From January to July this year, Uzbekistan’s textile and garment exports increased 112 per cent to $1 billion. This was due to its opening of new markets and developing new products. During the period, Uzbekistan exported textile and garment products to 57 countries and regions around the world. The main destinations were: Russia which formed 39 per cent of the total exports from Uzbekistan, China which received 18 per cent of exports from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan which accounted for 13 per cent of the exports and Turkey which received 12 per cent of the exports from Uzbekistan. In addition to traditional markets, Uzbekistan also exported to Hungary, Slovakia and Greece. With the support of the Uzbekistan Embassy in Kuwait, Uzbekistan realized exports to Kuwait for the first time this year.

Uzbekistan also optimized the export commodity structure of its industry by increasing the proportion of value-added finished products such as knitwear and ready-made garments to 51 per cent. It also started exporting new products such as protective masks and protective clothing. Uzbekistan textile companies currently produce 6 million masks and 10,000 sets of protective clothing per day, and export them to Russia, Kuwait, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and other countries.

COVID-19 has led to a fall in global exports and the suspension of many businesses and production units across the world. Statistics from Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry indicate, the country’s yarn exports declined 20.9 per cent from January to July 2020. Fabric exports decreased 40 per cent while export of processed textiles dropped 12.1 per cent.

Vinatex expects Vietnamese textile exports to further decline by 14 per cent to reach $32.75 billion in the second half of 2020. The country has hardly received any new orders for high-value-added products while orders for masks and protective clothing have dropped sharply due to sufficient international supplies.　

Bangladesh cotton imports to increase on demand revival

Data from Bangladesh Textile Mills Association indicates, for the first time in over a decade, Bangladesh's cotton imports declined by 13.4 per cent in FY 2019/20 reaching 7.1 million bales. After lockdown eased on May 30, Bangadeshi textile mills survived on the cotton stocks that had piled up pre-lockdown. A revival in downstream demand has led to large scale consumption of this inventory spurring further demand for country in the country.

Capacity of apparel mills in the country has recovered to about 75 per cent. As per the Bangladesh Textile Manufacturers Association, the country hopes to complete 75 per cent of its annual cloth orders by September and finish them all by end-2020.

Cambodia expects 20 per cent stable cloth orders in Q4

The dual pressure of epidemic and abolition of EBA has led to the closure of 250 textile and apparel companies in Cambodia. The abolition of EBA tariff preferential measures led to an exponential increase in the prices of Cambodian apparel exports to the EU and a subsequent decline in orders. GMAC expects only 20 per cent member companies' orders to remain stable in the fourth quarter.

Myanmar seeks new development path

By June 21, almost 100 garment and textile companies in Myanmar closed, and over 4,000 workers lost their jobs. Now, 101 companies have resumed production and over 15,000 workers have returned to work.

The epidemic has dealt a major blow to the apparel industry in Myanmar. Most apparel companies in the country are seeking new development paths, such as the production of masks and other epidemic prevention materials.

Stable look for Indonesian textile and garment industry

Coronavirus did not have a serious impact on Indonesian economy with many textile and apparel mills bagging new domestic and international orders. Textile and apparel company PT PanBrothers’ growth rate in the second and third quarters increased by 20 per cent. The company registered an additional 15 per cent increase in orders from local apparel mills that produce garments for global brands.

Laos faces acute order shortage.

Apparel industry in Laos is highly dependent on imports, and the closure of ports due to the epidemic has had a significant impact on the supply of feedstock for the industry. This has led to an acute shortage of orders and increase in pressure for future development.

Thailand's textile and apparel mills cut output

As per National Textile Industry Federation of Thailand, insufficient orders have led to most Thailand textile and apparel mills reducing production, and some operating only four days a week. Some mills are also diverting to antibacterial products and exporting them to Japan

“Linked” is the theme of the next edition of Modtissimo, the only Portuguese textile salon, scheduled for September 23 and 24 at Alfândega do Porto. Under the “linked” theme, Modtissimo will highlight the connection between the Portuguese textile industry and responsible and sustainable production. The forums “iTechStyle” and “Green Circle” will present sustainable products.

The green commitment is increasingly linked with the “Made in Portugal” label, a feature that will be showcased at Alfândega do Porto. Companies from the various sectors – raw materials, fabrics, knits, manufacturing and services – will present their latest novelties, highlighting their sustainable solutions, which have increased exponentially, with a greater variety of products with less environmental impact, either by reusing resources or combating waste.

A link with responsible production that will also be highlighted in the innovation and sustainability forums “iTechStyle“ and “Green Circle”, where the most technological and avantgarde innovations of the Portuguese industry will be showcased.

Designer Jil Sander will again collaborate with Uniqlo for a new collection that will be retailed this autumn. The collection will be named +J. The 76-year-old designer who last quit the house she founded in October 2013, indicated that +J would concentrate on her fortes of minimalist design; pure silhouette and quality fabrics.

Sander launched her first Uniqlo collab with a selection of 40 pieces for men and women that included coats, jackets, knitwear and her signature form-fitting white Egyptian cotton T-Shirts. After three years, the two sides jointly ended the association in 2011, before then relaunching a one-off, best-off collection in 2014.

Sander started her career as fashion editor for a German fashion magazine. In this function, she organized and supervised fashion shootings. More often than not, she had trouble in achieving the look she had in mind. To improve the design pieces, she contacted the producers with her suggestions and proposed certain changes to their designs. Thereafter, the biggest producer of high-tech fabrics proposed that she design for him.

The Children’s Place, thelargest childrenswear retailer in the US has cancelled millions of dollars worth of clothing orders from suppliers in Ethiopia because of the coronavirus pandemic, pushing companies into debt and leaving employees facing pay cuts.

The Children’s Place (TCP), which has more than 1,000 stores in the US and 90 around the world and had a turnover of $2billion last year, cancelled orders from Ethiopia in March and delayed payments by six months for orders completed in January and Februaryn.

Ethiopian workers are the lowest paid in the global garment supply chain. According to reports by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, the minimum wage for Ethiopian garment workers is $26 a month, compared with $95 in Bangladesh and $326 in China.

Ethiopian suppliers claim that TCP has demanded retroactive rebates on products that had been shipped before the crisis. They said the company cited the force majeure clause, which frees companies from contractual obligations in the case of certain extreme events, in its contracts as a reason not to pay, due to COVID-19.

The Bangladesh government may consider another stimulus package for garment exporters such that they can pay workers' wages of August, said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.

On the eve of Bangladesh embarking on a countrywide shutdown on 26 March, the government announced a Tk 5,000-crore special package to pay the wages and allowances of export-oriented industries' workers for three months starting from April.

As the fund was later found to be inadequate, the government released another Tk 2,500 crore from the bailout package rolled out for the large industries affected by the pandemic.

Banks disbursed the amount directly to the workers' bank accounts or mobile financial service accounts. The interest-free loan carried a 2 per cent service charge.

Then on June 22, the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), whose members generate most of the export receipts, jointly wrote to Kamal seeking continuation of low-cost loans for three more months to September.

Garment factory owners are in deep worry about carrying out various activities, the future of the industry and how to pay wages to the workers, said the joint letter, which was also sent to the prime minister's principal secretary. Garment factories in Bangladesh faced order cancellations or suspensions worth more than $3 billion since the pandemic took form.

Subsequently, earnings from apparel shipments in the immediate past fiscal year fell to its lowest in a decade of $27.8 billion. The amount is 18.5 per cent lower than in fiscal 2018-19.

A group of more than 2,000 online sellers has filed an antitrust case against Amazon in India, alleging the US company favors some retailers whose online discounts drive independent vendors out of business, a legal filing seen by Reuters showed.

The case presents a new regulatory challenge for Amazon in India, where it has committed $6.5 billion in investment but is battling a complex regulatory environment.

In January, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had ordered an investigation of Amazon and rival Flipkart, owned by Walmart, over alleged violations of competition law and certain discounting practices, which Amazon is challenging, according to court filings.

In the latest case, the All India Online Vendors Association, members of which sell goods on Amazon and Flipkart, allege Amazon engages in unfair business practices. Reuters was first to report the case filing on Wednesday.

The group alleges that Amazon India’s wholesale arm buys goods in bulk from manufacturers and sells them at a loss to sellers such as Cloudtail. Such sellers then offer goods on Amazon.in at big discounts.

Amazon said in a statement it complies with all laws and its India website is a pure third-party marketplace where sellers have discretion to decide product prices. Amazon’s statement also said its wholesale unit allows businesses to buy products and anyone can register on it.

Ermenegildo Zegna, the Italian manufacturer and retailer of luxury menswear has sold Agnona, its women's ready-to-wear brand specialized in knitwear. The company has nonetheless maintained a 30 per cent minority stake in the label. The brand's new owners are the husband and son, respectively, of Laura Zegna, who represents the third generation of the family to lead the company. The brand's current CEO Alessandra Carra, has led the label for the last six years. Simon Holloway, the Anglo-American designer, who has held the role of creative director at the brand since 2015, is leaving the company to focus on new professional challenges.

Since acquiring the historic manufacturer Laneri Agnona, a specialist in women's knitwear, in 1999, the Zegna group has never really succeeded in relaunching the brand, which was founded in 1953 and has been hosting runway shows in Milan since September 2018.

Starting from August 25, the first digital edition of Inspiramais, a material design salon for fashion, was organized by Texbrasil, a partnership between Abit (Brazilian Association of the Textile and Apparel Industry) and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency). With the theme “Free Spirit”, Inspiramais includes virtual business roundtables, lectures, showrooms and materials research. Representatives of retailers Cornejotex, Rondina, Lemon, Formfit and Johanna Ortiz participated alongwith 11 brands including Lunelli, MaciasTêxtil, RVB, Rhodia, Kirimure, Innovativ, Sancris, Castanhal, Ecosimple, Hi Etiquetas, and Audaces.

The idea of the event was to promote an exclusive experience, with the possibility of getting to know launches and products, participating in the entire program and conducting direct business with companies in the virtual environment. It focused on the presentation of innovative products, virtual stands and the presentation of color charts.

Another of its highlight was + Estampa, which presented the work of studios that sell illustrations, designs, patterns and prints, offering the market new materials, textures and sensations that will provoke new perceptions by the public. The + Estampa project is carried out by the Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Artifacts (Assintecal), the Brazilian Association of the Textile and Apparel Industry (Abit), the Brazilian Tannery Industry Center (CICB) and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).

Munich Fabric Start will welcome back exhibitors to its first edition post COVID-19 on September 1. The fair will be renamed ‘Fabric Days’. Having backed out on an earlier decision to host the exhibition in its original form, due to reasons related to COVID-19, show organizers plan to host a consolidated event that would feature around 300 companies.

Returning to its home at Munich’s MOC – despite registering earlier interest in the Messe Munchen exhibition grounds that could have provided more space – the show will feature 700 collections. The inspiring trend of the event will be ‘Hopetimism’ – which nods to the industry’s resurgence from the pandemic. Sebastian Klinder, Managing Director, Munich Fabric Start, said, by organizing Fabric Days, it aims to set an example and offer the industry a trade fair that will be the first event of its kind on this scale.