Gap Inc, owner of the Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic and Gap brands, has assured it will work collaboratively with vendors to compensate them in full for finished goods and goods in production that were canceled or subject to pack and hold. The company has extended payment terms on certain orders. It is also providing low cost financing to its vendor partners besides working with its banking partners to increase the amount of funds available within the program.

In June Gap had announced it had cancelled less than 3 per cent purchase orders by value for finished garments and garments in production, and was working with vendors to utilize uncut raw materials for future seasons. Earlier this year the Workers Rights Consortium’s (WRC) COVID-19 tracker had criticized Gap for cancelling its orders, imposing sizable discounts on some orders, related to storage charges; and its extension of payment terms for some orders, without the provision of adequate low-cost financing to affected suppliers.

WRC noted that the apparel giant’s supplier finance program commands sufficient lending capital to address supplier needs that may arise as a result of the delayed payments.

BGMEA has refuted allegations of by the Guardian blaming Bangladesh garment factories of sacking dozens of pregnant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to that, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) strongly disproved the report titled ‘We are on our own’: Bangladesh’s pregnant garment workers face the sack workers’ in the Guardian.

BGMEA said the report is not procedurally correct since it is based only on remarks from labor activists, and there is no regards for the RMG industry to assess and appreciate the huge efforts the apparel industry has made to guard employments of millions by upholding all safety precautions and hygiene standards.

BGMEA alleged the report quotes misleading figures and provocative statements appealing that, RMG manufacturers are using COVID-19 as a justification to eliminate ‘undesirable’ workers, whereas the complete situation tells a different story.

BGMEA also refuted the report’s claim that during lockdown hundreds of thousands of workers were not paid for work they had already done. The wage payment for the month of April, May and June was centrally coordinated by the government of Bangladesh, as PM of Bangladesh kindly extended timely support to the garment industry to digitally pay wages of the workers on time to keep the industry afloat.

Also, the RMG sector remunerated $539 million to workers who did not work for 25 days in April and partially May.

BGMEA also sought Guardian’s help to track the buyers from the UK and persuade them to reconsider their decisions to cancel orders.

A Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC says, India can double its apparel exports in three years by implementing free trade agreements with the US, UK, European Union, Australia and Canada. Currently, the Indian apparel industry has a duty disadvantage of 9.6 per cent in the EU market as compared with competitors like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Hence, there is an urgent need to have a level playing field in terms of market access and margin of preference in our biggest global market and to rectify the distortion that we are suffering, Sakthivel said.

He added that an agreement with the US will have a significant impact on India’s apparel exports to America as the average tariff in the US is 12.5 per cent, and the peak tariff on certain items like man-made fiber based apparel, which India is promoting, is 28 per cent. The US is India’s major destination for apparel exports with over 27 per cent share. The council also pleaded for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Canada and Australia.

A number private equity companies are reportedly keen to take a stake in the venerable footwear retailer Clarks which is seeking new funds. Promiment amongst them are OpCapita, which previously owned the Comet electrical goods chain and US-based buyout firm Sycamore Partners. Any deal with the company is expected to generate around £100 million to £150 million to invest in the business that has survived for around two centuries so far, having been founded in 1825. If it’s to make it through a third century, still-new CEO Giorgio Presca wants to drive through major change, including the closure of unprofitable stores.

His ‘Made to Last’ strategy will include the loss of 900 jobs, although 200 news ones will be added. Suzanne McKenna, a former head of intimates brand Triumph, will join as the new managing director of Clarks next month. The firm recently reorganized itself via three business units, one of which is the Clarks operation. The others are Clarks Originals and Collection by Clarks/Cloudsteppers by Clarks.

The company has involved three accountancy firms in its restructuring plans, KPMG for advising the family shareholders, Deloitte to work with the management team and PwC taken on by a syndicate of its lenders.

As soon as Messe Frankfurt celebrates its 780-year anniversary, it will be getting straight back to business: following a global lockdown lasting multiple months, Messe Frankfurt is once again holding trade fairs. It all kicks off with Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics on 15 July 2020 in China. The trade fair is part of a network of some 50 international textile events in Messe Frankfurt’s portfolio, which has included Frankfurt Fashion Week since June. Trade fairs are also resuming business in Germany – in strict compliance with an extensive protection and hygiene concept. Smaller events are already underway on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds, and trade fairs will be joining them soon: Nordstil will be leading the way in Hamburg in September, followed by the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. Replacement dates have also been planned in 2020 for many of the Group's postponed events worldwide.

Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt: “We are delighted that our events will once again be serving as platforms for personal interaction. Our resumption of event operations worldwide demonstrates Messe Frankfurt’s flexibility in responding to challenges. We are able to offer our customers around the world the platforms they need – regionally, nationally, at a European level and globally – while satisfying today's new local regulations and requirements. The past 780 years have demonstrated time and again just how important trade fairs are for promoting economic recovery in times of crisis, and our customers have been making it clear to us that face-to-face encounters and dialogue are irreplaceable.”

A look at history shows that trade fairs, as mirrors of the economy, are repeatedly confronted with crises. Even back in 1635, for example, Frankfurt’s Spring Fair had to be cancelled on account of fallout from the Thirty Years’ War and an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Frankfurt. Already, the measures taken to help thwart the spread of disease included border closures, health certificates, passport systems, entry and exit checks and quarantines. Trade fairs’ central role in economic development was clear even then. No sooner had the First World War ended than plans began for the International Import Fair in October 1919 and the Spring Fair in 1920. 95 percent of the exhibition grounds were destroyed during the Second World War, and their immediate reconstruction sent a clear signal about Frankfurt’s importance as a trade fair centre. Trade fair operations resumed with the Frankfurt Fair in October 1948, relying in part on provisional lightweight constructions, tents and open-air spaces.

One of the largest denim industries in Brazil, Vicunha launched an app to get closer to consumers during the quarantine period.

The solution was developed in 2018, but the pandemic instance led it to gain more prominence, besides updates. According to the brand’s commercial director, German Alejandro, the app offers another communication and sales channel, offering greater proximity to consumers.With the proximity to the sales team, customers can ask for product pilotage, as well as request purchase or an exclusive development almost in real-time.

But besides that, the app also shows other aspects of Vicunha, such as sustainability. The ‘sustainability button’ brings our manufacturing, social, partnership, sustainable products, certifications, programs, projects and movements”, explains German. The “V.Products” area shows more than 250 options of Denim and Denim Colour fabrics, with a gallery of photos and videos that offer a faithful vision of the fall, elasticity and construction of the fabrics.

The V.Space platform works in three languages and is available on App Store and Google Play. The app is a digital catalog and an information hub for doing business and sharing knowledge.

Phong Phu International (PPJ), one of the leading textile producers, garment manufacturers and exporters in Vietnam, is optimizing spare capacity with the help of FastReactPlan, Coats Digital’s world class fashion production planning and control software application.

Harnessing the power of online communication and collaboration platforms to effectively deliver software and training, Coats Digital and PPJ have collaborated to deliver an initiative that is critical for the industry.

With a mutual ambition to win the industry re-start, Coats Digital and PPJ have successfully navigated the challenges of COVID-19 to maintain the pace of a digitization journey which is critical for the recovery and sustainable growth. This has enabled the completion of a project to digitize best practice production planning and control processes, from master planning across multiple factories to detailed line and machine level planning of complex denim manufacturing processes.

Sneaker giant Nike has introduced its new retail concept Nike Rise in Guangzhou, China. The latest international store concept joins the brand’s innovative portfolio which already includes Nike Live in Tokyo and House of Innovation in NYC.

The Nike Rise concept store features personalised shopping services with a focus on digital experiences. Nike Guangzhou has piloted a new app feature Nike Experiences, which connects members to “weekly sport-minded activations” to inspire and enable them to move.

At Nike Rise, customers can experience Nike Fit which helps customers find the best fit for any footwear using scanning technology. Nike by You is a counter where members can find personalised items with designs inspired by the city’s sport culture.

The brand’s members in Guangzhou will also have access to Nike’s events and workshops hosted by the city’s network of Nike athletes and experts.

European Union has directed Myanmar to update it the progress in resolving the conflict in northern Rakhine and other rights abuses, a move essential for the Southeast Asian country to keep its trade preferences with the world’s largest trading bloc by mid-September.

Brussels has requested Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to submit a written response on the extent to which it is working towards improving human and labour rights standards, according to EU Ambasosador Kristian Schmidt.

The European Union is currently considering the option of triggering a six-month review process on whether to strip Myanmar of its “Everything But Arms” status following accusations against the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) by UN officials and NGOs of persecuting Muslims in northern Rakhine with “genocidal intent” in 2017. Myanmar has denied the accusations.

The 2017 Tatmadaw crackdown in northern Rakhine drove hundreds of thousands of mostly stateless Muslims out of Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh. Myanmar returned to the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences in 2013 and its garment industry has benefited from its tariff-free access to the Single Market.

In 2019, Myanmar’s exports to the bloc - of which textiles make up a key segment - amounted to €2.8 billion (US$3.2 billion). Trade sanctions from Brussels, if enacted, are expected to heavily hit the apparel sector and put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.

Famme, a cutting-edge Norwegian brand that makes functional, fashionable women’s collections for workout wear (yoga, running, etc.) and everyday life, has launched a new leggings capsule collection in collaboration with Fulgar.

As well as requiring a final product that was seamless, soft, comfortable and breathable, Famme selected Fulgar's nylon 6.6 yarns because of the Italian firm's environmental credentials.

Q-Skin by Fulgar is a special Nylon 6.6 yarn which incorporates special silver ions inserted directly during spinning. Their unique chemical and physical characteristics give the yarn bacteriostatic properties. Bacteria carry a negative charge, while the silver ions contained in Q- Skin are positively charged, so the silver ions will reduce excess bacteria.

The bacteriostatic capability also stands up to repeated washing with Q- Skin and, extensively tested, has confirmed its effectiveness against the main bacterial groups Gram + (Staphylococcus Aureus) Gran - (Klebsiella Pneumoniae). As well as having certified bacteriostatic properties, Q- Skin is also said to be ideal for sportswear as it can slow the development of unpleasant odours while giving wearers benefits like breathability, freshness, hygiene and comfort.