All cotton exports by Australia to China have reportedly stopped following Beijing's ‘unofficial’ rebuff to the former’s cotton producers recently. Australia’s cotton industry is now preparing for a leaner situation ahead after officials confirmed Chinese mills had been ordered to halt Australian lint purchases due to ‘apparent changes to export conditions’.

As over three-fifths of Australian cotton crop is normally exported to China every year on an average, efforts are under way now to boost export ties with other Asian countries, where demand has risen steadily in recent years.

China, the world's largest importer of cotton, buys increasing volumes of US cotton as part of its Phase I trade commitment on agricultural imports with the United States.

Until recently, Chinese textile activity and demand for Australia's high grade lint was gaining momentum after the coronavirus lockdowns as China returned to near-normal economic conditions.

British fashion retailer Next upgraded its full-year profit guidance for the third time in as many months after quarterly full-price sales rose by a better-than-expected 2.8 per cent, although it is cautious on Christmas trading.

The company raised its pretax profit guidance by €65 million to €365 million, though it expects fourth-quarter sales to be 8 per cent lower than a year ago due to the impact of the pandemic on the high street and pressures on online capacity. The best case scenario was for flat sales in the final quarter, with stock levels limiting any further upside.

Even after the upgrade, profit this year will be half the level of 2019-20. The retailer said the biggest risk was whether England, Scotland and Northern Ireland would follow the decision by Wales to shut non-essential retail shops as part of tougher, short-term lockdown measures. Online sale were strong in the quarter, showing a rise of 23.1 per cent.

The International Textile Alliance (ITA) has postponed the dates of its inaugural dual-city outreach program, created to supplement its November Showtime event. Designed to connect more wholesale fabric, leather and trim suppliers with buyers who do not want to or cannot travel to North Carolina for its bi-annual fabric market, Showtime North will now run January, 26-27, 2021, at the MahWah, NJ Marriott Courtyard. It had been set for November 16-17, overlapping the High Point event.

During Showtime North, mills and converters will be seen by appointment for showings of new collections of textiles, leather and trim for the home furnishings sector – residential, hospitality and contract markets – just as at November’s traditional Showtime.

Through its partnership with the venue, the ITA has arranged for Showtime North to provide safe, personal and private environments in which fabric brands and buyers will be able to meet and show product. The association plans to support this expanded venue as a one-time supplement to its ongoing North Carolina shows and looks to make “even broader connections virtually,” according to an earlier release about the event.

The organizers of Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmBH are planning to organize the next round of the Fabric Days trade fairs for Spring/Summer 22 season. Their aim is to recognize View Premium Selection as a complimentary preview textile fair to the main trade fair that would follow six weeks later in Munich.

Over the past few days the situation has changed drastically. Current COVID-19 developments and the uncertainty of any changes are driving organizers further away from organizing View professionally just a few weeks time. Further measures such as extended travel restrictions are not foreseeable at this point in time.

Fabric Days has proven that a trade fair is possible despite the great challenges of a pandemic. However, against the background of the current development, organizers no longer consider a trade fair at the beginning of December as being justifiable or responsible.

To increase focus on the direct-to-consumer channels, Levi Strauss & Co. has announced several changes in its leadership. Chief marketing officer Jen Sev is now being promoted as brand President effective from November 30. In this new position, Sey will lead the Levi Strauss’s marketing, design, merchandizing and brand experience operations and bring them all in one place.

Levi Strauss has also decided to promote Liz O’Neill as the chief operations officer. She will oversee the ongoing rollout of the company’s F.L.X. technology, while driving digitization, sustainability and agility in its global supply chain. Similarly, Seth Ellison, previously executive vice president and president, Europe will be promoted to chief commercial officer (CCO), where he will lead the company’s global commercial operations.

Finally, Marc Rosen, Executive Vice President and President, Americas, will take on additional responsibility of the new Digital Enterprise Office. Earlier this month, Levi Strauss announced a surprise profit thanks to a surge in online sales. The company also benefited from important wholesale partnerships and the success of new product categories.

Specialized direct-to-garment (DTG) printer manufacturer, Polyprint SA is showcasing latest products at Innovate Virtual Trade Show, on from October 15-30, 2020. As per Kohan Textile Journal, Polyprint will exhibit solutions including TexJet shortee2 and TexJet echo. However, the main attraction will be the new automatic pre-treatment machine-PreTreater Pro:

Launched in July 2020, PreTreater Pro is the key to top-quality prints, consistency in repeated jobs and improved washability, while saving on liquids. Its 41x60cm true spray area, precision spraying capabilities with ‘Linear’ & ‘Grid’ edit modes, accurate liquid quantity selection per ml, 4 large diameter flat nozzles for uniform spraying and an auto re-circulation system for liquid homogeneity will seamlessly prepare garments for amazing prints.

The tradeshow will enable attendees to interact with industry professionals through live chat, witness its latest technological breakthroughs at our booth and schedule video meetings to address their every question.

Through this event, organizers World Textile Information Network (WTiN) plan to reconnect its visitors and exhibitors to reconnect, without limitations.

Raffaello Napoleone, CEO, Pitti Immagine has urged the Italian government to find sustainable and practical solutions for current problems by involving local entities and regions. He said cancellation of events reinforces the uncertain climate and risks stopping the preparation phase leaving little time for companies and buyers to plan and organize their travels and participation in trade shows.

Napolean said they have already taken necessary measures as per strictest security protocols requested by authorities. They plan to trace buyers’ path, their accesses to sites and plan pavilions and booths. They have also devised fittings in order to guarantee distancing. Pitti Immagine has also collaborated with Florence hotels and restaurants to guarantee the safest conditions as international trade shows aimed at economic insiders only are controlled and planned events with minimal accident rates. The collections that will be presented in these months will be sold starting from next fall.

LVMH has urged Tiffany’s to reduce its deal price to enable LVMH to buy the US jeweler. The original price for the deal was $135 per share, or about $16 billion in total. By taking control of Tiffany, LVMH would gain better access to the worldwide luxury jewelry market. Reduction in deal price would allow the companies to avoid a courtroom battle after the deal they struck a year ago turned sour amid COVID-19’s upheaval of global luxury spending.

LVMH had argued that Tiffany has botched its response to COVID-19 and this has created a material adverse effect that will allow it to invalidate the agreement. Tiffany had countered that its sales are improving and the deal should proceed as planned. The deal had been cleared by European Union antitrust officials earlier this week. However, LVMH applied for the regulatory review saying that it was unable to complete the transaction due to the French government’s request to delay it.

The Louis Vuitton owner said that its move to proceed with the EU filing for regulatory approval showed that it was acting in good faith, which Tiffany had earlier questioned.

The government in Bangladesh has managed to restore 40 per cent RMG orders cancelled by foreign buyers amid the coronavirus pandemic. This was possible because prime minister talked to the heads of the states urging them to make sure the supply chain of RMG products was not affected, informed AK Abdul Momen, Foreign Minister while inaugurating an art exhibition, "Art Against Corona", at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Momen said, Bangladesh RMGF sector was performing better than other times, with Bangladesh exporting more than $3 billion worth of RMG products each month at the moment. Bangladesh’s GDP was also growing at the highest rate in Asia. Currently, the GDP is growing at 5.2 per cent, although the World Bank and IMF projected it to be between 1.38 to 3.38 per cent this year.

As per a 2019 report from Business of Fashion and McKinsey, denim production and consumption in India is increasing at a CAGR of 15 per cent. The pandemic has challenged the fashion sector in the nation. Executives from three Indian denim mills shared their views on the current denim industry at a Carved in Blue webinar recently.

Aamir Akhtar, CEO, Arvind , noted that as brands still hold their spring inventory and plan to repurpose the same, they aren’t buying new. However, capacity at several mills still remains underutilized. Over the next six months, most Indian mills won’t surpass a capacity of 45-55 per cent, said Aditya Goyal, CEO and Managing Director, Anuhba Industries.

However, demand in rural areas has been increasing where denim is being purchased as a workwear essential. These individuals are able to sell their goods and have received support from the government. Meanwhile, cities are taking longer to bounce back and make denim purchases since workers are unemployed and businesses are struggling. Because of this, commoditized denim is rebounding at a greater rate than fashion denim.

Even though consumers’ stay-at-home lifestyles have caused denim sales to take a hit, denim mills expect demand for denim to bounce back soon. It cannot be challenged by anything but itself, asserted Subir Mukherjee, Business Head, Bhaskar Denim.