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Texfusion held in London on October 31 to November 1 Nearly 165 exhibitors participated in the trade fair. Exhibitors reported fewer footfalls as market concerns continue to take their toll. The show’s modest footfall did not significantly affect all exhibitors, however, with both returning and new to the show manufacturers pleased with the turnout. There were new exhibitors from Brazil and more from Asia, particularly mainland China and Hong Kong.
The mood at the show was flatter than in previous editions. However, the exhibition’s international reach has helped boost its momentum. Future editions may have a dedicated space for Chinese exhibitors. For some buyers the show was a great source of inspiration. Indy Custom Apparel was looking for different ideas and materials to use for new products it’s trying to launch and saw a lot of interesting people. Indy Custom was particularly interested in sourcing from Pakistan and India, which this show caters to. Hong Kong-based manufacturer Novetex attended the show for the first time in a bid to break into the UK market and felt it was busier than other textile shows in Paris and Istanbul. The trade show’s visitors included Shop Direct, Topshop, Tesco, Next and Ted Baker.
Mini textile parks are being planned in Tamil Nadu. For each park, the state will provide 50 per cent of the cost to create roads, a sewage treatment plant and a captive power plant or Rs 2.5 crores as subsidy. Ten entrepreneurs could form a cluster and set up a mini-textile park on 10 acres after registering a special purpose vehicle. The entrepreneurs should buy the land on their own and establish a minimum of ten work sheds in the park to get the subsidy.
The total investment on buildings and machineries should be more than two times the amount spent for creating such facilities. The textile parks are expected to help improve the standards of living of handloom and power loom weavers in each district. Entrepreneurs should open a bank account in a nationalised bank in the name of the park. The subsidy will be released in three installments and the entrepreneurs should produce all necessary documents at the time of release of each installment.
The Director of Handloom and Textiles will monitor the progress of the work regularly. Discussions with entrepreneurs have already been initiated. Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the country’s handloom textiles production and 50 per cent of exports.
Readymade garment exports from Pakistan in Q1 rose 15.97 per cent as compared to exports during the corresponding period last year. Exports of knitwear increased by 9.35 per cent; towels exports increased 0.9 per cent. Raw cotton exports from the country during the first quarter of the current financial year grew by 69.70 per cent.
Exports of cotton yarn were up 4.56 per cent. However, exports of cotton cloth decreased by 3.44 per cent. About 91,147 metric tons of bed wear were exported the in first quarter as compared to exports of 89,559 metric tons during the same period last year. In the first quarter of the current financial year, exports of yarn other then cotton yarn grew by 7.67 per cent.
Textile group exports from the country during the first quarter of current financial year witnessed a 7.91 per cent increase as compared to exports of the corresponding period last year.
The textile industry is the backbone of Pakistan's economy. It contributes more than 61 per cent share in the country's exports and is the largest foreign exchange earner and employment generator. The textile sector has been a major beneficiary of GSP Plus. Pakistan’s exports of textiles have increased by 55 per cent in value terms in 2016 over 2013.
Europeans want to invest in Bangladesh as they perceive the country to be a good option for ready-to-work labor force and a fast growing economy. Moreover workplace safety has improved after inspections by Accord and Alliance. However, investors face a lot of hurdles.
A foreign investor has to collect nearly 25 permissions from different agencies and departments for starting a business. Bangladesh is still languishing in the lower rungs of the World Bank’s ease of doing business. It comes in at 177 in the latest edition — only higher than Afghanistan in South Asia.
While foreign investors want a liberalised trade policy, the country still follows protectionism. There is no clear and long-term plan on power and energy. This is very important to investors for making an investment plan. Although garment shipments from Bangladesh to the EU are growing, Myanmar and Ethiopia are looking to become strong contenders for the country’s throne as the world’s second largest apparel supplier. They can be good places for garment sourcing in future as both countries have been giving incentives to attract foreign investment. Potential European investors are look for a platform in Bangladesh where they can discuss the challenges they face and seek remedy from the government such that their investment plans can go through.
India is developing standards for the technical textile sector. The market for technical textiles is expanding rapidly with new products being added in various industries. Thus it is imperative to formulate standards to accelerate the growth of the sector.
India has the capability, resource and market in the area of technical textiles and the need is to capitalise on these strengths. The market is expanding rapidly with new products being added by users in various industries. However the share of technical textiles in the domestic textile sector is very low.
Despite achieving a high growth rate, the per capita consumption of technical textiles in India is 1.7 per kg vis-a-vis 10 to 12 kg in developed countries. Technical textiles have immense potential and are considered to be the sunrise industry in India. The industry could grow with sufficient investments in technology. Development and industrialisation are the main drivers for the demand for technical textile products in a country.
Technical textiles provide new opportunities to the Indian textile industry to have a long term sustainable future. India can be positioned as a manufacturing hub for technical textiles. Demand for technical textiles is expected to stay steady during the period 2015 to 2020.
Chris Noble, the pioneering giant from Xaar, will present blending of Inkjet and Xaar technologies in the realm of 3D printing at the InPrint exhibition, Germany, November 14 to 16, 2017. The endeavor is to transform 3D printing from a prototype industry to volume production. Inkjet technology is ideally placed to deliver 3D printing’s transformation to volume manufacturing.
Digital inkjet, and specifically Xaar’s TF Technology and High Laydown Technology, is at the heart of the solution, delivering both a fast and a scalable 3D manufacturing process which is robust as well as economical.
3D printing as a manufacturing methodology encompasses a range of processes and applications. It is a highly attractive methodology, not just because it eliminates the need for tooling, but also because it provides superior geometric freedom, giving product designers much more capability, while substantially reducing product design and production lead time.
In addition, 3D printing enables customisation of products to individual consumers, decentralisation of manufacturing and reduction of storage space required for spare parts – not to mention the time, environmental and cost benefits delivered with these.
To date, 3D printing technologies have often been used to produce prototypes and one-offs. While for many businesses there is a definite value to be had in this, the opportunities with inkjet technology are now creating even greater excitement and buzz around 3D printing and its potential to deliver reliable, repeatable systems for high volume manufacturing.
Crates of fabrics valued at several crores of rupees are being returned at the borders of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as they do not have an e-way bill. The e-way bill was made compulsory for textile deliveries under the GST introduced in July. Approximately 30 per cent of saris and dress fabrics in India are supplied to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from other states.
GST has cast a shadow on textile trade. Traders were hopeful that the marriage season would improve their fortunes. But states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar do not allow goods without an e-way bill. Traders are losing business which is especially pressing during the wedding season when purchases of traditional wear are at their highest peak for the year. And there is confusion surrounding the matter. Though the rule was supposed to have been implemented only in 2018, local GST officials have been enforcing it strictly at the borders of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Under GST, transporters will need to carry an electronic waybill or e-way bill when moving goods from one place to another. A movement of goods of more than Rs 50,000 in value cannot be made by a registered person without an e-way bill.
Apart from strategic investors, JM Financial and Edelweiss are also understood to have shown interest in Alok Industries. The Ahmedabad bench of the NCLT had admitted Alok Industries for insolvency proceedings in July this year based on the petition by State Bank of India, which is trying to recover Rs 3,772 crores from the firm.
Alok Industries had a total debt of Rs 23,443 crores on its books as on March 2017. The company’s enterprise value stands at Rs 23,677 crores. As of September this year, the promoter shareholding in the firm stood at 28.82 per cent of which 20.75 per cent was held by Alok Knit Exports.
The company is listed on the BSE and the NSE. Shares of the company closed at Rs 4.41 on the BSE on Friday with market capitalisation of Rs 607.40 crores. The company created large capacities through debt funding to cater to global demand, but with the slowdown in international markets, it was hit badly.
"This September edition of Apparel Sourcing, Europe’s top show for global clothing and accessories and Shawls & Scarves – The Accessories Showcase that specialises in neck and shoulder accessories, recorded a 13.9 per cent increase in visitors compared to last year."
This September edition of Apparel Sourcing, Europe’s top show for global clothing and accessories and Shawls & Scarves – The Accessories Showcase that specialises in neck and shoulder accessories, recorded a 13.9 per cent increase in visitors compared to last year.
As Michael Scherpe, President, Messe Frankfurt France points out, “There are two main things to take away from this season’s show: improved standards of skills in clothing production and internationalisation.” He said feedback from production and collections showed clothing production methods are getting closer to reaching our standards. This was evident at the show. The exhibition organised by Ccipttex, ‘From Workshop to Shop’, showcasing 10 Chinese ready-to-wear brands, illustrated this perfectly.
Professionalism and quality
These are the hallmarks of this 13th session of the European trade fair for clothing and accessories held in September 2017. The ‘From Workshop to Shop’ exhibition, organised by Ccipttex had some 30 outfits from around 10 Chinese ready-to-wear brands arranged around a space, using virtual reality. These brands for women and men’s ready-to-wear are already established in China and abroad too.
Country showcase
With a good number of points of entry, since Apparel Sourcing had never hosted as many national pavilions: Sri Lanka, an alternative to India, had some specialist firms with branches abroad. Vietnam still rouses much curiosity as it offers an alternative and is very diversified, ranging as far as horn jewellery (Diep Duong). Pakistan and Bangladesh were popular on account of their huge production capacity. Nepal presented something of a surprise to many, in particular with fine finishing and design features of their cashmere products. Cambodia, the guest of honour, whose Minister for Trade, His Excellency Pan Sorasak, came to promote and encourage exports of clothing and textile products from his country. Two other opportunities for new discoveries with Myanmar, which is experiencing growing interest for sourcing, and Kyrgyzstan, which aims to assume a key role in clothing manufacture thanks to tax exemptions in Europe and the advantage of its geographical situation.
Striking highlights
The return of major Indian businesses with rich ranges of wraps, shawls and headscarves, was a driving force. Consistent, attractive offers for good design reinvigorated the show: the well-designed collection of shopping bags from the Indian FF, ‘kawaï’ (Japanese for cute) packaging from the Chinese hosiery firm Geochi, themed collections from shoes to umbrellas from WM from Shanghai, and, fabrics and products in alpaca from the Peruvian Incapalca, who, like the Nepalese at Apparel Sourcing, attracted luxury brands. Retailers and shop owners were also able to benefit from this offer for finished products.
Apparel Sourcing Paris also organised nine lectures about current topics in procurement for the clothing industry. These were: future of the clothing industry, new technologies, new skills, new countries for sourcing: the Kyrgyz Republic, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia and the responsibility of prime contractors were the topics discussed over the four days of the show.
"The 5th Avantex Paris show, held from September 18-21, 2017 at Le Bourget, Paris, attained its goal of uniting players from fashion and innovation under one platform that provides a wealth of information, shows foresight and brings about positive change in the industry. Fashion brands, retailers and designers attended Avantex going beyond the stage of simple curiosity."
The 5th Avantex Paris show, held from September 18-21, 2017 at Le Bourget, Paris, attained its goal of uniting players from fashion and innovation under one platform that provides a wealth of information, shows foresight and brings about positive change in the industry. Fashion brands, retailers and designers attended Avantex going beyond the stage of simple curiosity.
“Avantex Paris proved to be the place where players from ready-to-wear and luxury goods were able to meet the providers of innovative, technological solutions. The variety and complementary nature of exhibitors, the daily meetings at the round tables with experts, the focus on innovative materials offered by the MateriO’ forum, the video wall, the workshops and the first session of the Avantex Fashion Pitch are all factors injecting effective and convincing stimulus in an extremely active international network for technology and fashion,” explained Michael Scherpe, president, Messe Frankfurt France.
Extensive technical textile on display
The event demonstrated the extensive range of technical textiles and finished technological products, alongside R&D projects of start-ups, who came to test their concepts in interactions with potential customers. For example, Taiwan’s Creative Tech Textile for example, which develops complex fabrics (fibres from plastic bottles and oyster shells for example) while observing style and trends. “‘Our fashion goal has been met,” said their representative Lucy Hsiao after meeting a good number of firms.
Material was the star, since the Parisian materials library matériO’, one of the trade show’s partners, presented latest developments for clothing and accessories. Future prospects forum showed supple wood-based fabrics, frog skin and fish skin leather, leather from innards, conductive fabrics, wearable sculpture and many other talking points. To & Guy showcased a revolutionary process for stylists and designers to position and test motifs on a product in 3D without needing to know every detail of the pattern.
Institutional participation
Omar Cherkaoui, Member, ESITH cluster and school, remarked, “If Morocco is chiefly considered as the country for sub-contracting, the presence of the Moroccan Technical Textiles Cluster C2TM at a trade fair like Avantex, which is dedicated to innovation, has helped to make people take a second look at what the country has to offer. Some 30 professionals showed a clear interest in our collaborative and innovative approach.” Colleges and schools, breeding grounds for tomorrow’s fashion, are delighted with the numerous contacts they made throughout the four days: Ensad Paris, the Hochschule Albstadt Sigmaringen and Chongqing University from China were able to present their research and work by their students.
Avantex Fashion Pitch, the ambitious competition held via the WiRATE platform and organised by the trade fair, rewarded start-ups that offered solutions that are representative of the segments at the show and whose products and services won the most votes. Torq Labs won the prize for Clothing & Accessories with a range of lightweight leggings for sports that help to prevent knee injuries. Pyratex, in the Material & Components category, won admission and a listing in matériO’ for its collection of fabrics in natural fibres that have beneficial effects for the skin and body. Reflect, in the Prototype Studio category, won a prize for a dedicated item in the Magazine Modelab.
The Agora at Avantex Paris, apart from the Fashion Pitch, hosted eight lectures and round tables on diverse subjects, from development of functional fabrics to the digital era, new patterns of behaviour on social media, procurement and standards for electronic textiles etc. Agora also organised the Wall of Avantex with a programme of videos about the products and projects that mix innovative technology and fashion.
