Turkey’s textile and ready wear exports rose 3.8 per cent in 2018. This year, the textile and apparel sector aims to boost exports by around 10 per cent. Turkish exporters are aiming for a five per cent share of the global market. The target is to make the sector, which is currently the seventh-biggest exporter globally, among one of the world's top five.

Africa is a strategic target market. The sector's exports to Africa are up 13.5 per cent year on year. Textile exports to the Americas also picked up last year, along with those to the EU, Turkey’s main trading partner. Turkey is advantageously placed, next to the European market.

South America and the Far East have been identified as this year’s targets. Projects will be carried out for the Japanese and South Korean markets. In 2018 textile and raw materials and ready-wear sectors combined constituted nearly 16 per cent of Turkey’s total exports. The textile and apparel sector plans to turn Turkey’s currency advantage to an opportunity in 2019 and work through its target thanks to Turkish brands instead of contract manufacturing.

Turkey can do quick product turnarounds thanks to its integrated facilities, strong design infrastructure, experience, knowhow, and qualified labor force.

The Woolmark Company, the global authority on wool, has unveiled the Spring/Summer (S/S) 2020 edition of The Wool Lab at the ongoing Pitti Uomo in Florence. The Wool Lab is the seasonal guide to the best commercially available wool fabrics and yarns, created in collaboration with the most innovative and quality-oriented spinners and weavers from the world.

Pitti Uomo is one of the world's most important platforms for men's clothing and accessory collections. This four-day programme will conclude on January 11, 2019.In response to designer and brand needs, The Wool Lab is now divided into product categories to facilitate and address the research of fabrics and yarns, and to provide a more focused and direct approach to the sourcing of materials and innovate product.

Initially started as an inspirational guide divided in macro trends, The Wool Lab now focuses on the innovations, allowing designers and brands to find the perfect wool fabric or yarn and be connected directly with the supplier, encouraging networking between brands and manufacturers.

The guide has now introduced a new digital component at trade fairs. Using the devices provided at the booth, visitors scan the QR code of a swatch and immediately receive an email with requested details and contact information of the manufacturer.

Simon James Spurr is the new global creative director for denim brand 7 For All Mankind. Spurr, 44, has more than 20 years in the fashion industry, he previously worked with some of the industry’s top designers at Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger. He brings the perfect balance of relevant experience, entrepreneurial spirit and fashion vision to lead 7 For All Mankind into its third decade. He also has a strong, directional perspective on how the brand can be modernized and positioned for accelerated growth while sustaining its legacy as a premium denim brand. The belief is that Spurr will be able to create a vision that leads to the brand bridging the gap between modern denim and its reputation as a heritage brand.

Margaret Maldonado is senior design director of women’s ready-to-wear. She is the co-founder of L’Agence, a premium French denim brand for women. Additionally, former Diesel brand director Alessandra Pesavento has been hired to handle the creative direction of product aimed at European consumers.

The brand has made several moves to set itself apart in recent months. Its fall ’18 campaign saw the company expand its sizing and marketing to appeal to a more diverse audience.

Recent industry research has indicated that the global lingerie market, fuelled by the rise in the ‘HER Economy’ will reach $59.15 billion by 2024. The sector, in 2018, saw an ushered in era of functionality, form and sustainable credentials. Brands now seek products that are functional, eco-friendly and comfortable. Many fashion brands are also diversifying into the intimate wear space. Labels like Free People and Stella McCartney, are making intimate wear and changing the space that was previously dominated by industry leaders like Victoria’s Secret.

The expansion of the intimate market is set to continue due to rising consumer demand across various sectors, ranging from maternity to multifunctional intimates. With this diversification, there is likely to be rapid technological advancement in intimate wear production, with growing new technologies that support multiple functions in intimate wear catering to consumer needs.

Generation Z and millennials have increasingly become aware of sustainability. A recent report published by PwC indicated that 21 per cent respondents to a survey were willing to send an additional 5 per cent on sustainable fashion, which signifies the value of the sector.

India’s textile and apparel exports grew 14 per cent year-on-year in November. Apparel exports surged 21 per cent year on year in November. Exports of cotton yarn, fabric and handlooms advanced at a modest five per cent. Manmade yarn, fabric and made-up exports increased eight per cent year on year.

Growth in textile exports has been higher than the increase seen in other commodity-linked sectors. Sustained depreciation of the rupee against the dollar in the weeks preceding November also helped in increasing exports. Some orders came to India due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

The textile industry has also stabilised from the adverse effects that followed the implementation of GST and demonetization. The index of industrial production for textile and apparel saw a robust improvement in October. Textile and apparel registered a year on year growth of 6.2 per cent and 28 per cent respectively during the month. The stressed advances ratio for the textile industry has been improving continuously. Stressed advances ratio of the textile industry has come down to 18.7 per cent in September 2018 compared to 23.7 per cent in the same month the previous year.

However, the industry needs more support to fully utilise the opportunities arising out of the diversion of orders from China, the world’s largest producer and exporter of textile products.

The first day of the two-day nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions had little impact on textile and garment manufacturing hubs of India. All India Trade Union Congress and few other unions are protesting against the government’s “anti-worker, anti-national” policies, including unilateral labour law reforms, privatisation of public sector entities, policies encouraging contract work and ‘destroying’ job security, etc. Unions are demanding a raise in minimum wages to Rs. 18,000 besides demanding an increase in the minimum pension wages to Rs. 3000, among others.

To ensure peace in industrial areas, administration and industry co-operated with each other. Lalit Thukral, President, Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC), urged exporters to open factories and have regular working hours.

Most factories in Surat, Ahmedabad, Bhiwandi, Coimbatore and Tirupur, ran smoothly. However, in specific areas, some apparel manufacturers were forced to close their units. Similarly, many apparel manufacturers in Bengaluru closed their factories for the day, while those who opened, witnessed high absenteeism. Kolkata too was little affected by the strike.

Anti-modern slavery charity Know The Chain has assessed big-name fashion firms on the actions they are taking to remove forced labor from their supply chain and avoid human rights breaches in garment factories. Brands were assessed based on their contribution to social sustainability across seven key areas: commitment and governance; traceability and risk assessment; purchasing practices; recruitment practices; listening to worker voices; supply chain monitoring and remedial policies for breaches of human rights laws. They were then given an overall score out of 100.

Sportswear giant Adidas topped the rankings for the second year running, achieving an overall score of 92 per cent. Canadian athletic wear brand Lululemon, meanwhile, scored 89 per cent to rank second. The top five was completed by Gap, Primark and Inditex, which owns brands such as Zara, Barshka and Pull & Bear.

Nonetheless, progress from the wider fashion sector has remained slow. Brands are proving particularly slow to act in regards to their recruitment processes, worker voice policies and supply chain traceability. Of the companies listed, only Adidas and Lululemon could provide evidence that workers below the first tier of their supply chains had used their grievance mechanisms during 2018. Fashion is one of the largest industries in the world, producing 100 billion garments a year.

From January 1, 2019, Mayer & Cie. (MCT) is manufacturing braiding machines, in addition to circular knitting machines, at its Albstadt works. Mayer Braidtech, a wholly-owned company subsidiary, is responsible for sales and service of the new machines manufactured for the past 40 years by the US-based affiliate Mayer Industries. With Mayer Industries due to cease operations in the medium term, Mayer & Cie. has decided to integrate and take forward this successful line of business at its Albstadt location.

“We see this step as an opportunity to come much closer to our target of sensible diversification,” says Marcus Mayer, Managing Director at Mayer & Cie. and in charge of technical development. “As a manufacturer of circular knitting machines we are subject to the vagaries of the textile machinery market, which experience has shown to be liable to strong fluctuations. A sector-unrelated product such as braiding machines will make us a good deal more independent.”

It was apparent right now how important diversification is, Benjamin Mayer, Mayer & Cie. Co-Managing Director, noted. He is responsible for sales. After a fast and furious start to 2018 demand for circular knitting machines had tailed off in the second half. That was mainly due to turbulence in the international trade policy, he said, in the wake of which uncertainty had spread widely in many important circular knitting markets. Order books for braiding machines, in contrast, are full for months ahead because other laws apply to the hydraulic hoses used, for example, in automobile manufacturing and aviation. That is also true of tubes that drive pumps on the seabed in offshore operations. Braiding machine manufacturing capacities are currently fully booked until the beginning of 2020.

Although circular knitting and braiding machines are only distant relations, there are many synergy effects between the two lines of business. “That was a powerful argument for integration,” says Benjamin Mayer. “Our new investment stays within limits because we can make many braiding machine parts with our existing machine tools and production machinery. Assembly employees can not only assemble circular knitting machines, shipping employees can not only ship circular knitting machines.”

Mayer & Cie. also anticipates a positive effect in the key sector of research and development, but with the stated aim of setting up a separate research department as soon as possible.

Series manufacture in Albstadt from January

In January 2019, Braidtech is embarking on series production in Albstadt-Tailfingen. Preparations for this milestone took nearly 12 months. Premises needed to be provided, the production line prepared, procurement organised and the team lined up. At the moment, it has 12 employees who do production-related work in, say, assembly, quality assurance and logistics. They are currently working flat out on the prototype of their first braiding machine, an MR 15 24 Carrier.

Patrick Moser, head of the new Mayer Braidtech business unit, explains that “the model as such is tried and established, but for us here, in new conditions, it is an ‘original’.”

The plan for the first half of 2019 provides for shipment of two double-deck systems, each consisting of two MR15 24 Carriers per month. Preparations are also on for series production of the second model in a range consisting of six products.

Distribution structures are well established. Mayer Braidtech has handled world sales of braiding machines for years. “Our business,” Moser says, “is project business, so the largest sales markets can vary from year to year, but for some time we have had many orders from Italy and China.”

FESPA has received fantastic Award entries from our valued print community. We speak to our esteemed judges, who have given us an insight into what they are looking for in your entries. In part 5, FESPA speaks to Jacek Stencel.

In the final part of our Awards series, we have spoken to Jacek who is the fifth member of our 2019 judging panel. Jacek has over 30 years of experience in the print industry and runs PASJA – a successful print business in Poland, specialising in special effects printing.

What made you want to be on the judging panel of the 2019 Awards?

“First of all, a proposal from FESPA for me to be a judge is a great honour and brings me happiness to be a part of that panel. I’m still working and am an active screen printer with over 30 years of experience in the printing industry. In previous years, my company won many FESPA Awards in different categories. My company PASJA, (established in 1992) in Polish means ‘passion’ - it illustrates clearly that printing for me it's not only business, it is much more. I’m glad that my skills can be used in discovering something new and exciting in entries.”

What are you looking for in an entry?

“One of the most fantastic moments during judging is to be surprised by the quality, perfection, creativity, design, combined technologies and very often creation of new products followed by new advantages/needs of the market. Printing is still an active part of everyday life and thanks to the human creativity and new technologies, it can be still be used on undiscovered fields which is great thing.”

What is your favourite category to judge?

“As I said earlier, I’m a printing fan and love the world of print so it is difficult to choose my favourite category. Closer to my heart are: Serigraphies, Special Effects, Special Effects Garments categories.” Where do you see the future of print going?

“Besides existing parts of market where position of printing is stable and constant, our industry will grow in a few areas. For example, thanks to the sharing of printing technologies and modern finishing processes such as CNC cutting different materials, and special mounting and new lighting systems which can create new products for interior and external decoration industry, POS market, furniture industry or collaboration in marking large sports and museum facilities, allows to manage such a project in a manner and scale not possible a few years ago. Fashion industry, textile, automotive and printed electronics are using printing techniques for creating their goods successfully. High quality, fast reaction, flexibility, eco friendliness, high durability and cost effectiveness makes all those factors important for different new market sectors in printing. Another strong trend is knocking - 3D printing - from small to big scale objects.”

What is the biggest challenge that you feel entrants have?

“Entrants should show what they love in work and what they create with passion. To show how they are discovering new fields of printing, high quality of realisations, new techniques, materials etc. and maybe sometimes breaking some old rules!”

We look forward to welcoming Jacek to FESPA’s Head Office to judge the Awards entries in February. There’s still time to enter the 2019 FESPA Awards, with entries closing on the 25th January 2019. Remember – you don’t have to supply your physical sample until the 20th February 2019.

Mimaki Europe announced its collaboration with over 10 inspirational world-leading designers for Heimtextil 2019 (8-11 January 2019, Frankfurt, Germany - Stand J81, Hall 3.0). Under the theme of ‘The Fusion of Innovation and Design’ and celebrating digital print within all elements of art, interior design...

and fashion, Mimaki commissioned work from designers including Sigrid Calon and Claire Vos (Studio Roderick Vos), that will be showcased throughout the Mimaki booth and used to demonstrate the power of digital print to increase the creative process.

Seeing printed applications on a diverse range of textiles, fabrics and interior materials, visitors will learn how they too can use advanced Mimaki technology to drive design innovation and profitability. From designers including Anousjka Röben displaying shoes; creative studio Deux d’Amsterdam showing a unique kimono designed specifically for Mimaki and Heimtextil, all designs were digitally printed by Textiles & More (T&M). The Mimaki stand will showcase a printer for almost every type of textile application, with additional digitally printed textiles applied to design classics in the ‘Pode’ range from Leolux, and feature walls utilising photography from Arjan Benning also being displayed.

“Heimtextil is always a really good show for us. For 2019, we’re excited to share the results of our collaboration with these amazing designers and to demonstrate what’s possible with our comprehensive range of printers,” says Mark Sollman, Mimaki Application Manager EMEA.

“From entry-level printers to production workhorses, each Mimaki system delivers premium quality print and profit-enhancing productivity. What’s more, using our wide range of inks, a huge variety of substrate applications now becomes available too. So, whether you’re a designer seeking to push the creative boundaries of textile printing, or a brand looking to increase your productivity and lower your environmental footprint, a visit to the Mimaki stand is a must,” continued Sollman.

Heimtextil visitors will experience Mimaki’s broad portfolio of printing solutions, split into three distinct areas including interior design, fashion and art. In the art section, the UCJV150-160 inkjet printer with environmentally-friendly UV-curable inks, will be used to produce wallpaper. Textiles will be printed in both the interior design and fashion areas, with the ultra-productive TS55-1800 sublimation transfer inkjet printer focusing on upholstery. Using a belt-conveying solution, the TX300P-1800B entry-level direct-to-textile system will also be printing onto stretchable fabrics used in fashion.

Claire Vos, introduced by Textiles & More (T&M) and a graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, studied her craft in Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia before settling in the Netherlands. With a contemporary graphical industrial flavour to her work, many of Vos’s products are produced using Mimaki printers for Textiles & More. Her work, shown under the theme of ‘The Dressing Room’, will be shown at Heimtextil through Mimaki-printed upholstery including chairs and cushions.

Bringing vivid colour and fine graphical elements into her work, Sigrid Calon is a visual artist. At Heimtextil, the detail and vibrancy of Calon’s art will be brought to life by a 2x2 metre artwork utilising Mimaki’s latest printhead technology delivering smooth gradations and sharp and precise details. Examples of Calon’s work will also be shown in various materials, produced by Mimaki advanced print technologies including UV and 3D printing.