At a webinar organized by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hussain Haider, Pakistan’s Consul General in Shanghai, said, in order to increase exports, Pakistan’s business and industrial communities need to focus on value addition. Pakistan exports raw material and less value added products to China. However, it has immense potential to export value added products, said Haider. The Yangtze River Delta region in China, which comprised Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui areas, is the most technologically advanced region with the highest per capita income as well as gigantic contribution to the Chinese gross domestic product (GDP), he added.

Haider advised industry experts to focus on digitization for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) modes, which is currently being implemented in the Yangtze River Delta region. Pakistan Consulate in Shanghai had identified numerous sectors that Pakistani manufacturers could tap because they already had the expertise and were expected to capture a sizeable share in the Chinese market. These sectors included textile and clothing, value added textile, garments, medical and surgical equipment, sports goods and leather apparel.

He urged for a sister city status for Karachi and Shanghai which could strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties.

According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam's total textile and garment export value in the first 10 months of this year declined by 9.3 per cent year on year to nearly $24.8 billion.

Its largest export markets included China, Japan, the European Union, South Korea and the United States, reports Xinhua.

In October alone, Vietnam's textile and garment exports fell 3.2 per cent year on year to $2.6 billion.

Vietnam will gain an estimate of $32 billion from exporting garments and textiles this year, compared to the target of $40 billion, local newspaper Lao Dong (Labor) cited the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association as reporting on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused dual damages to the garment and textile sector of the country as it disrupted material supplies and decreased global demand, the association said.

As one of the world's biggest garment and textile exporters and producers, Vietnam recorded an export turnover of roughly $32.6 billion in 2019, up 6.9 per cent from 2018, according to the statistics office.

Luxury brand Louis Vuitton Malletier, a fashion house and luxury goods brand of LVMH, the largest luxury group globally, has chosen Wuhan as the first stop for its new global traveling exhibition.

The exhibition, which opened on October 31 will continue till December 6. The show will explore the 160-year history of the brand - from its early days as a trunk maker in Paris to a brand that is synonymous with luxury.

Boasting a population of 11 million, the capital of Hubei province, Wuhan, has returned to normality, with the residents treating one of the world's strictest lockdowns as a distant memory and getting back to the pre-pandemic lifestyle. It has paved the way for brands like LV to expand and leverage this normality while the world is still grappling with the shocks of the second wave of coronavirus.

China is the largest market for luxury goods globally and important too for brands like Louis Vuitton. The brand held a menswear show in Shanghai in early August.

Lauren Guthrie has been appointed as new Vice President-Global Inclusion and Diversity, VF Corporation, reports Fashion Network

In the role, Guthrie will lead VF’s global I&D efforts and directing, developing and operationalizing the company’s strategy, with a focus on transformational change, the company said.

Guthrie, who has worked with VF and its subsidiary The North Face for over five years, previously served as VF's vice president, Council to Advance Racial Equity (CARE) and inclusion and diversity for the Americas region. In the role, she developed and activated the CARE program to enhance VF’s external racial equity initiatives while also creating more opportunities to support the BIPOC workforce throughout VF and its brands.

Prior to this, Guthrie served as The North Face's vice president of regional merchandising, Americas. Prior to her time with VF, she also served as senior director and general manager of Old Navy's performance active category; director of global merchandising of women's running footwear for Nike; and as senior merchandiser for Levi's men's tops and bottoms, North America, among other roles.

As per data analytics firm GlobalData, fashion retailers are planning to simplify their raw material supply chains and implement design and manufacturing processes that will allow apparel and footwear to be more easily recycled.

Among the latest slew of recyclable fashion innovations, German sportswear maker Adidas’ new UltraBoost DNA Loop, a piece of performance footwear developed as part the company’s ongoing “Made to be Remade” project. The shoe is manufactured using a single material type and without glue, meaning that it can be ground down, melted and made into a new shoe.

Elsewhere in Europe, Swedish fast fashion giant H&M has recently launched the first retail model of a garment-to-garment recycling system, entitled Loop, at a store in its home country. The system, which allows store visitors to see their old clothes being transformed into fibers and yarns that will be used to produce new knitwear pieces, was developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel.

Other retailers are betting on education, with PVH Corp, the New York-based parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, highlighting its recently launched “Circularity 101” training program for employees as a key achievement in its latest corporate responsibility report.

London-based e-commerce retailer Asos, on the other hand, has introduced an educational program for its designers in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion.

Developed after more than 200 members of the e-tailer’s design team underwent the training, Asos’ debut circular fashion collection was made with a number of core circularity principles in mind. These include a mono-material pledge and a commitment to designing products which can be easily taken apart, both of which facilitate the recycling of pieces once their owners are finished with them.

After reporting losses in the second quarter, German fashion giant Hugo Boss recorded €15 million operating profit in the third quarter. However, the brand’s quarterly revenue fell by 24 per cent on a currency-adjusted basis to €533 million, says Fashion Network.

The company’s digital and Chinese focus is perfectly understandable given that sales in mainland China rose 27 per cent during the quarter and online sales saw a massive leap of 66 per cent as the company opened 24 more markets to e-tail sales between June and August.

And while physical stores remained challenged, the company was upbeat. With the vast majority of its own stores back in operation, the group’s own retail business recorded a considerably more robust performance compared to the first half of the year, with own retail revenues down by only 20 per cent, currency-adjusted.

However, while local demand in key markets picked up noticeably, sales to touristsdropped by 21 per cent in Europe despite encouraging signs of demand bouncing back in key markets such as the UK and France.

Inspired by natural simplicity, H&M has launched under H&M Jeans Redesign project, to offer men’s denims in select stores worldwide and online at hm.com. The collection comprises three jean styles, two jackets, an overshirt, tote bag and a bucket hat – all made from denim with a modern workwear vibe – in a color palette of light grey, washed black, mid-blues and deep indigo.

The collection rethinks the design and production of denim products, furthering the brand’s aim of becoming fully circular in all our processes. With workwear silhouettes and details, the three jean styles in the Jeans Redesign collection are slim and straight, regular straight and a more relaxed shape, while the workwear jacket has three patch pockets to the front, the trucker jacket has a zip fastening and the overshirt has two patch pockets over the chest.

As a Strategic Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, H&M is working together with other companies, governments and cities, academic institutions, emerging innovators, small and medium sized enterprises and more to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Jeans Redesign project celebrates its denim expertise and designs pieces that are durable, timeless and easy to repair, while also aging with a beautiful patina.

From 2021, CinteTechtextil China will be held annually rather than biennially. Following on from a successful 14th edition in September this year, Asia’s leading event for the entire technical textiles and nonwovens industry will be held from June 13–15, 2021 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. This will be the first instance that CinteTechtextil will take place at this fairground. The recently completed 2020 edition attracted 409 exhibitors and 15,326 visits at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

CinteTechtextil China’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span the full range of potential uses of modern textile technologies. These categories also span the entire industry, from upstream equipment and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This full coverage of product groups and application areas ensures the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

The 2021 fair will be held concurrently with the textile machinery fair ITMA ASIA + CITME, which takes place from 12 – 16 June. CinteTechtextil China is organized by Messe Frankfurt (HK) ; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).

US-based biotech company Bolt Threads has opened an office in Arnhem, the Netherlands, to support its supply chain created to scale its Mylo material, a sustainable leather alternative made from mycelium.

Bolt specializes in creating environmentally friendly and sustainable materials for the apparel industry and other consumer products. The Netherlands emerged as Bolt’s clear choice for expanding in Europe due to the country’s position as a leader in sustainability.

Mylo, built from the mycelium cells of fungi, has made a wave as an innovative development in the consumer biomaterials industry. The company has well-known partners in the apparel and fashion sector, including Stella McCartney.

This year, Bolt announced a new consortium through partnerships with Adidas, Lululemon, Kering and McCartney to invest in the development and production of Mylo-made products. Products from this unprecedented Mylo consortium will be available for purchase starting in 2021.

Bangladesh readymade garment export to the European Union is likely to remain unaffected even if the second COVID-19 wave takes a more serious turn, reports The Business Standard. Work orders for the next spring/summer season in the country are pouring in with enquiries for next winter season also increasing. Apparel makers have shipped their Christmas and winter orders, to be sold from mid-November, says BGMEA.

Experts demand quick release of raw materials

To continue positive developments, Bangladeshi government and entrepreneurs need to adopt new strategies, says, Sayema Haque Bidisha, Research Director-South Asian Network, Economic Modelling (Sanem). Moreover apparel businesses need to enhance their manufacturing efficiency and curtail lead times to 30-45 days. And the government should ensure a quick release of imported raw materials for RMG manufacturers, she adds. It should also persuade apparel buyers and retailers against cancelling orders or stopping new placements till next January at least.

Partial lockdowns to curb second COVID-19 wave

As new COVID-19 cases continue to surge, governments across Europe are introducing new measures to deal with it. France has introduced a night-time curfew while Spain, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland have gone for partial local lockdowns. Germany, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal and Greece have also introduced measures to control the second wave. The only country that has not introduced any lockdown measures is Sweden. Yet, many of its citizens are voluntarily maintaining social distancing and have started working from home where possible.

Economic constraints are forcing countries to opt for partial lockdowns instead of complete shutdown, opines Ashikur Rahman Tuhin, Former Director, BGMEA. Shutting down of economic activities during the first wave hardly resulted in any positive outcome. Hence, WHO has recommended continuance of economic activities with compliance to its health safety protocols, says Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Center for Policy Dialogue.

No impact on new orders

The second COVID-19 wave has not impacted orders from European buyers as their online sales have increased significantly and physical shops remain open. Buyers continue to place new orders with Bangladeshi suppliers as they get more profits from suppliers.

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, CEO, Fatullah Apparels said, Bangladeshi apparel exporters have been receiving new orders for the next summer season though the quantity of these orders has reduced. However, he calls this more a seasonal issue than the pandemic effect.