To showcase new functional fibers and eco-friendly solutions, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the foremost non-profit, semi-governmental trade promotion organization in the country, hosted the Taiwan Excellence Functional Fabric Online Press Conference on August 25, featuring five of the industry’s functional fabrics leaders.

The presenters included Singtex Industrial Co., Ltd.; Sun Own Industrial Co., Ltd. (ATUNAS); Asiatic Fiber Corporation; Toung Loong Textile MFG. Co., Ltd.; and BenQ Materials Corporation.

Singtex, one of Taiwan’s most prominent fabric manufacturers, introduced its AIRMEM™ COLORSHELL coffee bio-jacket to the audience, made from recycled coffee grounds and bottles. The jacket uses microporous membrane technology that is not only windproof, waterproof and oil repellent but is also designed to provide excellent moisture vapor permeability to keep the wearer dry and warm.

Sun Own, a sporting goods manufacturer that sells products under the ATUNAS brand name, presented two collections, including its Supercooling and Pretty Skin Light shirt collections, which are UPF 50+ resistant and can block 70 percent of infrared and harmful UV Rays, as well as its iRoller foam roller.

Textiles firm Asiatic Fiber Corporation is using conductive fiber to create a smarter lifestyle, showcasing its iQmax Wearable Smart Textiles, which combine textiles and wearable devices to give massages for pain and discomfort and activate and stimulate muscles during workouts.

Yarn Dye, the flagship product of Toung Loong, obtains color before any fabrics are made and can be applied on stripes, checks, plaids and special pattern fabrics. Alpha Yarn maintains the property of draw-textured yarn, which is fully drawn, polyester multifilament yarn with soft crimp, while still offering better coverage, better bulkiness and is more long-lasting.

The third yarn, Springfil®, is a comfort stretch yarn made from a special texturizing process that doesn’t stick to skin when you sweat.

The last presenter at the event, BenQ Materials Corp., a manufacturer specializing in material science, introduced Xpore, an eco-sustainable, waterproof and breathable textile technology that can be used for raincoats and jackets.

In response to the pandemic, Indorama Ventures Public Company (IVL), a global chemical company, is transforming post-consumer PET bottles into much-needed PPE suits. The PPE suits have been donated to local hospitals in need of equipment to protect local medical personnel working to fight the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand.

Initiated by Less Plastic Thailand in May this year, the “Separate PET Bottles to Help Doctors” project brings together a range of local partners and their stakeholders to complete the end-to-end waste separation and PPE production process. Under the project, approximately 360,000 PET bottles have been recycled and converted into high-quality yarn at IVL's recycling facilities in Nakhon Pathom and Rayong, and later cut to produce more than 16,000 PPE suits. The project aims to deliver these protective suits to over 200 hospitals nationwide by August 2020 to protect medical personnel from COVID-19 infection during the performance of their duties.

HSBC Thailand, the country’s first commercial bank, participated as a PET collection point, encouraging all staff to donate empty drinking bottles to the cause.

The global export of home textiles increased 1.89 per cent to $95,725.27 million in the year 2019 compared to export of $93,952.83 million in 2017. However, total exports declined 2.66 per cent in 2019 over the previous year, according to data from TexPro. The export is expected to move up to $98,350.54 million in 2022 with a rate of 2.74 per cent from 2019, says Fiber2Fashion’s market analysis tool Texpro.

The global import value of home textiles was $64,876.16 million in 2017, which rose 5.64 per cent to $68,534.93 million in 2019 Total imports plunged 0.73 per cent in 2019 over the previous year and is expected to rise to $72,638.11 million in 2022 with a rate of 5.99 per cent from 2019.

China ($32,561.11 million), Turkey ($9,334.65 million), India ($6,873.76 million) and US ($6,244.21 million) were the key exporters of home textiles across the globe in 2019, together comprising 57.47 per cent of total export. These were followed by Pakistan ($4,117.56 million), Germany ($3,519.27 million) and Vietnam ($3,465.89 million).

From 2016 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of export value, amongst the main exporting countries, was attained by Turkey (19.63 per cent), China (10.11 per cent) and India (8.33 per cent).

US ($18,913.32 million), Germany ($5,437.93 million), Japan ($4,434.63 million), UK ($3,487.48 million) and France ($3,168.81 million) were the key importers of home textiles in the globe in 2019, together comprising 51.71 per cent of total import. These were followed by Netherlands ($2,455.82 million), Canada ($2,161.21 million) and Australia ($1,734.59 million).

From 2016 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of import value, amongst the main importing countries, was attained by US (13.75 per cent), Japan (11.28 per cent) and Germany (9.19 per cent).

Hemp Traders has launched a new line of hemp knit fabrics, that will produced and dyed in Los Angeles by Hemp Traders, which also manufactures hemp boards, twine, rope and webbing.

The Hemp Traders development came in the same week that Dallas-based Panda Biotech selected the Texas town of Wichita Falls to be the home of what it said will be the largest state-of-the-art industrial hemp processing center in the United States.

The Panda Texas Plains Hemp Gin will also be the first facility in the country to “cottonize” hemp fiber on a commercial scale for the U.S. textile industry, the company said. Panda Biotech has contracted for a 500,000-square-foot facility and surrounding 97-acre campus that was formerly the home of a General Motors assembly plant.

Hemp Traders will start by making three types of fabric–jersey for T-shirts, French Terry for sweatshirts and sweatpants, and rib knit for accessories and apparel. The first fabrics became available this week at HempTraders.com, with more available within the next two weeks.

Switzerland based premium brand FTC Cashmere has decided to work with Haelixa, a spin-off of the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), which has developed an innovative technology which uses DNA to mark and trace products.

FTC Cashmere is 100 per cent vertically integrated and Haelixa, as a neutral partner, provides additional physical proof of origin for the cashmere used, thus creating maximum transparency with regard to the entire value chain, FTC says.

This gives retailers and end consumers the necessary certainty regarding the origin of the material used. The information about the raw material used remains inseparably linked to product throughout the entire value chain. All cashmere raw material that comes from the company's own cashmere goat farms, used in FTC Cashmere products, is now marked with the Haelixa marker produced especially for FTC Cashmere. Starting Spring/Summer 2021, the first products made from the marked raw material will be available in stores and will be labelled with the ingredient label Marked & Traced by Haelixa.

The Haelixa marker is based on DNA and is dissolved in water and applied directly to the raw material. According to FTC, the DNA marker does not affect the product properties and the cashmere maintains its high quality. The marker is robust to withstand the different steps of industrial processing, such as spinning, dyeing and washing, FTC adds. At the same time, it is said to be harmless to humans and the environment, GMO-free, vegan and recognized by GOTS and OEKO-TEX 100.

British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced the provisional schedule for London Fashion Week (LFW) September 2020. The gender neutral showcase will run from September 17-22 2020 and include both digital activations on www.londonfashionweek.co.uk and physical events, adhering to Government guidelines on social distancing.

The schedule will host over 80 designers including 40 womenswear, 15 menswear, 20 menswear & womenswear and 5 accessories brands. There will be a total of 50 digital only activations, 21 physical and digital, 7 physical only and 3 designers who will activate through a physical evening event only.

This season, the schedule has been split into three sections and includes brands showing digitally, physically or both. All digital activations, will be accessible via www.londonfashionweek.co.uk.

The BFC worked very closely with DCMS to establish guidelines on social distancing to guarantee the safety of both the guests and those working at the physical events. LFW September 2020 will kick off with Burberry, hosting a livestream on September 17, 2020.

Most recently, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Informa Markets Fashion (IMF) and Vans announced that they would commit to supporting Black creative talent and those professionals who are climbing the corporate ladder toward executive roles.

For its part, Informa Markets Fashion announced a new initiative with its e-commerce technology partner NuOrder. Through the new Informa Markets Fashion for Change Incubator Program, the show producer will support members of the Black fashion community through initiatives that began with its September 1 launch of its virtual trade experience for its portfolio of shows. The IMFC will work with the 10 brands over the course of the next two seasons, affording opportunities for the labels to grow and become established in the apparel business.

On August 31, Costa Mesa, Calif, skate brand Vans released a statement outlining its plans to create greater opportunities for underrepresented employees and potential hires. Under a Black Lives Matter banner displayed on its website, Vans made a strong statement when it admitted to its silence on matters of racial injustice.

The brand will also commit further to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, store-to-corporate pathways for retail associates, strengthening its BIPOC Employee-led Resource Group and increasing the appearance of underrepresented groups through its campaigns, collaborations and digital channels.

Council of Fashion Designers of America will continue to establish equity in fashion. In addition to creating a separate Black advisory board to lead inclusivity strategies, the organization announced that this segment of the CFDA will be led by CaSandra Diggs, the recently appointed president of the organization, and chaired by Executive Board Vice Chairwoman Tracy Reese, with members including Harper’s Bazaar Editor-in-Chief Samira Nasr, Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John, Fashion Tech Connects co-founder Stacie Henderson and CFDA member Martin Cooper.

Cotton USA has launched the US Cotton Trust Protocol at the recently held Intertextile Shanghai Home Textile show in China. The Trust Protocol brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics. Cotton USA promotes US cotton fibre around the globe.

At the Cotton USA booth, visitors browsed high-quality products made by Cotton USA home textile licensees including Byford, Cerulean, Dalian Ichihiro, Dinosaur, Huafang, Nantong Tang, Show Win, Sidefu and Value Source. A wide array of information highlighting Cotton USA’s licensing program, market, and consumer studies and its ongoing sourcing programs that match US cotton buyers and suppliers throughout the supply chain was also available for guests to peruse, according to a press release by Cotton Council International (CCI).

Brands and retailers can now join the US Cotton Trust Protocol, a new system for responsibly grown cotton providing annual data for six areas of sustainability in line with the UN sustainability goals. This year-over-year data, available for the first time, will allow brands and retailers to better measure progress towards meeting their corporate sustainability commitments.

Intertextile Home Textiles Shanghai is Asia’s leading home textile event, attracting industry professionals to source and to gain design inspirations through the conveniently structured product displays and the fringe program.

The tussle between Cotton Association of India, or CAI and USDA has intensified over who is the more accurate forecaster for the fibre in the world’s largest producer.

USDA says it includes bales, such as those undelivered by farmers during the pandemic, that the Indian group doesn’t incorporate, and doesn’t make adjustments for what may be seen as good or bad for producers.

According to the USDA’s estimate in August, cotton stockpiles in India reached 19.2 million US bales (217.7 kg each) by the end of July. However, the CAI recently put the nation’s inventories at just 11.2 million US bales at the end of the same month.

Stephen MacDonald, Chairman of the USDA’s cotton estimates committee, said because of the pandemic, state-run Cotton Corp of India may no longer be holding an earlier estimated 13 million Indian bales (of 170 kg each), but that cotton is still in India and has neither been consumed nor exported.

Atul Ganatra, CAI President, said the group’s inventory estimate includes fibre held by farmers and government agencies, as well as the Cotton Corp of India. The USDA has historically assumed considerably more storage space for cotton in India than India says exists, said OA Cleveland, professor emeritus, agricultural economics, at Mississippi State University, who’s studied the market for more than four decades.

Data from Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam indicates, the export turnover of Vietnam’s textiles and apparel sector, in the first seven months of 2020, dropped 12.1 per cent to $16.18 billion compared to the same period in 2019.Many businesses have almost no orders for the last two quarters of the year, especially high-value products such as suits or high-end shirts. Prices of masks and protective goods have fallen sharply due to oversupply globally.

Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) has recorded 30-70 per cent order cancellations leading to inventory pile up and increasing pressure on businesses to pay wages.

Vietnam displaces Bangladesh in apparel exports

Despite this, Vietnam is fast replacing Bangladesh as the world’s leading textile and apparel exporter. Vietnamese textile and garment industry has managed to surpass Bangladesh by emerging as the second largest garment and textile exporter in the first half of 2020. The country earned $13.18 billion revenues from its textile and garment exports in the first six months of the year, In contrast, Bangladesh earned only $11.92 billion, shows data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam and the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau,

Mohammad Hatem, Vice President, BKMEA, says, Bangladesh’s exports have been heavily influenced by the pandemic. Mustafizur Rahman, Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), says, Vietnam is trying to retain market share and gain more from China's loss of market share.

Vietnam’s enterprises on expansion spree

Vietnamese garment enterprises are urging for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). One such garment enterprise is the Dony Garment Company. Established in 2009, the subsidiary of Dony International Corporation manufactures workwear, sportswear and outdoor clothes in Vietnam. The company plans to expand in the European market over the next one or two years. For this, it has standardized its production process besides obtaining ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 certifications. It is currently undergoing the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) assessment and Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).

Focusing on basic fashion products and uniforms, Dony was one of the first Vietnamese enterprises to divert business to the production of face mark and other producing protective gear export, helping it to maintain business operations and stabilize jobs for workers. The transition is helping the company expand its scale, purchase advanced equipment, and upgrade its production chain. According to Pham Quang Anh, Director, the company needs to work harder to improve skills and find new ways to meet the requirements of difficult markets.

The Vietnam advantage

Though it suffered initial losses, Dony was able to bag some orders from Japan and upgrade manufacturing process and product quality. Anh opines, Vietnam’s garment industry offers many advantages like modernized and upgraded machinery, penetration in most garment markets, close relationships with major customers and global buyers, abundant cheap labor, stable socio-political and macroeconomic environment of Vietnam is stable, is the foundation which helps it to attract foreign as well as a domestic investment, long tradition of the garment industry and favorable conditions to develop support industries such as cotton and mulberry growing, raising of silkworms, production of preliminary and artificial fibers, boosting production of raw materials, especially fabrics and clothing.