Designer brands and shops in the UK are reeling from the COVID crisis which has hampered imports of garments and materials from south Asia.

As per an Eastern Eye report, the pandemic in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh has decimated factories which make shalwar kameez, saris and kurtas that stores in the UK rely on.

It has also affected customers, who are often making more shopping trips to find the ideal outfit for weddings and religious festivals. Mani Kohli, Founder, Khubsoorat Collection, said it will be difficult for the industry to recover in the next couple of years.

The wedding season is set to peak this summer with the government announcing on June 21 that the limit on the number of people who can attend ceremonies in England is scrapped. It could be a lifeline for clothes stores, which reopened in May after lockdown rules eased. sible if they are being made. Shop workers selling south Asian outfits in Whitechapel, east London are still trying to shift stock from 2019 and last year.

One store owner said they only have five new shalwar kameez, but hope to get more around Eid in late July.

Another said all its garments are imported from Pakistan and due to the lockdown, most of the stock of petticoats, trousers and tops are older designs. It is a similar situation in Leicester, which is regarded as the capital of south Asian textile manufacturing. Its local authority is working hard to support garment traders and workers while coping with the challenges of the COVID pandemic and the inevitable disruption that it has brought to global supply chains.

Pakistan’s value added textile sector is disappointed that the government has not accorded consideration to its demands. In its budget proposals, the textile exporters had demanded restoration of Zero Rating of GST -- No Payment No Refund System.

The value added textile sector had also demanded reduction in income tax as well as sales tax rates.

Pakistan’s textile exports have been levied with a 300 per cent higher tax as compared to local businesses. The federal government in its budget has facilitated the local SMEs and neglected the SMEs of export sectors.

Globally, there are no taxes on export businesses, and where taxes are levied on exports the rate is lower than the one levied on local businesses.

Imposition of 17 per cent GST has made the textile exporters specially SMEs financially unviable as their precious liquidity, without any purpose, stuck up and they throughout the year face financial difficulties to fulfill their export commitments.

It is on record that 33% SME exporters have closed their export business since imposition of 17% GST which blocked exporters’ precious liquidity.

With the continuation of 17 per cent GST in 2021-22, many more SME textile exporters who managed to survive last year shall fear closure as well in the wake of liquidity pressure.

Therefore, SMEs textile exporters have demanded for restoration of no payment no refund GST regime which has been tried and tested or reduce GST rate to 5 per cent.

New York-based Oxford Pennant is implementing the Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro system for digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing on demand.

Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro is the first available DTG system designed specifically for dark polyester and poly blends, extending the single-step efficiency, eco-friendly production process, photorealistic imagery, retail-quality versatility, and low print cost benefits of Kornit Digital print technology to the increasingly popular sportswear and athleisure apparel market. In addition to t-shirts and other athletic gear, Oxford Pennant will be using the system to imprint felt pennants, banners, and flags—a first among Kornit customers.

To ensure this new application would work, Kornit systems specialists worked with Oxford Pennant on an extensive sampling program, determining Kornit’s proprietary Olympia ink set and the lower curing temperatures it required were an ideal match for the brand’s fabric demands.

Kornit Digital develops, manufactures and markets industrial digital printing technologies for the garment, apparel and textile industries. Kornit delivers complete solutions, including digital printing systems, inks, consumables, software and after-sales support. Leading the digital direct-to-garment printing market with its exclusive eco-friendly NeoPigment printing process, Kornit caters directly to the changing needs of the textile printing value chain. Kornit’s technology enables innovative business models based on web-to-print, on-demand and mass customization concepts. With its immense experience in the direct-to-garment market, Kornit also offers a revolutionary approach to the roll-to-roll textile printing industry:

Morocco’s textile exports to Europe have grown by 23 per cent so far in 2021 compared to 2020 which was marked by low demand due to the global pandemic

As per the country’s Industry Minister, exports in the sector were boosted local operators’ shifting production to meet domestic demand in terms of masks and protective gear and exported surplus.

The sector has also benefited from incentives under the Industrial Acceleration plan which helped create 116,500 jobs between 2014 and 2020, the minister said, noting that despite the pandemic, Morocco’s textile industry offered 10,684 new jobs in 2020.

The minister was speaking at a conference organized by his department. He highlighted the competitiveness of Morocco’s business climate which helped attract investments by global textile manufacturers.

Morocco has also invested in vocational training in textile jobs offering qualified human resources that are much needed by investors in a sector that is increasingly geared towards high-tech and low-carbon, the minister added.

Lectra has finalized a deal to acquire all outstanding shares of Gerber Technology. It completed the deal on a cash-free, debt-free basis for €175 million, or more than $207.5 million, in addition to 5 million newly issued Lectra shares to AIPCF VI LG, Gerber’s sole shareholder. The purchase was financed through a €140 million, or more than 166 million USD, loan and available cash.

The acquisition was originally announced on February 8, approved by Lectra’s board of directors on March 25 and approved by Lectra’s shareholders on June 1.

The acquisition will allow Lectra to expand upon its Industry 4.0 innovations in software, equipment, data and services that support brands, manufacturers and retailers as they develop, produce and market products. The merging of the companies will create a more-seamless approach to development and production.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has announced that the soon-to-be 5’760 color references of its Color Atlas library are made available within its Datacolor Tools’ platform, an easy-to-use color quality control application for industries where color accuracy is a critical component of overall product quality.

Datacolor® provides color management solutions that empower customers to make objective, cost-effective and smart color decisions, in applications such as textile & apparel, paint & coatings, plastics, photography, design and many others. The perfect integration of its instruments and software help formulate, measure, control and communicate color, and its state-of-the-art algorithms reproduce color on materials and displays.

The Color Atlas was launched in 2016 to provide fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration that can be implemented in production with just a few clicks.

The Color Atlas continues to evolve in line with Archroma’s commitment to sustainability through innovation. The company describes it as “The Archroma Way to a sustainable world: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. All color references available in the Color Atlas have been formulated with products that comply with leading international eco-standards, and can be selected based on the desired sustainability profile.

Today, the Color Atlas contains 4’320 colors applicable on cotton poplin, almost the double compared to similar tools available to textile and fashion specialists. Technical support is available to designer, manufacturers, as well as brands and retailers, through Archroma’s global offices - for every single color from its selection to its implementation in production. Engineered color standards empowered by NFC technology are also available for all colors and reproducible in production.

Archroma also just launched a similar tool with 1,440 colors on polyester. Both libraries will be available in the ‘Datacolor Tools’ platform for color searching.

Leading fashion brands are facing a probe by French authorities over allegations they profited from exploiting forced labor in the Chinese Uyghur community to manufacture their products.

As per a Bloomsberg Quint report, the investigations were initiated by a French prosecutor’s office last month looking at accusations that Claudie Pierlot parent SMCP SA, Zara owner Inditex SA, Skechers and Uniqlo profited from human rights crimes against the Muslim ethnic group, according to an official from the French Prosecution Office. It follows a joint complaint filed in April by various parties including non-governmental organizations, Sherpa and Ethique sur l’etiquette.

The probe from the Parquet national anti-terrorist shows how a campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the Uyghurs in China has gained traction in Europe. Western fashion brands have been heavily criticized in their home markets for trying to maintain business as usual in China despite allegations that the government is forcing Uyghurs and other minorities to work against their will. For its part China has denied the allegations, saying they’re an attempt to undermine successful businesses and it accuses brands of spreading false information amid a rise in nationalistic sentiment in the world’s second biggest economy. The Xinjiang region produces more than 80% of the country’s cotton.

SMCP and Inditex both strongly denied the accusations and said they will fully cooperate with the French investigation. Inditex said that traceability controls are carried out “rigorously” on their clothing.

In the online Social Responsibility Committee Meeting held recently with American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA discussed how Bangladesh and its apparel industry is doing in terms of exports and maintaining health protocols in this difficult time of COVID-19.

As per an UNB report, Hasan raised issues that are pertinent to responsible business practices and socially responsible supply chains; for example, ethical sourcing and purchasing practices, particularly the worsening trend in import price, which is unjustifiable to the sustainability strides made by the manufacturers.

He also flagged the issue of audit fatigue and the need for a unified code of conduct for social audits which will be beneficial for the buyers, manufacturers and workers at large.

Further, Hassan accentuated the importance of collaborative and strategic partnership between business to business and association to association to make businesses more complementary, resilient and sustainable.

He highlighted the prospects of the industry and the need for industry upgrading – particularly in the area of skills and efficiency enhancement; technological upgrading, and diversification of products (especially non-cotton) and welcomed US investments in these areas.

Released as a part of its ongoing ‘Fossil Fashion’ campaign, a report by Changing Markets Foundation accuses 12 biggest British and European fashion brands, including Asos, H&M and Zara, of making misleading environmental claims on their websites.

Titled ‘Synthetics Anonymous,’ the report assesses the sustainability claims of brands like: Asos, Boohoo, Forever 21, George at Asda, Gucci, H&M, Louis Vuitton, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Uniqlo, Walmart, Zalando and Zara. Around 39 per cent of their products are labeled either ‘recycled’, ‘low impact’ or ‘sustainable’. The foundation finds 59 per cent of these claims are misleading and not complying with Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) new guidelines on greenwashing.

The CMA’s guidelines on greenwashing emphasize on product accuracy and clarity. They demand brands cover their products’ impact across life-cycles, and verify their sustainability claims. The report names H&M, Asos and M&S as worst performers on greenwashing with 96 per cent, 89 per cent and 88 per cent claims flouting CMA guidelines.

The report also studies the materials used by these brands to make their garments, accessories and footwear. It finds, H&M mostly uses synthetic materials in its Conscious Collection and the labels on many items fail to reveal the percentage of recycled materials used.

No clarity on synthetics use

The report also charts the brands’ overall use of virgin, fossil-fuel-based synthetics. Findings reveal, most brands belong to the ‘red zone’, as they fail to disclose this information both to the foundation and online. Brands classified in this zone are: Primark, Target, Walmart, Uniqlo, Wrangler, Burberry, Gap, Gildan, Lululemon, Patagonia, The North Face and Timberland.

Some brands in the ‘red zone,’ highlight their use of virgin synthetics. For instance, adidas has disclosed almost 90 per cent products use virgin synthetics including polyester. Nike too declared it used over 152,000 tons polyester and 111,490 tons rubber in its collections in financial year 2020.

The foundation is concerned about the brands’ use of synthetics as they cannot be recycled. As per the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, less than 1 per cent of synthetics can be recycled after being discarded. Synthetics also cause microplastic pollution after being washed in water. They release over a half million ton of microfibres into the ocean annually. They also release around 700 million ton of carbon dioxide every year, the report shows.

Fail to address gender inequality

Released this week, the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) first gender benchmark highlights, less than one-third of 80 per cent brands that promised to address gender-based violence across supply chains, actually addressed this issue through training. Less than 10 per cent launched initiatives to address gender pay gaps in their business and supply chain.

Paulina Murphy, Engagement Director, WBA sums up, even though these companies have been dressing up millions of women for decades, they empower only a fraction of them.

Denim manufacturers Isko and Soorty have partnered to transform and introduce new ways of working and doing business for brands and their contemporaries.

As per a Women’s Wear Daily report, both the companies have signed a licensing agreement for a partnership that involves blending Isko’s expertise in denim technologies and Soorty’s extensive vertical production network to create new business opportunities for both brands.

Isko and Soorty said that through the partnership, they’ve jointly developed a new business model that has the potential to “change working practices for the better and unlock value for the entire market” by scaling their respective “responsible innovations.”

Both companies are actively involved in sustainability, inclusivity, technology and education in the denim industry, and are “driven by a shared approach that prioritizes synergy, cross-fertilization, and a quest for constant improvement.”

Its first collaborative effort is the launch of the Isko Future Face by Soorty collection, a patented woven fabric with the look of a knit that combines a soft, silky finish with comfort, enhanced shape retention, and a flattering drape while maintaining all the properties of true denim.