Having grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years, Vietnam’s textile and garment industry has become an integral part of the global supply chain. In 2021, Vietnam became the world’s second largest textile and garment exporter overtaking Bangladesh. It exported textiles and garments worth $39 billion in 2021, nearly 12 per cent more than 2020, says the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association.

FDI grows 7.8% Y-o-Y

While other textile manufacturing companies are struggling to deal with COVID-19 losses and drop in exports, Vietnam has become a bright spot in the global industry. As per a Global News Wire report, foreign direct investment in Vietnam is grew 7.8 per cent Y-o-Y with $4.42 billion investment disbursed in the first three months of 2022.

Vietnam’s textiles and garments sector is attracting the most FDI as traditional large-scale manufacturers like China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan have reduced production in recent years. Vietnam is fast emerging an alternative apparel sourcing destination to China. The Nam Dinh province in the country is introducing new policies to support industrial real estate developers, leading to the setting up of new industrial parks in the province.

Boosting real estate development

A textile-specialized industrial park, Aurora IP is boosting the development of industrial real estate market. Being developed by the Cat Tuong Real Estate Group, Aurora IP is coming up in two phases. The first phase includes development of about 520 hectare textile-dyeing specialized sustainable industrial park to improve the lives of the local community, and creating a favorable work environment for experts.

The park will be equipped with a wastewater treatment system having a capacity of 110,000 cu m/day night and a surface clean water system with capacity of 170,000 cu m/day night. Its robust infrastructure will encourage the development of high-tech textile plans for dyeing processes.

The sustainable development strategy of the Cat Tuong Group along with the support of the local government will make Aurora IP, one of the most reliable destinations for development of a sustainable textile and garment industry, says Tran Quoc Viet, Chairman & CEO, Cat Tuong Group.

International eco-hub C.L.A.S.S. plans to team up with Milano Unica to encourage a new generation of fashion through C.L.A.S.S. Smart Shot, the online space offering high-tech materials across categories. Launched in 2018, the online shop targets students, designers and new generation of brands who aim to explore and test innovative materials by mixing styles.

To be located in Hall 8 at Milano Unica, the C.L.A.S.S. Zone will trace the journey of smart materials with advanced responsible solutions for the contemporary wardrobe. It will focus on all natural, transformed, innovative and back in the loop materials, enabling visitors to create design, innovative and yet responsible products in line with their new generation of contemporary values. The C.L.A.S.S. Smart Shop partners to will exhibit at Milano Unica include: Albini Group, Brullo, Iluna Group and Zignone.

Held across several venues in Moscow including the Zaryadye Park, Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, State Department Store, Revolution Square and Mayakovskaya Metro Station, the event showcased over 3,000 styles from 200 designers. It also featured 208 stylists, makeup artists and over 27, 000 models.

Of all venues, Zarvyadve Park held 70 fashion shows while VDNH displayed the works of 84 designers from different cities across Russia. Around16 shows were arranged at Tverskaya Square. A collaborative show was organized in GUM while individual shows were arranged at Revolution Square, and Mayakovskaya Metro Station.

Live-streaming on 120 websites

The events of the Moscow Fashion Week were live-streamed at over 120 websites by Russian and international media, as well as in the official group of the event in VK. Designer shows and business events were viewed 3 million times.

Five marketplaces hosting 138 brands

Moscow Fashion Week also featured five marketplaces that were visited by 225 brands. The professional B2B showroom featured collections from 138 brands in all categories – women’s and men’s wear, kidswear, outer apparel, bags, accessories, and fashion jewelry. The showroom was visited by 249 buyers from 40 cities of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam in 7 days. 

Over 230 deals to the total amount of over 60 million RUB were approved in the showroom with the average deal amount of about 260,000. RUB. Designers made 800 potential agreements, which were to be further discussed and signed after Moscow Fashion Week finishes.

The convention program included over 50 sessions that were attended by 180 speakers. Experts at the sessions talked about market readjustment, considered business issues, tried to collaborate efficiently and to establish connections between all representatives of the fashion industry. 

Workshops on digital fashion

Experts in digital and contemporary art as well as in digital fashion read lectures and held workshops for visitors. This initiative merged Russian artistic traditions and digital art. Emerging digital artists showcased their works based on traditional Russian ornaments. Besides, event goers were offered digital wear shows – models at virtual catwalks were 3D avatars. 

Fashion Capital Festival organizes 1,300 workshops

The Fashion Capital Festival took place at 35 venues throughout the city, its hub being at Tverskaya Square. The festival featured over 1,300 workshops, 110 concert programs, about 50 historic fashion shows and shows by emerging Russian designers along with 42 lectures, 105 movie plays, and 300+ animation programs. 

Set to take place from August 29-31, 2022, at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai, Yarn Expo Autumn will enable visitors to source quality fibres and yarns that align with consumers’ eco-friendly expectations. Quality, sustainable blend of domestic and international exhibitors have been confirmed

Yarn Expo Autumn is being organized by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT. The fair will showcase a wide spectrum of environmentally-friendly technology and raw materials to various end-user industries, from both domestic and international exhibitors, the organisers said in a press release quoting a recent report.

International exhibitors at the fair include Rieter Machine Works (Switzerland) and The Movement China (Netherlands). omestic exhibitors include Orient International (Holding) Co, Jiangsu Zhongyuan Industrial Group Co, Jiangsu Yueda Spinning Co and Fujian Cyclone Technology Co.

ShavkatMirziyoyev, President, Uzbekistan has directed the government to generate an additional $9 billion in revenue per year by processing yarn into finished products and attracting foreign brands, the President's press service said.

As per a report by the Xinhua News, the Uzbek leader set a goal to attract 50 popular foreign brands to the country's textile industry and announced new subsidies and incentives for exporters of textile products.

Mirziyoyev said, after an international boycott on Uzbek cotton was lifted early this year, foreign companies have been showing great interest in products produced in Uzbekistan.

Since 2016, the country's volume of textile production has increased by five times, and exports by four times, reaching almost $3 billion, the press service said, adding that during this time reprocessing of cotton has risen to 100 from 40 per cent.

However, the degree of processing yarn into finished products still remains low at 23 per cent, meaning the industry "is missing a $9 billion opportunity every year.

Uzbekistan produces around 3 million tonne of cotton annually and plans to increase production by implementing new agricultural technologies, including drip irrigation.

Focusing on luxury fabrics, new trade show TexPremium was held from June 27-28, 2022 at One Marylebone in Central London.

As per a Drapers report, the show was organised by John and Fergus Kelley, Directors, London Textile Fair. Prices at the event ranged from €10/metre to €30 (£8.63 to £25.88), but most were €15/metre to €20 (£12.94 to £17.25). Although TexPremium is targeting a different market, the issues plaguing exhibitors and buyers were similar to those at the main London Textile Fair event in March. Supply chain issues were the most-often-cited challenge by TexPremium attendees.

Tom Christopher, Sales Executive, National Weaving, the ongoing crisis has caused the Pembrokeshire-based woven and printed label manufacturer to significantly revise its order timeline:

Nothing Underneath choseTexPremium to seek out innovative sustainable fabrics. The London-based womenswear brand’s production assistant Sophie Houghton said, the company uses only use natural fibres, biodegradable textiles, etc. It’s always on the lookout for new, sustainable, interesting developments.

Sourcing event Texworld Evolution Paris will host over 400 international exhibitors from July 04 to 06 at the Parc des Expositions Paris-Le-Bourget. This year's exhibition marks the return of the major sourcing countries - including China - to Paris.

With around one hundred companies organized in pavilions at Texworld Paris, sixty of which are grouped together in the magnificent area supported by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO), Turkey is back to its pre-crisis level of participation. Korean fabric manufacturers will also be there: 41 companies will be exhibiting under the pavilion of the National Union of Korean Textile Manufacturers (Kofoti), among which are regular exhibitors of the show, such as knitters People N'Nature, A Jin Corporation, or Youngwon Corporation (silky aspects).

The presence in Paris of some forty textile manufacturers from China - out of the 140 Chinese companies taking part in the shows - constitutes an exceptional level of exposure in the current context. Indi is also making a comeback, with some forty companies at Texworld Paris - out of a total of 60 - including embroiderers Tarom and Eco Royal Hantex, with exceptional hand-embroidered fabrics.

To facilitate the buyers' journey, the Elite area of Texworld Paris will bring together a selection of some fifteen Turkish, Japanese and Pakistani companies, chosen for their performance in terms of quality, competitiveness, responsiveness and services for the world's leading fashion brands.

InfinitedFibre Company plans to build a commercial-scale factory to produce regenerated textile fibre.

As per an Innovation in Textiles report, the factory will be located at Stora Enso’s mothballed Veitsiluoto paper mill in Kemi, a Finnish city on the northern shore of the Baltic Sea.

The cost of the investment is estimated at €400 million, and is expected to create around 270 jobs in the area. The annual fibre production capacity of the planned factory will be 30,000 metric tons – equivalent to the fibre needed for about 100 million T-shirts.

Infinited’s technology enables cotton-rich textile waste to be transformed into a versatile, high-quality regenerated textile fibre called Infinna, which looks and feels like cotton.

Infinited expects to export most of the output of its planned factory, which makes Kemi an ideal location – the city’s port serves as very efficient link to the rest of the world.

Challenges like rising labor costs, production and process automation, ‘reshoring’ and ‘nearshoring’, as well as increased pressure to transition towards a more sustainable business model, with improved wages and working conditions are creating an uncertain future for the industry and workers alike, says International Labor Organnization in a report titled ‘Employment, wages and productivity trends in the Asian garment sector’.

For decades, the sector has relied heavily on low labour costs to secure global market advantages. Real wages in the sector have increased in most countries although working conditions remain challenging in general, including long and intense working hours, poor occupational safety and health as well as violations of fundamental rights at work, the report said.

Despite the high share of wage and salaried employment and the dominance of larger firms in most countries, a significant proportion of the sector’s workers also remain highly vulnerable, due to widespread informality and the temporary nature of their working arrangements.

Female employees are overrepresented among the sector’s low pay workers, and countries with the lowest shares of female workers also have among the highest gender pay gaps in the garment sector, the report said.

While labour productivity in Asia’s garment sector has risen in recent decades, it remains low relative to other manufacturing sectors. Few garment producing countries have successfully moved up the value-chain in apparel production, with most manufacturers remaining engaged in low-skilled ‘cut-make-trim’ operations, it said.

Data in the report does reveal a positive association between growth in labour productivity and wages in the sector, suggesting that investments in labour productivity may play an important role in helping elevate worker pay.

David Williams, Manager, ILO- Decent Work in Garment Supply Chains Asia program, says, the industry’s future success will depend on mutually reinforcing investments.

German Company Schoffelintroduced its new subsidiary Schöffel Pro for the workwear market and a collection of highly functional and tough work pants featuring CorduraNaturalle fabrics at Techtextil 2022 in Frankfurt,

Thomas Brautigam, Managing Director Schöffel Pro says, made of special high-strength polyamide, Cordura advanced fabrics are known for their abrasion, tear and wear resistance. This durability paired with a sporty cut allows for a new generation of workwear that offers the highest level of functionality as well as a new level of comfort.”

The range offers three separate pairs for different working conditions, all reinforced for increased durability with CorduraNaturalle knee and bottom sections, lower back, leg ends and pocket openings.

The company aims to incorporate stretch properties and comfort into its textile technologies without compromising on strength-to-weight ratio, long-lasting performance and optimal protection,saysMalaykaErpen, Leader-Global Consumer Segment. Lightweight, water-repellent and stretchable CorduraNaturalle fabrics as protective outerwear solutions inspired by sportswear are ideal for this.