Dutch jeanswear brand Kings of Indigo has filed for bankruptcy.

The brand which was launched in 2012 survived the bankruptcy of its previous owner, Varova Fashion Holding, in 2018 but could not handle the combined factors of a challenging business transition, pandemic-related problems, late deliveries and inflation.

Pioneering sustainable brand Kings of Indigo was able to contribute to making the fashion industry more sustainable, showing other brands how to work cleaner and with more care for the people involved in this industry, without compromising on quality. The label was a sustainability forerunner with its use of biodegradable stretch denim, waterless washes and blockchain technology to trace material back to its source to exclude greenwashing. The latter was a key part of its traceable denim collection that it launched in 2021.

Kings of Indigo made quality denims, tops and accessories inspired by American classics with a Japanese eye for detail. The collection was mainly made from environmentally preferred fibers such as recycled or organic cotton and processed in a sustainable way. The organic cotton used was GOTS certified. Most of fabrics used in the woven tops were with organic cotton, linen or Tencel. To guarantee quality, the organic cotton was processed in the best denim mills.

Hohenstein has opened a testing laboratory in Gurugram.

The new addition to Hohenstein’s expanding lab network will focus on physical, colorfastness and restricted substance testing of leather, footwear and personal protective equipment. The lab will complement Hohenstein’s established textile testing labs in Asia, helping global brands and retailers ensure world-class quality products from India. Leather and footwear services will include testing quality and performance characteristics to international standards.

With more than 40 offices and laboratories, Hohenstein is an international partner for independent testing, certification and applied research around human-textile-environment interaction. It develops science-based methods and standards that consider the user in real life, not just in the lab. Through standard or customized testing, and interpretation of the results, Hohenstein experts solve problems, verify claims and help partners bring better, safer products to the market – more sustainably.

Hohenstein is a founding member and leading provider of the Oeko-Tex portfolio of services and is certified by the US Consumer Products Safety Commission as a third-party, independent laboratory for CPSIA compliance verification.

Hohenstein is at work developing a protein-based water and dirt-repellent finishing agent to provide an alternative to hydrophobic processes using fluorocarbon chemicals.The aim is to functionalise textiles in a stable, economical and sustainable way using fungal proteins produced with biotechnology as a replacement for per- and poly fluorinated hydrocarbons that are potentially dangerous to humans and the environment.

When the currency began sliding against the dollar textile and readymade garment exporters in Bangladesh were supposed to gain from the development. But the reality turned out to be different for them as they saw lower profits or even losses.

Bangladesh’s currency depreciated by about 25 per cent against the dollar between February and September, driven by the Russia-Ukraine war.A currency depreciation, if orderly and gradual, usually improves a nation’s export competitiveness, but exporters in Bangladesh could not make the most of the depreciation since they had to buy dollars at a higher price while opening letters of credit to import raw materials needed to serve the global markets.

Most textile and apparel manufacturers in Bangladesh purchase raw materials from international markets and they have had to pay higher prices while opening letters of credit. So though exporters benefited from the depreciation of the local currency, the gains were gobbled up by the huge difference in the buying and selling price of the dollar. As a result, costs rose. Prices of raw materials surged in the global market at the beginning of the quarter before falling towards the end.

Insufficient energy supply also hurt the textile and garment sectors since they are heavily dependent on energy.

Eighteen textile and readymade garment factories in Bangladesh have been honoured with the Sustainability Leadership Award for their outstanding performance in three categories – social standards, environmental excellence and innovative excellence.

The award has been instituted by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the German-based Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

The main objective of this award is to recognise the best of the readymade garment industry and present them to the global audience in order to promote complianceand encourage the country's apparel makers to keep prioritising sustainability in the coming days.

Today, Bangladesh’s clothing factories are not only safer but also dynamic, modern, energy-efficient and environment-friendly. Germany which ranks top among the EU countries in importing textiles made in Bangladesh is committed to continuing its support to the compliant factories.

Among the winners, Vintage Denim Studio was announced champion and Echotex runner-up for the most convincing factory setup, while Ananta Garments and Pacific Jeans received the award for women empowerment at the workplace. Epyllion Knitwear and Flamingo Fashions were picked for the best-supported social initiatives in the neighbourhood of factories. Envoy Textiles and Zaber&Zubair Fabrics were recognised as environmental champions while Color City and Universal Jeans were honoured for water use reduction.

The economic downturn and high inflation in many major export markets are causing difficulties for Vietnam’s textile exporters.

The prospect of orders for Vietnam’s textile and garment sector for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first six months of 2023 are not bright because many major export partners are facing high inflation and high unsold inventories.The number of orders placed in the fourth quarter of 2022 fell 25 per cent to 50 per cent from the second quarter of 2022. So it has become extremely difficult for enterprises to plan business for 2023.

They have to closely monitor the world economic situation, especially the major export markets of the textile and garment sector. The number of orders in November and December decreased by 30 per cent compared to the average number of the third quarter of 2022, even though difficulties are forecasted to last into next year.

Additionally, processing orders are also squeezed in price by about 15 per cent while input costs continue to increase.Inflationary pressures in many major economies are hampering recovery. Tightening monetary policies in many major economies have reduced the demand for goods, impacting the production and export of many countries, including Vietnam.

For the second quarter Burberry’s sales grew by 11 per cent. The progress happened due to increased tourist spend. For the first half of the year the brand’s revenue rose by five per cent. Adjusted operating profit for the period climbed six percent.

The strategy for the next phase for growth includes a target to double sales of leather goods, shoes, and women’s ready to wear.

British luxury brand Burberry has an extraordinary legacy, a unique British heritage and a very strong platform to build on. The strategy also aims at refocusing on Britishness and strengthening the connection with British design, craft and culture.

As the pandemic effect eases Burberry’s boutiques are all open back up fully. Burberry has been pursuing a fusion between social media celebrities and the blockchain, including the launch of NFTs in the gaming world. Burberry’s ultra-savvy marketing drives are helping the company win new style-hungry customers across the world, desperate to get their hands on a slice of the brand and willing to pay full price for the privilege.

In January 2022, Burberry’s higher quality business saw its full-price sales rise 26 per cent in the quarter versus comparable 2019 levels, while its total same-store sales slid three per cent.

When the sector’s growth percentage for 2022 is at 22per cent, then luxury can claim to have returned to its pre-pandemic glory. As per a Bain & Company Luxury Study presented earlier this week in Milan, the news is good for a sector that took a beating during the last two pandemic years. The consumer base figures have already reached the 400 million mark and by 2030 will be at half a billion. The better news is that the Tier I luxury brands contributed 40 per cent of the luxury sector’s value this year. The study forecasts the luxury sector will have total value of $591 billion by 2027. Currently it is pegged at $570.21 billion.

Markets drive return to sales

Year 2022’s, the three biggest luxury markets are: US, Mainland China and Japan. Combined, these three countries account for 47 per cent of this year’s global luxury market. It is interesting to note that the US continues to maintain its pole position as the world’s biggest luxury market valued at $74.7 billion, despite cutbacks on discretionary spending that was a fallout of the post-pandemic mood of political and economic instability coupled with lower volumes of sales to international tourists.

China continues to be in the second position with a total value of $53.3 billion as its current population of luxury-lifestyle millennial fans is 400 million, multiple times more than that of the US. Of course, Chinese international tourists also continue driving global growth through sales in the US, Europe, Australia, Singapore and the UAE.

Japan stands at the third position with a total value of $29.9 billion. Like Europe, Japan too banks a lot on Chinese tourists purchasing luxury items and post Japan opening up its inbound tourism, the trend continues. McKinsey’s East Asia Luxury Consumer Survey shows Japanese luxury consumers are finally embracing the omni-channel experience which it had not embraced unlike other parts of the world, as recently as 2021.

Asia leads luxury consumption

As predicted, it is Asia that is spearheading the return to luxury in global play. The highest spending comes from China, followed by Japan, South Korea and Singapore followed North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Africa and Oceania. Luxury is also percolating from quintessential large metros to smaller towns as is evident in China and India. Traditionally cities like Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Delhi and Mumbai have been luxury retail centers in China and India. With the lockdown, many professionals in both countries adopted work from home, leaving these metros to return to their towns of origin. E-commerce played a key role in providing these returnees the access to continue their purchase of luxury products, thereby spreading luxury into Tier II and II cities in both countries.

Another segment fuelling sector growth is the recent rise of luxury menswear. This has resulted in brands such as Prada, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana, which traditionally have not been known for their menswear lines, to open stores focused only on men.

Online and offline retail the new model

Luxury brands were the last to embrace the values and benefits associated with e-commerce and now there is no looking back. Premium brands are now adopting digital technologies to not only replicate the in-store shopping experience on their e-commerce platforms but to also enhance the physical store experience. Luxury brands’ need to maintain exclusivity, quality and craftsmanship that led them to be strong on physical experience is giving way to a more robust and winning omni-channel experience.

Luxury fashion brand Shantnu Nikhil has launched a new casual wear brand named Shantnu Nikhil Cricket Club. The new bridge-to-luxury label catering to men and women is inspired by India’s love of cricket and modern sports style and offers clothing, footwear, and accessories.

Sport as a medium has had an impact on how the designer dup carved their design career and it has been one of the stronger virtues of their design philosophy.

Shantnu Nikhil Cricket Club is inspired by their love for cricket and a vision to connect the sport to a lifestyle promise.Fashion has always been a part of sports but they have steered away from the conventional route of sportswear and ventured into a direction no Indian designer has taken yet.

SNCC presents a new fashion vocabulary that represents a vision of modern everyday dressing injected with a jolt of much needed youthful swagger.Like most Indians, the designers’ core childhood memories come from the friendly cricket matches played in the parks of residential colonies and school. The line mixes striped tops with preppy knitwear, more streetwear inspired tracksuits, and smart casual separates including shirts, jackets, and chinos. The brand’s logo features a cricket player and a brand crest is one of the new signatures for the label.

Over the past year, TMAS, the Swedish Textile Machinery Association, has been working with Climate Partner on a corporate carbon footprint mapping project with its member companies.

The aim is to move toward a more sustainable textile industry.Over half of the members of TMAS are participating in the project, which involves calculating each operation’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in order to identify the current climate impact and areas where reductions can be made.

The project’s scope examines all aspects of a business split into five areas: facility management (heating, electricity, water, cooling agents and waste disposal); employee mobility (commuting and company cars); business travel (flights travel by train, rental cars), procurement (production, packaging and office materials), logistics (inbound and outbound). Primary data is being used wherever possible and emission factors originate from internationally recognised databases.

The Textile Machinery Association of Sweden (TMAS) comprises leading Swedish companies with textile technology, automation and production processes. The expertise of its members ranges from advanced systems for yarn fault detection and tension monitoring, to yarn feeding technology for weaving, automated sewing production lines, cutting machines, embroidery technology, effective material handling systems, spray application system for fabric finishing and much more.Each company is very different in terms of size, structure and operations, but share common goals in the design and production of textile machinery that is flexible and highly automated, and wherever possible enables savings in energy, water and chemicals consumption.

The global industrial sewing thread market is growing at six per cent a year.

Sewing thread is essential for the footwear and apparel industries but is now expanding into other textile products such as home interiors, automobile interiors, and technical textiles.

The growing popularity of low-cost clothing is another driving factor that fosters the market’s growth.Threads are also an important component of finished textiles, and the sewing threads used in technical textiles are made of polyester, polypropylene, Nylon6, Nylon6.6, and other synthetic materials. These threads are intended for use in both high and low-temperature applications.

China, India, Turkey, and Italy are among the key exporters of industrial sewing thread, comprising over 50 per cent of total exports. In terms of imports, Italy, the US, the Philippines, and Guatemala are the key importers of industrial sewing thread, comprising over 25 per cent of total imports.

However, in light of the recent Covid outbreak, numerous industries’ operations have either been temporarily halted or are operating with a minimal workforce due to strict lockdowns and restrictions. The industrial sewing thread market is also witnessed a significant impact. Besides that, the high costs associated with installing and maintaining these machines may impede the growth of the global industrial sewing thread market.