USA's major container ports are expected to see a steady increase in import cargo volume this summer. However, it will remain below the record-setting levels seen during most of the pandemic, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.

The report projected that the number of Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) handled by U.S. ports would be 1.86 million TEU in April, down 18% from last year. May is expected to see 1.91 million TEU, down 20.1%; June at 1.99 million TEU, down 11.8%; July at 2.1 million TEU, down 3.9%, and August at 2.13 million TEU, down 5.9%. The first half of 2023 is forecasted to be 10.8 million TEU, down 20.2% from the first half of 2022.

Although the decline in import volume is significant year over year, it is skewed by unusually high volumes last year. The pandemic led to a 20-month streak of totals above 2 million TEU that began in 2021, including an all-time monthly record of 2.4 million TEU in May 2022, which ended only last November. In comparison, imports averaged 1.8 million TEU per month during pre-pandemic 2019.

The report suggested that the decline in import volume was partly due to carriers increasingly dropping service to Los Angeles-area ports and stretching voyages to include other ports of call to help absorb excess capacity. However, the report also stated that new ships are starting to show up, and more have been ordered, indicating that carriers expect demand to improve by the time the new vessels are delivered.

Japanese global apparel retailer Uniqlo has introduced LifeWear for Her, a new line of innerwear designed for women of all ages, sizes, and lifestyles. The collection is created to grow with women as they go through life's milestones, from their first bra fitting to selecting practical wear for school to buying maternity support pieces.

The LifeWear for Her collection includes AIRism Body Shaper Non-Lined Half Shorts (Smooth), which shape the waist and come in both smooth and support versions. The support version utilizes various knitting techniques for additional tummy control and to give the thighs a sleek silhouette.

The lineup includes Wireless Bras (3D Hold), which are now available in more cup sizes for an improved fit, and the Wireless Bra (Relax) (Plunging Lace), which has a relaxed and unrestrictive fit for a natural outline. The AIRism Ultra Seamless Shorts (Hiphugger) have a hip-hugging design and are made with UNIQLO's smooth AIRism fabric with quick-drying technology.

The AIRism Absorbent Sanitary Shorts (Hiphugger) are designed to be worn during a woman's period. The Sanitary Shorts are lightweight and can absorb up to 20 ml of moisture, with a central part of the crotch having an absorbent double layer for added protection. The crotch panel also has two wings for use with sanitary napkins, while the body is made with AIRism technology, with odor-control features and water-resistant fabric. The shorts have a low-rise hip-hugger style, with seamless hems that have no fabric edges.

Target's Spring Designer Collection for 2023 is making headlines, as the retail giant partners with three women-founded brands Agua Bendita, Fe Noel, and RHODE for unique and creative collections. The new partners, bring their individual heritage and culture to their designs, featuring apparel, swimwear, and accessories that are perfect for the warmer weather.

The new collections celebrate Colombian, Caribbean, and Indian cultures, showcasing the beauty and vibrancy of each unique heritage. The limited-time collections, which range from sizes XXS to 4X and priced from $15 to $48, will be available starting April 15.

With these latest partnerships, Target continues to explore women's clothing designed by women and bring more equity to the retail fashion market. In addition to the three new partners, Target has previously featured Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and social media influencer Tabitha Brown.

Target's commitment to featuring designers and social media influencers brings new selections to the store regularly, making shopping at Target an exciting experience.

The World Bank has revealed that exporters in Bangladesh are facing significant delays and higher trade costs due to inefficiencies in border processes. Exporters in Bangladesh require approximately 300 hours to meet border and documentary compliance requirements, according Bangladesh Development Update.

The time taken is significantly higher than the 60 hours required in India and 30 hours in China for similar work. Meanwhile, exporters spend 50 hours in Thailand, 110 hours in Vietnam, 120 hours in Indonesia, and 180 hours in Cambodia for the same tasks.

The report emphasizes that the country's failure to implement commitments under the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) trade facilitation agreement is contributing to the delays and higher trade costs.

While many of the WTO's 164 member countries have fully implemented the agreement's 37 provisions to expedite the movement, release, and clearance of goods across borders, Bangladesh has only implemented about 36 percent of them, the World Bank found.

The World Bank's findings suggest that improving border processes and implementing trade facilitation measures in line with international standards could significantly boost Bangladesh's trade competitiveness and lower trade costs for exporters.

Textile and garment exports from Vietnam dropped by 17% in the first quarter of 2023, reaching $7.1 billion. This is the deepest decline in the first quarter since 2009.

The drop is due to the impact of global inflation on consumer spending on non-essential products, causing a sharp drop in textile and garment exports to major markets such as the U.S. and EU.

Moreover, the domestic textile and garment industry is expected to see further declines in export growth this year due to shrinking export orders and factories operating at below capacity. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, pandemic, financial market instability, and a banking crisis have also affected demand.

In response to this downturn, textile and garment enterprises in Vietnam need to diversify markets, products and brands produced in Vietnam, use green and recycled products, and have infrastructure investment plans and in-depth strategies to meet the requirements of foreign markets.

Moreover, they need to build connection channels to grasp the challenges and opportunities of the global textile industry, digital technology trends and new policies.

Cambodia's international trade during the first quarter of 2023 has seen a decline of 14.5% to $11.25 billion, according to a report by the General Department of Customs and Excise.

The report highlighted that the country's total export, valued at $5.39 billion, fell 5.7% YoY, while the total import, registered at $5.86 billion, dropped 21.3%.

Cambodia's garment, footwear, and travel goods industry, the largest foreign exchange earner for the country, recorded a 22% YoY decrease in exports, falling from $3.12 billion in Q1 2022 to $2.42 billion this year.

This sector employs about 750,000 workers, mostly female, across 1,100 factories and branches. The government expressed its concern about the global economic situation, particularly in the US and Europe, adding that declining income in those countries is affecting purchase orders, causing a ripple effect on the global economy through inflation.

Between July 5 and 7, 2023, downtown Paris, the international hub for fashion, will host the special 25th anniversary edition of Texworld Paris at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre. Themed Texworld Evolution, the three-day trade fair will herald in pre-Covid enthusiasm that will put the business of fashion back on its tracks, believes event organiser Messe Frankfurt. The exhibition will host around 1,300 exhibitors from 20 countries. The new venue in downtown Paris was an obvious choice for its accessibility, connectivity and the fashionable ambiance. This July, Texworld Evolution Paris brings together all its components Texworld, Texworld Denim, Apparel Sourcing, Avantex and Leatherworld Paris.

Steady increase in participation since 2019

The July 2023 edition of Texworld Evolution is going to be the largest textile trade fair after post-Covid. The number exhibitors have gone up 40 per cent compared to the winter edition held in February this year. Messe Frankfurt reports the number of Chinese manufacturers participating at the July edition of Texworld Evolution is similar to that of 2019, if not more, with China opening up operations after a yearlong strict lockdown. Exhibitors from Taiwan, Turkey, India and South Korea will also attend in large numbers.

Sustainability in focus

The event is giving sustainability its due seat at the table. To its credit, Texworld Evolution has been a frontrunner in the global textile trade fair circuit for more than 15 years. It always showcases certified fabrics and garments of natural origin and ethically produced fabrics and clothing. A special area will be dedicated to organic material, natural and recycled fibre, biodegradable and advanced synthetic fibre. The trade fair is highlighting the entire manufacturing chain that is the subject of particular attention from the buyer and the final consumer - this will include maximized dyeing processes, both, natural or chemical, finishing and environmental management systems or fabrics produced in accordance with transparent social standards, such as fair trade and respect for labour legislation.

Pictograms identifying this group of suppliers will be distributed as they showcase natural materials and environmentally friendly processes while complying with sustainable social standards.

Celebration of small quantities and handmade products

Texworld Evolution Paris has curated the best collection of companies representing the finest handicraft on offer. Visitors can expect to see live demonstration of these age-old or contemporary techniques that create the finest bespoke patterns and products – hand-woven fabrics, embroideries, crochet, applique and brocades to name a few. India is one of the largest groups of exhibitors in this section.

Exclusivity is being showcased through hundreds of exhibitors offering quality products in small quantities. These micro-quantity collections are a huge draw and added value for designers, retailers and fashion start-ups, enabling them to create exclusive collections that can only be sold as limited editions. For example, fabrics have only 50 to 100 mt. per design whereas garments and fashion accessories are not more than 100 styles. It facilitates small business units accepting orders of under €1,000.

Timing is right

The dates chosen for the Texworld Evolution Summer 2023 coincides with Curve and Interfilière Paris, organised by WSN Développement, the trade fair for the lingerie, loungewear, swimwear and activewear section of fashion as these exhibitions are within the same complex, being held from July 2 to 4, 2023. This provides a spectrum covering the entire fashion wear segment.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is hosting seven concurrent lifestyle products and licensing trade fairs in the course of April 2023. After a period of political turbulence compounded by the pandemic and the global disruptions due to Ukraine war, Hong Kong is ready to bounce back and reclaim its glory as a regional hub of trade, commerce and creativity. These seven fairs will be held between April 19 and 22, 2023 at the picturesque Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre at Wan Chai North, along Victoria Harbour. As Sophia Chong, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director explains, “Hong Kong is a unique creative and cultural hub where East meets West and the city always excels in creativity. The HKTDC has been committed to promoting creative and design industries, help develop Hong Kong as Asia’s city of culture and creativity. This year, the HKTDC gathers a number of large-scale exhibitions in April, covering lifestyle products and licensing to strengthen cross-industry and cross-field cooperation, creating even greater synergy to the industries.”

Trade fairs to highlight innovation and technology The events include the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair; Home InStyle (formerly the Hong Kong Houseware Fair); Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair; Fashion InStyle (formerly Hong Kong Fashion Week); Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair as well as the Hong Kong International Licensing Show and Asian Licensing Conference, which will end on April 21.

Under the exhibition + hybrid model, exhibitors and buyers have the opportunity to participate beyond physical shows, through the intelligent Click2Match platform which will run until April 29. Chong adds, “Since Hong Kong returned to normality, the HKTDC has organised several large-scale trade fairs and forums. Both domestic and international exhibitors and buyers showed support by attending the events physically, which is very encouraging. This time, the six major exhibitions attract over 3,800 exhibitors from 23 countries and regions, with 70 per cent being non-local exhibitors who will participate in person. More than 20 international licensing leaders will also join the Asian Licensing Conference.”

Royalty-free environment to benefit all A key component in this gathering is the Asian Licensing Conference, apt as intellectual property rights continue to be a bone of contention, particularly with many Western economies alleging violations occurring in Asia. The conference will host over 20 experts from the global licensing field to discuss latest developments in global licensing, location-based marketing (LBM) and sport licensing, keeping participants up-to-date on market trends.

Overseas speakers will include Ben Peace, Vice President for the Asia Pacific at WildBrain CPLG (the agency for PEANUTS, Sonic Prime, and the Teletubbies); Maura Regan, President of Licensing International; and Yvonne Chou, Head of Global Marketing at VICTOR Rackets Industrial Corp, (the badminton brand in cooperation with various IPs such as Peanuts, Hello Kitty, One Piece). The Licensing Academy, organised by Licensing International and supported by the Intellectual Property Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, will host a Japanese expert as a speaker to educate attendees on the role of being royalty-free marketing creating is a win-win situation for all. This conference will also host another topical event, ‘Powering change: Women in innovation and Creativity’.

AI technology to drive fashion

Fashion InStyle will host 430 exhibitors representing the entire industry chain, upstream and downstream. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the UK’s Royal College of Art will conduct live demonstrations of AI technology application to fashion design, merchandising and retailing. Israeli innovation company Stratasys, manufacturer of 3D printers, software, and materials for polymer additive manufacturing as well as 3D-printed parts on-demand will show the sector on how to maximize on operational resources through 3D printed outfits, accessories and parts of outfits quickly and efficiently.

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor has exposed wage theft and illicit pay practices in the heart of Southern California, where laborers toiling away for some of America's top fashion retailers are taking home a meagre $1.58 an hour.

The investigation covered 50 garment contractors across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties between July 31, 2021, and June 30, 2022, and revealed that 80% of the contractors violated wage laws, owing over $892,000 in back pay and liquidated damages to 296 workers. More than half of the employers were found to have paid garment laborers partly or wholly off the books, and payroll records were either doctored or missing.

The investigation also discovered that 32% of the contractors paid workers on a piece-rate basis, a practice that California outlawed in 2022. Shockingly, one Nordstrom and Stitch Fix contractor was found paying workers only $1.58 an hour. The majority of these underpaid garment workers, who are primarily immigrants, are too afraid to speak up, fearing backlash or termination.

LA's Fashion District employs about 20,000 garment workers, constituting roughly 83% of California's and the nation's cut-and-sew apparel sales. The report found that the sewing fees manufacturers paid to contractors were, on average, $2.75 below the amount needed for contractors to meet federal wage standards. Contractors who played by the rules received a higher sewing fee, ranging from $17.50 to $35 per garment.

The Garment Worker Center, an anti-sweatshop organization based in the Fashion District, believes that over time and with robust enforcement, legislation will drive change in the industry.

Première Vision Shenzhen is set to showcase the Spring-Summer 24 collections at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from April 26-28.

The event is expected to attract visitors and exhibitors from across the globe, as the fashion industry focuses on sustainability and ecological change. PV Shenzhen has been staging successful exhibitions in China since its debut in October 2020, with over 20,000 visitors and 200+ exhibitors.

Vetted Exhibitors from Europe, Asia

This year's exhibition will be presented in a massive 50,000㎡ exhibition space, with over 50 PV-vetted leading European and Asian material companies showcasing their products in six main sectors: Yarns, Fabrics, Leather, Accessories, Designs, and Manufacturing. Notably, several exhibitors are from outside China, including Switzerland, Italy, France, and Turkey.

Designers and brands can visit the PV Shenzhen Trend Area, PV Shenzhen Sustainable Focus Area, and PV Shenzhen Sustainable Fashion Seminar to learn about the three central guidelines of Première Vision SS24: color, material, and environmental protection. Additionally, visitors can explore new sustainable initiatives in the market and engage in discussions with 20 fashion industry experts on new models for sustainable ecological change in China's fashion industry.

Travel to Paris, virtually at Trend Area

The exhibition also features the PV Paris 3D Trend Area, where visitors can virtually travel to the PV Paris Forums to view seasonal exhibits, learn about material highlights, and interact with vendors directly through the Première Vision Marketplace. Moreover, visitors can take a break from the bustling show to reflect on sustainable issues and learn about cutting-edge trends in durability, sustainable manufacturing, social challenges, and traceability.

Community Building

The PV Shenzhen VIP Club creates a community in which PV's executives, suppliers, buyers, partners, and journalists can engage in fruitful conversations, exchange ideas, and explore business opportunities. The event promises to be an important internal reference for future brand development, with valuable insights into substantial progress of trends, materials, and markets.