Addressing an AEPC event, Indian High Commissioner in Canada Ajay Bisaria said Canadian companies growing trust in India gives Indian apparel manufacturers a huge opportunity to increase market share in Canada.

Biseria explained, there is a great deal of faith amongst Canadian companies in the medium- and long-term prospects of India. Partnership between the two countries is propelled by India’s growing apparel exports to Canada. India currently exports apparels worth $318 million to Canada. Many top quality brands including GAP, M&S, Uniqlo and Calvin Klein already source from India.

A Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC opined said, Canada is a thrust market for India and the country is taking continuous efforts to increase its share in the Canadian market. India is focusing on higher value and specialized products like manmade fibre (MMF) apparels, medical textiles and technical textiles. It is encouraging Canadian investors to set up manufacturing facilities in India directly or through joint ventures, Sakthivel informed.

Since India’s share in Canada’s MMF garments imports is only 1.5 per cent, it is working on expansion and improving MMF products in India’s apparel export basket, said Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman, AEPC. There are 1,000 Canadian companies doing business with India. Trade between the two countries amounts to $100 billion.

Textile Exchange’s Corporate Fiber and Materials Benchmark (CFMB) program plans to launch a tool to help the fashion and textile industry take urgent action on biodiversity, reports Sourcing Journal. Known as The Biodiversity Benchmark, the tool will be launched in partnership with The Biodiversity Consultancy and Conservation International, and supported by Sappi. It will allow companies to deliver positive biodiversity outcomes and benchmark their progress.

The Biodiversity Benchmark was co-created by Textile Exchange and The Biodiversity Consultancy, technical and policy specialists in biodiversity and ecosystem services, and Conservation International, a global nonprofit working to protect nature. Generous support was also provided by bio-based materials provider Sappi, as a corporate partner.

The Biodiversity Benchmark integrates biodiversity into business strategy and operations before making commitments, setting targets, and aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It then explores the mapping of sourcing locations against the biodiversity value of the location. This helps companies make good intervention decisions, prioritize, and design actions.

The Biodiversity Benchmark was developed with the support of a multi-stakeholder advisory group, involving some 30 biodiversity experts, NGOs and representatives from across the fashion and textile industry.

Bangladesh apparel exports are suffering due to rising prices of raw materials in the country. As per Dhaka Tribune, prices of raw materials such as fabrics, yarns, cotton and packaging materials, have risen 5 to 10 per cent in the last couple of months. This is mainly a result of a rise in cotton prices, low productivity caused by the pandemic and a stronger Chinese yuan.

As per SM Khaled, Managing Director, Snowtex, raw material prices are rising every week, adding to manufacturers woes. Besides, importers are ordering more ahead of Chinese New Year holidays in February, leading to further rise in prices. Right now, manufacturers are under pressure to accept orders at lower prices, says Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, owner of Fatullah Apparels. In last three months, cotton prices have increased by 8-10 cent per pound, impacting the prices of yarn, adds Monsoor Ahmed, Secretary, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA)

Bangladesh exports mainly five items: T-shirts, sweaters, trousers, jackets and shirts, which together constitute more than 70 per cent of the orders, according to Mostafiz Uddin, Managing Director, Denim Expert. Basic raw materials of these five items are cotton. As Bangladesh does not produce any cotton, an increase in cotton prices will indeed contribute to the rise in the production cost, adds Uddin.

Apparel industry accessory suppliers, who form its backward linkage, have also been sucked into this predicament as the apparel manufacturers are offering lower prices for their product in the face of price squeeze from Western retailers. On the other hand, the increase in raw material prices has left manufacturers in severe trouble and they are incurring huge losses, said Abdul Kader Khan, Managing Director, Khan Accessories and Packaging Company and President, Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA).

The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has urged the government to simplify rules and changes in the Special Advance Authorization Scheme for garment exporters. The Council has recommended the issuance of Special Advance Authorizations to the apparel sector on self-declaration and self-ratification basis. At present, the facility of self-certification and self-ratification is not available to the apparel sector. Hence, apparel exporters have to wait for a longer period for getting SION fixed in the norms committee.

So, for faster clearances of cases, facilities of self-certification and self-ratification must be made available to the apparel sector as well, said A Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC. He also suggested some changes in the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme to take care of the growing need of capital investment in the sector. He further emphasized on the need to address the issues of duty disadvantage in the overseas market through free trade agreements.

Isko has launched the second edition of its Light on the Land capsule collection. Designed in partnership Miles Johnson and Isko’s own Italian style and washing research hubs, Creative Room and Iskoteca, the collection features 32 denim pieces made from low-impact materials and responsible finishing techniques, reports Sourcing Journal.

All of the fabrics used in the collection were carefully selected from Isko’s R-Two platform, which uses a mixture of reused cotton and recycled fibers. The reused cotton comes from Isko’s own production loss, which is tracked, traced and has the Content Claim Standard (CCS) certification. The reused cotton is then blended with recycled polyester derived from PET bottles. Fabrics can have the Recycled Claim Standard (RSC) certification or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification depending on the percentage of materials contained.

Light on the Land 2.0 also incorporates Cadica’s new and innovative trims made of organic materials, more efficient low-waste pattern cutting and design processes, improved sewing methods, removable rivets for end-of-life and biodegradable thread.

The apparel, accessories and footwear retailer Guess beat expectations in its third quarter earnings and more than doubled its profits from the same period a year ago. The company could achieve this due to its tighter inventory and expense controls and more full-priced selling.

The company’s revenues declined in every region. But the 7.6 percent decline in net revenues was most pronounced in the Americas wholesale division, which was down more than 36 percent for the quarter, year-over-year. The Americas retail division was down 26.7 percent during the same timeframe, followed by the Asian region, which was down nearly 25 percent.

However, revenues from European wholesale business increased during the quarter by about $50 million by canceling inventory receipts.

E-commerce was also up during the quarter, 19 percent in the most recent quarter, compared with the second quarter.

By category, essentials, activewear, denim, accessories and footwear outperformed the business as a whole during the quarter. Last month, Guess re-released 68 vintage styles, across denim, T-shirts and jackets, from the Eighties and Nineties.

Guess ended the quarter with $70 million in long-term debt and 1,068 directly operated retail stores throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The fashion tradeshow Children’s Club held its first digital edition between September and November. The Brazilian delegation at the event was made up of five brands, which together closed $52,000 in deals during the event, and prospect an additional $172 thousand for the next 12 months.

The show was supported by of Texbrasil and Fashion Label, internationalization programs carried out through partnerships between Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Exports and Investments Promotion Agency), Abit (Brazilian Textile and Clothing Industry Association) and ABEST (Brazilian Fashion Designers Association), respectively.

Texbrasil’s Tip Top, Planet Sea, Dalai and Renata Carlotto, and I Am Just for Little, from Fashion Label Brasil, also made 178 contacts during the event. Renata Carlotto made her debut in this edition, exhibiting her Summer 2021 collection.

The digital show was organized through the NuOrder platform, along with two other tradeshows of the Informa Market group, Coterie, and Project Womens.

Making its debut in the Indian market, Cameleo Fashion has launched interchangeable sandals for women, reports Fashion Network. The brand is banking on its innovation and affordability coupled with sustainable designs to make inroads in the market.

Cameleo Fashion aims to provide its customers with a collection of footwear for the price of a single pair and also allows personalization of products. The footwear will be available with detachable straps, soft soles and fabric uppers a wide range of colors, allowing users to change their footwear on the go.

Cameleo Fashion footwear has been priced from Rs 1500 ($20) onwards and will be sold exclusively from the brand's website.

Copenhagen Fashion Week has announced its list of participating brands in the AW21 edition from February 02-05, 2021. The event will feature new and innovative designers including the ten finalists of Designers' Nest and industry leaders such as Henrik Vibskov, Stine Goya and Ganni, the organisers see a return to schedule of selection of brands including Rotate, House of Dagmar and Wood Wood.

The representation of Nordic fashion figureheads interspersed with a strong international presence from the likes of Rixo presents a positive statement on the value of Copenhagen Fashion Week as curating a united Nordic and international community of leading fashion voices.

Dedicated to supporting emerging talent, Copenhagen Fashion Week is excited to announce its new talent slot that will be committed to showcasing an emerging visionary designer as chosen by the show committee jury each season. For AW21 the slot has been awarded to Louise Lyngh Bjerregaard, whose rising reputation as a key visionary on the creative landscape of Copenhagen has seen her brand look to redefine knitwear and textiles.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has demanded reduction in the source tax on cash incentive against export earnings to support the readymade garment sector in maintaining export competitiveness amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Rubana Huq, President, BGMEA, has demanded that the National Board of Revenue should reduce the source tax, also known as tax deduction at source, on cash incentive to 5 per cent from the existing 10 per cent to facilitate the sector which is suffering from the negative impacts of the outbreak.

According to her, receipt of export payments from many shipments had become uncertain for exporters as many international buyers from the United States, China, the United Kingdom and other European countries had been declaring themselves bankrupt since the outbreak began in China.

The impact of the outbreak has been devastating on the country’s RMG sector and consequently many apparel factories have been shut down, she said.

International buyers have become worried amid the fear of a second wave of the infection, deteriorating the situation further, she added.

According to the BGMEA, foreign buyers have stopped payment of already exported products along with a slowing down in orders.

Exporters are also facing problems in releasing money in cash incentives from the Bangladesh Bank due to not receiving export payments from foreign buyers, it said.

RMG exporters are also facing a liquidity crisis and other problems amid the situation. Under the circumstances, it will be difficult for the exporters to maintain competitiveness on the global market if tax is deducted at the rate of 10 per cent on cash incentive, Rubana said.