potential to produce synthetic fibres and yarns, including from recycled materials.

West Africa currently lacks an integrated textiles value chain and more advanced manufacturing processes. Its agreement with DTRT is part of the IFC’s strategy to create new markets, increased exports, and more and better jobs in the West African textiles sector.

The agreement will give West Africa an opportunity to build an integrated textiles value chain, creating thousands of better jobs and introducing innovative sustainable fabric production technologies.