Black Design Collective has partnered with TUKAweb.

The aim is to bring fashion tech and education to underserved designers in the US apparel industry and provide an exclusive platform offering affordable online training, fashion design, presentation, and production software to members of the BDC community. Both Black Design Collective and TUKAweb are based in the US.

BDC promotes scholarship, mentorship, and entrepreneurship within emerging generations of black fashion design talent. Through this work, BDC aims at ultimately fostering an independent and self-sustaining black fashion community.

TUKAweb, a fashion technology company, develops software and machinery for apparel product development and garment manufacturing.As part of this alliance, TUKAweb will support the amplification of BDC’s mission by providing professional software, manufacturing equipment, and training resources to chapters of BDC.

The core initiative of the alliance between TUKAweb and BDC is to establish a culture of professional education and training.The programs created through this alliance will consist of the use of both software and hardware technologies. Participants will be taught the complete cycle of the garment making processes from concept to consumer, including but not limited to 3D design, virtual models, pattern design, grading, marker making, plotting, digitizing, and laser cutting.

Fashion circularity is no longer a concept celebrated in industry forums and seminars but a living lifestyle choice as rentals are growing phenomenally. Owning a fashion piece is no longer in, it’s all about usability. Rented wardrobes may soon become the norm as consumers are expressing their preference to used pre-loved items than buy new ones.

Making fashion statements with rentals

As per Tracxn, a growing rental market, India currently has over 40 reputable high-fashion rental startups online. The high and mighty Harrods has partnered with MY Wardrobe HQ, offering a $10,000 bespoke outfit for rent of $134 a day. The idea of hand-me-downs being second best is over. Increasingly, circular retail products will be seen as better than new.

Levi’s, the all American jeans now offers to take back its used jeans, repair and resell at a lower price. Fast fashion brand H&M has an online portal where it communicates extending the life of clothing through their Re-Wear scheme. IKEA’s BuyBack scheme offers IKEA credit to those who return used furniture that is repaired or touched up for reselling. British home store brand John Lewis has partnered with Fat Llama and offers a 500-line rental furniture targeting Airbnb.

Apple began offering discounts with trade-ins in 2013. Apple then refurbishes these trade-in-devices and resells them into emerging markets such as India, Latin American and Africa. This has helped Apple capture consumers in emerging markets successfully.

According the Grand View Research, traditional renting is expected to register a CAGR of more than 8.7 per cent during the forecast period of 2022 to 2023. Traditional clothes are worn during festivals, at rare and special occasions thus, are used very less. Hence, consumers prefer renting them instead of purchasing them. The global online clothing rental market was worth $1.12 billion in 2021. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.7 per cent from 2022 to 2030. Online rental market set to grow The online clothing rental market is expected to expand due to increasing online retail. It is the primary driving factor for this growth. Moreover, technological advancements, internet penetration, and the increasing popularity of online shopping portals during the last few years are the factors driving the market. Furthermore, the rise in popularity of fashion vlogs, the film industry, and the TV industry is expected to fuel market growth. These industries require clothes for a short duration and thus, they prefer renting them instead of buying them.

Soaring demand for luxury designer dresses, as well as continuous shifts in consumer fashion sense, are the factors predicted to fuel the rise of the online garment rental sector. In addition, consumers’ increased spending on fashionable pursuits as their disposable income rises, coupled with the rapid growth in the number of fashion brands, is a major element driving the market.

Manufacturers' increased attention to children's segments is expected to provide profitable market opportunities in the coming years. Kids have become more style- and brand-conscious as a result of their parents' changing lifestyles, which is likely to boost the growth of the online clothing rental space. However, the industry is significantly fragmented in nature due to the presence of several unorganized manufacturers selling low-cost, non-branded goods, which can act as a restraint and hamper market growth.

According to a report published by the Royal Geographical Society with IBG in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, consumer spending on apparels was reduced by more than 50 per cent in major markets including the US, UK, and Germany. This is a clear indication that developed economies are leading the rental movement by using pre-loved clothing rather than buying new ones. Fashion circularity is now gearing to replace wasteful fast fashion.

Contemporary designer women’swear trade show Scoop will be held in the UK, January 29 to 31, 2023.

This is a lingerie, swimwear, nightwear, and loungewear show. There will be truly inspirational talent on showcase and innovative designers who are looking at new technologies and processes to produce beautiful fashion. Scoop is renowned internationally for its exclusive presentation and expertly curated edit of fashion designers and labels from the UK and the rest of the world, many of whom select the show as their launch pad.

Recognised by designers, fashion buyers and industry experts as the UK’s leading fashion trade show, Scoop is an exclusive edit of sought-after fashion collections and emerging international designers, many of whom select Scoop as their only trade platform.

Polo Ralph Lauren will showcase anintimates and lifestyle wear range which is backed by sustainable fabrics and innovation. Responsibly sourced, luxurious fabrics and beautiful details will incorporate organic cotton, recycled cotton, and recycled polyester.French lingerie and swimwear brand Huit will present playful colours with each set featuring exquisite details including lace trims, beautiful embroidery or delicate prints.The swimwear collection will introduce timeless shapes and feminine cuts to showcase the female form. Eberjey will present a sensual yet comfortable collection of lingerie and sleepwear designed to promote confidence.

Curbs on imports along with skyrocketing energy prices have devastated Pakistan’s textile sector.

The textile sector is the country’s main export industry. Some 150 spinning and weaving textile mills have been forced to close down their business in the last five months due to the staggering cost of doing business. This has resulted in the unemployment of at least two million people.

The production cost of the industry has soared by 100 per cent. Due to gas unavailability to industries along with the ban on letters of credit for imports, the textile industry faces a shortage of raw materials. Large-scale manufacturing (LSM) registered a decline of 7.75 percent year on year in October 2022, with the textile, machinery and equipment, and automobile sectors shrinking. Compared to August 2022, the LSM posted an annual increase of 0.1 percent in September 2022. That represented a significant improvement over July 2022, when the LSM dropped by 1.4 percent annually.LSM dipped by 3.62per cent in October 2022 over the preceding month.Moreover, in the July to October period, LSM shrank 2.89per cent compared to the first four months of the previous fiscal year.In the previous fiscal year, large-scale manufacturing grew 11.7per cent year on year.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help Egypt in developing a technical and specialized textile supply chain. International Finance Corporation is a finance arm of the World Bank.

Technical textiles, manufactured using natural and manmade fibers, are engineered products with a specific functionality in the agricultural, medical, construction or clothing sectors, among others.The agreement would contribute to creating more export opportunities for Egypt to supply emerging and global markets and aims at attracting $50 million in new investments into the Egyptian market by 2026 by supporting local companies’ ability to fulfill the increasing demand for technical textiles.

IFC will work on increasing the production capacities of local factories to turn Egypt into a link in the supply chain for Arab and other markets.IFC will extend training and consultations to factories as well as the required studies and technical assistance with the objective of merging Egypt into the global supply chains.

Egypt’s total exports increased by 48 per cent in 2021. This was helped by a rise in exports of fuelsfollowed by exports of raw cotton. Egypt’s exports of made-up garments also saw a notable increase. Packaged clothing exports were on the list of the most important Egyptian exports of finished goods and these increased by about 45 per cent.

Cambodia is encouraging investment in textile and textile related factories. This includes garment factories, knitted and non-knitted apparel factories, footwear factories, or umbrella, raincoat, handbag, glove and towel factories.

These projects will be governed by favorable investment laws, have access to a broad range of export markets, preferential tariff treatment from major countries, abundant labour supply, and availability of raw materials for export-oriented production.

Cambodia hopes overall investment inflows will grow as global geopolitical and economic storms pass and if trade rows among influential countries were to be resolved. Cambodia is gradually emerging as a significant manufacturer of general components that are supplied to renowned factories across the world and has been able to draw in plenty of fresh investments even though the global economy has yet to return to strong growth post-Covid.

Cambodia’s apparel exports in the first ten months of 2022 rose by 18 percent. Exports of apparel and clothing accessories (knitted) earnings surged 16 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.The US is Cambodia’s largest export market, accounting for over 40 percent of Cambodia’s total exports. Apparel, footwear, and travel goods make up most of US imports from Cambodia and employ over one million Cambodians, mostly women.

The market for denim fabrics is growing at four percent a year.

The United States will be the largest market, with India likely to experience the most growth, followed by China and Latin America.The market was 3,299.36 million meters in 2016. It reached 3,576.68 million meters in 2018, 3,429.93 million meters in 2019, 3,737.21 million meters in 2020, and 4,105.64 million meters in 2021.Despite being smaller than China, Latin America, and the United States, India’s market is expected to grow at the fastest rate between 2018 and 2023. India’s market is supposed to arrive at 419.26 million meters in 2023 from 228.39 million meters in 2016. It has the potential to reach 382.49 million meters this year.

The size of the market was predicted to be 349.51 million meters in 2021 and 319.99 million meters in 2020.The US will stay the biggest market on the planet, yet its normal development will be below the worldwide normal. It could increase by two per cent between 2018 and 2023, reaching 876.76 million meters by the end of 2023.China and Latin America may experience average growth rates of 7.31 per cent and 7.34 per cent. From 354.56 million meters in 2016, Latin America’s market will reach 573.24 million meters in 2023.From 305.84 million meters in 2016, China may reach 495.51 million meters in 2023.

Victoria’s Secret has removed cashmere from its product line. Previously, Victoria’s Secret decided to stop using Angora rabbit fur and alpaca fleece from its apparel lines.

The brand joins dozens of other companies that have banned cashmere.China and Mongolia are responsible for 90 per cent of the world’s cashmere but the goats in cashmere farms are subject to unethical treatment. Terrified goats are pinned to the ground while workers ripout their hair with sharp metal combs so violently that the animals scream in pain and sustain bloody cuts.

The negative environmental impact of cashmere production is greater than that of any other animal-derived material. Some companies that have moved away from cashmere but want to provide customers a more ethical alternative are using what’s called vegetable cashmere. This is a vegan fabric made from leftover soybean pulp from tofu production. It's biodegradable and pills less than animal-fiber cashmere. Some designers have incorporated a regenerated cashmere made from post-factory cashmere, similarly to how apparel brands have created ways to recycle their own apparel to minimize waste while keeping products affordable. Some have reduced their environmental impact as it pertains to cashmere by 92 per cent by switching to the recycled Re.Verso fabric.

American jeans brand for women Daily Blue was first launched nearly 50 years ago. The jeans were made of quality denim and well-constructed.

Now it’s being relaunched using Japanese fabrics, eco-friendly washes and treatments and simple but sophisticated looks that can sit in someone’s closet for years.

The ’70s-inspired luxury denim women’s collection right now consists of 18 to 20 pieces including blue jeans, shirts, jackets, vests and overalls. The washes and treatments, unlike the highly distressed looks of the past, are toned down with the slightest hint of whiskering done with an eco-friendly laser processing.

The blue jeans silhouettes in the new Daily Blue label will range from baggy and flared to wide-bodied and straight-leg.When the brand was first created, it concentrated on the look. This time, the aim is to have a great look that also incorporates sustainable elements and premium fabrics that are more eco-friendly.

The first time Daily Blue was launched designers didn’t have that sense of what they were doing and used products indiscriminately to make a jean look nice. So it would be bleach or even a toxic acid, and nobody was caring. But then decades later the alarm bells went off.

Japanese garment companies are shifting their manufacturing and procurement bases from China.

The main reason is rising costs. Major apparel companies, such as Adastria, Aoyama Trading and suppliers of Uniqlo, are moving some of their production bases from China to RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) member countries in southeast Asia such as Cambodia and Vietnam to take advantage of exemptions from textile import tariffs.

The average monthly salary of a factory worker in China is almost double that of an average worker in Cambodia.Other factors such as the depreciating yen are some of the other reasons behind the decision of the Japanese garment manufacturers to move out.

The RCEP that came into effect in January has given several companies a new lifeline. Adastria, operating retail stores under 26 brands, for example, has already increased production in Cambodia and Vietnam this year. Moreover the company also plans to expand production areas to include Indonesia, Bangladesh, and other countries, and increase production in southeast Asia to 50 percent by 2026. Out of Adastria’s total clothing imports into Japan, the number of items produced in China fell to 59 percent in 2021, down from 81 percent a decade earlier.