The international eco hub Class launched its Smart Shop’at the 10th edition of the Future Fabrics Expo, showing once more the unique power of this education tool.

Since 2018, Class has been offering the access to its material hub,innovations to small and new generation of designers and brands through its Smart Shop, the online store of smart materials – with no minimums - which are going to change the fashion industry for the better. In fact, Class at FFE is to share the unique values of its design driven, conscious, high-tech materials, in order to start synergies with an audience characterized by the interest in responsible innovations, the main expertise of CEO and founder GiusyBettoni and her team.

Thanks to its most valuable asset in terms of education, C.L.A.S.S. offers smart solutions – from 1 meter to max 50 meters - for the contemporary wardrobe which include all the different expressions of textile ingredients: natural, transformed, innovative and back in the loop materials, giving everyone the possibility to create design, innovative and yet responsible products in line with their new generation of contemporary values.

As per a study by Bain & Company, the global luxury goods market is set to grow to 15 per cent next year, pushing the market to €330 billion, The analyst forecasts, sales of luxury goods will grow by 5 per cent to €305 billion.

The global luxury goods market grew to €288 billion ($198 billion) last year, rebounding from its worst recorded dip due to the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, according to the study commissioned by Italy's Altagamma association of high-end producers.

Sales of personal luxury goods including apparel, accessories and footwear posted high double-digit growth in the first quarter of this year, despite the first signs of economic uncertainty tied to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the report said.

The United States and Europe have boosted growth so far this year, while sales are expected to hit a hard stop in China due to COVID-19 restrictions in key cities.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, inaugurated the 67th India International Garment Fair (IIGF) at at IEML, Greater Noida. In his address Goyal named apparel fashion, jewelry and MICE as industries that need to grow. He set the apparel exports target at 15 per cent. Goyal informed, India is moving ahead on FTAs with Canada, EU, UK and Australia. It also plans to forge new FTAs with the GCC, Israel, Eurasia and Brazil, he added.

Narendra Goenka, Chairman AEPC said, the global apparel market which was just under $1.5 trillion in 2013 is expected to generate revenues to the tune of $1.8 trillion in 2022 and $1.9trillion in 2025 before it closes to $2 trillion in 2026. India offers complete value chain solution from farm to fashion giving it a competitive edge by shortened lead times to reach buyers.

A global leader in innovative solutions and environmentally sustainable products, Huntsman Textile Effects is presenting its extensive and complete end-to-end suite of solutions for various applications, including technical and functional apparel and home and hospitality textiles, at Techtextil from June 21-24, 2022, in Frankfurt, Germany.

As per a Textile Focus report, the company is showcasing its revolutionary technology for delivering the lowest environmental impact for dyeing polyester-cellulose blends, Avitera® se Fast process. The technology combines alkali-clearable Terasil® W/WW disperse dyes and Avitera® se reactive dyes to cut processing time from around nine hours to just six. This helps mills reduce the water and energy required for production by up to 50 per cent and increase output by over 25 per cent.

The technology also delivers outstanding wet-fastness to ensure that sportswear will not bleed or stain during home laundering, or while in storage or transit. Huntsman presents eco-friendly finishes that repel water and stains to help garments look new for longer. Known as the Teflon™ EcoElite with Zelan™ R3, it is the industry’s first renewably sourced water-repellent finish containing 63 per cent plant-based materials and exceeds the performance levels.

Another product showcased by Huntsman is the Phobotex® non-fluorinated water-repellent finish. An advanced and comprehensive range of water repellent, Phobotex® can be quickly, easily and safely applied to any substrate to ensure premium softness and comfort.

Leading global producer of wood-based specialty fibers Lenzing presented its new carbon- neutral Lenzing™ FR fiber offering for the protective wear segment at Techtextil Frankfurt. Lenzing collaborated with long-term partner Textil Santanderina, a Spanish textile company for the venture. The textile company also collaborated with European fabric manufacturer Klopman to showcase the applications of its carbon-zero Tencel ™ branded fibers launched in 2020.

These two partnerships mark an important milestone in Lenzing’s tenure as the company engages itself in providing eco-friendly alternatives for manufacturers in various segments through collaborating with leading industry partners. The carbon-neutral Lenzing™ FR fibers are made using a sustainable cellulosic solution for the protective wear segments. In addition to the benefit of reduced carbon footprint, these fibers also offer supply chain transparency as part of Lenzing’s fiber identification technology. This technology enables full traceability of the fiber and protects products from counterfeiting.

Unlikely to get any new orders in the next three months, weavers in China are holding higher inventory compared to the same period last year. High price fluctuation of feedstock and rising inventories of fabric mills are major causes of concern. Orders for cotton grey fabric in China remained bleak in May as weavers had to liquidate previous orders to clear inventory backlog. As per a CCF Group report, weavers did not have any new orders due to low consumer enthusiasm.

Home textile orders remained flat in June, as weavers mainly purchased stocks amid right demand. On June 2, weavers had orders lasting only 5.5 days production, down about half from the same period last year. Fabric plants reported negligible sales while the frequency of orders by regular customers also declined. A few fabric mills extended holidays despite the end of the Dragon Boat Festival. Those mills that resumed production did it on a limited basis.

Swiss creator of the Bluesign System Solution for sustainable textile production, Bluesign will develop a sustainable chemistry index in collaboration with Sustainable Chemistry for the Textile Industry (SCTI) to develop a sustainable chemistry index. As per The Spin Off report the index will provide a standard guide for communication between chemical suppliers, manufacturers, brands and NGOs. It will enable stakeholders to assess the sustainability of textile chemical products while safeguarding the intellectual property of participating chemical companies.

The index will be implemented and managed by Bluesign as an independent authority having a holistic approach to helping companies throughout the textile supply chain improve their sustainability performance. The index will be reserved for substances that are transparent about the chemical’s circularity viability, greenhouse gas emissions during production, and the source of the raw materials. It will also require that the downstream use of the chemical is optimized, meaning, for example, that it promotes resource saving in textile finishing. Additionally, excellent corporate governance paired with well-defined environmental and social (ESG) goals will be a pre-condition.

Bangladesh readymade garment and textile sectors have not yet fully recovered from the onslaughts of pandemic, says a report by The Business Standard. The situation has worsened due to rising global freight costs and weakening of the local currency against the US dollar and a looming recession and customers’ changing habits.

The report states, the Ukraine crisis has led to many issues in the country including a looming recession likely to affects its markets in the US and Europe. Inflation caused by soaring energy and food prices along with a sharp rise in housing costs and mortgages have begun to affect consumer spending patterns as they are left with dwindling disposable income.

With dollar strengthening against the Taka it has also taken a toll on brand’s profits in their home countries. For example, H&M in Sweden and Inditex in Spain have faced such fate. Also, major brands are stuck with excess inventory which will slowdown future orders. The report warns RMG and textiles sectors to be careful in coming days as they are likely to get fewer orders at lower prices. A proposed hike in source tax would also have a long-term impact on the industry, the report says.

Buyers might also delay payments due to the impending slowdown. This will add to the strain on the EDF facilities. Additionally, the hike in energy prices alongwith a rise in cost of doing business will make business more challenging for manufacturers, the report adds.

The latest India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report forecasts, India’s textile dyes market will grow to $8 billion by 2031. Most of the growth will be stimulated by rapidly evolving fashion trends encouraging manufacturers to experiment with new color combinations and designs. The market will grow at a CAGR of over 6 per cent through 2031.

Dyes market to grow driven by Asian region

By 2022-end, the textile dyes market is expected to reach a value of $6 billion. Its estimate growth rate during the year will be 5 per cent. Most of this growth will be driven by the Asian region with India and China emerging as growth leaders. By 2031, the India, South Korea and Australia markets will collectively reach a value of over $600 million by 2031.

Demand for direct textile dyes is expected reach over $2 billion by 2031. Meanwhile reactive textile dyes will experience fastest growth at approximately 7 per cent CAGR until 2031. This will be followed by polyester textile dyes which too will grow at 7 per cent CAGR while dyes for viscose fibers will grow at 6 per cent CAGR.

India’s textile production, which grew 6 per cent in FY2018-19, is expected to reach $23 billion by 2027 the IBEF report states. According to Textile World estimate, China will dominate the textile dyes market in this period with 66 per cent of global production exceeded 50 million tons. China will generate $2 billion revenues from textile dyes during the period.

Rising concerns over excessive use of synthetic chemicals is propelling demand for organic dyes, says a senior analyst. The FactMR report names Lanxess AG, Huntsman International LLC, Atul Ltd, Anand International, Dystar Singapore, Kiri Industries as some of the prominent textile dyes manufacturers in India. The report states, Lanxess AG acquired 100 per cent share of Emerald Kalama at a purchase price of $1billion. The move aims to consolidate the company’s position as specialty chemicals manufacturers.

In June 2019, Organic Dyes and Pigments LLC enhanced its capabilities by relocating two of its facilities. These included combining scattered offices in Rhode Island into one single facility, and combining their Concord NC and Union SC offices into one.

Against its earlier prediction of cotton production reaching 323.63 lakh bales of 170 kg each, during the 2021-22 season, Cotton Association of India (CAI) now estimates, cotton production for the season, starting from October 01, 2021 to May 2022, declined by 8.31 lakh bales to 315.31 lakh bales of 170 kg each.

Demand declines to 315 bales

Cotton demand declined during the current crop year to 315 lakh bales of 170 kg each as against the previous demand estimate of 320 lakh bales of 170 kg each. Domestic demand for cotton is estimated to have reached 225 lakh bales of 170 kg till May 31, 2022. Export shipments until the period are estimated to have reached 38 lakh bales of 170 kg each. CAI is estimated to have left with stocks equivalent to 104.22 lakh bales of 170 kg each by May 21, 2022. This included 70 lakh bales of 170 kg each stocks with textile mills, and the remaining 34.22 lakh bales of 170 kg each stocks with the CCI, Maharashtra Federation and others.

Opening stock remains stagnant

CAI further estimates, the association supplied 368.22 lakh cotton bales of 170 kg each from October 2021-May 2022. This mainly included arrivals of 288.38 lakh bales of 170 kg each, 7 lakh bales imports of 170 kg each and the opening stock of 71.84 lakh bales of 170 kg each at the beginning of the season. The opening stock for the season is estimated to have been 71.84 lakh bales of 170 kg each. This is equivalent to stock finalized by the Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption (COCPC) at its meeting on May 23, 2022 by revising its crop estimate by 3.16 lakh bales of 170 kg each in its earlier opening stock estimate of 75 lakh bales of 170 kg each.

Supply declines by 11.47 lakh bales

As per CAI Crop Committee, total cotton supply till September 30, 2021 declined by 11.47 lakh bales to 402.16 lakh bales of 170 kg each as against it previous estimates of 413.63 lakh bales of 170 kg each. This included the opening stock of 71.84 lakh bales of 170 kg each at the beginning of the cotton season on Ocober 1, 2021, production of 315.32 lakh bales of 170 kg each as against the previous estimate of 323.63 lakh bales of 170 kg each and the imports of 15 lakh bales of 170 kg each.

Domestic demand during the period declined to 315 lakh bales of 170 kg each as against the previous estimate of 320 lakh bales of 170 kg each. The association export’s as 40 lakh bales of 170 kg each (equivalent to 42.50 lakh running bales of 160 kgs. each). Exports declined to 78 lakh bales of 170 kg each while end stocks declined to 47.16 lakh bales of 170 kg each.