In a recent meeting with Farque Hassan, President BGMEA, Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer, Puma has said, the brand is keen to source more apparel products from Bangladesh, especially value-added and sustainable items. As per a Textile Today report, the meeting was also attended by Moyeen Hyder Chowdhury, Branch Manager, Puma-Bangladesh and Asif Ashraf, Director, BGMEA. 

Highlighting the potential of Bangladesh as a sourcing country for value-added sportswear, outerwear, swimwear, activewear and workwear Hassan also apprised Descours about the RMG industry’s increased focus on diversification of products, especially non-cotton and high-end apparels.

The 35th edition of Milano Unica ended successfully with 389 exhibitor companies presenting their A/W 2023/2024 collections of high-end textiles and accessories for menswear, womenswear and kidswear. In addition, the exhibition also held 56 research and innovation areas, taking the total number of exhibitor companies up to 445.

Held from July 12 to 14 in Italy, the event was attended by 4,052 visitors, of which 2,799 Italian and 1,253 from other countries. The event recorded increased participation from the US, with 162 companies attending the event. In addition, there were significant numbers of visitors from Japan Korea and Australia, with 20 companies attending the trade show for the first time, all indications of a positive trend in the markets of the Far East.

Introduced by Alessandro Barberis Canonico, President, Milano Unica, the exhibition opened with a speech by the Minister of Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti, who thanked the entrepreneurs for overcoming the difficulties involved in moving towards innovation. He also emphasized on the government’s intention to support textile and clothing companies in promoting their development and internationalization by supporting the system.

The first trade show to hold an in-person edition, in September 2020, following the delicate health situation, Milano Unica also held its digital edition with the online marketplace, e-MilanoUnica Connect.

The next edition of Texworld Evolution Paris will be held from February 6-8, 2023 at the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Le Bourget. The last edition held in July recorded a 29 per cent increase in visitors and marked the return of foreign buyers. In total, around 3,700 buyers attended the event alongwith international textile and finished product manufacturers selected by  the Messe Frankfurt France team.

Over 3 days, around 3,700 professional buyers discovered 400 exhibitors gathered in Hall 4 of the Parc des Expositions de Paris - Le Bourget.  The event also marked by the return of foreign visitors, whose proportion reached 83 per cent compared to 65 per cent in February. International buyers, particularly from Europe, attended the event in large number, followed by Turkish buyers, Germans, Dutch and Americans. 

Exhibitors from China, India, Korea and Turkey attended the event. The products displayed by The Pakistani weaver Kohinoor Mills, which offers high-quality menswear cotton fabrics in the  Elite area generated many buyers’ interests. Indian embroiderer Veekay International met buyers from nations that are not usually present at European trade fairs, such as Kosovo, Nigeria or Ghana, who placed orders for local markets. 

At the Apparel Sourcing Paris show that was held concurrently, exhibitors also reported numerous contacts, such as the children's clothing manufacturer Raj Krupa Textiles, which had numerous engaging exchanges with buyers. Similarly, womenswear brand Smash Creations met with several European buyers looking for new sourcing opportunities to build a rather high-end offer. 

The revenues of Fast Retailing brand Uniqlo International grew 13.7 per cent Y-o-Y to ¥841.2 billion while the operating profit of the brand grew by 35.8 per cent Y-o-Y to ¥132.7 billion during the first nine months of FY23. The depreciation of the Japanese yen boosted sales and operating profit in yen terms. However, growth in local currency terms was boosted by a significant increase in revenues and profits from the South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania region and the North America and Europe (excluding Russia) regions. Revenues and profits from the Greater China region declined owing to the restrictions on general movement put in place to address the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retail Group’s revenues and profit rose to ¥1.7651 trillion and  ¥271.0 billion during the first nine months of the current financial year. The company also recorded finance income net of costs of ¥78.1 billion due to the recording of a ¥77.8 billion foreign-exchange gain on foreign-currency denominated assets and other items. As a result, profit before income taxes rose by 42,2 per cent Y-o-Y to ¥349.2 billion yen.

Fast Retailing is advancing its LifeWear concept in everyday clothing. The entire Fast Retailing Group will accelerate its transition to a new business model based on the LifeWear concept. It will focus on the six principles of creating new value through products and services; respecting human rights in its supply chain; respecting the environment; strengthening communities; supporting employee fulfillment and implementing good corporate governance.

China’s Fosun International plans to expand its portfolio by adding the Lanvin and St John Knits fashion brands, indicating a resilience of the luxury industry to current inflation and recessionary pressures. As per a SCMP report, Fosum will first list Lanvin on the New York Stock Exchange via a blank-check company in October or November. The brand will be acquired later next year, says Joann Cheng, Chairman and CEO, Lanvin Group. 

Lanvin owns the eponymous French fashion brand as well as Italian shoemaker Sergio Rossi, Austrian lingerie brand Wolford, US womenswear St John Knits and Italian menswear brand Caruso.  The company plans to boost US and China sales besides expanding its product range, diversifying beyond European brands and targeting younger consumers. The brand was acquired by Chinese conglomerate Fosun in 2018. 

The acquisition could follow the template established by Lanvin’s acquisition of Sergio Rossi last year, which allowed it to expand its accessories range, says David Chain, COO. The company aims to tap the beauty and skin care sectors. 

In 2021, Lanvin’s  revenue grew 39 per cent, including sales from Sergio Rossi after the brand was acquired in the second half. The brand is poised to achieve profitability before taxes, depreciation and other items by 2024 as planned. It also filed its registration statement to list with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Global cotton trade is either likely to remain stagnant or will rise marginally in the next global season despite production increasing by 3.3 per cent, says US Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The association attributes this to the decline in consumption by China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam due to negative macroeconomic forces dampening consumer demand for goods. The World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently downgraded global economic outlook while the International Monetary Fund also projected a decline, as per USDA’s latest ‘World Markets and Trade’ outlook.  

The decline in projected consumption is attributed to factors including the recent rise in cotton prices, high container rates and limited supply, besides rising inflation and hike in interest rates globally, including the Federal Reserve’s recent actions, the association added.  

Next season’s global output is likely to reach 153.7 million bales (of 170 kg each) against 148.80 million, estimated USDA. India and China will produce 35.2 million bales each, it added. India’s cotton crop this season will increase by 12 per cent to 31.37 million bales, in line with the trade’s revised estimates, while China’s crop is projected at 34.5 million bales. 

The USDA has lowered its global crop estimates for next season from 155.31 million bales a month ago. Subsequently, it lowered consumption for next season from its outlook a month ago. However, it will be marginally higher than the current season.

Consumption or next season is estimated at 153.49 million bales against 153.42 million bales this season. Global imports are estimated at 59.38 million bales against 55.48 million bales. However, they are lower than the June outlook of 60.81 million bales.

Burberry aims to add 65 newly designed stores in FY23 to the 47 it rolled out last year. The brand continues to target high-single digit revenue growth and 20 per cent margins in the medium term. Despite significant disruption from lockdowns in Mainland China, its comparable store sales grew 1 per cent in Q1 FY23. The brand witnessed strongest growth in the EMEIA regions. Its focus categories, leather goods and outerwear, continued to perform well outside Mainland China. During the quarter, the brand continued to invest in brand and product, generating a high level of engagement on social media as well as driving traffic to its website and adding almost half a million new profiles to our global customer database.

In April, Burberry expanded its Lola handbag range and supported it with a series of pop-ups and pop-ins as well as a campaign, starring Bella Hadid, Lourdes Leon, Jourdan Dunn and Ella Richards. Alongside this, it also introduced a virtual collection on online gaming platform Roblox.  In May, the brand launched its seasonal TB Summer Monogram collection with a new campaign starring Gisele Bündchen. It also launched a collection at Neiman Marcus, wrapping the exterior of its store in Atlanta in the TB Monogram and opening a pop-up inside.

Burberry’s new product launches and seasonal collections performed strongly during the quarter. Its Leather goods comparable sales by grew 21 per cent outside of Mainland China, led by the Lola handbag range. Outerwear comparable sales increased 19 per cent outside of Mainland China, driven by rainwear and jackets.

In June, Burberry again collaborated with Mythical Games to launch a new NFT collection in their flagship title, Blankos Block Party. Mostly recently, Burberry roped in the South Korean Premier League footballer Son Heung-min as its new brand ambassador. 

Cotton Australia has announced the list of finalists for 2022 awards. As per a Textile Today report, the organizer received entrees from New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory for the award. Adam Kay, CEO, Cotton Australia says, presenting a challenge to judges, the response to the awards has been outstanding this year,

This year, finalists for the ‘Bayer Grower of the Year’ award include Corish Farms ‘Yattlewondi’ – Glen Harney, Manager, Talwood QLD; Sundown Pastoral Co, ‘Keytah’ Nick Gillingham, Manager, Moree NSW; and Graincott Farming Co ‘Kensington Park,’ Dan Hayllor, Dalby QLD.

The finalists  for the AgriRisk High Achiever Award  include ‘Tipperary Station,’ Bruce Connolly, Daly River NT’; Porter Farming ‘Attleigh,’ Grant Porter, Brookstead QLD; and Dalara Pastoral Operations, ‘Myall Park,’ Rob Davies, Blackville NSW.

The finalists in ‘ADAMA Chris Lehmann Trust Young Achiever of The Year’ include Lucas Wuersching, St George QLD; Bradley Donald, Moree NSW; and Jessica Strauch, Goondiwindi QLD.

The finalists in Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year are Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations project team – Stacey Vogel, Narrabri NSW; Dr Mick Rose, Wollongbar NSW; and Dr Oliver Knox, Armidale NSW. The judges will review all nominations before finalizing the winners who will be announced at this year’s Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast in August.

Formerly family-owned weaving mill Tissages d'Autan is collaborating with business management consultant VirgoCoop is promoting local and organic textile production in denim in France. The collaboration will focus on renewal of the organic textile hemp production and other fair-trade sectors in the Occitania region and beyond, says Mathieu Ebbesen, Co-Founder and Director,  Tissages d' Autan mill and President, VirgoCoop,

Ebbesen adds, the collaboration will also focus on producing good quality hemp. Currently, the mill produces new designs of exclusive fabrics using blends of wool and hemp. Even during 2018, the mill produced significant quantities of pure hemp yarn with its own French cultivar ‘Futura 75. However, it had to import hemp yarn to produce denims, Ebbesen adds.\

Now, VirgoCoop plans to breed a French monecious hemp variety that will be more uniform at harvest and which, in turn, will generate more homogenous fibers required by modern spinning lines. The company also plans to upgrade its current spinning machines to better handle long fiber, Ebbessen adds

The Textile Advisory Group (TAG) plans to develop a Yarn Index System to control the high volatility in Indian cotton yarn prices that have disrupted the entire textile value chain in recent months. Comprising senior officials from the Union ministries of textiles, agriculture and farmers’ welfare, commerce, as well as senior officials from the Cotton Corporation of India, R&D experts and stakeholders, TAG held its first meeting in May.

The Yarn Index System will improve predictability and reduce fluctuations in prices, opined TAG at the meeting.  It was also emphasized on the availability of data for improving policy formulation process. The TAG also advocated penal action to be taken on units not onboarding the textile commissioner’s portal. It also urged for faster TAG approval of new Bt cotton seed varieties to improve cotton yield. The meeting also suggested for a policy to discourage poor quality cotton and to provide premium for cleaner cotton.

The meeting zeroed in on the Cotton Association of India (CAI) to formulate a policy to encourage ginners to adopt better ginning practices. Further, it urged for steps to be taken for state-of-the-art testing to ensure quality and traceability of cotton products.

The meeting also discussed the long-pending demand from downstream industry to ban or discourage future trading in cotton. It also proposed, TAG will urge for reduction in speculative activity in MCX through industry and farmer representation in the product group and transparent specific delivery contracts.