Leading luxury brand Kering and other industry giants such as Johnstons of Elgin, Eilen Fisher, and DyStar have teamed up with Spiber to launch an initiative to transform the textile industry by creating fully circular textile products. 

These innovative products will be designed to regenerate into Spiber’s Brewed Protein materials at their end-of-life stage, setting the stage for a wholly sustainable lifecycle.

The initiative will involve converting end-of-use textiles and agricultural by-products into fresh materials through microbial fermentation. This will lead to the development of a new breed of fibers perfectly suited for clothing textiles. Goldwin and Pangaia have already been members of the project since June this year. 

The new partners will provide samples for laboratory testing for generating pivotal data, for assessing the impact of different textile chemicals on the conversion process. Spiber plans to compile this data into a comprehensive database that will serve as a guide for industry stakeholders, helping them design products that align with circularity solutions.

At the India-US Trade Policy Forum meeting, Piyush Goyal Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, urged Ambassador Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative to restore its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) status that was scrapped by the former Donald Trump administration in 2019. 

The largest beneficiary of GSP status, India exports goods worth $5.7 billion duty-free to the US in the year 2017. Of these, 1,900 products belonged to the engineering chemicals and textiles sector, noted Goyal.

The bilateral and technological partnership also benefits from the movement of professional and skilled workers, students, investors and business visitors between the two countries, he added.  

Highlighting challenges being faced by business visitors from India due to visa proessing time periods, he requested Tai to augment this processing.

The two delegates also identified future areas for enhanced cooperation between the two countries including critical minerals, customs and trade facilitation, supply chains, and trade in high tech products.

Troung Van Cam, Chairman, Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), says, Viet Nam’s textile exports are projected to rise by 9.2 per cent rise to $44 billion in 2024 from 40.3 billion seen in 2023. 

However, Việt Nam’s exports continue to be targeted by trade protectionism, defence mechanisms, and barriers in multiple countries, adds the Ministry of Trade and Industry. 

To tackle these problems, the ministry plans to initiate more trade negotiations, linkages, and agreements besides promoting FTAs with potential partners such as the UAE and countries in South America, adds Nguyen Cam Trang, Deputy Director General, Agency of Foreign Trade.

The agency plans to encourage companies to utilise FTAs to boost exports and switch to official exports coupled with effective branding; work with localities, associations, and enterprises to expand markets and boost product consumption; and frequently update businesses on changes in export policies and criteria for them to devise strategic production plans, she notes. 

Vietnamese businesses continue to suffer from supply chain challenges and high input prices, opines Dr Can Van Luc, Economic Expert. These businesses need to diversify funding and supply sources, expand their markets, and connect with potential partners, as well as proactively opt for green production, green consumption, and circular economic practices, he adds.

VITAS will help the businesses introduce new measures for sustainable development, markets, human resources, science and technology, and fundraising, adds Cẩm.

Philippines’ exports of textile and wearables surged by 9 per cent to $141.5 million in October 2023 from $130.38 million in the same month in 2022, shows data from the Confederation of Wearables of the Philippines (Conwep).

Exports of wearables including apparels, travel goods and footwear surged by 10 per cent to $118.73 million during October 2023from $108.28 million in the same month in 2022.

However, wearable exports declined by 20 per cent from January to October to $1.11 billion from $1.4 billion in the same period in 2022.

The wearables segment constituted 16 per cent of Philippines’ total exports in the first 10 months of 2023, with textiles holding the remaining 16 per cent at $213.32 million. 

In the wearables segment, apparel dominated with exports worth $588.43 million.

With China buying 6,000 tonne of cotton yarn in the last month and new orders being placed by several large players, the textile industry in Gujarat is on a revival. 

Currently, spinning mills in Gujarat are running at about 80 per cent capacity and anticipate demand to remain steady in the next few months as well. The state has 125-odd spinning mills and with installed capacity of more than 45 lakh spindles.

Jayesh Patel, Senior Vice President, Spinners’ Association Gujarat (SAG), says, Demand in the cotton market in the state has revives as prices have stabilized at Rs 55,000-55,500 a candy. Yarn prices have also stabilised at Rs 235-237 per kg. 

Bharat Chhajer, Former Chairman, PDEXCIL, adds, the improved demand scenario has boosted the purchasing capacity of traders in Ahmedabad. Cotton demand in the state improved as prices gained stability. 

Being held at the Expo Mart in Greater Noida, the 14th edition of HGH India is being attended by over 19,100 visitors from 510 towns and cities across India. 

The event is being attended by participants from 30 countries, including over 100 new exhibitors Showcasing products from 400 manufacturers and brands, the exhibition focuses on home textiles, home décor, home furniture, housewares, and gifts. It serves as a platform for online and offline retailers, distributors, importers, architects, interior designers, and institutional buyers to discover innovative products for upcoming seasons. The trade show allows manufacturers and brands in these categories to launch their new collections, introduce trade schemes, and expand their distribution and retail network in India’s rapidly growing market. 

The 14th edition of HGH India is being supported by the Government of India’s Ministries of Textiles and MSME, as well as the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Furthermore, the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, National Design Centre, North Eastern Handicrafts & Handloom Development Corporation Ltd., and Kashmir Chamber of Commerce collaborated with the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles.

Over its past 13 editions, HGH India has facilitated connections between the exhibitors and retailers, retailers, distributors, institutional buyers, architects & interior designers, and gift buyers from over 600 cities and towns across India, along with 32 additional countries.

The 15th edition of HGH India will be held from July 02-05, 2024 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The event will showcase brands’ Autumn/Winter collections 2024-25. 

Attracting a significant number of Indian and International buyers, the Intex India 2023 exhibition on a successful note. The show attracted visitors from India as well as abroad as it showcased solutions for enhancing domestic as well as international sales. 

The tradeshow provided valuable market insights on emerging trends, innovations, and product expansion throughout the entire supply and value chain. The exhibition allowed visitors to connect with participating organisations to boost their prospects for textile sourcing opportunities both within India and abroad.

The trade show was inaugurated by Shubhra, Trade Show Advisor, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India In the presence of senior representatives from the Vietnam Trade Office in New Delhi, Confederation of Indian Textiles Industry (CITI), Udyog Vihar Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Okhla Garment & Textiles Cluster (OGTC), Karnataka Innerwear Association, etc.

Exhibits at Intex India encompassed a diverse range of textiles, trims, clothing accessories, dyes, chemicals, certification and business consulting offerings. The event also presented prospects for trade and investment in Africa. The exhibition held two special forums, Intex Textile Conclave (ITC) and Interactive Business Forum (IBF). 

Serving as platforms for business leaders and industry experts, the forums allow them to share insights, exchange ideas, explore business prospects, and drive future growth. Theme of this year’s Intex Textile Conclave (ITC), being held in collaboration with DFU-FashionatingWorld, included “Fibres of Fashion: Reimagining the Future of Textiles. 

The next editions of Intex India will be organised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from May 30-June 01, 2024 and in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from August 07-09, 2024.

This year, drought and prolonged heat took a toll on US cotton yields as production dropped to its lowest in a decade. USDA’s cotton yield estimates dropped to 845 pounds per acre in 2023 as against 953 pounds per acre in 2022. The biggest yield 

drop Y-o-Y was witnessed in Texas followed by Florida and California. 

This sharp drop in yield alongwith abandoned acres in West Texas led to US cotton production falling to the lowest in a decade this year.

Made up of 29 agencies and offices with nearly 100,000 employees, USDA is an executive  department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production. It promotes agricultural trade and production, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. 

The Red Sea crisis is delaying the shipments of US retailer Target from India and Pakistan.

The extended transit times being experienced by the vessel operators, as they co-ordinate with shippers to redirect merchandise around the Suez Canal, is increasing both time and costs for Targets. 

Transit times for retailers around the globe have increased with the disruption of trade routes on one of the world’s most important shipping routes. These disruptions have been caused due the attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi militants.

To avoid these disruptions, many retailers are seeking air or rail alternatives to stock up goods.

Target sources its garment products from suppliers in India and Pakistan. These products are typically shipped through the Suez Canal. Most of the retailers’ products are sourced from China. These are shipped directly across the Pacific Ocean to West Coast ports, unaffected by the disruptions in the Middle East.

British luxury fashion house, the Burberry Group aims to achieve its target of £4 billion in revenues by FY24-end. 

The brands’ revenues in Q3 FY24 plunged by 7 per cent to £706 million from £756 million in the same period last year. The decline totaled 2 per cent on being adjusted for foreign exchange fluctuations. 

Comparable store sales of the brand declined by 4 per cent as against a rise of 1 per cent in the same quarter previous year.

Burberry’s comparable store sales in the Asia Pacific region increased by 3 per cent during the quarter. 

However, the brand’s sales in other key markets such as Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) dropped by 5 per cent. Burberry witnessed the largest decline in sales of 15 per cent in the Americas.

Burberry continues to transition to new modern British luxury creative expression which started appearing in its stores in early Autumn. The brand experienced a further deceleration in sales during December last year and expects full year results to be below its previous guidance. However, the brand remains confident in its strategy to its and is committed to achieving its ambition of £4 billion revenue ambition, says Jonathan Akeroyd, CEO.