Adidas net profit increased 17 per cent in the first quarter. First quarter sales rose by a currency-adjusted four per cent. Operating margin rose 1.4 percentage points to 14.9 per cent. Profitability was helped by lower sourcing and marketing costs, favorable currency developments as well as selling more higher priced products and the expansion of online, with e-commerce sales up 40 per cent in the quarter. While sales in Europe fell three per cent in the quarter, they grew 16 per cent in China.

However, Adidas expects supply chain issues to curb sales growth in the first half of the year, particularly in North America, where it has doubled its business in the last three years. It expects sales growth of just three per cent or four per cent in the first half of the year, speeding up in the second half as it ramps up supplies by reallocating factory capacity and prioritizing the US market.

Adidas has benefited from the continued success of athleisure, which has remained a major force shaping clothing today. It’s technically a sports brand and not a fashion brand. But that hardly matters when sports and style have become inseparable and street wear is blending with high fashion.

"Once touted as the ‘knitwear capital of India, Tirupur, is currently mired by labor issues. Underemployment and rising costs of living, coupled with the continuing impact of policy measures such as the Goods and Services Tax, especially on small-scale manufacturers, is stagnating growth in the city with the shortage of workers leaving medium and larger garment manufacturers dependent on migrant labourers."

Once touted as the ‘knitwear capital of India, Tirupur, is currently mired by labor issues. Underemployment and rising costs of living, coupled with the continuing impact of policy measures such as the Goods and Services Tax, especially on small-scale manufacturers, is stagnating growth in the city with the shortage of workers leaving medium and larger garment manufacturers dependent on migrant labourers.

Contrary views impact development

Stakeholders rue the fact that there isn’t enough work in the once vibrant textile industry of the city. With declining demand, Kavya Garments owner Dhandapani recently sacked nearly half his tailors. However, a few tailors knock on his doors almost every day looking for work, a sight that is common at job work units across the city.

However, garment units in the city hold a contrary view. As TR Vijaya Kumar, Managing Director, CBC, notes, there is an acute shortage of workers in the city for jobs like stitching, cutting, checking quality and ironing. This leaves medium and larger garment manufacturers dependent on people migrating from other states in search of better opportunities. Tirupur can currently accommodate two lakh labourers who can be trained however lack of awareness prevents this form happening.

Kumar claims that every export house in Tirupur is facing around 30 per cent shortfall in labor. This shortage is among the reasons that several garment companies in the region have shifted their units from Tirupur to other cities, states and even countries, according to him.

Refuting this allegation, members of Tirupur’s blue-collar workforce, especially those in job work units, argue that fluctuating raw material prices and increasing competition from migrant laborers, finding stable work has become difficult for them. The local workforce also blames migrant workers, who charge less than the locals, for the loss for their jobs. who agree to work for less money.

Other issues impacting hiring

As a labour contractor states, the current labor shortage is also a result of companies not willing to increase salaries commensurate with worker’s demands after the implementation of GST in 2017. Before GST, the companies would pay them a salary of around Rs 300 per shift. Tailors would get around Rs 350 per shift. But now, with companies facing GST and other problems due to bank procedures, they are not able to give this kind of salary anymore. This has affected around 25,000 small-scale companies.

Some export houses hold demonetisation responsible jobs losses in the city. They say, GST has made employment difficult as the duty drawback scheme has been eliminated, increasing the costs of the manufactures. Companies expect the new government to perform better by granting them some sops and incentives that would enable them to hire new people.

And as DK Pant, Chief Economist, India Ratings points out even if some companies increase their access to the domestic market, their profit margins would be impacted, resulting in further slower hiring. Moreover, factors like Tirupur’s own economic development coupled with an increase in rental, food and transport costs, would result in demand for higher wages, further impacting employment. The unavailability of good quality labor gives rise to a struggle between manufacturers and laborers which each holding the other responsible for the current plight in the industry.

With weather becoming warm, it's time to bring out dresses again. A midi is a great choice for spring and summer as it is more airy and provides extra mobility.  Its free flowing fabric exudes comfort and is perfect for transitional seasons. 

Polka dots

According to All Women’s Talk, polka dots add a different dynamic to the outfit. It shows boldness, which is perfect for the current season. The white socks and shoes in the above picture as well as the clear handbag make sure that the polka dot pattern is the focal point, keeping the other elements low-key. 

High-waist Easter dress

An Easter midi dress is perfect for a girly look. It accentuates your curves. Its high waist and flared sleeves also add some edge to the outfit. Easter dresses are the ideal fashion choice for a leisurely stroll on a sunny day.

Vertical print

Vertical prints doesn't just add personality to an outfit, they also make you appear taller. Another key element that makes this outfit more appealing is a pair of suede sock-boots. The contrasting textures also adds another layer of sophistication.

Pastel colours

This lovely combination makes good use of color blocking as two striking colors are paired to create a startling effect. This vast collection of midi dresses provides ideas on how to pull off colour blocking. Mixing and matching bright hues such as yellow/blue and orange/purple will go well with the vibrancy of the summer months.

Bright and layered pieces

This outfit is a great example of layering and choosing the right material. The mustard yellow tunic gives a touch of the exotic to the outfit. The tassel earrings are also a nice addition as they compliment the tunic’s tassel lace. Art and Object highlights how tassels have a deep spiritual meaning, as they are linked to enlightenment and power. But more than that, they create a unique style. The orange-yellow mix is also perfect for the spring/summer vibe. 

Prints and street

This midi dress has unique prints and a well-designed slit. It divides the block of prints and makes them more eye-pleasing. The white sneakers add a casual touch to the entire look.

The athleisure boom in the US now encompasses sneakers and tops and even fashion brands. For years, many people associated the term athleisure with Lululemon and yoga pants, and believed the entire trend would be short-lived. Neither is the case anymore. Americans are obsessed with wearing athletic gear as all-day fashion. People are buying athletically-inspired products with no intention of actually doing sports in them. This is a fundamental shift for the industry, and it’s allowing brands that do not have a sports heritage to come in and take some share.

The trend of wearing athletic sneakers all day means that buyers no longer look only to sports brands when they want to buy sneakers. Madden, Sperry, Ecco, and Gucci, for instance, are all growing rapidly in the athletic shoe space. For the first 40 or 50 years of the modern sneaker marketplace, at least one performance category was in fashion. In the ’70s it was tennis. The ’80s was the basketball decade. But for nearly four years now, no performance sneaker category (shoes made to be worn for playing sports) has seen positive growth in America. That’s unprecedented. Performance basketball sneakers, in particular, have got crushed by athleisure. That category was down 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2019.

PVH Corp has entered into a licensing agreement with Nike for the design, sourcing, marketing and worldwide distribution of Nike-branded men’s underwear. This is an opportunity for the two companies to build on each other’s strengths, making it a win-win for everyone, especially consumers.

Nike men’s underwear will join PVH Corp’s The Underwear Group, a portfolio of brands that already includes Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Olga, Warner’s and True & Co. In addition PVH owns the Van Heusen, Speedo and Izod brands. Nike branded men’s underwear will be produced by PVH’s Center of Excellence for Underwear, an innovative platform meant to drive efficiencies across the company’s supply chain by sharing best practices and leveraging core competencies in key product areas. PVH shares complementary commitments to quality standards and corporate responsibility with Nike.

For the fourth quarter PVH Corp’s revenues dipped one per cent. Earnings before interest and taxes for the quarter increased to $134 million from $58 million in the prior year period. PVH Corp earned nearly $9.7 billion in revenue in 2018. Nike’s revenues for the third quarter were up 12 per cent, driven by growth across wholesale and Nike Direct categories, including sportswear and Jordan, and continued double-digit growth across footwear and apparel.

Organic cotton denim brand Nudie Jeans has a program that repairs unwanted jeans and sells them through Nudie’s website and repair shops around the world. Nudie, based in Sweden, incentivizes customers to bring in their used jeans in exchange for a 20 per cent discount on a new pair of jeans. The garments are then repaired by hand in Nudie’s repair shop and washed and ready to wear. Each re-used jean is labeled with the Swedish Good Environmental Choice eco mark. The new collection offers many of the brand’s best-selling fits, including the Steady Eddie, Grim Tim and Lean Dean.

The program, which is in its third year, underscores the brand’s mission to encourage consumers to care for and repair the jeans they own. Each pair of Nudie Jeans comes with a lifetime of free repairs. In 2018, Nudie repaired 55,173 pairs of jeans and collected more than 10,000 pairs of jeans for the re-use program.

The brand has begun to use fabric from old Nudie jeans to make new products like bucket hats. The company also began to sell its old stock through an online agency that resells dead stock, allowing other denim brands and designers to repurpose the fabric.

New York Denim Days will be held from June 8 to 9, 2019. This festival puts consumers, brands and the denim supply chain under one roof. It will feature a diverse mix of activations, brands and collaborations, including a children’s runway show. Spearheaded by true denim insiders, the event connects denim professionals, designers and brands to denim consumers. It acts as a spotlight on the global denim scene.

For the second year, Lenzing is the event’s title sponsor. Last year, the fiber company created a Tencel forest in the entry to showcase how its Tencel fibers are derived from sustainably harvested trees. This year there will be an interactive display. Together with its brand partners 3×1, Athleta, Garbage by Marta Goldschmied and Triarchy, Lenzing will build the World of Tencel Denim with styles to suit every consumer lifestyle.

With its mix of denim-heads, the best brands and retailers and the most forward fashion, New York is the perfect home for Denim Days. Denim lovers from across the spectrum - fashionistas searching for the perfect pair of jeans, fade junkies looking to compare notes on raw denim, purists on the hunt for handmade indigo items, and designers shopping for Americana inspiration - will find the largest selection of indigo available at one event.

Lectra held a fashion event in France on April 10 and11, 2019. More than 75 industry insiders and market experts from 14 countries convened for two days to examine how the digital age is bringing about major shifts in consumer behavior. The keynotes, live demonstrations, and customer testimonials highlighted the importance of process digitization and data analysis for meeting new consumer needs.

Beyond understanding the new fashion consumer, the event stressed on the importance of leveraging data to deliver customer-centric services and products. Attendees were treated to a live demo of Fashion On Demand by Lectra, the industry’s first end-to-end personalization solution. They saw how a data-driven, automated on-demand production process from order reception to final cutting stages could deliver garments customized according to consumers’ specific demands. With Fashion On Demand by Lectra companies can increase production output, achieve the perfect fit, reduce cost of consumables, save time on preparing orders and minimize human errors.

For companies that breathe life into wardrobes, car interiors, furniture and more, Lectra crafts premium technologies that facilitate the digital transformation of their industry. Lectra’s offer empowers brands manufacturers and retailers, from design to production. Founded in 1973, Lectra has 32 subsidiaries across the globe, serving customers in over 100 countries.

Apparel exports from India are expected to make a recovery in the current fiscal year. The declining trend witnessed in the last two years may be reversed. So far there were intense competitive pressures from nations having a cost advantage over India. This constrained the overall momentum of the apparel export sector in India. But now changes are taking place in the global market. Both Bangladesh and Vietnam are now seeing some sort of slowdown. Apart from price differential, buyers are now also looking at various other factors including compliance, diversity and stability. Considering all these factors, India is gradually gaining an edge over them.

The domestic apparel market is expected to continue its growth trajectory. Having grown at a CAGR of 13.8 per cent from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2018, the domestic market is likely to grow at a CAGR of around 12 per cent in the coming years, driven by the growth in the economy leading to a rise in disposable income as also other favorable macro-economic factors.

Presence in the niche and value-added product segments, together with access to an established client base, has helped export-based companies to maintain revenue growth. Favorable currency movements and a healthy growth in revenues have facilitated an improvement in margins.

India’s cotton imports are likely to rise by 80 per cent this crop year. The major reason is unavailability of the fiber with farmers and stockists. India is the top global producer of cotton. Even so, textile mills are importing raw cotton this year, due to short supply of quality material. Drought in major growing states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh has resulted in lower output this year. Over and above, the quality of late picked crop is poor due to the paucity of moisture in the field. This poor quality cotton cannot be used by spinning mills. Farmers uprooted their cotton plants in 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the sown area due to scarcity of water, ahead of the crucial third and fourth pickings. The quality started deteriorating since the second round of picking in early February.

Rising prices of Indian cotton have made exports uncompetitive. India’s exports are estimated to decline to 4.7 million bales in 2018-19 from 6.9 million last year. Though India has a smaller crop size this year, the supply position is very comfortable with a big ending stock of four million bales for the next season. Thanks to a big opening stock, smaller exports and large imports, the production deficit is well covered.