Imports of apparel from China by US companies rose by 0.91 per cent in the January to November period. US companies are looking to source apparel from countries other than China. During the same time, apparel shipments from Vietnam—the number two supplier to the US—rose 5.83 per cent. Cambodia posted the largest increase, gaining 12.37 per cent. Similarly apparel shipments from Bangladesh rose by six per cent, shipments from Pakistan rose 5.93 per cent and India’s shipments rose 2.8 per cent.

The trend is likely to continue at least until the trade war between the US and China is resolved. There is a March 1 deadline that threatens a 25 per cent tariffs on goods expected to include apparel and footwear.

Among the suppliers to the US in the western hemisphere, imports from Honduras were up 1.83 per cent. Mexico’s shipments fell 5.33 per cent and imports from El Salvador dipped 0.64 per cent.

In November, US imports of apparel were down 2.7 per cent in square meter equivalents compared to the same month a year earlier. This included declines from every major supplier except China, which ticked up 0.1 per cent. For the year to date, apparel imports were up 2.2 per cent in square meter equivalents and up 2.9 per cent in value.

The global recycled yarn market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.3 per cent from 2018 to 2025. Recycled yarn can be classified as recycled PET yarn, recycled cotton yarn, recycled nylon yarn and others in terms of raw material source. Recycled PET yarn is the major kind of recycled yarn due to the comparatively convenient source--PET bottles. Recycled PET yarn takes a 67.27 per cent share of the global recycled yarn market and the product is mainly produced in China.

The markets for recycled cotton yarn and recycled nylon yarn are more fragmented, with the US and European countries as the major producing areas. China is the biggest producer of recycled yarn. Major players are Far Eastern New Century Corporation, Haili Group, Cixi Xingke chemical fiber, Longfu Recycling Energy Scientech from China, Martex Fiber and Unifi from USA. The largest production areas of recycled yarn are China, US, Europe and India.

Recycled yarn refers to fibers recovered from waste plastic and part of natural fibers, then made into yarn. The market for recycled yarn is highly fragmented, with a series of manufacturers from transnational players to small private companies. Key regions are North America, Europe, China and Japan.

The Cotton Association of India has reduced cotton crop output for the 2018-19 season and estimated at 330 lakh bales. Crop estimate for Telangana has been reduced by 2.50 lakh bales, Andhra Pradesh by 50,000 bales and Karnataka by two lakh bales. The main reason for the lower crop is that in the Southern zone farmers have uprooted their cotton plants due to moisture deficiency as a result of which there is no scope for third and fourth pickings.

Total cotton supply till the end of the cotton season, up to September 30, 2019, has been estimated at 380 lakh bales. Domestic consumption is estimated at 316 lakh bales. Exports for the season 2018-19 are estimated at 50 lakh bales. Last year the export estimate was 69 lakh bales. The carryover stock at the end of the 2018-19 season is estimated at 14 lakh bales.

Cotton consumption from October 2018 to January 2019 has been estimated at 105.34 lakh bales while the export shipment of cotton up to January 31, 2019, has been estimated at 24 lakh bales. Stock at the end of January 2019 is estimated at 69.46 lakh bales including 39 lakh bales with textile mills and the remaining 30.46 lakh bales with MNCs, traders, ginners etc.

Bangladesh’s garment exports to Japan in the first seven months of the fiscal year grew by 46.56 per cent. The country’s overall export earnings from Japan in the period grew by 33.04 per cent. Japan’s economy has revived which resulted in a growing demand for Bangladesh-made apparels.

Bangladesh’s garment exports to China in the first seven months of the fiscal year grew by 49.65 per cent. Demand for apparel has increased in China as the country has been shifting its manufacturing to the high-tech industry against the backdrop of rising labor costs.

Garment exports to India in the same period grew by 129.05 per cent. The US is the largest export destination for Bangladesh. Earnings from exports of readymade garments to the US grew by 17.22 per cent. Bangladesh’s overall export earnings from the US in the seven month period grew by 17.45 per cent.

Bangladesh’s export earnings from Germany grew by 8.95 per cent. The country’s garment exports to the market in the period increased by 9.61 per cent. However, export earnings from the United Kingdom in the seven month period showed a minimal 2.95 per cent growth. And similarly Bangladesh’s garment exports to the UK in the period increased by just 1.25 per cent.

Lineapelle New York was held January 30 and 31, 2019. The show confirmed its significant role, offered innovative solutions and warmed up an economic situation that remains lackluster and complex. More than 130 exhibitors (101 tanneries, 13 manufacturers of accessories and components, 18 specialists in fabrics and synthetics) presented previews of their 2020 summer collections.

The event was saw a good turnout and a high quality of contacts. US buyers are on the lookout for materials, accessories and components that enable them to characterise the top of their lines in a winning way, thus attempting to chase away the shadows of the economic situation weighing on the US market.

Export of finished leather to Washington decreased by nine per cent on an annual basis in October. The bearish trend is generalised, with the exception of bovine crust leathers (growing) and also involves sheep and goats. There is also a mixed picture for accessories and components, a sector that in October saw the volumes exported to Washington increase by one per cent, alongside, however, a three per cent decrease in value. Soles and bottoms for footwear are suffering in particular. The value of small metal parts is growing (but quantities are dropping), while the market situation for fabrics, synthetics and leather substitutes is lackluster.

London Expo will be held from May 29 and 30, 2019. This is a textile, garment and accessory trade fair. Various textile and garment enterprises in Asia and Europe and international retailers will participate. London Expo 2019 is a specialised event for the garment industry and provides exhibitors with a unique platform to showcase their business to a global market. Buyers can have a convenient access to premium manufacturers all in one place. This is the second edition.

Rising fashion talent will showcase fresh collections. The event will showcase the best of London’s young designers alongside a sterling combination of appearances by respected exhibitors. The two-day exhibition will create a timely platform for buyers and entrepreneurs, where they can become familiar with new technologies and services. Consumers, entrepreneurs, importers and suppliers can meet and interact with each other.

At last year’s expo garment industry traders took part for the first time. Eight companies from Bangladesh, the UK and Europe participated. This expo is expected to be similarly successful.

"In a world of accelerating demand for apparel, consumers want -- and can also afford -- new clothes after wearing garments only a few times. Entire business models are built on the premise of fast fashion, providing clothes cheaply and quickly through shorter fashion cycles. However, this linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes has several economic, social and environmental implications. Some of these include. The economic loss from fashion waste is tremendous. The annual value of clothes discarded prematurely is over $400 billion globally."

In a world of accelerating demand for apparel, consumers want -- and can also afford -- new clothes after wearing garments only a few times. Entire business models are built on the premise of fast fashion, providing clothes cheaply and quickly through shorter fashion cycles. However, this linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes has several economic, social and environmental implications. Some of these include:

Economic and environmental impact of fast fashion

The economic loss from fashion waste is tremendous. The annual value of clothes discarded prematurely is over $400 billion globally. North Texas is literally burying tens of millions of dollars in recoverable materials each year, according to the annual Texas Campaign for the Environment State of Recycling report.

Early research also shows the economic benefits of slowing fast fashion down. A report showed that addressing environmental and social problems created by the fashion industry would provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030. Several North Texas cities like Aubrey, Little Elm, Corinth, The Colony, Lancaster, Bedford, Haltom City, Richland Hills and, Plano have adopted curbside collection for textiles. Higher quality textiles are resold, while lower quality materials may be used as rags in auto shops or mining operations.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency emissions calculator, making a pair of Levi’s jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles. And it takes 2,700 liters of water to make just one cotton shirt, enough to meet the average person's drinking needs for two-and-a-half years.

Fast fashion causes social issues

Clothing production has also created a number of social challenges. A 2018 US Department of Labor report found evidence of forced and child labor in many countries of the world.

Rapid consumption of apparel and the need to deliver short fashion cycles stresses production resources, often resulting in supply chains that put profits ahead of human welfare.

A growing number of policies and regulations around the world require emissions cuts and reduced resource use, such as the EU Waste Framework Directive. Businesses won't be able to out-innovate the problem of growing consumption based on using more materials to meet increasing customer demands. Companies that want to compete in tomorrow's markets will need to decouple their business growth from resource use in order to stay profitable.

Recycling emerges as a viable option

The early signs of an industry in transition are visible. Business models based on longevity, such as Rent the Runway and Gwynnie Bee, are supporting reuse instead of rapid consumption. The Nordstrom Men's store in New York houses a Levi's Tailor Shop, where men can have their damaged jeans repaired and customized instead of thrown to the curb.

There are options for consumers to lease clothes rather than buy and stash them in their closets. Ideally, an end-of-ownership model for apparel will be implemented in a way that considers impacts on jobs, communities and the environment.

To meet the growing demand for clothes, companies will need to design, test and invest in business models that reuse clothes and maximise their useful life. If sustainable apparel is done right, companies can reap rich environmental, economic and social rewards, all while providing their customers better experiences. Consumers, on the other hand, need to seriously consider the volume of apparel they consume and its impacts.

Arvind reported net sales of Rs 1706.87 crores for the December quarter as compared to Rs 1815.11 crores during the September quarter. Net profit was Rs 40.43 crores as against Rs 61.48 crores for the September quarter.

During the year, net sales were Rs 1706.87 crores as compared to Rs 1704.67 crores last year. Net profit was Rs 40.43 crores for the year as against Rs 79.08 crores last year.

Net sales for the nine month period were Rs 5346.89 crores as compared to Rs 5004.68 crores during the nine month period last year. Net profit for the nine month period was Rs 161.70 crores as against a net profit of Rs 200.34 crores for the nine month period last year. EPS for the nine month period was Rs 6.27 as compared to EPS of Rs 7.74 for the nine month period last year.

Arvind is in the process of ramping up textile production across its manufacturing units as it plans to double textile business in the next five years.

Grasim, reported a Q3 net sales of Rs 18591.13 crores as compared to Rs 17098.77 crores during the September quarter. Net profit was Rs 1144.44 crores during the December quarter 31, 2018 as against a net loss of Rs 1299.86 crores during the September quarter. A part of Aditya Birla, Grasim is the world’s fourth largest pulp producer,

Net sales for the year were Rs 18591.13 crores as compared to net sales of Rs 15343.93 crores last year. Net profit for the year was Rs 1144.44 crores as against a net profit of Rs 786.87 crores last year. EPS for the year was Rs 14.57 as compared to EPS of Rs 8.25 last year.

Net sales for the nine month period were Rs 52652.77 crores as compared to net sales of Rs 40331.74 crores during the nine month period last year. Net profit for the nine month period was Rs 1244.09 crores as against Rs 2834 crores for the nine month period last year. EPS for the nine month period was Rs 9.55 as compared to EPS of Rs.33.22 for the nine month period last year.

Virender Uppal is the new chairman of the Apparel, Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC). He takesover from A Sakthivel, Chairman of Poppy’s Exports, Tirupur. Uppal a veteran in the apparel sector, has twice been the chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council. He has also provided leadership support to the Apparel Exporters and Manufacturers Association, New Delhi, for over four decades and has been on AMHSSC’s board of directors since its inception. He is also familiar with the skill ecosystem of the country.

Known for his resilient dynamism, far-sightedness and all-encompassing vision, Uppal has been instrumental in providing impetus to garment exports from the country and has therefore been hailed as a natural leader.

AMHSSC was launched with the primary mandate of enhancing and building capacity in skill development. It designs training programs, based on the industry demands of different segments, and ensures all successful trainees are certified through an accredited assessment agency.

It assesses the proficiencies of trainees for the apparel sector, made-ups and home furnishing areas. The assessment is defined as a structured process in which evidence of performance is gathered and evaluated. A person’s competence is gauged through a range of methods--tests, observations, interviews, assignments and professional discussion etc.