Copenhagen Fashion Week was held January 31, 2023, to February 3, 2023.

The event was home to fall/winter 2023-2024 collections that mixed denim with colorful outerwear, unique knitwear and monochromatic sets.

Double denim looks with a medium wash were all the rage in collections by Munthe, Rabens Saloner, and Skall Studio. Slouchy bottoms were typically paired with a relaxed button-down shirt or Trucker jacket. Opera sport went darker with its workwear-inspired shacket and trouser jeans.Dual-gender brand (Di)vision continued to focus on reconstructing denim garments.

A maxi skirt was upcycled from a pair of jeans.Rainbow-colored stitching added a youthful touch to carpenter jeans. The brand also brought back Y2K styling by pairing a belted tunic-length knit tank over ripped bootcut jeans.TG Botanical took a similar approach to styling by layering a denim tube dress over bootcut jeans. A denim corset top paired back to a maxi skirt. Though brighter shades of indigo were present, these pieces stood out for their brown- and green-tinted washes.Spray-paint effects colored Wood Wood’s grunge-inspired range. Alpha’s deconstructed approach spanned cuffed denim skirts to religious-themed coordinates embellished with clear crosses and pieces that mimicked a nun’s habit. A bodice with corset-inspired seaming broke up the long line of Gestuz’s long-sleeve denim dress.

Global apparel retailers are now realizing that what you see is not always what it seems and are seeking to verify the authenticity of their products from supply sources to protect themselves from fabric mislabelling and fraud. Many premium brands are implementing strict regulations and monitoring processes throughout their global manufacturing process to put an end to the mislabelling of a garment that claims to be what it is not.

Fragmented supply chains create confusion on garment labelling

The complex and fragmented supply chains of global brands sometimes rely on just a literal paper documented trail although each step in the chain is happening in a different country or factory which is helping to evade responsibility and mislabel garments. The Textile Fiber Rule requires that certain textiles sold in the US carry labels that specify the generic names and percentages by weight of the constituent fibres in the product, the manufacturer or marketer name, as well as the country of manufacture.

US retailer Target severed ties with textile manufacturer Welspun India in 2016 after realizing that over 750,000 bedlinens such as sheets and pillowcases were fake and mislabelled as Egyptian cotton and they were not the pure long- and extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton after all.

Further on, the Cotton Egypt Association estimated that 90 per cent of global supplies of Egyptian cotton in 2016 were actually fake. Not just Egyptian cotton, recently in 2020, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) opined around 20,000 tonnes of Indian cotton had been incorrectly certified as premium organic cotton which translated to a sixth of the country's total production. A famous silk brand from Vietnam also owned up that over half of its silk was inferior silk from China. Animal rights activists supported several British retailers in 2018 who withdraw their faux fur winter garments which were found to be from actual dead and skinned animals. Even synthetic fabrics such as polyester fabrics are mislabelled as over 60 per cent of those claiming to be from recycled plastic bottles with lower carbon footprint were made from virgin plastic.

High-tech tracing technology to verify authenticity

There is always a gap between how much fibre is naturally produced globally and how much brands and retailers actually use in their finished products. The brands sometimes themselves don't know exactly where the fabric in their products comes from as only a third of the top 100 apparel companies track their supply chains.

As Crispin Argento, MD, The Sourcery point out there are indicators, from self-reporting of various fabric mills, spinners, farmers, brands, that the vast majority of cotton that is presented to consumers as organic is not, in fact, organic cotton. The Sourcery is an Amsterdam-based company for helping brands source organic cotton direct from growers- in a news report.

The way forward is for brands and retailers to focus on using tracing technology to verify the authenticity of their products and the first step would be to map out the whole supply chain. Companies must build large provenance databases to ensure each product's fingerprint is truly unique. Manufacturers may go have to go out and get soil samples from all the different major cotton farms in the world to build up these tracing systems. While forensic tracing methods like isotope analysis tend to work well with natural materials like cotton, silk and wool, they cannot trace synthetic materials which are mostly oil-based.

With a typical supply chain in the textile industry being very complex, with seperate facilities in different countries that complete each step in the process, fabric mislabelling and fraud is not an easy segment to tackle. However, the hundreds of hands that an item passes through before it comes into the consumer's hands are now being authenticated and the passing the buck on days may just be numbered.

Soorty’s new denim collection highlights the value of design and emphasizes Soorty’s commitment to making quality clothing.

Soorty, one of Pakistan’s largest vertically integrated denim companies, launched this collection in partnership with Lycra, Lenzing, Marmara Hemp and Jeanologia.

The capsule collection brings fiber innovation and bright laundry together and utilizes fabrics woven with the conscious fibers from Lycra, Lenzing, Marmara Hemp as well as recycled cotton that is produced in Soorty’s state-of-the-art recycling facility. The laundry and finishing was conducted by Jeanologia technologies such as G2 Dynamic and Laser. Focused on small-scale, and to-the-point production, the collection highlights that the route to circularity and sustainability is made possible when working collectively and producing responsibly.

Jeanologia provided the technologies, innovations and machineries that helped process both the fabric produced and the garments sewn together. Two sets of the collection were produced, with one finished by Soorty in Pakistan which owns a laundry set up that ensures lowered impact and responsible innovation while the other set was finished by Jeanologia. The impact of each piece was measured to ensure that each garment of the collection secures environmental and social safety. To tie in the main goal of transparently communicating sustainability, the supply chain partners attached labels to each garment where consumers can review not only what goes into making them but also how they were treated.

Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics will be held in China, November 6 to 8, 2023. This is a global textile show.

The aim is to help industry players tap into market recovery and regain international orders. The fair provides a platform for exhibitors to showcase their latest products to quality buyers from across the globe.The previous fair welcomed over 880 exhibitors from eight countries and regions, while there were over 42,000 visitors from 26 countries and regions.

Intertextile Shenzhen is the best place to meet influential buyers and trend-setters, including some of south China’s leading garment manufacturers. China’s fastest growing city has designs on becoming a global fashion capital. Shenzhen is now home to over 2,500 clothing brands.

In the first three quarters of 2022, the city’s garment exports increased by nine per cent year on year. Notably, there was a sharp rise in exports to Asean countries, the UK, and the US.As China has removed pandemic restrictions for inbound travelers, its textile industry is on track to benefit.

The Chinese textile market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of over five per cent from 2020 to 2026. Despite the challenges facing the global economy, China’s textile industry aims to return to its pre-Covid business results.

Knitwear accounts for more than 55 percent of Bangladesh’s total garment exports.

In the 1980s, woven garments such as shirts and pants were the main export products of Bangladesh. At that time, the share of woven garments in total exports was more than 90 percent. After that, the capacity of knitwear is also created in Bangladesh. Gradually, the participation of woven and knit garments in the total exports was equalized.

However, this picture has changed in the last decade.More than 80 percent of the products exported from Bangladesh in the world market are readymade garments. These are basically divided into two categories based on type—woven garments and knitwear. Generally, T-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, trousers, joggers, shorts are called knitwear. On the other hand, formal shirts, pants, suits, denim jeans are known as woven clothes.

The use of casual wear has started to increase since the Covid period. Also, the demand for people’s everyday clothes is also increasing. Most of these clothes are knitwear. Besides, the demand for manmade fibers is increasing in the international market, most of which is knitwear. As a result, the overall demand for knitwear is increasing in the global market.

For the third quarter Grasim’s profit fell by 50 per cent. The company was hurt by a slowdown in demand for some products it sells, including a key material used in various kinds of clothes.

The profitability of the company’s viscose staple fiber business, which comprises over half its standalone revenue, was impacted due to lower exports, higher input costs and lower utilisation levels. Revenue for the segment fell by nearly five percent. However demand for caustic soda--a key product of Grasim’s chemicals segment--remained robust. The company’s chemicals business is its second largest division. Total revenue from operations rose by seven percent during the quarter. However Grasim struggled with increasing expenses, led by an almost 18 per cent increase in cost for power and fuel on the back of rising global coal prices.

Grasim, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, produces viscose staple fiber, viscose filament yarn, advanced material, linen yarn, and fabrics. The business is working on plans to add new chlorine value-added products in the portfolio to increase the chlorine integration levels.

The India-centric demand for viscose staple fiber remained largely intact but value chain partners for the global markets have started witnessing the impact of recessionary conditions.

Itema’s new rapier weaving machine, the R9500, is dedicated to denim. The machine is equipped with iSaver, a mechatronic device capable of completely eliminating the waste selvedge on the left-hand side of the fabric thus leading to significant cost savings and reducing waste, contributing to sustainable denim weaving.

iSaver is already successfully installed in many leading denim mills worldwide and represents a real interesting added value for weavers who deal with western brands which are more and more looking at a green and sustainable production chain for the fabrics they buy.

Itema is a leading provider of advanced weaving solutions, including weaving machines, OEM spare parts and integrated services. Itema has positioned itself as a reliable partner – and not only a simple supplier – for textile companies, providing advanced weaving machines along with a real-time after-sales service, highly professional training for weavers and integrated textile consultancy.

Itema is uniquely positioned in the market to offer textile manufacturers the top three weft insertion technologies – rapier, airjet and projectile -- OEM spare parts, upgrade kits, and a dedicated online shop for the historic brands now part of Itema – Somet, Sulzer, and Vamatex – in addition to highly professional training in six worldwide locations.

Denim fabric majors in India are facing a fall in revenues. Slowing demand in major export markets following the Russia-Ukraine war and relatively muted domestic demand coupled with volatility in cotton prices have eroded their profits.

The dent in export markets is hitting the industry hard. Units heavily dependent on exports tend to be affected as the denim demand has nosedived since the war began. Cotton price fluctuations are another key reason for the declining demand for denim fabric. Since Covid denim fabric prices have gone up by an estimated 30 per cent due to a hike in cotton prices. So whenever prices rise garment manufacturers stop procuring fabrics from denim mills as passing on costs isn’t possible.

Soon after the lockdown, when domestic demand took a hit due to consequent waves of Covid and subdued discretionary spending, exports provided a cushion to many denim majors whose revenues thrived. But higher cotton prices have affected denim manufacturers’ competitiveness. When demand is low, competitive prices help companies gain orders.

However, with Indian cotton remaining expensive, it is difficult for Indian denim companies to compete against Chinese counterparts as cost of production increases. However, in the fourth quarter, as cotton prices have begun stabilizing, denim majors are optimistic about a revival in domestic demand.

Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month displayed the potential of sustainable fibers from banana to pineapple.

Held each January, the event highlights awareness of local fabrics and collaboration between industry players and research institutions to promote innovation in clothing production.

This year’s highlight was a fashion show aimed at boosting commercial production of indigenous tropical fabrics woven from silk as well as natural fibers drawn from plants such as banana, pineapple and abaca.

Now a decade old, the exposition is geared towards farmers, handloom weavers of natural textiles, retailers and millers, and the producers of uniforms of various types. Fashion and innovation meshed together during the event when office uniforms, designed by local artisans and made from tropical textiles spun out of natural fibers, got an airing.

The Philippines pioneered textile production in southeast Asia. Large-scale textile manufacturing began as early as 1906. But changes in global trade, preferential policies, lack of technical knowledge and investments saw the garment and textile industry’s export value drop. But the country remains competitive in the mid- to high-end market mainly for its prized embroidery and intricate design capabilities including handwoven fabrics made with indigenous fibers.

The industry is experimenting in areas such as new natural dyes, which replace toxic chemicals in the processing of textiles.

For the third quarter Garware’s net sales decreased by 11 per cent. Profit before tax decreased by nine per cent. Net profit after tax decreased by four per cent. EPS for the third quarter fell by four per cent. The current quarter results were impacted due to delays in orders from customers in the industrial and sports businesses on account of recessionary pressures in Europe and the US.

Customers adjusted stocks in the third quarter significantly. But the company expects this to be short term in nature and will get corrected from the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. There was an offset to some extent by strong order flows from Chile and Scotland. The aquaculture business is focused on our new innovative products like X18 and CFR. These products are allowing customers to benefit from operational savings which would otherwise be difficult.

Garware has been able to maintain margins during the current quarter and expects that to continue. The company looks forward to a better fourth quarter with current visibility. Garware Technical Fibers,a manufacturer of technical textiles, caters to various segments like aquaculture, sports nets, agriculture, geotextiles etc. through a diverse range of netting products, ropes, coated fabrics and others.