Maria Valdes is chief product officer at Puma. Before that she was general manager of Puma’s sportstyle business, the company's largest business division.

In her new role she will be responsible for a number of divisions including sportstyle, motorsports, team sports, running/training, basketball and accessories. She will also oversee the creative direction of the brand and the company’s go-to-market strategy. She is known for her strong product expertise, a great service attitude towards retail partners and a deep knowledge of the target consumer.

For the third quarter Puma’s sales increased by 16 per cent.Gross profit margin decreased to 46 per cent. Operating expenses increased by 25 per cent. Operating result improved by 12 per cent. Net earnings improved by one per cent. Despite all the global uncertainties the third quarter was again a very good quarter for the company and was the best quarter in Puma’s history.Improved product availability due to a more stable supply chain, better than expected sell-through and Puma’s continued global brand momentum over compensated all the negative external factors.

The Americas region recorded a strong sales growth of 18 per cent. Sales in EMEA were up 18 per cent, driven by strong growth across almost all key markets in Europe.

Textile Exchange Conference was held in the US, November 14 to 18, 2022.

The event focused on delivering beneficial outcomes for soil health, water, and biodiversity and aimed at mapping out a pathway to positive impact, which included reducing the textile industry’s emissions enough to help limit global warming.

The three-day event offered many key takeaways for participants to consider regarding the future of the textile industry. There were discussions on how brands can prioritise biodiversity beyond the sourcing gate and ensure due diligence in supply chains as climate, nature, and community can no longer be seen through separate lenses.

Data was recognised as a powerful ally for guiding decisions but was hardly a substitute for going out and seeing what was happening on the ground.Sessions at the conference explored how policy and non-financial disclosure can regulate the industry but defining what these systems should look like would require input from stakeholders across the sector. It was noted that the goal of full transparency requires the buy-in and cooperation from all players in the supply chain, and attention should be paid to ensure that no one is harmed or put at a disadvantage by disclosure.

Climate change was recognised as a business risk.

With adequate support, Indian exports of technical textiles can grow and achieve their true potential. So says the Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council.

The council wants the government to provide enhanced RoDTEP rates for technical textile export promotion for a period of three years. Fixation of SION for technical textile products on a priority basis has also been called for. SRTEPC says inclusion of certain HSN codes of technical textile products under the PLI 2 scheme would go a long way in promoting technical textiles in the country and has urged the textile ministry for provision of additional flexibilities for exports of technical textile products under the scheme of Advance Authorization / DFIA / EPCG.Inclusion of technical textile products under the Interest Equalization Scheme and creating awareness about the capacity of the Indian technical textile sector to supply high quality technical textile products in the world market has also been recommended by the SRTEPC.

India’s share in technical textiles is about six per cent of the world’s market size. The penetration level of technical textiles is low in India but the annual average growth of the segment is 12 per cent as compared to the four per cent world average growth.

Lectra is acquiring a stake in the Dutch company Textile Genesis. A major player in the fashion, automotive, and furniture markets, Lectra provides software, equipment, data, and services to brands, manufacturers, and retailers.

Founded in 2018, TextileGenesis provides a software as a service platform that enables fashion brands and sustainable textile manufacturers to ensure a reliable, secure and fully digital mapping of their textiles, from the fiber to the consumer, and thereby guarantee their authenticity and origins.

This solution ensures the traceability of TextileGenesis’ customers' entire sustainable textile supply chain in order to meet the demands for transparency, driven by changes in legislation in a growing number of countries and by growing consumer awareness. Its innovative traceability mechanism, which addresses both ends of the textile value chain, as well as its network of partners for material certification, and its technology platform guarantee the exchange and tracking of reliable and secure data throughout a material's life cycle.

Several of the world's most prestigious fashion brands as well as leading sustainable fiber producers are users of TextileGenesis and this enables the connection of multiple actors of the sustainable fashion ecosystem on this platform.Lectra will join forces with Textile Genesis to accelerate the development of its sustainable material traceability solution.

Brazil will supply reliable, sustainable, traceable and high-quality cotton to Indonesia.

Indonesia is the sixth largest importer of Brazilian cotton in the world. During the 2021-2022 harvest season, Brazilian farms supplied 155,000 tons of cotton to Indonesia. Brazilian cotton has a 28 per cent share in Indonesia's cotton imports. The percentage is expected to increase, with cooperation strengthened by the abundance of high-quality Brazilian cotton.

Asian countries like Indonesia need imported cotton to make up for the shortfall in domestic supply. The surge in demand for imported high-quality cotton has paved the way for a resurgent Brazil’s cementing its position as the world's fourth largest producer and the second largest exporter of cotton. Brazil is making use of the latest agricultural technologies to reduce the harmful environmental impacts caused by previous unsustainable cotton farming practices. So the country is focused on creating a sustainable cotton industry without sacrificing quality and demand.

In the last four years, Brazil's cotton production has more than doubled. This has been achieved by the use of advanced agricultural technologies and the adoption of non-irrigated agricultural practices in over 90 per cent of Brazil’s cotton farms. In 2022 Brazilian cotton harvest is expected to increase 15 per cent compared to last year.

If consumers were to buy fewer clothes, that would help in the fight against climate change. So says Hot or Cool Institute.

The sweet spot is limiting new garment purchases to no more than five pieces a year. Americans purchase more than ten times that in a given year, with most consumers buying an average of 68 new garments every year. But 80 percent of those are seldom worn.

Personal changes play a role in the fight against climate change, and reducing new garment purchases is more than four times more effective at reducing the industry’s carbon footprint than the next best solution, which is reusing garments.Upstream emissions are driving more than 80 percent of the fashion industry’s footprint; these occur in the production phase, including cultivating materials, tailoring, and finishing. The emotional aspects intrinsic to experiencing fashion, changing garments, and experimenting with self-expression could be filled by other practices such as providing skills for modifying or mending one own’s clothes, using upcycled materials, and changing the attitude towards fashion aesthetics.

Emissions in wealthier nations including the US, UK, and EU members need to drop by 60 percent before the end of the decade. And countries including Brazil, China, South Africa, and Turkey must reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

India needs to allow duty-free imports of cotton as higher raw material prices have reduced textile mills’ capacity utilization.So says the Cotton Association of India.

Scrapping the duty will help the textile industry to perform with optimum capacity. Cotton imports into India, the world’s biggest producer of the fiber, attract 11 per cent duty, which makes imports financially unviable.

India cotton is nearly 15 per cent more expensive than cotton of other origins, and the higher price has eroded the competitiveness of the textile industry and reduced capacity utilization to 50 per cent. Indian traders are struggling to export cotton despite higher production as farmers are delaying the sale of their harvest hoping for higher prices in the coming months. India’s cotton exports this year may fall short of estimates. Export enquiries are poor as Indian cotton is more expensive compared with world cotton prices.

The season started with very poor opening stock. Arrivals are not picking up as expected and domestic mills are gradually increasing capacity utilization. Cotton arrivals in November usually surpass 1.5 lakh bales a day. At present, it is at 1.3 lakh bales a day. In several areas, sowing and harvesting have been delayed.

Munich Fabric Start will be held in Germany, January 24 to 26, 2023.

This fabric trade show is the leading platform for future-relevant textile innovations in the fashion sector. The show manages to strike a balance between euphoria for new things and critical debate. Among the zones are the integrated international denim trade show Bluezone or Fabrics and Additionals with new materials for all apparel segments, ReSource and Sustainable Innovations for sustainable approaches, Design Studios with fabric designs and new developments for prints, the innovation hub Keyhouse and the new sourcing area The Source for international, vertical integration.

Visitors will encounter innovations in all areas of Munich Fabric Start and across all steps of the value chain. Many innovative raw materials will be on show that are either recycled, recyclable or biodegradable. Examples of highly efficient innovations to be discovered range from waterless dyeing to oxygen-based finishing to AI-driven processes. In addition, fully digital dressing and design options will play an increasingly important role.

This is one of the most important European fabric shows and leading business platforms for the fashion and denim industry and has a positive, motivated and ambitious mood with inspiring new products, innovative contents and future-oriented themes.

The free trade agreement with Australia will benefit Indian garment and home textile exporters. So says India Ratings and Research.

Australia’s zero import duty access to India, which was earlier five per cent, will provide a level-playing field with exports from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. The FTA with Australia eliminates the import duty on textile exports from India, bringing them at par with exports from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. India’s exports to Australia contribute five per cent to six per cent to the total Australian requirement and they remain at hardly one or two per cent of total textile exports from India.

The volume of exports from India to Australia may gradually increase in 2023 and thereafter may increase further based on producer capacities. The removal of tariff barriers can increase the incentive to create value addition within the country and increase the proportion of such products in the overall export basket.

Given the economic challenges being faced by some exporting nations and the increasing need to diversify supply chains, Indian home textile/garment producers are likely to benefit. Given the slowdown being experienced by the US and Europe, this could provide partial relief along with other FTAs likely to be signed with UAE, UK, Canada and Israel.

Texworld Evolution will be held in Paris, France, February 6 to 8, 2023.

The February edition of Texworld Evolution is expected to approach the pre-crisis levels. Overall bookings have reached 70 per cent of the pre -pandemic level of February 2019.

The show is expected to welcome around 450 exhibitors from 14 countries at the beginning of the year, including nearly 250 Chinese companies and 50 Indian companies. Indian embroiderers and weavers will also have a strong presence. Turkish manufacturers will demonstrate to buyers the alternative they represent to Asian sourcing. With nearly 750 companies from some twenty countries, these three days will be an opportunity for visitors to renew their acquaintance, after three years of instability, with the offer of the great Asian weavers, embroiderers, and garment makers in particular.

Texworld brings together fabric manufacturers (knits embroidery, jacquard, cotton etc). A denim area will exhibit everything from raw material to finished product. Several key exhibitors in this market, such as Atlas Denim (Turkey), Mekotex (Pakistan), and NZ Denim (Bangladesh), will be present. There will also be a Trend Forum especially dedicated to this industry. The Elite area will bring together some 20 companies that combine production capacity, quality, and responsiveness.