The new GST rates for products below Rs 1,000 and the rise in raw material costs has caused the prices of finished footwear to rise by 20-50 per cent across categories. As per the Confederation of Indian Footwear Industries (CIFT), from January this year, GST rates for footwear below Rs 1,000 surged from the earlier 5 to 12 per cent. On the other hand, GST rates on products priced above Rs 1,000 have remained unchanged at 18 per cent. This resulted in some wholesalers going on strike as they were unable to absorb the increased costs, says V Noushad, Managing Director, Walkaroo and Vice-President, CIFI.

Naushad urged the government to reduce dependence on China by boosting local production of components, machines and designs in the non-leather category. The category accounts for 85 per cent of the industry’s sales. The association has also opposed the proposal to introduce new Bureau of Indian Standards norms as it may affect around 3 million people dependent on the industry.

Nigeria needs an enabling environment to attract investors to the textile industry, said John Adaji, President, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) at a recent event. Adaji urged the government to intensify efforts to stop importation foreign fabrics to encourage citizens patronize locally made fabrics. He emphasized on the need for South Africans to produce what they use and use what they produce. He recommended President Buhar to sign Executive Order 003 to compel government institutions to patronize local products.

Adaji relived the days when the Nigerian textile industry used to be the second largest employer of labour after the Federal government: In 1970s-80s, textile sector was the largest employer of labour second to Federal government. It had a conducive atmosphere with easy availability of cottons and electricity. Adaji added. He urged the industry to create new job opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

Micro and small textile and garment units in Ludhiana are urging the Punjab Government to equip them with the latest technology by starting new schemes.

Harish Kairpal, President, Ludhiana MSME Association, says, once a leader in India, the Ludhiana garment and textile industry now lags behind other states. Other states, particular in South India have adapted latest technologies. The government should upgrade the existing units in Ludhiana and support entrepreneurs financially to adopt new machinery and technology, he adds.

Narinder Mittal, General Secretary, Ludhiana Business Forums, says, the Ludhiana garment and textile units are suffering as a significant percentage of their total business has been taken over by other states. The state government should take appropriate measures like starting unconditional technology upgrade fund scheme for old units to help these units adopt new techniques.”

AtulSaggar, General Secretary, Apparel Manufacturers Association Ludhiana, adds, the new state government should subsidize the purchase of new machinery and open a technology upgrade centreto guide the garment units about the latest technologies. This centre should also give assistance in buying and setting up new machinery, he adds further.

The Odishagovernment is readying a proposal to set up a textile park in the state under the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) scheme.

The state-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has roped in consultancy firm, Grant Thornton, to prepare the preliminary project report (PPR) seeking setting up of the park. It has engaged the industries department as the nodal agency for the purpose.

The state government has identified around 1,000 acres at Neulopoi near Dhenkanal for a greenfield textile park under the PM MITRA Scheme.

Considering Odisha’s huge potential for growth of the textile industry, the state government has listed the textile and apparel sector as one of the six focus sectors to draw investments.

Odisha also has skilled manpower in the textile and apparel sectors. The state produces several varieties of saris while some of them are popular globally. It has also proposed to set up cotton processing, spinning and weaving, textile and garment plants to draw investment in the sector.

Leading international forum for sustainability in fashion, Global Fashion Summitwill convene core stakeholders across fashion, parallel industries, investment, policy and NGOs to forge alliances for a new era. The Summit is presented by Global Fashion Agenda, under the patronage of HRH The Crown Princess of Denmark. It will organize the Copenhagen Edition 2022 in physical form from June 07-08 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Formerly known as Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the Global Fashion Summit will build on its 13-year history by strengthening its representation and connections with diverse perspectives from across the world. It will be hosted in various key cities in the future, in addition to its flagship edition in Copenhagen.

Under the theme ‘Alliances for a New Era’, Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2022 will endeavor to form previously inconceivable alliances within the fashion industry and examine atypical cross-industry alliances, in a bid to accelerate the transition to a net positive reality.

The theme will underlay all elements of the Summit. It will be represented on the Summit main stage during plenary sessions consisting of high-level keynote speeches and panels. These will bring together speakers that are often perceived as direct competitors to have transparent conversations about their mutual challenges and collaborate to discuss the actions needed to tackle the urgent issues. The program will also include industries such as transportation, food and energy, to consider the challenges that are similarly experienced in other sectors and learn from successful solutions that are being demonstrated outside of fashion.

Textiles will be one of India’s top priority areas in the free-trade agreements (FTAs) being negotiated with more than a dozen countries, says NarendraGoenka, chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). These FTAs can offer a great opportunity for growth, and the government is pushing hard for it. AEPC has also made a case for apparel to be included in the ‘early harvest’ of the FTAs. The commerce ministry is pushing for apparel exports, he adds.

Goenka opines, high raw material prices have been a major challenge for the apparel industry. Quoting government data, he adds, the sharp rise in cotton prices has resulted in 97-month high inflation of 8.84 per cent for clothing and footwear products.. Customers adjusted to the rising prices uptoa certain point, but now prices are out of control. They were seen resisting the price rise during the upcoming spring season sales of 2023.

The autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will be a hybrid event. The physical event will be held from August 15-17, 2022 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, The digital edition of the event will include interactive webinars, live streaming product presentations and the Online Business Matching platform along with a variety of concurrent events for in-person visitors.

As per a Home Textiles Today report, the event will showcase product categories including bedding, bath, kitchen and table, upholstery and sofa fabrics, curtains and curtain fabrics, carpets andrugs, wall, design and technics, whole home, editors and contract business

The 2021 autumn edition drew 20,106 trade buyers from 41 countries and regions and 749 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions during the three-day fair. The show also saw the return of the Belgium Pavilion, which introduced a selection of high-end and premium products in its 10th consecutive year of participation.

The upcoming spring edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is scheduled for April 14-16.

Foot Locker has inked a partnership agreement with Reebok for the United States market.

As per the agreement, Foot Locker will “deepen” its assortment with Reebok and carry select exclusive footwear styles for men, women and children in its company-owned stores and e-commerce websites in the States, including basketball shoes from Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal.

Foot Locker Inc. will work with Reebok Design Group, the brand’s design and development hub, on the assortment that will be available in Foot Locker stores this fall.

This deal is similar to one that ABG made in December with JD Group, which operates JD, Finish Line, DTLR, Shoe Palace and other banners in Europe and North America. It also made a deal with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., or ABFRL, one of India’s leading fashion companies, to distribute and sell Reebok products through wholesale, e-commerce and Reebok branded retail stores in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Coloreel has announced sale of six single-head units in the United States to Hirsch Solutions, the world's largest distributor of embroidery machines.

The deal is announced less than four weeks after the very successful Impressions Expo at Long Beach, Los Angeles US, where Coloreel and Hirsch demonstrated live, the unique capabilities provided by Coloreel's products and technology to several hundred interested visitors.

A Swedish textile innovation brand, Coloreel offers a groundbreaking technology for embroidery that enables high-quality coloring of textile thread on demand, unlocking a world of potential. The brand uses technology to both preserve the craftsmanship of embroidery and take embroidery to the next level. The unique solution makes previously complicated designs accessible, including gradients, textures and other stunning effects.

Incepted in 1968, Hirsch Solutions helps apparel decorators of all levels - beginners to professionals - dramatically grow their business.

The past year proved to be full of uncertainty and volatility for world cotton market. Prices reached decade high during the year as the COVID-19 restrictions relaxed and world economies reopened. However, the pandemic exerted exceptional strain on global supply chains. The situation continues in 2022 with the new Omicron variant of affecting global markets and cotton supply chain, says Jody Campiche, Vice President, Economics & Policy Analysis, National Cotton Council.

US cotton acreage to rise in 2022

In her survey titled ‘NCC Annual Planting Intentions’, Campiche says, the NCC projects US cotton acreage 7.3 per cent higher than 2021 at 12 million acre during the year. Input costs are also likely to surge on account of higher fertilizer and chemical costs. In 2022, the total area under cotton harvest in the US is estimated to be 9.8 million acre with abandonment rate likely to reach 18.9 per cent. Cotton production in the country is likely to touch 17.3 million bales with an average yield of 850 pounds per acre. This also includes 16.8 million upland bales and 438,000 extra-long staple bales.

Domestic mill use of cotton in the US is expected to rise to 2.7 million bales during 2022 crop year, says Campiche. Domestic cotton mills will continue to remain important for the US cotton industry as it accelerates new investments and adopts new technologies to boost trade, she adds.

Shipments to lag in marketing year

In the 2021 marketing year, the US cotton exports are estimated to have declined to 13.8 million bales, according to USDA’s February 2022 estimates. So far in the 2021 marketing year, exports remained strong. However, weekly shipments are lagging well behind the five-year average pace due to lack of available supply and transportation issues.

In the current marketing year, cotton shipments are expected to reach 13.8 million bales. So far, 4.5 million bales have already been shipped. Compared to last year, shipments lag by 3.2 million bales while compared to a five-year average they lag by 1.1 million bales. To achieve the set target, the US needs to ship 370,000 million cotton bales weekly, adds Campiche. Decline in cotton exports in 2021 are also likely to impact US ending stocks that may increase by 1.2 million bales to 4.4 million bales, adds Campiche.

End stocks to fall

In 2022, global cotton production is expected to increase to 122.6 million as the total acreage area will increase. Similarly, global mill consumption of cotton is expected to increase to 125.9 million bales, leading to a 48.3 million bales rise in world cotton trade, Campiche affirms.

In 2022, US’ total cotton consumption is expected to exceed production, leading to 3.4 million bales fall in world ending stocks to 81.6 million bales. This will further result in a stocks-to-use ratio of 64.8 percent.

Cotton prices in the US are currently rising amid a tighter balance sheet, supply chain disruptions, speculative money flow, overall increases in commodity prices, and strong demand. However, analysts do not expect the celebrations to last as additional COVID-19-related restrictions, slowing of the world economy and a decline in manmade fibers may dent cotton prices in 2022.