VF Corp is working through isolated product delays to deal with increasingly tangled global supply chain. As per a Women’s Wear Daily report, compliance of suppliers with local public health advisories and governmental restrictions has resulted in isolated product delays for the company. The resurgence of COVID-19 lockdowns in key sourcing countries has resulted in additional manufacturing capacity constraints during the first quarter. Additionally, port delays, equipment availability and other logistics challenges have contributed to product delays. VF is working with its suppliers to minimize these disruptions and is employing expedited freight as needed, it said.

The company expects to spend more than $35 million this year for quick freight shipments. The company’s net income for the quarter ended July 3 totaled $324.2 million, or 82 cents a share, reversing year-ago losses of $285.6 million, or 73 cents. Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations rose to 27 cents — well ahead of the 10 cents analysts were looking for on average. Revenues doubled to $2.2 billion from $1.1 billion.

As per Steve Rendle, Chairman, President and CEO, the company remains focused on winning in parts of business, with consumers coming back strong. It plans to take advantage of supply chain savvy and financial strength to keep goods flowing and grab more shoppers.

During the quarter, Vans led the way with sales growth of 110 percent while The North Face was up 93 percent, Timberland gained 70 percent and Dickies rose 61 percent. Supreme’s contribution to VF’s total results for the quarter included $145.7 million in sales, $88.8 million in gross profit, operating income of $31.7 million and 7 cents a diluted share. For the full year, VF is looking for Supreme to contribute revenues of $600 million with 25 cents of earnings per share.

Sam Kershaw, Buying Director, Mr Porter believes, the emerging hybrid styles of working will give rise to new hybrid style of dressing. Post pandemic, consumers will combine comfort wear with smart outfits to enhance their looks, says Kershaw in a report by The Guardian.

Kershaw predicts, men will eventually shop across different styles. He says, the pandemic was a catalyst in menswear. It sped up a casualization already in process. In 2019, market analysts Kantar reported that sales of suits were down 7 per cent year-on-year and even investment banking was loosening up – Goldman Sachs announced a new “flexible dress code” with suits no longer mandatory.

Kershaw says items ranging from longline shorts to statement watches have become new trends since the lifting of restrictions on July 19. The biggest ‘trend’ being witnessed is the shift in customers’ shopping habits to prioritize well-made things, with longevity and functionality top of mind. Hybrid items that can work for working from home, for an office meeting and weekend activities tick those boxes.

Revenues of US-based global designer of footwear, apparel and accessories Deckers Brands grew 78.2 per cent to $504.7 million in Q1 FY22. The company’s net income rose to $48.1 million during the quarter. Its gross profit increased to $260.5 million from $142.5 million, while income from operations declined by $7.7 million to $61.8 million.

Sales from the company’s UGG brand grew 70.8 per cent to $213.0 million from $124.7 million in the fourth quarter of last fiscal. Sales from Hoka One One brand also escalated by 95.5 per cent to $213.1 million while those from Teva brand expanded by 65.9 per cent to $58.5 million and Sanuk’s sales increased by 13.7 per cent to $15.0 million). Sales from other brands including Koolaburra boosted by 435.9 per cent to $5.0 million. Deckers Brands’ wholesale sales rose 140.2 per cent to $344.3 million and DTC sales increased by 14.7 per cent to $160.4 million.

In fiscal 2022, the company expects sales to be between $3.010 billion to $3.060 billion.

Red Carpet Green DressTM (RCGD) has launched the 2021 RCGD Global Design Contest in partnership with TencelTM and CLO. Founded by leading environmentalist Suzy Amis Cameron over a decade ago, the international design contest enables new and established designers to extend their sustainable journey. As per a Textile World report, designers can submit their application for the contest through rcgdglobal.com from July 30 to August 23. 2021. The winners will be selected by an international panel of design experts. The winning designs’ construction will be created as one-of-a-kind pieces in CLO’s cutting-edge true-to-life 3D garment simulation software. Created from world leading TENCEL™ branded fibers – botanic in origin and biodegradable – each sustainable piece will be worn by a RCGD ambassador from the world of fashion and media to this year’s RCGD Event.

This year’s event will also showcase the power of sustainable design using fabrics made with Tencel™ fibers or Tencel™ Luxe filament with a spotlight on the key environmental themes such as regeneration, circularity and de-carbonization. Alongside the exhibition opportunity, access to RCGD’s network of sustainability pioneers and talents, the contest prize for the design contest will include a business mentorship, monetary prize and partner goodies.

The 2021 RCGD Event will also present the 2020 contest winning designs by Sanah Sharma Mehra (Chennai, India) and Jasmine Kelly Rutherford (New York, USA) after the postponement of the RCGD Pre-Oscars Event in early 2021 to comply with global COVID-19 safety protocols.

A report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) reveals, China’s garment exports continue to decline as the country moves away from garment and shoe production. Production diversification to other countries will accelerate post pandemic and spread to other regions like Africa in a significant way, according to a research report.

However, Chinese textiles will continue to be an important factor for the industry in coming years, says a report by Emnetra. China accounted for 40 per cent of world textile exports in 2019 and continues its upward trend, which began about 20 years ago. China remains a major source of apparel and footwear, accounting for 33 per cent of global exports in 2019, but exports have declined from 37 per cent in 2015.

Bangladesh and Vietnam have benefited most from the shift from China. The total share of apparel and footwear exports to the world in both countries was 37 per cent of China’s share in 2019. In contrast, apparel and footwear exports from other countries such as Sri Lanka and India are either constant or even declining as a global export share of these products.

As global economies return to normal, Pakistan is experiencing a major surge in export orders. As per a BOL report, with $15.4 billion Pakistan’s textile exports reached its highest levels in FY21. Exports in the second half of FY 2021 exceeded that in the first half by 7 per cent. Compared to FY 2019, the second half exports increased by 19.10 per cent against 11.8 per cent in the first half, indicating a robust outlook for the sector in the near-term with order book stretching to 6 million to 9 million.

Hamza Kamal, Investment Analyst, AKD Securities says, strict measures to clamp down the virus spread in competitive economies, yielded some share to the local manufacturers improving Pakistan’s share in the US apparel imports to 2.7 per cent in 5MCY21 from 2.1/1.7 per cent in the same period last year/CY19. Shift in demand fundamentals have turned the table in favor of the spinning players while low cotton output pulled up domestic cotton prices by 54.40 per cent Y-o-Y in FY21 and consequently yarn prices.

The spinning sector posted earnings of Rs2.8 billion in the third quarter of FY 2021, compared with the loss of Rs 60.30 million in the corresponding period of FY 2020, and the profit-after-tax of Rs 269.10 million in the third quarter of FY 2019 with impetus coming from revenue growth of 23.7/21.5 per cent over FY20/19 and expanding the gross margins (in the third quarter of FY 2021, GMs stood at 16.7 per cent, compared to 11.3/8.3 per cent in the corresponding period of FY20/19.

A new research report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), post pandemic recovery in the Asian garment will be dominated by three possible scenarios; repeat, regain and renegotiate. As per the report ‘The post-COVID-19 garment industry in Asia’, the ‘repeat’ scenario will have unequal impact on the workers, particularly women. While some workers will benefit from consolidation and automation, others will be left unemployed or in low-quality jobs. Decent work deficits will persist in large swathes of the industry.

The ‘regain’ scenario will accelerate pre-crisis trends and the further bifurcate the industry, with both positive and negative connotations for decent work. The ‘renegotiate’ scenario will include introduction of wide-ranging and deliberate reforms that reimagine the business model, with social and environmental sustainability assuming an integrated and integral role at its core.

Global garment trade faced a sharp decline in the first half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Imports from some of the main global consumer markets for garments declined sharply. Garment exports of some garment-producing countries plunged by as much as 70 per cent, says the report Brands are also consolidating their global supplier bases by concentrating on fewer countries, it adds.

As per Iran’s Afsaneh Mehrabi, Director General-Weaving and Garment Industries Department, the country’s garment exports grew 98 per cent to reach over $113 million during the previous Iranian calendar year 1399 that ended March 20, 2021. Mehrabi said production of garments and textile products in the previous Iranian calendar year increased 25 per cent compared to previous year. She also said production of the said commodities had increased by 20 per cent in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 19, 2020) compared to its previous year.

The Iranian government decided to ban the import of such products to support domestic producers and provide them with an opportunity to improve the quality of products and turn more competitive in global markets, a news agency reported.

According to the chairman of Tehran’s Union of Garments Manufacturers and Sellers, domestic units are supplying 70-80 per cent of the requirement for clothing inside the country.

Aditya Birla Group’s flagship company Grasim Industries has bagged the Economic Times’ (ET) Promising Plants 2021’ in India for its Nagda SFD plant. The Economic Times Promising Plants 2021 is an ET Edge initiative put together with The Machinist magazine and the ET Polymers Magazine to recognize, highlight and felicitate plants/factories which have not only scaled excellence but are serving as a source of inspiration to its peers and other industries in the country; and most of all, working towards the vision of ‘Make in India.’

The Nagda plant was awarded for its firm commitment towards environmental and social issues in the community long with excellence in water management, a pledge toward zero-liquid discharge, commitment towards sustainability and towards the socio-economic development of Nagda through the building of hospitals/schools and other developmental infrastructure.

Iconic Australian underwear brand Mojo has teamed up with Australian surf wear label Mambo to launch the first of its kind label ‘Australiana’. The design team pushed the boundaries of design to launch an eight piece underwear collection for men.

Renowned for its fresh, colorful and sometimes mildly offensive designs, the collection honors Australia’s cultural icons in the brand’s trade mark style including: Pandanus Dingo, Dingo Crawl, Angry Banskia, Cattle Dog, Kangaroo Paw, Boards and Flames, Hot Rod Dingo, Sandman, Have a Crack, Mambo Optimism and Coats of Arms.

The collection features an elasticized band available in an assortment of styles including the brief, cattle brief, trunk, cattle trunk (sizes S- XXL). Mambo has once again found its Mojo with Mojo Downunder. Audacious Australiana is available online and at a range of stockists nationwide.