New research from Placer.ai, the consulting service that monitors retail foot traffic, shows that shopper visits to Macy’s , JC Penney and Dillard’s all started to trail off in July following substantial gains in the two months before.

At each of the three national retailers, store traffic began to fall starting in the second half of June and continuing to July. Prior to that the department stores saw impressive gains as they reopened and consumers began to emerge from stay-at-home requirements. While none of the stores were hitting 2019 levels they were edging closer until pandemic numbers began to rise again.

Macy’s growth stalled with COVID resurgences and the brand appears to be increasingly affected by the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. Penney is following a similar path while Dillard’s mid-July visits generated some of the lowest traffic across the weeks measured.

Placer.ai concluded, the success of this sector – at least in the short term – will depend on the government’s ability to effectively control the impact of the pandemic.

As per Apparel Resources, US’ brassieres imports grew by 13.86 per cent in June ’20 over May ’20 to $124.30 million. China, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka were the biggest exporters, while other major shippers such as Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia couldn’t tap growth. On a yearly basis, US’ imports fell 36.19 per cent in June ’20 over June ’19.

China’s exports of brassieres grew by 19.47 per cent in June ’20 to clock $50.10 million. Vietnam was the second top shipper of brassieres to the US. However, its exports fell by 30.21 per cent to $24.40 million. On the other hand, the country noted a 16,07 per cent growth in exports on a yearly basis over H1 ’19.

The exports of Sri Lanka surged by 346.38 per cent to $13.26 million worth of brassieres to the US in June ’20 as compared to just $2.97 million in May’20.

The exports of India and Bangladesh too grew significantly on M-o-M basis by 234.48 per cent and 87.28 per cent, respectively. India’s brassieres exports to the US valued $4.85 million in June ’20 as compared to US $ 1.45 million in May ’20. Bangladesh exports brassieres worth $4.34 million in June ’20 as compared to $2.32 million in May ’20.

A new report by Coresight Research says, though retail sales have been growing year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the US, the UK and Germany, apparel sales have been highly negative in June. Malls in the US have been massively hit by closures of apparel stores and Chapter 11 filings by fashion giants like J Crew, JC Penney, Brooks Brothers, RTW Retailwinds, Tailored Brands, Neiman Marcus.

In the UK too, many apparel brands have collapsed into administration lately like M&Co, JD-owned Go Outdoors, Debenhams, etc. Though apparel stores have reopened in the US, the UK and Germany, consumers are still wary of going out. Hence there is huge dip in demand for apparels and fashion products.

Retail sales in the US in June shot up due to home-improvement demand – with sales touching nearly 23 per cent Y-o-Y in June. Even in the UK and Germany, sales for this sector saw growth in double digits.

The Uttar Pradesh government aims to double its MSME exports in the next three years to touch Rs 2.40 trillion. The state exported nearly Rs 1.14 trillion and Rs 1.20 trillion worth of MSME products during 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years. Besides, the government aims to tap the lucrative global textile supply chain by providing a competitive avenue to international buyers, who are currently procuring textile and fabrics from China. It is holding discussions with UP-based units with regards to providing an alternative vendors base in UP to international buyers sourcing goods from China.

The government also plans to host virtual exhibitions (e-exhibition) during the current fiscal year 2020-21. Through these exhibitions, the state will offer help to exporters under the flagship Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme. The UP Export Promotion Council will also organize virtual exhibitions for the state exporting firms.

The sudden transition to working from home has undermined American retailers that sell dress clothes. Men’s Wearhouse, Jos A Bank, Brooks Brothers, Lord & Taylor, Ann Taylor, Loft and Neiman Marcus are among the retailers whose parent companies have entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in recent weeks, having experienced a sudden drop-off in sales due in part to what industry leaders are calling “casualization.”

In 2011, Men’s Wearhouse accounted for 1 in 5 suits sold in America. Less than a decade later, demand for its suits has collapsed with its parent company Tailored Brands filing for Chapter 11 protection this month. The retailer plans to close up to 500 locations.

Revenue for men’s clothing stores is expected to decline by 13 per cent in 2020, according to research firm IBISWorld, and continue falling for several years. he pandemic has simply accelerated an ongoing pivot toward more casual wear in business, said Ray Wimer, an assistant professor of retail practice at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

Some retailers, such as women’s apparel chain Chico’s have benefited from earlier shifts toward more casual wear. But some retailers say the decline in celebratory events is hurting them more than the pivot toward casual wear in the work-from-home environment.

Retailers that specialize in dress clothes are adjusting their strategies to avoid going out of business altogether. Brooks Brothers recently announced a tentative deal to sell itself for $305 million to SPARC Group, a conglomerate including mall owner Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands, which used a similar strategy to rescue fashion chain Aeropostale.

Last month, retailers across the globe adjusted 258,300 jobs to employ 14.8 million at specialty stores. Economic recovery also led to 1.8 million more jobs in the sector as unemployment rate fell to 10.2 percent from 11.1 percent in June. Nearly half of the retail job gains during the month came from apparel and accessories specialty stores, which added a seasonally adjusted 120,800 jobs last month to employ 924,500. Department stores increased payrolls by 45,100 to 1 million.

Despite improvement, troubling unemployment figures still play into a rough cycle that is made all the more brutal by the Coronavirus and is bearing down on fashion and the broader economy. Among the latest to get trapped were Lord & Taylor parent Le Tote and Tailored Brands, which filed for bankruptcy recently. While Tailored Brands is likely to scale back operations, Le Tote plans to liquidate its assets.

Even retailers that are managing to stay afloat through the crisis are expected to muddle along. Moody’s Investors Service doesn’t expect operating profits in retail to come back to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2022 — at the earliest.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s latest edition of the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI) shows the environmental impact of polyester has fallen from 44 to 36 – making it by far and away the most sustainable fiber on the planet. Meanwhile, Higg’s continues to attach the silk industry as its environmental impact per kilo has risen from 681 to 1086 per kilo.

SAC offers no explanation for changing the scores for silk and polyester. It remains secretive about the underlying LCA data on which the new scores given to silk and polyester are based

Kassatly argues that the Higg MSI cannot be trusted and lacks all credibility because, among other things, it ignores socioeconomic impact, it is cradle to grave only and it ignores the appalling environmental impact of polyester microfiber shedding.

A report by e-commerce aggregator, iPrice Group reveals Southeast Asians are looking for high-end brands online even more so after the pandemic struck. The report noted that as the region’s consumers are restricted from visiting physical stores due to the virus, there is an increase in Google impressions on the top luxury and sports fashion brands on iPrice’s platform.

Comparing January and February’s impressions versus May and June’s, iPrice concludes that French luxury retail brands garnered the most interest amongst consumers during this period. Their demand for skincare products increased by 1,205 percent while demand for bags increased by 877 percent.

Demand for Louis Vuitton’s products increased by a whopping 555 percent followed by demand for Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel products. The iPrice report found Southeast Asians are investing in luxury watches during the pandemic. Searches for luxury watch brands Rolex and Tudor were 160 per cent and 51 percent respectively during this period.

Although industries and livelihoods have been severely affected by the pandemic, interest in fashion brands has not wavered, as proven by the iPrice study. Southeast Asian consumers are still searching for luxury and fashion items. In China where consumers account for roughly one-third of global luxury sales, brands are now launching aggressive digital campaigns to cushion the coronavirus blow. Luxury brands such as Cartier, Montblanc and Prada have set up online shops in China in order to reach out to consumers from a distance.

PPE exports from Cambodia have gone up 130 per cent to $191.3 million in the first half of this year. The country’s exports of face masks during the period were valued at $2.5 million. Exports were largely driven by COVID-19 fears and a shortage of such equipment, the General Department of Customs and Excise said. The newly-incorporated Lyly Global Co – a local plant that produces face masks under the ‘Saffi’ brand – doubled its production of face masks to meet the rising demand.

In May, the Cambodian government granted a request made by the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) to allow the export of all kinds of infectious disease prevention items amid the pandemic. The government aims to support and encourage garment factories to produce face masks, medical equipment and medical clothing, to be sold domestically and internationally as the pandemic spurs global demand for PPEs.

Reports state, Bangladesh’s cotton imports, which witnessed a massive decline on account of COVID-19, are expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. As Khorshed Alam, Managing Director, Little Group point out, demand and consumption of cotton have started growing again following apparel manufacturing factories resuming production after the country-wide shutdown.

As per Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) data, Bangladesh imported 7.1 million bales of cotton in fiscal 2019-20, which is 13.4 per cent less than what it was a year earlier. Import of cotton took a massive hit after the government declared a two-month ‘general holiday’ on March 26 as garment manufacturing units as well as spinning and weaving mills had to wind up operations temporarily. However, from June onwards, as RMG units resumed operations, spinning and weaving mills also sprang back to action and cotton import gained momentum.