Gap Inc’s first standalone Equality and Belonging (E&B) report summarizes Gap’s initiatives to end racism in the company. As per Sourcing Journal, the report offers a complete breakdown of ethnicity and gender representation throughout the company globally for the 2020 fiscal year. Though Gap Inc. has publicly reported global employee gender data and overall US race and ethnicity data since 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 revealed the need for more detailed information.

Only 4 per cent employees at the company’s headquarters are identified as Black, and 10 per cent identify as Latinx and 26 per cent of employees are Asian. The company has employed more Blacks and Latinx at the store level. Around 27 per cent store employees have been identified as Latinx and 19 per cent Blacks. Six per cent store-level employees are identified as Asian.

The company reports similar disparities at the gender level. Only 58 per cent of its female employees are designated as vice presidents and C-level employees, despite women representing 76 per cent of its total employees. The report notes that the company was founded in 1969 by Doris and Don Fisher, who each held the same equity stake—during a time when women were often left out of financial and professional conversations.

As per the Apparel Accessories Market report by Fact.MR, sales of apparel accessories are expected to grow at a CAGR of 6 per cent between 2021-2031 and be worth $21.8 billion by 2031. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand will hold nearly 30 per cent market share due to easy availability of raw materials, steady economic growth, low-cost labor, and growing disposable income are factors pushing demand across these countries.

Their respective governments have taken numerous initiatives to promote industrialization. These include exemptions and subsidies to encourage manufacturers to expand geographically. Online sales have shown enormous volume growth in the past year during the outbreak of COVID-19. Manufactures deployed their resources to strengthen their online sales channels as well as joined hands with numerous e-Commerce platforms to cater to a wide range of consumers worldwide.

China is presumed to be epicenter for the production of apparel accessories, owing to multitude avenues, including production facilities, technological advancements, easy availability of raw materials, and numerous favorable government initiatives.

US fashion giant Gap plans to be an online only brand and close all 81 stores in the UK. The firm plans to close stores in a phased manner between August and September. It will also close stores whose leases are expiring. The company will start a consultation process with staff to discuss closure effect on employees. The company also plans to offload stores in France and Italy.

Launched in the UK market in 1987, Gap is known for hoodies and sweatshirts. But in recent years, it has struggled to stay relevant, resorting to prolific discounting to pull shoppers in. That left Gap in a weak position to withstand the turmoil of a global pandemic.

It launched a strategic review of its entire European operations last autumn, warning that it was considering closing all its UK stores. Kate Hardcastle, Consumer and Retail Expert says the closure is a result of Gap’s failure to keep up with competition by not offering enough variety or being as cheap as competitors such as Primark. The company said it was in negotiations with another firm to take over all of stores in France. In Italy, Gap was in discussions with a partner for the potential acquisition of the stores.

The value of apparel exports by Ethiopia to the US declined during the first four months of 2021. As per Apparel Resources, the African country shipped apparels worth $65.84 million to the US in the mentioned period. Values of both cotton apparels and MMF apparel exports declined the year. The country exported cotton apparels worth $42.22 million during the year while the value of MMF garment exports tumbled by 27.36 per cent during January-April ’21 to $ 22.92 million.

On a Y-o-Y basis, the country’s exports declined by 14.17 per cent, even as apparel imports from worldwide markets grew by 14 per cent. In terms of volumes, Ethiopia’s apparel exports grew by 3.55 per cent to 31.19 million SME to the US.

The latest World Benchmarking Alliance's (WBA) Gender Benchmark index names Urban Outfitters, The Foschini Group (TFG) and Zhejiang Semir Garment as worst performers at tackling gender inequality.

On the other hand, the report names Adidas and Gap Inc as some of the best performing fashion brands at tackling gender inequality.

The Gender Benchmark showed that nearly two-thirds of the top 35 apparel brands have not publicly backed gender equality and women's empowerment, while only 14 firms have implemented gender-specific policies.

The index — which examined factors such as the gender pay gap, representation in leadership, and policies to stop violence and harassment — gave the companies an average score of 29 points out of a possible 100, which the WBA called "concerning".

Adidas, Gap and VF Corp — known for brands from The North Face and Timberland to Vans — were the only three fashion industry giants to score more than 50 points on the WBA's index.

In its research, WBA said its research revealed significant gaps between commitment and action on gender equality in fashion.

Less than a third of the 35 companies had provided violence and harassment training to their staff, while only three brands had taken measures to address gender pay gaps, the WBA found.

In its quest to drive greater sustainability in the personal care and hygiene industry, the Lenzing Group’s flagship specialty nonwoven brand- Veocel™ has launched lyocell fibers with dry technology which are naturally smooth and gentle on skin, ensuring comfort for sensitive skin. Absorbent hygiene products are an indispensable part of many consumers’ lives and are relied upon daily. As these are essential items, it is important that they should offer maximum comfort and relief to the user. This is demonstrated by the new VEOCEL™ branded lyocell fibers which have the capacity to provide a high level of comfort, softness and dryness, when applied in these types of products.

While most hydrophobic fibers are fossil-based fibers, Dry technology by Lenzing allows cellulosic Veocel™ branded lyocell fibers to achieve similar liquid-controlling properties built on a biodegradable, botanic-derived material. The fibers are also soft to touch and gentle on the skin, thus beneficial for applications that have direct contact with skin, such as in femcare and period care products, adult incontinence products and baby diapers.

Not only are the hydrophobic Veocel™ branded lyocell fibers with Dry technology environmentally friendly, but they also provide great comfort and a feeling of dryness for the wearer, which comes from enabling strategic fluid distribution. This is a particularly useful trait in absorbent hygiene products as it helps to manage bodily fluids, keeping the surface dry and the touch soft even after encountering liquid. Overall, this contributes to a comfortable personal care experience for the wearer and allows them to feel as if their skin is next to nature.

UK retailer Tesco has been added as the new member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol. As per Knitting Industry report, Tesco has committed to source 100 per cent sustainable cotton by 2025.

Tesco’s membership marks a significant step in its ambitious sustainability programme which sets out its plan for climate action, its approach to protecting important ecosystems such as forests and marine environments, and its work on promoting sustainable agricultural practices that protect soil health and biodiversity.

Tesco also wants to continue to provide transparency throughout its clothing supply chain. a key reason for sourcing more sustainable materials through the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol for both its home and clothing ranges in store.

The Trust Protocol is a new initiative that provides fashion brands and retailers with the critical assurances they need to show the cotton fibre element of their supply chain is more responsibly grown. It works by providing member brands such as Gap Inc., Gildan, Next and Byford access to the Protocol Credit Management System to validate consumption of cotton and associated credit; and to aggregate year-over-year data in six sustainability areas: water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon, soil loss, and land use efficiency.

The Trust Protocol is governed by a board of directors, including Joe Little at Tesco. It is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, recognized by Textile Exchange and Forum for the Future, and part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cotton 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge, Cotton 2040 and Cotton Up initiatives.

Textile trade show Pitti Filati launched a new show space inside the Stazione Leopolda former railway plant, welcoming some 78 exhibitors. Exhibitors described the return to the physical experience as relieving in that there’s nothing that can replace the touch-and-feel experience when it comes to choosing fibers and textiles.

Exhibitors said, they felt the impact of the pandemic on many levels, from the notable absence of some international buyers to the preoccupation of exhibitors, which are recovering from a downturn in orders caused by protracted store closures that have left retailers with huge inventory from previous seasons.

They expect to see some signs of a rebound this year, even though the health emergency has conditioned retail sales and promotion of new collections in the first half, so it’s hardly business as usual, says Fabio Campana, CEO, Lanifico dell’Olivo.

Increasing challenges in the procurement of raw materials and spiking prices — due to shortage of supply, farmers’ financial struggles and increased logistics costs — are leaving spinners with more than one snafu to handle, he adds.

According to Alessandro Bastagli, CEO, Lineapiu, a Florence-based company, prices for the most luxurious materials including alpaca and super kid mohair skyrocketed by as much as 70 percent year-over-year, and even acrylic fibers are on the rise.

A new wave of COVID cases, especially along the Indian border, has prompted the Bangladesh government to shutdown its garment factories.

As per a new analysis from Panjiva, a business line of S&P Global Market Intelligence, this marks a stark reversal from a trend spotted earlier on in the pandemic. Then, Bangladeshi apparel manufacturers suffered from orders being canceled by retailers in Europe and the Americas, where COVID restrictions were much tighter.

Still, Panjiva’s data show Bangladeshi exporters of apparel to the United States have been more resilient than nearby regions during the pandemic. Shipments in the three months ended April 30 are down by just 1.6 per cent, compared with the same period of 2019, the firm said. Exporters from India and Sri Lanka, in contrast, dropped 10.1 per cent and 6.4 per cent, respectively.

Among the major retail brands with a presence in Bangladesh, shipments linked to H&M increased 13.5 per cent in the three-months ended May 31, compared with the same period of 2019, Panjiva found. While imports associated with Levi’s fell 47.8 per cent, and those with Calvin Klein-owner PVH dropped 68.7 per cent.

According to a September analysis of US International Trade Commission data by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Bangladesh has been gaining market share as China has become less competitive in labor-intensive sectors including apparel.

However, the additional supply chain disruptions are likely to hit retail companies. A shortage of shipping containers and a dearth of truck drivers have already left inventory backlogged for weeks.

The next edition of MarediModa Miami will be held virtually throughout Miami Swim Week from July 10-31, 2021. As per Knitting Industry, the fair will showcase collections of textiles and accessories for beachwear, intimates and athleisure from a selection of European companies.

The fair will present elegant and sophisticated plain fabrics refined and iconic prints, vibrant and fresh colors, jacquards, flocked prints, laminated and metallic fabrics, lace, embroidery, fringes, sequins, precious accessories, innovative elastic rubber tapes, hi-tech and eco-sustainable fabrics. It represents the most innovative and sophisticated proposal for beachwear, swimwear, underwear, athleisure, resortwear and cruisewear, they add.

A part of the official trade show calendar of Miami, the event focuses on maintaining an active relationship with American customers, as well as promoting the European textile and accessories industry.