As per GlobalData research, 50 per cent UK consumers bought home workout products during the pandemic and three-quarters intend to continue working out at home post-pandemic. The firm surveyed around 2,000 consumers of which 52.2 per cent of UK consumers reported participating in home workouts since March 2020 and 53.3 per cent of them buying workout products. The average amount spent in the UK on these per person in the last 12 months is £162.

Of the UK consumers who opted for home workouts since March 2020, nearly 32 per cent didn’t exercise regularly before the pandemic and 76 per cent said, they plan to continue exercising post-pandemic.

Jonathan Rock, Retail Analyst, GlobalData, said, 28.2 per cent of survey respondents bought workout clothing such as tops, shorts and leggings, while 21.3 per cent bought footwear. Such items were also bought because of their versatility as they could be worn while working at home as well as while working out at home.

GlobalData also highlighted Adidas’s emphasis on direct-to-customers sales which resulted in 20.9 per cent in its consumers.

Fashion retailer Saks Fifth Avenue aims to go fur-free by closing all its fur salons by the end of fiscal 2021 and phasing out all fur products by the end of fiscal 2022. Through this initiative, the retailer joins other department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom etc n shifting away from selling furs.

Tracy Margolies, Chief Merchandizing Officer, Saks said the retailer would phase out products made with fur from wild animals or from animals raised for their fur. The store plans to keep selling leather, shearling, goatskin, down, feathers and faux fur products. Numerous luxury fashion brands have gone fur-free in recent years, including Gucci, Chanel, Burberry and Prada. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II's official dresser revealed that the British monarch switched to faux fur. Brand Canada Goose has decided to stop buying new fur from trappers by 2022, though it will keep using recycled fur.

California has banned sale of animal-fur products with a law that goes into effect in 2023. However, International Fur Federation has argued that such laws raise environmental concerns because faux furs are often made with plastics and get discarded in landfills. Last week, a federal judge ruled against the trade group.

Faced with uncertainties related to COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed on major international events, Messe Frankfurt France has decided to postpone the physical edition of Texworld Evolution Paris - Le Showroom formula, in Paris, from July 05-09.

The convivial event will focus on a selection of trendy products from the textile trade shows Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld and Texworld Paris and allow buyers to build their collections and exhibitors to present their know-how. Touch and feel the fabrics

The first edition showcased over 2,500 products selected by the teams of Messe Frankfurt France from 75 international manufacturers from a dozen countries. During five days, buyers were able to exchange 3,235 requests related to collection projects or orders. This upcoming event in Paris will present an expanded range with an even wider selection of finished products from Apparel Sourcing and fabrics from Texworld exhibitors.

Dev Ethical Sustainable Crafts and Textiles (DESCAT UK) - a DIPP recognized B2B social impact startup for fashion -- is organizing ‘NNF Design Presentation-2021’ during Fashion Revolution Week from April 19-25, 2021. Aiming to promote practice of sustainable and circular fashion among fashion designers of tomorrow, DESCATUK has collaborated with over 30+ fashion schools and institutions around the world. The presentation will be its flagship event to work with ambitious students of fashion schools and professional designers, to promote awareness about how they can contribute towards UN Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, very early through their work. says KD Sharma, CEO, DESCATUK.

Over 250 students and professional designers would come together to conceptualize and create products with help of most sustainable NNF yarn and fabric. DESCK's design review board comprises of sustainable fashion consultants, technology platform experts and fashion industry experts who have worked in circular fashion and sustainability space worldwide.

NNF Design Presentation 2021 is supported by LIVA NNF Yarn Birla Cellulose, NGO Partner Sewa International Uttarakhand, EWOK IIT Mandi, Varnika, Usha Yarn, Alsisar Impact and WFB Baired India.

Turkish denim manufacturer Isko has launched a new selvedge range of fabrics with 19 different options in elasticity and weight ranging from 7.75 oz. to 14.5 oz. As per Sourcing Journal, the collection comprises 10 fabrics that maintain the raw look of the selvedge denim and six fabrics that offer 13 percent to 29 percent flexibility. The collection’s remaining high-stretch offerings feature 40 percent to 52 percent elasticity. The fabrics are available in a variety of Italian-inspired fashion and Japanese-inspired vintage washes, which emulate selvedge’s signature worn looks.

The fabrics are made by Isko’s R-Two Platform by using a mixture of reused cotton from Isko’s own production loss, and recycled polyester derived from PET bottles. They are certified either by Recycled Claim Standard (RSC) certification or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification depending on the percentage of materials contained.

Selvedge denim is available in a 32-inch roll versus the 62-inch standard. This year, brands such as Closed, Todd Synder, Denham and Grivec Bros have launched collections featuring the classic fabric. In September last year, Walmart launched Free Assembly, a denim-centric apparel brand created by its in-house design team that produces affordable selvedge denim, in addition to other men’s apparel items.

Leading luxury fashion brand, Kering-owned Bottega Veneta has chosen to opt out of social media by shutting down all its accounts in January. Daniel Lee, Creative Director says, the brand sees social media as the homogenization of culture where everyone sees the same stream of content. According to him, social media platforms resort to playground bullying which he doesn’t favor.

From April, the brand plans to replace all its social media posts with a quarterly online magazine, called Issue that will offer more progressive and more thoughtful content. The magazine will be an audiovisual one with fashion photography, music and video.

Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Milan, Italy. Its product lines for men and women include ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, accessories, jewellery and fragrances. Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Veneto, by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Its Intrecciato leather-weaving was an instant hit. After the company was purchased by the Gucci Groupin 2001, a new “stealth wealth” pulse revived Bottega Veneta.

The first edition of Functional Textiles Shanghai by Performance Days will be held from September 28-29, 2021 at the Shanghaimart Exhibition Center. The fair will focus on latest trends and innovations from the world of textiles, yarns, membrane technologies and accessories for functional sportswear, workwear, performances wear and lifestyle wear. It will feature top manufacturers such as Romrol, Sanchuan and Winsun confirming their participation along with other well-known brands such as Anta, Bosideng, Decathlon, Descente, Eral, Fila Hotwind, Icicle, Jeep, Kailas, Kappa, Li-Ning, Peace Bird, Peak, Semir, Skechers, Toread, Uniqulo, Zuczug and 361°, to name a few.

The fair will include an informative supporting program with exciting expert talks and discussion panels on sustainable and industry-relevant topics. The Chinese functional apparel market is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Performance Days/Design & Development GMBH and Tengda Exhibition will launch the new Functional Textiles Shanghai By Performance Days in China to explore business opportunities in this market.

Increasing orders from domestic clothing manufacturers is likely to boost China’s cotton imports to monthly average of $601.05 million during January-August 2021. As per reports, China imported $3,567.23 million worth cotton in 2019. Despite the pandemic, its cotton imports maintained their level at $3,562.38 million. Despite fluctuating in range of $150 million to $250 million between April-August 2020, they recovered in the following months

China’s cotton imports in December 2020 grew by 89.33 per cent month-on-month. The US recently banned all products containing cotton produced in Xinjiang over human rights issues. Hence, manufacturers started replacing Xinjiang cotton with imported cotton fiber. If Chinese manufacturers use local cotton to fulfill orders from western countries, they are likely to face quality issues and order cancellations.

At a recent online meeting, representatives of value-added textile associations in Pakistan urged the government to ban export of cotton yarn to ease the commodity crisis. They also proposed a 10 per cent duty on cotton yarn export to help stem falling trend in apparel textiles export. The representatives also demanded permission to import duty free cotton yarn from across the world for at least next six months to arrest the commodity crisis that continues to hit the local market.

Though globally, prices of cotton have decreased but the commodity is still costly in Pakistan. Representatives urged the government to open an immediate forensic audit of local cotton yarn producers, similar on the pattern of sugar probe. Pakistan is currently facing approximately 40 per cent low cotton crop, which is the lowest quantity over the past three decades. The representatives demanded urgent mechanism and policies to increase cotton production.

They also urged the government to help facilitate apparel makers to import cotton yarn from Central Asian Republics through land route via Afghanistan as the sea route is taking a long duration due to shortage of containers and vessels. Representatives who attended the online meeting included: Jawed Bilwani, Chairman, Pakistan Apparel Forum; Riaz Ahmed, Central Chairman, Faisal Mehboob Shaikh Senior Vice Chairman, Tariq Munir, Vice Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association, Mian Farrukh Iqbal, Senior Vice Chairman, PHMA Northern Zone, Ch Salamat Ali, Ex-central Chairman, Syed Zia Alamdar, Ex-Chairman, Kashif Zia, Ex-Chairman, PHMA, Ijaz Khokhar, Chief Coordinator & Ex-Central Chairman, Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers & Exporter Association, etc.

A new report by Moody’s Investors Service says, global fast fashion and discount brands are most at risk as sustainable processes assume greater importance for buyers of their apparel. The report expects large international brands such as Hennes & Mauritz AB, Nike. and Adidas, and luxury companies such as Ralph Lauren, will fare better. Greater scrutiny of sustainable practices will challenge the credit quality of many global apparel firms, and transform the way they do business, it says.

Analyst Guillaume Leglise, says, environmentally conscious and socially aware consumers will compel global fashion brands to adapt to sustainability measures with environmental and social factors putting the apparel industry’s profitability at risk.

As per the report, another challenge facing apparel companies stems from regulation related to data protection, Brands using online and data analytics are vulnerable to data protection risks, cyberattacks and non-compliance fines, all of which can tarnish their reputations, it says.