PDS will expand its partner factory network in India as well as its own factories and partner network in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and Turkey.

The company’s topline grew 29 per cent in the nine months ended December 2022. It has already crossed theRs10,000-crore mark in the last 12 months, making it the largest multinational B2B apparel company in terms of the size of business.The company aspires to double revenue over five years though short-term challenges persist in terms of the global slowdown and high inflation suppressing demand in select markets.

The company has signed an agreement with Asda in the UK, which should open up an annual merchandise value of $350 million. PDS works with a network of about 600 factories across the globe to fulfill its sourcing contracts. It takes about a year to get a factory onboard after ensuring all the criteria laid down by the retailers are met.

PDS intends to allocate Rs 50 crores annually for capital expenditure in both sourcing and manufacturing, while ramping up its ESG compliance.It is also planning to build a solar facility at its plants in Bangladesh.

PDS, based in India, is a fashion and apparel company.

Sudwolle offers yarns made from selected natural raw materials. Research and technical innovation are combined with a high level of quality.

Wools, almost all certified, are enriched by a significant level of performance that continues to evolve. The production process attempts to limit carbon footprint. The company uses certified fibers, chlorine-free anti-shrinkage treatments and long-lasting products that can be washed at home at low temperatures.

It uses state-of-the-art technologies such as digitization, and develops innovative spinning techniques, new processes and services to benefit customers. It creates products and services that are compliant with recycling standards and contribute to the circular production chain. Negative environmental impact is reduced by developing eco-friendly products, processes and technologies.

One of the most recent results of the company’s technical innovation is the new OTW line of yarns for weaving. The products and services are compliant with recycling standards and contribute to the circular production chain.

Based in Germany, Sudwolle is a world leader in the production of pure wool worsted yarns and wool blends for weaving and circular and flat knitting. It has more than 3,000 employees world-wide, with production plants in Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, China and Vietnam. Sustainable excellence in all its dimensions is the philosophy guiding all the company’s activities, planning and investments.

Techtextil and Texprocess organized by the organizers — Messe Frankfurt and SPESA, will be held in the US, May 10 to 12, 2023.

Techtextil is about agriculture, construction, furniture and apparel. The technologies on display can be applied across diverse industry sectors, making it a must-visit platform for visitors to make sourcing decisions.

Texprocess is a business platform for professionals involved in the sewn products industry — including retail, brand, and manufacturing executives — to meet with manufacturers and distributors of machinery, equipment, parts, supplies, systems, technology, supply chain solutions, and other products and services used for the development of sewn products.

Together, believe Techtextil and Texprocess aim at empowering attendees to integrate technology and fuel innovation that will drive the textile and sewn product industries forward. Development in future-oriented fields such as 3D design, blockchain, and advanced processes are providing multi-faceted insights for businesses to upgrade their shop floors, and Techtextil and Texprocess serve as the ideal industry meeting point to see these advancements in person.

At the 2023 edition, visitors can expect to find the most relevant, on-trend innovations and can discover for themselves how new R&D developments and technologies are revolutionizing all kinds of industries from apparel to upholstery to agriculture to construction — opening doors for the industry’s diverse sourcing needs.

Bangladesh’s yarn and fabrics sales are rising. Consumption has grown 50 per cent since the financial year of 2016-17.

Among the reasons are rising per capita income, stricter anti-smuggling measures and the production of value-added apparel items. The buying capacity of the people of the country has increased, so a lot of consumers can afford more apparel items and are paying additional prices for value-added items.

Bangladesh's per capita income has more than quadrupled since 2009. This has driven up the overall consumption of fabrics in the local market. On an average, a woman consumes 40 meters and her male counterpart consumes 25 meters of fabrics. Currently, 250 spinning mills and 600 weaving mills produce seven billion meters of fabrics a year to meet the domestic demand.

Investment has been made to set up mills to produce yarn and fabrics. There are many other small and medium-sized spinning and weaving mills in various parts of Bangladesh. They make a few million meters of fabrics a year. Mainly salwar kameezes, lungis, saris and shirts are supplied by local millers.

At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, fabric production slowed owing to a fall in demand and there was a lot of stockpiling of unsold fabrics and yarns at the factory level.Following the receding of the outbreak, the demand for textile items made a comeback and millers almost ran out of stock.

Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the EU increased by 16 per cent during the first half of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of the previous fiscal.

Now the country’s manufacturers have asked for an additional two per cent cash incentives on export of garment products to Sweden and Poland. Currently, garment exporters enjoy four per cent cash incentives if they export goods to non-traditional markets, excluding the EU, the UK, Canada and the US. Besides, they enjoy existing additional cash incentives for shipments to the countries under the EU block.But apparel exporters to Sweden and Poland are not getting such special benefits unlike exporters to other EU countries.

Currently, garment exporters are facing difficulties due to the Russia-Ukraine war and its impact is now visible. Prices of raw materials of the sector have increased due to higher inflation in different countries, including the US and the UK.

Currently, the EU region is considered the major market for Bangladesh’s readymade garment items.Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the European Union grew by 16 per cent during the first half of the fiscal 2022-23. Garment exports to Germany grew three per cent year on year. Exports to Spain and France grew by 17 per cent and 33 per cent respectively during the last six months.

Victoria’s Secret has debuted a bra with elements that can be recycled into new bras.

This is seen as a step forward in solving the textile waste problem for undergarments that are most frequently tossed in the trash at the end of their useful life.

The product, named the Forever Bra, has pads made with a plant-based fabric that’s easier to recycle than synthetics like polyester that are derived from petroleum.

Victoria’s Secret customers can take the bras back to any US store, and the pads will be removed for recycling. This innovative approach to waste management is a beacon of hope in the fight against environmental degradation.

Victoria’s Secret has leadership positions in intimates and beauty. After nearly a year and a half as an independent, publicly-traded company, the company continues to make significant progress in its transformation and mission to celebrate and champion all women.

It has created a solid financial platform with a new, more agile operating structure, and even in a very challenging macroeconomic environment was able to deliver third quarter operating income and earnings per diluted share results above the previous guidance. The strategic growth plan is to strengthen the core, ignite growth and transform the foundation.

Australian cotton is being bought up by Chinese buyers in anticipation of an unofficial ban on exports being lifted after trade was resumed between the nations on some other commodities.

China imported 20,000 tons of Australian cotton in 2022 compared to 4,00,000 in 2019. If the ban is lifted Chinese buyers will be able to sell the product in lucrative domestic markets.Companies can use the product for re-export if the ban is not lifted.

Australian cotton is being shipped to a bonded warehouse in Qingdao and possibly one other location, by the Australian subsidiary of China National Cotton Group Corporation, one of the biggest state-owned Chinese cotton buyers.

Australian cotton had been moving into China for months and small shipments had already cleared customs.Once the biggest market for Australian cotton, the trade ground to a halt in late 2020 after China imposed a series of official and unofficial restrictions – called a shadow trade war – that also hit commodities like coal and timber, lobsters, wine and barley.But the diplomatic thaw following a meet between the two countries last November has already seen trade restrictions on coal partly lifted.

Chinese merchants are said to be entering May forward contracts for cotton. In the event that trade remained blocked, they would move supplies elsewhere. Australia has still got contacts with spinning mills in China which is eager to have access to high quality cotton again.

Kim Scholze is the new chief sales and marketing officer (CSMO) of Sympatex.

Scholze will be responsible for global Sympatex sales and marketing strategy. She has been part of the sport and outdoor industry for over 30 years. The creation and feeding of communication platforms is her expertise. She believes that to drive change effectively, a different perspective and the openness for collaboration are needed. In this sense, she sees the biggest challenge is to find common ground for ideas.

With Scholzeon the board, the company’s orientation will not be about making the biggest possible profits but about attitude, collaboration, and a shared industry drive towards sustainability.

Sympatex produces functional textiles from recycled and recyclable monomaterials. Sympatex is a pioneer in the development of a circular and regenerative business model and along the way the company has already achieved a lot and helped push boundaries. The intelligent Sympatex membrane has been used in clothing, shoes, accessories and technical applications since 1986 and guarantees being 100 per cent waterproof, windproof and breathable.

Sympatex will no longer use new materials from the oil industry in the future. Instead, used textiles are transformed into new, high-quality membranes, laminates and functional textiles. Sympatex is working with selected brand partners worldwide to close the textile cycle together.

Premiere Vision was held in France, February 7 to 9, 2023. The show’s size was not as big as it used to be and was more manageable.

With a host of new features plus talks on the regulatory outlook, the trade show drew big-name designers, sourcing teams and professionals from 118 countries to an offer of 1,246 exhibitors.

The first edition since the pandemic to welcome back every country, the event was dynamic. Highlights at Maisons d’Exceptions, the craftmanship showcase which marked its return this season, included Anne Gelbard, whose handmade secret application techniques create volume and relief on top of a diversity of base fabrics.

The showcase presented new developments in terms of fabrication, textures and craftsmanship. Smart Creation zone, for innovators addressing environmental impact, was among one of the buzziest.The Smart Tech area paired the boom in traceability start-ups alongside digital design innovators.

The talk zone addressed what lies ahead for sourcing strategies and featured industry innovations like mycelium materials, and included a key update from a textile industry lobbying group on upcoming European Union regulations. The group also addressed audience concerns about the potential impact on workers in key production countries if sustainability drives up fast fashion prices.

The US footwear industry is expected to stabilise over the next three years. So says NPD.

The industry is expected to see a steady growth in sales revenue through 2025, with unit sales beginning to improve in 2024 as the pressure from average price increases eases. Consumers will look to maximise versatility with their upcoming footwear purchases, as shoes good for casual everyday use will top the reasons for purchase in the first half of 2023. So the year will be a reset year for the footwear industry.

After three years of ups and downs, sales and price trends are expected to level out as consumers settle into their now-familiar lifestyles and make strategic choices about their must-haves versus their nice-to-haves, as they continue to grapple with macroeconomic pressures.

As consumer priorities shift, the blurring of fashion and athletic footwear, says NPD, will continue to be a major factor in the industry. Casual footwear, sneakers, and athletic footwear are considered necessities, compared to dress footwear, outdoor shoes, and slippers, which are viewed as non-essential.The sport leisure category generated the highest sales in 2022, but fashion footwear was the biggest driver of growth as the return to workplaces, events, and other activities brought attention back to more formal footwear categories.