"Customers may have shifted their preference from real to fake fur. But the fact remains, neither is fake nor real fur ideal for the environment. Real fur uses chromium for tanning while fake fur contains viny chloride, a cancer-causing substance to make it flame retardant. Also, fake furs are not recyclable as they are made from pretroleum-based synthetic polymers. They either end up in the landfills or the water system as microplastics."

Customers may have shifted their preference from real to fake fur. But the fact remains, neither is fake nor real fur ideal for the environment. Real fur uses chromium for tanning while fake fur contains viny chloride, a cancer-causing substance to make it flame retardant. Also, fake furs are not recyclable as they are made from pretroleum-based synthetic polymers. They either end up in the landfills or the water system as microplastics.

But in the battle for which one is the lesser devil, faux fur emerges as the winner as it is not only comfy and cozy but also a great color vehicle. The fur is available in a gamut of colors such as bright pink, pale blue or some of the other primary colors. There was a 24 per cent rise in the number faux-fur products in Fall/Winter 2019 with outerwear increasing by 22 per cent since last year reveals Kayla Marci, market analyst for Edited. The luxury market for faux-fur is also increasing by 13 per cent year on year with outwear rising by 23 percent year on year.

Brands remove animal fur from collections

Many brands and retailers have decided to shed animal fur from their lines. Joining an already long list of designers, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s will stop selling fur by January 2021. There has also been a 27 per cent year-over-year drop in the amount of real fur used by UK luxury brands while this figure is around 86 per cent in the US luxury market. This decline is also a result of stricter bans and regulations across the globe. California has banned the sale of real fur from 2023, while San Francisco has set a January 2020 deadline for retailers to sell out their inventory. Countries like the United Kingdom, Austria, and the Netherlands have also banned fur farming more than a decade ago.

The real issue plaguing the fur industry is overproduction. People rarely shop for fur products these days as they prefer to use clothes handed down by the earlier generations. To leverage this opportunity, some fur shops are sketching the future of existing furs. Christos Furs of Westchester plans to redesign and repurpose its existing furs to create new styles. The company currently sells a range of fur products from $300 rabbit fur jackets to a $60,000 Russian sable coat.

Recyclable faux fur in focus

Meanwhile, luxury fashion companies including Maison Atia and Stella McCartney plan to focus on biodegradable faux-fur products. Both companies plan to launch an innovative new fabric called Koba considered the first sustainable faux-fur fabric. The fabric, created by textile manufacturer Ecopel, is made from renewable plant ingredients and recycled polyester. It produces 63 percent less greenhouse gas than conventional synthetic materials.

Maison Atia launched a children’s coat collection using Koba. Its full fall 2020 collection will use a mix of Koba and recycled modacrylic. The company uses fabrics leftover from outerwear production and donating anything left over from that to Fabscrap. However, these changes are temporary as the fashion world is known to change its mind periodically. We might again a country producing fur in the next 10 to 15 years.

Texworld and Apparel Sourcing was held in the US from January 19 to 21, 2020. The show introduced technological tools and scientific methods that can be implemented into manufacturing practices. It gave an insight into blockchain technology, circular tracing and the newest software to reduce lead time and waste. The show also included a workshop that peeled back the layers of commonly used materials. The presentation spotlighted material innovators that are currently moving the needle of advance forward.

Recycle methods showcased mechanically recycled denim yarns that are woven out of fibers derived from scraps of pre-consumer denim. Refibra technology displayed cotton that is made from a blend of sustainably harvested wood pulp and cotton waste. Each element was shown separately to fully understand the natural recycle methods. Hemp Black took ordinary hemp and chopped it into hurd then carbonized it into charcoal that is used later as an all natural screen printing ink.

In acknowledging the industry’s obligation to the planet, Texworld continues to uphold its responsibility to both manufacturers and designers by offering educational tools and materials needed to address global dilemmas. While the fashion industry is held accountable for its waste and destructive impact, its community heeds the call to action.

Project, the long-running menswear trade show produced by Informa, was held at Javits Center in New York on January 19-21, 2020. The show exhibited the F/W 2020-21 collections in the contemporary, classic, lifestyle, footwear and accessories sectors. The show featured seven communities on the floor such as The Tents (elevated men’s collections), The Foundry (emerging brands), MRket (classic and better menswear) and new one, Denim Room, which featured seven contemporary jeanswear brands and a special display called “Artifacts” curated by Maurizio Donadi that featured vintage treasures from his personal archive.

Some of the collections included, Eco Collection and expanding its top offerings with sweaters in three shapes: cardigan, Shaker knit and Henley; a Western “Urban Cowboy” vibe rules for fall with ikat plaids dominating shirts and a series of vintage washes producing different blue tones on jeans; Special fabrics and colored denim and twills in a semi-dark palette with colors such as burgundy are the fall highlights at Mavi.

Newcomers to Project included the German label Kiefermann making its US debut, the Israeli footwear brand Fiocco Nero (“black bowtie” in Italian) and two Dutch accessories lines: bracelet maker Pig & Hen and Secrid. Also new was a wellness section in The Tents that featured grooming lines such as Fellow Barber and The Art of Shaving.

The next edition of Project will be in Las Vegas February 5-7, 2020.

Indonesia’s garment exports for the 10 month period until October 2019 decreased 3.6 per cent. The three biggest destinations for Indonesian garment exports are the United States, Japan and Germany. Until October 2019, the Indonesian garment market share in the US market fell from 4.6 per cent in ten months of 2018 to 4.4 per cent in ten months of 2019.

Growth in the textile industry and textile products in the third quarter of 2019 increased to 15.08 per cent. This achievement is much higher than the achievement in the same period in 2018, which is 10.08 per cent. The increase in textile industry growth in the third quarter was due to increased domestic demand. But the decline in Indonesian garment exports causes minimal production growth so that company revenues are reduced.

The textile industry is one of the five manufacturing sectors that are being prioritized for development as a pioneer sector within the framework of Industry 4.0. By 2030, Indonesia’s textile industry is expected to be one of the five largest textile producers in the world. The industrial structure has been integrated from upstream to downstream. Encouragement is being given to exports of textile products.

The number of items banned from entering Hong Kong by mainland China customs – once limited to gear associated with protesters – has been expanding. The list of banned items has expanded to include everything from white tops and colorful hoodies to normal eyeglasses. Single pieces of black fabric and tops featuring metal buckles or buttons have been stopped in recent months.

Hong Kong apparel and eyewear shops have already crippled by more than seven months of social unrest. During months of political turmoil, the red line set by mainland Chinese customs has varied according to the social situation. Goods are consistently subject to a higher level of scrutiny in the wake of mass protests or incidents related to the anti-government movement. Windbreakers are seen as belonging to hooded clothing, which are regarded as outfits protesters wear to prevent them from being identified.

In addition to the apparel industry, a few eyewear companies have also been affected. Safety goggles were also stopped from entering Hong Kong. Courier companies were asked to halt delivery of a list of products that included towels, drones, speakers, horticulture scissors, flashlights and binoculars. In general items which might harm China’s politics, economics, culture and morality were prohibited.

Authentic Brands Group is looking to buy Forever 21. US-based Authentic Brands was founded in 2010. Fashion retailer Forever 21, founded in 1984, became a multibillion dollar operation in over 40 countries before it filed for bankruptcy in September 2019. The brand plans to close most physical stores in Asia and Europe while continuing to ship to international customers through its US website. The fashion chain had become successful due to its coolness factor and its ability to identify the needs of its customers. But these same customers started to move to online and other retailers.

The brand specialised in the fast fashion principle as it made outfits for young teenage girls, who wanted to dress like their favorite celebrities. Forever 21 helped them by providing these fast and at affordable rates. Customers would form huge lines for new store openings.

The company also became an attractive tenant for most malls, usually becoming the anchor tenant with its huge sized stores, which drew huge footfalls. The company became a trendsetter, selling rapidly changing styles in young women’s dresses, tops, jeans, other apparel and accessories as part of its fast fashion strategy. The store catered to teenagers and young adults, along with some slightly older customers who refused to grow over 21.

Bangladesh is the second largest apparel exporter grabbing 6.4 percent of the global market and creating jobs for 4.4 million of its people, especially women. The journey to success began after the Independence war of 1971, which left battle scars on the economy. Like on the domestic front, the country started a modest journey in overseas trade: it logged $348 million by exporting 25 products to 68 countries in fiscal 1972-73, according to the commerce ministry.

Of the products, only three -- jute, leather and tea -- were prominent, with jute alone fetching 90 per cent of the total export earnings. But the situation took a turn for the better in late 1970s when a band of educated youths began to try their luck in readymade garment shipment. They even had set up factories on the premises of their home or in shared buildings to rope in buyers and subsequently started to find their feet in the global apparel business.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) gave a presentation at a discussion on ‘RMG Industry: Green Growth’. Representatives from the International Labour Organisation, International Finance cooperation, buyers, economists and government officials attended the discussion. It was highlighted that global brands and buyers are gradually offering lower prices for readymade garment products to Bangladeshi factories although the number of green factories has increased considerably in the country in the last few years.

BGMEA president Rubana Huq said although buyers were not giving additional prices for products, the entrepreneurs were investing additional money to make their units green to create sustainable businesses. She also said government policy and incentive, buyers’ demand, consumer behaviour and availability of technology are the key factors that can enable the industry to become green.

Speakers emphasised on the development of a national standard for green industry and adoption of a comprehensive policy to support the industry. They also said that adoption of green technology was a must for sustainable economic growth and Bangladesh needs home-grown solutions to face the challenges faced in building a green industry.

Speakers said that it was easy for large-scale factories to arrange green funds but medium- and small-scale factories were not getting access to finance. They suggested that the government and its development partners should introduce guarantee schemes for the SMEs so that they could go green.

Fulgar is the innovative, organic-origin DIN CERTCO certified yarn, has launched eco-friendly Q-NOVA Pure Black yarn developed in line with ‘advanced eco design criteria’. This new specialty yarn joins the highly successful Q-NOVA yarn and together,

Fulgar says, they have inspired the creation of a new family of yarns. Launched by Fulgar in 2013, Q-NOVA by Fulgar, 100% Made in Italy is a polyamide yarn made using regenerated raw materials through a mechanical, non-chemical process that renders the entire production cycle more sustainable, making it possible to achieve reductions in CO2 emissions and water consumption. This virtuous yarn is further enhanced in the version given stretch performance by combining it with the Lycra EcoMade recycled elastomer, which has also been awarded Global Recycled Standard certification for fabrics and garments that are ‘friends of the environment’.

The advantages include simplification of the dyeing process and the total absence of additional black dye with a resulting reduction in water use, energy consumption and waste, as well as total safety for the final consumer.”

Its ability to make the company’s production processes more sustainable means that Q-NOVA Pure Black has also gained numerous green certifications, including Global Recycled Standard. Fulgar says it uses PEF analytical methodology to measure its environmental impact.