Wells Fargo predicts Yeezy Gap will generate almost $1 billion in sales for the retailer in 2022. As per a survey by Wells Fargo analyst Ike Boruchow in collaboration with data firm Guidepoint, of the 530 Gap shoppers 64 per cent said they plan to purchase items from the heavily-hyped collaboration, with the average surveyed shopper likely to shell out nearly $180 in the first year of the collection’s debut.

Of the surveyed 470 non-Gap shoppers, 23 per cent said that they will likely buy from the collection and spend an average $126 in the first year. Within the group of people who do not currently shop at Gap but plan to buy Yeezy products, Wells Fargo found 75 per cent expect to purchase other Gap products while shopping. The Yeezy Gap collection, which currently consists exclusively of a $200 blue recycled nylon puffer jacket that dropped in June – could drive up to $990 million in sales for Gap in fiscal 2022, and boost earnings by roughly 50 cents per share. That nearly-$1 billion sales figure is notably higher than one floated by UBS in March, which stated that Gap expects its Yeezy line of modern, elevated basics” to exceed $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022.

Retailers have hit back at French authorities for initiating a probe into the activities of four fashion companies in China's Xinjiang region. French authorities opened probe after complaints from the European Uyghur Institute and other pressure groups that the retailers were profiting from the use of forced labor.

Refuting the allegations, Zara owner Inditex said it fully complies with all existing legislation and recommendations regarding the protection of workers' rights. The company says it has implemented a human rights compliance framework "based on the highest international standards." Uniqlo's parent company, Tokyo-based Fast Retailing, said it has conducted audits to ensure no human rights violation in their supply chain and add that none of their production partners are located in Xinjiang.

French textile firm SMCP also said it conducts regular audits and does not have "direct suppliers in the region mentioned in the press." But Sophie Richardson, Director-China, Human Rights Watch said, while international firms may conduct audits that do not find evidence of forced labor in supply chains, political repression in the Xinjiang region is so pervasive that labor inspectors cannot interview workers freely without fear of reprisals.

She said inspectors cannot visit facilities without advance warning, and they cannot compel regional authorities to provide essential information about hours, pay, or other key labor conditions.

PVH Europe, the Amsterdam-based global headquarters of Tommy Hilfiger, has signed the Denim Deal, a multi-stakeholder initiative to increase the use of recycled fibers in fashion.

Under the agreement, participating brands will produce a combined 3 million pairs of jeans made with a minimum of 20 percent post-consumer recycled cotton by 2023. Individually, each brand is required to feature a minimum of 5 percent post-consumer recycled cotton in its denim collections.

As per Sourcing Journal, the Denim Deal was established last fall. Businesses across all areas of the jeanswear supply chain, including brands, manufacturers, recycling companies and local governments, are represented in the agreement. Scotch & Soda, Mud Jeans, Kuyichi and Calik Denim were some of the first companies to sign on.

Though it spans just three years, the deal is part of the Netherlands’ larger vision of attaining a circular economy by 2050—and it plans to achieve that goal through extensive work with leaders throughout the textile industry and beyond.

Designer brands and shops in the UK are reeling from the COVID crisis which has hampered imports of garments and materials from south Asia.

As per an Eastern Eye report, the pandemic in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh has decimated factories which make shalwar kameez, saris and kurtas that stores in the UK rely on.

It has also affected customers, who are often making more shopping trips to find the ideal outfit for weddings and religious festivals. Mani Kohli, Founder, Khubsoorat Collection, said it will be difficult for the industry to recover in the next couple of years.

The wedding season is set to peak this summer with the government announcing on June 21 that the limit on the number of people who can attend ceremonies in England is scrapped. It could be a lifeline for clothes stores, which reopened in May after lockdown rules eased. sible if they are being made. Shop workers selling south Asian outfits in Whitechapel, east London are still trying to shift stock from 2019 and last year.

One store owner said they only have five new shalwar kameez, but hope to get more around Eid in late July.

Another said all its garments are imported from Pakistan and due to the lockdown, most of the stock of petticoats, trousers and tops are older designs. It is a similar situation in Leicester, which is regarded as the capital of south Asian textile manufacturing. Its local authority is working hard to support garment traders and workers while coping with the challenges of the COVID pandemic and the inevitable disruption that it has brought to global supply chains.

Pakistan’s value added textile sector is disappointed that the government has not accorded consideration to its demands. In its budget proposals, the textile exporters had demanded restoration of Zero Rating of GST -- No Payment No Refund System.

The value added textile sector had also demanded reduction in income tax as well as sales tax rates.

Pakistan’s textile exports have been levied with a 300 per cent higher tax as compared to local businesses. The federal government in its budget has facilitated the local SMEs and neglected the SMEs of export sectors.

Globally, there are no taxes on export businesses, and where taxes are levied on exports the rate is lower than the one levied on local businesses.

Imposition of 17 per cent GST has made the textile exporters specially SMEs financially unviable as their precious liquidity, without any purpose, stuck up and they throughout the year face financial difficulties to fulfill their export commitments.

It is on record that 33% SME exporters have closed their export business since imposition of 17% GST which blocked exporters’ precious liquidity.

With the continuation of 17 per cent GST in 2021-22, many more SME textile exporters who managed to survive last year shall fear closure as well in the wake of liquidity pressure.

Therefore, SMEs textile exporters have demanded for restoration of no payment no refund GST regime which has been tried and tested or reduce GST rate to 5 per cent.

New York-based Oxford Pennant is implementing the Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro system for digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing on demand.

Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro is the first available DTG system designed specifically for dark polyester and poly blends, extending the single-step efficiency, eco-friendly production process, photorealistic imagery, retail-quality versatility, and low print cost benefits of Kornit Digital print technology to the increasingly popular sportswear and athleisure apparel market. In addition to t-shirts and other athletic gear, Oxford Pennant will be using the system to imprint felt pennants, banners, and flags—a first among Kornit customers.

To ensure this new application would work, Kornit systems specialists worked with Oxford Pennant on an extensive sampling program, determining Kornit’s proprietary Olympia ink set and the lower curing temperatures it required were an ideal match for the brand’s fabric demands.

Kornit Digital develops, manufactures and markets industrial digital printing technologies for the garment, apparel and textile industries. Kornit delivers complete solutions, including digital printing systems, inks, consumables, software and after-sales support. Leading the digital direct-to-garment printing market with its exclusive eco-friendly NeoPigment printing process, Kornit caters directly to the changing needs of the textile printing value chain. Kornit’s technology enables innovative business models based on web-to-print, on-demand and mass customization concepts. With its immense experience in the direct-to-garment market, Kornit also offers a revolutionary approach to the roll-to-roll textile printing industry:

Morocco’s textile exports to Europe have grown by 23 per cent so far in 2021 compared to 2020 which was marked by low demand due to the global pandemic

As per the country’s Industry Minister, exports in the sector were boosted local operators’ shifting production to meet domestic demand in terms of masks and protective gear and exported surplus.

The sector has also benefited from incentives under the Industrial Acceleration plan which helped create 116,500 jobs between 2014 and 2020, the minister said, noting that despite the pandemic, Morocco’s textile industry offered 10,684 new jobs in 2020.

The minister was speaking at a conference organized by his department. He highlighted the competitiveness of Morocco’s business climate which helped attract investments by global textile manufacturers.

Morocco has also invested in vocational training in textile jobs offering qualified human resources that are much needed by investors in a sector that is increasingly geared towards high-tech and low-carbon, the minister added.

Lectra has finalized a deal to acquire all outstanding shares of Gerber Technology. It completed the deal on a cash-free, debt-free basis for €175 million, or more than $207.5 million, in addition to 5 million newly issued Lectra shares to AIPCF VI LG, Gerber’s sole shareholder. The purchase was financed through a €140 million, or more than 166 million USD, loan and available cash.

The acquisition was originally announced on February 8, approved by Lectra’s board of directors on March 25 and approved by Lectra’s shareholders on June 1.

The acquisition will allow Lectra to expand upon its Industry 4.0 innovations in software, equipment, data and services that support brands, manufacturers and retailers as they develop, produce and market products. The merging of the companies will create a more-seamless approach to development and production.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has announced that the soon-to-be 5’760 color references of its Color Atlas library are made available within its Datacolor Tools’ platform, an easy-to-use color quality control application for industries where color accuracy is a critical component of overall product quality.

Datacolor® provides color management solutions that empower customers to make objective, cost-effective and smart color decisions, in applications such as textile & apparel, paint & coatings, plastics, photography, design and many others. The perfect integration of its instruments and software help formulate, measure, control and communicate color, and its state-of-the-art algorithms reproduce color on materials and displays.

The Color Atlas was launched in 2016 to provide fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration that can be implemented in production with just a few clicks.

The Color Atlas continues to evolve in line with Archroma’s commitment to sustainability through innovation. The company describes it as “The Archroma Way to a sustainable world: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. All color references available in the Color Atlas have been formulated with products that comply with leading international eco-standards, and can be selected based on the desired sustainability profile.

Today, the Color Atlas contains 4’320 colors applicable on cotton poplin, almost the double compared to similar tools available to textile and fashion specialists. Technical support is available to designer, manufacturers, as well as brands and retailers, through Archroma’s global offices - for every single color from its selection to its implementation in production. Engineered color standards empowered by NFC technology are also available for all colors and reproducible in production.

Archroma also just launched a similar tool with 1,440 colors on polyester. Both libraries will be available in the ‘Datacolor Tools’ platform for color searching.

Leading fashion brands are facing a probe by French authorities over allegations they profited from exploiting forced labor in the Chinese Uyghur community to manufacture their products.

As per a Bloomsberg Quint report, the investigations were initiated by a French prosecutor’s office last month looking at accusations that Claudie Pierlot parent SMCP SA, Zara owner Inditex SA, Skechers and Uniqlo profited from human rights crimes against the Muslim ethnic group, according to an official from the French Prosecution Office. It follows a joint complaint filed in April by various parties including non-governmental organizations, Sherpa and Ethique sur l’etiquette.

The probe from the Parquet national anti-terrorist shows how a campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the Uyghurs in China has gained traction in Europe. Western fashion brands have been heavily criticized in their home markets for trying to maintain business as usual in China despite allegations that the government is forcing Uyghurs and other minorities to work against their will. For its part China has denied the allegations, saying they’re an attempt to undermine successful businesses and it accuses brands of spreading false information amid a rise in nationalistic sentiment in the world’s second biggest economy. The Xinjiang region produces more than 80% of the country’s cotton.

SMCP and Inditex both strongly denied the accusations and said they will fully cooperate with the French investigation. Inditex said that traceability controls are carried out “rigorously” on their clothing.