This fiscal year, Bangladesh’s exports to the US rose by 14.92 per cent. Earnings from apparel exports to the US grew 14.60 per cent over the previous year’s earnings.

Exports to Germany were up 4.79 per cent. Germany imports 15.23 per cent of Bangladesh’s total exports. Export earnings from the UK rose by 4.51 per cent, which is 10.29 per cent of the total exports of Bangladesh. The lion’s share of Bangladesh’s exports is limited to 10 countries viz: US, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Poland. The 10 countries import over 71 per cent of Bangladesh’s total exports.

Bangladesh is trying to reduce dependency on a few markets and diversify export destinations. The efforts are succeeding. Once, 65 per cent of Bangladesh’s total exports were limited to the US. That is now 17 per cent. Bilateral trade agreements are seen as a way to avail of duty-free market access to new countries such as the Russian federation and South Africa. Bangladesh provides a four per cent cash incentive against exports of apparel goods to non-traditional export markets. This is in addition to the one per cent incentive for all traditional export destinations.

The road and infrastructure cess on petrol and diesel has not gone down well with those associated with Surat’s Rs 80,000 crore textile industry. Textile traders say transport costs at every stage, right from bringing the raw material, sending the grey fabric to process houses and sending the finished goods to the market, would become more expensive as petrol and diesel prices have already gone up.

The textile industry in Surat is also disappointed the reverse charge mechanism (RCM) is still in force. The industry blames RCM for the prolonged money circulation cycle and the shortage of finance. In the textile value chain businessmen are required to do cash transactions at various stages, but subject to a limit of Rs 10,000 a day. They have demanded an increase in the limit up to at least Rs 25,000 a day. The textile industry was also pitching for scrapping GST for those units whose turnover is below Rs 5 crores. At present, the limit is Rs 50 lakhs.

Surat is the hub of manmade fabric in the country. There are seven lakh power looms in Surat. The annual turnover of the textile industry in Surat is pegged at around Rs 80,000 crores.

Reliance has partnered Turkis company Kivanc Tekstil to manufacture Reliance’s fabric brand R Elan. Kıvanc will also be the exclusive distributor of Recron Green Gold fibers to spinners, yarn manufacturers and knitters across Turkey. The arrangement will enable Reliance and Kıvanc to offer the best quality eco-friendly textile solutions to brands and retailers which source their requirements from Turkey to meet the ever-growing demand of environment-friendly apparels.

Kıvanc Tekstil caters to major European and American fashion brands and retailers. Vertically integrated across spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing and finishing, Kıvanc produces 18 million meters of blended fabrics a year. Products comprise a wide range of blends straddling polyester, cotton, viscose, linen, tencel, modal and wool.

Reliance, the owner of R Elan, is one of the largest recyclers of PET bottles in India, recycling 2.2 billion PET bottles a year. R Elan Green Gold, made from recycled PET, substantially reduces the emission of greenhouse gases. The fabric is made from pre-dyed fibers. Its manufacture doesn’t need much water. Whatever little water is used, 90 per cent of it is recycled. It uses bio-fuels and is one of the few recycled brands that provides end-to-end traceability throughout the supply chain, right from PET bottles to fibers.

Ryan is described as a true real retail pioneer, who innovated and was never complacent, despite many successes. After 40 years leading the retail chain, Ryan stepped down from his role as CEO in 2009 but remained deeply involved in the company in his new position as chairman.

Primark is a low-cost global apparel retail giant. Founded in 1969, Primark has since developed into a retail empire consisting of more than 350 stores employing over 75,000 people in 12 countries, spread over both Europe and North America. Primark is owned by Associated British Foods. Primark is driving sales growth by expanding new stores at a breakneck pace. AB Foods expects better purchasing and fewer discounts to help offset a recent recovery in the dollar in the second half. The company has forecast a higher operating margin this year and has been reducing markdowns and benefiting from a weaker dollar that makes it cheaper to source garments from Asia. A stronger July is expected due to the improving weather. Last year had the feel-good factor, with the hot weather, the royal wedding and soccer World Cup, which boosted sales for Primark. A huge new Primark outlet in England is designed to be a concept store for the future.

Textile Fairs India will be held in New Delhi from July 21 to 23, 2022. It will include three trade fairs, Yarnex, F&A Show, and Fashion Connect. Yarnex brings together manufacturers and suppliers of fibers, yarns and related services to showcase their merchandise to buyers from across the world. F&A is a fashion and accessories show. Fashion Connect connects clothing brands and contract manufacturers with the entire retail fraternity. Besides being a platform for sourcing, the event also disseminates information on fashion trends.

Textile Fairs India will bring together over 240 domestic and international fashion manufacturers to showcase upcoming trends and provide opportunities for them to network to expand their distribution networks. Countries including India, Austria, China, Hong Kong, and Japan will take part in the event and showcase textiles such as yarns and fibers, trims and embellishments, and readymade garments. The trade fair will feature products intended for both spring/summer 2020 and autumn/winter 2020-21. A special focus will be on sustainable fashion. Industry professionals will discuss how to make production more environmentally friendly and a dedicated sustainable fashion showcase will shine the spotlight on recycled and upcycled clothing. A number of design and product awards will also feature during the event.

Lenzing is embracing blockchain technology to ensure transparency and traceability from wood to finished garment. The hope is to ensure end-to-end traceability for apparel brands and buyers. The improved supply chain transparency is expected to help Lenzing customers and suppliers identify Tencel fibers and the source of the wood in every part of the production and distribution process. A QR code on each garment’s tag will allow consumers to look up the origin before they buy the clothing. The key advantage of this technology is it takes a decentral approach to authentication based on blockchain based digital-tokens, unlike the centralized approach based on a file or pdf-based authentication system. Consumers in many industries are interested in the suppliers and ingredients of the products they buy. Up to 30 per cent of branded organic or sustainable fibers are thought to be fake.

Lenzing, based in Austria, is the world market leader in fibers made from renewable wood. With Lenzing Ecovero-branded fibers Lenzing was the frontrunner in physical traceability and is now entering the age of digital traceability. Lenzing plans to conduct several pilot tests over the next few months with partners across its entire value chain. The platform is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2020.

New York Fabric Show will take place from July 22 to 23, 2019. The trade show takes place twice a year -- January and July -- and is meant for designers, manufacturers, private label retailers, event planners, retail fabric stores, and others who buy fabrics and trims. Exhibitors are American and European wholesale suppliers, including mills, converters, importers, and distributors. All provide low minimums, and many have in-stock fabrics and trims. Other resources are also made available at the show.

The show is organized by DG Expo and was started by Susan Power in 2012 in New York City. Since 1988, Susan has been providing sourcing information to apparel and home furnishing industry professionals. DG Expo is a great place to find resources and small cottage industries displaying their unique textile and yarn collections from different parts of the world. It brings together all textile designers and fashion designers who exhibit the purest and unique raw materials creations from different parts of the world.

DG Expo has moved the New York Fabric Show this July to Hudson Yards, a new location on Manhattan’s West Side. The show is just a block away from the Jacob Javits Center. Similar fabric shows are held at San Francisco, Miami, Dallas and Chicago.

The ongoing Hong Kong Fashion Week being held from July 8 to 11 has gathered around 1000 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to present the latest fashion designs, international brands, garments, fabrics and accessories. To create more business opportunities for exhibitors, 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions will visit the show, with more than 3,670 companies represented. Various themed zones have been set up to showcase the latest fashion collections from around the world.

Innovative technologies are helping to kick start a revolution in the fashion industry, and this year’s fair will focus on how high-tech ideas are being incorporated into fashion designs and business processes. Various seminars are being held as part of the fair to bring participants up to date on the latest industry trends and technological developments. One seminar will examine the upcoming trends for men’s wear, women’s wear and accessories for the autumn/winter 2020-21 season, giving industry players a clearer idea of where the business opportunities will be.

Industry leaders will examine e-commerce strategies. An influencer platform explores ways to use artificial intelligence to establish marketing plans for online influencers in a bid to increase brand affinity and facilitate sales conversion.

Sustainability can’t do without design. This is a relatively new concept in sustainable fashion. Consumers no longer have to sacrifice design quality for social and environmental responsibility. So the fashion industry is making strides toward sustainability but without compromising on design.

Consumers’ only choice for green garments used to be ugly and expensive. Now, green fashion doesn’t differ aesthetically from products made using traditional production methods nor is the price point exorbitantly higher. Products need to be disassembled at the end of their life-cycle, which requires not only materials that can be recycled but also better reuse/repair options from labels.

Currently, there are almost no rules requiring companies keep track of their often complex supply chain despite flagrant human rights violations in factories at home and abroad. The 2013 Rana Plaza disaster, in which a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed and killed thousands of workers, was a wakeup call for an industry that often turned a blind eye to its production methods. Jeans are the fashion industry’s most notorious culprit for waste and chemical production. The textile industry uses 7000 liters of water to produce one pair of jeans. The indigo dye used for the denim wash is painfully detrimental to the environment.

Gap will roll out foam-dyed denim that dramatically reduces water, chemical and energy use. The new process, called Dry Indigo, can reduce water use by up to 99 per cent, while also using 89 per cent less chemicals, reducing energy use by 65 per cent, and eliminating water discharge when compared to the traditional slasher indigo (or sheet dyeing) process. Utilizing a foam dye that adheres to yarn, the transformative Dry Indigo technique produces a denim fabric that is comparable in hand-feel, aesthetic, performance and washability to traditionally dyed denim. The foam-dyeing technique occurs in a space of less than 65 feet — compared to the hundreds of feet that is typically necessary for a traditional dyeing machine — thereby significantly reducing energy needs.

Gap has a goal of conserving 10 billion liters of water by the end of 2020. Gap has worked closely with supply chain partners to implement numerous water-saving initiatives. In 2016, Gap introduced a smart denim wash program that has enabled the company to save over 229 million liters of water compared to conventional wash methods. Gap plans to derive 100 per cent of its cotton — across all brands — from sustainable sources by 2025. The initiative will include sourcing cotton that is organic and recycled.