G-Star Raw has introduced the word’s first regenerative indigo diyed fabric in its Fall 2020 collection. The Dutch denim brand partnered with Italian mill Candiani Denim to introduce this innovation.

Along with being circular, the fabric offers performance qualities for the consumer on the go. The Iken Superstretch O fabric features 97 percent organic cotton and 3 percent ROICA EF, a Global Recycled Standard Certified stretch yarn that is designed to keep your jeans in shape wear after wear.

The new denim fabric is available in five jean styles: the Airblaze, Lancet and D-Staq for men, and the Noxer and Kafey for women.

The indigo innovation build on G-Star Raw’s range of Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold stretch jeans, which the brand introduced earlier this year. All items are made from organic cotton combined with a sustainable stretch fiber, and use processes powered by renewable energy and a wastewater recycling system. The expanded line includes the new C-Staq jean for women and five existing styles in new washes.

The Fall ’20 collection also includes the brand’s first line of Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold T-shirts for women. The jersey constructions are made from 100 percent organic cotton and zero harmful chemicals throughout the entire production process.

Madrid-based fashion tradeshow Momad has postponed its next edition to February 04, 2021, with Ifema and the organizing committee aiming to hold the event in a strengthened economic environment that’s more likely to mean a successful show for those taking part. The show was originally planned for September 18-20,2020.

The new dates, February 04-06 mean the show will coincide with the Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya salons, also at Ifema, and should create an environment that will be appealing to potential visitors.

The organizers also decided against a hybrid approach due to recent rises in coronavirus infection rates.

Momad ended its previous edition with 15,000 visitors, of which the foreign presence accounted for a total of 32 per cent. It saw 64 participating countries, according to data published on its official page.

German sports giant Adidas expects to bounce back to profitability in the third quarter after it plunged to a big loss in the second quarter when the majority of its stores were closed due to coronavirus lockdowns.

Adidas expects a material improvement in third-quarter sales assuming there are no new major lockdowns, but still down on 2019 by a mid-to-high single-digit rate.

It sees an operating profit of between €600 million and €700 million in the period. Adidas reported a second-quarter operating loss of €333 million (£301.16 million) worse than the €290 million expected by analysts on sales down 35% to €3.579 billion, ahead of analyst consensus for €3.3 billion.

The brand’s sales were flat for the second quarter in China, where it saw double-digit growth in May and June.

The quarterly loss included coronavirus-related charges of around €250 million, mainly due to an increase in inventory and bad debt allowances, as well as the impairment of retail stores and the trademark of its struggling Reebok brand.

The ‘2020 Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study’ says despite the changing business environment due to COVID-19, Asia's position as the dominant sourcing base for US fashion companies remained unshakeable. The study found the top 10 most-utilized sourcing destinations for US companies in 2020 remained the same as last year and eight Asian countries, including Bangladesh, saw a higher utilization rate this year than 2019.

Fifty-five per cent of fashion brands in the United States expressed their interest to expand sourcing from Bangladesh in the next two years while around half of the companies plan to modestly increase procurement from Indonesia, Vietnam, and India.

Benefiting from US fashion companies’ reduced sourcing from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh are expected to play a more significant role as primary apparel suppliers for the US market, the survey said. This benchmarking study was based on a survey of nearly 25 executives working at leading US fashion companies from April to June in 2020.

Around 29 per cent respondents indicated they would source more from Vietnam than China in 2020. Bangladesh became the third top sourcing destination for US fashion companies with an 85.7-per cent usage rate among respondents, up from 60 per cent in 2019, identified the benchmark study of the US Fashion Industry Association.

Executives from four Turkish denim mills discussed their strategies for navigating through the pandemic, sustainability investments and how the denim industry may change as a result of COVID-19 at a recent webinar.

Hurriyet Ozturk, Product Development Manager, Kipas believes the importance of Turkish denim mills is likely to grow post COVID-19. These mills can offer smaller runs, allowing brands with the flexibility to adopt a just-in-time manufacturing model that limits overstock risks. Their flexibility can also be extended to their dealing with clients. For instance, after closing temporarily in March, Bossa and Calik Denim were back in business offering extended payment terms to their clients.

These mills are innovating in the midst of a crisis. They are using this break in production as an opportunity to rethink products and marketing. They are adjusting to a blend of physical and digital interactions and moving towards seasonless collections, said Dr Sedef Uncu Aki, Executive Director, Orta.

Taking consumers’ needs into account, these mills are working on a number of concepts including denims made from more durable materials. They are using comfortable and CBD-infused fabrics alongwith biodegradable and recycled materials. Their investments in solar power and technology can reduce the amount of water needed in processing, he added.

Pinar Demirel, Marketing Communications Manager, Calik Denim said the lockdown period has helped the brand to analyze consumer needs and trends deeply.

According to the seventh edition of the survey report, conducted jointly by the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and the University of Delaware, Bangladesh became the third largest sourcing country for the US-based apparel and fashion companies in 2020, advancing from its last year's sixth position despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a latest study. Bangladesh's position improved mainly due to the 'most competitive price' it offers and exports similar products over the years, the study revealed.

Around half of the respondents revealed plans to modestly increase sourcing from a few Asian countries in the next two years including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. Bangladesh accounted for 9.4 per cent of US apparel imports in the first five months of 2020, which was a record high and up from 7.1 per cent in 2019.

The report indicated Bangladesh exported similar products to the United States from 2015 to 2019, its export to the US increased despite the COVID-19 and the US-China tariff war. The report also found Bangladesh offers the most competitive price, followed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, and Sri Lanka. Other than the factor of labor cost, the strong capacity in cotton yarn and fabric production locally contributed to the cost advantage of ‘Made in Bangladesh’ products, it said.

However, respondents still regard sourcing from Bangladesh involving relatively higher compliance risks in general, with the rating score for the country at 2.0, the same as last year. Some respondents explicitly expressed their concerns about the dissolution of the Alliance and the Accord, a move that is widely viewed as not helpful with building more confidence in Bangladesh's social responsibility practices.

Columbia Sportswear Company will continue to invest in strategic priorities besides focusing on cost cutting. Second quarter sales, that ended on June 30, 2020, declined by 40 per cent to $316.6 million. The company incurred a net loss of $50.7 million compared to net income of $23.0 million in Q2 FY19. The company’s gross profit during Q2 FY20 declined to $146.2 million while its selling, general and administrative expenses declined to $217.6 million. Its loss from operations declined to $70.3 million.

The company’s sales in all its geographical regions reported a decline. While sales in the US fell by 42 per cent to $183.2 million, those in the LAAP region slipped by 34 per cent to $67.4 million. Sales in the EMEA region dropped by 36 per cent to $58.3 million while those in Canada decreased to $7.7 million.

Sale of Columbia’s brands declined 42 per cent to $265.8 million. The sales of Sorel brand declined to $13.3 million while those of Prana brand declined to $27.7 million. Apparel, accessories and equipment sales during the quarter plunged by 44 per cent to $243.8 million whereas footwear sales came down to $72.8 million.

A webinar organized by Lectra India – a leading fashion, textile, technical textile and automotive technology company – focused on the need for fabric optimization in factories by apparel industry stakeholders. The webinar was moderated by Suraj Niranjan, Marketing Head along with Rajeev Sharma, Solution Consultant, Lectra India. The webinar focused on how product development and production teams often struggle to bring innovative and cost-effective apparel products to the market quickly.

As around 40-60 per cent of the garment making cost is spent on fabrics, it is very important to save every square inch of fabric in order to secure profit margins and stay ahead of the competition, it said. Rajeev Sharma shed light on Lectra’s cloud-based software Diamino which helps apparel companies get the maximum output of their fabric by accurately estimating their fabric consumption. It also allows cutting room to automatically process markers to further create the most cost-efficient fabric layouts through its cloud application Quick Nest.

Inditex, the leading multinational garment company owners of Zara and other high street brands, and IndustriALL Global Union have signed a joint declaration on August 4 to support the recovery of the global garment industry from the coronavirus pandemic.

The agreement commits to stabilize stable payment terms and financing support to suppliers’ cash flow. It pledges to respect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, giving workers the right to join a union to advance their interests. It promotes social dialogue at all levels, and commits both organizations to working with governments and business organizations in source countries.

The agreement reinforces commitments to other multistakeholder initiatives, including the ILO Call to Action in the Global Garment Industry and the ACT initiative. It will ensure the health and safety of workers. Supplier companies will implement protective measures, and provide personal protective equipment.

According to the World Trade Statistical Review 2020, published by the World Trade Organization (WTO), Bangladesh’s share in global apparel exports increased by 0.4 percentage point to 6.8 per cent in 2019 after a slight fall in the previous year. The country performed better than previous year due to opportunity presented by the US-China trade war. The fall in global market also boosted its market share, says Faruque Hassan, Former Vice President, BGMEA.

Economists also think China shifting helped Bangladesh to gain more in the export market. The country currently holds a 7 per cent share in the global apparel market and continues to grow. It helps the country to reduce the gap with China, the largest exporters of clothing goods, affirms Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

However, Bangladesh’s success in retaining its market share will depend on how much the country can benefit from the China relocation. Moazzem suggests focusing on producing products, which are being produced by China that are currently withdrawn by manufacturers due to relocation of investment.

Manufacturers have demanded policy support to retain the market share as the COVID pandemic has hit the sector badly. If the government continues provides financial support as working capital and in other forms, the industry will be able to retain the growth momentum, adds Abdus Salam Murshedy, President, Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB).