Fabric manufacturer Cantiba has launched three new denim fabric ranges. The manufacturer announced the launches during the “Canatiba Denim Experience”, which took place online on August 19. Gathered in four technological groups, the fabrics provide an answer to the demands of a consumer market searching for clothing with comfort, safety, respect for the environment and economic performance.

The ‘Smart Denim’ line is focused on fabrics with functional properties. The innovation is due to the antimicrobial technology, applied to the “Molly” model, which reduces the need for washing and extends the life of the clothing.

‘Tecno Comfort’ invests in form with technology that offers comfort and a perfect fit to the body. The “Megaflex” line brings together stretch fabrics that provide comfort in the most diverse shapes and pieces in denim.

Finally, “Éko” invests in sustainability, with fabrics produced through ecologically responsible processes, with a mix of sustainable, recycled and certified fibers in their design. Among the line launches is Madruga Streech Éko, with ecological dyeing, free of aniline.

In addition, the company expanded the color palette of its best-sellers, fulfilling customer orders.

COVID-19 has compelled the fashion industry to focus on the environment. In the last few months, the industry has set up several standards-setting bodies and working groups like Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Leather Working Group to improve its carbon footprint. However, these groups are likely to make a bigger impact if the industry agrees to certain common goals, says Brian Ehrig, Partner-Consumer Practice, Kearney.

The three goals for a green recovery include: redefining sustainability to allow for its objective measurement; amplification of R&D capabilities for material innovation and circular capabilities; and the adoption of digital-first practices across the value chain. Unfortunately COVID-19 has affected many fashion innovators. A study by Fashion for Good says, the pandemic has affected business development and financing of fashion innovators. It has halted many pilot projects, with 54 per cent innovators facing financial constraints.

Maxine Bédat, Founder, New Standard Institute, advises the industry to solve its sustainability problems by disclosing the carbon footprint of suppliers, setting public targets for reduction and reporting on progress.

A unified vision to circular economy

For long, industry groups have been uniting stakeholders across the apparel and footwear industries. However, these groups have separate visions for achieving a circular economy post COVID-19. The Sustainable Apparel launched the Policy Hub in May 2019 in partnership with the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry and Global Fashion Agenda, it aims to soon submit its final proposal for a green recovery plan to the EC and member states, after drawing on responses from organization members and interested individuals.

Before the pandemic, there was a year-on-year improvement in measurable sustainability progress of more than 500 facilities, reveals Higgs Index. However, COVID-19 impacted through canceled or suspended orders, said a SAC and Boston Consulting Group report in April. According to Amina Rava, CEO, SAC, two key needs that have emerged from the pandemic are: access to funding to reinforce sustainable practices, and an opportunity to integrate sustainability as a foundational part of rebuilding the industry.

In response to an appeal by EU environment ministers for the European Green Deal, a “green recovery alliance” was formed in April with 180 signatories across sectors, including fast-fashion giant H&M Group, furniture retailer Ikea Group, consumer goods company Uniliver and, nonprofit think tank The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The informal initiative is led by Pascal Canfin, a member of the European Parliament’s committee on environment and public health. The campaign calls for making the fight against climate change the core of economic strategy with emphasis on resilient, protective, sovereign and inclusive principles.

An end to green-washing

The campaign also calls for the establishment of green recovery investment packages at local, national and EU levels that would help a country transition to a climate-neutral economy protect biodiversity among other things. In these campaigns, the EU plans to include a comprehensive strategy for textiles and sustainable products that will strengthen extended producer responsibility and clear up strategy on the unintentional shedding of microplastics.

The proposed initiative will also end green-washing by stepping up EU’s regulatory and non-regulatory efforts. It will also empower businesses to promote sustainable textiles to consumers and offer reuse and repair services. Over 1.2 million citizens globally have joined campaigns advocating a green recovery in Europe, says the European clean transport campaign ‘Transport and Environment’. April research from Kearney also shows that 48 per cent of consumers are now more concerned about the environment than they were at the start of the pandemic.

Sports apparel has gained a lot of traction in Bangladesh with increased health awareness and fitness activities among consumers. Growing demand for trendy and fashionable sports apparel both among adults and kids is expected to drive future growth of the sportswear market in Bangladesh. Leading sportswear brands in the country are developing suitable and comfortable products like jersey, trouser, sneakers, sweatshirts, jacket, coat, hoodie, jogger, shorts, sports bra, leggings, etc. Shoppers’ demand for eco-friendly options is driving Nike, Adidas to use recycled leather, plastic, and plant-derived materials in making sportswear items. Bangladesh also outsources sports attire. The country has been selling good quality sports apparels at cheap rates to global buyers for the last 30 years.

Grabbing a slice of the pie

Besides jersey, Bangladesh supplies several types of high-end functional sports and activewear for different renowned football, cricket, badminton, golf clubs in the USA, EU and other countries. As per BGMEA, the country exported about $100 million worth of goods for the 2018 World Cup football. Recently, Mondol Group exported 20,000 pieces of jerseys for a Hummel buyer. The group is currently negotiating for 1.5 lakh sports item order worth at $1 million for Tottenham supporters, said Mahadi Hasan, Assistant Merchandise Manager, Alim Knit BD (Mondol Group).

Similarly, the Envoy Group has invested Tk 500 crore in Gazipur on 50 bighas of land to produce specialized garment items, including sportswear, wind jackets, swimwear. DBL Group, Youngone Group, Viyellatex Group, Epyllion Group, Windy Group, AJI Group, Mondol Group and hundreds of millers in the country are vying to grab a share in the country’s sportswear market. In 2019, leading German sportswear brand Puma entered Bangladesh in collaboration with the DBL Group. Sportswear brand Decathlon has also set up an outlet in Dhaka. To increase incomes of local citizens, Bangladesh industry experts are encouraging more foreign brands to open outlets in the country

Addressing the shortcomings

Advanced technology and relevant technical skills make Bangladesh a leading sportswear market. However, the country needs to improve its product innovation and design. Also, it has huge textile mills for manufacturing different types of woven and knit fabrics. However, they lag due to insufficient synthetic thread supply. As BTMA reveals, Bangladesh has 425 spinning mills but only 5-6 of its spinners can produce synthetic yarn. Hence, the country is forced to import synthetic yarns and fabrics, especially from China.

To reduce import-dependence, Bangladesh needs to set up more manmade yarns and fabric mills by using existing set up of the latest machines and manpower with proper training. Even though Bangladesh is the second-largest garment exporter, it has little presence in global sportswear market. On the other hand, China and Vietnam continue to dominate the market. The Bangladesh government needs to take up a project to build a specialized sportswear making zone in the country.

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has been asked to represent the industry on the new trade advisory group (TAG) to the Department for International Trade (DIT) for British Manufacturing and Consumer Goods. UKFT will provide knowledge and insight of the needs of the UK fashion and textile industry to inform the UK negotiating position.

This assumes significance as UK's trade talks with countries including Japan, the US, Australia and New Zealand are likely to intensify in the coming days. Separately, UKFT is also representing the industry to the group negotiating with the EU. This will bring business closer to the negotiating table and help secure the best possible deals that deliver jobs and growth across Britain. UKFT’s talks with Japan, the US, Australia and New Zealand are entering their crucial latter stages. Hence, it needs to step up engagement with vital industries to utilise their technical and strategic expertise.

UKFT is preparing its own updated guidance for members on trading with Europe after the end of the transition period, covering changes to tariffs, import and export documentation, labelling and more.

The Taiwan Excellence Functional Fabric Online Press Conference showcased the latest technologies in functional fibers and eco-friendly solutions. Hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event featured presentations from five of Taiwan’s leading functional fabrics companies – including Singtex Industrial Co, Sun Own Industrial Co (ATUNAS), Asiatic Fiber Corporation, Toung Loong Textile MFG and BenQ Materials Corporation.

The winners of the Taiwan Excellence Award demonstrates excellence in R&D, design, quality, and marketing. The symbol of Taiwan Excellence was established in 1992 by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Taiwan Excellence Selection was launched the following year. The selection is based on the specific criteria of R&D, quality, design, and marketing. Products that have been selected for the Taiwan Excellence Awards serve as exemplars of domestic industries and are promoted by the government in the international market in an effort to shape the creative image of Taiwanese businesses. This year marks the 28th selection, making the Taiwan Excellence symbol a prestigious distinction for enterprises in Taiwan to strive for and be recognized by, as it is highly thought of around the world.

Retail-led mixed-use assets developer and operator The Phoenix Mills plans to acquire at least three malls in the next 9-12 months including a large Greenfield project in Kolkata, discussions for which had already started prior to the pandemic. Last week, the company raised Rs 1,100 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) taking its cash position to Rs 1,920 crore.

These acquisitions--both new or brownfield projects--are expected to be in the range of 7 lakh to 1.2 million sq ft each and will be driven by the company’s stated strategy to emerge as a dominant consumption center in the market.

Currently, the company has a total 7 million sq ft gross leasable area across 9 operational malls in 6 cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. Except Chennai, all other malls of the company have started operations post lifting of lockdown by various state governments. In addition to this, around 5 million sq ft gross leasable area is under development that will take its portfolio to 12 million sq ft by 2023-24.

Known for its large format retail malls, Phoenix Mills is looking at markets including Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Gurgaon for these acquisitions apart from a few micro markets in Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Bengaluru.

Orta has designed its Here4Good collection with an interactive, collaborative “kit” packed with the information and tools to interact with ORTA’s eco-innovation advancements and “built to last” vision.

Designed to engage Orta’s denim brand partners with the eco-smart concepts, the kit is digitally integrated for a seamless online and offline experience that delivers a heightened sense of touch—emotional, social and physical—in today’s extraordinary business climate and contactless social interactions. The kit also introduces ORTA’s new members-only website, where partners can access inspirational trends, innovation insights, environmental impact assessment and high-definition visual assets for the Here4Good collection.

The kit is created in a modular form consisting of six different boxes, one for each concept: Immortalist (with resilient tech and durability); Gen H (with eco-goodness of hemp); Stretch Spectrum (extreme performance); Blu Narratives (renewed modernity of Orta’s vintage); Bio Awake (next evolution of biodesign); and the overall Here4Good narrative.

Itematech is exhibiting at CINTE Techtextil China from September 02-04 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, Shanghai. Itematech is the brand-new technical division exclusively dedicated to producing weaving machines for the benefit of technical fabrics weavers launched in 2019 by Itema, the Italian leading global provider of advanced weaving solutions, including best-in-class weaving machines, spare parts and integrated services.

During CINTE Techtextil, the Itematech team will concentrate in showcasing the company’s strong offering for technical fabrics weavers. Itema says it is uniquely positioned to offer technical textile manufacturers the top three weft insertion technologies – positive and negative rapier, airjet and projectile, in what is the most comprehensive portfolio on the market today for technical applications.

Apparel retailer Gap reported a surprise 13 per cent rise in quarterly comparable sales as consumers stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic bought more of its Old Navy and Athleta clothing online.

Its same-store sales rose by 13 per cent, compared with analysts’ forecast of a 20.97 per cent fall, according to IBES data from Refinitiv - Gap Inc. People working or studying from home have been stocking up on comfortable “stay at home” clothes including fleece and activewear, boosting demand for the company’s budget-friendly Old Navy brand, athleisure label Athleta as well as Gap clothing.

The San Francisco-based retailer oubled its e-commerce business for the quarter ended Aug. 1, with about 50 per cent online penetration, and added about 3.5 million new customers.

While the company expects demand for the two brands to fuel sales, it plans to close over 225 unprofitable Gap and Banana Republic stores globally as a part of its restructuring plan.

The back-to-school season, one of the busiest periods for the company, could extend longer and Gap is ready with the “right assortment” for kids whether they are learning at home or in a classroom.

Ongoing travel restrictions around the globe have led the organizers of denim trade show Kingpins to cancel its 2020 China City Tour show in Guangzhou and Hangzhou. The show was originally slated to be held from September 2 to 4, 2020. Other than for the cancelled Kingpins Amsterdam and New York editions earlier this year no other Kingpins24 digital event has been planned for the Chinese market this time.

The Chinese market is interesting to Kingpins and the global denim market. However, the organizers don’t have the technology or capacity to produce a digital event for China just yet, said Vivian Wang, Managing Director and Head -Global Sales. The organizer is exploring the same not just for China but also for the whole word.