Gross margins in the Indian denim industry are expected to improve by three to four per cent this year. This may be possible because of gradual improvement owing to a focus on premium products and vertical integration. The return of wholesale and consumer demand for basic denim in the domestic market and exports of value-added denim may gradually improve capacity utilisation.

Denim, mostly fabric, capacity in India had suddenly shot up a few years ago. However, with annual exports being hardly 200 million meters to 250 million meters, the rest of the capacity was earmarked for the domestic market, creating a glut. This led to shrinking margins for even some of the top denim makers. However, with no new investment in sight and capacity rationalising, gross margins could improve this year. The excessive capacity that got accumulated over the years is now getting utilised gradually. Minimal new greenfield investments in the sector will not entice any players to start investing before fiscal ’22 given that the current capex will require two to three years to stabilise.

However, while the sector’s operating margins is expected to improve moderately to ten per cent to 11 per cent in fiscal ’20, inflation in cotton prices could offset the benefits of operating leverage and modest increase in fiscal incentives.

Organised by Peppermint Communications, the 4th edition of Intimasia show will be held from August 7 to 9, 2019 at Kolkata. The show will feature well-known names of Indian apparel industry including the likes of Bodycare Creations, Teenager, Enamor, TT Limited, Libra, Mustang Socks, and international brands like Triumph and Hush Puppies.

Visitors will include traditional retail stores, MBOs, specialised lingerie and beachwear stores, family department stores, hypermarket stores, investors interested in opening franchise stores, distributors and agents from West Bengal and the surrounding states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Assam. The show spread over 40,000 sq. ft. will feature over 100 exhibitors from across the country and over 5,000 retailers, distributors and agents from the East and North East Region.

London Fashion Week will be held from September 13 to 17, 2019. Over the past few seasons, London Fashion Week has evolving to interact with more shoppers and take advantage of the growing interest in designer fashion. Tickets will offer access to an immersive LFW experience that will include six public catwalk shows, creative installations, industry-led panel talks, an experiential space where fashion meets art, technology and music and a brand new designer exhibition, which will focus on sustainability, community and ethics.

The designer exhibition will feature new creative brands and progressive designers, explore compelling stories and illustrate how the fashion industry can be used as a force for change. This is part of an initiative to celebrate industry best practice and encourage future business decisions to create positive change. In addition the British Fashion Council will help curate a series of events and activations with key retailers, cultural institutions, brands and partners to engage communities throughout the capital during September.

Starting September 2019, London Fashion Week will be the first of the four global fashion weeks to offer dedicated experiences for both a trade and public audience through one schedule. Shoppers will have more access to see-now, buy-now catwalk shows and immersive brand experiences.

Fabrics for business and casual shirts can be produced on the Karl Mayer’s HKS 3-M high-speed tricot machine in a gauge of E 28. Jackets can also be manufactured from a fabric produced on an HKS 3-M in a gauge of E 28. In this application the bicomponent Lycra T400 fibers give the garment a natural look and feel, in particular; they improve the crease resistance and provide elasticity and elastic recovery in every direction. The stretch is perfect for producing comfortable jacket fabrics. Textured yarns and the fabric construction also make another contribution to the elasticity.

Warp-knitted textiles with a woven look are conquering the world of men’s fashion. Jackets, trousers and shirts made from these practical fabrics are often mistaken for woven products, but they offer better easy-care and performance properties. Warp-knitted fabrics are crease-resistant and machine washable and they dry quickly. By using clever patterning and selected yarns, they can also be made up into items with comfort stretch, which deliver freedom of movement and a perfect fit.

Meanwhile Karl Mayer has been expanding its service operations in Asia. This targeted capacity expansion has focused on Vietnam, Bangladesh and India. Karl Mayer has taken on two service technicians to provide its Vietnamese warp knitting customers with technical support.

India’s merchandise exports contracted for the first time in nine months in June. During June, petroleum exports declined 33 per cent while non-oil, non-gems and jewelry exports contracted by 4.86 per cent. Among other major items, exports of gems and jewelry, readymade garments, chemicals and engineering goods also came down. Lower crude oil prices explain a portion of the contraction in the absolute level of exports and imports. The escalating trade war between the US and China and the rising protectionism have cast a shadow on India’s prospects for higher exports. The contraction in June is also consistent with certain global trends, which have impacted India’s exports in recent months. However exports are expected to revive by two per cent or three per cent in the coming months. The increase in customs duty on gold may curtail imports in the next few months, which would modestly shrink the size of the trade deficit.

India is contemplating an export promotion scheme, along with a production-based support scheme. The new export promotion scheme may replace the existing Merchandise Export from India Scheme, following the US decision to challenge India’s existing export subsidy schemes at the WTO. Global trade is projected to grow at 2.6 per cent this year.

Textile spinning mills in North India are planning to cut down production and shut down their mills once a week to manage the excess spinning capacity and poor demand for yarn. As per the Northern India Textile Mill’s Association (NITMA), China which has been a major importer of Indian yarns for the past few years, has cut-down imports in the past few months, thus worsening the situation, leading to accumulation of yarn stocks in Indian spinning mills. The spinning industry is under crisis and the situation is moving from bad to worse and spinners are making losses. Industry is therefore considering various options to reduce daily production, including closing the plant for one day in a week or more. Some textile units are considering of lowering the capacity to even 50 per cent in the wake of unsafe market situation and to have less borrowing / outstandings and stocks.

Textile industry is also criticising on the MSP being above than prevailing global prices by 25 per cent approximately. As a concluding remark, this downward trend might continue for next 3-4 months with slack demand & market situation will improve as soon as demand & supply balance gets restored.

Burberry is looking to go more upmarket. Burberry is moving past its famed camel check prints with new logo-style branding. The brand is banking on the patterned print to help improve its performance in high-margin leather goods, which make up 38 per cent of its sales. It’s a gamble as fans of the British label digest the unfamiliar monogram -- a motif of interlocking Ts and Bs-- splashed onto everything from hoodies to high heels. There are twists on Burberry classics, like trench coats lined with punky rings. The print - with versions in bolder, orange tones or greens and browns - is younger-looking and jazzier than the traditional camel, black and red check. The hope is that comparable revenue growth will improve as a result, from one per cent in the previous three months to three per cent.

Customers respond to brands who have started to use logos as a design feature, incorporating them into prints. As consumer tastes shift towards more casual clothes, there is a need for trademarks setting apart luxury cotton T-shirts from standard ones. There’s great value from a margins standpoint from logos for a brand. The price ratio on a product goes up with a logo on it.

Demand for footwear by consumers in the United States is forecasted to increase four per cent a year till 2023, says Footwear: United States. Footwear can be non-athletic (leather, textile, rubber and plastic, other materials, such as disposable shoes) or athletic (textile, leather and rubber and plastic). Ice skates, roller skates, toy footwear, and orthopedic extension footwear are excluded.

Advances will be driven by rising income levels, which will allow consumers to purchase more and higher value footwear. Increasing complexity of footwear designs in terms of materials and assembly will contribute to price gains. Sales will remain supported by footwear's position as a functional necessity, but also as a piece of recreation equipment, and as a means to project a fashionable and professional appearance.

In addition to a broad shift to textile uppers, there's been movement toward shoes made of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, those made without animal products, made with recycled plastic, made with sustainably sourced wool, hemp, and other natural materials. Trends like these impact the mix of products footwear producers consume, as well as their expectation of innovation from plastic resin manufacturers and compounders; rubber and leather suppliers; and coating, adhesive, and sealant producers.

US cotton exports to Vietnam increased 294 per cent over the last five years. Vietnam is the largest export market for US cotton. Cotton Council International (CCI) conducts an annual Cotton Day in Vietnam with the intention of educating the largest and most influential mills and manufacturers in the country about the benefits of US cotton. Five Vietnamese mills have participated in a mill exchange program in the past two years, learning about the benefits of using US cotton from peer mills in neighboring countries. This program has been particularly effective as participating mills in Vietnam have increased US cotton use from ten per cent to 50 per cent of their total volume.

Since 2013-14, Vietnam’s cotton imports have increased 217 per cent. Vietnam has overtaken China to become the largest cotton importer in the world. As Vietnam has risen to become the world’s largest importer of cotton, CCI has increased its presence and value in this country. These efforts have paid off in a big way as Cotton USA licensees in the country have increased dramatically and in turn US cotton has taken a much larger market share in Vietnam, increasing sales by nearly 300 per cent.

Skintight denim is finally losing its grip on the UK jeans market. Shoppers are embracing looser-fitted styles. Straight-legged jeans are now the most sought-after cut. There has been a gradual widening of trouser legs over the past decade as shoppers rediscover flares and buy into relaxed boyfriend and cropped looks. The biggest denim trends right now include ripped and baggy jeans.

For John Lewis sales of straight-leg jeans are up 60 per cent on last year while demand for boyfriend jeans has surged by more than 40 per cent. For spring/summer 2018, skinny jeans accounted for 50 per cent of John Lewis’ denim sales, but in spring/summer ’19 they accounted for 38 per cent, showing customers are trying out new styles and moving away from the classic skinny jean look.

Jeans are big business for UK retailers. Shoppers will buy around 87 million pairs this year. White jeans are also back. Sales of white denims almost surpassed those of blue jeans for the first time in the last week of May, with searches up 42 per cent since the beginning of March. However a closer look at the actual shopping behavior of Britons shows a reluctance to jettison the skinnies just yet. One in two pairs of jeans bought in the UK is still a skinny fit.