There has been no let up in emissions by the fashion industry. So says Stand earth. Brands aren't acting to decarbonize their supply chains, where the vast majority of climate-harming emissions come from. Fashion brands are still off track to meet the 1.5 degree emissions pathway, and most are still going in the wrong direction.

Of the ten companies assessed (American Eagle Outfitters, Fast Retailing, Gap Inc., H&M, Inditex, Kering, Lululemon, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, VF Corp), only one, Levi's, is projected to reduce its supply chain emissions by 55% compared with 2018 levels, in line with keeping warming below 1.5C.

While many brands showed a Covid dip in emissions in 2020, eight out of ten brands' supply chain emissions climbed again in 2021, putting them further off-track to meet their emissions goals. Some brands are responsible for manufacturing emissions of close to ten million tons CO2e—the equivalent of more than two million gas-powered cars on the road per company.

Fashion brands have not really moved toward decarbonizing their manufacturing by committing to 100 per cent renewable energy for their supply chains and phasing out fossil fuels as a source of energy, fabric and fuel. Even those with industry-leading commitments are still failing to provide transparency on their progress. To ensure accountability, they need to provide updates on their progress in phasing out coal and fossil fuels.

The fashion industry is responsible for five per cent to eight per cent of annual climate emissions.

Victoria’s Secret plans to buy Adore Me. Victoria’s Secret is a US lingerie giant. Adore Me is an intimates brand.

For Victoria's Secret the acquisition will be a significant accelerant as it pivots toward growth and modernizes the foundation of the company with an entrepreneurial mindset that puts technology at the forefront. Victoria's Secret expects to leverage Adore Me’s expertise and technology to continue to improve the Victoria’s Secret and Pink customer shopping experience and modernise its digital platform and expects Adore Me to serve as a growth vehicle providing access to a consumer that is complementary to Victoria’s Secret current customer base.

Since Adore Me is a technology-led, digital-first innovator in the intimate category the hope is that it will help bring differentiated experiences to Victoria’s Secret and Pink customers. Founded in 2011, US-based Adore Me is a online-only intimates brand that counts 1.2 million active customers. It is powered by a proprietary technology platform with differentiated customer experiences including Home Try-On and monthly subscription options and offers expanded sizing across its products. It has significantly grown its business over the past decade and is excited about bringingits technology, purchase experiences, inclusive assortment, brand and team to join the next phase of Victoria’s Secret’s growth and customer journey transformation.

Imports of cotton trousers into the United States grew by 33 per cent from January 2022 to August 2022.

Bangladesh is the top exporter of cotton trousers to the US. Cotton trouser imports from Bangladesh grew by 47 per cent. Imports from Vietnam grew by 24 per cent. China’s exports of cotton trousers were almost half of what Bangladesh shipped and this indicates buyers are moving their cotton product sourcing away from China. Pakistan, Mexico, Cambodia and Indonesia have also tapped a substantial chunk of the US’ sourcing of cotton trousers. India’s exports of cotton trousers to the US grew by around 56 per cent.

From January 2022 to August 2022 American imports of apparels from the world increased 37 per cent year-on-year. In the same period imports from China grew by 37 per cent and imports from Vietnam grew by 33 per cent. Imports from Bangladesh grew by 53 per cent. Bangladesh remained the third largest apparel import source for the US. America is Bangladesh's single largest export destination.

Among the top ten apparel suppliers to the US, imports from India, Indonesia, Cambodia, South Korea and Pakistan increased by 56 per cent, 56 per cent, 51 per cent, 42 per cent and 42 per cent.

Tencel has formed a series of partnerships. Footwear brand Timberland has partnered with Tencel to launch a new eco-friendly collection. Timberland has incorporated Tencel branded lyocell fibers with Refibra technology in its latest collection.

The collection combines Timberland’s outdoor heritage with Tencel’s commitment to create a circular economy in the textile industry.UK-based luxury carpet and rugs brand Jacaranda has launched the world’s first collection of handwoven carpets and rugs made from 100 per cent carbon-zero Tencel branded lyocell fibers. The collection has raised the sustainability standard of home furnishings and decorations. In addition Lenzing which runs Tencel has partnered with Red Points, an online IP infringement detection and removal company, to fight copyright infringement and counterfeiting. The partnership is expected to boost transparency and traceability within the supply chain and also helps address growing concerns from consumers, who are interested to know the entire production process of the products they purchase.

Sustainability lives in the DNA of Tencel. As consumers become more skeptical about environmental claims due to greenwashing practices, it has been Tencel’s mission to increase transparency across the supply chain, so that not only the interest of value chain partners and consumer brands are protected, but consumers will always be able to purchase the best sustainable products.

Pakistan’s textile exports fell 16 percent in October 2022. Resultantly, the growth rate of textile export has also declined, which had witnessed a 26 percent increase during last fiscal year.

With an uninterrupted supply of energy and gas, exports would have grown by more than 26 percent, as more than 40 allied industries of textiles had also excelled in growth and performance during last year.What’s needed now is regionally competitive energy tariffs for both power and gas, release of sales tax refunds within 72 hours and uninterrupted supply of power and gas. Unhindered imports of raw materials and accessories, machinery and spare parts are expected to help in a big way.

Another major factor forthe decline in textile export is discontinuation of DLTL. Continuation of DLTL and swift refunds of sales tax against exporters’ claims hold the key to enable exporters to achieve their export target without facing any liquidity problems and pressure.

As of now Pakistan’s value-added textile exports face further declines in the coming months. This is feared to ultimately have a negative impact on the economy, sustainability, and development of Pakistan. Exporters have appealed for immediate remedial measures to save the backbone of the nation’s economy.

India has cleared some strategic research projects.

These are in the areas of agrotextiles, specialty fiber, smart textiles, activewear textiles, strategic application, protective gear and apparel, sports textiles. Among the research projects, five are of specialty fibers, six of agro-textiles, two from smart textiles, two of protective gear and apparel, two from geotextiles, one of activewear apparel, one from strategic application area and one from sports textiles.

Various leading Indian institutes including the IITs, government organizations, research organizations, among others, participated in the session which cleared projects strategic for the development of the Indian economy and a step in the direction of Atmanirbhar Bharat, especially in the field of geotech, industrial and protective, agriculture and infrastructure.

Industry and academia linkages are seen as essential for the growth of research and development in the application areas of technical textiles in India. Convergence is being built with academicians, scientists and researchers. Despite the prominent usage of specialty fibers in India, indigenization of the technology has still been a major challenge which needs collaborative interventions from both industry and academia. There will be robust indigenization of machineries and equipment for the technical textile sector to establish a sustained and strong foothold in the global landscape.

Teejay Lanka’s six-month revenue has grown by 111 per cent. Net profit growth for the period has been 145 per cent.For the second quarter Teejay Lanka’s revenue growth was 95 per cent and profit after tax increased by 70 per cent. A doubling of synthetic fabric volumes, higher selling prices and the impacts of the depreciation of the currency have enabled strong growth for Sri Lanka’s first multinational textile producer. However second quarter price hikes in raw materials, freight and energy have also increased the cost of sales for Teejay by 96 per cent.

The group has just expanded capacity and is confident of being able to maintain its momentum by capitalising on newly emerging market segments and its synthetic fabric drive. Teejay Lanka has achieved growth by focusing on its athleisure lines, synthetic orders, new customer segments and Asian markets and will continue to explore opportunities for growth by discovering new business and is evaluating the potential for capturing new international markets, going forward.

Teejay Lanka was the first textile manufacturer in Sri Lanka to receive membership of the US Cotton Trust Protocol. The company is backed by Sri Lanka’s largest apparel exporter Brandix Lanka, which has a 32 per cent stake.

Playboy has launched its first line of lingerie. This will be followed by ten more collections set to be launched in new colours, fabrics and styles in the coming weeks which draw inspiration from the brand’s 70- year heritage.

The first line is called the Icon Collection and features Playboy’s signature rabbit head logo on a range of mesh pieces that are meant to evoke beauty, free will and confidence. This is Playboy’s first proprietary line of lingerie, built on its core value of freedom of expression. While the lingerie line is definitely the primary focus of this release, there are also plans by Playboy to roll out more categories throughout the year, including denim, flannel and sleepwear.

The Playboy brand appeals to younger consumers in the United States, who have grown significantly as a share of its customers over the last few years. The company believes this category expansion leans into its brand values and into its expertise in lingerie from its elevated luxury lingerie brand, Honey Birdette. The company looks forward to continued category expansion and will leverage these new product lines across the Playboy ecosystem, including through its robust creator network.Playboy has worked with brands in the past on co-designed collections to reach new customers but this time it’s their very first launch and the company is expected to have good conversions.

Nigeria is set to stop outsourcing garment making from the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, Mauritania, and Cote D’Ivoire.

Instead Nigeria will work with small and medium scale entrepreneurs to revive the collapsed ginneries, particularly of Gusau, Funtua, Zaria, and Sokoto. There will be skill development training and empowerment of 100 youths in modern methods of tailoring and fashion design.

Some young men and women of northern Nigeria were outsourcing tailoring and garment making from Senegal, Mauritania, Cote D’Ivoire and even in the United Arab Emirates due to non-utilization of appropriate new and emerging tools in the occupation in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s textile and apparel industry covers the entire clothing value chain, and has a strong potential for growth due to availability of cotton and the country’s large market-size represented by over 170 million inhabitants, who provide a natural market for textiles and apparels. Nigerian exporters have come together to form a fashion training facility. The center has over 150 sewing machines, pattern making and cutting tables. It has the primary objective of promoting garment making skills, creating job opportunities and upgrading technical skills to improve quality, productivity and efficiency levels in the garment industry. Nigeria is awash with creative talents in the fashion industry, whose designs can compete anywhere globally.

The India ITME Society has announced its awards for 2022.

Among the winners are Lakshmi Machine Works for spinning, Rabatex for weaving preparatory machines, Texfab Engineers for fabric finishing machines and fabric dyeing machines, ColorJet India for an innovative concept developed in India which is now gaining a lot of importance globally, Lakshmi Card Clothing Manufacturing Company for excellent service support product range, SA Pharmachem for pollution control technology, Deepa A Kumar, CEO of Yashram Lifestyle Brands, for products like period panties, leak-proof nursing bras for breastfeeding moms, maternity hygiene panties and more, Neha Jhunjhunwala, director, Sarla Performance Fibers, who upgrade the company from a successful family run company of three decades to an Indian MNC, Santoshi Kewat, who just cleared eighth standard but managed to become a certified master weaver.

The awards are India ITME Society’s attempt to recognize the exceptional contributions that have influenced positive change in the textile engineering sector. This is a search for talented leaders and innovators in their field of work. India ITME over the years has initiated several constructive programs to recognize innovative researchers.

The awards will be presented on December 10, 2022, at India Exposition Mart. The winners will be felicitated with a cash award, trophy and certificate in their categories.