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The Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) signature international fashion event, CENTRESTAGE, will be held from 6-9 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). More than 200 international fashion brands and multiple fashion shows will be featured at the fair. The shows staged will include highlights such as the FASHIONALLY Collection FASHION HONG KONG RUNWAY SHOW, which will spotlight the latest collections from local fashion designers.
On opening day, online fashion hub FASHIONALLY will present the FASHIONALLY collection #10 fashion parade, featuring 10 up-and-coming local designers collaborating to showcase Hong Kong's creativity and design prowess. Participating brands include: DEMO. (designer: Derek Chan), From Clothing Of (designer: Shirley Wong), HANG (designer: MimMak), KA WA KEY (designer: Key Chow and Jarno Leppanen), KENSON (designer: Kenson Tam), KEVIN HO, KURT HO, Lapeewee (designer: Yannes Wong), NECRO POON and NELSONBLACKLE (designer: Nelson Leung). The 10 brands will also unveil their 2018 Spring/Summer collections at the show.
In addition to fashion shows, the designers of FASHIONALLY Collection #10 will team up with other winning and finalist designers from past Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contests (YDC) and showcase their brands and latest designs to global buyers at CENTRESTAGE.
HKTDC has been organizing Hong Kong participation at international fashion weeks since 2015, the under the theme of "Fashion Hong Kong," including in fashion weeks and major fashion fairs in Tokyo, Copenhagen, New York and Shanghai. Six local designers and their brands featured in past Fashion Hong Kong events will join this fashion parade and launch their 2018.
American Apparel announced they'd be closing all 110 stores by April in January 2017. The made-in-America brand had announced bankruptcy in 2015, and been acquired by Canadian brand Gildan Activewear for $88 million early in 2017. It seemed, in April, that even that changing of the guards wasn't enough to pull AA back from the brink.
American Apparel website secretly reopened for business. Recently Gildan reportedly assembled a team of former AA employees to relaunch the brand, although not entirely reimagine it. The t-shirts are still simple, jersey knit, and available in seventeen shades, the cross back bra still has no underwires. There are currently 37 offerings on the women's site. It started to become everything for everyone a bit, and really diluted, so we wanted to go back and have a strong message.
There's one other interesting change. It used to be that American Apparel was all, uh, made in America. While ethical and altruistic, that proved problematic for profits. A new Made in the USA Capsule allows consumers to choose. A woman's hoodie made stateside is $48; the very same garment made overseas is $38. The brand plans to watch the numbers very carefully, allowing buyers to demonstrate with their wallets the importance of at-home manufacturing.
Trybus will set up a manufacturing center in Ethiopia. It will make a substantial financial investment to equip the manufacturing facility with state of the art garment technology. Trybus will also bring its technical and tailoring expertise by providing staffing and staff training in the facility.
Trybus is an American men’s wear clothing company. It will create employment for more than 1000 Ethiopians during the first phase of operation. The company aims to hire more than 3000 workers when operations are in full swing.
The Ethiopian textile sector is attracting top international firms amid the nation’s bid to industrialize. The sector is expected to facilitate technology transfer and capacity development through training and experience sharing.
Ethiopia has launched a strategy to make the most of its potential in the textile sector. The industry has advantages like power abundance and a growing human and material capital. It is witnessing rapid growth as a number of domestic and multinational firms are engaged in production of textiles, garments and apparel for domestic and global markets.
The country has Africa's largest industrial park. This flagship industrial park is capable of hosting gigantic multinational firms. It has a state-of-the-art waste treatment plant, the first of its kind in Africa.
Top Value Fabrics has expanded its textiles for latex printing with a new line of latex performance textiles, specifically engineered to create durable, high-quality production graphics utilizing HP latex technology.
Working closely in partnership with HP, Top Value Fabrics has developed a proprietary coating for its top-selling digitally printable textile products to enhance the durability of HP latex inks. Printing on Top Value’s coated textiles with HP latex print systems and inks provides finished graphic products with rich, brilliant colors with exceptional durability and fastness properties.
The new line of latex coated products covers a broad spectrum of end use needs including backlit, front lit, stretch, banner and sheer fabric applications. These fabrics can be utilized for SEG frame systems, high-end retail, POP, banner stands, backdrops, roll-up displays, tradeshow exhibits and interior decor.
After imaging, these fabrics are designed to provide outstanding color consistency, excellent image sharpness and a wide color range. Several of the fabrics are built on similar constructions of best-selling fabrics in Top Value’s direct print textile line. The new fabrics are called Latex Performance as they feature a proprietary coating for HP latex inks.
Top Value Fabrics is a leading international textile supplier with a wide selection of stock and custom fabrics that help customers succeed in the industrial, print media, active wear and recreational markets.
Cotton cultivation this kharif in Telangana is up by over 26.5 per cent compared to last year.
The extent of cotton crop cultivation is 17.84 lakh hectares, more than half of 34.42 lakh hectares covered by all crops. Last year cotton was cultivated on 14.10 lakh hectares.
Farmers took to cotton cultivation on a large scale this season because of the poor market price for alternative crops such as pulses, maize and soyabean and the favorable seasonal conditions.
Another major reason that has driven farmers to go for cotton this year is the good price commanded by the crop last year — better than the minimum support price of Rs 4160 per quintal.
There will be an increase in the number of procurement centers in the wake of the increase in production this year.
The Cotton Corporation of India operated 84 procurement centers in the state last year.
Cotton arrivals this year are likely to happen from October.
Last year the failure of the crop in the northern and western parts of the country due to drought conditions, and the pest attack in Pakistan, had jacked up the prices of the fiber crop in the national markets and for exports.
Exports of readymade garments (including those made of cotton, manmade and other fibers) from India in July fell 15 per cent compared to exports in the same month last year.
During the month, exports of manmade fibers, including yarn, fabrics, and made-ups, fell four per cent compared to exports in July 2016. However, exports of cotton textiles increased one per cent.
Imports of all textiles, including cotton and manmade yarn, fabrics and made-ups, rose eight per cent in July 2017 compared to imports in July 2016. Imports of textiles have not increased much after GST.
India has a great chance to capture the market for manmade fibers that’s been vacated by China.
Synthetic textiles made from manmade fibers account for 70 per cent of the world textile supply and the rest is cotton. Given the scale of exports from China, even a one per cent shift means a ten per cent increase in India’s exports of manmade fibers and synthetic textiles.
Cotton still commands more than 50 per cent of India’s textile production. However the synthetic textile segment is gradually growing. The world is shifting toward manmade fibers.
However, there is a need to go in for innovation in fabrics, integrate the value chain and invest in skill development to boost textile exports from the country.
India has clocked top position in exports of men’s and boys’ knitwear shirts to the US.
India’s share in knitwear shirts imports by the US stood at 8.7 per cent in June. After a dip in 2014, India’s market share has been growing steadily. In 2013, India’s market share was 6.4 per cent and dropped to 6.2 per cent in 2014. From then it has been steadily increasing, and in 2016 it stood at 7.8 per cent.
Heavy investments increased India’s share in exports.
Compared to that, China’s market share, which was 11 per cent in 2012, dropped to 9.6 per cent in 2016 and is now 8.5 per cent. While China’s loss is India’s gain, Vietnam is running India close. Bangladesh is also increasing its market share.
What can really go against India is the recent appreciation of the rupee against the dollar. The country is losing its edge because of rising production costs. This makes competing with Vietnam or other countries difficult. Exporters are quoting prices three to five per cent higher after the rupee appreciated, while the hike should be of around seven per cent to compensate them for the losses on account of currency fluctuations. On the other hand, competitors' currencies have depreciated and they are bringing down their prices.
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will be held in China, August 23 to 26, 2017.
This is the leading trade event in Asia for the home textile industry. The full spectrum of home textiles and accessories will be on offer under one roof. This year over 1200 suppliers from 30 countries and regions will demonstrate the finest and latest products.
Upholstery fabrics suppliers like Aico Home, Culp and D Décor can be found including machine-made and handmade carpet producers from Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan. Other fine products at the fair include bedding and toweling and carpets and rugs. To cater to the entire supply chain throughout the home textiles industry, the fair will feature original textile design studios and digital printing solutions.
Belgium, India, Korea, Morocco, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey will have pavilions to maximise their specialties to visitors. Four of the leading home textiles production regions in China – Haining, Shaoxing, Tongxiang and Yuhang – will also form pavilions to present their specialised products.
The digital printing micro factory will demonstrating the entire digital printing production line and a series of seminars will feature industry leaders discussing the current market situation, technology development and applications of digital printing.
The Chinese home textile industry is regaining momentum with increasing exports to the US, European Union and Japan.
Britain will propose setting up an interim customs agreement with the European Union after Brexit to allow the freest possible trade of goods.
But it will also seek the right to negotiate other trade deals.
One option to minimise friction when Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019 would be to introduce a temporary customs union which should be time-limited. That would provide certainty for businesses, since they fear the introduction of customs checks will cause expensive delays.
The intention is to seek an interim period with the EU of close association with the customs union that would allow for a smooth and orderly transfer to the new regime. By sorting out the customs arrangements, Britain and the bloc could avoid a hard border with EU member state Ireland.
In the meantime Britain will look to negotiate bold new trade relationships around the world. Britain is keen to move the talks with the EU forward to tackle the future relationship rather than focusing only on the split.
Countries that are part of the EU’s customs union are not allowed to negotiate bilateral trade deals. But Turkey, while not an EU member, is part of a separate customs union for industrial goods and can still negotiate bilateral trade deals.
Consumption of cotton may go up in Bangladesh. The price of the fiber has declined and production has increased.
Imports of cotton in Bangladesh have risen over many years due to higher shipments of cotton-made garment items and an increasing number of spinning mills in the country.
Bangladesh is the largest importer of cotton in the world. Demand for the natural fiber is on the rise in Bangladesh as it is the only country that is still mainly dependent on raw cotton to make yarn and fabric. Local growers can meet less than three per cent of the annual demand, leading to imports worth over three billion dollars.
China stopped sourcing the raw material three years ago.
By the end of 2020, cotton consumption in Bangladesh may hit 7.9 million bales. Currently, Bangladesh imports 55 per cent of its demand for cotton from India, thanks to favorable prices, geographical proximity, shorter lead time and the quality of the fiber.
Other countries have shifted to manmade fibers like filament, polyester and viscose. As a result, the global consumption of cotton has been on the decline.
The lower price of cotton may affect garment prices as well. The sourcing costs of garments could decrease by six per cent to seven per cent.
