US fashion brand Reformation plans to launch a new denim collection in partnership with traceability solutions provider FibreTrace. This collection will enable Reformation to offer customers new insights into its manufacturing processes. FibreTrace tags textiles with a unique pigment that can be tracked throughout apparel supply chains and authenticated in the finished good.

Last month, FibreTrace released an integrated benchmarking tool that collects and aggregates previously uncaptured impact data from farms, including carbon emission, water use and energy consumption. Its Fibre Impact Module (FIM) – billed as a global first – captures primary data from raw material sourcing stage and continues to harvest data as it’s passed around during production. Looking ahead, Reformation aims for new collaborations to make product data publicly available.

Lingering travel concerns related to COVID-19 has compelled Performance Days to shift its upcoming May edition to a digital platform. The event will now be held digitally across the week starting from May 17. It will provide the industry with more update on the season’s fabric innovations, alongwith additional information and networking opportunities, says, Marco Weichert, Founder and General Manager.

Set to be hosted on the event’s Loop Platform, the digital fair will have the same features as a typical physical event. It will include informative talks as well as a marketplace for visitors to browse a curated collection of the latest functional fabrics.

Performance Days has integrated 3D imaging tools and video animations to optimize the experience for viewers, who can get a realistic rendering of the products they cast their eyes over. It will also install an interactive Q&A feature amidst scheduled discussions. The organizers also hope to hold a physical event in Bavaria in December.

Wunderman Thompson Commerce, commerce tools and Attraqt’s new report reveals digital-only retailers such as ASOS and Boohoo continue to reap the rewards of having a well-established digital infrastructure. These retailers have become the number-one purchasing channel for fashion shoppers in the UK ahead of high-street retailers’ online sites, department stores, brand stores and Amazon.

Titled ‘Fighting for the Future of Fashion,’ the report surveyed 2,000 UK consumers who regularly shop for fashion items. It found a staggering two-thirds fashion spending now takes place online. As non-essential shops reopen their doors in April, it’s clear that an online offering will still be vital to converting long-awaited footfall into much-needed sales.

Around 63 per cent fashion shoppers are more likely to buy fashion online now than they were before the pandemic. However, 26 per cent of fashion shoppers would prefer to shop in brick and mortar stores.

Around 27 per cent of shoppers say, Amazon needs to improve its overall look to attract more shoppers to its site. Consumers also fashion ranges to change on average 17 times a year.

The 21st ZheJiang International Trade Fair for Textile and Garment Industry (ZhejiangTex 2021) will showcase a wide range of digital textile machinery. The show will be held from June 8 to 10, 2021 at Yiwu International Expo Centre in Zhejiang. There will be four thematic zones: Knitting & Hosiery Machinery, Sewing & Automatic Garment Machinery, Digital Printing Technology & Application and Knitting Products & Accessories. Around 300 exhibitors will showcase their machines at the show.

This year, ZhejiangTex 2021 will also collaborate with CKIW YIWU to showcase products and services ranging from research and development to design, equipment to technology, raw materials to knitting products and accessories. Together, these two platforms will help build a more competitive platform for the development of China’s knitting industry.

The fair will also hold the ‘National Health Textile Pioneer Science and Technology Innovation Forum in 2021 concurrently. The theme of this forum will be ‘Trans-boundary Innovation, Intelligent Textiles & Healthy Future.’ It will help enterprises grasp the latest industry dynamics, innovation and the development of the textile industry.

As per a Technavio report, the global activewear apparel market is set to grow at 11 per cent CAGR to reach $157.1 billion by 2024. The market is fragmented, and degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. adidas AG, ASICS Corp., Columbia Sportswear Co., Dick's Sporting Goods Inc, G-III Apparel Group, Gildan Activewear Inc, Hanesbrands Inc, Nike Inc, Puma SE, PVH Corp., and VF Corp are some of the major participants in the market. Increasing sports events and tournaments will offer these immense opportunities for growth. To leverage these opportunities, they need to strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

To help businesses improve market position, the Techanvio report provides a detailed analyzes around 25 vendors operating in the market. Some of these vendors include adidas AG, ASICS Corp., Columbia Sportswear Co, Dick's Sporting Goods Inc, G-III Apparel Group, Gildan Activewear Inc, Hanesbrands Inc, Nike Inc, Puma SE, PVH Corp, and VF Corp.

The German government has recognized textile chemical management specialist Bluesign for its sustainable manufacturing for public procurement purposes. Ecotextile reports, Bluesign initiated more than 500 stakeholders to participate in the consultation process for the latest revision of its Bluesign Criteria, contributing to the continual improvement of the Bluesign System.

One of those stakeholders, Kilian Hochrein, Director-Environmental Affair, said, this will help transform and strengthen the segment of consumer and technical protective apparel in the textile industry. It will support Gore's efforts to provide high performance protective fabrics to professionals in public safety, security, and workwear arenas with the least environmental footprint, he added.

The Bluesign System aims to eliminate harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process, and sets and controls standards for the environmentally friendly and safe production of sustainable textiles.

As per its new strategy, 'Own the Game,' Adidas aims to use sustainable materials to make nine out of 10 of its products by 2025. The brand so far makes 60 per cent of its products from sustainable materials, reports EcoTextile. It aims to increase this to 90 per cent through the three loop system including recycled loop, circular loop, and regenerative loop.

Adidas also aims to use only recycled polyester in products from 2024 onwards. It plans to roll out product take back program at scale. The company has also committed to reducing its CO2 footprint per product 15 per cent by 2025. It aims to achieve climate neutrality in its own operations by 2025 and overall climate neutrality by 2050.

Besides expanding the company's activities in the area of sustainability, the other two objectives of its ‘Own the Game’ strategy include increasing brand credibility and consumer experience.

The recent hike in yarn prices has worsened the plight of Bangladesh apparel makers who were already aggrieved by a sustained hike in global cotton prices and pandemic-induced lockdowns. RMG makers in the county are protesting against the price hike which they feels is putting additional burden on them at a time when the industry is yet to recover fully from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. They accused local millers of taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak and said, the price hike is eating up competitiveness of the locally manufactured garments.

However, spinning mills attributed the hike in cotton prices to rising demand for the item globally and a supply crunch, and upward costs of other related logistics followed by the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Mohammad Ali Khokon, President, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), says the pandemic has affected not only local RMG industry but also the primary textile millers.

Lockdown has pushed up use of cotton-based garment items especially knitted ones, opinens Khokon, attributing the cotton price hike to demand and supply gap.

Nurul Islam, Chairman, Well Group, said the price hike has affected both spinners and RMG makers and its impact can be predicted in coming months. of raw materials had skyrocketed while costs of logistics had also gone up. Rubana Huq, President, BGMEA believes, the price hike could kill their potential to beat competitors.

According to BTMA, some 425 spinners out of total 1,461 members provide around 90 per cent yarn demand for knit and 35-40 per cent yarn demand for woven items exports. Bangladesh annually produces only 0.16 million bales of cotton. It imports around 8.0 million bales of cotton annually. These imports mainly come from African countries, India, Australia, the US and Brazil, said BTMA.

Made from 100 per cent recycled materials, the new range of industrial sewing threads from US textile manufacturer Champion Thread Company (CTC) offer ‘sustainable’ alternatives to polyester, and can be used across fashion, personal protective equipment and home textile industries. The collection includes three products: Renu Poly ChampCore; a recycled polyester-wrapped thread with a multifilament core; Renu ChampSpun; a recycled staple spun polyester thread; and Renu AeroTex Plus, a recycled textured polyester thread.

As per Matt Poovey, President, CTC, these products reduce energy consumption, waste and oil dependence. They are engineered to CTC’s extreme quality standards and are finished with proprietary lubricants to ensure high productivity.

Looking ahead, the Renu range can support brand and retail partners meet their sustainability goals and commitments. They can also maintain the productivity, seam performance, colour fastness, and chemical resistance characteristics they enjoy in traditional polyester treads, adds Poovey.

The ongoing political turbulence in Myanmar is having a profound impact on its apparel industry. As per a CCF Group report on March 15, protestors attacked a number of Chinese-owned apparel mills in the Laydaya Industrial Zone in Yangon. These mills were destroyed, looted, and burned, threatening future investments in the country.

Myanmar currently has 600 apparel mills, of which, Chinese enterprises account for about 60 per cent. Around 300 Chinese enterprises are concentrated in Yangon alone. The current turbulence may affect China's investment in these apparel mills and may cause orders to flow to other markets.

Cheap labor, low cost drive apparel exports

Myanmar’s apparel exports have been growing in recent years. The country mainly exports to Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom among other markets. From 2015-19, the value of apparel exports grew 43.7 per cent annually. Lifting of economic sanctions by the EU and US helped Myanmar exploit its advantages of abundant labor and low production costs. GSP benefits also helped its textile and apparel industry boom. In 2018, Myanmar's textile exports grew to $2.225 billion. They accounted for 25.2 per cent of the country’s total exports.

COVID-19 affected global economy in 2020. Myanmar, however, emerged unscathed from the crisis as imports and exports grew in fiscal year 2019-20. In 2019, the proportion of apparel exports in total exports grew to 27.9 per cent. Knitted garments accounted for nearly a quarter of Myanmar's apparel exports, and woven garments accounted for the largest proportion.

Japan, largest export destination for Myanmar

Japan remains the largest destination for Myanmar’s apparel exports. The country accounted 22 per cent of Myanmar’s total apparel shipments in 2019 followed by EU, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, etc. As the world economy recovers from the pandemic, incidents such as the military coup in February and the recent violence in Yangaon might drive apparel orders, especially from Japan and EU, away from Myanmar.