The US embassy has appreciated the efforts by Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training in handling complicated labor issues which have arisen in the wake of recent economic disruptions. In particular, the ministry has overseen worker protections and improvements in working conditions.

Labor minister Ith Sam Heng hosted US Ambassador Patrick Murphy on February 23 to discuss cooperating on the implementation of trade integration policies and international labour standards.

In a Facebook post following the meeting, Sam Heng said Murphy had praised the ministry’s efforts to enact measures for the protection of factory workers affected by lay-offs.

Murphy lauded the provision of benefits and cash support payments made to suspended factory workers, settlements reached in cases of firms owing employee seniority payments and interventions on behalf of uncompensated workers in instances of factory closures or management absconding.

Sam Heng thanked the US for recognizing the Kingdom’s progress in ensuring labourers rights of freedom of association and achieving working conditions in line with international standards, which have been key stipulations by the US for continued provision of trade preferences.

He noted that the ministries of Labor and Commerce have been pushing for the expansion of the Better Factories Cambodia project to include travel goods and bags, following favorable evaluations of working conditions in the garment and footwear sector.

Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, L Brands recorded positive fourth-quarter and full-year results, with continued momentum in the Bath & Body Works brand and new revival signs within the lingerie business.

As per Women’s Wear Daily, the company’s revenues for the three-month period ending January 30 were $4.8 billion, up from $4.7 billion a year earlier. Bath & Body Works had most of the gains with $2.7 billion in sales, up from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Victoria’s Secret sales were more than $2 billion for the quarter, but down from $2.4 billion a year earlier. Total company sales for the full year were $11.8 billion, down from $12.9 billion in 2019.

Meanwhile, fourth-quarter comparable sales, which includes the brick-and-mortar and direct businesses, were up 22 percent at Bath & Body Works, but down 3 percent at Victoria’s Secret. Yet the innerwear brand’s comparable sales losses were still an improvement over the same time last year, when comparable sales fell 10 percent. For the full year, comparable sales rose 45 percent at Bath & Body Works, but just 1 percent at Victoria’s Secret.

Fourth-quarter in-store comparable sales rose 9 percent at Bath & Body Works, but fell 18 percent at the Victoria’s Secret business, which includes the Lingerie, Beauty and Pink divisions. For the year, Bath & Body Works’ store comparable sales were up 26 percent, while Victoria’s Secret’s fell 15 percent.

Even so, L Brands logged $860 million in profits during the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $192 million a year earlier. For the full year, the company made $844 million in profits, compared with a loss of $366 million in 2019.

Sales in Victoria’s Secret’s digital channel also grew during the quarter, 33 percent, year-over-year, to $831 million, with strength in the Pink and Beauty divisions, in addition to the sleepwear, loungewear, bras and underwear categories.

Global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices has recognized VF Corporation as one of 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies. VF has been recognized for the past five years and is the only honoree in the apparel industry to be named this year. In 2021, 135 honorees were recognized spanning 22 countries and 47 industries.

Steve Rendle, Chairman, President and CEO, VF Corporation said, this recognition demonstrates the deep commitment of its associates around the world to lead with integrity and transparency. It will continue to focus on managing its global operations with the highest ethical standards.”

Timothy Erblich, CEO, Ethisphere said, the World’s Most Ethical Companies honorees continue to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the highest values and positively impacting the communities they serve.

As per the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), Bangladesh denim exports to the US declined 4 per cent last year to $561 million. However, it was enough to increase Bangladesh’s market share by 5.7 per cent to about 20 per cent. Mexico’s share contracted 16.7 per cent from 21.5 per cent last year while that of China shrunk by 1.9 per cent from 18.6 per cent a year earlier. However, Vietnam’s share increased and it now stands at number three position, a notch above China.

In the last few years, Bangladesh witnessed a huge amount of investment in denim fabric manufacturing, which increased the country's production capacity to reduce import dependency for fabrics, said Sayeed Ahmad Chowdhury, Director, Square Denim.

There are 32 mills producing denim fabrics for the export-oriented denim manufacturers, according to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association. In addition, the US-China trade conflict and the relocation of Chinese investment helped Bangladesh to grab more market share.

The US policy on banning procurement of cotton and even raw materials from China's Xinjiang region also proved as a blessing for Bangladesh, said Sharif Zahir, Managing Director, Ananta Denim Technology.

However, the prices of goods is a big concern for the exporters: the raw material prices have gone up but the buyers are not calibrating their prices, Zahir added.

To attract buyers' attention and present products to global consumers, manufacturers need to promote through exhibitions, added Mostafiz Uddin, founder of the Bangladesh Denim Expo.

The expos inform local manufacturers of the latest trends and also brought in technological know-how.

Denim fabrics trade show Bluezone has just launched Bluezone Living Page, an interactive website to offer a new source for sustainable news from the denim world and a new digital home for the denim community. Accessible through a new URL, the webpage will present more photos, videos and in-depth news on the denim industry. It will cover new product launches, latest denim trends, behind the scenes shots, material news and fashion collections.

The website will also uncover the personalities of market leaders from manufacturers to fabric buyers and textile futurists. Its new sections will include ‘Unmissable Community News’ and ‘Who Really Is’ series hosting denim heads such as Luca Braschi, CEO, Blue Alchemy or Barbara Gnutti, CEO, Effe-Bi, a denim-focused PR and media agency.

The “Hot Minutes With” section will feature interviews with industry insiders such as Stephanie Micci, Global Creative Director, Roxy, and Ronnie Reyes, Global Head-Design, Quiksilver. In the ‘Bluezone Speed Meeting’ section, denim manufacturers and mills will present their company values and collections through short video interviews.

The next physical edition of Bluezone is expected to be held in Munich from August 31 to September 1, 2021, and will be located next to Munich Fabric Start.

To outpace China as the world leading manufacturer and exporter of PPE, Bangladesh’s largest multinational holding conglomerate Beximco has opened a $100-million PPE park on 25 acre in Dhaka. As per reports the 25-acre vertically-integrated PPE Park will make meltblown nonwovens and laminated fabrics in different weights and turn them into isolation and surgical gowns, N95 facemasks, disposable scrubs and woven and knitted shoe covers and head covers.

The new facility will provide manufacturers, buyers, retailers, brands and the government with required service encompassing European, American and other global regulatory standards, said Syed Hussain, CEO, Beximco. The Park will serve both domestic and international markets and increase the diversity of PPE supply.

Beximco has steadily contributed to the meteoric rise of Bangladesh as a manufacturing hub in South Asia. Through its new Beximco Health division, the company already has agreements to supply PPE, including masks and protective gowns, to major US healthcare service providers.

H&M has issued a €500 million sustainability-linked bond which will encourage it to meet previously announced 2025 sustainability targets. By 2025, the H&M Group aims to increase its share of recycled materials in collections to 30 per cent. It also plans to reduce emissions from the group’s own operations by 20 percent, reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions from fabric production, garment manufacturing, raw materials and upstream transport by 10 percent.

The bond will be listed on the regulated market Euronext Dublin and has been placed with the assistance of BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, Danske Bank, SEB and Standard Chartered.

In collaboration with Infinited Fiber Company,H&M Group brand Weekday has launched a limited-edition version of their popular Rowe Jeans, using 100 per cent post-consumer waste to make a completely recyclable, breathable cotton like fabric. The material used to make the exclusive jeans consists of 50 per cent organic cotton and 50 per cent Infinna™, which comes from 100 per cent reborn textile waste.

Zahid Mazhar, Senior Vice Chairman, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has rejected claims made by Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association and Pakistan Textile Exporters Association regarding yarn shortage in the country and their proposal of allowing import of cotton yarn from India. Mazhar pointed out from July 2020 to December 2020 as per the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan produced 1,715,665 tonne of cotton yarn compared to the corresponding period of last year when 1,714,175 tonne was produced in the country. Out of the total production of yarn only 10 percent was exported in the first half of the current financial year whereas 90 percent was available for the downstream industry, of which the domestic downstream industry consumes only about 70 per cent and the balance 20 per cent remains as surplus.

Moreover exporters are allowed to import duty free cotton yarn under DTRE, Export Oriented and Manufacturing Bond Schemes from abroad if they find the local yarns expensive. He added the real problem was shrinkage of local cotton crop which has witnessed a massive decline over the last few years and this season’s projected production is the worst ever at about 5.5 million bales as against the annual consumption of cotton over 15 million bales

Ganni and Levi’s have teamed up to release a 14-piece selection of vintage-look denims that feature classic Levi’s designs including a denim shirt—but with the addition of signature Ganni embellishments such as a Peter Pan collar. As per reports the collection has been made using cottonized hemp, which reduces water and pesticide use. The hemp blended into these garments comes from rain-fed hemp crops, which reduces water usage even further. The cottonized hemp is then treated to soften the fiber and make it indistinguishable from regular cotton.

Along with the new collection, the brands released a COVID-friendly and fun campaign with London-based photographer, Rosie Marks. Alongwith British models, the campaign features cardboard cutouts from San Francisco and Copenhagen. It has been shot n iconic locations around the two cities.

Adriano Goldschmied, Founder, House of Gold has launched a new collection using Tencel Modal with Indigo technology yarn. As per Carved in Blue, dubbed ‘Seed of Joy,’ the collection trades resource-intensive rope dyeing for dope dyeing. The indigo-hued materials have significantly reduced crocking, or color transfer. The dyeing technique can be used for apparel items that would typically be risky for indigo, such as sweaters, allowing the dye to move beyond the five-pocket jean.

Denim fabrics in this collection were produced by Blue Diamond, while In The Loop created knit textiles. For finishing, Adriano tapped Tonello. With the addition of sweater knits, Adriano worked with flat knitting firm Shima Seiki to create garments with less waste.

The new eco-responsible Tencel™ Modal with Indigo technology yarn was developed by Lenzing. The new technology provides indigo coloration with substantial water, chemical and electricity savings, along with less wastewater produced, and no heat energy used, said Hayato Nishi, Public Relations Manager-US, Shima Sieki. As per Alice Tonello, Marketing and R&D Manager of laundry Tonello, the technology helps it achieve some nice contrasts using its ozone bleaching system, OBleach, our responsible ozone bleaching system. Furthering the sustainable credentials of the collection, Adriano used Crafil thread made of Tencel™, creating products that are fully recyclable.