Uzbekistan plans to open a garment factory in Kyrgyzstan with an investment of $2 million,

Akrom Ganiev, Director, Nil-Granit, working under brand SAMO, and DaniyalHabibullaev, Deputy Director, Uzbektextileprom signed the roadmap with Bishkek Free Economic Zone Director General KudretTaichabarov.

Uzbekistan will rent 2 ha area in the Free Economci Zone and will create a factory for 200 work places. Kyrgyzstan will provide necessary infrastructure for the factory, will adapt it to local construction standards and will help obtaining all necessary permits.

The factory will produce high-quality clothing meeting world standards. It will exported to the Eurasian Economic Union countries and beyond.

In its recent meeting, Confederation of Textile Industry (CITI) decided not to hike yarn prices in April 2021.Tthe virtual meeting was attended by over 50 nationwide regional associations of spinning mills. Participants said, the reduction in cotton prices in Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), would automatically reflect in India’s cotton and cotton yarn prices.

As cotton prices in India have also reduced, CITI advised spinners against panic buying and staying calm as prices are expected to fall in the coming months.

The traders’ body said, hank yarn prices have been coming down since last 10 days and the yarn price is also expected to come down.

It advised cotton mills, which are in the habit of announcing any ‘List Price’ at the first day of each month, to defer such announcements at least for some months, to have the market sentiments regain good support. It also requested companies to buy yarn only when required rather than stocking it

Global leader in fiber solutions, The Lycra Company has launched its first performance fiber range made from 100 per cent textile waste. Branded under its existing Coolmax® and Thermolite® ranges, these fibers are made from textile waste.They have been made in collaboration with the Itochu Corporation, a general trading company with strength in consumer-related sectors, including the textile business.

These fibers are made through a unique depolymerization and refining process that converts textile waste into fibers with properties comparable to virgin polyester. The new fibers are available in filament and staple forms, suitable for common textile processes and insulations batting uses.

Traditionally, the Coolmax® And Thermolite® range of fibers were made from recycled raw materials such as recycled PET bottles. The company will continue to offer these products in parallel with those made from textile waste. These new products can be purchased from The Lycra Company, except in Japan where Itochu will be responsible for sales and marketing.

Headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan textile ministry has recommended the lifting of a ban on cotton import from India to bridge the raw material shortfall in the country’s textile sector. The textile ministry has sought permission from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to lift the ban on import of cotton and cotton yarn from India.

In-charge of the Commerce and Textile Ministry, Prime Minister Khan has already approved the summary to be placed before the ECC. Currently, Pakistan allows cotton and yarn imports from all countries except India. It suspended trade ties with India after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

It faces a minimum shortfall of six million cotton bales and has so far imported roughly 688,305 metric tonne of cotton and yarn, costing $ 1.1 billion, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. There is still a gap of about 3.5 million bales that needs to be filled through imports.

Due to shortage of cotton and yarn, the users were compelled to import them from the United States, Brazil and Uzbekistan. However, imports from India would be far cheaper and would reach Pakistan within three to four days.

Nike plans to end its business relations with wholesale partners including DSW, Urban Outfitters, Shoe Show, Dunham’s Sports, Olympia Sports and Big Five and focus on direct-to-consumer (DTC) commerce. As per the Retail Wire, Nike announced its Consumer Direct Offense strategy in 2017 as a five-year plan to focus growth on 40 strategic retail partners and its own DTC.

Last year, Nike ended its relationship with nine accounts: Belk, Bob’s Stores, Boscov’s, City Blue, Dillard’s, EbLens, Fred Meyer, VIM and Zappos. The brand has also cut off numerous smaller independents. Since 2017, digital has become a bigger priority for Nike. The brand aims to increase its online business from 35 per cent in recent quarter to 50 percent. It has developed three digital-first retail concepts — Live, Rise and Unite — and is set to accelerate the store openings.

Nike officials have also urged it to work with select retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker and Nordstrom in North America, that are collaborating with the brand on unique in-store concepts or driving member engagement.

The International Trade Centre’s (ITC) Supporting Indian Trade and Investment will organize TextilesExchange 2021, a virtual trade fair from April 23-24, 2021. The event is being organized by ITC under the aegis of SITA, in partnership with the India International Textile Machinery Exhibitions (ITME) Society, and aims to facilitate trade and technology transfer between Indian and East African companies along the textile and apparel value chain.

The event will specifically focus on machinery, fibres, yarns, fabric, trimmings and accessories, and training. Besides B2B meetings, SITA and ITME will organize thematic seminars on areas of particular relevance and practical value to the industry.

The event offers buyers and sellers, engaged in the textile and apparel value chain, an opportunity to present their businesses, showcase their products, connect with relevant sellers/buyers in virtual B2B meetings, build their client base and transact deals.

Joerg Wuttke, Head, European Chamber of Commerce in China has advised Hennes & Maurtiz AB and other brands, who refuse to use cotton from Xinjiang, to lay low and let the Chinese anger pass else they face risks from political issues. Chinese social-media users gave a call to boycott H&M products last week after discovering an undated statement from the company saying it would not use cotton from the far western region of Xinjiang over forced-labor concerns.

The retailer was criticized by the Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army, and outlets vanished from Apple Maps and Baidu Maps searches. Some of the H&M’s stores in smaller cities were closed by landlords.

Other Western brands like Nike Inc. and Adidas AG are also being criticized for their pledges not to use Xinjiang cotton. The region supplies around 80 per cent of the material for China. Wuttke said, the backlash could damage Beijing in the long run by jeopardizing Chinese jobs.

The Autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be held from August 25-27, 2021, at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre at Shanghai, China. The fair will be held alongside four concurrent shows; Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles-Autumn Edition, Yarn Expo Autumn, CHIC, and PH Value. Together, these fairs will offer a one-stop sourcing platform under one roof.

Organizer Messe Frankfurt has also announced that Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics will be held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Centre, China, from November 3-5, 2021.

Several factors led to the decision of holding the Shenzhen show in November 2021 this year, instead of in summer as in previous years. Firstly, feedback from exhibitors indicated they prefer the show to commence towards the end of the year as sourcing sessions for Southern China and Southeast Asia, particularly for A/W ladieswear, being later, said Wendy Wen, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt.

The November date for the Shenzhen edition also ensures that the three shows are now better-spaced apart, she added.

The additives business of Clariant is opening a new R&D centre to encourage development of joint application technology at its One Clariant Campus (OCC) in Shanghai.

As per Innovation in Textiles, the facility aims to reduce the company’s lead times and speed up development of various application sectors including fibers, films, adhesives, coatings and inks.

The new R&D centre will offer customers new opportunities for joint development and application testing, at every step of the value chain – from polymerization to compounding and conversion and to performance testing. It enable the company to be more agile in its development and foster China-relevant innovation from the start of the creative process, says Francois Bieger, Head-Additives, Clariant.

The new facility will feature a state-of-the-art processing and testing laboratory equipped with related technologies such as for polycondensation, compounding, spinning, injection moulding and foaming, and establish a broad range of relevant testing and analytical capabilities.

A part of the Texbrasil, Brazilia textile brand Canatiba has developed a technology that allows digital printing in denim. Digital printing could be previously used only in other textile products. However, now, it can be applied onto the brand’s denim, offering a number of possibilities of stamps and colors.

Cantiba believes this technology will enable agencies and brands to develop exclusive stamps for their collections, starting from 100 m of denim. The brand is also releasing its own stamps with camouflaged patterns, checkerboard, dobby (tie-dots), animal printing, florals, and sky drawings.

Another of Cantiba’s new launches include the Elastopol line which will be made using polyester threads and have Rice Eko finishing. This finishing is traditionally used in the cosmetics market, which reuses waste that would be disposed of in landfills.