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ISPO Shanghai is on in China, upto July 8, 2017. This is a multi-segment sports trade fair. It aims to promote innovative brands, present technological progress, and create new opportunities to establish better communication between the industry and consumers.
The concept for 2017 has three themes: Nature and Elements, Speed and Strength, Urban and Lifestyle, focusing on running and fitness, outdoor, water sports, textile trends and action sports. The theme worlds offer better orientation for visitors and easier communication within theme worlds for exhibitors.
More than 70 per cent of the 572 exhibiting companies come from China. The other 28 per cent of exhibitors come from Europe, the US, and the Asian and Pacific region. Visitors who want to get active at the fair also won’t be disappointed. The Open Demo Day and the Morning Run offer visitors the opportunity to prove how fit they are and test the newest sports products and innovations.
In order to present the entire value chain of the sporting goods industry, the fair will work together with other partners to give trade fair visitors the possibility to learn about recent developments in the production of sporting goods. The partner event focuses on the most recent and innovative production technology in the sporting goods industry.
International fashion giants are under fire again for Rayon fabric. An investigation from the Changing Markets Foundation linked major producers of the fabric fiber viscose to air and water pollution, dangerous working conditions and public health concerns.
Viscose is more commonly known in the U.S. as rayon, and the semi-synthetic fabric is mostly used as a cheaper alternative to silk. Producing the fabric isn't necessarily bad for the environment, but activists say unethical practices at viscose plants have led to disastrous consequences. The factories that produce viscose are mainly located in Indonesia, China and India but the fashion brands and companies buying from those factories have global reach.
Fast-fashion companies ASOS, Zara and H&M were just three of many companies contacted by the Changing Markets Foundation in regards to the viscose issue. Though an online petition specifically called out H&M and Zara, it's worth noting they at least responded to concerns. It is said that the company would follow up with its suppliers about the allegations. Inditex, Zara's parent company says it would do the same.
H&M is already in the process of finding more sustainable alternatives to viscose, and the fashion company says it takes its environmental ethics seriously. It's part of H&M's mission to be 100 per cent transparent, fair and renewable.
The retail market in the UAE is attracting many foreign investments from leading brands such as Dolce and Gabbana and high profile fashion leaders such as Vogue Arabia. And it’s not just international trends that are making their mark in the UAE, a rise in modest clothing, which caters to the demand of women in the Middle East who like to dress modestly with style is also seeing a surge. Clothing such as the abaya and jilbab are featured on catwalks from around the world.
Modest fashion was specifically designed to help Muslim women in dressing in accordance to their faith whilst still expressing their preferences in style. However, the market has now diversified as more and more fashion labels are catering to the niche sector and by doing so, are further propelling the UAE as a major player in innovative fashion.
Increasing number of Emirati designers are creating innovative designs to keep up with growing demand for more variety. For too long, consumers who want to buy fashion online in the Middle East have suffered from a lack of variety. Online shopping platform Noon hopes to provide a real sense of varied fashion for customers shopping online.
The European Union has devised a new way of calculating anti-dumping duties. This method is expected to avoid any significant market distortions. It may also overcome the dichotomy between market economy and non-market economy. Its rationale is to avoid unfair competition for workers and European firms.
The method will specify in detail the significant distortions to competition under which exceptional duties can be levied, the role of the government, the economy, lack of bankruptcy legislation, copyright’s protection and intellectual property. In addition, the burden of proof is not borne by European companies, but by those exporting to the EU area.
China asked to be considered as a market economy: If this status were recognised, lighter duties would be applied to its goods.
EU overall imports reached 468.2 billion euro in the first quarter of 2017.
The EU applies trade defense measures such as anti-dumping measures, anti-subsidy measures or safeguards when EU industry is harmed by dumped or subsided imports. Some time back the European Union set provisional import duties on steel coming from China to counter what it says are unfairly low prices. China is the source of 50 per cent of the world’s steel.
The EU is a customs union with a common tariff on imports from non-EU countries.
Eurovet’s new industry website project is taking shape. It is set to be launched between October and December. The project’s objective is to concentrate on one single website as much information as possible on exhibitors from Eurovet’s industry shows, including the Salon International de la Lingerie, Mode City, Curve and Interfilière.
Eurovet has a wealth of material to share, since it operates across the entire pipeline as well in different continents. Eurovet’s main focus is the trade show business.
The website will act as a link between brands and suppliers, wherever they are, provided they have exhibited at one of Eurovet’s shows, to begin with at least. Other, non-exhibitor companies may in future be able to access the website by paying a fee.
The website will also be a communications tool, allowing each exhibitor to tell its story and showcase its range, as though in a virtual showroom. For the time being, the website is conceived as a B2B platform, but it could afterwards open up to the general public, as a sort of wealth of the lingerie and swimwear world.
It would be a way of extending the trade show experience by providing a year-long service, as well as an image-building tool for brands.
Intertextile Pavilion Shenzhen will be held in China, July 6 to 8, 2017. Catering to the strong demand in the south China market, the fair will cover an impressive scope of high-quality apparel fabrics and accessories as well as services for mid- to high-end women’s wear and men’s wear.
Among the exhibitors are a number of international and domestic pavilions, including the Fine Japan zone and pavilions from Korea and Taiwan.
Hong Kong Yifang Textile from China will exhibit high-end fashion knitted and woven fabrics. Cherson Technologies from Hong Kong will introduce all sorts of label printing products such as care label printers, hang tag printers, care label materials, hang tags, thermal ribbons and barcode scanners.
Flying Dragon from Hong Kong will exhibit a wide range of tape such as polyester grosgrain, polyester satin, jacquard, printed, cotton and velvet varieties.
Besides the strong product line-up, fairgoers can also benefit from the fair’s fringe program. On the first two days of the fair, a total of four seminars will be held. Industry-leading trend consultants will share the key elements of spring/summer ’18 domestic trends while Swiss testing and certification organisation Testex will share solutions to international requirements for green textiles and sustainable production.
China and Pakistan will cooperate on the development of the textile and apparel sector of both countries.
This will include promotion of trade and investment cooperation, exchange of ideas for developing the sector, organizing and participating in fairs, exchange of information and support in business partner search, visits and event participation, training and working group arrangements.
The rising cost of business and environmental issues in China have made Pakistan an ideal destination for relocation of the Chinese textile industry.
The aim is multidisciplinary, multiple-format, diversified development of modern textile enterprises in the future. Chinese investors have been invited to take advantage of liberal trade and investment policies in Pakistan by entering into joint ventures with Pakistani entrepreneurs in the textile industry.
Pakistan allows foreign direct investment in all sectors, treats local and foreign investment equally, permits 100 per cent foreign equity investment, requires no government sanction and allows remittance of royalty, technical and franchise fee, capital, profits and dividends.
Another reason for the Chinese to invest in the textile sector of Pakistan is that the cost of doing business in Pakistan is lower compared to China.
Pakistan’s export-led growth package includes zero-rated sales tax for the textile industry, drawback of local taxes and levies at four per cent on yarn and grey fabric, five per cent on processed fabric, six per cent on textile made-ups and seven per cent on textile garments against the realisation of export proceeds.
A boiler explosion at a factory in Bangladesh killed at least ten people, injured dozens more and led to a partial collapse of the factory. The explosion was so powerful it destroyed parts of the factory, including a roof and several walls.
The factory is owned by textiles manufacturer Multifabs, which makes clothing for mostly European brands.
The boiler explosion shows the danger of poorly maintained and uninspected boilers in the garment industry in Bangladesh. Fire separation alone is an insufficient measure, since, as in this disaster, the explosion of a defective boiler can be powerful enough to breach the walls of the room in which it is contained, spreading fire and/or causing structural damage.
The only way to fully protect against the possibility of a boiler explosion is to ensure the integrity of the boiler.
Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories employing four million mostly female workers at a minimum monthly wage. The industry is notorious for poor workplace safety, with many of the factories lacking basic equipment such as ventilation and air coolers.
The country and international buyers have been trying to improve working conditions in the garment sector, which adds about 29 billion dollars in terms of exports to the country's economy.
With high precision, flexibility and energy efficiency, digital printing has gained the attention from various industry players. With a focus on short production cycle, low-volume and on-demand production, ShanghaiTex 2017 (November 27-30, 2017 at SNIEC, Pudong, Shanghai) will unleash the latest digital printing technology and application under the "customization" trend, bringing its great development potential towards industry 4.0.
The Digital Printing Machinery Zone will expand to cover 3 halls at ShanghaiTex 2017, and has received substantial support from renowned exhibitors such as Zimmer, Mimaki, Konica Minolta, Durst, Epson, MS Specialty, EFI Reggiani, Toshin, Meijia, SPG Prints, Fujifilm, Atexco and Human Digital etc.
Shanghai Mimaki will introduce its Belt-Type Direct-to-Textile Inkjet Printer "Tiger-1800B", which features 16 printheads, a maximum print speed at 385 m2/h, and a flexible droplet print mode selection. Extensive optional units are also available for accommodating various applications, while the large-sized ink tank (10 kg) ensures cost-effective print operation. It also comes with a high-performance software RIP "TxLink3 Standard", which offers powerful color replacement functions to represent desired colors.
Epson will showcase its large format printer Epson SureColor F7280. With widths up to 64-inches, Surecolor F7280 comes with Epson's exclusive PrecisionCore TFP print head and an integrated roll-to-roll media support system with high accuracy winding, which ensure its high performance.
ShanghaiTex 2017 expects the participation of over 1,200 exhibitors and over 50,000 professional buyers for commercial exchange.as the exhibition area is of more than 100,000 square meters. The shows' display on the latest digital printing equipment and technologies will help industry players to transform their businesses and unlock their potential.
Feroze is a textile mill from Pakistan. Vertically integrated operations give it a competitive advantage. This increases their profitability in an environment where very few competitors are vertically integrated.
The company performs the entire process of spinning, weaving, cycling and stitching by using state of the art machinery. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, the company’s sales were up 47 per cent compared to financial year 2013.
Feroze has increased its earnings per share by 388 per cent since 2011. Among its clients are Walmart, Target, JC Penney, Sears, and Carrefour. The company has won awards from Walmart such as Supplier of the Year award in 2008 and the Execution Excellence award in 2010.
The company began operations in the late 1970s with a single weaving unit and today it is the leading manufacturer and exporter of specialized yarn and textile terry products in Pakistan. It enjoys a four per cent share in the international market for terry towels (bath towels, bath robes, beach towels, and kitchen supplies) and accounts for almost a quarter of total terry towel exports from Pakistan with a monthly capacity to produce up to 4.5 million pounds of terry fabric.
Pakistan’s textile exports have been falling at 3.5 per cent per year since fiscal 2013.
