Lenzing has hit a new milestone with Refibra technology. The Tencel-branded lyocell fibers can feature up to 30 per cent of pulp made from upcycled cotton scraps collected from garment manufacturing processes.

Lenzing launched the Refibra brand in February 2017. It is based on the group’s Tencel fiber, with the addition of cotton scraps and wood. The fibers, part of the Tencel lyocell fibers of low fibrillation properties, have enhanced breathability and are especially well suited to knitted applications. Refibra fibers are produced using Lenzing’s well established Tencel production process. Lenzing’s new fiber Refibra is based upon a circular economy pattern. Refibra’s new special collaboration collection includes different indigo fabrics and jerseys as well as denims employing different mixes of Refibra with other recycled or sustainable fibers. Many companies offer their own interpretation of Refibra fiber for jeans and casual wear.

Advances like these are important as climate change and an increasingly conscientious customer base pays more attention to the supply chain. There is an ongoing shift in consumer demand. The new consumers think more critically. They want to know where the product is coming from and they ask for transparency. Ethical consumerism is just at its beginning.

Apparel makers in Bangladesh have raised concerns over the new platform Nirapon. They say, it creates confusion about safety standards and adds new cost burdens in the name of monitoring and training. They feel Nirapon’s training module is the same as that of Alliance.

Nirapon was formed this year by 23 brands and retailers, including Walmart. Most are signatories of Alliance that folded its operations last December. Among other things, Nirapon will identify service providers capable of supporting regular supplier monitoring, remediation, capacity building and training. Suppliers have to work directly with service providers under the supervision of Nirapon. Alliance inspected fire, electrical and structural integrity of some 700 garment factories and remediated flaws in the last five years after the Rana Plaza collapse.

After the departure of Alliance, factories have been conducting in-house training on health and safety and maintaining safety standards prescribed by Alliance. So, apparel makers say, fulfilling the old requirements on the compliance issue in a new format is a waste of time and labor. After investing huge amounts of money in the industry to ensure workplace safety during the last five years, manufacturers are unwilling to bear a new cost burden. What they have asked for instead is reducing the scope of maintenance audits, which will result in a substantial reduction in fees.

Mukesh Trends Lifestyle is filing for an IPO. The IPO issue size will be between Rs 70 to Rs 90 crores. The company is seeking an issue of up to 10 crore equity shares with a face value of Rs 10 each.

Mukesh Trends Lifestyle, based in Ahmedabad, is engaged in fabric processing. It has business operations in nine states and one union territory. With rising demand from China, Turkey and Brazil, the company intends to set up a new manufacturing unit to process knitted denim fabrics. Its exports grew 367 per cent from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

The company’s primary business is of fabric manufacturing and processing, including pre treatment, dyeing, printing and finishing of grey fabric to produce finished fabrics in the form of knitted and woven fabrics. It specialises in processing of a wide range of fabrics like 100 per cent cotton, polyester, nylon, acrylic, linen, viscose, vortex viscose, cotton elastane, cellulosic fibers and blended fabric. The company procures grey fabric, dyes and chemicals from the market to process and print fabrics for retailers, brands, garment manufacturers, brands and retail vendors, traders, dealers and distributors. Its manufactured fabrics are specially suitable for suiting, shirting, men’s wear, women’s wear, kids wear, baby clothing, nightwear and sportswear.

Marks & Spencer has not yet attained a turnaround of its clothing and home business yet. Significantly more action is needed to bring these back on track. Hard work in improving products has not been backed up by infrastructure improvements. The retailer suffered problems with planning and stock visibility, resulting in some empty shelves. M&S is overhauling its men’s wear collections, reducing the proportion of suits in its men’s wear stock to reflect contemporary customers.

But there are some positive signs in the brand’s digital and food arm. M&S will boost its food business through the transformation plan by working to lower costs and modernise its supply chain.

In the year M&S opened 37 stores and modernised a further 56. Where M&S made progress in pruning options and introducing slimmer fits and more mid sizes, the customer response was very strong. For instance, its new denim launch produced an initial 20 per cent sales uplift and sales of women’s jeggings were up 30 per cent. During the year, M&S implemented the market right pricing program across markets. The program’s cumulative performance since implementation was encouraging with sales up eight per cent and volumes up 20 per cent, following a net ten per cent reduction in selling prices. This performance is helping to build confidence with its partners to reinvest into the business.

Destination Maternity is fighting for survival. It plans to close about 50 stores over the next six months. Destination Maternity’s revenues already are declining — net sales for the fiscal year’s first half are down 10.3 per cent from the same period in fiscal 2018. Comparable sales, those in stores open during both periods, fell 8.7 per cent from a year ago. The company had 937 retail sites at the end of its latest quarter. That compares to 1,114 a year earlier and 1,220 in January 2017. Destination Maternity is working with advisors to explore financial and strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the business or some of its assets. The firm this summer slashed its workforce to cut costs. A default on loans could result in the company needing to seek bankruptcy protection to protect stakeholder value.

Destination Maternity, based in the US, runs the brands Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod and Destination Maternity. In addition to its retail locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, it also sells its products through franchise agreements in South Korea, Mexico, Israel and India.

Maternity wear has become trendy, stylish, form-fitting, and designed to highlight a woman’s curves during pregnancy. The Asia-Pacific region is showing the strongest growth.

The World Textile Merchandising Conference was held in China, September 27 to 29, 2019. The event linked up high-end and high-quality resources in the global industrial chain. There were leaders from textile and apparel industry clusters, managers of textile and apparel industry associations in about 25 countries, as well as representatives from textile and apparel research and design institutions, colleges and universities, global textile fabrics, clothing, fibers, machinery, home textiles, dyeing and finishing. Eighteen conferences and supporting activities, such as industrial seminars, academic exchanges, intellectual property rights, international competitions, skills competitions and visits, enriched the three-day agenda. It clearly presented the development and future of the global textile industry under the new situation. The world’s textile industry is at an important juncture of transformation and development.

The conference focused on the theme of open collaboration, technology-driven and fashion transformation and explored in depth the issues of value chain restructuring of the global textile industry chain and China’s position and development direction in the new layout of the world textile fashion industry. The conference focused on cooperation between science and technology, the connection between textile academic and scientific research achievements and resources and capital markets, as well as the market value and aesthetic value of creative design in the context of industry.

Cotton output in India is set to surge after heavy rains. In Gujarat, the top cotton producing state, rainfall was more than 40 per cent higher than the long-term average from June to September, while in Maharashtra, the second largest, rain was 30 per cent above normal. Planted area also increased to 12.77 million hectares from 12.1 million a year earlier. The country’s cotton exports may climb to five million bales this year. Sales to China could advance to as much as 1.5 million bales from 1.2 million a year earlier. Rising shipments from the country will intensify competition among global exporters as they struggle to grab a bigger share of the Chinese market. Since India is facing increased competition in almost all markets, incentives will make exports attractive.

India is the world’s largest cotton producer. Damage from excess rain in some areas may be offset by higher yields. The crop may be 15 per cent higher than the output a year earlier. But a higher supply will depress world prices, hurting farmer incomes and benefiting textile manufacturers. India will be adding to global supply at a time when prices are near their weakest in more than three years.

The 11th edition of the Bangladesh Denim Expo will provide an insight into the capabilities of the Bangladesh apparel industry and a forum for the local and international visitors to congregate and learn about the latest denim developments from a host of leading industry exhibitors and experts in their field.

To be held from November 5 and 6, 2019 at the International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka Bangladesh, the expo will feature over 100 exhibitors and over 9,000 visitors. It will be held in a new enlarged show space area.

The theme of the expo will be Responsibility. It will highlight the fact that all those involved within the apparel industry have a degree of responsibility in terms of social responsibility, environmental responsibility and economic responsibility to ensure that apparel product is being produced in the most ethical, environmentally friendly, sustainable manner possible, with the highest regard for worker’s safety and well-being.

The aim of the expo is to address burning issues of the day with regard to the long term sustainability of the Bangladesh denim industry and the larger global apparel sector.

American shoppers are helping boost the European retail market says Planet Shopper Index. Looming fears of a US manufacturing recession and the growing threat of a trade war with China aren’t affecting American spending abroad, especially as the dollar remains strong against the euro and the pound. Fashion and beauty are among the main beneficiaries of tourist spending in the UK and Europe. Tax-free retail sales to US shoppers have risen in double-digits for 14 months in succession, with a 15 per cent year-on-year rise in July and a growth of 30 per cent earlier this year.

Emerging APAC economies are also driving European retail growth. Europe has seen rising spend on the part of consumers from India, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. They have helped counter slowdowns from other major luxury spenders like Chinese and Russian tourists.

The ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in the UK this year, saw an additional 80,000 Indian nationals visit the country, with tax-free sales booming 18 per cent in June. And Indians love luxury brands, the category accounting for 42 per cent of spending by Indian shoppers in the UK. Chinese and Gulf Co-Operation Council shoppers have been traditionally seen as Europe’s biggest luxury spenders.

Exports of fashion and textile products from the UK to the USA will be hit with a 25 per cent tariff as a part of the ongoing dispute between the USA and the EU over subsidies granted to both Boeing and Airbus.

The list of products that will be face 25 per cent tariff includes cashmere jumpers, swimwear, bed linen and handbags. This is in addition to the normal duties which will apply. The US has threatened to introduce the tariffs as early as October 17 2019. It has been confirmed that these tariffs will apply even if the UK leaves the European Union with or without a deal.

Simon Cotton, Chief Executive of UKFT, said that these tariffs will have a significant impact on the UK knitwear industry. He urged all parties involved to come to an agreement quickly for the sake of British manufacturers and consumers.