American imports of suits from January 2022 to September 2022 grew by 105 per cent.

Of total suit imports, US imports from China grew by 158 per cent year on year. Suit imports from Vietnam and Indonesia grew by 148 per cent and 216 per cent. Suit imports from India grew by 93 per cent. And imports from Bangladesh grew by 142 per cent.

All through the pandemic and afterwards, suit was the product category that took most of the beating in apparel markets as people were staying at home and weren’t spending much on formalwear.However, the situation isn’t gloomy anymore for suit manufacturers. Bangladesh has ventured into suits and blazers. The country has been exporting winter wear to the developed world for around 30 years. Eighty per cent of the products made by the country's export-oriented apparel factories were for long limited to some traditional items like blankets and sweaters generally made of cotton.

Germany tops the countries that import large volumes of winter clothes from Bangladesh. Others are Europe, the US and Australia.Suits and blazers occupy a major slot in this list. They are viewed by manufacturers as highly promising value-added products. Apart from the traditional readymade garment sector, specialised tailoring houses are now engaged in making suits and blazers for export destinations.

The global high-performance textile market is growing at nine per cent a year.

Growth in the global high-performance textile market is expected to be driven by increasing demand for advanced textiles offering excellent combinations of quality, functionality and physical properties for innovative and diversified high-tech applications to cater to various end users and consumers.

New trends such as 3D technology in high-performance textiles, increasing demand for premium cars and adoption of safety features in the automotive industry, new product developments in protective clothing and increasing awareness about sustainability are further expected to provide opportunities for the market to grow in the coming years.

Advances in high-performance textiles in the sports industry, technological advances in the manufacturing of high-performance textiles and the growing demand for high-performance textiles in aerospace and defense are the demand drivers for the global high-performance textile market.

However, the high cost of production and scarcity of skilled labour are some key restraining factors for the market.Performance Textiles, Toray Industries, High-Performance Textiles GmbH, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc, Baltex , DuPont, Freudenberg Performance Materials, Hexcel Corporation, High Performance Textiles are some of the leading players in this segment, who are coming out with innovative products that are a smart blend of fashion and functionality.

The global sportswear market is growing by six per cent a year. The rising demand for comfortable yet stylish apparel is driving the sports wearables market growth.

During the lockdown, consumption has increased even more. Besides, its use while playing sports and exercising, this comfortable apparel can be worn at and off home. Demand for joggers, hoodies, and sneakers has increased in large numbers and varieties by adults and children. The footwear segment holds a market share of 33 per cent. This is attributable to increased sports activities worldwide and growing awareness about various fitness programs.

Women’s involvement in sports such as basketball, football, athletics has increased over the years. This is expected to drive the sportswear market growth in upcoming years.

North America holds the highest global sportswear market share. This is because of the thriving recreational industry in the region. The US recreational sector revenue accounts for two per cent of its GDP. Additionally, the number of students inclined towards sport is rising.Asia Pacific too is expected to experience significant growth. Major sportswear companies are striving to maintain their position by focusing on facility expansion and acquisition.

Key players are adopting proactive strategies such as partnerships, mergers, and collaborations to favor the market’s growth in the upcoming years.

Cambodia’s apparel exports in the first ten months of 2022 rose by 18 percent. Exports of apparel and clothing accessories (knitted) earnings surged 16 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Exports of apparel and clothing accessories (not knitted) increased by 25 percent.

Export figures of October 2022 slumped due to sluggish demand from the global markets. Exports of knitted apparel and clothing accessories dropped 24 per cent in October 2022 from the same period in the previous year. Shipment of non-knitted apparel fell four per cent in October 2022. On the other hand, Cambodia’s knitted or crocheted fabric imports during January 2022 to October 2022 were four per cent higher than imports in the same period last year.

Similarly, manmade fiber imports rose by 12 per cent from January 2022 to October 2022 when compared with January 2021 to October 2021. Cotton imports fell one per cent. The US is Cambodia’s largest export market, accounting for over 40 percent of Cambodia’s total exports. Apparel, footwear, and travel goods make up most of US imports from Cambodia and employ over one million Cambodians, mostly women.

Top US exports to Cambodia include vehicles, animal feed and digital services.

Indian apparel exporters are having a presence at International Apparel and Textile Fair, Dubai, November 28 to 30, 2022.

The aim is to showcase the best of India’s apparel designs and styles in line with the latest fashion trends in a wide range of traditional cotton and manmade fiber garments. Indian exhibitors are displaying organic, sustainable products, men’s andwomen’s sweatshirts, pants, night suits, blouses, jerseys, pullovers, men’s and boys’ trousers, women’s dresses, skirts, trousers, leggings, petticoats, loungewear, active wear, wind jackets, bras, baby garments and clothing accessories, shawls, scarves, mufflers, recyclable and ethnic garments.

The fair opens huge business opportunities for UAE clothing brands to source from India considering the strengths of the Indian garment industry in terms of the variety of raw material availability right from cotton, jute, silk, viscose, nylon, acrylic with abundant in house production. India is the second largest supplier of readymade garments to the UAE just after China. The UAE has traditionally been the topmost trading partner for Indian garment exports.

With the signing of the UAE-India CEPA agreement giving duty free access to Indian garment exports this share is expected to increase further. After having established itself in traditional garments, the Indian apparel industry has now moved on to diversifying itself into newer areas of manmade fiber garments.

Cotton production in India is either declining or stagnant. So says the RBI. Production in Andhra Pradesh declined from 2.508 million bales to 1.6 million bales in fiscal 2020-21. Production has increased in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.Gujarat’s cotton production has declined from 8.617 million bales to 7.212 million bales.India’s total cotton exports were estimated at four million bales in fiscal year 2022.

India’s cotton exports account for ten per cent of the total global export. In fiscal year 2021, India’s cotton exports were worth $6.3 billion, with production hitting 352.5 lakh bales. India’s cotton exports this year may fall short of estimates. Export enquiries are poor as Indian cotton is more expensive compared with world cotton prices. The season started with very poor opening stock. Arrivals are not picking up as expected and domestic mills are gradually increasing capacity utilization. Cotton arrivals in November usually surpass 1.5 lakh bales a day. At present, it is at 1.3 lakh bales a day. In several areas, sowing and harvesting have been delayed. Further, farmers are waiting for prices to improve. Prices are down 35 per cent already. So farmers are not selling cotton. But there are no signs that prices would improve either.

Made in Bangladesh Week was held from November 12 to 18, 2022, organized by BGMEA. The event highlighted the progress of the Bangladesh apparel industry in safety and sustainability in recent years.

The industry is now focusing on optimum use of resources, including making a shift from the linear to the circular model of business as Bangladesh’s apparel industry generates about 440 million tons of pre-consumer waste every year. Awards were given to the country’s apparel design talents both in the professional and student categories.

Bangladesh’s policy makers, apparel manufacturers, buyers and stakeholders were given a platform to discuss the stories of transformation and progress in workplace safety, workers’ well-being, environmental sustainability and innovation, and to decide the ways forward for the sustainable development of Bangladesh’s apparel industry. Bangladesh is setting up 100 economic zones in different parts of the country, for which local and foreign investment will be encouraged. Made in Bangladesh Week provided industry stakeholders across the world an opportunity to see the take off of the apparel industry as Bangladesh continues to pursue new areas of expansion, manufacturing excellence and sustainable growth. The event ended with a collective promise to attain equitable growth.

India’s free trade agreement with Australia is expected to come into force from January 2023.

The agreement will provide Indian exporters duty-free access to the Australian market in sectors including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery. Labor-intensive sectors which would gain immensely include textiles and apparel, a few agricultural and fish products, leather, footwear, furniture, sports goods, jewellery, machinery, and electrical goods.

Under the pact, Australia is offering zero-duty access to India for about 96 per cent of exports (by value) from day one. This covers many products that currently attract four per cent to five per cent customs duty in Australia.India has got visas for Indian chefs and yoga instructors and also got a commitment that every child going to study in Australia will get an opportunity to work there depending on the level of education.

The pact will help farmers growing grapes for making wine to explore more business opportunities in Australia. The wine industry has welcomed it wholeheartedly since it will help attract investments. There are 6000 farmers in India who grow grapes for wine purposes. Australia has also approved an amendment to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, a move which would help the Indian IT sector operating in that market.It would stop the taxation on the offshore income of Indian firms providing technical support in Australia.

• Intex India – The Leading International Textile Sourcing Show in South Asia

• Exhibitors from 10+ countries across South Asia, South East Asia, China, MENA Region, the EU, Central Europe, the USA and Central America

• 125+ Leading Manufacturers from around the world and India

The 10th edition of Intex India, one of the premier International Textiles Sourcing Show of South Asia, will be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from December 8 to 10, 2022 with the sole aim of powering India’s growing textile industry.

India is one of the world leaders in textiles andas the world’s fifth-largest exporter for apparel, home, and technical textile products, Indiaholds a key position in the global value chain.

At the same time, India is also one of the faster-growing domestic textile consumption markets, expecting growth at 8% CAGR to reach $100 billion by 2026thanks to the rising penetration of products driven by increased purchasing power. This is a good sign for India’s textile producers as the growing domestic market provides an ample boost to production prospects.

India is now the global hub of opportunities for the textiles and apparel industrywith a number of strong positives going for it. The positives include a favourable global supply chain stressing the need for ‘China Plus One’ strategy. With other regional countries having a narrow bandwidth given their limited geographic size, India can build a strong global position by leveraging its relatively large strategic depth, play to its strength in fabrics by positioning India as a regional fabric hub,increase focus on MMF to gain increased share in global MMF products and emerge as a strong manufacturing alternative in the global value chain.

Taking this forward in a concrete manner, Intex India will enable businesses to explore trade opportunities with leading Indian and overseas suppliers via joint ventures, trade deals and cross-border investments across exhibiting categories including Fibres, Yarns, Apparel Fabrics, Denim Fabrics, Clothing Accessories, Dyes & Chemicals, Software & ERP Solutions, Design Studios, Testing Equipment & Compliance Solutions, Textile Allied Services, etc.

The Indian government has also geared up to support the industry through the launch of numerous key initiatives, such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, MITRA (for world-class infrastructure in mega textile parks), providing subsidies such as the Remission of Duties and Taxes on the Export Products (RoDTEP) Scheme to exporters, and removing anti-dumping duty on key MMF raw materials.

This focus on textiles by the Government bodes well for the industry’s future.With targeted actions from government and industry players, India can gain a leading edge on the global stage.

Intex India has been organised with the sole purpose to accelerate this growth by supporting it through a strong business platform. To further strengthen industry, Intex India will see the presence of international suppliers from China, Korea, Thailand, Belarus, Italy, USA, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka,Bangladesh& others.

In a bid to boost export-oriented domestic manufacturing, the Indian Government has been pursuing free-trade agreements with several partners – both bilateral and regional – which include the UK, Canada, the GCC, Bangladesh, Israel, European Union, and Southern African Customs Union.

Trade deals have already been reached with the UAE and Australia enabling India’s exports of textiles and apparel to these countries.Once FTAs with the other countries are signed, India will truly become the supplier of textiles and textile products to the world.

The future of the Indian textiles industry looks promising, supported by strong domestic and global demand. Intex India looks to supplement these positives by empowering industry players to explore new business opportunities, forge worldwide connections and stay up-to-date with contemporary developments.

Featured exhibitors at Intex India includeReshaMandi, Alok Industries, Reid & Taylor, Lukshmi Yarn Impex, Sky Textiles India, Ginza Industries, Texperts, FASHiNZA, Orsha Linen Mill (Belarus), Changzhou Wushuang Textile (China), M & F Company (South Korea), Baeksan Jacquard Co., Ltd (South Korea), Preview In Daegu (DGTIA) - South Korea, Egypt Cotton Association (Egypt), Pantone (Hong Kong) and Italtex (Italy).

This year, Intex India would also be organising the renowned Interactive Business Forum (IBF) Seminar Series and ‘Trendz Now’ –the colour, fabric and fashion forecast showcase alongside Intex India, thus creating a premium and complete B2B international textile trade & sourcing platformmaking Intex India the annual calendar event for South Asia’s Textile & Apparel industry.

Intex India is supportedby the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Indiaand also supported by the Ministry of MSME, Government of India as well as by apex chambers from India and across the world.

Intex India is the gateway to the dynamic markets of India and South Asia, making it one of the must-attend events in the textile sourcing industry.

For more information, you can call on +91 9820028359 or write on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Weak consumer demand and the slowing down of private investments are the main reasons behind the global slowdown which is pulling down India’s export figures and industrial activity, according to the Union Budget 2023. Catching up to pre-pandemic levels is not a walk in the park for the apparel and garment industry as the country’s growth is expected to be lowered for the fiscal 2023-24.

Lower industrial activity and exports affects GDP

As per CRISIL’s recent ratings, India’s GDP growth will be lowered to 7 per cent in fiscal 2023 and then further to 6 per cent in fiscal 2024 as global growth slows down. Monetary policy tightening and a general weakening of growth momentum in Western countries have affected India's slowdown in exports and volatility in foreign portfolio investment inflows. Merchandise exports have come under pressure and some other services exports such as related tourism and money remittances are also facing the brunt.

India’s export segment, particularly non-oil - has been sharply hit with a slowdown since July 2022. The country’s exports to the US are only 0.4 per cent in September versus 28.7 per cent in June while to the European Union (EU) it is 2.8 per cent versus 38.9 per cent. India’s exports will also see further weakening income prospects in the labour-intensive manufacturing segments of textiles and gems and jewellery.

“The hit to industrial activity could intensify in fiscal 2024, as aggressive rate hikes in the US and the EU reach closer to consumers. Yet, rising domestic demand in some pockets has been partially cushioning industrial activity. For instance, robust government Capex is supporting manufacturing growth through higher demand for infrastructure and construction-related goods," says Dharmakirti Joshi, Chief Economist at CRISIL.

Although demand for household goods helped by services catch up and government Capex is holding up this year, it will flatten out and moderate next fiscal year. Consumer non-durables have been recording their sharpest decline in growth among major IIP components since March 2022.

Hike in domestic demand will boost growth

To add to the misery, agriculture production was impacted by unusual weather conditions this year which ruined rural income prospects. The heatwave in March-May damaged the wheat crop at harvesting stage, which was followed by delayed rains that affected the sowing of rice crop. Then finally, excess rains in October hit several Kharif crops at the harvesting stage.

Currently, the RBI has raised the policy repo rate by 190 basis points (bps). Although the repo rate is higher than the pre-pandemic level of 5.15 per cent, it is still lesser than 6.50 per cent peak reached in 2018 during the last rate hike cycle. However, this will change soon "as transmission increases, higher borrowing costs could take some steam off from the current strength in domestic demand," says the CRISIL report.

Stronger domestic demand to drive growth

However, there is an emerging light at the end of this tunnel as stronger domestic demand is predicted to drive India’s growth premium over peers in the medium run. Investment prospects look good with the government’s Capex push, the progress of Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, better corporate balance sheets, and a well-capitalised banking sector with low nonperforming assets. India benefitting from China-plus-one policy as global supply chains get reconfigured and private consumption playing a supportive role in raising GDP growth over the medium run will also be helping this change.

Although the Union Budget 2023 predictions state that India’s growth will slow down in the next two years, industry analysts are in hope that pre-pandemic growth levels will return after a mild recession downturn next year, as after all, there is always a rise after a fall in the development process of just about anything in life.