Phase 3 of the 125th China Import and Export Fair (Canton fair) is on from May 1 to 5, 2019. It has gathered nearly 5,000 exhibitors from the areas of textiles and garments, shoes, cases and bags, recreational products, medicine and healthcare products and food. In addition to showcasing Chinese manufacturing, the Canton Fair also strives to introduce leading international brands into the Chinese market. This edition features Gohar Textiles and Cotton Empire from Pakistan, the century-old houseware brand R.L. Khanna and Shiv Shakti Exports from India, and companies from the Turkish textile and apparel center Denizli.

In response to an expanding market and the continuously evolving tastes of consumers, top Chinese textile and garment companies are not only offering high-quality products but also actively pursuing customization and the development of new techniques.

Tianshan Wool Tex, the leading Chinese cashmere brand and exhibitor, known for its creation of a new-standard in Chinese cashmere, has maintained its competitive edge by tailoring production techniques to different countries’ consumption habits. Hebei Bailixin, China’s leading home textile manufacturer, which produces a total of 3,200 tons of a variety of towels annually, exports to 34 countries and regions in southeast Asia, Europe, North America and Japan.

Lectra cemented its position as a fashion industry opinion maker by leading a discussion on new consumer behavior at a fashion event in France, April 10 to 11, 2019. More than 75 industry insiders and market experts from 14 countries convened for two days to examine how the digital age is bringing about major shifts in consumer behavior. The keynotes, live demonstrations, and customer testimonials highlighted the importance of process digitization and data analysis for meeting new consumer needs. Beyond just understanding the new fashion consumer, the event stressed the importance of leveraging data to deliver customer-centric services and products. Lectra presented their responses to this challenge in the form of two new major solutions, Kubix Link and Fashion on Demand by Lectra.

Kubix Link, a cloud-based platform that has the combined capabilities of PLM, PIM and DAM, enables companies to deliver the ultimate product experience through unparalleled collaboration powered by data. Attendees were treated to a live demo of Fashion On Demand by Lectra, the industry’s first end-to-end personalization solution. They saw how a data-driven, automated on-demand production process from order reception to final cutting stages can deliver garments customized according to consumers’ specific demands.

Lectra’s offer empowers brands manufacturers and retailers, from design to production. Founded in 1973, Lectra has 32 subsidiaries across the globe, serving customers in over 100 countries.

International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) held an event in Italy from April 9 to 11, 2019. The event combined Italy’s rich wool heritage with the latest research and developments in wool applications. More than 320 delegates, representing all stages of the global wool textile pipeline, attended the annual three-day event. The program highlighted developments in wool traceability, transparency in the supply chain, and research on wool’s contributions to health and wellness, but sustainability took center stage.

Beginning with Woolcool’s presentation on how wool insulation provides more stable climate control for international shipment of vaccines, a session devoted to health and wellness also featured research into the ways in which wool baselayers provide a more stable microclimate for eczema sufferers. The session concluded with a presentation of NASA’s rigorous studies testing the merits of different fibers for the conditions of life in space, along with Armadillo Merino’s occasionally graphic footage of the consequences of omitting wool baselayers from next-to-skin clothing for tactical operators and professionals performing in high risk environments. Other sessions covered wool market intelligence.

The third day was hosted by Benetton while a visit to the Marzotto Group, a global leader in the production of high quality fabrics for men’s and women’s clothing, provided insight into one of the biggest users of fine wool.

The European Union region as a whole remains a leading producer of both textile and apparel. Production is almost equally divided between textile manufacturing and apparel manufacturing. Southern and western EU where most developed EU members are located such as Germany, France, and Italy account for nearly 80 per cent of EU’s textile manufacturing. Of the EU’s total textile output, the share of non-woven and other technical textile products increased from 20.2 per cent in 2011 to 23.2 per cent in 2016.

Apparel manufacturing in the EU includes two primary categories: one is the medium-priced products for consumption in the mass market, which are produced primarily by developing countries in eastern and southern Europe, such as Poland, Hungary, and Romania, where cheap labor is relatively abundant. The other category is the high-end luxury apparel produced by developed western EU countries such as Italy, UK, France, and Germany.

In western EU countries, labor only accounted for 21.1 per cent of the total apparel production cost in 2016, which is substantially lower than 30.1 per cent back in 2006. This change suggests that apparel manufacturing is becoming capital and technology-intensive in some developed western EU countries, which could be the result of increased investment in automation technology.

Suspension of trade privileges is a key external risk that could negatively impact Cambodia’s economic prospects this year and slow export growth. This is true especially of Cambodian textile and footwear exports. If buyers stop buying products, Cambodia will lose hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Buyers say the labor and human rights situation in Cambodia is posing a risk to trade preferences for Cambodia and that trade privileges could be suspended. In February, the European Union announced the launch of a six-month monitoring period to determine whether Cambodian exports should continue to enjoy tax-free entry into the European market under the Everything But Arms scheme. A similar measure was proposed by the US.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ignored international criticism of his rights record and shrugged off the risks of losing markets in Europe or North America. Apparently China has expressed willingness to help Cambodia in part through additional investment in the country. Foreign companies, concerned over Cambodia’s rights record, have made it clear they will not stop now until their demands are met and until Cambodia improves its human rights record. They say Cambodia exhibits a declining respect for labor standards, including freedom of association, and other issues.

VF Corporation has become a signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. In signing the charter, VF Corp furthers its commitment to global climate advocacy and engagement and joins more than 40 fashion and apparel industry companies in the shared pursuit of net-zero emissions by 2050, among other specific targets.

The Fashion Industry Charter was launched in Poland in December 2018. Signatories work as individual organizations and collectively through six working groups to advance commitments that include reducing their aggregate greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030; analyzing and setting a decarbonization pathway for the fashion industry; supporting the movement toward circular business models and acknowledging the positive impact this will have toward reducing GHG emissions within the fashion sector; and establishing a dialogue with governments in key countries to enable renewable energy, energy efficiency and the necessary infrastructure for a systemic change beyond the fashion industry.

Climate action is a central pillar of VF Corp’s sustainability strategy. In 2015, the company announced its goal to use 100 per cent renewable energy in all owned and operated facilities worldwide by 2025. VF Corp is working to establish science-based climate targets with the goal to announce them later this year.

Sustainability has become an element of brand value. But luxury brands in particular seem to be so focused on logistics and supplier transparency that they’ve overlooked vulnerabilities in customer experience and perception, and thus loyalty. Leading brands of the future will be those which successfully redefine luxury in the context of sustainability.

Packaging is just one example of how retailers and brands send mixed signals. Last year British fashion label Burberry dealt with the problem of unsold seasonal inventory by burning it. The aim was to prevent its products from ending up discounted on the secondary market. The luxury market has some catching up to do. It can’t be done well by the usual trial and error method, introducing new products and packaging and waiting a year to measure the results. Technologies exist to test new ideas, to avoid committing capital on hunches. For now, retailers at all levels should be paying more attention to the point of customer contact, whether it is online, unboxing, or in a store.

All retailers and brands will do well to put time, money, and vigor into creating a more practical and authentic approach to sustainability, one that customers can see and touch, and which they can feel good about when making purchase decisions.

Imogo’s Dye-Max system promises to eliminate the consumption of fresh process water, waste water, energy and chemicals by as much as 90 per cent compared to conventional jet dyeing systems.

The Dye-Max has a working speed of up to 50m/min with the practical speed determined by the fabric weight and application volume. Its application unit consists of a closed chamber containing a series of spray cassettes with precision nozzles for accurate and consistent coverage in combination with the patented Imogo pro speed valve that controls the volume to be applied. The chamber is equipped with an exhaust system and droplet separator to ensure that the environment around the unit is free from particles. The spray cassettes are a key part in the Dye-Max line. There is one set of spray cassettes for each of the three separate dye dispersion feed lines and they can be easily exchanged without the need for tools in less than a minute. This allows for extremely fast changeovers between different colors without the need for cleaning. And because the spray cassettes are removable, all maintenance can be performed off line. After applying the dye dispersion the fabric is rolled onto a shaft and moved to the autoclave for deep dye fixation via heat and pressure.

HanesBrands’ net sales for Q1 has gone up eight per cent. GAAP operating profit increased one per cent. Adjusted operating profit increased two per cent. Adjusted EPS increased four per cent. Total company consumer-direct sales, defined as brand retail stores and all online business, increased 16 per cent in the first quarter. E-commerce sales increased for each of the innerwear, activewear and international segments.

The company’s debt leverage at the end of the quarter was 3.5 times adjusted ebitda, down from 3.9 times a year ago. The company continues to expect the leverage ratio to decline to 2.9 times by the end of the year, which is within the company’s target range. US innerwear segment sales decreased three per cent in the first quarter. Operating profit increased three per cent with the operating margin improving 130 basis points to 22 per cent. Sales of innerwear basics increased nearly two per cent. Sales increased for underwear, socks, and shape wear, while the company’s bra turnaround initiatives are continuing. Sales of innerwear in the online channel increased six per cent.

US activewear segment first quarter sales increased 17 per cent and operating profit increased 14 per cent. Operating margin declined 30 basis points.

Last fiscal year, Bangladesh apparel exports to the European Union rose by 10.58 per cent. Now the EU wants Bangladesh to move towards an environment-friendly production process to reduce the negative impact on nature. The downside of rapidly changing fashion trends is massive waste and a negative impact in terms of carbon footprint. Sustainability in terms of environment and labor standards can ensure market access to the EU.

Bangladesh has seven out of the ten green factories in the world but needs to continue development and innovation to remain in position as a global leader. Technology can further advance the country’s apparel industry.

Sustainability is crucial for Bangladesh and an important component of getting trade facilities from the EU. Apparel makers are creating products which are biodegradable and not hazardous to the environment. Research and innovation can accelerate productivity without compromising on the environment and use of global natural resources. To remain a top choice as an apparel sourcing destination, Bangladesh is looking for even more environment-friendly production options. After Bangladesh’s graduation from LDCs status to developing country, continuous market access to the EU is essential if the current exports are to be sustained. EU markets are very important for Bangladesh as 64.12 per cent of its total apparel exports goes to these markets.