During ITMA 2019, Cotton & Textile Industries Holding of Egypt announced a major investment deal to facilitate the country’s textile industry. The investment program, facilitated by Brussels-based Werner International, will leverage the prestige of Egyptian cotton to restore Egypt’s textile industry to prominence. The investment is supported by Egypt’s President Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi and the Minister of Public Enterprises Hisham Tawfik.

The total investment of approximately $1.25 billion will be used to modernise spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing, printing and cut-and-sew manufacturing. The investment will occur in phases and includes approximately 780,000 new spindles and 1,250 weaving machines. As a part of the investment, Egypt will construct a new state-of-the-art spinning mill for fine and extra-fine counts that will feature more than 180,000 spindles under one roof. The program will have a major impact on the competitiveness and the success of the Egyptian textile industry in the future.

Sales of KappAhl have slumped by 3.3 per cent in Q3 due to a decrease in the women’s wear turnover. KappAhl is a leading fashion chain in the Nordic region with 380 KappAhl and Newbie stores, including Shop Online, in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and UK. Notably, sales for 2017/2018 totaled SEK 4.8 billion and the company has approximately 4,000 employees in ten countries. For Q3 (March-May), net sales of the brand was SEK 1,200 million compared to SEK 1,242 million achieved during the same period of last fiscal. Similarly the gross margin was down by 3.7 per cent for third quarter and profit after tax too saw a huge fall as it was SEK 6 million compared to SEK 94 million.

It is pertinent to mention here that selling and administrative expenses increased for the quarter, SEK 724 million compared to SEK 680 million.

Inventories at the end of the period were SEK 801 million while in the same quarter of last fiscal it was SEK 692 million. The company claims that the increase in inventories compared with the same period in the previous year is due to poorer sales in the quarter compared with the previous year and to a higher dollar exchange rate, but mainly consists of summer goods that are still in season.

The Economic Times is organising ‘India Licensing Expo 2019’ – India’s largest expo for textile manufacturers and fashion labels from July 08-09, 2019 at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The Economic Times India Licensing Expo 2019 will showcase over 500 global fashion brands and over 3,000textile manufacturers and designers who will come together to explore business, learning and opportunities. Global brands like Femina, Warner Bros., Chota Bheem will also exhibit at the conference.

Apart from this The Economic Times is also organising a leadership forum Labels Conference where customers will know how to launch their own fashion brands from industry leaders like Roberto Bré, CEO Europe & Eastern Operations, Marie Claire – Paris, Anurag Kashayap – Film Maker, Writer and Director, Palash Sen – Singer & composer, Varija Bajaj MD AND CEO, Varija Collections, Rahul Sarangi – Global Head, Content & Business, The Viral Fever (TVF).

The Economic Times Labels Awards extends a credible platform to recognise exceptional work excellence in the Fashion and Lifestyle industry. The awards acknowledge the best in each sphere of internet marketers, animation, VFX and comics character.

The Textile Association (India) is Supporting Association and Journal of the Textile Association (JTA) is a Media Partner.

A seminar at the 26th Hong Kong Fashion Week (HFW) for Spring/Summer titled "New Retail Era: 'Fashion x E-commerce' Strategies", will see industry leaders come together to discuss latest trends in fashion e-commerce and examine how the industry can identify new opportunities amid the global economic uncertainties stemming from the current trade conflict.

Joining the discussion will be Alin Dobrea, Head of Brand Partnerships at Zalora; Eddie Lee, Regional CEO, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, ECMS Express; Edwin Wong, Founder & CEO, Cloudbreakr; and Raymond Yeung, Senior Sales Manager, Publications & E-Commerce Department at the HKTDC.

To be organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 26th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from July 8-11, 2019.

H&M Group’s net sales increased 11 per cent to SEK 57,474 m (51,984) in Q2. In local currencies, net sales increased 6 per cent compared with the corresponding quarter last year.

The group’s gross profit was SEK 31,825 m (29,164). This corresponds to a gross margin of 55.4 per cent (56.1). Its profit after financial items amounted to SEK 5,934 m (6,012). The group’s profit after tax amounted to SEK 4,569 m (4,638), corresponding to SEK 2.76 (2.80) per share. As customer satisfaction and sales increase, the group has intensified its transformation work even further, which had a dampening effect on earnings development.

In April, H&M became the first big fashion brand in the world to provide detailed information concerning the factory and material for individual garments to help customers make more sustainable choices. It also launched its online store in Mexico during the quarter.

Islamic Fashion & Design Council (IFDC) will select the final lineup of global modest designers at Torino Fashion Week 2019 (TFW 2019). The event will be held from June 27 to July 3, 2019 in the historical city of Torino.

Vogue and La Stampa, lead media partners of TFW2019 have noted the final line-up namely Chantique (Dubai), Alice Giani Margi (Italy), Luya Moda (UK), and Coèga Sunwear (Dubai) who are set to showcase their winning blend of great fashion style and modest-enriched pieces. These modest designers will focus on a range of priorities, including sustainability, ethics, culture, value and tradition, and not at the very least great style at the forefront. The dynamic modest collections, ranging from street wear, ready-to-wear, right up to red carpet looks are being lined up and are sure to dazzle the global fashion industry and the attending leading media this year, while the key highlight and attendance will be at the IFDC Awards - where the best designer will be awarded with a free spot to headline at TFW2020.

Participation in the showcases offers a unique take on designs which are ready to be taken to the larger scale in the important industrial city of Torino, where brands are catapulted to new heights. With media coverage both nationally and internationally, the buzz increases year by year.

The product zone of Accessories Vision, to be held from September 25-27 in Shanghai, offers visitors an access to Chinese and international suppliers. Besides other products, the zone also includes options essential for smart branding, such as eco-friendly tags and labels.

Big names like 3M, Avery Dennison, Ideal Fastener and Shimada Shoji will return to the exhibiton alongwith key members of Button & Garment Accessories Industry Chamber New exhibitors include Huashengda Zipper (Cam), from Cambodia and Prime Fastener from South Africa. Other highlighted exhibitors include Hong Kong Bright Zipper & Machinery, Monica Crystal Accessories, U.R.Label & Printing and Wai Hung Weaving Factory, 3M, Mitchell and Mainetti.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has temporarily stopped issuing utility declaration to 51 of its member factories for non-compliance. After nine months of the government instruction to stop providing UD to 142 factories due to slow progress in safety remediation, the trade body recently decided to suspend issuance of UD to 51 factories.

Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments on September 20, 2018 issued a letter to BGMEA and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association asking them to stop providing UD to the factories as the remediation progress in the units was not satisfactory. In the letter, DIFE requested the trade bodies to stop issuing UD to the factories for the next three months to expedite remediation in the units inspected under a national initiative.

BGMEA leaders held a meeting with the factory authorities to find out the problems of the factories in implementing corrective action plans. In the meeting, BGMEA decided to stop issuing of UD to 51 factories for six months and asked the units to made required progress within the time. If the BGMEA stops issuance of UD to the errant factories, it would be a good decision for expediting remediation work in the units.

VF Corp is looking to expand further into China by partnering with Alibaba 's Tmall Innovation Center (TMIC). Having previously used TMIC to develop products for VF brands like Dickies and Kipling, VF Corp is broadening its collaboration with the Chinese e-commerce giant's research and development arm. VF Corp will get access to data on the buying habits of Alibaba’s 654 million customers and use this data to develop products for one of its fastest-growing international markets. In exchange, the Chinese e-commerce platform will be able to exclusively sell the products on its site for a limited time and gain further insights into seller marketing strategies.

Begun originally as an online platform for local businesses, Taobao Mall was subsequently rebranded as Tmall and has become an important tool in getting foreign brands to market in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Tmall is now China's largest B2C e-commerce platform and TMIC has assisted numerous multinational companies in designing products for China.

VF Corp owns a collection of brands that includes The North Face, Timberland, and Vans. VF is now a $11 billion business after spinning off Wrangler and Lee jeans into the independently operated and traded Kontoor Brands. The Vans line of footwear is especially seen as a big opportunity as it has emerged as the second most popular brand for teens behind Nike.

Blue of a Kind has teamed with Candiani for a capsule collection of jeans. Both are based in Italy. Each jeasd in the collection is made from a reworked Candiani sample jean with no additional washes. The line includes three styles for women and one for men. The jean with a rock ‘n’ roll look has become popular with women seeking a true boyfriend fit.

Extending the line to include men’s denim has been part of Blue of a Kind’s blueprint from the very beginning. Additional fits are forthcoming. Blue of a Kind was working on a circular approach to vintage garments and was looking for a chance to extend the reworked garments to include stock and leftover fabrics from industrial production. Meanwhile, Candiani Denim didn’t know what to do with its samples. While Blue of a Kind typically looks for finished garments, Candiani’s samples are usually interesting in terms of nuance and color. The idea to refit them in a Blue of a Kind style sounded great to Candiani and hence the collaboration. By knowing the exact source of the fabrics, the Blue of a Kind and Candiani collection has the added cache of being garments made wholly in Italy.