Post Brexit, when the United Kingdom finally left the European Union at the end of December 2020, there were many problems for businesses working across the area. The EU-UK Free Trade Agreement is not the panacea that businesses were led to believe it would be. Although the agreement avoids duty costs, VAT still applies. Similarly, the complicated issues with rules of origin now in place coupled with increased paperwork and border checks are making it near-impossible for some brands to operate.

The fashion industry, which works extremely closely with its European neighbors, has been hit hard. A large proportion of fashion brands – particularly in the sustainable space – manufacture and source materials in Europe and 80 per cent of UK clothing exports are currently sent to the EU. Considering the complicated supply chain for many fashion goods (for example, multiple parts and materials sourced from different countries), the change in rules demanding declaration of origin is also proving problematic.

Customers in Europe who have ordered goods from the UK (and vice versa) are increasingly seeing expensive clearance orders being served when parcels arrive at the door. Customers frequently reject these steep fees and the goods are then returned to the sender. While this back and forath creates unnecessary additional emissions, the returned items often end up being wasted.

DyeChem World and KnitProcess will be held in Tirupur, October 22 to 24, 2021. DyeChem World will cover the entire range of textile dyes, chemicals, finishes, technologies. Being the first of its kind show in South India, DyeChem World will create a platform for interaction and knowledge sharing between the dyes and chemicals and textile industry. On the other hand, KnitProcess will help the industry to explore and adopt the latest innovations in knitting and post processing sector, covering the entire value chain of knitwear processing technologies till garmenting.

The highlight of the events will be the CEO Summit which will see head honchos from the global textile and apparel, fashion brands and retail industries. While the primary aim of the meet is to have a highly interactive and candid networking for business, it would also have serious deliberations on the core issues of sustainable practices, sourcing and adopting it to the supply chain.

Tirupur, the knitwear capital of India, accounts for 60 per cent of India’s knitting, processing and apparel capacity. The cluster is now turning to new investments. A strategic relook by retailers and brands on sourcing destinations after the pandemic, the American embargo on knitwear made from Chinese cotton and the competitiveness induced by the currency exchange rate bring a silver lining to Tirupur.

Sustainable Apparel Coalition is 10 years old. The organization marks its anniversary at a critical inflection point for the industry, characterized by a devastating global pandemic, a changing climate and surging social unrest. Launched in 2011 with shared goals of creating eco-friendly products based on a standardized approach for measuring sustainability, the organization has come a long way. Its roster has ballooned past 250 members with a collective annual revenue of $845 billion, including household names such as Amazon, Asos, Gap, H&M, Levi Strauss, Nike, The North Face and VF Corp.

The SAC’s tentpole product, the Higg Index, has expanded into a suite of sustainability assessment tools deployed by more than 21,000 organizations across 190 countries. SAC has helped bolster efforts to improve labor conditions in the garment supply chain. Over the last ten years, it has worked collaboratively across the industry to develop and launch the Higg Index, providing cutting-edge, standardized sustainability tools for the industry. Higg will be central to the SAC’s mission of transforming businesses for exponential impact.

SAC will be transitioning its focus from developing standardized measurement tools to developing standardized communication that increases transparency and offers industry insights, driving collective action at scale.

Hermes sales rose 16 per cent in Q4. The leather goods unit was the main driver behind the sales growth. Hermes, also known for silk scarves, joins LVMH in reporting better-than-expected results as luxury shoppers turn their attention to established premium brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior during the pandemic. Hermes has benefited from a strong customer base in European countries. For most luxury companies, the region has been the worst-performing amid a lack of Chinese tourists, shoppers who have helped drive growth at Gucci in the past decade. Fourth quarter revenue at Hermes rose about 39 per cent in Asia, on an adjusted basis, and shrank 9.7 per cent in Europe.

The luxury company isn’t seeing a change in behavior from Chinese shoppers compared to the last three months of 2020. The company also doesn’t plan major price increases this year, probably around one per cent, similar to last year. The company typically only raises prices to reflect the increase in input costs. Full-year recurring operating income fell 15 per cent. Hermes confirmed its superiority in 2020 with the reduction in tourist flows more than offset by a loyal customer base. Asia is showing promise for the brand.

The European Union hopes to shift to a climate-neutral, circular economy where clothing products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable. The recently released roadmap covers the wider textile and clothing ecosystems, extending to fur, leather and wool. The strategy aims at tackling overproduction and overconsumption. Textiles, the fourth highest-pressure category for using primary raw materials and water, are responsible for plastic pollution and excessive textile waste. Low-quality materials, which are the backbone of fast fashion, are the main hurdle for boosting textile recycling.

The coronavirus has hindered textile reuse and disrupted the second-hand markets for clothing - one of the few efficient ways to deal with unwanted clothing. Trying to help the sector from the effects of covid, the EU is also setting up conditions: working according to the circular economy principles, boosting environment efforts and improving traceability and transparency. With this policymakers hope to make textile and apparel supply chains more resilient and more sustainable.

This shift from the make-take-dispose model that dominates across the fashion sector requires supporting small and medium enterprises, representing a big part of the EU textile sector, to provide better repair and remanufacture services. Synthetic material use has increased nine-fold in the last 50 years.

Glenn Martens, Creative Director, Diesel plan to pay homage to the brand’s DNA with two pop-ups. The project is the first such activation envisioned by the label’s new creative director. The stores use the company’s red tag aesthetic and hue as a primary design feature.

The pop-ups are located in Amsterdam and Washington, D.C. The two hubs¬–one for Europe, one for the US–are both situated in premium shopping areas at Amsterdam’s PC Hoofstraat and at Tyson’s Corner Center in Washington, D.C. respectively.

Both pop-ups will feature an assortment of seasonal products for women and men from Diesel’s spring/summer 2021 drops, as well as the brand’s pre-fall 2021 collection.

The pop-ups feature an assortment of seasonal products for women and men. At the same time, the denim brand understands the pop-ups as a kick-off for a new retail strategy: “Diesel’s new cultural vision is set to refresh its existing retail model by the end of the year by curating both shopping elements and experiential immersions. This new form of business is the future of physical brand interaction and will be visible by the end of the year in the first Diesel Hub that will open in Shanghai,” the company states.

Mango has launched a new denim collection that uses technologies such as laser or ozone in order to provide sustainable and efficient solutions for the washing and finishing of each garment. Mango reports that these finishing technologies reduce the collection’s water consumption by 30 million liters, compared to traditional methods.

Mango opted for a Mediterranean setting for the denim collection’s campaign. The range smacks of ’90s influences, especially in the women’s line. Key items include pleated mom jeans and slouchy jean jackets. Vintage washes enhance the throwback vibe in items like denim mini dresses and long jean skirts with a front slit. Powdered tones bring a natural element to women’s puff-sleeved denim shirts and belted jumpsuits.

The men’s line offers three-tone jeans and zip-up denim jackets, as well as a range of ecru staples. For children, Mango centers on sized-down version of trendy men’s and women’s styles, including an indigo chore jacket, white wide-leg jeans and gender-less jean jackets.

Water stewardship is one part of Mango’s sustainability plan. The company is “firm” in its intention to work toward a more responsible business model. By 2025, Mango aims to source 100 percent of the cotton it uses from sustainable sources, and for 50 percent of its polyester to be recycled. The brand is striving for 100 percent of the cellulose fiber it uses to be from a “controlled origin” by 2030.

J.Crewplans to produceall its future cashmere sweaters, and non-apparel pieces including those from the newly launched Spring 2021 collection with cashmere certified by the Good Cashmere Standard (GCS)

Developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS) aims to improve the welfare of cashmere goats, the lives of farmers and farming communities, and the environment in which they live. Through its partnership with GCS, J.Crewwill be able to guarantee a sustainable cashmere supply chain but can also provide full traceability for certified cashmere pieces.

J.Crew also plans to extendits partnership with the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) to empower women herders in Mongolia to improve their economic and social standing. The SFA promotes the sustainable production of cashmere, minimises environmental impact, ensures high animal welfare, and safeguards herder livelihoods. As part of its multi-year program with J.Crew, the SFA will support nearly 1,000 female herders (and their households) in Mongolia.

SFA will also train female herders to better negotiate trades and contracts, handle cash, make decisions and secure higher economic returns for their cooperative. Incentives will be provided to herding cooperatives that include females as their members and have a least one woman in their decision-making structure, and to those that develop social safety nets and offer collective support for vulnerable female-led families. Increased economic return for female cooperative members will be achieved through a fibre sorting program which will create the opportunity for the herders to sell higher quality fiber at a premium price.

Informa Markets Fashion hosted its Magic Pop-Up Orlando from February 09–11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

As per Apparel New, To ensure safety, the show mandated a negative COVID-19 test prior to entry alongwith temperature screening, mandatory face masks and physical distancing of six feet, while it provided deep cleaning and sanitization of booths as well as hand-sanitizing stations throughout the show floor, which was organized for safe distancing.

Kim Meek, Vice President-Merchandising, Dry Goods informs this edition included a search for Fall with her trusted vendors. Focused on young contemporary that retails from $30 to $60, Meek found new trending pieces and was grateful for the opportunity to feel product, such as trends in shackets. Visiting from the downtown Los Angeles office of Warrendale, Penn.–based Catherine Morisano,Chief Merchandising Officer, Rue21, congratulated the Informa team on producing a safe show. Morisano maintained the same mission of remaining ahead of trends to support the company’s growth over the past year.

According to a NPD Group survey, apparel sales in the United States declined by 19 per cent in 2020, reports Fashion Network. Sales of comfy cozy categories like sweatpants increased by 17 per cent, those of sleepwear rose by 6 per cent, and those sports bras grew by 10 per cent during last year. Fashion footwear sales declined by 27 per cent during the year.

Sales of tailored clothing, dresses and dress shoes were hit particularly hard in 2020 due to the ‘work from home’ trend. Sales of fashion sneakers declined year on year although at a much softer rate than the overall category.

Regardless of whether consumers adopt more permanent work-from-home routines or go back to the workplace, demand for comfortable fashion is likely to stick around for the long term, says the survey.

Seventy per cent of respondents reported that once they can return to work and other activities, they plan to dress just as or more casually than they did prior to the pandemic.

As per NPD’s ‘Future of Footwear’ report, the fashion category will recuperate in 2021, though it will regain less than half of the volume it lost in 2021.