Denim manufacturers in Ahmedabad have seen their export orders dwindle in the second half of the 2022-23 financial year. Global disruption and rising costs have put pressure on denim businesses. Export orders for denim clothing and textiles had experienced a boost in the wake of the pandemic in the 2022 financial year but continued global strain is taking a toll on Ahmedabad’s industry.

Factors include the Russia-Ukraine war, depreciating currencies, and rising energy costs among other expenses have caused demand from markets such as the US, Europe, and the Middle East to drop, which has dented the pockets of Ahmedabad’s denim businesses. Production in the European Union reduced dramatically due to high energy costs.

Moreover, wage inflation in the west is also very high in addition to higher fuel costs. As a consequence, industrial capacities are grossly underutilized. This has impacted the procurement of denim from Gujarat. The second quarter is typically a dry season when demand drops. Geopolitical factors, coupled with a lean season, have amplified the adverse effect on orders. However, the premium segment of the market is faring better in the export market due to the fact that spending in the premium segment has not gone down.

Bain Capital is set to buy Mash Holdings. Bain, is based in the US and Mash is a Japanese apparel company. Mash is the owner of luxury loungewear brand Gelato Pique and aims to grow its international footprint, especially in China, with this deal. China will be a crucial market for the Gelato Pique brand to expand luxury loungewear sales internationally. Mash plans to leverage Bain Capital’s investment experience across a wide range of industries to further strengthen its business foundation and accelerate medium- to long-term business growth from a global perspective.

China’s apparel market value is growing at seven per cent a year. Chinese typically purchase clothing and footwear from foreign/global multinational brands, as they perceive these products to be high quality. Such positive perception of foreign clothing and footwear brands makes China an attractive market for foreign apparel brands such as Gelato Pique. China is forecast to account for 27 per cent of the total luxury apparel sales in 2023.

The Asia-Pacific region has the largest share in the global luxury apparel market. This dominance is driven by Chinese consumers’ sustained demand for luxury fashion, the rising middle class, and continued urbanization in the country. Other contributing factors are the high growth rates forecast in major Asian markets such as India and the Philippines.

The 10th Intex India, a premier International Textiles Sourcing Show in South Asia, will be held in New Delhi from December 8 to 10, 2022.

Showcase fabrics, accessories from across the world

To keep accelerating India positive growth story, Intex India will showcase international suppliers from: China, Korea, Thailand, Belarus, Italy, US, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and others. Since 2015, Intex India has connected over 35,000 buyers from more than 15 countries to nearly 1,350 textile suppliers and has empowered industry players to explore new business opportunities and expand business globally. This makes Intex India the annual calendar event for South Asia’s textile & apparel industry.

The show fulfils the growing demand for fabrics and accessories for India, one of the biggest apparel manufacturing countries in the world. India’s growing demand have seen imports of man-made staple fibres, yarns & fabrics grow from $837 million in 2021 to $1.03 billion in 2022; imports of knitted fabrics grew from $485 million in 2021 to $673 million in 2022, and the numbers are increasing every year.

Arti Bhagat, Executive Director of Worldex India and organizer of Intex India highlights, “It has been a wonderful journey so far. Since 2015, we have organized nine successful shows across the most relevant South Asian textile markets of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and now looking forward to the 10th edition in New Delhi, India. As an organizer, we are determined to bring a fresh wave of opportunities for manufacturers and buyers from domestic as well as international markets to connect with each other on this platform.”

On similar lines, Mayank Tiwari, Founder & CEO of ReshaMandi says, “Intex India is South Asia region's leading and most successful international textiles sourcing show. ReshaMandi, as India's first digital platform for the natural fibre supply chain from farm to retail, is proud to be the online sourcing partner for this expo. We invite you to come and explore ReshaMandi's sustainable offerings in yarns, fabrics, apparel, home and living and lifestyle accessories and look forward to seeing you at the 10th Intex India in Delhi from December 8 to 10, 2022."

Major exhibiting categories include fibres, yarns, apparel fabrics, denim fabrics, clothing accessories, dyes & chemicals, software & ERP solutions, design studios, testing equipment & compliance solutions, trends & fashion forecasters, textile allied services, etc.

Interactive and seminar sessions

This year, Intex India would also be organizing 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 platform.

Intex India is co-organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India and supported by the Ministry of MSME, Government of India.

Intex India is supported by apex chambers from India and across the world including: Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), Tirupur Exporters Association India (TEA), Retailers Association of India (RAI), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), the Textile Association (India), Tamil Nadu Fabrics Manufacturers Association (TNFMA), Knitwear & Textile Club Ludhiana (K&T Club), South India Garments Manufacturer & Wholesalers Association of Karnataka (SIGA), Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan (GEAR), Association of Garment Exporters Sitapura (AGES), Recycle Textile Federation, Korea Textile Center (KTC), Malaysian Knitting Manufacturers Association (MKMA), Thailand Textile Institute (THTI), India-Thai Chamber of Commerce (ITCC) – Thailand, Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) – Vietnam, Vietnam Cotton And Spinning Association, International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), Dubai Textile Merchants Association (TEXMAS), Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA), Joint Apparel Association forum (JAAF), Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA), Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters (SLCGE), Garment Association Nepal (GAN) and others.

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.

Jeanologia will participate at Igatex.

At the trade show to be held in Pakistan, December 1 to 4, 2022, the Spanish company will showcase its latest technology and display the keys to the future of Pakistan’s textile manufacturing industry, based on sustainability, digitalisation, and automation. Since hyper-automation of textile washing processes is the need of the hour in Pakistan, Jeanologiaaims at networking with local players to make this happen.

So Jeanologia will display its technologies and Laundry 5 Zero – the garment finishing plant that guarantees zero contamination – as well as the complete automation of washing processes, from laser technology to super-automatic washers. Furthermore, the company is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of jean washing processes in order to continue positioning Pakistan’s textile industry as one of the world’s most competitive with a totally sustainable product.

Igatex Pakistan will bring together a range of textile businesses from around the world. This is a garment and textile machinery and accessories exhibition. The exhibition gives exhibitors and visitors an opportunity to see the latest innovations taking place in the textile sector.Companies exhibit their latest machinery and technology used in spinning, finishing, weaving, dyeing and garments.The event introduces businesses to the latest expertise.

India’s readymade garment exports may see a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent by 2027.

This will help India achieve an ambitious textile export target of $100 billion by 2030.With a level-playing field due to trade agreements, India’s share in the UAE and Australian markets could rise and the free trade agreement with the UK likely to be completed in 2023 will be a game changer.However, challenges from competing nations such as Bangladesh and Vietnam remain as they have gained market share to some of the major export markets due to duty-free access amid China’s decline.

Indian readymade garment exports have been stagnant for the last five years. For instance India’s textile exports fell 41 per cent yearonyear in October 2022. Apparel exports declined by 21 per cent.Cumulative exports of textiles and apparel during October 2022 fell 34 per cent as compared to October 2021.During April 2022 to October 2022, textile exports fell by 20 per cent.

However, apparel exports grew by six per cent during the same period.Cumulative exports of textiles and apparel during the first seven months of the current fiscal were down ten per cent. The share of textiles and apparel in India’s total merchandise exports declined to seven per cent in October 2022 as compared to nine per cent in October 2021.

Premiere Vision Blossom will be held in France, December 14 to 15, 2022.

Premiere Vision Blossom, a trade fair for materials and services for the fashion industry, was launched in 2016 and is devoted to collection launchesaimed at international upmarket, luxury design brands.This trade show is dedicated to spring/summer 2024 pre-collections of fabric, leather and accessories. The event is expected to host about 100 exhibitors, many of them from outside France, for an edition that will introduce a change in the event's calendar.

Premiere Vision Blossom was previously held every six months, but this year it has become an annual event, as Première Vision Paris, the organisers’ main trade show, has shifted from a September slot to a July one, much earlier in the seasonal calendar. Among the exhibitors expected to take part in Premiere Vision Blossom are 66 fabric manufacturers, 16 leather specialists, and a dozen producers of accessories and garment finishing supplies.

Italy will once again be the most represented country among the exhibitors, with 58 producers on show. There will also be 27 exhibitors from France, and others from Portugal, Spain and Germany. From outside Europe, there will be three Japanese companies and a Turkish leather specialist.

The global yarn market is growing at five per cent a year.

Innovations in the textile industry are one of the prime reasons driving the yarn market. Also, capacity expansions by vendors in the textile industry and personalisation and customisation of home textile products lead to sizable demand in the market.Continuous research and development, a thrust on innovation by textile companies in yarn and a thrust on sustainability are also contributing to more demand of various types of yarns.

The global wool yarn market is growing by four per cent a year. The increasing preference for upholstery fabrics among consumers to enhance the appearance of their home interiors is creating a lucrative impact on the wool yarn market, as wool yarn is used in the manufacturing of curtains, carpets etc. Owing to this, textile manufacturers are demanding raw materials such as wool yarn.

Thus the growing textile industry is acting as an influencing factor for the global wool yarn market.Increasing disposable income and per capita consumer spending on clothing and other textiles, coupled with the growing youth inclination toward fashion trends, has escalated the consumption of wool yarn. Growing retail sales infrastructure, such as malls, is creating a positive influence on the wool yarn market.

Torsten Hochstetter is Fila’s design head.

He is a top-notch designer who will oversee Fila’s creative team. Hochstetter is in charge of Fila’s creative strategy and of the design office whose job is to rejuvenate Fila’s international apparel, footwear and accessories lines. He is in charge of the entire product range. All of Fila’s product licensees are under his direct control. His first collection will be the fall/winter 2023-2024. He has studied fashion design.

Renowned for his talent, Hochstetter has extensive experience in the fashion and sportswear industries. For eight years, until 2021, he spearheaded the conception, design and development of all product lines at German sport apparel and equipment brand Puma. Previously, he had worked from 2010 to 2013 as creative director at Californian board sport specialist O’Neill. Hochstetter has also had a distinguished career at Adidas. He worked in Germany, the US and Japan as creative director of sport performance and creative director of sport style, for lines like Originals, Y-3 and Porsche Design.

Italian sportswear brand Fila is focusing more than ever on creativity. Fila is operating against the backdrop of an intensely promotional market, especially in the US.The sports and leisurewear operator has benefited from its well diversified business portfolio with resilient royalty income.

MarediModa will present a selection of fabrics and accessories for beach, underwear and athleisure at Texpremium.

Texpremium, to be held in London, UK, December 13 to 14, 2022, is an event exclusively dedicated to high-end fabrics and more than 70 exhibitors will present fabric and accessory collections for spring/summer 2024.

The British capital has always been an incubator of new fashions and is the birthplace of dynamic and innovative brands, and MarediModa intends to offer a comprehensive overview of its exhibition offerings. All visitors to MarediModa will receive access to 2024 trends and David Shah's video presentation.

These are inspired by the best trend forecaster and indispensable tools to plan the new collections.The goal of this project is to provide a quality tool that can spark creativity, gain access to new visions and accompany the creative process till its end starting from a social background up to the fashion themes to come. MarediModa makes its trend book available to creative talents worldwide as a source of inspiration and a true index for designing a beachwear, underwear or athleisure collection featured by explorations into the closest territories.

The positive synergy between nature and technology is perceived inside the bet on a more optimistic future. The boundaries suggested by science, technology and design are explored to create thoroughly natural fabrics to dribble reality, enliven static data and subvert our perceptions.

Ahmedabad’s denim exports have fallen. Till last year, when the domestic market was still crawling out of the shadow of Covid, export orders proved to be a boon for manufacturers in India’s denim capital. Denim demand was growing. However, a year down the line, the tables have completely turned, at least when it comes to the demand in the international market.Thanks to the Russia-Ukraine war, economies globally have faced many disruptions — currencies across the world have depreciated, energy costs have skyrocketed, mass layoffs have continued, and industrial production has shrunk.

As a consequence, demand has plummeted in key export markets —Turkey, the Middle East, the US, and Europe. Recession fears looming in these countries have had a direct impact on denim makers in Ahmedabad, causing export volumes to decline by an estimated 25 per cent till the second quarter. The seasonality factor, in addition to cotton price fluctuations, is also one of the key reasons for the decline in export orders.

The second quarter is typically a dry season when demand drops. Geopolitical factors, coupled with a lean season,have amplified the adverse effect on export orders. However, in the premium textilesegment, manufacturers have been able to command better prices in the export market since spending on the part of premium segment customershasn’t gone down.