Despite surging COVID-19 cases, Vietnam's apparel exports are expected to rise by 7.4 per cent this year to $43.5 billion as factories continued production. The country recently lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions as it expects a milder impact on the garment and textile industry owning to a high vaccination rate, says Troung Van Cam, Vice Chairman, Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association.

Vietnam does not intend to impose new lockdowns despite recording 31,800 new COVID infections as most of its apparel workers have now being vaccinated. The country has managed to restrict supply chain disruptions due to its flexible policies to tackle the pandemic and restore business. The tourism ministry has proposed fully reopening the country to foreign tourists from March 15, three months earlier than planned.

Cotton on Kids has partnered with Cotton Australia to launch a new range that recognizes the quality of Australian-grown cotton and consider it among the best and most sustainable in the world. As per a Textile Today report, the kid’s wear brand has committed to using quality Australian cotton to produce more than four million items of children’s clothing. It tells stories of two cotton farming families from Emerald in Queensland’s Central Highlands regions.

The new range launched by Cotton On Kids features cotton grown in the brand’s backyard. The brand is a perfect match for Australian cotton as it has a long-term plan to grow yarns and fabrics sustainably by trusted farmers.

Besides that, Aaron and Carly Kiely along with Laine and Lucy Thomson, and their children, will feature in a series of in-store and online promotional material connecting consumers with where their cotton clothing started out in the field.

Revenue of US footwear company Crocs, are expected to touch $6 billion by 2026. The company’s revenues grew by 66.9 per cent to $2.3 billion in 2021 as sales surged across all geographic zones. Sales of the Broomfield, Colorado-based company grew 85.9 per cent to reach $1.6 billion in its native Americas market on a constant currency basis, while revenues in Asia Pacific grew by 21.5 per cent to $350.2 million. Revenues from Europe, Middle East, and Africa grew by 41.7 per cent to $356.2 million in 2021.

Revenue from the direct-to-consumer channel grew 64.4 per cent to $1.1 billion compared to $693 million last year. On the other hand, revenue from the wholesale channel grew 69.4 per cent to $692.9 million in 2020. Digital sales grew 47.6 per cent in 2021 while net income grew to $725.7 million for the year, compared to $312.9 million in 2020. Diluted earnings per share increased by 149.8 per cent to $11.39 per share.

The company revenues grew by 42.6 per cent in fourth-quarter to $586.6 million. The growth was fuelled by a continued strong demand from consumers. The company expects the acquisition of Heydude to complete. Both Heydude and Crocs brands will contribute to the company's total sales growth targets in the next four years.

Prices of Australian wool are forecast to rise as workers return to office again, shows a new report by agricultural bank Rabobank. Demand for office wear will revive driving wool prices further, adds the report Dennis Voznesenki, Agricultural Analysts, Robobank, says, imports of woolen suits have returned to pre-pandemic levels in France. The bank forecasts the Australian benchmark merino wool price will trade, on average, between $13.50 and $15 per kg in 2022, up seven per cent on the 2021 average.

Government data shows Australia’s import of wool increased 39 per cent to 317 million kg of during the January to November 2021 period. Peter Morgan, Executive Director, Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors, says, the wool sector is still reeling from the initial 'kick in the guts' as a result of the pandemic.

In the first 10months of 2021, China's textile and garment exports exceeded $256 million in value. Local researchers also focused on making the industry greener during this time.

High demand for waste process techniques

Known to create 92 million tons of waste globally, China’s textile industry is not environmentally friendly, says a China Global Textile News report. The industry is seeing high demand for waste process techniques, especially after China tightened laws for discharge of textile waste, adds Wang Bijia, Associate Professor, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Donghua University. It is looking for alternative techniques for waterless dyeing and processing, he adds.

Bijia has already applied his recent continuous processing techniques for knitted fabrics to a demonstration line in a factory in Shandong. The new technology helped save 70 per cent of the factory's water usage and 65 per cent of the electrolytes in the water. China was the largest exporter of textile and clothing products in 2019, as per IKAR data analysis. It had about 24,000 companies in the business till the year. This makes achieving sustainability in the industry challenging. However, the sector is attracting many environmental professionals and new graduates to return home and establish their own companies in the country.

Apply advanced techniques to textile manufacturing

A group of Chinese graduates from Europe have set up Peersphere for developing 100 per cent new biodegradable materials from seaweed. The new material can serve as an alternative for animal leather. The company sees good prospects for its technologies in China, says Cheng Hanwen, Partner. It won the first prize at Kering Generation Award in 2021 for sustainable development in clothing industry. Plans are to use the €100,000 prize money to expand and look for more manufacturing partners.

Cai Jinging, President, Kering-Greater China says, the company was encouraged by the outpouring enthusiasm and participation from the entrepreneurs and startups at the awards. She expects young entrepreneurs educated in top universities overseas to come back and set up companies in China. Such startups will not only be introduced to industry leaders but also provided funds and other amenities, adds Jinging.

Shi Dinghuan, Chairman-Experts Committee, Energy Investment Professional Committee, Investment Association of China, notes, China should learn from European countries and start applying advanced clean technologies in textile manufacturing. The committee is now working to form standards for zero-carbon industrial parks and companies. These standards will guide companies to formulate plans and find appropriate technologies, adds Dhinghuan.

Earlier restricted to grey and black tones, sports bras are being revamped with new colors and fabrics. Green hues Khaki, Olive and Sage are dominating the color palette for sports bras in 2022 with green accounting for 9 per cent of entire color palette. As per an Edited report, products in neon shades are seeing lower demand at retailers Gap, Athleta and Gymshark.

High impact design gain popularity

Sports bras boasting of a high impact design are gaining popularity as seen from the growing demand Marks & Spencer’s new S/S’22 range launched under active wear brand Goodmove. Featuring the brand’s innovative cup technology, the range offers front adjusting straps for maximum support.

Demand for seamless styles continues

The popularity of seamless bras continues in 2022 with demand on boohoo and PreetyLittleThing increasing 53 per cent and 48 per cent respectively. The new no-seam sports bra range by H&M has been widely appreciated by shoppers as have been the new seam-free bra collections launched by Forever 21, TALA and Free People.

Investment in sustainability increases

Compared to 28 per cent last year, around 29 per cent sports bras are being made from recycled materials. Adidas has launched a new range made from 79 per cent recycled polyester in collaboration with Peloton. US brand Athleta has also launched products made from 13 per cent recycled nylon and polyester. Nike and Athleta have introduced products containing lyocell.

Brands are launching sports bras made from recycled fabrics. H&M increased its share of recycled styles across the US and UK 150 per cent year-on-year. Missguided has increased its range of recycled sports bras to 23 compared to just nine options last year. Similarly, retailer Hush has launched S/S’22 range made of 78 per cent ECONYL® recycled polyamide. Other DTC brands selling sustainable sports bras in the market include Boody, Nube, Tala, Girlfriend Collective, Boob Design, etc.

Price range widens with more retailing options

The price range starts at $28 as in case of adidas and goes up to $108 with Lululemon’s Enlite high support bra being the most expensive. Puma has witnessed a 14 per cent rise in sports bra prices due to the availability of more retailing options and collaborations with Goop and Liberty.

Rise in raw material prices, use of sustainable materials and rising consumer demand are boosting prices in the UK. Retailer Gymshark's prices for fit seamless bras surged £20 to £25, while prices of Apex Sports Bra have increased to £45 from £40 last year. The average price of Nike's sports bras has also surged 8 per cent YoY, with the brand offering more options in the £35-£40 price range.

Promoting eco-friendly products

Sports bras are classified according to their low, medium and high impact. They are mostly made with specialized fabrics as in case of activewear brands Nike, adidas and Lululemon. Next has introduced a sports bra guide to educate shoppers on suitable styles while Marks & Spencer has launched a range of post-surgery bras. Adidas is offering two options in its Stella McCartney range. Together, these brands aim to create a smoother navigation experience for shoppers. They also plan to introduce a sustainability filter or use symbols to show eco-friendly products on their websites.

Reversing their earlier policy of sweeping lockdowns, Vietnamese garment factories will continue production this year despite record COVID-19 infections. As per a Daily Star report, unlike nine months ago, Vietnam has vaccinated over million of its factory workers. The country has been relaxing curbs in recent months with the government planning to lift restrictions on arriving international flights.

According to the Health Ministry, over 76 per cent of its population has been fully vaccinated. The American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi anticipates a better 2022, says Adam Sitkoff, Executive Director. The government has already set a target of 6.5 per cent economic growth in 2022. Smooth factory operations in Vietnam will also help free up supply chain bottlenecks.

Victoria's Secret plans to relaunch its annual fashion show in the metaverse. As per a Business Insider report, the lingerie giant filed a trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to sell virtual goods such as clothing, undergarments, and footwear. The brand also plans to trademark virtual goods and entertainment services such as photos, images, videos, and recorded footage to use in virtual fashion shows.

Victoria's Secret is among major brands such as Nike and Adidas to be filing patents to protect their brand in the metaverse. The brand plans to bring its fashion show back in some form in the future but hasn't confirmed what that would look like or when it will happen. However, the new show will not feature the scantily dressed models, who walked its show for years and were abandoned in June in favor of a new group of spokeswoman.

Seams and The ReshoringInitiative, who participated in the ‘Made in USA/Reshoring’ panel at the Sourcing at MAGIC event in Las Vegas, announced nominations for the third Annual Sewn Reshoring Award.

The panel discussion focused on steps companies can take to increase their efforts with reshoring production for Made in the USA. Harry Moser, President, The Reshoring Initiative and Will Duncan, Executive Director, Seams participated in the panel.

This prestigious award is open to all companies that have successfully reshored the sewing of any product to the US, accelerating the Made in America movement. Eligibility for this award must include production reshoring from offshore back to the U.S. or represent new production that has taken market share from imports between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2022. There will be awards for three industry categories: cut and sew manufacturers; brands/OEMS/vertical retailers; and textile providers (products produced in the United States). Relevant companies for any sewn products are encouraged to apply.

Global leader in developing innovative fiber and technology solutions, The Lycra Company has launched the Lycra® Dual Comfort technology for ready-to-wear (RTW) and wovens range. The technology will help the company provide garments with functional performance benefits and sustainable features.

Lycra® Dual Comfort technology combines comfortable stretch and cooling comfort with long-lasting shape retention. Its Lycra® T400® fiber resembles spun yarn in texture and appearance. It offers low-impact, comfortable and versatile garments with thermal comfort. The technology offers all-day comfort to consumers as garments are able to hold their shape throughout the day. The technology also helps keep the consumer cool and dry. Its fibers contain both recycled and renewable content for reduced impact.

The technology is the perfect solution for the emerging ‘new utility’ trend that blends rugged performance with tailored elegance.