The safety of workers making clothing for global brands like Adidas and H&M could be at risk if Bangladesh's Supreme Court moves orders a factory inspection mechanism set up by European fashion labels to shut down. The government has shown a shocking level of unreadiness to take over from the Bangladesh Accord — signed by about 200 major brands and unions after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster — including Clean Clothes Campaign.

Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment producer, is capable of monitoring the country's thousands of factories through its Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC), which is currently responsible for the safety of 745 factories.

Worker safety has come under scrutiny in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza factory collapsed, killing about 1,100 people, and putting big brands under pressure to ensure their products are responsibly sourced.

The Supreme Court is considering an appeal by the Accord against a ruling last year which ordered it to shut down, following a petition by a factory owner who was prevented from working with Accord brands and accused of false test results. None of 745 factories under the government's RCC inspectors has eliminated high-risk hazards — such as lockable exits that could trap workers during a fire — identified at least three years ago.

The Clean Clothes Campaign report said that Accord had banned 114 critically unsafe factories from supplying its signatory buyers, but half of these facilities remain open under the government's inspection program.

American Apparel’s latest women’s jeans styles include a non-stretch cropped wide leg jeans, a super skinny jean with two-way stretch, a stretch pencil jean and a button flare jean. The brand’s core item, 100 per cent cotton high-waisted mom jeans, are offered in an array of vintage-inspired washes like rainbow wash, pink tinted wash and marble blue wash. The women’s assortment also offers high-waisted cuffed shorts, a button-front A-line mini skirt and an American Apparel signature—denim hot shorts—in sizes XS-XL. For men, American Apparel offers skinny, slim and straight fit jeans in classic light, dark and black washes.

American Apparel first introduced denim to its line-up of US-made basics in 2011 using similar 14 oz. 100 per cent cotton fabrications that’s prominently featured in the new collection. Other brands offering extended size ranges include DL 1961, Reformation and Forever 21.

American Apparel at one time underwent a series of setbacks, including the removal of its controversial founder Dov Charney from his CEO position and bankruptcy in 2014. Gildan Activewear acquired the company in 2017 and relaunched the brand the following year with a message that emphasizes on quality and comfort.

Accounting for over 82 per cent of total global retail ecommerce sales, the top five retail ecommerce markets will reach roughly $3.563 trillion this year. These markets will represent more than 85 per cent of worldwide retail ecommerce sales by the end of 2022.

Topping this list will be China, whose retail e-commerce sales will grow over 30 per cent to reach nearly $2 trillion in 2019. The second spot will be occupied by the USA, whose retail ecommerce market will reach $600.63 billion in sales. The UK sales will reach $137.08 billion while the retail ecommerce sales growth in Japan and South Korea will increase by 4.0 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively.

The current share of each of these countries' is influenced by their growth in exports, as well as heavily entrenched methods for online payments—Alibaba with Alipay in China, Amazon with high credit card use in the US, and Rakuten with Rakuten Pay in Japan. Additionally, the continued expansion of luxury goods being sold online has played a supporting role.

Factors driving growth in each country

Driven predominantly by increasing use of online shopping in rural areas and rising income, China, with 55.8 per cent, has the highest share of ecommerce retail sales worldwide. This is partly due to its large population (1.4 billion) and the explosive growth of middle class. The country’s ecommerce landscape is dotted with powerful pure-play etailers like Alibaba and JD.com, as well as traditionally offline players such as Suning and Gome.

High-performing retail ecommerce categories like computer and consumer electronics as well as apparel and accessories drives growth in the US e-commerce market. This year, computer and consumer electronics will account for 21.7 per cent of total retail ecommerce sales. Apparel and accessories category will increase 20.4 per cent to $122.76 billion. By the end of the forecast period, computer/consumer electronics and apparel/accessories will reach $190.31 billion and $181.20 billion in sales, respectively.

The UK sales growth will be driven by Amazon’s burgeoning presence in the country’s neighboring markets. The platform's sales will ultimately benefit overall consumerism in the UK. Prime will be at the core of Amazon’s European expansion. As per Periscope by McKinsey, more than half internet users in Italy, Germany and the UK have a Prime account as of July 2018.

With 4.0 per cent growth, Japan will be the smallest of the top five retail ecommerce markets, largely because of the country's slower domestic demand from its aging population. However, the country’s increasing exports are likely to push retail e-commerce growth.

With domestic demand-based limitations similar to those in Japan, South Korea can expect continued growth in exports to its Southeast Asian neighbors. This will occur as incomes rise in these countries and buyers become more comfortable with online shopping.

Ecommerce will thus continue to represent higher and higher share of retail spending as rising incomes will to fuel online shoppers’ appetite for more expensive goods.

The global viscose staple fiber market is growing at a CAGR of 5.79 per cent. Viscose staple fibers or artificial cotton fibers are natural and biodegradable. These fibers are obtained from wood pulp and cotton pulp, which share the characteristics of cotton fibers. These are versatile and easily bendable fibers and have a wide range of application in apparels, home textiles, home furnishings, dress materials, and woven and knitwear.

One of the factors driving market growth is the growing demand for apparels and clothing. The rising demand from the textile and apparel, non-woven, and specialty manufacturing sectors has also hugely attributed to the growth of the market. Woven segment dominates the global market with a 80 per cent share. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 65 per cent market share. Asia-Pacific, the largest market for woven fabrics, is witnessing a healthy growth due to the increasing demand in countries like India and China. Small regions, such as Bangladesh, have witnessed an increase in population and living standards, driving up demand for knitted fabrics. China is the largest producer and consumer of viscose staple fiber in the world. The country accounts for 65 per cent of the total world production of viscose staple fiber.

US exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were up 5.4 per cent in 2018. Investment in fiber, yarn, fabric and other non-apparel textile product manufacturing was up 79 per cent compared to 2009, when industry production began a slow turnaround.

With its productivity, flexibility and innovation, the US textile industry has cemented its position in the global market. The United States is especially well-positioned globally in the fiber, yarn, fabric and non-apparel sewn products markets. It is the second largest individual country exporter of these products. Shipments to the countries of former North American Free Trade Agreement and the Central American Free Trade Agreement account for 47.5 per cent of textile supply chain exports. The US textile industry’s commitment to capital re-investment and a continued emphasis on quality and innovation makes it well-positioned to adapt to market changes and take advantage of opportunities as 2019 moves along.

Employment in the textile and apparel supply chain rose in 2018 as compared to the prior year. This came even though factories have become more automated, and many jobs have been converting to technology-oriented positions sometimes not even classified as textile or apparel jobs from more hands-on spots like sewing machine operators.

Heimtextil will take place in Germany, January 7 to 10, 2020. This is a trade fair for home and contract textiles. Amsterdam-based Stijlinstituut is conceptualizing and implementing the trend book at the trade fair. Over two days, on March 20 and 21, 2019, trend researchers brought together the relevant trends from architecture, interior design, fashion and art and discussed their impact on home and contract textiles. Particularly striking this year was the broad range and wealth of inspirations and exemplary projects, which, despite their apparent diversity, combined to form a coherent overarching trend story. Stijlinstituut Amsterdam will use the result achieved together to determine five design orientations over the coming months that will be staged in a tangible way for the industry and illustrated by products presented by Heimtextil exhibitors.

Heimtextil trends 20/21 will be supplemented by a materials library that will present innovative, sustainable materials and demonstrate their specific potential for the industry and interior design. The Heimtextil trend book, which will be available from September via Heimtextil, and the high-quality trend space during the fair will provide concrete illustrations of the trends with regard to themes, colors, materials, textures and patterns.

UK retailer Marks & Spencer aims to increase the proportion of its Fairtrade, organic and recycled sources of cotton to 25 per cent by 2025. The company recently reached its goal of sourcing all of its cotton from non-conventional sources. Majority of the retailer’s cotton is now sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative, while the remainder is a combination of organic, Fairtrade and recycled cotton.

M&S moves comes at a time when there is a growing debate around cotton and, specifically, what constitutes sustainable cotton. M&S is switching away from the use of conventional cotton due to concerns about its environmental impact and, particularly, excess water use. M&S can take between 10,000 and 20,000 litre of water to produce 1kg cotton, depending on where the cotton is grown.

The Crafts Council of India (CCI) will organise the 34th edition of the textiles and accessories show in Chennai on April 5 and 6. The two-day event will see participation by some of the country’s leading brands, designers, and artisans in the textiles and accessories segment that will be showcasing their collections at the event.

The show will feature saris, dupattas, made-ups, blouses and stoles created by Vivek Narang, Avni Bhuva, Eachaneri Designs, Kapaas Kolkata, Sifat Banaras, Roha, Mura Collective, Blue Lotus, Buna, M.A. Sarees, Palash and Arjun Chouhan, among others,” Iyer added.

CCI was founded in 1964 by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and works together with a network of 9 State councils to promote traditional Indian craft across India.

Woolworths Group will shut about a sixth of its loss-making discount department stores over the next three years. These Big W shops which sell items like clothing, camping gear, kitchen appliances and televisions have been a drag on Woolworths' profitability since their falling profits in 2014 turned to mounting losses three years ago.

The division has been in turnaround mode since, without gaining much traction. According to investors, the announced exit from 30 stores at a cost of A$270 million ($192 million) illustrates both missteps along the way and the toughness of the market According to research firm IBIS World, compared with about 20 per cent for Big W, first-half earnings of the group slipped at previously outperforming rivals, Kmart and Target, which are owned by Wesfarmers and have a market share of nearly 50 per cent.

The division lost A$110 million in the 2018 financial year - less than the A$150.5 million it lost a year earlier. Woolworths expects the loss to narrow further this year but also flagged a A$100 million non-cash impairment owing to the gloomy outlook.

Australian start-up BlockTexx teamed up with The Queensland University of Technology to create a technology to separate polyester and cotton materials such as clothes, sheets and towels of any color or condition. The innovative process yields ‘high value’ raw materials of polyethylene (PET) and cellulose suitable for ‘all industries’.

The recovered PET is polymerised to create virgin-quality “S.O.F.T.” branded rPET plastic pellets and polyester fibre. These may be used in textiles, packaging as well as building products. The recovered cellulose is processed to create cellulose powder that may serve textiles, pharmaceutical and food applications.

BlockTexx aims to recycle and reuse more than 10 000 tonnes of polyester and cotton from Australian post-consumer garments each year. This could reduce CO2 emissions by over 15 000 tonne. Also, the BlockTexx method could reduce the energy used in production by over 50 per cent.