Vietnam’s garment industry is expected to face a decline in orders from its key markets over the next two quarters.

High inflation is dampening global demand.High inflation in many of Vietnam’s key markets such as the United States, the EU and Japan have hurt demand, including the demand for Vietnam’s garment and textile products.

Vietnamese companies have had to cut production including cutting their workforce.The weakening of the currency has also added to the difficulties faced by some garment makers, as imports of their raw materials are more expensive. Vietnam's currency has lost eight per cent against the dollar so far this year.The exchange rate is expected to continue to drop in the second half of 2022, negatively affecting businesses, particularly those with high expenses calculated in dollars.

As of now Vietnamese enterprises are seeking ways to diversify material supply sources as well as export markets. However exports this year are still expected to reach the target. The industry’s exports in the first ten months of 2022 were up 16 per cent from a year earlier and accounted for 12 per cent of the country’s total exports.

Textiles and garments are the Southeast Asian country’s second largest export earner, after smartphones.

The pickleball apparel market is seeing rapid growth especially in the US.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America. A hybrid of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, it was invented in the 1960s but has exploded in popularity over the last few years. A large part of the sport’s appeal is its accessibility; its rules are simple, and anybody at any age can participate.

Pickleball attracted 4.8 million U.S. players in 2021 — a 40 per cent increase from the year prior. And clothing companies are competing to keep up with the demand for pickleball. Major brands have jumped into the market with their own pickleball products or lines.

Adidas has a whole section on its website devoted to pickleball that sells tennis shoes, polo shirts and tank tops. Fila sells pickleball crewnecks, flounce skorts and racer back tanks, while Marks & Graham sells a pickleball bag.

Making pickleball apparel

When it comes to manufacturing tennis apparel and pickleball apparel, the requirements of a garment are essentially the same. But there are options for tweaks. The ball is smaller in pickleball than tennis, so clothing such as tennis skirts or dresses that have a pocket to hold the ball could be more customized for pickleball. Civile Apparel, a pickleball apparel company, was founded in 2020. The company’s top products include a unisex performance T-shirt, a luminary skirt and a crewneck shirt. Most of the company’s shirts and sweatshirts are punny and playful. And while other pickleball apparel is more performance-driven, Civile Apparel is focused more on the everyday customer looking to wear the shirt off the court.

There are more than 80 USA Pickleball-sanctioned events from now until November 2023.

For the third quarter Kontoor Brands’ revenue fell by seven per cent. Revenue decreases were primarily driven by significant US retailer inventory rebalancing efforts in the quarter and the impacts of lockdowns in China.

US revenue was down eight per cent over last year. International revenue was down three per cent over the same period in the prior year. China decreased 24 per cent. Europe increased seven per cent.

Wrangler brand global revenue was down four per cent. Wrangler US revenue decreased five per cent compared to last year. Wrangler international revenue increased three per cent. Lee brand global revenue was down 13 per cent from the same period in the prior year. Lee US revenue decreased 19 per cent compared to last year. Lee international revenue decreased six per cent. Strength in Europe was offset by expected reductions in China due to the impact of Covid lockdowns.

Other global revenue of the company fell by 33 per cent compared to the same period in the prior year.Gross margin decreased to 43 per cent, a decrease of 90 basis points on a reported basis and 60 basis points on an adjusted basis compared to the third quarter 2021.

Kontoor Brands is a global lifestyle apparel company with a portfolio led by two of the world’s most iconic consumer brands Wrangler and Lee.

Jockey has ten exclusive brand stores in the UAE. These stores are spread across Dubai, Ajman and Sharjah. Jockey started its journey in the UAE in 2014. The brand will continue to expand the network of exclusive brand stores in the UAE while simultaneously exploring newer formats of retailing including shop-in-shops and online platforms as part of the growth journey in the country.In the online space, Jockey is present in various e-commerce marketplaces including Noon, Centrepoint, Amazon, Namshi and Sivvi.

Jockey offers innerwear, sleepwear, loungewear and athleisure for men, women and children including accessories such as thermals, socks, facemasks, towels and caps.

Founded in 1876, Jockey has a rich history as one of the apparel industry’s original pioneers and innovators. Whether it’s inventing the first ever men’s brief in 1934, the revolutionary Y-front design of 1935, orthe Cellophane Wedding in 1938 which was the world’s first fashion show for innerwear, or the special line of underwear created for the first manned moon mission in 1962, or the first to launch the branded waistband, Jockey today is a design norm for innerwear the world over and has been at the forefront at revolutionizing the innerwear industry.Jockey has always strived to enhance consumer experience.

This confirms the commitment of the group to the responsibility and efficiency goals set by the coalition of leading fashion and luxury companies.OTB is an international fashion and luxury group that includes the Diesel, Jil Sander, MaisonMargiela, Marni and Viktor&Rolf and Staff International and Brave Kid. OTB’s membership of the coalition is a further step in its sustainability strategy launched in 2021 which lays the foundation for a virtuous, coordinated path for all company initiatives.Fashion Pact was established in 2019 with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry. The global collective now counts over 70 signatory companies united in their commitment to sharing best practices and finding new solutions to meet three common goals: mitigate global warming, restore biodiversity and protect the oceans.Fashion Pact members are working on a number of initiatives to drive progress against the common goals in areas such as renewable energy, regenerative organic raw materials and biodiversity to help set a baseline in the industry. Over 200 brands are already involved in Fashion Pact.

Diesel is already active in a working group tackling the challenges of increasing the supply chain of regenerative and organic cotton across the fashion industry, and OTB's entry will see the group’s other brands become involved in a variety of areas.

JIAM (Japan International Apparel Machinery) will be held November 30 to December 3, 2022.

Bringing together sewing machine suppliers and apparel manufacturers, the edition will showcase apparel manufacturing solutions catered to each and every need, combining high-level skillsets and time-tested knowledge with the latest modern-day technology. Exhibitors from China, Greece, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand will showcase their latest products and services.

The previous edition saw 258 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions as well as 15,257 visitors from 72 countries and regions, mainly from Bangladesh, China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Eleven special organiser seminars will provide relevant industry knowledge and practical skills for daily work. There will be seminars on manufacturing industry and digital technology, skills training seminars on twist jacket (lapel) pattern and matching sewing (front and shoulder seams) and shoulder keeper (prevent shoulder collapse), sustainable fashion and upcycling initiatives, win-win strategy on underwear sewing.

Catering to the B2C market, the home sewing machine zone will feature major domestic household sewing machine suppliers. To promote the joy of sewing, a special workshop will be organised covering topics such as the use of upcycled materials. Visitors will be taught to sew cup sleeves using discarded items and materials.

China's garment industry registered steady expansion in terms of revenue, profits and exports in the first nine months of this year.

The industry’s revenue was up two percent year on year. Profit was up 1.8 percent over one year ago.During the same period, garment exports of the sector surged 14 percent year on year. China’s garment and accessory exports during January 2022 to August 2022 grew by 11 per cent. In the same period the country’s textile exports grew by ten per cent.

The EU countries, the US, Japan and Asean countries are still the major destinations for China’s textile and apparel exports. Year-on-year growth of exports to Asean and Bangladesh increased more rapidly to reach 23 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.

The proportion of China’s textile and apparel exports to Europe, the US and Japan has moved down gradually. The proportion to the US, in particular, has declined rapidly since the US-China trade war. Although China’s textile and apparel still hold a dominant position in those countries, especially in Japan, yet parts of the share are being squeezed by Southeast and South Asia countries.

China is in the middle of an outward shift of its low-end textile and apparel industry, and this is expected to continue in the future.

Cotton prices in India are likely to remain subdued over the third quarter of the current fiscal.

There has been an increase in cotton production by almost 12 per cent in the current 2022-2023 domestic season. The higher production of cotton is supported by a higher area under cultivation. Fresh arrivals of cotton have started in Gujarat and other cotton growing states. But with domestic as well as global consumption likely to be lower than in the previous season, a supply surplus is expected which is likely weigh down upon prices.

Though the spread between Indian cotton and international cotton prices has reduced considerably, Indian cotton has continued to be more expensive than international cotton. Spinning mills across India are expecting and waiting for a further fall in cotton prices.

In order to compete in the international cotton yarn market, local mills need to source rawmaterial at prevailing international prices as out of India’s total production of cotton yarn, 40 per cent is being exported. Higher cotton production could cool domestic prices and allow spinners to regain some export competitiveness but international cotton prices could fall on slowing yarn demand from Pakistan and Vietnam amid stable global production.

Cotton prices would be determined upon holding capacity of farmers and export as well as domestic textile industry demand in coming days.

Bangladesh expects a 20 per cent fall in apparel exports for October 2022. The country’s apparel exports fell seven per cent in September 2022. Already in the first 20 days of October 2022 Bangladesh’s garment exports fell by 18 per cent.

Among the reasons are the war-related crisis, the global economic turmoil, and a record inflation affecting retail businesses.A number of global brands are suffering from a decline in sales and unsold stocks, compelling many to halt current orders and production at the manufacturers’ end.

Domestic issues like power rationing, load shedding and a severe gas crisis have also impacted the sector.The downtrend is expected to continue for the coming months as the global retail market is disrupted by many challenges like the anticipated recession in the global economy, which is halting retail sales and demand for clothing.

Rising fuel prices and inflation have cut consumers’ purchasing power in European countries and decreased the demand for clothing products.The inflation rate in the European Union (EU), the largest destination of Bangladesh’s apparel items, reached nine per cent in September 2022. European shoppers are expected to reduce their Christmas purchases by up to 22 per cent, which will disallow the top brands, importers of Bangladesh’s apparel products, to clear their whole stock.

Countries like China, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan are facing a fall in home textile exports.

China’s home textile exports slipped in the first quarter of this year but improved in the following quarters. They came down to $10.062 billion in the first quarter of 2022 from $12.031 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021 and moved up again to $10.292 billion in the second quarter and $10.681 billion in the third quarter of 2022. The exports amounted to $10.941 billion in the first quarter of 2021.

India’s exports of home textiles declined to $2.189 billion in the first quarter of 2022 from $2.333 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. The export further slipped to $2.026 billion in the second quarter of 2022. The shipment was $2.153 billion in the first quarter of 2021.

Home textile exports from Sri Lanka came down to $32.516 million in the first quarter, $31.501 million in the second quarter and $27.239 million in the third quarter of 2022 from $34.013 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 and $35,993 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Pakistan’s exports fell to $1.465 billion in the first quarter of 2022 from $1.575 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. The shipment stood at $1.262 billion in the first quarter of 2021.