As per China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), applications for patents by the Chinese sewing machinery industry increased by 29.77 per cent on Y-o-Y basis to 7,326 in 2020. Among these, patent for invention constituted 25.39 per cent of the total while patents for novel constituted 60.66 per cent and those for appearance design contributed 13.95 per cent. CNIPA granted 518 new patients for inventions in 2020.

During the 13th five-year plan (2016-2020), the Chinese sewing machinery industry applied for 25,835 patents – 60.95 per cent higher than those applied during the 12th five-year plan (2011-2015). In particular, the industry applied for 82 per cent more patents for invention.

As per data, Chinese enterprises have invested more than 4 per cent of their sales into research and development with some companies applying for over 100 patents in a year. Enterprises have made noticeable achievements in terms of intellectual property, significantly improved their strength in innovation and mastered dozens of core technologies to help prepare a blueprint for the 14th five year plan.

Asif Inam, Chairman, APTMA-Sindh-Balochistan Region has strongly condemned mala-fide propaganda about shortage and unavailability of yarn despite imports being allowed from all over the world except India. He said, yarn is currently being imported from 59 countries and the customs data has been fabricated to magnify a slight decline by comparing exports of 28 days in February 2021 to 29 days in February 2020.

As per Inam, the downstream industry is creating a hue and cry over unavailability of cotton yarn even though they are provided all facilities including subsidized Export Refinance Facility, Duty Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL), etc. Moreover they are also allowed to import duty free cotton yarn under DTRE, Export Oriented and Manufacturing Bond Schemes if they find the local yarn expensive. On one hand, the downstream industry is pushing the government to introduce long term policies, and on the other, it is urging it to rescue them from the forward selling of foreign exchange, non-selling of foreign exchange and higher commodity prices all over the world. Inam urged the government not to allow import of cotton yarn, from India until trade relations between the two countries are normalized.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Spring 2021 edition has been postponed and will be held from March 17 to 19 2021 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. The fair has attracted a diverse line-up of global companies to join in-person, and seize business opportunities in China’s recovering textile market. International exhibitors will satisfy their visitors’ sourcing needs with quality products and extensive offerings.

Buyers who cannot attend the fair in person can access its online business matching platform, Connect Plus two weeks before and four weeks after the fair. Users can search for products from over 4,500 global exhibitors through AI-driven matching recommendations. They can chat via instant messaging and video call functions, and schedule online or onsite meetings.

Online exhibitors can also join the fair’s Hybrid Showcase to display their products for onsite buyers to touch and feel. Located in hall 5.1, SalonEurope zone at the fair will present the finest European fabrics to cater to the increasing market demand for high quality solutions. Swiss exhibitor Alumo will highlight the rising trend for luxurious casual looks with its fine Swiss cotton and leading shirting fabrics. First-time Spanish exhibitor Sidogras will offer finest fabrics for shirting, including the Continuity collection with permanent stock, the Season collection for responding to fast changing fashion trends, as well as its Bottom Up line for pants, jackets, dresses and drapery.

The Verve for Design zone will feature studios from Argentina, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK who will showcase their innovative designs. Participating exhibitors in this zone include Fairbairn & Wolf Studio and Anteprima Designs.

Originally planned from June 22-26, 2021, the ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition has been postponed to June 14-18, 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ITM 2022 will be held in partnership with Tüyap Tüm Fuarcilik INC, Teknik Fuarcilik INC and Temsad. It will be organized at the Istanbul Tuyap Fair and Congress Center a week before Techtextil and Texprocess, to be held from June 21-24, 2022 in Frankfurt.

The organizers aim to prioritize the security of exhibitors and visitors and hope that participants will support its decision. The latest ITM Exhibition hosted 1,200 exhibitors from 64 countries and 60,000 visitors from 94 countries. It is one the largest exhibitions held in Turkey and the adjoining region with over 1,000 textile technology producers presenting their latest models in operation.

Apparel retailer Gap Inc plans to sell its China business. Bloomberg reports suggest, the parent company of Old Navy has appointed an advisor to hive off China business and is exploring various options. Betting on rising incomes to boost sales, Gap forayed into the Chinese market about a decade ago. However, last year, the retailer shifted focus to North America and stopped selling Old Navy apparel in China.

Its latest regulatory filing says, Gap‘s Asian market accounts for about 5 per cent of its overall net sales. The company was founded in 1969 to provide consumers with a well-fitted pair of jeans. Since then, it has grown into seven brands, with a global ambition to champion equality, inclusivity and sustainability.

The company expects net sales in fiscal year 2021 to reflect mid- to high-teens growth. It expects to deliver operating margin of approximately 5 per cent in 2021. The outlook for 2021 is consistent with the company’s Power Plan 2023 objective of achieving at least a 10 per cent operating margin by the end of 2023.

Shocked by the use of deadly force against protesters in the country, H&M has stopped placing orders in the Myanmar. The brand has been facing practical difficulties and an unpredictable situation in the country, which is limiting its ability to continue operating there. It has around 45 direct suppliers in Myanmar and has sourced in the country for seven years.

According to the United Nations, police and military killed over 50 people to quell daily demonstrations and strikes against a February 1 military coup. Two protesters were killed by gunshot wounds to the head while shops, factories and banks were closed in the main city Yangon as part of the uprising against the country's military rulers.

Myanmar's garment industry is smaller than neighboring Bangladesh, China and Thailand. However, its 600 factories are significant employers, providing jobs for around 450,000 workers in 2020, according to the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association.

The Vietnamese textile and apparel industry plans to focus on sportswear and yarn in future as demand for masks and PPE is likely to shrink rapidly, says Le Tien Troung, General Director, Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group. Many textile and footwear enterprises plan to find new markets post COVID-19. For such companies, sportswear is the most lucrative avenue as awareness of physical fitness grew during the pandemic. Euromonitor International estimates demand for sportswear to have declined by just 8 per cent in 2020, the lowest in an industry which saw an overall decline of 16 per cent.

The compounded annual growth rate for the sportswear market in the last five years was 6.5 per cent, 1.5 times the industry average, and it is expected to be worth $479 billion globally by 2025. One of the most successful Vietnamese businesses in 2020, The Thanh Cong Textile Garment Investment Trading JSC has stopped taking orders for medical protective gear and antibacterial masks and is focusing on traditional products such as T-shirts and sportswear.

Many businesses have bagged orders until April end, mainly for sportswear, says Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association. The Ky Yarn Joint Stock Company also plans focus on yarn with high quality and competitive, said Dang Trieu Hao, General Director.

Three months after exiting bankruptcy, Tailored Brands has closed a $75 million investment. The specialty menswear retailer received financing including $50 million of mandatorily convertible notes and $25 million in additional senior secured debt from a group of existing shareholders and lenders.

The transaction will provide additional liquidity for the company to meet the evolving needs of customers following the pandemic. Tailored Brands has been experiencing solid momentum across all brands and aims to enhance its omni-channel experience by launching Men’s Wearhouse Next-Gen stores, and evolving its merchandise assortment.

The Texas-based retailer is struggling with a shift to online shopping before the pandemic, cutting off its staff by 20 percent and shutting of 500 stores. The parent company of Men’s Wearhouse, Jos.A Bank and Moores men’s stores in the US and Canada filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, and emerged from it in November.

The emergence of the new online-offline retail model is expected to add 12 million new jobs besides boosting exports to $125 million, says a new Nasscom-Technopak report. The report titled, 'Retail 4.0: India story - Unlocking Value through Online and Offline Collaborations', state the Indian retail sector has successfully navigated the COVID-19 crisis by accelerating digital adoption and shifting to online operations. The market is likely to reach up-to $1.5 trillion by financial year 2030 and add more than 25 million new jobs by financial year 2030, the report said.

Of this, the 'Offline+Online' model will account for 50 per cent of total retail employment addition - almost 12 million, enable $125 billion worth of exports and account for 37 per cent of total retail tax contribution amounting to approximately $8 billion incremental GST contribution by 2030, it added.

The increasing use of data-driven advanced analytics, and prediction technology to tailor customer-centric product/service offerings and digitization of oint-of-sale (PoS), in-store operations, and inventory tracking will create enormous potential in terms of job growth, exports, and an inclusive retail ecosystem with great participation of MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog added.

The government is in process of formulating the National Retail Trade Policy which will not only create a conducive environment for retail trade but also simplify its growth policies, he added. Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom said, to enable new retail models to bring incremental economic contribution, job growth, and exports, a greater collaboration among retail stakeholders, policymakers, and supporting sectors for tech-awareness is needed.

Reviving its global ambitions post pandemic, M&S is launching online stores in 46 new international markets. The brand plans to launch stores in countries like Nepal, Bolivia and Uzbekistan to boost its Clothing & Home operations. The clothing retailer’s international sales rose 75 per cent in the first half of the year due to the pandemic. The company aims to explore underlying demand in these markets without making any significant upfront investment and fulfilling orders via its existing distribution network.

While M&S expanded outside its core UK market but has also closed stores as sales failed to meet expectations. Operating profit in the international division has fallen to a little over £110 million at the last count, although its revenue increased to around £1 billion.

As per Steve Rowe, CEO, the company has been transforming its international ops to a franchise and joint-venture model and is also localizing ranges and developing online.