GOTS has appointed Ganesh Kasekar as the Regional Representative and new Head-Quality Assurance and Implementation in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). Based in Mumbai, Kasekar takes over the role of Sumit Gupta, the previous GOTS Regional Representative in India and Bangladesh with the additional countries Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

A textile engineer from VJTI, Kasekar holds over 17 years of experience in the textile industry with a special background in inspection and certification in supply chains. As a former business development manager, he has already been involved with supply chain stakeholders internationally, contributing to quality assurance requirements in the textile and leather goods industry.

GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fiber such as organic cotton and organic wool, and includes both environmental and social criteria. Its key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste-water treatment practices.

GOTS was developed by leading international standard setters - Organic Trade Association (US), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) to define globally recognized requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles, from field to finished product. GOTS is a non-profit organization which is self-financed.

A new report, ‘The State of Skills in the Apparel Industry 2020’, highlights post COVID, digital creation skills top the list of business issues faced by the industry. The report has published by Fashion e-learning platform Motif and Alvanon in partnership with 19 leading apparel organizations,

It states, in the last 12 months, more large companies have turned to upskilling their workforce while more smaller and mid-sized companies are looking to hire new skills; 66 per cent express some sort of dissatisfaction with the training they receive; biggest levels of dissatisfaction are at the junior levels with 13 per cent difference with management; 77 per cent of executives feel employees do not proactively take courses; 44 per cent say employees only take courses when they are forced to; and yet, when junior employees were asked, 71 per cent said they proactively take courses.

The report represents the views of 900 apparel professionals from across the value chain. Survey suggested that while there is clearly still a need for strong fundamental skills like apparel costing, sourcing, supply chain management, etc. One key finding is the perceived gap in “future” skills that combine 3D digitalization and data skills with technical skills.

Against the background of COVID-19 developments in Germany with increasing number of infection and the uncertainty about further course including possible travel restrictions, Munich Fabric Start has cancelled the trade fair View Premium Selection, scheduled on December 1-2, 2020 in Munich.

Munich Fabric Start is now focusing on organizing the second edition of Fabric Days, scheduled for January 26-28, 2021 at the MOC Munich to present the spring/summer '22 collections to the textile industry. The organizers are again expecting a collection portfolio of around 400 international suppliers, and the first registrations have already been received.

Munich Fabric Start is the first of the internationally leading trade fairs for fabrics and accessories. Showcasing a select portfolio of more than 1,000 suppliers the Who’s Who of the fashion industry meets in Munich twice a year to explore and source the latest fabric and accessory developments and highlights for the season’s start. Internationally established top-notch weavers and manufacturers from 35 countries present an elaborately select range of some 1,700 basic to haute couture collections.

American & Efird(A&E), the largest supplier of sewing thread and specialty yarns plans to vertically integrate and upgrade its US operations by offering new products and manufacturing initiatives to provide its customers with the newest innovations and highest quality threads and yarns,

According to a report by the International Apparel Federation, the company plans to invest in its US manufacturing platform. American & Efird currently operates five manufacturing facilities and its division offices in Gaston County. Its Gaston County operations comprise the vast majority of its US platform and are a critical part of A&E’s overall global manufacturing footprint, allowing it to service its customers across many regions according to specific needs. A&E manufacturing capabilities are completely vertical from raw cotton and other fibers through the spinning, winding, dyeing and finishing of its threads and specialty yarns.

Earlier this month, A&E purchased the yarn business of the Charles Craft high performance. This acquisition broadens A&E’s product offering related to thermal protection, cut resistant and flame retardant yarns and expands the company’s US platform and manufacturing capabilities.

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry states, India’s textile and clothing exports declined from $38.6 billion in 2014 to $37.1 billion in 2018 while imports increased from $ 5.8 billion to $ 7.3 billion. To arrest the decline in exports and boost employment in rural areas, CITI released a white paper that offers general and sector specific suggestions to the Indian textile and clothing industry.

It recommends the government should classify the Indian textile industry under MNREGA. Prioritize the National Skill Development Mission to increase employment levels from 85 lakh to 1 crore by 2020. It should also make ESI type scheme available to the unorganized sector on contribution basis.

Other recommendations include

• Creating an advisory body to provide industry specific expertise for more workable policies; impose rule of origin on apparel exports from Bangladesh and yarn/fabric forward rule to allow duty free imports of garments manufactured from yarn/fabric either sourced from India or manufactured in Bangladesh.

• Address Petrapole/Benapole port issues for Bangladesh imports.

• Expedite refund of export refunds including Duty Drawback, MEIS, RoSL/RoSTCL.

• Simplify TUFS guidelines and clear all the pending subsidies in a time bound manner

• Extend loan moratorium for two years.

• Extend remission of duties and taxes under the proposed RoDTEP scheme for the entire textile value chain.

• Extend 5 per cent interest subvention scheme for the textile and clothing export products including all types of spun yarn.

• Update the export general manifest (EGM) in the ICEGATE.

Focus on cotton fiber sector

• Launch TMC-II (Technology Mission on Cotton) at the earliest.

• Define the role of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and ensure industry participation at board level.

• Follow satellite imaging and similar technology enabled practices to estimate the crop size of India.

• Introduce Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to cotton farmers

• Enable CCI to sell the MSP procured cotton at international prices

• Extend the benefits of RoSL and MEIS for the cotton fibre.

• Subsidize cotton farming techniques like mulching films and drip irrigation

• Standardize cotton bale packing and adopt bale identification systems like the US and China.

• Global Cotton Contract should be launched on Future Exchanges in India.

Suggestions for Man-Made Fiber sector

• Announce a National Fiber Policy for all stakeholders and ensure adequate availability of quality raw materials at an international price

• Remove all anti-dumping duties on basic MMF textile raw materials including synthetic fibers and filaments

• Slot the entire MMF textile value chain under 5 per cent GST rate on par with cotton textile value chain

• Increase import duty on MMF spun yarn from to 10 per cent to prevent goods from Indonesia and Vietnam from being cleared at zero duty with SAFTA certificate.

Garments and made-ups

• Negotiate FTAs with developed and large markets like EU, US, Australia, Canada, Britain, etc. to ensure level playing against competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc.

• Provide special package for decentralized nature of labor – like ESI.

• Encourage exports of branded apparels from India.

• Increase the threshold limit on apparel sale with 5 per cent GST to Rs 1,500. Prevent cheap imports of readymade garments from Bangladesh and used cloths from other countries.

As per the Boston Consulting Group, the global luxury industry is in for tough times ahead. Luxury sales are expected to contract 45 per cent this year and growth is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels before 2023. This year, small-scale or online only shows have replaced blockbuster catwalk shows at fashion weeks. However, few Italian and French luxury groups plan to host larger physical events despite limited international presence, absence of several high-profile designers and rising infection rate Europe.

One of them is LVMH, which reported a strong surge in summer sales from Asian countries like mainland China, Japan and South Korea. However, the group’s fashion and leather goods sales dropped 37 per cent with a halt in international tourism.

Small brands struggle with unsold inventory

The impact on struggling brands like Salvatore Ferragamo and Burberry and debt-ridden department stores like Neiman Marcus has been worse. Many of these brands are ridden with a large stock of unsold inventory from the spring/summer collections this year. And as Stefano Todescan, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group says brands are using brick-and-mortar discount outlets or online marketplaces like the Dutch startup Otrium to dispose unsold inventories.

Few brands are exploring data to review unsold stocks, adds Todescan. This data allows them to move supply from the West to better performing regions like the Asian markets, China. The fastest-growing luxury market before the pandemic, China is likely to become even more important as North American and European markets are struggling to stabilize operations.

Pandemic sparks mobile innovations

The pandemic has forced all offline retailers to go online as consumers have also moved to digital shopping. Amazon, which sold one billion fashion items via its mobile app in the last 12 month, has launched a mobile-only luxury stores with one brand: Oscar de la Renta. The e-tailer plans to launch more labels on the platform in coming weeks. Digital marketplace Farfetch reported a 60 per cent surge in traffic for Q2 that ended last month with 500,000 new customers.

As the industry makes a fresh beginning post pandemic, TikTok plans to host an online fashion month for its 800 million users. The show will focus on smaller collections displaying timeless pieces. Currently, with most people being stuck at homes, demand for evening wear and suits has plummeted. However, despite a severe recession and ongoing layoffs, brands expect consumers to start buying high-priced items soon. Till then, luxury brands need to maintain resilience.

From October 22-24, 2020 Ningbo Fashion Festival and the 24th Ningbo International Fashion Exhibition is being held in Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center in China.

This time, Ningbo Fashion Festival is pooling fashion resource, advocate fashion concept, shape its brand image, promote the development of high quality fashion industry via Internet, transform traditional mode of exhibition, speed up the construction of the fashion industry ecology, promote fashion consumption upgrade, optimize fashion development environment, and boost Ningbo an internationally influential fashion cities.

On October 22, the opening ceremony of 2020 Ningbo Fashion Festival was held in the newly completed Peacebird Fashion Center, which fully reflected the mutual improvement and innovation between the fashion festival and the industry. The domestic related government leaders, clothing associations and other organizations, Harper's bazaar, China textile magazine and many other media, exhibitors and buyers from all over the country, guests and friends from business, fashion and other fields attended 2020 Ningbo fashion festival.

The opening show of 2020 Ningbo Fashion Festival brought by Peacebird, Beyond home textile, Samsonite and Zhongzhe group. Exquisite clothing and fashion style by models’ expression, attracting the attention of audience.

US consumers plan to spend less on apparel and accessories this holiday season, says a new KPMG report. The report, which surveyed 1,000 US consumers in September, found on an average, consumers had reduced their holiday shopping budgets by 18 per cent due to the financial pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, average holiday spending this year is expected to decrease from $627 in 2019 to $515 per consumer in 2020.

Shoppers are likely to spend less 27 per cent less on apparel and accessories this year. Their spending on electronics and gift cards is also expected to fall by 16 per cent and 14 percent, respectively.

Consumers are expected to purchase all product categories significantly more through e-commerce platforms than in previous years, with online spending on apparel and accessories predicted to increase by 25 per cent.

The reasons for the overall decrease in holiday spending include the impact of COVID-19 on the employment status of consumers. Around 36 per cent of consumers said that their income had been negatively affected, reducing on average 34 per cent.

Around 19 per cent of the respondents reported becoming more mindful of their spending habits due to the health crisis.

Wool prices in Australia have increased by over 30 per cent since September as Chinese processors boosted purchases to meet an expected jump in apparel demand after a coronavirus-related slump. According to Robert Hermann, Managing Director, Mecardo, wool mills and manufacturers have prepared for an anticipated increase in consumer spending after pandemic lockdowns. The benchmark Eastern Market Indicator wool price had slumped by 47 per cent in Australian dollar terms to A$8.58 per kilogram between the first week of auctions in January and the first week of September, as demand shriveled due to global Covid-19 lockdowns.

Australia typically exports about 80 per cent of its greasy, or untreated, wool to China. However, this figure surged to 96 per cent in the June quarter, amid COVID-19-related disruption in export markets, particularly in Europe, said Abares, a government forecaster. Still, the prospect of strict COVID-related lockdowns in the EU and consequently lower apparel sales are likely to limit price upside, said Dennis Voznesenski, Rabobank associate analyst, in the bank’s October agribusiness report.

Though further lockdowns in Europe would be negative in the short term, pent up consumer demand should cause the market to rebound strongly after restrictions ease, added Herrmann.

Technavio reports, the global market for high-visibility clothing is poised to grow at 2 per cent CAGR to $120.22 million from 2020-2024 The report states, the market is expected to be driven by increasing demand for high-visibility clothing from the manufacturing industry.

The manufacturing industry has different applications that can pose diverse risks to workers. Hence, high-visibility clothing needs to be used at manufacturing sites to ensure the safety of workers. This growing need has encouraged many high-visibility clothing manufacturers to offer a wide range of clothing. Having the largest high-visibility clothing market in 2019, North America offers several growth opportunities to market vendors during the forecast period. These opportunities include the use of green materials and processes for manufacturing of high-visibility clothing.