Global denim fabric imports increased 9.4 per cent last year. Bangladesh, with a 25.5 per cent share of total imports, is the leading the pack. Vietnam follows with 7.6 per cent share; Hong Kong has a share of 7.4 per cent, Turkey 7.1 per cent and China’s share is 5.4 per cent.

China has a 42 per cent share of world denim exports. Pakistan has a 11.7 per cent share, India 8.2 per cent, followed by Hong Kong with 7.4 per cent and Turkey 6.8 per cent.

From January to July 2019, Turkey’s denim fabric imports decreased 23.6 percent. Pakistan has the biggest share of denim fabric imports into Turkey. Other countries from where Turkey imports are: Egypt, Italy and Ethiopia. In 2018 Turkey’s denim imports from Ethiopia increased by 58.2 per cent. Turkey exports denim to Germany, Spain, England, the Netherlands and Denmark. But looking at the most important denim market shares in Turkey’s exports in 2018, Tunisia comes first with a 16.2 per cent share, Egypt has a 13.9 per cent share and Italy has a share of 10.3 per cent.

India’s merchandise exports fell by 1.1 per cent in October. However, some large export items, such as gems and jewelry, chemicals, engineering goods and pharmaceuticals, grew. Readymade garment exports, for instance, fell by 2.1 per cent and petroleum products by 14.6 per cent. Gems and jewelry exports, however, grew by 6.02 per cent, chemicals 0.86 per cent, engineering goods 1.2 per cent and pharmaceuticals by 12.6 per cent.

Imports fell for the fifth month in a row. These include imports of coal, petroleum, chemicals, plastic materials, precious stones, iron and steel and electronic goods. However, gold imports picked up. The only silver lining signaling a probable revival in domestic investment activity was the fall in imports of electrical and non-electrical machinery and of transport equipment.

During the first seven months of the fiscal, exports contracted 2.2 per cent. A weakening external sector will put additional pressure on India’s growth, as GDP slowed to a six-year low of five per cent in the first quarter while consumption fell to a 18-quarter low.

Because of escalating trade tensions and a slowing global economy world merchandise trade volumes are now expected to rise just 1.2 per cent in 2019. Downside risks remain high. China’s October exports fell for the third straight month, down 0.9 per cent, while imports shrank for the sixth consecutive month.

Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2020 will focus on redesigning growth which will be its theme this year. The summit will urge industry leaders to harness the power of creativity and ingenuity to create a positive change. 

The summit will also urge these industry leaders to think outside the box and investigate new business models that will challenge the traditional concept of prosperity. This will not only future proof their business, but also enable them to meet the needs of future generations.

Another topic of discussion at the summit will include how fashion industry leaders can approach profitability and reconfigure the parameters of success. These topics will be discussed at the summit that will bring together decision-makers from across the globe and present sustainable solutions.

Lee has relaunched the first ever denim it made for women in the 40s and 50s. While vintage sizing has been updated to reflect modern sizes, the thread choices, hardware and manufacturing processes are the same as they were back then. These pieces represent a time when Lee took what was made for men and created jeans made specifically for the female body. They were aimed at women who were riding horses, working in factories during the war, who were making things happen and looking cool and effortless while doing so.

The reissued jeans are for the same women, the ones who forge their own path with confidence and grace, the women who don’t believe being a tomboy or a girly girl are mutually exclusive. The collection includes the Lady Lee Rider, the original boyfriend jeans created in 1947; the Lee All Purpose Blue Jeans, a high-waisted wide leg introduced in 1950; the Lee Frontier Lady, a high-waisted, side-zip straight leg with pearl accents from 1952; the Lee Riders jacket from 1949; and a raw denim jacket and jeans set with classic white stitching.

Like many other denim brands, Lee has been riding the nostalgic wave for a while now.

Global organic cotton production has gone up 56 per cent, reveals Textile Exchange. India, Tanzania, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and China all have significant areas of cotton-growing land in transition to organic. The number of facilities certified to voluntary organic standards is also on the rise. Cotton is grown organically in 19 countries around the world. Organic cotton now makes up 0.7 per cent of total cotton production globally. Most farmers engaged in this production are smallholders growing organic cotton in rotation with other crops. In India organic cotton farmers have increased the proportion of certified land used to grow cotton (as opposed to other organic crops) from 45 per cent to 70 per cent, which contributes in part to the 44 per cent growth seen in India’s production.

However, farmers access to cotton seed that has not been genetically modified remains a huge obstacle for organic farmers, particularly in countries such as China and India where GM cotton dominates the cotton landscape.

Fourth edition of the Uniform, Garment and Fabric Manufacturers Fair will help generate 2,500 new units in Maharastra by 2024 and make the state and Solapur the uniform sourcing hub of India.  The fair will be organised by the Solapur Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA) from December 17 to 19, 2019 at Goregaon Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. It is brainchild idea of the Textile Ministry of Maharashtra and is organised in association with the state government. 

This year, renowned brands and corporate houses in uniform and garment sectors will participate in the fair. Around 200 stalls will display the latest trends and designs in different types of uniforms at the three-day event. The fair will bring all brands, retailers, dealers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retail chains, semi-wholesalers, traders, distributors, E-commerce agents, retail chains under one roof.  

It will showcase uniform wear, men’s, ladies and kids wear, shoe manufacturers, socks manufacturer, uniform related accessories and uniform fabric. The uniforms segment will showcase school, corporate wear, hospital, hotels, bags, industrial and government uniforms. It will lead to new employment generation and also the pave way for new investments in the state.

Stoll’s knitelligence enables automated sweater knitting development and production and personalised sweaters and knitted products. Knitelligence is an innovative networking concept for the textile production of future. It combines all its software solutions and covers the entire value creation chain of flat-knitting production. From the design idea to development and manufacture, knitelligence offers tailored solutions for every component. Customers will benefit from more consistent workflows, shorter, transparent production cycles, and an increase in quality, productivity, and, therefore, overall plant efficiency. Customers can not only design their processes to be considerably more efficient, but can also react far more flexibly to the requirements of the market.

Stoll, based in Germany, is a leading manufacturer of flat knitting machines. The company was founded in 1873 and has 1,000 employees around the world. Its brand portfolio includes flat knitting machines and pattern software that are used to produce fashion and technical textiles. Stoll exports its products to more than 50 countries worldwide and offers integrated services through affiliated companies, sales and marketing centers and numerous agencies. The Stoll product portfolio comprises 3D knitting machines and patterning software, which are used for the production of fabrics for fashion as well as for technical applications. With innovative technical developments and a modern production environment, Stoll enables a broad spectrum of knitting trends.

America Knits, which is into cut and sew, is dedicated to producing the finest quality apparel. Production focuses on premium knit tops using 100 per cent US grown ring-spun cotton. The company currently has about three large customers, including one that supplies T-shirts to the US military, and is about to start a program for a bra supplier. America Knits is committed to developing and using the most sustainable production practices available, including the use of sustainable fibers. The company currently employs 52 people and would like to employ between 120 and 150 people.

Cut and sew jobs in the United States declined steeply after 1993. And with the recent resurgence of the US textile and apparel industry, that important part of the supply chain still has some catching up to do to keep up with demand as more manufacturers continue to seek ways to reshore to the US. This cut and sew factory promises to help fill that supply chain gap. The industry is looking forward to see an expansion of cut and sew in the United States since for every one spinning job there are 16 sewing jobs downstream. It also allows the industry to reclaim jobs that have wandered offshore over the years.

Mothercare-the British children’s fashion company will cease operations in the United Kingdom in the following weeks and month. The company has 79 stores in the country and 2,500 employees. Mothercare’s UK arm had been up for sale before it fell into administration, but no one had stepped forward to purchase the groups local business and store portfolio. Before administration, two parties made indicative offers but neither progressed to the stage of final offering.

In the last year, the company had losses worth £36.3 million in the United Kingdom and a drop in sales of 13.5 per cent, to £336.6 million in the country. The group’s international business, meanwhile, ended the period with a profit of £28.3 million.

After eight months of negotiations, factories producing for ACT brands in Myanmar have agreed on a Myanmar Freedom of Association (FoA) Guideline with IndustriALL affiliate Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).

The Myanmare FoA Guidline aims to secure constructive relations between employers and workers. By providing workers a voice and representation, the guideline facilitates cooperation to solve workplace issues.

The guideline aims to specify and ensure the practical application of the principles of Freedom of Association under International Labour Standards, and also outlines a timetable to begin to the process of collective bargaining. Twenty-one major brands have signed a global agreement with IndustriALL Global Union to form the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT).  Companies including Hennes & Mauritz AB, Zara-parent Inditex SA and the owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, PVH Corp. have signed on to use their purchasing power to enable better working conditions and push for industry level wage agreements secured through collective bargaining.

The parties have agreed on the next steps in the process, including among other things disseminate and explain the content of the guideline to workers and management at factory level, and develop a dispute resolution procedure, as outlined in a signed letter of agreement.