Pav Sina, President, Collective Union of Movement of Workers says, the government’s aggressive vaccination campaign will help the Cambodian garment and textile sector return to full operation starting early next year/ Sina hoped after successful vaccination drive in Phnom Penh, the government will accelerate vaccination program to workers in the provinces.

At present, the vaccination drive is focused in the capital, which has resulted in the garment and textile sector being badly impacted by the pandemic, Sina said. The government began its vaccination program for the garment and textile sector in April. Until May it had vaccinated over 200,000 garment workers in Red Zones in Phnom Penh. Sina said almost all workers in Phnom Penh have been vaccinated while those in the provinces are waiting for the inoculation campaign to commence.

The Milan Men’s Fashion Week showcased Spring/Summer 2022 collections by brands including Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Etro. The event hosted 47 fashion shows from July 18-22, 2021. Most of these shows were held on the digital platform. The event kicked off with Ermenegildo Zegna’s virtual display featuring models wandering through labyrinths of greenery before returning to an urban concrete landscape. It was followed by showcases from Fendi and Prada in the following days.

After months of stop-start measures, coronavirus restrictions in most of Italy have now been lifted thanks to falling infection rates, although masks are still compulsory in public and social distancing must be respected. This year, the Italian fashion market is expected to rise by 17 per cent to €80 billion, says Carlo Capasa, President, Italian Chamber of Fashion. He expects Italy’s fashion exports to rise by 13 percent and the industry to regain its pre-pandemic growth levels in 2022.

Last year, Italy’s fashion industry revenues fell by 26 percent, as stores shuttered and well-heeled tourists stayed home.

The intensifying of COVID-19 situation may impact Vietnam’s textiles and garment sector, believe industry experts. The situation in HCMC, in particular, may drag the sector down in the remaining months of the year, they opine. Pham Xuan Hong, Head, HCMC Association of Garment, Textile, Embroidery and Knitting (AGTEX) says, growing infection amongst workers employed in textile and garment firms in HCMC may hamper work and delay order fulfillment. These workers are concentrated in certain place which increases their risks of getting infected, adds Le Tien Truong, Chairman, Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex). This many lead to a breakdown in the production chain is likely to be broken amid the outbreak.

Vinatex and AGTEK have urged the government to prioritize vaccination for garment and textile workers. Most garment and textile firms have said they are willing to cover all vaccination costs.

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, Director, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), says Bangladesh is losing its competitiveness in apparel exports to US to rivals China and Vietnam. During the four months of 2021, US apparel imports from top five destinations including China, Cambodia and Vietnam increased 19.86 per cent to reach $4.66 billion.

As per OTEXA stats, US’ apparel imports from China grew 19.86 per cent during January-April 2021 to reach $4.66 billion. Imports from Cambodia and Vietnam also grew by 8.91 per cent and 8.56 per cent respectively year on year during the period. Vietnam exported apparels worth $4.55 billion to the US from January to April 2021 while Cambodia exported apparels worth $1.02 billion. On the other hand, Bangladesh exported apparels worth $ 1.99 billion during the period under review, a 3.71 per cent decline from $2.07 billion worth of apparels exported during the same period of 2020.

During the first four months of this year, Bangladesh shipped 796.22 million sq. mt. of apparel items, as against 748 million sq. mt. in the corresponding period last year. The country’s exports to the US valued $5.22 billion in 2020, against $5.92 billion in 2019. China is more competitive in terms of man-made or artificial fiber while buyers shifted to Vietnam as it could offer competitive prices of apparel items, says Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA. Buyers are placing orders or sourcing from the destinations that are able to offer competitive or lower prices, he added.

On the other hand, Bangladesh has failed to retain the work orders followed by price hike by spinners, Hassan alleges.

As per a new study by the University of Copenhagen, the pandemic led to 25 per cent decline in the value of global fur trade to $20.1 billion in 2020. According to Business of Fashion, lockdowns and travel bans disrupted supply chains and retail sales of fur clothing and accessories last year, while a COVID-19 outbreak on mink farms in Denmark led to a mass cull, effectively ending the mink-fur farming industry for the world’s largest producer of the material.

While the pandemic eradicated 25 percent of global production and 30 to 35 percent of the global trade of raw mink skins, the Danish mink cull did not have any significant impact on retail sales last year, according to the study.

However, despite the ‘significant’ negative impact of the pandemic, the report predicted disruptions caused by COVID-19 will likely prove temporary and have little impact on longer-term industry trends.

The members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Group marked their presence at the recent ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition. As per Textile Today, held from June 12-16 in Shanghai, the event had 18 Swiss exhibitors, of whom 13 were Swiss Textile Machinery member companies. Around 99 per cent of the show’s visitors were from China.

The feedback from the event was extremely positive regarding the post-pandemic future market situation, said Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary-General, Swiss Textile Machinery. Norbert Klapper, CEO, Rieter Group, added, the textile machinery market is booming due to a catch-up effect. Orders for the first half of this year are already expected to be more than triple the level in the corresponding period of 2020, and customer feedback at the event was also positive.

The importance of the China market was also emphasized by Loepfe Brothers with its new products. Dr Ralph Menmicke, CEO, said, his company has seen a great pick-up of investments into spinning mills in 2021. Uster Technologies showcased three significant innovations that attracted interest from commercial and technical visitors.

As a part of the upcoming EU textile legislation, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) led coalition is demanding an end to ‘fast fashion’ in the textile industry, which it claims is one of the world’s largest polluters.

EEB’s proposed measures include minimum standards for how long clothes should last, a ban on the destruction of unsold and returned goods, rules to verify and substantiate green claims, and ambitious targets for an absolute reduction in the amount of natural resources used across the supply chain.

The group is also calling for urgent rules on hazardous chemicals in fashion, and for moves to combat environmental harm and end labour rights’ violations in supply chains.

The group cited European Environmental Agency figures estimating that 675 million tonne of raw materials are being used annually to fuel EU consumption of clothing, footwear, and household textiles. The global fast fashion market is expected to grow from $25 billion in 2020 to $40 billion in 2025, according to the group.

The EU consultation runs until 4 August and a legislative proposal for the strategy is expected by the end of the year.

An analysis by the Royal Society for Arts (RSA) of 10,000 fashion items sold online found the vast majority contained new plastics, with half made entirely from petrochemically-derived polymers such as polyester, acrylic, elastane and nylon.

In a report, Fashion’s Plastic Problem, the RSA said plastics required large amounts of energy, damaged the environment, and could take thousands of years to break down. It said this, combined with a ‘throwaway culture’, meant most items would end up in landfill.

The study, involving clothing from Asos, Boohoo, Missguided and PrettyLittleThing, estimated the average item was 61 per cent plastic and an average of just 3 per cent of clothes containing plastics used recycled polymers.

World’s foremost thread manufacturer A&E has collaborated with Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (APDN) to launch A&E’s IntegrityTM advanced identification thread technology that is available for its Eco100 recycled thread line.

As per Apparel Resources, the IntegrityTM ECO100 provides innovative and chemical solution for brands to authenticate and validate their products in supply chain by sewing thread. Made of 100 per cent recycled fibre, it is a perfect blend of APDN’s proprietary CertainTR and BeaconR platform.

The innovation helps authenticate a brand’s products and components by using the Beacon technology for a quick, in-the-field optical verification and, when needed, by using a portable qPCR test for a forensic analysis of the molecular tag.

It protects the brand as well as supply chains at a time when both security and sustainability are equally important.

A portfolio company of Elevate Textiles, A&E is the foremost manufacturer and distributor of high-quality industrial and consumer quality thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles, which are used globally by makers of apparels, footwear and home furnishing, amongst many others. A&E products are made in 22 countries, distributed in 50 countries and sold in over 100 countries.

With jump in sale of some Xinjiang manufacturers, foreign brands’ boycott of Xinjiang cotton has stoked patriotic fervor among Chinese consumers. A report by the Global Times says, the boycott has led to local Xinjiang companies stepping up efforts to introduce new techniques to improve the quality of Xinjiang cotton, and developing it into a global brand.

Replacing American cotton with local produce

The industry’s vision to develop Xinjiang cotton into a global brand was also supported by industry players attending the 2021 China International Cotton Conference in Suzhou. A sales representative from Shenzhen-based brand Purcotton said, since last year his firm has been replacing American imports with Xinjiang cotton.

Other domestic brands such as Lining, Anta and Helian Homes too have followed suit, leading to huge gains in their sales figures. At the shopping festival held on June 18, sales of Lining and Anta on e-commerce platform Suning jumped 29 and 25 per cent respectively.

Towards mechanized production

Besides local governments, textile companies are also preparing to defend themselves against the US crackdown and boost domestic sales. Operator of 3,000,000 mu of cotton farms in the region, Xinjiang Shuifa Agriculture Co has announced plans to take its entire cotton farming, purchase, processing and sales process to a big data platform which would allow it to control the quality of its cotton produced.

Industry experts also recommend technological up gradation of cotton fields to improve the quality of cotton seeds and make Xinjiang cotton suitable for a more high-end market. Currently, around 95 per cent of cotton production in northern Xinjiang is mechanized while 85 per cent of cotton production in Southern Xinjiang is mechanized.

Nike is one of the most popular sportswear brands in the world. The brand’s popularity can be gauged from the fact that it is a favorite not just amongst buyers of new products but also shoppers seeking second-hand apparels and accessories. A recent survey by SaveOnEnergy of resale sites such as Depop, eBay, ASOS, Marketplace with 1.6 million listings reveals, Nike is by far the most resold brand in the world

Titled ‘Most Resold Fashion Brands,’ the SaveOnEnergy report examines the resale status of 60 of the world's most popular resale brands. This report, with 502,510 listings says, UK-based ‘PrettyLittleThing’ is one of the most resold brands in the world alongwith Boohoo and Misguided.

Gucci emerges the most resold brand overall

As per a reports by New Fashion Law, with 3,45,109 total listings across different platforms, the SaveOnEnergy report ranks Gucci as the most resold brand overall. Gucci is also one of the most listed brands on the luxury resale platform Vestiaire Collective. It has 1,63,810 listings on the platform. Louis Vuitton with 125,361 listings stands second, followed by Prada (112,471 items listed), Chanel (100,084), Burberry (73,786), Dolce & Gabbana (69,716), Dior (64,626), Hermès (62,159), Zara (54,219), and Valentino (51,562).

The SaveOnEnergy report considers the number of listings each brand has on the Etsy platform. The list on this platform is topped by Nike followed by Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White, Champion, Jordan, adidas, Gucci, Supreme, Dior, Chanel, and Ralph Lauren, which respectively make up the top ten.

Chanel refuses to join Etsy’s counterfeit bandwagon

Though Etsy rankings highlight brands having the most number of listings, most of the products on this platform are infringed and target counterfeit sellers. A recent search of Off-White products by TFL revealed unauthorized use of the Off-White trademark on various products ranging from $30 T-shirts to duplicate and cheaper versions of Jitney bags and key chains. The Etsy rankings also include other counterfeit and/or trademark infringing products such as fake Gucci bags and Supreme T-shirts and duplicate bra tops and short sets from Dior.

However, a brand that does not sell counterfeits on Etsy is Chanel. It had recently filed a trademark infringement and dilution, and unfair competition lawsuit against jewelry maker Shiver + Duke for selling costume jewelry made from upcyled ‘Chanel’ buttons. The suit is currently underway in a New York federal court. Edith Anne Hunt, Founder, Shiver + Duke claim, through this suit, Chanel aims to negate the First Sale Doctrine by involving a small company into expensive litigation in a foreign state despite its efforts to differentiate the counterfeit Chanel buttons in its jewelry range.