Uniqlo is opening a highway store in India. This will be in Punjab.

The highway store format – which is a standalone store located alongside a highway – is new for Uniqlo in India and further accelerates the company’s expansion in the country.

The store, spread across one floor and having a total sales floor area of 10,965 sqft, is the largest Uniqlo sales area on a single floor in India. It will open in April 2023.

This roadside-type store is popular in Japan. The highway format has played a crucial role in Uniqlo’s growth throughout Japan, and the model has also been very successful outside Japan, including in Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The highway store format is aimed at bringing convenience to the community and serving as a perfect one-stop destination and is carefully designed to ensure enough space and accessibility for all.

Further, this launch also supports Uniqlo’s underlying commitment to the Indian market and to make highly functional, quality apparel accessible to more customers. With this highway store Uniqlo, a Japanese retailer, will have ten stores in India.

Uniqlo has more than 12,000 products online and services 17,000 pincodes in India. Just about everything that is launched in Japan finds its way to the Indian market.

After a period of strained diplomatic and trade relations between Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, bilateral trade, including garment exports, has rebounded sharply, according to recent reports.

Following the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, garment exports from Turkiye to Saudi Arabia declined to $172.870 million in 2020, compared to $268.612 million in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic further impacted the trade, resulting in a decrease to less than 10 per cent in 2021, with a shipment value of only $14.415 million.

However, recent efforts by both nations to normalize their relations have had a positive impact on trade. Leaders' visits have also played an important role in the normalization of relations. Turkiye's garment exports to Saudi Arabia have surged by 342 per cent, reaching $62.730 million in 2022. This recovery in trade has continued into the first two months of the current year, according to the same source.

Garment exports remained negligible until mid-2022, with a shipment value of only $5.038 million in Q2 2022. However, it increased significantly to $23.231 million in Q3 and $30.231 million in Q4 of 2022.

This is positive news for both countries as it indicates a return to healthy bilateral trade relations.

The Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) held its fourth edition in Dhaka, with both the European Union and United States reiterating their calls to protect labour rights and the environment for the sustainability of the apparel business in Bangladesh.

Peter D Haas, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, focused on the role of workers, which he described as one of the main driving forces in the sustainability of the garment sector. He called for labour law reforms to give workers the chance to exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Charles Whiteley, the EU ambassador to Bangladesh, suggested improving labour rights to obtain the trade benefit under the new EU Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). The EU is finalising new GSP rules to be effective from January for the next decade.

Ziaur Rahman, regional country manager for production at H&M for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Africa, said "As a large buyer in Bangladesh, we recognise our responsibility to be at the forefront in driving the sustainability agenda," while speaking at the plenary session. According to Rahman, the most pressing issue right now is climate change. He said the fashion industry needs to reduce its carbon footprint and there is a pressing need for the use of more renewable energy in the manufacturing hubs like Bangladesh.

Some 60 speakers and 20 exhibitors from across the world gathered at the SAF to share knowledge on sustainability in the garment supply chain.

Malaysia's Ambassador to Vietnam has urged both countries to capitalize on initiatives such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement to boost bilateral trade.

The RCEP, signed at the 37th ASEAN Summit hosted by Vietnam in 2020, positions the Asia-Pacific region as the new center of global trade, with total trade expected to reach almost US$42 billion (RM189.2 billion).

As the world's largest free trade agreement, covering 15 countries and 2.2 billion people, member countries can benefit from the absence of about 90% of tariffs among themselves. There’s an optimism that the relations between Malaysia and Vietnam would continue to grow, especially within the framework of ASEAN, highlighting Vietnam as one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investors.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Vietnam has been on an upward trajectory, with total trade reaching US$19.44 billion in 2022.

Malaysia established diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1973, and in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is taking steps to promote sustainability within the apparel industry by launching a new membership model for companies generating over $100 million in revenue.

The Candidate membership model aims to encourage more businesses to adopt sustainable practices by providing access to SAC's membership community and the Higg Platform, which includes five Higg Index tools for assessing social and environmental performance.

The Candidate membership model will allow companies to gain insight into the expectations of SAC members and determine if their sustainability goals align with those of the organization.

The SAC will evaluate companies expressing interest in becoming a Candidate member based on criteria such as suitability, commitment, goals, and abilities. Companies accepted as Candidate members will have access for up to two years before transitioning to full membership at SAC. The new membership model seeks to expand SAC's reach within the apparel and footwear industry and other consumer goods sectors to drive progress and impact.

It is believed that the reach and diversity of SAC members are the most powerful levers for collective action towards sustainability in the apparel and footwear industry.

In February, retail sales in the US slowed down by 0.4% month-over-month, with consumers prioritizing value and cutting back on spending.

Major retailers have cited this slowdown in spending when projecting sales for the 2023 fiscal year, which for most retailers begins in February. Consumers struggled with higher prices in non-discretionary categories, leading to reduced spending in other areas. For instance, grocery and food-at-home pricing rose by 10.2% in February's 12-month rolling index, with specific categories such as cereal/bakery and dairy experiencing significant price increases.

However, Kroger reported a 10.1% increase in sales of its private-label food brands for 2022, demonstrating that consumers are turning to store brands as an alternative to higher-priced national products. Meanwhile, shelter's 12-month rolling price index, which includes rent, hotels, and homeowners' equivalent of rent, increased by 8.1%, the most significant increase over 40 years. This category accounted for over 70% of the all-items index increase in February.

Fashion categories such as apparel/accessories, shoes, and department stores also experienced reduced spending as consumers looked for value amidst rising prices. Larger ticket items such as new cars, furniture, and electronic/appliance sales were impacted by higher interest rates, leading to declining sales.

However, discount and value retailers, including Target, Walmart, warehouse clubs, and dollar stores, grew year-over-year. Additionally, as inflation and recession worries continue, many consumers are turning to second-hand stores and vintage shopping. Retailers such as REI, Lululemon, Levi, Best Buy, Patagonia, and IKEA have started selling pre-owned goods.

Retailers are cautiously optimistic about 2023, as consumers show a trend toward value.

Cheap and cheerful fast fashion on-trend clothing designs that move quickly from catwalks to shop shelves and online websites have taken over the global apparel segment. This fast fashion garment factory production focuses on quick trend replication and uses low-quality materials and synthetic fabrics that pile up truckloads of clothes to be dumped in landfills or in poorer countries of the world.

As per Oxfam, a charitable organization, around 70 per cent of globally donated garments end up in Africa and most of these are second-hand discarded clothes of poor quality and lower durability. The Global North countries of Europe, the UK and the US among others are buying 60 per cent more clothes than 15 years ago but only wearing them for half as long till they get bored. An estimated 85 per cent of all textiles land up in dump yard every year and it is estimated a truckload of garments is either burnt or sent to a landfill every nano-second. These donations, which aim to help alleviate poverty and create jobs, have in turn created a problematic industry valued at $1.84 billion in 2021, up 28 per cent from previous year. As per estimates around 40 per cent of the world’s used clothing exports come from the three countries: China 17 per cent, US per cent, and UK per cent.

Waste colonialism from Global North must be addressed

Africa seems to be the favourite dump yard of the world, and from Ghana to Kenya, all kinds of apparel in the name of donations are flooding these countries, causing an environmental, economic and social catastrophe. The desire to constantly reinvent the wardrobe for on-trend fast fashion is also causing the violation of human rights in factories across third-world countries where modern-day slavery is rampant.

In the words of Stella Hertantyo, a South African sustainability activist and writer to AllAfrica, “We call it waste colonialism.” It's essentially this feeling that countries in the Global North feel entitled to access the land and communities and African countries as a place to rid themselves of their waste. This is created in the North, because of systems of overproduction and overconsumption and perpetual growth in terms of profits.

Even amidst all this pollution international aid agencies are still appealing for donations of second-hand clothing from the Global North for use in the Global South. One of the measures that are being pondered in Africa to reduce the pollution of second-hand clothing is to ban import of these clothes. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi were planned to ease out second-hand clothes trade by 2019 but only Rwanda has implemented the plan by imposing high taxes on imports to deter trade and others are expected to follow soon.

Important to stop environmental damage

The fast fashion industry pollutes global water bodies as it uses vast volumes in manufacturing processes. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has proven the industry, in addition to emitting 10 per cent of global carbon dioxide every year also uses 1.5 trillion litres of water annually. Analysts also say, the fashion industry consumes around 2.6 per cent of the world's freshwater as making just one cotton T-shirt needs an unbelievable 2,700 litres of water.

Currently, industry leaders are focusing on different ways they can move towards a circular economy by reducing waste and pollution and sophisticating the processes of reusing and recycling textiles. Organizations such as UNEP and GFA are currently working with the fast fashion apparel industry to transform it into one that gives more than what it gets from the environment and the world around it.

WIT Fitness and Represent have launched a unisex collection called 247.

Both are based in the UK. WIT is a multibrand retailer. WIT Fitness combines e-commerce, experiential retail and in-person training in a unique model to curate the world’s finest selection of training apparel and equipment.

Represent is a luxury streetwear clothing brand founded in 2011. The label’s garments are the embodiment of relentless effort, refinement and constant progression. Each piece is the result of a meticulous design and production process, with expert craftsmanship being an unremitting factor running throughout every collection, silhouette and individual garment.

The 247 range was created to be worn for active and casual intent and incorporates functional-optimal garments in clean silhouettes and exhibits fitness apparel in its purest form with clean and distinctive designs as well as a luxury quality. The range consists of three oversized vest styles and three oversized T-shirts in black, flat white and a black/grey digital camo print, and two hoodies along with shorts and pant styles each in black and camo prints. Completing the range are two oversized graphic tees celebrating the joining of these two forces in fitness. The graphic T-shirt features a screen print of both brands’ logos, reimagined in a vintage style.

The UK Fashion and Textile Association has partnered with social media platform TikTok to support and nurture the UKFT Rise community, a network of up and coming UK fashion and textile start-ups.

The support, which will be provided exclusively to selected UKFT Rise subscribers, aligns with TikTok’s feature, TikTok Shop.

Launched in 2021, this space allows brands and individuals to sell and promote their products. The UKFT Rise community will receive access to an in-house TikTok seminar program to grow TikTok Shop sales as well as TikTok’s office. TikTok will unlock a prize for winning UKFT Rise businesses to be put in contact with an account manager and to receive funds to create ads, collaborate with an affiliated content creator with subsidised rates, use studios and more.

A seminar will be organised both online and at TikTok’s office in March 2023, for UKFT Rise subscribers, to officially launch the partnership and unveil further details.Supporting early-stage fashion and textile companies has always been UKFT Rise’s top priority. The network offers them a space to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and to gain valuable business tips.

The UK Fashion and Textile Association is the largest network for fashion and textile companies in the UK. It brings together designers, manufacturers, suppliers, agents and retailers to promote their businesses both in the UK and throughout the world

Oerlikon Textile will soon have a new service center for the polymer processing industry in the US. At the new address, synergy effects and resources will be used to a noticeably greater extent for the benefit of all Oerlikon customers in 4500 square meters of office and commercial space.

Oerlikon already has an American subsidiary. All processes will now be optimized in the new building. Incoming goods, warehouse and dispatch will be merged, inventory control will be strengthened. Also, the range of services in the repair area will be expanded.In addition to services in the area of filament and carpet yarn systems, Oerlikon will also be able to offer customers repair services for staple fiber components such as crimpers or nonwoven systems in future. This will further strengthen the market position for the Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven brands.

Oerlikon Textile has been active in the manmade fibers business in the United States for over 55 years. In addition to the sale of staple fiber, BCF, IDY, POY, FDY and texturing plants, the product portfolio also includes upgrades and modernization of old plants, service and training offers as well as repair services and spare parts supplies.