Japanese retailers have started expanding business in Vietnam as localities loosen social distancing restrictions and accelerate vaccination against Covid. Coffee chain Arabica, which currently has over 100 outlets in 18 countries, will open its first shop in Vietnam. Casual wear producer and retailer Uniqlo has opened a new store, its tenth outlet in Vietnam. In early November, it had inaugurated an online store in the country.

Beauty brand ReFa will open three stores late this year before expanding by mid-2022. Retail group Aeon plans to double the number of shopping malls across the country in the coming time. It also plans to list shares on the Vietnamese stock market, and facilitate export of Vietnamese seafood, garments and other products to Japan. Japanese firms are scaling up investment in Vietnam’s textile and garment sector.

Japanese company Matsuoka produces casual apparel in Vietnam to be exported to Japan and China. Vietnam’s total goods retail sales and service revenues in October 2021 rose 18.5 per cent over the previous month. The retail sector is expected to grow late this year, when vaccination is stepped up, more economic activities resume and many festivals take place. The sector’s profit is expected to increase over 20 per cent this year.

Vietnam’s apparel and footwear exports in November 2021 jumped 18.5 per cent from last year, the most since May post opening up after lockdown, reveals Hanoi-based General Statistics Office. Coronavirus restrictions had led to the closing of many factories, particularly in the Southern industrial belt, that produce shoes and clothes for global brands such as Nike and Abercrombie & Fitch. The restrictions were lifted in early October. Plants have struggled to lure migrant workers, who returned to their home provinces amid the nation’s worst outbreak, back to assembly lines.

Most workers are returning. However plants, with much of their workforce back, now worry three-week mandatory quarantines for vaccinated workers who test positive could affect orders for early 2022. Many Christmas orders remain unfulfilled. Business associations are now seeking a reduction in quarantine time. The pandemic is still complicated, with rising numbers of new virus patients in the community.

Current factory operation rules in Vietnam remain strict and very complicated, which could hinder employees’ ability to return to work. Several factors weigh against expectations for a fast resumption in production activities. These include the likely persistence of labor shortages, rising raw material costs and supply chain disruptions in many other parts of Asia.

One of India’s top textile brand in men’s fashion for over 40 years Siyaram’s has launched an innovative range of eco-friendly bamboo-based fabric with Bollywood star Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador.

Biodegradable, renewable properties

Bamboo is one of the most renewable, biodegradable and fastest-growing resources with great environmental benefits. Moreover it contains natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Siyaram’s team of experts researched on bamboo to create a fabric for consumers who appreciate inspirational craftsmanship. As Ramesh Poddar, CMD of Siyaram Silk Mills says, “We have always believed in giving back to nature on multiple fronts and initiatives for years. Today, we are extremely proud to successfully integrate our commitment to nature into our products as well. Siyaram’s bamboo fabric is a material that we have created with a lot of passion without compromising on the style quotient, the texture, the feel, the designs and, the range of colors it will be made available in.”

Bamboo fabric stands out because of its numerous properties. Powerfully insulating, it keeps the wearer cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Being hypoallergenic it does not cause any allergic reaction. Its highly absorbent as the thermal regulating effects of bamboo fibres absorbs up to 70 per cent more moisture than other fabrics. Its anti bacterial as the natural elements of bamboo keeps bacteria away, which lets one stay odour free and fresh. Sweat wicking as its structure wicks moisture away from the skin letting it evaporate and keeping one dry. The fabric is breathable as the microscopic holes in bamboo fibres allow air to circulate through the fabric’s weave letting the skin breathe easily. Moreover, it gives luxurious softness.

As Bollywood star and style icon Ranveer Singh who is also the brand ambassador for Siyaram’s explains, “The bamboo fabric launched by Siyaram’s is a new benchmark in fabric innovation. It’s one of softest fabrics in the world and it keeps one fresh throughout the day. I am happy to be associated with a brand which has such a great and vast legacy. The bamboo fabric is a game changer. I have been wearing shirts made from this new fabric and I have to say that I’m absolutely loving it!”

Siyaram’s has created a campaign promoting the innovative bamboo fabric featuring Ranveer Singh. Siyaram’s constantly works with some of the most talented craftsmen across the world and is constantly developing products to make the best of the world available to the Indian consumers.

Marks & Spencer has snapped up a 25 per cent share in fashion brand Nobody’s Child. Nobody’s Child was the first third-party brand M&S stocked online. It will continue to operate as an independent business. The deal means the brand will now be able to access M&S’s infrastructure and investment to scale up its business. For M&S Nobody’s Child will bring a number of benefits, including its focus on near-sourcing supply.

The move is part of M&S’ strategy, which uses business models, including exclusive collaborations, strategic acquisitions, wholesale agreements and investments. M&S now works with over 30 partner brands, including Clarks and Ghost. Working with other brands helps M&S become more relevant to more people while working with M&S is an attractive proposition for other brands because of the retailer’s broad customer base.

Nobody’s Child is an eco-conscious fashion brand for women and aims for zero-waste capsule collections at accessible prices. Founded in 2015 Nobody’s Child is affordable, directional and approachable for thinking millennials who want style with substance.

Marks & Spencer has 268 franchise stores in 34 markets and an established joint venture in Greece as well as India. It also trades online in 21 markets reaching customers through its fully localised owned and operated websites via established marketplaces such as Myntra in India and Zalando in Europe and with its established franchise partners.

Egypt’s textile exports increased 28 per cent during the first nine months of 2021. Fabric exports went up 17 per cent. Higher exports were driven by the gradual easing of restrictions and the high vaccination rates across the world. Egypt wants to have stronger trade relations with Africa. And to achieve this, its taking part in international exhibitions in Africa and setting up an Egyptian-African free trade zone. The main countries Egypt is interested in are Kenya, Zambia and Ivory Coast.

Egypt plans to develop its textile industry with the objective of becoming the next textile factory of the planet. Machinery will be renovated and workers will be trained. The vision is to quadruple exports of textiles and garments by 2025. The aim is to support Egypt’s private sector upstream manufacturers’ competitiveness in the world markets. The restructuring program aims at restoring Egypt’s prominent position in the world market and capitalising on the globally renowned fine Egyptian cotton fiber. The program includes the modernisation of spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing, printing and confection, based on a product line definition which brings forth added value to Egyptian cotton, from cotton farming to readymade goods with world class levels in terms of quality and efficiency.

Techtextil was held in Mumbai, November 25 to 27, 2021. This is a trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens and was one of the first major business events in India for the technical textile sector since the pandemic. The aim was to present a strong showcase of technical textile technologies crucial for the development of India across industries such as healthcare, agriculture, construction, infrastructure, sports, apparel etc.

Covering the most demanding application areas, the trade fair attracted buyers from the fields of agriculture, automotives, building, clothing and protective clothing, environmental protection, geo-technology, housing and home, medical science, packaging and sports, among others. The three-day business event included a series of digital symposiums to present a global outlook on technical textile trends, the current industry debate on sustainability and digitalisation as well as opportunities for Indian technical textile players in the global arena.

Leading technical textile players from Tamil Nadu and across the nation participated in the business event. There are several inherent advantages for the growth of technical textiles in Tamil Nadu. Since raw materials used in the production of sanitary products, artificial ligaments, seat belt webbings and airbags are still heavily imported, the Techtextil India Forum was seen as a way of reducing import dependency and bringing investments in R&D, manufacturing by partnering with global technical textile companies. The Indian market for technical textiles is growing at a CAGR of 12 per cent, three times faster than the global growth rate, indicating strong export opportunities.

UK clothing and department stores are seeing a big upward swing in sales volumes, says the Confederation of British Industry. British retailers reported their strongest pre-Christmas demand since 2015. Christmas seems to have come early for retailers. Although stock levels are adequate for the first time in seven months, previous shortages of some goods appears to have made shoppers want to make their purchases earlier this year. Retail sales rose in October 2021 for the first time since April. British retail sales surged in March and April when shops reopened after a lockdown, but then fell steadily as other businesses reopened and consumers faced a wider range of spending options.

There is also evidence of surging price pressures in Britain, which may push the Bank of England to raise interest rates very soon for the first time since the start of pandemic. Retailers have reported the most widespread rise in prices since May 1990. Employment in the sector - which has been under long-term pressure from online retail - also rose for the first time since November 2016. Overall, retailers are becoming more optimistic, with both employment growth and investment intentions picking up strongly. Cost pressures remain a very real concern, however.

The value of textile and garment exports from Pakistan increased by 26.55 per cent year on year in dollar terms in the first four months of fiscal 2021-22. Knitwear exports rose a sharp 35.45 per cent year on year during the four-month period while exports of non-knit readymade garments were up 22.34 per cent. Among textiles, cotton yarn exports increased 71.39 per cent. Exports of cotton fabric rose 18.54 per cent during the period under review. Bedwear exports jumped 21.30 per cent.

On expenditure side, synthetic fiber imports shot up by 58.56 per cent year on year while imports of synthetic and artificial silk yarn rose 42.80 per cent. Meanwhile, the value of textile machinery imports by Pakistan increased significantly by 109.95 per cent year on year during the four-month period. In fiscal 2020-21 ending June 30, textile and garment exports from Pakistan increased by 22.94 per cent.

Pakistan’s overall exports increased 24.71 per cent in the first four months of the current financial year. Exports of men’s garments increased 32 per cent. Exports of home textiles increased 22 per cent. Cotton fabric exports grew 20 per cent. Cotton yarn exports increased 73 per cent.

The global apparel and textile industryis responsible for water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and landfill.

The fashion industry contributes more than ten percent to global emissions.Fast fashion – the continual delivery of new styles at very low prices – has led to a big increase in the quantity of clothes produced and thrown away.Around 50 billion new garments were manufactured in 2000, and in just 20 years, the figure has doubled. But the recycling rate of these garments remains less than one percent.Policymakers, scientists and activists have been urging the sector to adopt a science-based approach to reduce massive water, fiber and energy consumption to become sustainable.

COP 26 is one of the most important summits, where world leaders come from all over the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the 1994 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. COP26 has set four prime goals, where the first goal is to secure global net-zero emissions by mid-century and keep the global temperature rise under 1.5 degrees celsius, in line with the Paris Agreement.The apparel industry can play a real and effective role with the collaboration and partnership of brands and buyers to reach COP26’s goal.

TrusTrace has formed a coalition of industry players to introduce a traceability ecosystem. The ecosystem aims at launching holistic solutions to the fashion industry’s biggest traceability and transparency challenges and this will happen as the development of a powerful integrated solution through seamless data integration and knowledge exchange has been planned.

TrusTrace is a supply chain solutions provider. Among the coalition of industry players are Higg, the Open Apparel Registry, Circle Fashion, Renoon and Haelixa. TrusTrace’s open architecture platform ensures the company is able to integrate seamlessly with other sustainability solution providers within this ecosystem. The first phase of traceability ecosystem launches with sustainability insights platform Higg and global apparel open-source database the Open Apparel Registry and will facilitate the integration of TrusTrace and Higg data sharing. This will help TrusTrace clients understand the social and environmental impact of their supplier facilities and their products by accessing their data from Higg on TrusTrace.

The integration will also help users understand the materials’ footprints in a single location and analyse supply chain and material combinations. Customers will also be able to access the Higg Facility Environmental Module and the Facility Social and Labor Module (FSLM) against their supplier facility profiles on TrusTrace to provide them with a single view of all the sustainability information for a facility.