The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published International Production Cost Comparison report (IPCC) for 2018. Designed to trace the implications of growing capital intensity in the primary textile industry, the 2018 report adds finishing’ to the historical cost analysis in spinning, draw texturing, weaving, and knitting.

The goal of the report is to allow for a better appreciation of the relative importance of the cost elements and their respective influence on the total costs. In the category Spinning Ring/NE30, for example, the report shows countries with high manufacturing cost also have higher share of labor cost (respectively 33 per cent, 27 per cent, and 31 per cent). The share of power in two of these countries, however, equals the sample average. It reaches 21 per cent in Italy and Korea and 10 per cent in the US, a level comparable to that measured in Egypt.

The report also presents the cost of transforming the former woven fabric into a finished woven fabric (continuous open width). On average, the share of labor and power to total manufacturing costs in this category are similar (13 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively). Strong geographical discrepancies nevertheless exist, especially with respect to labour costs with a spread of 14 cent/m. This reflects the difference in labor costs between Bangladesh (1 cent/m) and Italy (15 cents/m).

The IPCC 2018 further covers the categories of spinning rotor/ne20, texturing, weaving rotor yarn fabric, weaving textured yarn fabric, knitting rotor yarn fabric, knitting textured yarn fabric, finishing - knit - continuous open width (COW), and finishing - knit - discontinuous (JET).

Dyeing units in Ludhiana have decided to increase their rates. One reason is increasing raw material prices, in particular, color prices. Earlier, the dyeing industry was able to get colors from overseas but now is totally dependent on the Indian market. Golden yellow color which was Rs 500 per kg is now Rs 1400 per kg. Blue color, which was available for Rs 1200, is now being sold at Rs 2700 per kg. Wage rates too have risen.

Prices have seen an upward spiral after many units in China were shut down due to pollution norms. The pollution caused by the manufacturing process was the main reason that led to the shutdown of units. Ludhiana was importing dyes and chemicals from China. The shutdown of units has caused a shortage in the market.

This means dyeing of yarn, cloth etc. will be expensive. This has worried the garment industry as well. Garment manufacturers, faced by the rising dyeing rates, will pass on the costs to the consumer. Local manufacturers of dyes and chemicals seeing the shortage in the market have also increased their prices. Now, the industry is dependent largely on the Indian market alone. Owing to a monopoly, dyers here have increased the rates of dyes and chemicals.

The US registered 5.12 per cent growth in its value-wise imports during January to February 2019 period as it imported apparel worth $ 14.22 billion as against $ 13.52 billion in the corresponding period of prior year. Interestingly, all major apparel exporting destinations China, Bangladesh, India and Vietnam registered an increase their exports to country except whose growth was the lowest among all.

Despite the fact that China exported apparels worth $ 4,532.57 million to the US and topped the list, growth was the least among other Asian countries. Buyers did not place huge quantities of orders to China’s apparel manufacturing units due to the fear of possible tariffs on Chinese exports to USA.

On the other hand Vietnam shipped $2,299.62 million worth of apparels to the US growing at 11.27 per cent yearly. Bangladesh and India exported apparels worth $1,038.56 million and $800.30 million respectively, with 10.96 per cent and 8.51 per cent growth on Y-o-Y basis.

H&M has launched product transparency for its garments. Each garment will feature details such as the production country, supplier name, factory name and address as well as the number of factory workers. In addition, customers can find out more about the materials used to make a specific garment.

By being open and transparent about where its products are made H&M hopes to set the bar for the industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices. The hope is that such transparency will help create a more sustainable fashion industry. The company is the first global fashion retailer of its size and scale to launch this level of product transparency. The transparency layer will be available in H&M’s 47 online markets starting April 23. Customers can also access this information when shopping in H&M’s physical stores by using the H&M app to scan the price tag on a product to see its details.

H&M is dedicated to transform the fashion industry and make it more sustainable and more transparent. In 2013 it was the first global fashion retailer to publish its supplier list online and starting in 2017 it implemented a transparency layer on a smaller scale with its conscious exclusive collections.

Momad will be held in Spain from September 12 to 14, 2019. This is a fashion, footwear and accessories trade fair. It will coincide with the Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya fairs. This is aimed at facilitating and expanding business opportunities available to participating companies and offering visitors a bigger overview of the fashion sector and the trends that will mark the new season. Having all these shows at the same time means that professional visitors will have a comprehensive overview of fashion and the trends of the new season all on the same easily navigable premises. Further the fact that Momad is being held well into the month of September will give professional visitors more time to analyse sales at their stores during the summer season campaign, and establish their needs for the new season.

Momad’s change of dates reflects surveys carried out among exhibitors and visitors at the last edition in February ‘19, which also coincided with the Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya fairs and created important synergies between all the shows. That event stood out for its good business environment, in which Momad received 15,250 visitors and reinforced its role as the Iberian peninsula’s most important commercial and trends forum for the fashion sector.

For the first two months of the year imports of denim apparel by the US increased 6.03 per cent. US jeans imports from China grew 1.89 per cent in the first two months of the year compared to the same period last year. China has a 24.15 per cent share of the US denim market. In the same period US imports of denim apparel from Vietnam jumped 35.85 per cent. Jeans imports from Mexico increased 13.03 per cent. Mexico is next to China and has a 21.39 per cent share of the US market.

Imports from the western hemisphere, including Mexico and the countries of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), saw a gain of 9.93 per cent. Among CAFTA countries, Nicaragua’s shipments rose 16.82 per cent for the first two months of 2019 compared to the same period a year earlier. Jeans imports from Guatemala increased 58.94 per cent. But shipments from Columbia fell 14.64 per cent.

Jeans shipments to the US from Bangladesh fell 5.81 per cent. Shipments from Pakistan dropped 7.45 per cent and those from Cambodia fell 13.92 per cent. However imports from Indonesia increased 20.81 per cent. Sri Lanka’s shipments increased 3.63 per cent and shipments from India rose 63.33 per cent.

The global textile colorant market is growing at five per cent. Textiles are used in home furniture such as drapery, carpet, and other furniture. An increasing demand for home furnishing leads to increasing demand for textiles in the market. This, in turn, results in increasing demand for textile colorants, thereby boosting the growth of the global textile colorant market. In regions such as Europe and North America, use of technical textile materials is mandatory for automotive components such as air-bags and seat belts. Markets such as India and China along with Japan are expected to play an important role in driving the demand. This, in turn, is fuelling the textile colorant market growth across the globe.

Textile colorants have a wide application in industries such as apparel, automotive, furniture etc. These industries are growing at a significant growth rate, particularly in developing economies, and the demand for textile colorants in these countries is on the rise. Industrial application is one of the largest segments in the technical textile market and its growth is directly linked with that of industrial production. This is expected to increase demand for various products such as textile auxiliaries and textile colorants. The textile chemical market is a key driving factor for the textile colorant market. Textile chemicals are a class of specialty chemicals that are used in various processes involved in textile and fabric processing.

Shandong province in China has world class advanced textile industry clusters. After decades of development, a complete industrial chain including weaving, printing and dyeing, garment, home textiles has been formed, which has increased its competitiveness and influence in the world. The trillion-level textile and garment industry in Shandong province is not only the pillar of the province’s industrial economy but also a typical representative of the innovation and development of Shandong’s manufacturing industry. In particular, the textile and garment industry clusters characterized by large-scale and intensive development play a very important role in driving local economic development, promoting employment, and building regional brands.

Shandong province has a total of 26 textile and garment industry clusters, ranking fourth in China. The business income of these 26 textile and garment industry clusters accounts for 46 per cent of Shandong province’s income and 18.4 per cent of China’s.

In 2018, China’s textile industry showed a slowdown trend. However, economic indicators such as revenue, profit and exports of enterprises above a designated size have improved. The trend is expected to continue in 2019. Industrial clusters are stepping up their innovation efforts in accordance with the requirements of high-level scientific and technological application, high-level brand development, high capacity for sustainable development, and high-quality talented personnel.

Orta has partnered with Biodesign Challenge which tasks teams from top design schools to create denim products, imagine alternative raw materials, and rethink processes using biotechnology. Denim brand Orta pursues sustainable lifestyles and production. The aim is to create a more robust denim ecosystem where art meets technology meets ethics, for new infinite possibilities of denim today and tomorrow.

By partnering design students with top-tier scientists, the challenge will provide a new platform for envisioning positive and transformational applications for sustainable denim manufacturing, and alternatives to cotton and other natural fibers. The Orta prize for bioinspired textiles processes will be awarded to the team that explores sustainability in the fabrication and treatment of textiles. The challenge asks teams to consider how living processes fit into textile lifecycles, alternative fibers and production. Students will consider how their manufacturing and application affects users, ecosystems, and the environment.

The winning global teams of the Biodesign Challenge will showcase their design models at the Biodesign Summit in New York in front of academic, industrial and design representatives. Awareness about issues around sustainability and ethics is becoming a key concern for many in their apparel purchases—especially for millennials and younger consumers whose purchasing decisions are becoming more discerning.

Gap may have split into the Old Navy division and yet another division consisting of Gap itself, Athleta, Banana Republic, Intermix and Hill City, but all the brands share the same mission. By 2022, Old Navy aims at producing 100 per cent of its denim products with techniques that save water, including proven wash processes like Washwell. The technique, which was used for 60 per cent of Old Navy’s spring ’19 denim range, reduces water use by 20 per cent or more in the product’s garment wash stage compared to conventional techniques.

Under the new sustainability commitments, Banana Republic will begin to use Washwell in its denim production. The company will also utilize more sustainable dye methods, such as foam dye, eco-friendly finishes like bio-softeners and laser technology, and trims made out of recycled materials. Beyond denim, Banana Republic aims at making 50 per cent of all products with techniques that save at least 20 per cent of water by 2025. The brand will also focus on using cleaner chemistry in the supply chain.

Old Navy and Banana Republic will accelerate sustainable product innovation, including adopting more eco-friendly processes for denim. Gap and Athleta had set goals in 2017 and address water use, cleaner chemistry and the sourcing of sustainable cotton or cotton-alternative fibers.