Levi Strauss & Co’s revenues from the denim segment surged by 29 per cent to $5.8 billion in 2021, informs Chip Berg, CEO. As per a Sourcing Journal report, the San Francisco company overcame supply chain problems, steep logistics costs and labor shortages to beat its internal recovery projections last year. Levi’s adjusted gross margins improved 57.9 per cent during the year while Adjusted EBIT margins increased from $181million to $713 million.

With $737 million in operating cash flow generated during 2021, Levi’s continues to invest in technology and infrastructure. It also invested in the Los Angeles-based activewear brand Beyond Yoga. Doubling down on sustainable messaging, Levi’s launched an advertising campaign around the concept of “Buy Better, Wear longer,” and elevated its secondhand offering to attract consumers interest in planet-friendlier purchasing.

Levi’s digital channels generated 60 per cent more revenue than 2019 on stronger e-commerce investments and an uptick in online shopping. In 2021, online sales accounted for 22 per cent of total company revenues, compared with 14 per cent before Covid. Levi’s shoppers embraced omnihannel services merging digital touchpoints with store-based interactions. The company last year opened 92 smaller format stores with services like mobile checkout and curbside pickup.

The volume and value of Japan's textile and apparel imports increased month-on-month and year-on-year in January. As per a CCF Group report, Japan's textile imports increased 18.1 per cent to 336.79billion yen from the same period last year. Of this, imports from China increased by 19.9 per cent to 201.43billion yen from the same period last year.

Japan's main sales discount season spans the months of November and December. The Black Friday and Christmas are the two main discount events for the country. The Japanese celebrate New Year on January 1 which lasts for two weeks. After the peak consumption season in the fourth quarter, Japanese merchants often replenish their stocks in January. Hence, imports of textiles and apparels increase during the month compared with December. The growth of Japan's textile and apparel imports from China was greater than that of total imports during Janaury. The growth rate of imports value was higher than that of imports volume, reflecting the increase in unit prices and the impact of inflation.

China is the largest exporter of textile and apparel to Japan with an overwhelming share of 50 per cent-60 per cent.

India’s cotton textile exports are expected to cross $15 billion this financial year, says the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil). India exported cotton textile products -- made-ups including home textiles, fabrics and yarns – worth $13.95 billion between April 2021 and February 2022. This was above the $12.5 billion target set by the government. Export of cotton textile products to countries such as Egypt, the US, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China exceeded the target by 102 per cent in 11 months, says the Texprocil report.

Manoj Patodia, Chairman, Texprocil says several factors contributed to export growth: pent-up demand, ban on Xinjiang cotton, extension of the RoSCTL scheme for made-ups and garments for three years till March 31, 2024 and coverage of the entire value chain under the RODTEP scheme.

As the industry moved forward, it expected global demand to continue. Extension of the Interest Equalisation Scheme, signing of the Indo-UAE free trade pact and fast-tracking of such agreements with the UK and Australia would boost cotton textile exports, he pointed out.

However, there are supply-chain constraints and for the industry to remain competitive, the government should remove customs duty on raw cotton and include made-ups in the scheme for duty-free imports of specified items that was introduced in the Union Budget, he added.

In February 2022, Vietnamese cotton imports declined by 7.1 per cent month-on-month and 19.3 per cent year-on-year, and Vietnamese yarn imports dropped by 13.6 per cent month-on-month and 20.9 per cent year-on-year. Vietnamese textiles and apparel exports moved up by 13 per cent year-on-year but declined by 42.4 per cent month-on-month.

Vietnamese cotton imports in February reached 118,600 tonne, declining by 19.3 per cent over the same period last year and 17.1 per cent from the previous month. Brazil was the main source of Vietnam's cotton imports, with 36,602tonne of imports, accounting for 30.9 per cent of the total imports, followed by US and India, accounting for 23 per cent and 18.5 per cent, respectively.

Vietnam imported 80,600tonne of yarns during February, a 20.9 per cent year-on-year decline and 13.6 per cent month-on-month decline respectively. By country, its yarn imports in Feb were mostly originated from China, China Taiwan and Indonesia.

Vietnamese textiles and apparel exports in February reached $2.058billion, a 13 per cent year-on-year increase but a 42.4 per cent month-on-month decline.

Pakistan’s textile exports surged by 26 per cent to hit a record high of $12.6 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2021-22.

Data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows, in rupee terms, Pakistan’s textile exports witnessed an increase of 33 per cent to Rs2.15 trillion during the first eight months of fiscal year 2022.

During the first eight months of fiscal year 2022, knitwear exports increased by 34 per cent on a year-on-year basis to $3.3 billion followed by ready-made garments which were up 25 per cent to $2.5 billion and bedwear recording a growth of 20 per cent to $2.2 billion.

On a monthly basis, Pakistan textile exports grew by 8 per cent on a month-on-month basis in February. In addition, knitwear and ready-made garments exports grew by 7 per cent each to $414 million and $354 million, respectively.

Compared with last year, Pakistan textile exports surged byb36 per cent on a year-on-year and up 50 per cent on a year-on-year basis in rupee terms in February 2022, led by significant growth witnessed in value-added segments, largely in knitwear, up 42 per cent and ready-made up 49 per cent amidst volumetric growth.

Basic textile exports increased 35 per cent on a year-on-year basis to $369 million where major contribution comes from cotton cloth, up 56 per cent to $233 million.

Prashant Jhaveri has been appointed as the new CEO of Flipkart’s healthcare business Flipkart Health+, as the e-commerce company scales up numerous areas of its operations this year.

Earlier employed as the Chief Business Officer at Apollo Health and Lifestyle, Javeri has worked with numerous healthcare businesses. He has also worked as CEO of MediBuddy and was chief business officer at Medi Assist Group.

Jhaveri’s vast experience in the sector will be great asset in the journety to build Flipkart Health + as India’s premier tech-enabled healthcare platform, says Ajay Veer Yadav, Senior Vice President.

Flipkart launched Flipkart Health+ in November 2021. The Walmart-owned business has spent approximately between spent $400 million and $500 million on mergers and acquisitions in the past year and a half.

The new initiative will aim to provide Indian users access to quality and affordable healthcare. For this, it plans to start with e-pharmacy first, meaning Flipkart Health+ will let users purchase pharmaceuticals through its online portal and correspondingly deliver them to the consumers' homes.

Neela Hosne Ara, Chairman, Crony Group, has been named as the new director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Rubana, chairperson of Mohammadi Group, on 15 February resigned as a BGMEA director following her appointment as vice-chancellor of the Asian University for Women.

Later on 1 March, the BGMEA board decided to fill the position with a female director and chose Neela who had secured the next highest number of votes among women candidates in the biennial election of the trade body for 2021-2023.

Traditionally, apparel exporters contest the BGMEA biennial election in two panels – Sammilita Parishad and Forum.

In the last election, Sammilita Parishad led by Faruque Hassan secured 24 posts of directors while the other panel, Forum, won 11 posts.

Global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories, VF Corporation has appointed Kevin Bailey to the position of Global Brand President, Vans®. Bailey will continue reporting to VF’s Chairman, President and CEO, Steve Rendle and serving on the company’s Executive Leadership Team.

This appointment marks Bailey’s return to the Vans® brand after holding severa l enterprise leadership roles at VF. Bailey was Vice President of Retail for Vans® when the brand was acquired by VF in 2004. He was later appointed as President of Vans®, a role he held from 2009 to 2016. Under Bailey’s leadership, revenue for the brand more than doubled to $2.2 billion.

Bailey has held a series of roles with increasing responsibility during his 17 years at VF. He most recently served as VF’s President, Asia-Pacific Region and Emerging Brands. In this role, he was responsible for VF’s Asia-Pacific regional platform as well as VF’s Emerging Brands platform, with responsibility for the Altra®, JanSport® and Smartwool® brands on a global basis. Previously, Bailey served as President of VF’s Action Sports Coalition, and the company’s Canada, Mexico, and Central/South America businesses.

Founded in 1899, VF Corporation is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies connecting people to the lifestyles, activities and experiences they cherish most through a family of iconic outdoor, active and workwear brands including Vans®, The North Face®, Timberland® and Dickies®.

Asia Pacific Rayon India Ltd (APRIL) plans to increase its production capacity of up to 600,000 tonne to meet the strong growth potential of viscose staple fiber (VSF) and strengthen its market position in Indonesia and export markets across the region.

As per Sachin Malik, Head, Global Sales, the additional capacity will be achieved through improved optimization and efficiencies, and by constructing a 300,000-tonne viscose production facility in Pangkalan Kerinci, where APR is co-located with its sister company and fiber supplier, APRIL Group.

The expansion will utilize APRIL’s current rayon grade AE pulp capacity from existing pulp production lines, with fiber supplied from APRIL’s responsibly managed renewable fiber plantations in compliance with internationally recognized forest certification standards and its sustainability policy and in keeping with the recently announced APR2030 commitments and targets.

Construction of APRIL’s additional production lines is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2021 and will include features such as a chemical recovery process upgrade, slush-pulp processing installation and other investments aimed at reducing APR’s energy use and environmental footprint. Upon completion of the additional production lines in 2023,

Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) is one of the world’s key producers of viscose rayon. APR has penetrated Bangladesh within a few years after first being introduced to this important market that has been traditionally dominated by cotton.

With the US placing more orders to the region, Latin America’s textile exports are likely to surge exponentially this year. A study by Women’s Wear Daily shows, robust sales of knitwear, T-shirts, polo shirts, lingerie, underwear, and socks will boost Mexico’s shipments to $7 billion this year. Exports of denim and denim items may also increase, benefiting firms in the La Laguna industrial region, which houses Levi’s and Wrangler facilities, according to Garcia.

However, basic materials shortage might jeopardize these advances, says a Textile Focus report. Raul Garcia, Industry Specialist, opines, garment sales might rise by 10 per cent with US customers continuing to engage in close sourcing and seeking more competitive locations like Mexico.

The industry is pushing for additional flexibility in the USCMA agreement’s rules of origin, citing a scarcity of fabric, particularly synthetic yarn and thread, as making it difficult for suppliers to satisfy demands. According to Juan Sánchez, Owner, Texsun, Central American exports to the United States might increase by 10 per cent. However, scarcity of raw materials might jeopardize supplies.