Turkey recorded a 25.72 per cent year-on-year rise in apparel exports in the first three quarters of 2021, according to the data from the Turkish Statistical Institute and the country's ministry of trade. In January-September 2021, Turkey exported apparel worth $13.364 billion, compared to exports of $10.630 billion during the corresponding period of 2020.

Category-wise, exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories increased by 35 per cent to $7.792 billion during the first nine months of the current year compared to $5.770 billion earned during the same period of the previous year.

Exports of non-knitted apparel and accessories increased by 14.7 per cent to $5.572 billion compared to $4.859 billion exports made in January-September 2020.

Among non-apparels, exports of carpets, mats matting and tapestries shot up by 34 per cent to $2.385 billion, during the period under discussion.

Exports of old clothing and other textile articles and rags (HS chapter 63) also grew by 19.7 per cent to $2.109 billion during January-September 2021. Meanwhile, Turkey's imports of cotton, cotton yarn and cotton textiles (HS chapter 52) increased substantially by 34.2 per cent to $2.553 billion.

Pangaia, a brand known for its sustainable sweats and outerwear, has introduced an innovative way to reduce waste, As per a Glossy report, the brand aims to ensure that every pair of jeans in itsmonth-old denim line is the perfect fit. On November 11, the brand will launch a new collaboration with custom denim brand Unspun. As part of the collaboration, Pangaia will become the first brand to use Unspun’s new mobile app, which lets customers take a 10-second 3D scan of their body using their phone. Doing so generates a cut pattern for a pair of jeans perfectly fitted to their body.

According to Joanthan Cheung, Denim Designer, Pangaia, the partnership aims to efficiently create jeans that can fit any size or shape. It eliminates the guessing game of producing cuts ahead of orders being placed, which inevitably leads to waste and excess materials used.

The new tech is debuting alongside Pangaia’s second denim launch. The first Pangaia denim, which debuted in October, was made from nettle, while this one is made from hemp. Unspun’s own brand of jeans and Pangaia’s jeans are priced similarly, around $200, which will remain unchanged for this collaboration.

Beth Esponnette, Co-founder, Unspun, adds, the company only wants to partner with brands that share its core values around sizing, like Universal Standard. Its combination of ethical values and focus on how technology can improve fashion is a near-perfect match.

Following a thorough assessment by rating agency S&P, adidas was awarded with an ESG Profile Score of 79 out of 100, one of the highest scores applied across all companies assessed globally. Combined with a strong Preparedness Score (+6), the company’s overall ESG Evaluation Score amounts to 85, placing adidas sixth in the entire S&P Global Rating Universe.

In its assessment, S&P emphasizes adidas’ industry-leading approach to innovation, supply chain management and consumer engagement. In particular, credit is given to adidas’ ambitions to scale the use of sustainable materials, to expand circular services and to deliver against ambitious net-zero emission targets. In addition to adidas’ strong control mechanisms over its supply chain ensuring fair and safe labor practices, the analysis also calls out the integration of a sustainability target into the compensation system of the Executive Board. The close interaction between the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board is seen as exemplary and supportive of the overall strategy execution.

The S&P Global Ratings’ ESG Evaluation assesses a company’s ESG performance (ESG Profile Score) and ability to prepare for potential future risks and opportunities (Preparedness Score). The ESG Profile Score and Preparedness Score sum up to the final ESG Evaluation Score that allows comparison with other entities globally, across sectors. The upper score of 100 indicates the lowest level of risk.

Primark has launched a new circular denim collection. A part of The Jeans Redesign project, the collection features denim that’s designed, produced and created to align with the Foundation’s vision of a circular economy for fashion. Based on the principles of the circular economy, the guidelines ensure jeans are used more, made to be made again, and are made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs.

As a participant of the Jeans Redesign project, Primark has released a new collection of jeans and denim jackets, featuring denim that is made from organic cotton and recycled fibers and that has been designed to be easily recycled so that they have the potential to be turned into new jeans once they can no longer be worn. The product is metal rivet-free, a common design element that can make jeans difficult to recycle. Labelling also includes guidelines on removing buttons and zips before sending to recycle to ensure this product has another life.

The jeans are made from 70 per cent organic cotton, 29 per cent recycled cotton and 1% elastane and the jackets are made from 80 per cent organic cotton and 20 per cent recycled cotton.

The collection includes denim jeans for women (£19) and denim jeans for men (£18), as well as an adult denim jacket for £21. The collection is available in store now in 161 stores across all 14 countries Primark operates in.

For its 2021 Green Collection, the Italian luxury hosiery brand Sarah Borghi presents a broadened product offer in terms of colors and categories, meeting the needs of a stylish, yet sustainable consumer.

The collection presents a range of versatile, colorful products combined with extra-luxury comfort and designed for every type of woman: from seductive tights to everyday socks, together with knee- highs, up to athleisure with leggings.

The responsible collection features two new generation materials. One is Amni Soul Eco®, the world’s first biodegradable in anaerobic conditions polyamide 6.6 yarn that degrades in around 5 years* after disposing of in landfill, developed by SOLVAY and produced and distributed by FULGAR. The other is ROICA™ V550 by leading fiber manufacturer Asahi Kasei, a premium sustainable stretch yarn boasting the Gold Level Material Health Certificate by Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute** as it has been evaluated for impact on human and environmental health. Moreover, it smartly breaks down without releasing harmful substances in the environment according to Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certification. Key elements that makes ROICA™ V550 a precious choice when it comes to Circular Economy material approach.

Industrialists and entrepreneurs in Tirupur, the knitwear capital of India which is home to nearly 1,500 garments manufacturing companies, suspect that China is playing havoc with the cotton and cotton yarn, the main raw materials in the enterprises.

The hike in cotton prices during the last two months is the handiwork of certain forces out to destabilize Indian economy, said Raja S Shanmugham, President, Tirupur Exporters association (TEA).

He cautioned that if the price hike continues like this, the entrepreneurs would be left with no alternative other than downing the shutters. More than three lakh workers are employed by the TEA-run entrepreneurs.

The profit generated out of TEA units is too low as this is a labor intensive industry. Industrialists are struggling to stay afloat and competent in a volatile market. The price hike has no justification at this juncture, he added.

Representatives of South India Mills Association, another powerful industry body said that cotton prices have shot by more than 50 percent since the beginning of 2021. The steep hike in cotton prices (Minimum Support Price Rs 5,726/- per quintal) is the highest rate in the recent past, added S Sakthivel, Executive Secretary, TEA.

Shanmugham said there was no justification for the current price hike. The competitiveness enjoyed by informal clothes manufactured in the hub became an eyesore for our competitors, he added.

Industry leaders launched the Better Work Madagascar program to transform the country's apparel industry by improving working conditions and business productivity. A collaborative effort between International Labor Organization (ILO) and International Finance Corporation, the program launched with support from the European Union (EU) and partners from the government, employers' and workers' organizations and global brands, will contribute to the creation of decent employment and inclusive growth.

Garment production is the economy's main driver of growth in exports and formal employment creation in Madagascar, contributing to a third of total goods exports and over 100,000 jobs, 60 percent of whom are women.

Madagascar has been severely affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy has been shaken by the decrease in exports, loss of market share and loss of jobs. Thus, the timing for this intervention is crucial and offers an opportunity for development for the sector.

The planned intervention aims to boost the country's compliance and competitiveness via a two-pronged approach:

To provide services – such as training, advisory and assessment support – to garment factory managers and workers based on proven Better Work tools and methodology.

To target industry stakeholders from the government, employers' and workers' organizations to strengthen their skill sets and respective roles in the country's supply chain.

The Better Work approach is one built to enable national actors to carry on with an improved way of working, so that the positive changes instituted by the program are sustainable.

India’s value-adding textile units have sought certain measures to bring down the prices. They are expected to slow down their cotton and yarn purchases for the next few days.

A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council, says apparel exporters are unable to book orders as the price of 40s count cotton yarn increased by 60 per cent in the last one year,. The governments should also take steps to control yarn exports and talk to all the stakeholders, he added.

The South India Hosiery Manufacturers’ Association adds,Cotton Corporation of India should provide cotton to MSME textile mills at affordable prices. The Central and State governments should also ensure stability of cotton and yarn prices, it added.

K. Gopalakrishnan, President, Karur Textile Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association, says, the yarn price hike threatens to stifle the growth of the entire textile sector. It leads to exporters losing the confidence of the international buyers.

Ravi Sam, Chairman, Southern India Mills’ Association, adds, the price of Sankar-6 variety of cotton has increased from Rs 55,000 per candy during the beginning of September to Rs 67,000 per candy now.

Ravi Sam, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), says,the skyrocketing of cotton prices have created a panic situation in the country. The continuous increase in the cotton prices and consequently the yarn prices is causing havoc for the exporters to meet their long term commitments. With continuing uncertainties, exporters are finding it difficult to confirm long term orders.

Various policy initiatives taken by Government of India especially the extension of RoSCTL benefit for the garments and made-ups till March 2024 and inclusion of yarns, fabrics and other products under RoDTEP have enabled the industry to improve their global competitiveness and marching towards achieving the vision set by the Government to reach $44 billion textiles & clothing exports by March 2022, Ram adds He urged the Government to create a level playing field by removing the import duty on cotton. This would change the cotton market sentiment to a certain extent, he adds.

The anticipated bulk arrival of cotton in the post Diwali would force the market to reduce the cotton price, impacting yarn prices, Ram adds. He advised the spinning mills to be very cautious and extend full cooperation to the downstream sectors so that the country could continue to get the increased demand opportunities thrown by both domestic and international markets.

A business unit of Saad Group, Nice Denim Mills organized a fabric show tilted Fabric Mine’ from October 28-31, 2021 in Dhaka. As per a Textile Today report, the show focused on sustainable developments including non-denim blended fabrics.

The show presented over 400 developments for the upcoming Spring-Summer 2023 season. These included viscose, Tencel, modal, etc. blended fabrics in the non-denim category for US-based buyers. It also presented special bi-stretched fabrics and sustainable Repreve, Refibra, Ecovera, Coolmax products.

One of the leading manufacturers and exporters of denim fabric, Nice Denim Mills is a business unit of Saad Group. It was established in 2016 with a vision to become the largest denim manufacturer in the world.

According to Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) data, Nice Denim exported 41,827,240 m/kg or $845.22 million worth of woven fabric in 2020. From January-July 2021, it exported 33,679,592 m/kg or $656.71 million worth of fabrics.