Domestic demand for cotton in Iran currently stands at 120,000 to 130,000 tonne per year in Iran. Around 50 per cent of this, 60,000 tonne -65,000 tonne are expected to be produced domestically as the country aims to become self-sufficient in cotton production within the next six years.

As reported by Fars News Agency, around 86,880 hectares have gone under cotton cultivation this year, which is a 23 per cent increase year-on-year.

The main provinces producing cotton in Iran are Golestan, Khorasan Razavi, Ardabil and North and South Khorasan.

Iran was once an exporter of cotton, besides meeting its own domestic demand. But the situation changed, as land under cotton cultivation in the country declined by 75 per cent from 300,000 to 70,000 hectares during 2001-16.

Japanese firms are scaling up investment in Vietnam’s textile and garment sector. Japanese company Matsuoka produces casual apparel in Vietnam to be exported to Japan and China. Matsuoka Corporation first set foot in Vietnam in 2014. It mainly produces apparels for Uniqlo to be exported back to Japan. The company has chosen Vietnam for capital injection and production expansion in recent years to take advantage of the opportunities anticipated to be brought by new-generation free trade agreements such as the EVFTA and the CPTPP. Matsuoka has three plants in Vietnam with one more coming up. The firm’s medium-term business plan intends at minimising its dependence on China by nearly 50 per cent by March 2021 by shifting its focus to Vietnam from China, where production costs are on the rise.

With around 30 plants in operation, Sakai Amiori, another Japanese company, has opened an export apparel production plant. The plant finished construction in April 2017 and now sees stable production and exports.

The influx of foreign direct investment continuing to flow into export-oriented sectors like textiles and clothing has the dual benefits of helping to boost the sector’s capacity and turning Vietnam into a global manufacturing base.

CII’s recent study ‘Indian Exports: The Next Trajectory - Mapping Products and Destinations; has listed women’s wear as a product category to focus on to help increase Indian exports. Other products highlighted for their export potential in the study include furniture and drugs. The CII report suggests developing export strategies at a state level to tailor the strategy to the specific region. The study also suggested that domestic production must be increased whilst targeted promotions are simultaneously rolled out overseas. This sentiment is echoed by the government’s “Make in India” drive which calls for an increase in domestic production, notably for textiles and garments, in order to reduce imports and increase exports.

This export strategy assumes greater significance given a rapidly changing global trade landscape, shifting of global value chains and new free trade agreements, including mega trade agreements.

Meridian Specialty Yarn has opened a yarn and fiber dyeing plant in the US. This is the first such plant to be built in the United States in over two decades and the only textile manufacturing plant of this type in North America. The plant offers a broad number of traditional capabilities, from chemical treatments to dyeing to a combination of the two. It also offers new capabilities that have the potential to revolutionize some aspects of the US textile industry. It utilizes next-generation technology, machines, controls and robotics. The facility now also provides the only tow-dyeing capacity in the United States. Until this summer, all producer-dyed acrylic tow was imported from outside US borders. In this and other ways, Meridian is opening the door to a new world of possibilities for other companies within the US textile supply chain.

The technology gives Meridian the capability to process every dyeable fiber in various forms, including yarn, tow and top. This is very unusual in the dyed yarn world. It enables chemically treating or dyeing all fiber substrates, ranging from cellulosic and animal fibers, to polyester, nylon and dyable aramids. The company is now in a position to source from all over the world, from every type of textile fiber, supporting a wide array of end uses.

The Australian wool market is starting the season with nervousness. Chinese textile mills have been scaling down buying orders and processing activities since April. Domestic shoppers in China, who consume half that country’s processed wool, are spending less, and European and North American demand has also slowed this year leaving mounting stocks of unsold product in wool’s pipeline.

At the very least, wool growers should expect a volatile year ahead. Woolen mills have adopted hand-to-mouth buying strategies to avoid being caught with too much raw stock or processed textile lines, while tightening supplies from Australia’s shrinking flock would exacerbate the trade’s price volatility and supply pinch points.

Today’s Australian wool clip is just one third its size in 1990 while the national sheep flock is the smallest since the mid 1920s. Wool’s longest running price surge since the 1980s has finally encountered consumer resistance and slower buying orders in May and June. Consumer resistance has coincided with economic uncertainty in Europe caused by Brexit and a slowing German economy, and processors had grown increasingly wary of the China-US trade war’s consequences. Facing a drought, the wool industry’s biggest problems in the years ahead would revolve around longer term wool supply. Average yield is at its lowest point in eight years because of the drought’s impact on fleece quality.

The Connect Fashion Global initiative aims at solving circularity’s transparency challenge by creating digital infrastructure to enable data sharing across the apparel industry’s value chain. The vision is for brands to attach a physical identifier to each garment, which will link to its digital identity or twin on the web, when scanned. This will include detailed information on an item’s bill of materials, authenticity, product details, dye process, manufacturing location, recycling instructions and anything else a brand might want to communicate down the value chain. A garment will be scanned during its life, creating a digital passport or record of its movement along its lifecycle.

The project’s founding partners include: Target, H&M, Microsoft, Waste Management and PVH Corp. Access to an item’s digital twin would reduce the time it takes to renew a product and get it available for sale. In other words, resale will be cheaper and easier than it is now with the help of an end to end connected system.

From growing re-commerce market to innovative new approaches to prototyping, textile dyeing, material selection and recycling, the circular opportunity for apparel is beginning to take shape. However, despite improvements across the apparel value chain, a truly circular system will require alignment and connection between these disparate projects.

Italy hosted beachwear event Maredamare from July 20 to 22, 2019. This is a beachwear, accessories and underwear trade fair. It involved the participation of the best brands of beachwear, swimwear, kaftans, accessories, home wear and underwear. Each edition the trade fair exhibits brands from the mid-high and high-end segment. It is the only Italian salon in the beachwear and underwear sector. Different types of pre-set booths were available to satisfy every need, from the pre-equipped basic stands to the special stands for small businesses, young designers and accessories. This edition had over 250 brands, of which 60 were new entries. There were bar areas, shows and hidden courtyards for people who together represent the beach world.

Maredamare’s mission is the development of beachwear and underwear sector in the Italian market. Maredamare has always been sensitive to environmental protection. This year it decided to contribute to the preservation of Mediterranean species. The show included training workshops held by professionals of the sector, and a first-class fashion show schedule: collective fashion shows and personal fashion shows. In this edition, the collaboration between Maredamare and Nilit Fibers was renewed with a dedicated fashion show that marked the launch of the experimental Sweet Sour collection, designed by Isabella Storani and realised with fabrics made with Sensil.

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) expo will be held in the US, from October 1 to 4, 2019. This will exhibit industrial and specialty textiles. IFAI expo serves all aspects of the industry, and highlights segments targeted to specific markets including specialty fabrics, advanced textiles, smart fabrics, shade and weather protection, military, marine, geosynthetics, and fabrics structures, among other markets. Numerous education and networking opportunities await attendees on and off the show floor including focused, deep-dive classroom sessions; campfire sessions; and interactive networking designed to help attendees connect and thrive.

The show floor will feature a diverse array of exhibitors as well as equipment workshops and education demonstrations. The Advanced Textiles Conference will focus on aerospace, medical, safety and protective, smart fabrics and fabric advancements. IFAI will again recognize new and innovative products and services. The annual International Achievement Awards - judged by industry experts, editors, architects, educators and design professionals — will honor innovation, technical skill and design excellence. In addition, the four Student Design Competitions sponsored by four IFAI divisions will recognize student talent in advanced textiles, awning and canopy, fabric graphics, and fabric structures. Among other attractions are the creative costuming workshop, one of the world’s largest laundry facilities, and central shops, the engineering services location where skilled craftspeople build set pieces and attraction vehicles.

Lakshmi Machine Works’ total income was Rs 480.55 crores in the period ended June 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 618.54 crores in the period ended March 31, 2019. Net profit was Rs 10.47 crores for the period ended June 30, 2019, as against Rs 35.68 crores for the period ended March 31, 2019. EPS was Rs 9.80 for the period ended June 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 33.40 for the period ended March 31, 2019.

Total income was Rs 480.55 crores during the period ended June 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 668.71 crores during the period ended June 30, 2018. Net profit was Rs 10.47 crores for the period ended June 30, 2019, as against Rs 49.67 crores for the period ended June 30, 2018. EPS was Rs 9.80 for the period ended June 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 45.35 for the period ended June 30, 2018.

This machinery manufacturer has launched a slew of new products, including the new draw frame, higher capacity carding machines, longer ring frames, and new compact systems. The new Drawframe LDF3, Card LC636, Ringframe LR9/SX and the new Compact System SPINPACT have been well accepted in global markets.

India, China and Japan are major apparel export destinations for Bangladesh.The country’s garment exports to Japan are up 28.90 per cent year on year. The reasons for the continuous rise in garment exports to Japan are its China Plus One strategy adopted in 2008 and its zero-duty benefit to Bangladesh as a least developed country. Japan is keen to reduce its dependence on China. The China plus one policy promotes shifting of production from China to other nations such as Bangladesh. Currently, nearly 80 per cent of the demand for apparel by the Japanese is met by Chinese manufacturers. Similarly, garment exports to India are up 79.09 per cent year on year. Since 2011 Bangladesh has been enjoying duty-free benefits in India, which has prompted international retailers that have a presence in India to source directly from Bangladesh for their stores.

Garment exports from Bangladesh to China are up 29.33 per cent year on year. China, the largest garment supplier worldwide, has been turning into a major export destination for Bangladesh as it looks to shift to production of more sophisticated and heavy items. Furthermore, Bangladesh exporters enjoy duty-free access for 4,721 products including garments.

Asian markets are closer to Bangladesh geographically, which ensures shorter lead time – crucial in the era of fast fashion.