While China grants duty-free access to cotton yarn from Pakistan and Vietnam, Indian cotton yarn exports to China face a levy. This has adversely impacted Indian cotton yarn exports. Till last year, Indian cotton yarn exports to China constituted around 30 per cent of the country’s exports. In June and July, Indian cotton yarn exports to China successively reduced by more than 80 per cent. Cotton yarn exports to China fell 61 per cent in the April to July period this year from a year ago. In the same period, total cotton yarn exports contracted by 37 per cent.

Cotton yarn sector is a crucial pillar of India’s textile industry. Pakistan’s manufacturers will get bolstered because of free access to such a big market and increase their presence. Pakistan and China have a strategic give-and-take partnership, with the former providing connectivity and the latter giving economic concessions. India has become collateral damage in this process. India which has wanted to reduce its trade deficit with China now has a serious competition in Pakistan.

But it is also true that Indian cotton yarn exports have been hit because global demand has fallen and prices have collapsed.

V Muthukumaran, Global Business Head, Leather Products, Tata International Limited is the new president of the Indian Shoe Federation (ISF).

Established in 1992, ISF has many leading manufacturers and exporters of footwear and footwear components from India as its members. The Federation is committed to promoting the growth of the Indian footwear industry through the adoption of modern, transparent and superior industry practices.

India is the second largest footwear producer in the world with nine per cent of the global annual production. China produces over 60 per cent of the global production. From a basic need-based industry to an indispensable part of the overall fashion market, the Indian footwear industry has come a long way. Cluster development activities in the footwear industry has given a major boost to private capital flow in the organized segment and enhanced the capacity to keep pace with future growth prospects. Athleisure footwear is picking up very fast because of aspirational consumers and the trend is not confined to metros but small cities are generating equal traction. There has been an incremental rise in women’s per capita expenditure. So manufacturers and retailers are increasingly focusing on women’s footwear. Moreover, there is a growing number of women at workplaces and high disposable incomes.

Inditex believes the exit of United Kingdom from the European Union (E) without a deal will not have any significant impact on its operations. It would basically lead to a change in the regulatory environment in which the group operates in the United Kingdom, as well as in the commercial relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, as the British market would be governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This would subject the cross-border trade to customs controls and tariffs.

It would also result in potential delays in the transit of the merchandise, economic impacts derived from the imposition of tariffs, currency fluctuation and possible restrictions on the free movement of employees, as well as those derived from contractual or management risks of key third parties.

Data and analytics firm GlobalData says, the global athleisure market will rise 9 per cent this year, outpacing the total clothing and footwear market beyond 2023. This growing athleisure trend is leading to the introduction of new workout-geared makeup in the US like the one launched by Clinique Fit. It is also fuelling the growth of companies like Nike and Lululemon that are capitalising on consumers’ increased health and wellness pursuits. With the number of women shopping for a sports bra increasing from 38 per cent in 2015 to 45 per cent in 2018, major retailers from Amazon to Target are rolling out their own athleisure lines.

A recent study by the NPD Group notes, athleisure styles will lead sales growth of US shoes through 2021. More brands will shift away from performance and fashion footwear to focus on athleisure footwear. The sale of these sports leisure footwear including athletic-inspired casual sneakers and skate shoes increased by 7 per cent in the 12 months through August. In contrast, the sale of high heels and other fashion styles declined by 5 per cent while those of technical performance footwear sales declined by 7 per cent.

Bangladesh has to sell tanned leather at 40 per cent below international rates. This is because of poor compliance and working conditions in the leather sector as well as a lack of certification, which is a must for better prices. Tanners use between 45,000 and 50,000 liters of water to wash a ton of rawhides but the international standard is 25,000 liters. So to begin with tanneries have to produce goods at eco-friendly factories. Safety, health and transport facility for workers need to be worked on. Cold storages need to be set up in different parts of the country so that rawhides can be preserved there for a long time.

The contribution of the country’s leather sector is 0.35 per cent to the gross domestic product and 3.54 per cent to national exports. Exports of leather and leather goods from Bangladesh have rebounded after more than two years due to higher shipments to non-traditional markets. Work orders are expected to further increase after a certification is attained from the global rights body Labor Working Group. The LWG certification is awarded to companies based on points awarded for factors such as treatment and less use of water, solid waste management, chemical use and labor welfare.

Arville has strengthened its specialist capabilities by installing a new wide-width bias cutting machine at its Wether by site. This machine will allow the company to convert its technical fabrics that are woven in tubular form more quickly and efficiently. It will also consolidate Arville’s competitive edge with extra capacity to produce bias-cut textiles for customers, who are manufacturing products and components for demanding and varied end applications in the aerospace and automotive industries.

The Svega Bias Cutter/Winder opens and cuts fabric at a pre-determined bias angle, eliminating the need for end users to carry out the process themselves – minimising wastage, while saving them money and time. It features a pneumatic-controlled fabric pressure bar, electronic fabric bias bars, an easy loading and unloading mechanism, as well as a bow bar for wrinkle elimination.

The new machine follows on from the recent installation of extra rapier looms, with additional looms set to arrive later in the year, totalling an investment circa £1.2 million that will enable Arville to benefit from significant expansion of production capacity.

This machine has a wide-range of reinforcement applications. Bias cutting allows the slit fabrics to drape and form much more easily to the complex shapes of components such as circular hoses and special diaphragms and seals which are employed in the aerospace and automotive industries, and for which they act as critical reinforcements.

"The denim industry has always adopted a laidback attitude with very few innovations in the classic blue jeans. However, the decline of department stores, rapid influx of fast fashion and the rise of athleisure has threatened the stronghold of denim with consumers now being inclined more towards casual and comfortable clothes like stretch and elastic pants."

The denim industry has always adopted a laidback attitude with very few innovations in the classic blue jeans. However, the decline of department stores, rapid influx of fast fashion and the rise of athleisure has threatened the stronghold of denim with consumers now being inclined more towards casual and comfortable clothes like stretch and elastic pants.

New advertising technique and collaborations to attract consumers

One of the main reasons for this is that even in age of avant garde style in the widening fashion markets, denim brands are making the same product for ages. Brands and retailers are hiring the same people to create products making it difficult for consumers to differentiate between the products in the market.

Therefore, to attract millennial and Gen Z consumers, major denim brands need to not only adopt new advertising techniques but also form new collaborations which give their brands a more human feel. A case in point is Wrangler’s partnership with the provocative “Old Time Road” rapper Lil Nas Xwhich helped the brand to align itself with cultural relevancy. The timely collaboration also led to a surge in Wrangler’s stock prices by around 17 per cent. Similarly, Levi’s collaboration with Heron Preston has allowed the company to communicate with a niche market outside its usual customer base.

Though collaborations like these are subject to greater scrutiny than ever before, they provide consumers with wider options to satisfy their need for utility and authenticity.

Constant innovation to counter athleisure craze Another way the denim industry can challenge the growing craze for athleisure is through constant innovation. As G-Star RAW’s Denim & Sustainability Expert Adriana Galijasevic notes, Gen Z shoppers are drawn to fashion brands that demonstrate innovation.

Most brands today are finding new ways to incorporate elasticity in their sturdy denims. Premium denim brand G-Star combines the denim aesthetic with sports functionality via its Ultimate Stretch range which was introduced in 2013. Another innovation that the denim industry is banking on is creation of Smart Clothing. Levi’s recently collaborated with Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects Lab to introduce a new form of wearable technology through Project Jacquard®. The creation of such an article blends the everyday tech used with clothing to create a responsive article that changes how we interact with the world.

The denim brand also championed a new way to make clothes which is undefined by size. It utilises 3D capturing technology in its manufacturing process to engineer a bespoke pair of jeans based on a consumer’s measurements. Though the mainstream adoption of this technology is still a miles away, its a foot in the right direction.

Sustainability gains ground

Sustainability is gaining ground with consumers openly voicing their concerns about fashion’s impact on the environment. They are shunning brands that fail to meet their demands for transparency and sustainability. This is forcing both small and large brands to assume greater responsibility. Coalitions such as the Better Cotton Initiative, which Levi’s is a founder of, are establishing standards for cotton cultivation, fair labor practices and resource conservation, effectively diminishing water usage by 20 per cent.

Brands are also making their supply chains accountable for protecting both their workers and the planet. They are adopting the transparency route to increase brand loyalty. Both Nudie and G-Star provide internal and external transparency reports. This engenders customer loyalty for both these brands.

As the apparel culture continues to evolve with changing generations, the appetite for denim will also shifts in culture continue to fluctuate, alongside the circuit of fads, the appetite for denim will persist. However, in order to maintain their relevance, denim brands need to evolve with advancing technologies besides being environmentally aware.

Europe is the largest buyer of clothing in the world. Imports were up three per cent in 2018. The United States, the second largest importer of clothing in the world, increased its purchases by one per cent last year. Japan, the third largest, raised its imports of apparel by eight per cent.

Despite the current trade uncertainty, the fashion industry continues a clear globalization course. In 2005, the ten largest importers of clothing represented 90.8 per cent of the total purchases in the sector. Thirteen years later, their share has fallen to 71.3 per cent. Europe’s global share has shrunk from 47.3 per cent in 2005 to 38.4 per cent in 2018.

Beyond major global buyers, South Korea, China and Switzerland have been the countries that have increased their imports the most in 2018, registering double-digit advances. South Korea, which takes the fifth position in this classification, raised its purchases by 16 per cent last year. China, on the other hand, increased its purchases by 14 per cent, similar to Russia and Switzerland, which increased their share by 13 per cent. Also, in textile imports, the ten largest players have been losing prominence, going from generating 62.2 per cent of global purchases in 2005 to 54.6 per cent in 2018.

Tukatech has opened a center in Bangalore, offering a complete array of services for fashion design and development, providing the most advanced fashion technology and industry knowledge for any type of apparel customer.

The five-story building designed for collaboration or private meetings offers desks and private meeting spaces. Fashion professionals can take advantage of apparel CAD, 3D virtual sampling, sample cutting, and sewing. A communal micro factory concept will assist in the production of small runs. Startup companies, e-commerce companies, brands, and supply chains can come on to the same platform. The one-stop center offers services such as plotting, pattern making, grading, marker making, and sample making, and through to cut and sew and supply chain guidance. These services will help almost all these companies that need technical services without the need for hiring specialists and purchasing equipment.

Founded in 1995, Tukatech is the garment and apparel industry’s leading provider of end-to-end fashion software and garment manufacturing technology solutions. Tukatech offers award-winning 2D pattern making, grading, and marker-making software, automated marker making software, 3D sample making/virtual prototyping software, as well as garment plotters, and automatic spreaders and cutters for production. The capability of Tukatech’s technology remains unparalleled in the fashion industry.

The uptrend in the China’s nylon market has ended as most plants chose to absorb the higher cost in order to keep their customers. In fact, sales of cloth factories had improved recently. For example, some large jet-spinning plants have a good sales/production ratio of around 200 per cent to 300 per cent last week. However, many fabric plants had large stocks in hand and they were still suffering deficits, since nylon filament prices were falling through the first nine months of 2019.

Many fabric mills were also selling at profit-losing rates in order to transform the stocks into cash. Fabric mills had no intention of procuring more than they needed to. Toward the end of the third quarter, and the usually peak sales month of September, the market remained mild, and plants’ capital flow was generally tight. On top of that, there were no clear signs of an improvement in trade relations between China and the US, since textile and apparel products were still under the additional import tariff list.

Based on the normally weak demand in October, nylon filament yarn plants are more inclined to keep their production going according to sales, and control their inventory to restrict risks when feedstock cost is high.