Feeling the heat of volatile Europe, Turkish apparel exporters have reduced export growth target by 15 per cent. Latest figures indicate that Turkish garment exports remained fluctuating in recent past.

According to an office bearer of TOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) Garment and Apparel Council, Turkey has reduced its year-end export growth target for the apparel industry from 15 per cent to barely any growth at all. He said that there is a slowdown in new orders from the US and European markets in recent months, and hence exports are anticipated to remain flat or only slightly up from last year.

According to the latest available data, Turkish garment exports increased to $1.798 billion in June 2022 but had registered a steep fall in May 2022 at $1.235 billion. Exports were $1.869 billion in April, $1.835 billion in March, $1.655 billion in February and $1.413 billion in January 2022. Turkish garment exports declined in last three quarterly consecutively. The exports dropped from $4.944 billion of October-December 2021 to $4.905 billion in January-March 2022. It further decreased $4.903 billion in latest April-June quarter.

Turkiye is heavily dependent on European market for garment exports. In 2021, the country had exported garments worth $13.702 billion to Europe out of its total export of $17.570 billion in 2021. It means the country had exported 77.98 per cent of its garment to a single region. Currently, Europe is facing a series of challenges including supply disruption of crude oil and other commodities which fuelled inflation not only in Europe but also in other regions of the world.

Of the $48.176 billion worth of apparels imported by the US during first half of this year, trousers & shorts topped with a share of 26.52 per cent. Together, the top three items; trousers & shorts, jerseys and T-shirts accounted for over 50 per cent of the total apparel import during the same period.

The US trousers & shorts imports increased by 37.31 per cent to $12.777 billion in the first six months of this year. Jerseys constituted the second largest apparel product with import of $7.533 billion or 15.64 per cent of the total import. The same trend was noted for last three years in terms of import value of the item during the first half. Jerseys import surged 37.08 per cent in January-June 2022 over the corresponding period of last year.

The import of T-shirts by the US was recorded at $4.658 billion (9.67 per cent) during the first half of current year. The import of top three items totaled 51.83 per cent of total apparel import in first half of this year. During January-June 2022, other major items of the US apparel imports were shirts (8.90 per cent), innerwear (8.45 per cent), dresses (6.54 per cent) baby wear (2.86 per cent), socks (2.63 per cent) and accessories (2.46 per cent).

The plus size clothing market is projected to grow at a 5.7 per cent CAGR to reach $1,044.3 billion by 2032.

Sales of plus size clothing are anticipated to increase at the quickest rate during the duration of the prediction. The need for products that give the same level of luxury as customers in other sizes will increase the market for plus-size clothes between 2022 and 2032.

In response to the rising demand for plus size clothing, retailers are focusing on launching plus size apparel. In order to attract more customers, Walmart launched a new plus-size brand named Terra and Sky in 2018. High street plus size apparel retailers such as River Island, Marks & Spencer, and New Look offer a wide range of plus size items to suit demand.

This move by the multinational companies is anticipated to boost the sales of plus size clothing and plus size clothing market revenue growth in the forecast period.

The male category is expected to lead the plus size clothing market in terms of customer orientation. The Asia-Pacific region is forecast to grow at the highest rate, resulting in rising obesity rates among individuals in the next years.

Represented by Euratex, the European textile & fashion industry has called for a single European strategy to tackle this energy crisis. To safeguard the future of the industry, a revision of the electricity price mechanism is necessary and an EU wide cap on gas prices at 80€/MWh. Special company support needs to be granted to avoid bankruptcy and relocation of textile production outside Europe.

Gas and electricity prices have reached unprecedented levels in Europe. Due to severe global competition in the market that characterizes the European textile & clothing industry, these cost increases are impossible to pass on to customers. This has already led to capacity reductions and production stops. Closures and the shift of production outside Europe are being forecasted should the current situation persist, leading to further de-industrialization of our continent and increased dependency on external suppliers.

Specific segments of the textile industry are particularly vulnerable. The man-made fibres (MMF), synthetic and cellulose-based fibres, industry for instance is an energy intensive sector and a major consumer of natural gas in the manufacturing of its fibres. The disappearance of European fibre products would have immediate consequences for the textile industry and for society at large. The activities of textile dyeing and finishing are also relatively intensive in energy. These activities are essential in the textile value chain in order to give the textile products and garments added value through colour and special functionalities (e.g. for medical applications).

The European textile industry calls for an EU-wide cap on gas prices at €80/Mwh, and a revision of the price mechanism for the electricity market, to reduce the huge price gaps with our foreign competitors.

Governments should ensure that critical industries, such textiles and all its segments, are able to ensure gas and electricity contracts towards the end of the year at an affordable price. Stable and predictable energy supply is of the utmost importance. Gas restrictions and rationing must only be used as a last resort. No mandatory consumption cuts should be foreseen.

The foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in the e-commerce space needs to be clarified and the sector promoted by plugging loopholes, said industry body PHDCCI in the letter to Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The chamber said, online retailers are exploring loopholes in the current policy to conduct inventory-based e- commerce/multi-brand retail trade in the garb of running marketplace platforms.

The present policy allows 100 per cent FDI in marketplace e-commerce platforms and prohibits foreign direct investment in inventory-based models of e-commerce.

A report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has made some key observations and recommendations in the interest of the Indian consumer and other stakeholders who not only influence the consumers' choices in e-commerce but also shape the e-commerce ecosystem, it added.

Financial results released by Gap Inc for its second quarter ended July 30, 2022 show, the company’s net sales declined by 8 per cent to $3.86 billion compared to last year. Compared sales declined by 10 per cent Y-o-Y while online sales declined 6 per cent to represent 34 per cent of total net sales. Store sales declined 10 per cent compared to last year. The company ended the quarter with 3,390 store locations in over 40 countries, of which 2,799 were company operated.

The company expects to open about 30 to 40 Athleta stores and 20 to 30 Old Navy stores in fiscal year 2022. As part of its 350-store closure plan, the company continues to expect to close about 50 Gap and Banana Republic stores in North America during the year.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has initiated a research project titled “National Sizing Survey of India” to develop a comprehensive size chart for ready to wear garments based on body measurements of the Indian population. Sanctioned in May 2017 by the Ministry of Textiles, within its Research and Development scheme, this project aims to measure 25,000 male and female persons aged 18 to 65 years old in six different regions of India using contactless 3D whole body scanners by Size Stream.

Size Stream’s scanners meet NIFT’s prescribed technical requirements at the lowest price. The company supplied three 3D whole-body scanners to NIFT for this very purpose. It provided technical support for scanner movements to the six locations throughout India. As of June 2022, NIFT has completed body measurements of over 21,000 people across five regions. All three scanners are working to their full potential and to the utmost satisfaction of the client.

Leading vertical garment manufacturer, The Hams Group, has selected Coats Digital’s FastReactPlan as an integral part of its digital transformation agenda. The solution will enable the company to connect and consolidate information across disparate sources into one highly visual unified system. This will enable management and employees to benefit from a clear overview of planning and production capacity to ultimately support enhanced customer satisfaction and drive new business growth.

Established in 1994, The Hams Group employs over 12,000 people, boasts an annual turnover of over 95 million USD per annum, and remains one of the leading vertical textile manufacturers in Bangladesh. The company specialises in knitwear, woven garments and lingerie, and its customers include H&M, Primark, K-Mart, Next, New-Look and Kohl’s, among many others. The Hams Group’s business portfolio includes knitting, dyeing, printing and sewing businesses, as well as specialist distribution and sports apparel arms.

ShaifurRahman, Senior Director, The Hams Group, says, FastReactPlan will provide the overaching data visibility we need to optimize efficiencies, enhance our customer service by delivering smaller and increasingly complex orders on time, and enable us to future-proof our business effectively so we can better navigate our uncertain world. Most importantly, FastReactPlan will enable the group to create meaningful growth plans based on accurate insights and informed business decisions so we can now fully propel our business forwards.

Primark aims to include all its lowest-priced T-shirts in its A/W essentials range under the Primark Cares label from this month onwards. The brand will incorporate cotton in all its lowest price T-shirts from menswear and kidswear ranges from Sustainable Cotton Program the largest of its kind of any fashion retailer.

As per a new research by Primark, around 35 per cent of UK consumers have expressed concerns over the cost-of-living crisis that prevents them from shopping more sustainably. This rises to 45 per cent amongst 18-34-year-olds.

Of the 33 per cent consumers in the 18-34-years-age bracket and 14 per cent in 35-54-year-olds say they prioritize sustainability over style when building their wardrobe. Nearly 46 per cent of those young people who care most about shopping sustainably don’t know where to find these options or how to style them

This younger age group is savvier than the previous generation of 35-54-year-olds at using hacks to dress more consciously on a budget. Around 31 per cent of them are building a capsule wardrobe and swapping while 41 per cent are selling clothes

Primark is working with fashion influencer Laura Byrnes to raise awareness of its Primark Cares label and inspire people to build a more sustainable capsule wardrobe for less, by styling up its Primark Cares essentials with the items they have in their closets already.

Almost 40 per cent of Primark clothing is already made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials, and the fashion retailer has committed to making that 100 per cent of its clothing by 2030.

The first-half revenues of American fashion brand Guess Inc gained 8 per cent for the six-month period ending July 30, on the back of solid sales momentum in the second quarter.

The Los Angeles-based company’s total net revenue for the six months increased to $1.24 billion from$1.15 billion in the same prior-year period. Americas retail revenues increased 2 per cent, while retail comp sales, including e-commerce, decreased 2 per cent. Americas wholesale revenues increased 24 per cent.

Elsewhere, Europe revenues increased 9 per cent in US dollars and 23% in constant currency. Retail comp sales, including e-commerce, decreased 5 per cent in US dollars and increased 8 per cent in constant currency. Asia revenues increased 2 per cent in U.S. dollars and 11 per cent in constant currency.

Likewise, total sales for the second quarter increased 2 per cent to $642.7 million from $628.6 million in the same prior-year quarter. In constant currency, net revenue increased by 12 per cen.

Net income for the quarter fell by 60.8 per cent to $24 million from $61.1 million for the same prior-year quarter, with the earnings dive narrowing overall during the first half, down 21 per cent to $89.8 million.

Looking ahead, Guess said it expects revenues to decline by 4.5 per cent in US dollars tor the third quarter of fiscal 2023. For the full fiscal, it expects revenues to increase by around 1.5 per cent in US dollars versus fiscal 2022.