The new hybrid edition of Techtextil India will be held in Mumbai, this September. The event will connect technical textile players from across the globe through its multimodal platform. The combination of physical and digital platforms will enable exhibitors to connect with a wider audience, increase their market presence and expand their business alliances significantly.

The demand for medical textiles, particularly spun bond nonwovens have skyrocketed with the pandemic. Geotextile products in India have also experienced strong demand supported by government’s continual investments in the development of highways and roadways. With manifold opportunities lying ahead for the technical textile segment, it is crucial for players to increase their market presence and build networks to effectively leverage imminent demands.

Over the years, Techtextil India have been instrumental in uniting the technical textile fraternity and creating an atmosphere of collaboration through its physical platform. However, the new hybrid edition that is set to be held in September 2021 will not only physically, but also digitally unite exhibitors from the technical textile industry with key buyers and suppliers PAN India and worldwide.

While the physical fair offers the benefit of face-to-face interaction under strict observance of safety protocols, the digital platform will help exhibitors increase their brand exposure and interact with potential buyers from across the globe via features such as live streaming, video calls, live chats and more. Live product demonstration on dual platforms will further enables exhibitors to showcase their products and new emerging technologies to a vast array of business attendees.

The hybrid fair will also make collaborative engagements extremely simple through its AI assisted platform. Potential suppliers will be automatically matched when buyers launch product or service queries, following which virtual appointments can be set-up at a mutually agreed upon time.

Organiser of the fair, Messe Frankfurt India, is also looking forward to incorporate online panel discussions and knowledge programs to impart erudite market insights and rejuvenate confidence among players across the 12 application areas of technical textiles.

Currently the Indian technical textile industry is pegged at $19 billion (growing at a CAGR of 12 per cent since the past five years) and accounts to approximately 13 per cent of India’s total textile and apparel market. With new demands arising in the segment, the hybrid edition of Techtextil India 2021 will enable technical textile players to engage with businesses beyond geographical constraints, forge new alliances and gain specialised insights to strategically equip themselves for the new normal.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has will go ahead with its February edition of London Fashion Week as an online-only event. In a bid to balance being Covid secure, while also ensuring fashion businesses continue to operate, the BFC has worked with the government to agree on a digital-only event.

Unlike last season, when a handful of brands staged socially distanced shows and intimate presentations, among them Bora Aksu, Mark Fast and Eudon Choi, February’s event will permit shows, presentations and installations to be filmed and photographed but not to take place with an invited audience.

Filming and shoots can at this stage continue under the COVID relevant secure guidelines, including Performing Arts, Shoot Guidelines and Filming Guidelines, however all permitted activity that involves interaction with individuals outside of immediate households is under constant review and these guidelines should be referred to regularly to ensure alignment with latest lockdown and tier levels, warns the organisation in a statement.

BFC CEO Caroline Rush, who’s fighting for an industry that is facing incredible difficulties post-Brexit, feels the government should engage to support the fashion industry. One of the main active requests made by Rush was to allow key creative and model talent to travel to and from the UK with a phased introduction of quarantine exemptions for the fashion industry, in order to carry out essential business, to protect the competitiveness of the British fashion industry.

London Fashion Week is not simply a glossy industry event dominated by influencers posing for street style photos, but also an invaluable opportunity for London’s brilliant fashion brands to showcase their work to international buyers and editors. Losing the physical aspect of the showcase – whether runway shows or opportunities for brands and buyers to meet in person and physically experience clothes and discuss orders – will inevitably be a blow for creative talents.

US has had record shipments of cotton supporting a stronger US export forecast at 15.25 million bales (Mb), despite a drop in production by 5 Mb from previous year. Latest USDA report says, China accounted for almost half of US exports in the first five months, with the country’s total imports forecast at 10.5Mb bales, highest in seven years.

Moreover, China’s consumption is expected to recover 5.5Mb from the previous year and reach 38.5Mb, accounting for more than one-third of world use in 2020-21. China demand for US cotton has been mostly led by the State Reserve and State-owned Enterprises (SOEs), which accounted for over three-fourths of total imports of US cotton thus far in 2020/21.

Despite US prices being higher compared to Brazil and India (second and-third-largest exporters forecast in 2020-21), US sales and shipments to China through December exceeded previous year by more than 2.3Mb. Australia, another significant supplier to China, witnessed exportable supplies decimated by a 2020 drought. Like the US, Australia is a significant supplier of high-quality cotton to the world’s largest importer.

US exports are boosted this month and forecast to be mostly unchanged from the previous year due to a historic pace for shipments and resilient China demand, despite fewer shipments and sales to Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Fashionally.com, a non-profit local fashion platform pioneered by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has launched collaboration with the ITC store of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The store showcases seven fashion brands from the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC), creating a brand-new online-to-offline (O2O) marketing and promotion channel to nurture business opportunities for local fashion designers at the start of the year.

From now to April, the ITC store X fashionally online store will feature a series of local fashion brand items including fabric face masks, women’s knitwear, leather clothing and accessories, and much more. Participating brands include Arto (designs by Arto Wong), Charlotte Ng Studio (Charlotte Ng), FromClothingOf (Shirley Wong), Kurt Ho (Kurt Ho), Lapeewee (Yannes Wong), Mum’s Design (Bicy Yeung) and phenotypsetter (Jane Ng). From now through April, ITC Store’s physical showroom will showcase exclusive fashion items from selected brands on a monthly basis, providing a new O2O shopping experience for fashion lovers.

The YDC aims to discover and nurture the next generation of young fashion talents in Hong Kong, providing a launch pad for them to showcase their designs.

Textile and garment exporters and manufactures are finding it difficult to capitalise on the sudden spurt in demand for fabrics, garments and other textile products from the exports market. Exporters say, one of the main reasons for the crisis is the steep increase in cotton prices in global market.

Post-Covid, global textile market has opened up numerous opportunities for the Indian textiles and clothing industry mainly due to US sanctions on Xinjiang’s (China) cotton and cotton-based textile products. However, high cotton prices are a deterrent for exporters.

Since the spinning industry is left with no inventory and is struggling to reach pre-Covid levels amid continuing threat of the pandemic, there is a mismatch in supply and demand. There is a significant demand of yarns from garment makers. High demand has pushed the cotton prices northwards.

Perturbed over the high prices, the National Committee on Textiles and Clothing, which includes stakeholders of textile and clothing industry, has sought the intervention of Textiles Smriti Irani through a letter. Since the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has become a major player in cotton procurement, pricing methodology is essential to make the entire textile value chain competitive. The letter further states since fabric and garment exporters commit for orders over a longer period, the yarn prices need to be stabilised at least for a month. The CCI also needs to change the prices only on a monthly basis and ensure its stability.

Demand for antibacterial and antiviral fabrics and garments have grown during the pandemic. Joining the bandwagon Italian manufacturing company, Cifra, has designed and produced a new generation of garments with antiviral properties made with the exclusive Q-Skin yarn powered by Amni Virus-Bac Off. It guarantees permanent anti-viral activity and therefore, protection from the risks of contamination.

The innovative yarn was developed in research laboratories of the Rhodia-Solvay Group and is distributed by Fulgar, a made in Italy excellence and leader in the sector of high-tech and eco-sustainable yarns, which has been working alongside Cifra in the creation of avant-garde solutions for clothing for several seasons now.

This polyamide yarn is effective against the proliferation of bacteria and the spreading of viruses, thanks to the antiviral and antibacterial agent permanently incorporated into its polymer matrix. According to several qualified studies, viruses can survive up to at least two days on textile surfaces. The electron affinity, together with proteins present in the external structure of viruses, causes this agent to prevent tissues from becoming a host surface for viruses and bacteria, thus helping to reduce the risk of contamination. The yarn’s antiviral properties have been tested by an independent laboratory following international textile protocols found in the ISO 18184 standard.

The technical characteristic of the new yarn ensures antiviral and antibacterial agents do not migrate onto the skin or into the environment. Unlike garments treated with dyeing finishes that have limited functionality that loses with washing, the antiviral and antibacterial properties of Q-Skin polyamide powered by Amni Virus-Bac Off are permanent, which is an added benefit for garments in that they remain unchanged over time, confirming the sustainability of the production process.

This special, soft, and easy to wash polyamide fibre also guarantees freshness and comfort, contributing to the thermal well-being of the wearer. WKS technology guarantees the practicality of seamless and warp-knit garments, truly unique in the sector, which is designed to offer differentiated functionality thanks to body-mapping. In terms of sustainability, each garment is designed and produced in Italy with STEP and Oeko-tex certification.

So which are the most favourite fashion brands across the world? As per a reworked world map the most popular fashion brands across the world is Louis Vuitton, a favourite in most continents. The map generated using 12 months of Google search data, country names have been supplemented by their residents’ most-searched-for fashion label, reports UK-based Mailonline.

Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel top the chart

The map drawn by financial advice site money.co.uk, established the most-searched-for fashion brand on Google in each country over the past year. As per the map top-ranked Louis Vuitton was “seen as the mark of success for the rich and famous for decades.” It adds: “Celebrities from Audrey Hepburn to Billie Eilish have donned the designer over the years, with recent ambassadors including Sophie Turner, Lea Seydoux and Thandie Newton.” In fact, Louis Vuitton tops the list in 47 countries, including the UK and Australia.

Gucci stood second, topping in 13 countries, including Italy. Chanel is third most-searched-for brand in 12 countries, including Pakistan and Thailand. In fourth place is Calvin Klein, most searched in 11 countries including Russia. Rolex is at fifth position with countries like Israel, Cambodia and Kenya making the brand their number one fashion search.

Louis Vuitton leads across continents

In Europe, Louis Vuitton is the clear favourite. However, in Greece, Gucci is favoured; Valentino is top in Croatia and Balenciaga is most-searched-for in Poland. The North and Central America map shows Loewe is the most-searched-for brand in the US and Canada, while in Mexico it's Gucci. Luxury leather goods label Coach is sixth and top in four countries including Saudi Arabia and South Korea, while New York label Tory Burch is seventh and the most-searched-brand in three countries including Jamaica.

Joint eighth and leading the way in two countries are: Loewe, the most-searched-for label in the US; Valentino and Fendi. In Oceania region, Louis Vuitton is far ahead as the most popular brand except in New Zealand, where it is Gucci.

In Asia, Louis Vuitton tops the fashion charts in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. And Chanel is number one in Bali, Vietnam and Indonesia. Interestingly, India is the only country where Prada is the most popular fashion brand.

In Africa, again Louis Vuitton leads in most countries but the most-searched-for fashion brand in Egypt is Calvin Klein, while in Tunisia it is Fendi. In North and Central America, Canadians search for Loewe the most, Mexicans can't get enough of Gucci and St Lucia's top-rated brand is Ray-Ban.

Work from home, depleted social events, adoption of a fitter lifestyle has given a shot in the arm to sportswear and footwear brands as they have seen both demand and sales grow. In fact, fast-fashion and lifestyle brands have felt the heat with increased sales of sportswear brands. As per industry estimates, the sportswear market grew 8-10 per cent year-on-year from July to December 2020, as consumers stayed at home and preferred athleisure for both fitness and as work-from-home attire.

Lifestyle, fashion brands had a tough year

As per a Economic Times report companies like Decathlon, Asics, Puma, Skechers and Reebok clocked in 7 to 24 per cent annual growth in 2020, outpacing top apparel and lifestyle retailers like Zara, Benetton, Marks & Spencer, Levi's and Lifestyle. As per there regulatory filings lifestyle brands either recorded a dip or grew in low single-digits during the year.

AltInfo, a data insights firm states, French sporting goods retailer Decathlon grew 24 per cent in the year ended March 2020 to Rs 2,231 crore, doubling sales over the past two years; Reebok grew 7 per cent to Rs 428 crore. German brand Puma’s sales went up 22 per cent to Rs 1,413 crore in the year ended December 2019.

Comparatively, most apparel companies, recorded slow growth due to store closures and COVID related fear which resulted in fewer people stepping out of their homes even with various phases of unlock. Sportswear sales however, continued to increase. In fact, sportswear brand which had for long relied on bricks-and-mortar stores also benefited after boosting their online platforms.

As Rajat Khurana, MD, Asics India and South Asia told the Economic Times, “There is an increasing number of people who are getting inclined toward health and fitness, and more people going to the gyms, where young consumers don't just want to be fit but also want to look good. So athleisure products have a blend of performance and looking good,” said. “The market dynamics is working in our favour and we grew 30 per cent last calendar year." Comparatively, in 2019, the company had reported 18 per cent growth.

Abhishek Ganguly, MD, Puma India said “This is a trend which is pronounced since the last two-three years and has been revalidated and become more pronounced since unlocking.” He feels consumers are more focused on health and the market for sportswear has grown during the pandemic while the apparel segment is seeing headwinds.

Online retail heightens sportswear sales What helped the sportswear and footwear business during the pandemic was the growing popularity of e-retail. Flipkart recorded a surge in demand for T-shirts, track pants, running shoes, walking shoes and women’s tights. In fact, sports shoes sales grew in Tier-III markets. And as per a Flipkart spokesperson “Fitness as a category has been consistently growing year-on-year, and during the evolution of the pandemic we have noticed the trend of consumer searches increasing for fitness wear and gear on Flipkart as they continue to explore different fitness routines.” Amazon India too witnessed higher demand for sportswear and comfort wear besides work from home essentials like open footwear. During the festive season, Amazon saw 1.2 times higher demand year-on-year for sportswear with consistent demand for running shoes, and 1.6 times growth in women running shoes.

Meanwhile, India is one of the fastest-growing and largest international markets for footwear companies. Global brands like Reebok, Adidas, Nike and Puma, around for over two decades, have established themselves with strong sales and dedicated consumers. Now new players like Skechers are positioning themselves as comfortable lifestyle and regular athletic wear. In fact, Skechers saw strong double digit growth for the full year.

With a second wave of lockdowns in the West especially Europe, demand for Sri Lankan-made apparel in its key customers in the US and European Union has been hampered. Data shows from May to November, Sri Lanka’s monthly apparel exports picked up quickly to earlier year levels within a month since the first wave of lockdowns ended but the momentum started fading from October and the gap further increased in November.

Sri Lanka’s apparel exports was worth $403.7 million in June, doubling from what that of May and increased further to $469.2 million in July, just 1.4 per cent off from the same month in 2019. The momentum was maintained in August and September, with earnings recording at $440 million and $433.7 million, respectively, which were off by 11.9 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively, compared to the same months in 2019.

However, the country started feeling pressure from October, as the US, UK and EU, collectively accounting for half of total exports, began going for lockdowns. October and November showed Sri Lanka’s apparel exports fell to $358.2 million and $324.9 million, respectively, increasing the gap from 18.9 per cent to 32.8 percent in the two months from the same two months in 2019. The lockdowns significantly altered the buying habits in the West, as people shunned in-person visits while purchasing more food stuff and other house improvement items, instead of spending on fashion, a commodity which is of limited use when sheltering-in-place.

Bangladesh’s exports earning from home textile products in 2020 clocked in 15 per cent growth and reached $936 million, very close to its target of $1 billion, says Export Promotion Bureau. The work from home culture in the West has turned out to be a mini blessing for Bangladesh’s home textile exporters.

Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of apparel goods, has been able to take the advantage of rising demand for cosy home textile as it has a range of quality products at reasonable prices. Home textile include bed linen, bed sheet and other bedroom textiles, bath linen, carpets and rugs, blankets, kitchen linen, curtains, cushions and cushion cover and covers for quilts.

Bangladesh’s exports earning from home textile products posted a 15 per cent growth to $936 million last year, close to its target of $1 billion. In contrast, apparel, which brings home the lion’s share of export earnings, posted a 17 per cent drop in receipts to $27.5 billion in the same year. However, during the July-December period of fiscal 2020-21, home textile shipments registered a 48 per cent growth to $547.48 million.