On the whole the business situation in the global textile industry deteriorated further in November 2022. So says the ITMF.

At the same time, global business expectations in six months’ time remained in negative territory but did not get gloomier. The indicators for order intake, order backlog, and capacity utilisation rate dropped globally. The business situation in the three Asian regions and Europe remains especially poor. In north andcentral America the business situation has improved markedly.

Except for the textile machinery segment that still benefits on an average from a long order backlog, all other segments found themselves in negative business situations, especially fiber producers and spinners. Global business expectations have remained negative but have stabilized since July 2022. Expectations have improved significantly in South Asia and Europe. Business expectations in all segments remain in negative territory with four out of seven recording improvements.

Order intake weak except north and central America

Order intake nosedived in November, in line with the weaker business situation and weaker demand, currently the biggest concern for the global textile value chain. Only companies in north and central America registered on average a good order intake, while all other regions were faced with an unsatisfactory order situation. Except for southeast Asia and north and central America order backlog fell. The only segments where order backlog increased were the downstream segments of garments and home textiles. Capacity utilization rate dropped in all regions in November 2022. It only increased in the textile machinery segment but fell otherwise.

Demand reduction cause of concern

Weakening demand is by far the biggest concern in the global textile industry, followed by the root causes of demand reduction, namely high energy and raw material prices which lead to high inflation rates. The good news is that logistical costs are not much of a concern anymore. Concerns about geopolitics on the other hand have increased again in the past two months.

Vietnamese businesses are taking part in Intex, New Delhi, December 8 to 10, 2022, in a big way. Among them, Mai Mai Service and Trading, Max Blue Vietnam and Beevalue are showcasing a number of fashion items, along with fabric, yarn, and accessories.

The event, a leading international textile sourcing show in South Asia, has taken place for nine times in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India since 2015.This year, more than 100 major suppliers of fiber, yarn, fabric, apparel accessories, dyes, and chemicals have come to the show, which also includes a series of workshops and networking events.

This year, alongside the exhibition, Intex India is hosting a buyer-seller meet. Since 2015, Intex India has connected 35,000 buyers from 15 countries to 1350 textile suppliers and has empowered industry players to explore new business opportunities and expand business globally, making Intex India the annual calendar event for South Asia's textile and apparel industry. Shows have been organized across the most relevant South Asian textile markets of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Intex is determined to bring a fresh wave of opportunities for manufacturers and buyers from domestic as well as international markets to connect with each other on this platform.

Pure London, to be held in the UK, February 12 to 14, 2023, will host pioneering designers who will showcase their latest collections. Visitors can engage with the next generation, providing a new home for alternative lifestyle collections from around the world. Firmly rooted in inclusivity and diversity and offering innovative, creative collections which inject colour, confidence and creativity, the exhibitors will be independent, unapologetic, and diverse, proudly embracing difference in all its glory and offering bold collections that make a statement and demand zero-judgment.

British brand Innocent will present a dark yet playful collection that explores PVC, faux fur, buckles, lace inserts and unique cuts. Spanish brand Costurero Real’s statement pieces are handmade and reference nature and fiction with bespoke fabrics and unique designs. Pamela Mann, a leading and hosiery specialist, will present avant-garde prints, beautiful lace inserts, vibrant prints and statement fabrics creating a truly unique and unrivalled offering. Collectif’s range will feature a unique mix of bespoke prints, unique embroideries and timeless styles that have become synonymous with the brand. Collectif combines modern trends with classic retro styling to create an exciting mix of romance and glamour set against an unconventional background.

Pure London presents the UK’s most comprehensive women’swear, accessories and shoes brands offerings.

Thailand’s apparel imports from Cambodia are likely to rebound during the current year, although they may still not touch pre-Covid levels.

The trade was at $39.729 million in January 2022 to September 2022. The shipment had witnessed a steep fall in 2020 and 2021. Imports during the first three quarters of this year indicate that the trade is rebounding well.Thailand imported apparel worth $39.729 million in the first three quarters of this year, already nearing the total imports of $41.010 million during 2021.

Imports this year from Cambodia are likely to breach last year’s figure. Imports peaked at $95.806 million in 2019, increasing from $89.091 million in 2018 and $67.170 million in 2017. But it slid to $73.986 million in 2020, before falling drastically to $41.010 in 2021.

Traditionally, Thailand is an apparel importer from Cambodia and exports apparel though in smaller volume to the latter. Thailand’s apparel exports to Cambodia stood at $7.099 million in 2021, $6.394 million in 2020, $10.680 million in 2019 and $9.957 million in 2018. It exported apparel worth $8.482 million in the first three quarters of this year. Cambodia’s apparel exports in the first ten months of 2022 rose by 18 percent.

Playboy has launched denim for men and women. This is Playboy’s first owned and operated denim line.

The collection spans men’s straight, skinny and dad fits to women’s loose and flare fits. Each jean features Playboy’s iconic bunny as a crystal appliqué, cutout, embroidery or laser print as well as branded hardware and back patches.The line offers stretch and rigid fabrications with washes leaning into ’90s and Y2K trends. Washes include light and medium blue, destroyed gray, pink stonewash, vintage black, deep indigo and black waxed. Other styles have an allover bandana print and a camouflage print. All jeans are made in Rurkey. The line has been developed as the merging of two American icons: Playboy as an iconic American brand and denim as an iconic American sportswear category.

Offering everything from rabbit head cookie-cutters to beach towels, phone cases and condoms, Playboy is among the top 20 most licensed brands in the world and its merchandise is sold in more than 180 countries. Playboy denim marks the second owned and operated launch by the brand’s consumer products division following the release of lingerie. The company looks forward to continued expansion of its owned and operated business and will leverage these new product lines across the Playboy ecosystem, including through its robust creator network.

Polyester filament yarn prices have started rising in China. Leading yarn producers have kept raising prices. On the one hand, polyester filament companies wanted to cover earlier heavy losses when many companies cut production.

On the other hand, stimulated by the bullish macro environment, the whole chemical fiber industry held slightly better expectations toward future movement.In addition, downstream players saw alleviated pessimism when the pandemic control and prevention policies have been eased and polyester filament yarn companies continued raising offers tentatively. Some speculative demand was also boosted. As a result, sales of polyester filament yarn remained good in recent days. The inventory of polyester filament yarn was falling, which alleviated some inventory burden.

Sales of some warp knitted and circular knitted fabrics slightly increased with the colder weather, which may retard the holiday plans of some downstream plants. Meanwhile, downstream buyers show apparently higher intention to replenish with recovering confidence. If the price of polyester filament yarn declines to their price idea, some downstream plants may restock a lot at the end of year.Polyester filament yarn companies may be slower in cutting or suspending production when market fundamentals are improving periodically.

Lululemon revenues for the third quarter increased by 28 percent. Net revenues in North America were up 26 percent for the quarter, year over year and 41 percent internationally. Revenues in mainland China grew nearly 70 percent during the quarter.

Lululemon is a Canadian athletic apparel, accessories and footwear maker. Total comparable sales rose 22 percent while comparable store sales were up 14 percent during the quarter. Direct-to-consumer net revenues — which represent 41 percent of total company revenues — grew 31 percent. Both the men’s and the women’s business grew during the quarter, up 28 percent and 23 percent, respectively, while accessories was up 52 percent, year over year. In-store traffic grew 25 percent, year over year, while traffic to the e-commerce business rose 50 percent.Third quarter ending inventory grew 85 percent. But the company made the decision to stock up on product last year in order to capture growing guest demand.Inventory levels were too lean last year but now Lululemon is well positioned to be in stock throughout the holidays.The company delivered a quarter of strong sales and earning growth, despite a dynamic operating environment, and looks forward to a strong finish to the fiscal year.

Japanese apparel manufacturers are shifting production from China to other southeast countries to compensate for the rising cost of raw materials.

They are taking advantage of the reduction of customs duties on merchandise imports because of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Matsuoka Corporation, a contract manufacturer for Uniqlo, plans on decreasing production in China from 50 per cent to 29 per cent and plans to increase production in Bangladesh to 34 per cent from 28 per cent and in Vietnam to 28 per cent from 16 per cent by 2025.

China as a source for Japanese apparel has declined from two trillion yen in 2011 to 1.5 trillion yen in 2021, whereas the sourcing of Japan’s apparel in Vietnam has increased from 0.25 trillion yen in 2011 to 0.5 trillion yen in 2021.Due to the increase in labour costs because of the rapid economic rise in the Chinese economy, the onset of the zero-Covid policy, which mandates an initial suppression phase and so on, companies are now looking to shift base to other countries.

The average monthly salary in Vietnam and in Bangladesh is $ 270 and $120 whereas the average monthly salary of a factory worker in China is about $ 670.

ISPO Munich was held in Germany, November 28 to 30, 2022. The sports trade fair offered a host of product innovations, a prominent conference program and many well-known athletes as guests. Some 1,700 international exhibitors and around 40,000 visitors from 117 countries attended.

Sustainability and innovation were the top topics. There was a panel on the future of winter sports in the face of climate change and energy shortage. The focus was on sustainable business practices. ISPO Munich offered extensive insights into the entire ecosystem of the sports industry. Just under 90 per cent of the exhibitors came from abroad, and a total of more than 50 countries was represented. The five countries with the most exhibitors were Germany, Italy, France, China and Taiwan. Around 20 per cent of them were at ISPO Munich for the first time. The 40,000 trade visitors came from a total of 117 countries, and 73 per cent of them were international guests. The top five participating countries were Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain and Austria. The focus was on topics such as sports fashion, tourism, digitalization, health and fitness, nutrition or esports.

The newly created Future Lab, with innovation, sustainability and retail transformation as key topics, was a major attraction at ISPO Munich.

Lenzing will award students for outstanding research in the field of fibers and textiles. The aim of the Young Scientist Award is to promote the students’ work and create a platform for networking with the textile and fiber industry. Bachelor’s and master’s degree students will have the opportunity to submit their scientific work in the categories of fashion and circularity, textile recycling and the innovative use of biobased fibers to a jury of well-known industry experts.

Lenzing believes that driving research and development forward and supporting young scientists in realizing their ideas is necessary since innovation and technological progress are vital to the company’s successin tackling the pressing environmental challenges the world faces.

Lenzing is a world-leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries and stands for ecologically responsible production of specialty fibers made from the renewable raw material wood. As an innovation leader, Lenzing is a partner of global textile and nonwoven manufacturers and drives many new technological developments. Lenzing’s high-quality fibers form the basis for a variety of textile applications ranging from elegant clothing to versatile denims and high-performance sports clothing. Due to their consistent high quality, their biodegradability and compostability Lenzing fibers are also highly suitable for hygiene products and agricultural applications.