Actress Evelyn Sharma is taking her the next step towards responsible fashion. To buy only second-hand clothing is her New Year’s resolution for 2020, and it’s an easy one she says! Interestingly, this trend is not limited to celebrities but also common people are having a keen interest in not just exchanging goods with friends and family but also with strangers in exchange of money.

Fashion retail scenario in India has changed with the rise of recommerce fashion startups owing to consumers widely accepting used fashion. With social media playing a critical role in the success and failure of brands these days, pre-owned online fashion startups appeal primarily to millennials who are aware of the latest trends and the best designers. Second hand fashion thus helps consumers save a lot of money and upgrade their wardrobes. Especially the Tier 2 and Tier 3 market where fashion aspiration is high but access to brands are limited, these startups are filling the gaps.

One of the leading brands in this sector, Kiabza is working to transform the way India thinks about pre-owned clothing and fulfill the aspirations of many who want to wear branded clothing at value prices.

Kiabza is a unique ReCommerce website for people to buy and sell branded pre-owned fashion. Kiabza is an online platform for all: For the Sellers, to consign their pre-owned branded clothing and earn easy cash for their products; For the Buyers, to buy the best brands at a great price. The seller can put together branded clothing from his/her entire family closet and KIABZA takes care of everything, right from curating a product to delivering it to the buyer and paying the seller for the same. Kiabza has adopted an inventory-based model and every piece of clothing is individually curated by experts at Kiabza for authenticity and then put through a strict quality control and dry cleaning process.

The Founder & CEO, Nohar Nath has 20 + years of experience in the textile recycling industry having run Kishco Group’s business, which is primarily based on recycling of textiles.

Luxury fashion house Prada plans to postpone its cruise show, which was to be held in Japan on May 21, 2020. The decision has been taken as a precaution in the light of uncertainties regarding the spread of the coronavirus, points out the specialist website.

The Italian company had previously announced its intention to organise its mid-season presentation in Japan without specifying the exact venue where the show would take place.

This latest news will result in a minor alteration to what is a particularly heavy schedule of cruise shows this year. Giorgio Armani is expected to kick off the season with a show in Dubai on 19 April. Hermes will present its show in London on April 28, Chanel in Capri on May 7, Dior in Lecce on May 9, Ermanno Scervino in Monaco on May 14, Versace in the United States on May 16, Gucci in San Francisco on May 18, Alberta Ferretti in Rimini on May 22, and Max Mara in St. Petersburg on May 25.

H&M has extended its support to International Chemical Secretariat to end the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the clothing and textile supply chain.

The government-funded Swedish organisation, which also goes by ChemSec, is asking policymakers to regulate PFAS efficiently without swapping one PFAS chemical for another unregulated “cousin.” ChemSec also wants a formal recognition that PFAS pose a health and environmental problem and for the chemical industry to invest in the development of safer alternatives to PFAS for an array of products. Most of all, ChemSec would like a “serious commitment” by brands to phase out PFAS from consumer products.

The biggest problem with PFAS, is they are “perfectly legal to use” with very few exceptions, which means brands that wish to stop their use have very limited ways of communicating this in their supply chains. While “business as usual is not an option,” she said, without legal restrictions, suppliers will continue to use these “very effective chemicals” in manufacturing.

The Coronavirus outbreak in China is likely to boost Turkey’s apparel exports as a halt in operations in the mainland is expected to shift orders toward Turkey. The apparel industry, which sold goods worth $17.7 billion to foreign countries in 2019, looks to increase its exports to $19 billion this year. Its share in the country's overall exports of $14.8 billion in January 2020 was 10.1 per cent. In all, the country exported apparels worth $1.5 billion during the month.

Around 73.4 of apparels were exported to EU countries, with Germany and Spain being the main destinations. Several fashion retailers manufacture clothing in Coronavirus-hit China are negotiating with Turkish firms to shift their production base to Turkey. Around 1 per cent of the orders would be shifted to Turkey initiatlly that could amount to $2 billion.

The virus outbreak has also prompted many factories to suspend operations as authorities are trying to contain its spread.

Texcare, the trade fair for laundry and dry-cleaning technology will be held in Germany from June 20 to 24, 2020. Companies have high expectations from this year's edition because it will set the sector’s course for coming years. Exhibitors will present latest machinery, plant, processes and services for laundry and dry-cleaning technology. The top theme of sustainability will be reflected at the trade fair.

In the laundry and dry-cleaning technology sub-segment, German exports fell by 11.4 per cent in the first eleven months of 2019. Due to worldwide changes, such as rising hygiene and living standards, the industry has extremely positive expectations for the future. The topic of circular laundry is gaining in importance. The growing global hygiene standards offer many new opportunities for the entire textile care sector. Last year's tense political and economic situation also affected the laundry and dry-cleaning industry. The trade conflict between the US and China unsettled customers and reduced investment. It is precisely for this reason that Texcare is expected to generate a positive investment impetus. Companies are thinking ahead on the topic of laundry to improve connectivity and digitisation and to drive the digitisation of the entire value chain.

Saurer plans and installs transport systems, especially between roving frames and ring-spinning machines. The company has successfully implemented over 100 systems worldwide. The new product line serves as customers’ expert engineering partner for integrated automation solutions across the entire textile value chain. It consists of specially designed automation elements that the project engineering team combines into tailored system solutions that are seamlessly integrated into customers’ processes. These offer tailor-made automation solutions in the areas of staple fiber spinning and twisting, filament twisting and cabling and project engineering. Thanks to these solutions, Saurer is meeting the growing demand for cost-effective automation of spinning and further processing in staple fiber spinning and twisting mills as well as in filament yarn processing.

Comprehensive data management with innovative quality functions has become indispensable along the entire textile value chain. With Senses, the digital mill management system from Saurer, customers can consolidate and analyse company-wide production, quality and performance data, even for machines from other manufacturers.

Textile companies are facing increasingly complex challenges: higher labor costs and employee turnover rates, not to mention the need to automate material flow, reduce lead times and boost productivity. Further, companies increasingly require comprehensive automation solutions due to greater demands on yarn quality and ease of use as well as the trend towards large and heavy packages.

According to Axel Baumanns, Product Management and Sales, Kannegiesser, the garment industry in India is suffering. Speaking at the recently held GTE exhibition, he said, “Countries like Bangladesh, which proves to be an ideal manufacturing base for the US and Europe, have picked up business since 1998.”Though other countries have also picked up in garment manufacturing, mass production by US and Europe ensures the quality of these garments.

Bangladesh -an ideal destination for garment manufacturing

However, these garments need to be produced on a mass scale for which Bangladesh proves to be an ideal destination. As these garments don’t have many downtimes, they can be fully automated. “You can’t put fabrics at one end and expect a garment to emerge from another,” says Baumanns. These garments need to be customised to different sizes and preferences. Machines can’t achieve this. They deliver the same result every time.

Job creation to fuel sector development

According to Baumanns, Indians have it in their blood to make garments. “Tailoring shops abroad are run by Indians. However, they need to transfer their abilities to big garmenting companies. Countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have been doing this quite efficiently. However, these countries can’t do high fashion as they are far from the US,” he adds.

However, India is much closer. The country has improved immensely in the last 20 years as people have broadened their mindsets. They are traveling more. However, the country needs jobs which the garment industry can provide. Since sewing is something every woman can do, people can earn money and spend. It is a chain reaction. The more you earn, the more you spend.

In January 2020, Turkey’s fashion exports increased 5.8 percent. Europe was Turkey's main customer during this period. Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom’s import of Turkish fashion goods during this period went up 4.7 per cent, 8.7 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively. The Netherlands, France, the United States, Denmark, Iraq and Poland were also among the main importers of the Turkish fashion.

The share of apparel in Turkey’s overall exports in January 2020 was 10.1 per cent. Turkey’s garment exports are projected to rise by 10 per cent due to the Coronavirus outbreak in China, which has delayed shipments. Turkey is the seventh biggest cotton producer in the world. It has the biggest machinery park in the world. The Turkish textile sector has a very strong image in the global market. The sector stands out thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, flexible production ability, capability of producing special products and high-quality workforce. It is the biggest textile manufacturer in Europe. It continues to make significant breakthroughs not only in design and fashion but also in technical textiles. The Turkish textile and readymade clothing sector as a whole has the highest foreign trade surplus.

Weak domestic demand growth, threat of cheap imports and dwindling incentives and exports are likely to keep volumes in the Indian textile sector muted. Withdrawal of incentives under the MEIS from India scheme may affect export players of made-ups (home textiles) and garments. Indian exports are likely to remain uncompetitive against counterparts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey and Vietnam. However, key raw material prices are expected to remain low in 2020-21, after a correction in 2019-20, contributing to a modest recovery in margins, stable working capital requirements and steady cash flows. Cotton prices may stabilise with improved cotton supply and an inventory build-up in the next fiscal. The industry adjusting to a low dealer inventory is becoming the new normal. Easing of the GST implementation issues might only provide modest support to demand growth, unless liquidity improves. Liquidity remains choked, with lack of bank funding and sluggish end-consumer demand. Sector consolidation may continue in 2020-21, while the mid and small commodity players continue to struggle.

However, regulatory support in form of GST refunds for spinning chains and availability of input tax credit from units operating in the unorganised sector or composition scheme may improve liquidity in the value chain.

Chuck Lambert is the new president and chief executive officer of American Apparel. Lambert has been with American Apparel since 2005. He was made vice president of manufacturing in 2006. In 2012, Lambert was promoted again, this time to chief operations officer.

American Apparel has been manufacturing combat and utility uniforms for all branches of the US military since 1987. The company produces between 80,000 and a lakh garments a month. Women’s jeans styles include a non-stretch cropped, wide leg jeans, a super skinny jean with two-way stretch, a stretch pencil jean and a button flare jean. The brand’s core item, 100 per cent cotton high-waisted mom jeans, are offered in an array of vintage-inspired washes like rainbow wash, pink tinted wash and marble blue wash. The women’s assortment also offers high-waisted cuffed shorts, a button-front A-line mini skirt and an American Apparel signature—denim hot shorts—in sizes XS-XL. For men, American Apparel offers skinny, slim and straight fit jeans in classic light, dark and black washes. American Apparel first introduced denim to its line-up of US-made basics in 2011. American Apparel at one time underwent a series of setbacks, including the removal of its controversial founder Dov Charney from his CEO position and bankruptcy in 2014.