The textile chemicals market in Europe is growing at 4.20 per cent. Categories of the European textile chemicals market are finishing agents, coating and sizing chemicals, colorants and auxiliaries, surfactants, bleaching agents, desizing agents, and yarn lubricants. Coating and sizing chemicals are the largest segment in the market. However, the finishing agents segment is expected to catch up owing to the growing demand for high-quality fabrics.

On the basis of application, the market is segmented into: indutech, sportech, mobiltech, buildtech, hometech, meditech, clothtech, protech, agrotech, packtech, geotech and oekotech. Mobiltech registered the highest growth in the market and accounts for a 25 per cent market share. The growth of the segment can be attributed to its extensive demand from industries such as railways, automotives, spacecraft, ships, and aircraft.

The agrotech segment is expected to be the most rapidly developing application segment by 2020 owing to the extensive use of agrotech chemicals in horticulture, forestry, landscape gardening, floriculture, and agriculture. Rapid increase in the number of organic farms in Europe will further fuel the demand for agrotech chemicals.

However, growing environmental concerns regarding the use of textile chemicals will restrain the overall market. Some textile chemicals are also known to be carcinogenic.

Italian warp knit fabrics producer Eurojersey reuses 30 million liters of water in its manufacturing process. The company has reduced its consumption of methane gas by approximately 3,50,000 cubic meters. Because of these savings, part of the company’s noted commitment towards sustainability, there has been an annual saving of 4,000 meters of cellophane and 9,000 cardboard packaging tubes due to these efforts.

Eurojersey and Framis Italia have joined hands for a collaboration that combines the functional aspect of heat-bonded taping with the comfort of innovative sensitive fabrics. Framis Italia is a leader in the application of polyurethane heat bonded applications for the apparel industry.

Sensitive fabrics are endowed with excellent technical and aesthetic properties. Comfortable and perfectly smooth, thanks to an ultra-flat surface, resistant to frequent washing and endowed with a remarkable elastic memory, they provide the perfect fabric ground for the most innovative manufacturing technologies, by artfully combining functionality and tailoring. Thanks to NoSo Bonding Technology by Framis Italia, the heat bonded tapes applied directly onto the flat surface of sensitive fabrics support the muscles of the body while facilitating its movements. Without restriction, they conform naturally to the body, shaping the silhouette with just the right amount of support and a calibrated compression.

Bangladesh’s sportswear export value is 10 per cent of the country’s total exports. Sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma buy from Bangladesh and their buying volume is increasing each year. There are many textile mills in Bangladesh, producing various types of knit and woven fabrics. They can also produce sportswear fabric by using their existing set-up of machinery and manpower. Bangladesh can easily handle sportswear fabric manufacturing. The same machinery which is used for cotton fabric manufacturing can be used for synthetic fabric except for the jacquard and seamless items.

However, there is a need to have more synthetic yarn spinning mills. There are 425 spinning mills in Bangladesh but only three or four spinning mills produce synthetic yarn. Synthetic fabrics are considered to be the ideal choice for sportswear as they are able to provide a good combination of functional properties of moisture management, softness, lightweight, insulation and dry relatively quickly. Bangladesh is an expert on cotton and cotton blended items but has very few textile mills that can produce synthetic fabrics.

The global sportswear market is growing at 3.3 per cent. With increasing demand for trendy sportswear, manufacturers are now launching innovative products. Insulator, microfiber and nano-technologies are used for producing sports apparel.

A new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com on “Global Athleisure Market 2019-2023” projects that the athleisure category will register a CAGR, of nearly 7 percent by 2023. According to the report, millennials are driving demand in this category with high fashion brands embracing athleisure. The report concluded rising adoption of athleisure wear by millennials and the working population will further boost market growth in the forthcoming years.

Brands like Lululemon and Gap are also increasing their sales of men’s athleisure apparel with a greater focus on technical fabric innovations designed to advance their offerings. Last October, Gap launched Hill City, its high performance men’s apparel brand that uses technical fabrications for apparel those transitions with the wearer throughout the day, from working out to work and to the weekend.

Retail consultant Gabriella Santaniello, who founded research firm A-Line Partners, believes that the category is stabilising and there is still room for growth for companies that continue to provide innovation and execute well. For instance, Lululemon has used innovation as a tool to grow the already established women’s line, with the introduction of new fabrics and categories like intimates, while the men’s line is slated to be the firm’s growth vehicle.

"A wardrobe staple today, the blue jean was first created in 1873 by Tailor Jacob Davis and fabric supplier Levi Strauss who were granted a patent to supply their copper-riveted denim cotton bottoms. The jean still remains a favorite amongst customers of all age groups and classes despite the advent of new trends such as athleisure."

A wardrobe staple today, the blue jean was first created in 1873 by Tailor Jacob Davis and fabric supplier Levi Strauss who were granted a patent to supply their copper-riveted denim cotton bottoms. The jean still remains a favorite amongst customers of all age groups and classes despite the advent of new trends such as athleisure.

Jeans market to see robust growth

A survey by Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™reveals, Levi’s is one of the most favorite jeans brands amongst U.S. consumers, followed by Lee, Wrangler, American Eagle, Old Navy and Gap. Zion Market Research estimates global denim jeans market will grow to $85.4 billion by 2025 with North America and Europe holding major share. These regions are likely to witness significant growth as brands here offer customised products to their consumers.

Monitor, CCI and Cotton Incorporated’s Global Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey shows that over half of US consumers either ‘love’ or ‘enjoy’ wearing denim. The women in this country own six pairs of denim jeans, while men own five. Nearly two-third consumers wear denim jeans or shorts at least three times a week.

Creating core denim through advanced technologies, process

While denim today may resemble the early blue jeans, brands and companies are trying to change the way jeans are made. They are using advanced technologies, natural resources, cleaner production processes, artificial intelligence, etc to create core denim products that comply with environmental standards. Jeanuine, a New York-based denim brand, allows consumers to personalise their denim via its Jean Maker app, which helps create and modify every pair of jeans. Consumers can design their jeans online or visit the Consortium showroom in Manhattan. To start the design process, the brand uses a try-on set to identify the consumer’s waist size. The jean is either designed online or shoppers can make an appointment and come to the Consortium showroom. Despite this bespoke design process, the Jeanuine jeans retail from $229.

This process of offering customised jeans helps the brand to foster loyalty amongst its consumers. As The Monitor™ research shows, 7 in 10 consumers pledge loyalty to brands that customise their clothes according to their needs.

For the fourth quarter Welspun India’s total income was up 4.30 per cent as against the same period a year ago. The company posted a net profit of Rs 89.86 crores. Consolidated loss for the quarter was Rs 78.43 crores. Shares of Welspun India Friday were trading 4.73 per cent higher. Welspun India is part of the Welspun Group. The company and its subsidiaries, which have been facing litigation in the US surrounding its premium cotton home textile products, have entered into a settlement agreement in the US. The settlement agreement is subject to approval by the appropriate courts in the United States and regulators, and is intended to resolve legal claims in the US concerning the past marketing and labeling of the company’s premium cotton home textile products. To avoid the burden, cost, and uncertainty of continued litigation in the United States surrounding the provenance of its premium cotton home textile products, the company and its subsidiaries entered into a settlement agreement, which provides monetary payments to settlement class members not to exceed an aggregate 36 million dollars.

In 2016, the US retail giant Target Corporation had terminated contract with the Gujarat-based textiles maker over alleged lapses in its products supply.

Vietnam and Norway have economic, trade and investment relations. Two-way trade represents a year-on-year rise of 13.67 per cent. In the first four months of 2019, trade between Vietnam and Norway was up 14.4 per cent year on year. Vietnam mainly exports garments, textiles, footwear, cashew nut, and wood and timber products while importing aquatic products, machinery, equipment, and other spare parts from Norway. To boost exports to Norway, Vietnam will advise businesses to focus on improving the quality of products and studying the market to address trade and technical barriers as well as meeting strict requirements on the traceability of products, social responsibility, environmental protection, and business ethics. Also planned are meetings with distributors and large-scale supermarkets to set up long-term partnerships and promote the export of Vietnamese goods.

Norway has 42 direct investment projects in Vietnam. Possible areas of cooperation are in the fields of maritime, shipbuilding, aquaculture, renewable energy, and tourism. At present, Norwegian enterprises are particularly interested in cooperation in developing aquaculture and processing aquatic products in Vietnam. They are also interested in oil and gas production projects.

Vietnam’s exports have depended on foreign directed investment enterprises, which account for 70 per cent of total turnover.

AEPC has partnered Social & Labor Convergence for the launch of the Social and Labour Converges programme (SLCP) operations in NCR & Tirupur. The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) is an initiative led by the world’s leading manufacturers, brands, retailers, industry groups, (inter)governmental organisations, service providers and civil society organizations, to eliminate audit fatigue by replacing current proprietary tools with a standard-neutral Converged Assessment Framework. The mission of SLCP is to improve working conditions by allowing resources that were previously designated for compliance audits to be redirected towards the improvement of social and labor conditions.

The Converged Assessment Framework provides a data set with no value judgment or scoring. It is however compatible with existing audit systems and codes of conduct. This means that the same data set can be used by a wide-range of stakeholders & interpreted according to their interests and criteria. This eliminates the need for repetitive audits to be carried out on the same facility.

Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami (ATSM) Show, to be held from May 28-30, 2019, at the Mana Wynwood Convention Centre, will feature 300 international apparel and textile exhibits and attract 4,000 visitors over three days. The show will provide an unprecedented platform for Miami’s designers to meet the manufacturing sector, for investors to discover brands, and for apparel producers to find retail opportunities — reinforcing Miami as the fashion capital it has become.

The ‘Best of Miami Fashion’ show on May 29 will showcase the latest creations by the city’s most renowned talent, including: ready-to-wear designs by Renee Ruiz, Julian Chang, Luis Aponte and Viviana Gabeiras (knits); sportswear by Lucky in Love and Peace, Love, World; swimwear byBianca Coletti; menswear by Cubavera; evening wear by Mayda Cisneros; and bridal designs by Maria D’Ocon. Making a debut on the runway will also be innovative designs by some of Miami’s top rising young fashion stars.

At the Trending Fashion Lab Talks, industry’s top experts and influencers — both local and national —will discuss latest fashion industry trends, the challenges today’s designers face, and the evolving shopping preferences of today’s consumers. Presenters will provide unique insight into topics such as new digital shopping channels, emerging technologies that change the way consumers interact with brands, e-commerce, experiential retail, changing consumer attitudes regarding environmental consciousness and corporate responsibility, the critical role of social media in the world of fashion, and how to create a Made in the USA fashion line in 2019.

Senior executives from more than 75 businesses in the United States, including apparel powerhouses Gap, Levi’s and Nike, have arranged to meet with a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers to debate on a meaningful climate legislation — including a national price on carbon.

The Lawmaker Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD) on Carbon Pricing, which features companies with a combined market valuation of around $2.5 trillion, is the most substantial business gathering on Congress to implement new climate legislation in more than a decade. The organisations participating in LEAD include 21 Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and SMEs from across all 50 US states. Aside from their collective valuation, the firms involved also employ over one million American citizens.

The goal of the talks is to make business case for a strong and effective federal carbon price and to share the private sector’s view on how best to tackle the climate crisis. All 75 business representatives, of which eight are CEOs, will hold one-on-one meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff with both party affiliations to discuss the economic impacts of climate change and the need for more effective national climate policies.