To be held in Germany from January 7 to 10, 2020, Heimtextil will attract new participants from Europe and overseas. .

Overall, some 3,000 exhibitors are expected to take part in this exhibition. International manufacturers rely on Heimtextil as an attractive platform for export business and as a trendsetting launch event where they can present their new season products at the start of the year.

The exhibition will exhibit products by around 250 international textile designers. Manufacturers of machines for digital printing and textile processing will present their innovations. The trade fair will also present furnishing solutions and specialist offers specifically aimed at contract furnishing. It offers interior designers, architects and hospitality experts a business and networking forum. The exhibition has a lot to offer for interior designers and international furnishers. There will be curtains, decorative fabrics, carpets, interior sun protection and decorative systems, as well as new collections.

Around 140 companies, including start-ups and top international players, will present textile innovations for the bedroom. The section on fashion and home sectors will also see illustrious names from the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden. The exhibition will also see high-end home textiles producers from Asia.

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) is expanding its network of cooperation partners and brands to include Hugo Boss. This partnership will enable the premium-segment fashion brand to develop a series of new products that will hit the shelves next spring.

Comprising around half of all material used by Hugo Boss, cotton plays a significant role for the German fashion company, which has committed to source 50 percent of its cotton from sustainable production by 2020 and 90 percent by 2025.

Cotton made in Africa operates on the principle that partnering retailers and brands pay a licence fee for every product bearing the CmiA label. Income from these licensing fees is reinvested in its African project which is used to train cotton farmers in sustainable cultivation methods and basic business administration. This enables farmers to improve their water and soil management. At the same time, the use of genetically-modified seeds and the deforestation of primary forests are prohibited.

Around one million smallholder farmers in eleven countries are currently participating in the initiative, through which their cotton is sold to more than 40 international textile companies and brands, including Cortefiel, OTTO, or Asos.

The brand has launched the first release from its new eco tights collection featuring its classic Polka Dot Tight and the bestselling Over-the-Knee Tight. It’s an important initiative, for which the brand chose the cutting-edge recycled yarn by Fulgar.

Canadian brand Rachel is known for its tights collection featuring printed tights and colorful tights. The brand makes apparels for women who want to feel beautiful, comfortable and feminine every day, with an accessible and essential wardrobe accessory. Based in Italy, the brand produces innovative, sustainable manmade fibers. Its green portfolio is growing all the time, and the Q-Nova fiber is the first specialty developed by the company in this field. This eco-sustainable fiber makes a company’s production processes more sustainable, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions and water use. Q-Nova is made exclusively from raw materials regenerated through a mechanical process that takes place without the use of chemicals that could compromise the sustainability of the end product. More and more international brands are choosing Fulgar fibers to make eco-sustainable products.

Rachel’s partnership with Fulgar has resulted in two eco-friendly tights styles. Rachel is the only Canadian company to offer the option of sustainable tights.

"According to Jain, the implementation of GST has led to an increase in import of all MMF products. Particularly, the imports of MMF yarn and apparels have increased by 83 per cent and 84 per cent respectively. The main reason for this increase is the removal of CVD post GST, which made imports cheaper by over 12 per cent."

Sanjay Jain, Chairman CITI recently requested the Government to extend a uniform GST rate of 5 per cent on MMF products including fibre, yarn and fabric. According to him, this would eliminate the accumulation of ITC. Jain also requested the Government to increase the import duty on MMF based Spun Yarn to 10 per cent as there is huge surge of imports in these categories post GST.

Jain further called for a higher drawback for value added industry to maintain a level playing field with global competitors. Further, all FTAs, need to take into account the size, importance and competitiveness of both the domestic and partner country industry before giving duty free access to the Indian market.

According to Jain, the implementation of GST has led to an increase in import of all MMF products. Particularly, the imports of MMF yarn and apparels have increased by 83 per cent and 84 per cent respectively. The main reason for this increase is the removal of CVD post GST, which made imports cheaper by over 12 per cent. Though the Government had increased the import duty on fabrics and garments to control this rise, it could not control the import of garments due to the FTAs.

From April-July 2019, the imports of polyester and viscose spun yarn increased by about 71 per cent and 78 per cent respectively as compared to the corresponding period last year. In the month of July alone, imports of both products increased exorbitantly by 193 per cent and 342 per cent, respectively as compared to the corresponding period of the last year. These rising imports are impacting the domestic MMF yarn and garments manufacturers and preventing the upstream industry from investing.

Jain also pointed out that MMF textile products suffer from an inverted duty structure as they attract GST at the rate of 18 per cent, 12 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. This blocks the working capital. The GST on capital goods, services and certain inputs further add to the cost in the hands of the MMF Textile buyer. These taxes are not considered for calculation of refund of input tax credits. This makes the MMF Textiles costlier to the extent of such un-refunded taxes.

Prabhu Dhamodharan, Convenor of Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss measures needed to revive the sector. He said, one of the common demands of the industry was structural changes for man-made fibre (MMF) sector. There was a need to remove the anti-dumping duty on MMF and rationalise GST for this segment. While India is competitive in the international market for several cotton products, it is not so for MMF products.

The industry should be able to tap opportunities in the global market in synthetic products. Another demand placed by the industry is extension of Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (ROSCTL) schemes, now available to garments and made-ups, for yarn and fabric too.

The ITF also suggested that the government comes out with a system to bring the MNC brands to the manufacturing clusters and engage them directly with the suppliers. This will help reduce imports, he said. The industry also demanded multi-skilling facilities in Tirupur.

Portugal-based RDD Textiles was recently adjudged the winner of 7th Hightex Award. The company was awarded for the quality of its bonded double-sided jersey. It was particularly noted for its new bonding technique through an environmentally conscious mechanical process and newly developed without any additional adhesive. The jersey, first introduced at Munich Fabric Start, is breathable, warming, comfortable, extremely lightweight and absolutely fashionable.

The second prize was won by Italy-based Manifattura Tessile Toscanay for a wool quality with 14 per cent polyamide content currently offered at a high fashion level. This is ensured by a graphic PU print in a technically aesthetic vinyl look. Its abrasion and pilling are minimised by this fashionable way of coating.

Third place went to a fabric specialist Brugnoli, also based in Italy, for its highly functional three-layer technology. The first layer of this fabric is made of extra fine merino wool and bio-based polyamides. The second layer is said to offer a high degree of comfort and functional protection as an extra thin elastic membrane.

With the third layer featuring extremely thin polyamides plus elastane. The result is a soft-shell quality for jackets and pants that is already used by well-known Italian fashion and function brands.

The award is part of an overall conceptual approach by Munich Fabric Start as one of the world's largest textile fabric fairs for intelligent process solutions, innovative highlights, biotech, digitisation and sustainable innovation.

A new investment fund aims at promoting scalable solutions around key supply chain challenges. Good Fashion Fund is focused solely on the implementation of innovative solutions in the fashion industry. The fund will be dispersed to manufacturers as loans to enable them to adopt highly disruptive, early-stage technologies.

The garment and fashion industry has a broad negative impact on people and the planet. This includes labor abuses, water pollution and waste management. Several companies have shown it’s possible to create an ethical apparel supply chain. The problem is that these companies only account for a tiny percentage of global garment production — and whatever impact they have had has more than been outweighed by the overall growth in demand for clothing and fast fashion.

While sustainable solutions do exist there is a lack of capital available to scale these technologies within the supply chain. The fund was created to address this gap — connecting the most promising technologies to the industry to collaboratively tackle its challenges. The fund wants to make a dent in several sustainability and ethical gaps including the high water use of cotton; the fact that over 70 per cent of used textiles end up in landfills, rather than being recycled or reused; low wages; and pervasive gender inequality.

BGMEA President Rubana Huq has stated the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of European fashion brands and buyers, will no more terminate ties with any readymade garment factory without consulting the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

BGMEA and the Accord would establish a technical sub-committee of experts to generate and recommend additional solutions that enable suppliers to implement fire related corrective action plans. The Accord would write its signatory brands in order to discourage punitive measures for any stage 1 and stage 2 escalations. The BGMEA also informed its members that the trade body would send a questionnaire to all factories to develop baseline data for ensuring boiler safety in the RMG units. The BGMEA would be responsible of developing knowledge to inform the Accord and RMG Sustainability Council to prepare for rolling out the boiler safety inspections under the RSC.

Representatives of the BGMEA and the steering committee of Accord met in Dhaka recently to discuss the establishment of the RMG Sustainability Council as previously agreed in the MoU on 8 May 2019. The parties discussed a wide range of issues to ensure a smooth transition of the Accord and its functions (related to inspections, remediation, training and safety complaints mechanism) to the RSC by the end of May 2020. After the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24, 2013, that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garments workers, EU retailers formed the Accord undertaking a five-year plan, which set timeframes and accountability for inspections and training and workers empowerment programmes.

Karl Mayer has set up a joint venture in India along with ATE Enterprises and Rabatex. The new company, known as Karl Mayer Textile Machinery India, has its registered office in Mumbai and production facility in Ahmedabad. Karl Mayer is the majority shareholder with 76 per cent holding and takes responsibility for the management of the new company. Rabatex and ATE hold 12 per cent each. The joint venture currently employs 50 people. Karl Mayer Textile Machinery India will focus on the manufacturing and sale of warp preparation machines and creels for the Indian market.

Karl Mayer, a technology driven company, is a global leader in warp knitting and warp preparatory machines. Rabatex has nearly six decades of experience in frugal Indian engineering and manufacturing competence. ATE has been the Indian partner of Karl Mayer for seven decades and has sales network and connections with customers across India. The venture aims at enhancing the position and distribution of Karl Mayer, ATE and Rabatex in the Indian market. Moreover, it is intended to make good use of the existing competencies and synergies, especially in terms of purchasing and customer service.

India is among the top markets for Karl Mayer and contributes 30 per cent of its global revenues.

Bombay Dyeing enjoyed a leadership position in South India in yarns. Spinning mills’ yarn for suitings and shirtings comes from Bombay Dyeing fiber.

Bombay Dyeing’s polyester division is engaged in the manufacture of 100 per cent virgin polyester staple fiber. Bombay Dyeing is one of the seven producers of polyester staple fiber in the country with a market share of about 15 per cent. Bombay Dyeing entered the business in 2006. The company produces a wide range of specialty products, including micro fibers, super micro fibers, trilobal, super high tenacity, optically white, optical white super high tenacity, micro super high tenacity, black and black super high tenacity. The company offers value-added services to its clients and has regional offices spread throughout India, where the primary responsibility is to guide the customer in terms of what to do, what fiber to use, guiding them on the fiber that is suitable for their type of machinery, telling them about what is happening in the industry etc. Bombay Dyeing has a presence all over the globe, except Australia and New Zealand, where there is no spinning industry.

Bombay Dyeing is part of the Wadia Group, which has interests in chemicals, agro-products, foods, light engineering, textiles, electronics, plantations, laminates, consultancy, architecture, health aviation, hospitals and real estate.