Toyobo Co will set up a joint venture company with Indorama Polyester Industries to produce yarns for automobile airbags. The joint company will build a new plant on the IPI factory site in Rayong Province, Thailand, and start operations in the first quarter of 2022.

Toyobo has long maintained partnership with IVL, which is committed to expanding its mobility-related business. Given that Toyobo and the IVL group are capable of effectively using their resources in Thailand, they agreed to establish the joint venture company to produce PA66 airbag yarns and ramp up efforts to expand their airbag business. The JV will be integral part of the Indorama Mobility Group.

IVL, with its presence in Thailand, is undertaking the manufacturing for the proposed JV, with 100 per cent offtake by Toyobo for its weaving plant. Toyobo will diligently meet global clients’ needs as the sole manufacturer capable of producing and supplying airbag materials ranging from yarn to fabrics at our five operations hubs in Japan, Thailand, China, the United States and Europe.

The Baptist World Aid (BWA) report estimates, 70 per cent fashion brands have taken positive steps to support vulnerable garment workers through the crisis. As per the report, around 50 million garment workers lost wages totaling $5.79 billion in the early part of 2020. BWA analyzed the efforts taken by over 400 well-known fashion brands to address the risks faced by their workers in the global fashion industry supply chain.

Top scorers were the brands that demonstrated action across all six COVID Fashion Commitments including; honoring supplier commitments; identifying and supporting the workers at greatest risk; listening to the voices and experience of workers; ensuring workers’ rights and safety are respected; collaborating with others to protect vulnerable workers; and, building back better for workers and the world.

However, the report also found 56 per cent fashion brands were unable to demonstrate actions in all six areas of the COVID Fashion Commitments. Some of these brands included Showpo, Lowes, P.E Nation and Rebecca Vallance. Despite this, the report indicates that 22 per cent of companies are strengthening worker voice systems while 16 per cent are implementing new systems through the crisis period.

Sportswear International reports, Premium Group has cancelled the Berlin editions of Premium, Seek and Fashiontech shows in January, to focus on Frankfurt Fashion Week. Scheduled in July 2021, the Frankfurt Fashion Week will be held in collaboration with Messe Frankfurt. Premium Group plans to hold a 'FFW Preview' to present the new locations in Frankfurt am Main and the concepts to journalists, brands and retailers" at the beginning of next year.

The sustainable trade show Neonyt will be held as per schedule from January 19-21, 2021in Berlin. Organizer Messe Frankfurt is currently reviewing the government's decisions and what consequences will be drawn from them. Premium Group a network of companies developing customized live entertainment and monumental events for a client base from around the globe. The group organizes two international fashion trade shows and a conference on the future of fashion twice a year in Berlin.

Ethiopia has set up a landmark fund in collaboration with UK and Germany to save thousands of jobs in its textile and garments industry and help to support the country’s economic recovery from COVID-19. With an initial investment of $6.5 million, the partnership aims to safeguard a critical industry and protect the livelihoods of those working within it.

Through the fund, textile factories in Ethiopia’s industrial parks can apply for wage subsidies – similar to the furlough schemes operating in many countries including the UK and Germany – and incentives to reward businesses that are able to adapt in response to COVID-19. The funding will kickstart the facility and the partnership may further expand its reach through additional support in the coming months.

The wage subsidy will cover a portion of total employment costs for textile factory workers in Ethiopia’s industrial parks. The fund will protect jobs, enable textile factories to keep running and support factories to build back better. Meanwhile, the innovation incentive will reward factories that have been able to demonstrate their ability to make their businesses more resilient in the face of COVID-19, including through the development of new production lines and partnerships

Associated British Foods, owner of clothing retailer Primark, estimates to lose around £375 million ($484 million) in sales due to temporary store closures in all major markets. All Primark stores in Ireland, France, Belgium, Wales, Catalonia in Spain and Slovenia are temporarily closed, representing 19 percent of its total retail selling space.

The company expects 57 per cent of its total selling space to remain temporarily closed from November 5 if the UK government passes the law to close non-essential stores from November 05-December 02. The company is implementing operational plans to manage the consequences of the latest closures, including reducing operating costs. It said all orders placed with its suppliers would be honored.

The company has upgraded profit forecast for the chain above its previous range of £300 to 350 million.

The marketing arm of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the Woolmark Company has launched its first brand campaign for Chinese consumers. The campaign was launched on China's top e-commerce site Tmall, a preferred destination for renowned brands, and as per AWI it generated more than 230 million impressions and 9.9 million video views, with the teaser post by notable celebrity Loura Lou achieving two million views in less than 24 hours on Weibo.

Through this campaign, the Woolmark Company aims to capitalize on China's apparent early recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the partly pandemic-promoted rapid rise in e-commerce to promote Australian Merino wool direct to the consumer.

The aim of the campaign is to convert Merino wool into the most coveted fiber for the approaching 2020 northern hemisphere winter. The campaign has launched The Merino Sisters', Woolmark's first branded intellectual property.

AWI says, with a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is the world's most lucrative fashion market. Chinese consumers are sophisticated and constantly demand a quality upgrade thanks to the rise of e-commerce and the proliferation of brand choices. The Woolmark Company has teamed with Wieden+ Kennedy Shanghai to launch this campaign that extols the benefits of Australian wool to a digitally-savvy, highly sophisticated Chinese audience.

The early easing of export restrictions by Pakistan has helped the country attract companies such as Guess, Hugo Boss, Target Corp, and Hanesbrands to the South Asian nation. Pakistan has been making face masks and PPE gear for export ever since India and Bangladesh announced lockdown curbs in March. The country bagged some orders from companies looking to diversify their supply chains amid the trade war between the US and China, the world’s top textile exporter, despite factories there reopening as early as April.

Nishat Mills and Interloop one of the world’s largest manufacturers of socks bagged orders diverted to them from China. Similarly, Gadoon Textile Mills has received orders redirected from Bangladesh and India. The Pakistan government is targeting a growth of 2.1 per cent in the current financial year. However, measures announced to contain the second wave of COVID-19 may hamper this growth.

At the inauguration ceremony of Textile E-Sourcing Fair organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Dinesh Bhatia, Ambassador, Embassy of India, Buenos Aires, and Argentina, said some Argentinian apparel brands import all their apparels from India. He said, India contributed only $ 74 million of the $1.22 billion worth of apparels, garments and textile machinery imported by Argentina. The country offers a huge potential and India should enhance its trade with Argentina.

Suresh K Reddy, Ambassador, Embassy of India Brasilia, Brazil urged Indian textile industry to tap into the Brazilian retail brands. The association can produce only 40 per cent of the market demand and imports the remaining the 60 per cent. Hence, there is a huge market to explore, he added. Apoorva Shrivasta, Consul General, Consulate General of India, Toronto, Canada said, India has huge scope to boost apparels exports to Canada as over the years there has been a drop in production of apparels in the country. India's apparel export to Canada increased from $ 638 million in 2018 to $645 million in 2019. The country also offers a huge scope for export of home textiles such as bed linens, towels, carpet and rugs, she added.

Sanjay K Jain, Chairman, ICC National Expert Committee said, India needs to explore new textile markets such as South America and Latin America. The fair ended with a vote of thanks by Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce

As per General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) stats, the country’s apparel imports surged 27 per cent from January to September ’20 period to reach $6.45 billion compared to the same period of 2019. China’s apparel imports increased 13.26 per cent in September ’20 to $1.01 billion. Due to piled up inventories till August, the country reduced its textile imports which resulted in shipments declining by 3.20 per cent in January-September’20 period to $10.31 billion.

In overall textile imports, the country imported textile yarns worth $4.34 billion, while its imports of fabrics and other textile products amounted to $5.66 billion – in the first 9-month period of 2020. In September ’20, China’s import of textile yarns surged by 9.55 per cent to $535.34 million. This indicates that Chinese textile importers have started stocking up its inventories from September onwards.

Mimaki Europe showcased its two best-selling printers at this year’s Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show, held from October 15-30. The company showcased dye-sublimation printer TS55-1800 and the new hybrid printer TX300P-1800 MkII. Both printers offer cost-effective innovative textile technology. Visitors were also able to benefit from special promotions; including a special deal for the TS300P-1800 and a chance to win the Mimaki TS30-1300 entry-level sublimation printer.

Mimaki’s TS55-1800 offers industrial scale production and incorporates Mimaki’s core technologies; such as NCU (Nozzle Check System) and NRS (Nozzle Recovery System), nozzle control and restoration systems; that ensure automatic detection and replacement of clogged nozzles without interrupting production. Additionally, MAPS (Mimaki Advanced Pass system), a system created to prevent banding; uses a special algorithm at each print pass and calculates the most effective way to jet the ink droplets according to color, coverage and speed.

Available with the Mini Jumbo Roll option that can help save up to 25 per cent on paper costs and a 10L bulk ink system; the Mimaki TS55-1800 offers the lowest running cost in the market; and is the ideal production model for small- to medium-sized companies.

The Tx300P-1800 MkII features printing on both textile and paper with one machine. The new model provides unrivalled flexibility and opens new doors for print service providers. This hybrid textile printer switches swiftly between direct-to-textile and transfer printing via an interchangeable platen.

The printer allows users to select from three different ink combinations to load onto the machine; textile pigment/direct sublimation, textile pigment/sublimation transfer, or direct sublimation/sublimation transfer. This enables the production of an array of applications from fashion textiles to interior fabrics and wallpaper.

Both affordable and versatile, the Mimaki Tx300P-1800 MkII appeals to smaller print service providers and large volume production houses alike; delivering faster turnarounds and more cost-effective short-runs and textile sampling.