Textile and garment businesses in Vietnam are facing pressure. Purchasing power has been weakened by mounting inflation and other global uncertainties.

The country’s textile and garment exports to the US, Europe, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China fell by nearly 27 per cent in September 2022. The number of orders placed for the fourth quarter of 2022 fell by almost 50 per cent from the second quarter, when orders increased strongly. Unsold inventory in import markets is high at present.Many companies have received orders to be delivered in the first quarter of 2023, but the order number is still much below their capacity.

Enterprises whose buyers are mainly in the US and Europe have been hit harder compared to those exporting to Japan and Korea. Aside from inflation, fluctuations in material prices are also a problem.Enterprises are seeking ways to diversify material supply sources as well as export markets because when material sufficiency is ensured, they can boost shipments to many markets, thus helping guarantee production stability, supply chain, and sustainable exports.

Another challenge is foreign exchange rates. The euro has continually depreciated as a result of recession concerns due to Russia’s threat to reduce gas supplies for many European countries.

Joyspun is a new sleepwear and intimates brand from Walmart. Walmart introduced Joyspun in view of the holiday season when sleepwear and intimates are popular gifts.

The move coincides with a substantial shift in the intimates market in recent years toward inclusivity, body positivity and designs that prioritise comfort and confidence. The brand was established with in-house designers and one consistent point of view across the collection. It offers over 300 designs with Luxe materials that deliver real-lasting softness, retain their quality after wash, elevated design details including lace patterns and on-trend prints.

Joyspun is designed to fit customers of all shapes and sizes. Bras range in sizes from 34A to 46DDD and underwear ranges from XS to XXXL. Among the bra styles are wire-free, unlined mesh, bralettes and flexible cups and underwear styles like thong, cheeky, hipster and hi cut bikini, elevated design details, like feminine lace patterns, on trend colors and prints and lining details.

Joyspun features fresh silhouettes, buttery soft fabrics, and modern style without the premium price tag. Customers can discover over 300 styles of sleepwear, bras, panties, socks, hosiery and maternity. Online shoppers can visualise how the clothing will look on them and so sample Joyspun with even more confidence.

Portugal’s textile industry supplies to firms not just in Europe but also in the United States.

The industry has benefited from its flexibility and inexpensive labour along with a spirit of innovation focused on limiting damage to the environment.Portugal has the advantage of a workforce that remains competitive by offering quality products at reasonable prices.

Portugal’s textile sector has made a dramatic comeback.Shaken by competition from companies relocating to Asia for cheaper production costs, the sector lost between 2000 and 2015 nearly 1,00,000 jobs out of a total of 2,35,000 recorded at the start of the era.

Exports of textile products from Portugal, which find their largest markets in Spain and France, hit last year record sales, 16 percent higher than the previous year. This success owes not only to Portugal’s low production costs but also to the sector’s capacity to adapt to the market. Following the pandemic, which led to delays in deliveries, the industry prefers to use supply chains that are closer to home. Companies are finding solutions and partners to reconcile sustainable development with competitiveness. However, the sharp gas and electricity price increases caused by the war in Ukraine penalise a sector heavily dependent on energy.

For the second quarter VF Corporation’s revenue fell four per cent. Gross margin was 51 per cent, down 230 basis points. Adjusted gross margin was 51per cent, down 240 basis points. Operating margin was down 2,040 basis points. Adjusted operating margin was down 440 basis points. Earnings per share was down 126 per cent. Adjusted EPS was down 34 per cent.

VF’s balanced performance in the second quarter demonstrates the resiliency of its brand portfolio against a more disrupted global marketplace. The company is actively addressing the near-term challenges at Vans, the ongoing Covid-related disruption in China, and the broader macro-economic and geopolitical headwinds, which have created tremendous uncertainty for all businesses and consumers.

In the near term, in the light of the challenging environment, it is acting proactively to generate increased revenue through the balance of the year while protecting profitability by tightly controlling all non-strategic spend.VF has modified its business practices in certain locations, including the temporary closing of offices and retail stores, and is working with its suppliers to minimize disruption and is employing expedited freight strategically as needed.

Founded in 1899, VF Corporation is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies connecting people to the lifestyles, activities and experiences they cherish most through a family of iconic outdoor, active and workwear brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies.

Denim Premiere Vision will be held in Italy, November 23 to 24, 2022.This year's edition will also mark the fifteenth anniversary of the event.

Nearly 70 international suppliers are scheduled to exhibit at the edition. More than 40 fabric suppliers and 15 manufacturers will be present, as well as accessory and supply specialists, yarn and fiber producers, and other service providers.The fair will feature a high number of non-European suppliers, around 40 in total, coming from Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as from China, Pakistan, Japan, India, Bangladesh and South Korea.European production will be represented by Italian, Spanish and French companies.

Denim Fashion District will showcase a dozen clothing and accessory brands presenting a preview of their spring/summer 2023 designs, created in partnership with the show's exhibitors. The two-day event will be accompanied by conferences and speeches. In addition to exhibitor pitches and panel discussions, professionals will have the chance to attend several seminars on the subject of denim trends for the spring/summer 2024 season. Among the activities proposed, an exhibition by Cotone Organico Sicilia will promote Sicilian cotton, while the WP Lavoris in Corso group will exhibit a selection of pieces from its archives.

International Sourcing Expo will be held in Australia, November 15 to 17, 2022.

The premise of the expo is sourcing from offshore.The event is aimed at helping businesses and industries reinvigorate their global sourcing activities and build sustainable alliances with production partners. The premise is to bring companies together for commerce, connection and education.

The expo is for anyone looking to improve or diversify their supply chain and product offering, compare production capability and costs, produce their own label or start a new sourcing business.Businesses can connect on an international scale and in a dynamic trade show environment rich with sourcing opportunities and potential production partners, as well as education and industry insights.

Thousands of apparel, textile and footwear industry leaders from Australia and the Asia Pacific will converge for the event. The event will be relevant more than ever before to businesses who seek to source and cooperate internationally.

There will be a significant Indian presence at the expo, including a large contingent represented by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), Apparel Export Promotion Council(AEPC), Handloom Export Promotion Council in apparel and textiles, and the Council for Leather Exports India in the co-located Footwear and Leather Show.India’s new Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement with Australia has worked in its favour as Indian textile exports to Australia are excluded from duties.

Italian spinner Marchi and Fildi has launched a new range of metalloplastic yarns. Gleaming Reflex is the innovative range of colored, reflective yarns for technical, safety and stretch uses.

In addition to uses in the worlds of fashion and furnishings, for fancy yarns, decoration and accessories, an important application for the Gleaming collection is in the sector of technical clothing with high-visibility features. The new range of reflective yarns is able to reflect light and ensure good visibility for people wearing them in low-light situations. The innovative reflective yarns in white, black, and light and dark multicolours offer new possibilities for tapes, external labels and accessories; technical fabrics for work clothing with specific safety standards; uniforms, sports clothing and accessories; hosiery, gloves, bibs and hats for night use, for winter clothing and for northern markets.

Gleaming yarns are available in various thicknesses, widths and types in both metallised and transparent versions. The Reflex stretch yarn also finds application in flat bed or circular knitting and sewing. Its particular composition makes it softer and more versatile in comparison to traditional reflectives.

Marchi and Fildi’s offer for the fashion world includes yarns for flat bed and circular knitting, weaving and hosiery. The distinctive element of the collection is represented by the focus on sustainability.

India is turning into an export hub especially of services. The export-to-GDP ratio has risen fast since the early 1990s and now stands broadly at par with China.

The large share of services in total exports however stands out: while India has performed very well in exporting IT services, exports of goods have lagged behind. The performance of services exports has been stellar. India’s share of world services trade more than quadrupled from 0.5 per cent in 1995 to 3.5 per cent in 2018. India has become a major exporter of business services, notably in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector.

Medical and wellness tourism is also performing well, with patients seeking high-quality medical treatment at competitive prices in some Indian hospitals.Exports of goods have displayed mixed results. India has gained market shares for some skill- and capital-intensive goods, including pharmaceuticals and refined oil.

However, performance in exporting textiles, leather and agricultural products has been disappointing. India’s trade prospects are bright as it has specialised in sectors which will likely be in high demand in the future (e.g. ICT services, pharmaceuticals and medical devices) and in fast growing destinations (with a large share of its exports to emerging market economies).

The European Unionwill review GSP Plus status for Pakistan in December 2023.

More conventions pertaining to labour and human rights will be added. The EU has appreciated the performance of Pakistan’s garment manufacturers but has underscored the need for product diversity and more value addition to exploit the full potential of market access given under the GSP Plus regime.

The EU is supporting Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises in economic growth, technical education, skill development and also advising Pakistan on technical and vocational education and skilling women in the workforce. The EU is opening new markets for Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises within the European bloc.

The EU is the biggest market for Pakistan’s goods and accounts for about one-third of all exports from the country.GSP Plus has increased EU-Pakistan trade, which increased by 78 per cent in 2021 as compared to the year earlier. So GSP Plus has been very beneficial for Pakistan’s economy. It provides duty-free access to the huge EU market for textile and apparel and also provides an incentive structure to undertake reforms in the industry and country.

Trade with EU is of critical importance to Pakistan’s economic and social stability as well as prosperity.

India’s major growth of textiles is expected to come from manmade fiber industry.

Once a stage is reached where the entire demand is fulfilled by domestic supply, raw material can be made available to lakhs of weavers involved in the polyester value chain, thereby leading to enhanced production of finished goods, enabling realization of the export targets.

Expansion of production capacity of key raw materials for manufacturing of polyester viz Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) and Monoethylene Glycol (MEG) is essential for increased production of the downstream industry. As of now additional capacities of PTA are being set up and lakhs of looms are also being installed by the downstream industry which is still fragmented.

During 2021-22 India’s exports of manmade fibers and manmade fiber blended textiles rose 46 per cent compared to the previous year. Exports of manmade fiber have grown 82 per cent, those of manmade fiber yarns 72 per cent, manmade fiber fabrics 30 per cent and manmade fiber made-ups 28 per cent. However, the share of the value-added segments like fabrics and made-ups in total exports has gone down from 63 per cent to 56 per cent.

In the current financial year exports have been slightly stressed in the first quarter. However, an encouraging turnaround was seen from August 2022 exports.