Apparel Sourcing Week will be held in Bengaluru, June 18 to 20, 2020. The three day show will present opportunities for networking, knowledge and will feature 100 leading manufacturers from India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, showcasing a diverse portfolio of products and latest collections on one platform. Also present will be 50 manufacturers and suppliers of innovative fabrics and accessories. Knittech which specialises in flat knit shawls and stoles will be there. Knittech’s products are noted for their flexibility and elasticity in weaving. Its entire collection is in tune with international trends, with the best quality yarn, best possible infrastructural facilities and unique designs.

Star a provider of fashion apparel across a broad range of product categories including women’s and men’s woven garment, cut and sew knits and intimate apparel will be there. They provide customers comprehensive design services, product development resources, such as fabric sourcing and trim development and in-house value-added services such as garment washing and embroidery. Liva stands for high quality fabric made using natural cellulosic fibers of the Aditya Birla Group, delivered through an accredited value chain. Unlike other fabrics which are boxy or synthetic, Liva is a soft, fluid fabric which falls and drapes well. Anuma Fashions produces woven garments, specialising in shirts, blouses and shorts for children.

"Impacted by an economic slowdown and poor capital investments, Indian textile machinery exports declined 11.50 per cent to $743.32 million in 2019. Of all machines, spinning, twisting and yarn preparation machines were the largest exported products, though their exports declined by 29.86 per cent to $214.9 million in 2019 over the previous year. Bangladesh remained the top export market for most of India’s textile machinery goods."

Impacted by an economic slowdown and poor capital investments, Indian textile machinery exports declined 11.50 per cent to $743.32 million in 2019. Of all machines, spinning, twisting and yarn preparation machines were the largest exported products, though their exports declined by 29.86 per cent to $214.9 million in 2019 over the previous year. Bangladesh remained the top export market for most of India’s textile machinery goods.

Commodity-wise textile machinery exports from India

Exports of spinning, twisting and yarn preparation machines declined 29.86 per cent in 2019. Bangladesh was the top market for Indian machines, with total exports declining by .35.31 per cent over previous year.

Under this segment, cotton spinning ring frame was the most exported item. However, the exports for this commodity declined by 31.96 per cent to US$ 118.67 million over the previous year. The second top exported item were cotton processing machinery whose exports grew 90.22 per cent to $90.22 million. Exports of cotton spinning roving frames registered a negative growth of 39.95 per cent while those of cotton combing machines too declined by 33.36 per cent. Export of blowroom machines declined by 47.47 per cent. Under this segment, parts and accessories used for extruding, drawing and texturing of auxiliary machinery was the topmost commodity worth $48.58 million in 2019. Netherland continued to be top market, with a value of $18.68 million.

Knitting machinery grows, processing machines decline

In 2019, export of knitting machines grew 31.87 per cent to $2.87 million while sewing machines grew 0.94 per cent to $58.68 million. Germany was the top market with exports growing 9.93 per cent during the year.

Export of processing machines registered a negative growth of 27.38 per cent, while that of printing machinery grew 19.66 per cent. Bangladesh was the top market for this commodity with exports growing 19.95 per cent. A part of printing machinery used for ancillary printing was the topmost commodity exported from India in 2019. Its exports totaled to $19.25 million during the year with a minor decline of 0.54 per cent over previous year. Export of weaving machines (looms) exports declined 7.14 per cent to $34.75 million with Vietnam being the topmost market.

Bangladesh leads Indian export growth

Though Bangladesh remained the top export market for India’s textile machinery products, in 2019, exports to the country declined 26.81 per cent to $82.99. Spinning, twisting and yarn preparation machines were the most exported commodity with exports declining 35.31 per cent to $35.99 million. Export of printing machinery also declined 20 per cent to $17.35 million during the year.

Germany retained its position as the second biggest export market for India’s textile machinery products with $63.39 million and an adverse growth of 2.40 percent.

Amongst the top seven export markets for India, Italy was the only country that witnessed positive growth in 2019. Exports to the country grew 19.35 per cent to $26.79 million. On the other hand, exports to Turkey declined 52.74 per cent to $25.98 million in 2019 over previous year. Spinning, twisting and yarn preparation machine was exported the most in 2018, but registered a fall of 52.95 per cent in 2019 to $14.83 million over previous year.

Footwear brand Neeman’s has raised $1 million (Rs 7 crore) in pre-series A funding led by Anicut Angel Fund and other angel investors. The brand will use the funds for expanding its business, product portfolio, and marketing. This investment will support the brand’s journey, as it scales up in a growing footwear market in India while targeting aware, responsible, comfort-seeking and fashion-conscious customers.

Neeman’s was founded in 2017 by Taran Chhabra and Amar Preet Singh and projects itself as an all-day wear brand claiming that it makes use of recyclable and chemical-free materials for its products. The brand recently launched its eco-friendly merino shoe brand in collaboration with The Woolmark Company on its e-commerce site. The collection includes classic sneakers, jogging shoes, and loafers in a range of colors.

Italian textile producer and luxury men’s wear label Ermenegildo Zegna and US casual wear brand, Fear of God have entered into a partnership. Over 95 per cent of the fabrics in the collection of suits and double-breasted leather blazers come from Zegna’s mills. Fear of God provided the denim and a light-but-dense cotton seen in roll-neck tops. Silhouettes are looser. Details are deft, especially at the neckline in this tieless collection – like marvelous silk tops, cuffed and finished with clever zippered funnel-necks. There are excellent checked Chesterfields, dashing suede shirt-jackets and plush lambskin jerkins. Any lapel is dropped or lazy. Lots of pants are finished with cummerbunds or wide waist-belts; jackets come with Henleys and soft collar tops. The tailoring is easily digestible since a too tailored look is anathema for this generation.

The range is titled Fear of God exclusively for Ermenegildo Zegna XXX, from the triple-X couture division of the Italian label. In total, there are 39 looks, accessorized with some natty gray suede moccasins and smart boots. Plans are to retail the collection in over 30 Zegna flagships, major department stores and e-tailers. The collection is aimed at a new clientele.

In the first nine months of 2019, Vietnam’s exports to the US jumped by 34.8 per cent. >But the US no longer considers Vietnam a developing country. This means Vietnam will stop receiving some preferential treatment. Vietnam’s developing country status with the WTO remains unchanged and it still enjoys the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Vietnam, however, will have to be even more careful to deal with origin fraud and transshipment as this has been the source of US tariffs on Vietnam in the past. The tariffs were imposed to prevent steel products that originated from China attempting to bypass anti-dumping rules. Overall, Vietnam-US trade will likely to continue to increase. However, Vietnam will need to be more careful particularly for industries such as steel, footwear and agricultural products exports to the US, which have been growing. If it does not, the US is likely to impose countervailing duties on products that it deems to harm its domestic industries.

The US has recently slimmed down its list of developing and least developed countries. So the move is not directed specifically at Vietnam but includes several other countries. The move will allow the US a reduced threshold for starting an investigation into which countries are harming US industries with subsidized exports.

The global T-shirt market is growing at six per cent and is expected to register significant growth with rising disposable incomes and a rapidly shifting trend toward customized T-shirts. In addition, advances in technology have led to the introduction of advanced inkjet heads that are compatible with a variety of inks from different suppliers. In addition, fine embroideries with a faster output rate have also been developed significantly. The industry has been aligning its research and development activities taking into account the dynamic nature of fashion trends demanding shorter production cycles and high-quality prints.

Cotton is the most common and preferred fabric for T-shirts. However, other materials such as linen, Lycra, polyester, rayon, and blends of two or three materials are also used for manufacturing T-shirts. T-shirts made from Lycra and polyester are generally used for athletic apparels, while cotton and linen T-shirts are preferred for daily casual wear.

Based on ink type, the T-shirts market is classified into dyes ink, sublimation ink, pigment ink and others. The emergence of advanced alternative techniques such as sublimation printing is a major driving factor for custom T-shirt printing and the dyes and inks involved in printing the T-shirts. Printing technology and advanced machines capable of creating flawless embroidery have also helped the overall T-shirt industry to flourish.

Sustainable strides are being made in the denim world at large. But the apparel industry as a whole is overusing the word sustainability, and taking steps toward a more environmentally friendly output is not enough to truly change consumers’ attitudes about why they should buy higher priced, better-for-the-world products. The barrier to scaling sustainable solutions and increasing positive impact is cost. Consumers are price conscious and would be unwilling to take on a sustainability tax. In order for mainstream customers to widely adopt sustainable solutions in apparel, not just luxury consumers, it should be cost neutral.

While there is no shortage of innovative ideas cropping up across the industry, it now falls on brands and their partners to commit to the widespread adoption of proven sustainable techniques. Shoppers are gunning for a more environmentally stable future and pushing brands to show their work instead of just delivering answers and demanding trust. As the resources used to produce apparel—like fibers, water and electricity—become more expensive, mills and factories must innovate to cut down on waste and maintain unit cost. Apparel using post-consumer recycled materials—a widely available feedstock—would reduce the costs and resources used to grow and produce virgin materials, and also reduce landfill waste. But, again, a cost-conscious consumer will only buy-in if it is cost neutral.

New Zealand’s trade and export growth minister David Parker says, the country plans to push for a bilateral trade agreement with India if New Delhi does not join the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

India in November decided not to join RCEP as negotiations failed to satisfactorily address New Delhi's ‘outstanding issues and concerns’. However, the possibility of India joining the trade pact is still open provided its concerns are addressed by the member nations.

Noting that New Zealand was disappointed with India’s decision on RCEP, Parker said the disappointment was not only for lost bilateral opportunities but also because the nation believes there is a strategic benefit for India of being on the table when the regional trade rules are made.

The RCEP negotiations were launched by leaders from 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian nations and six other countries -- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand during the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh in November 2012.

A new sustainability initiative ‘Accelerating Circularity’ is working with major apparel companies to chart ways to eliminate textile-industry waste and recycle it into new fibers and materials.

Accelerating Circularity’s mission will be to research and identify opportunities in apparel supply chains in order to make them circular, which mean taking returned goods and items defined as waste materials and turning them into new textiles. The initiative’s first projects will include research into mechanical and chemical recycling of cotton, viscose and polyester textile waste. These three fibers comprise more than 80 per cent of all textile fiber production.

Less than one per cent of textile waste gets recycled into new textiles. Some 16.9 million tons of textile waste are dumped annually. There need to be new maps for the supply chain that don’t exist today. There is a need to create the knowledge of where the textile waste is, how it should be collected and where it has to be fed to the appropriate recyclers. Some of the biggest names in fashion are joining forces to create a thriving industry based on the principles of a circular economy and are addressing issues that have seen the fashion industry become one of the most polluting and wasteful operating today.

Philippine’s garment exports are expected to register flat growth this year as firms struggle to find alternative sources of raw materials outside China. Nearly all of the country’s apparel production has stopped due to the unavailability of the raw materials.

The crisis triggered by the virus outbreak has forced many factories in the Philippines to shut down. The country needs to find alternative sources for fabric, textile and accessories as there is no trusted domestic manufacturer of these raw materials.

This is the reason why the garment industry is tempering growth forecast this year, expecting export receipts to stay the same or rise by a mere 1 per cent.

The industry is anticipating new players to come in when the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) bill becomes law, as it will reduce corporate income tax to 20 per cent by 2029 from 30 per cent now, the highest rate in Southeast Asia.

In terms of market, the United States will keep its status as the country’s largest buyer of clothing products this year and can further strengthen this position if it expands the generalised system of preferences (GSP) of the Philippines to garments and footwear.