FW
Industrial thread maker Coats has developed a line of 100 per cent polyester continuous filament sewing threads designed to offer greater versatility and a clean seam appearance in outdoor apparel. One of its new thread innovations – the Coats AS range of threads are being designed to meet the needs of outdoor performance sportswear, woven outerwear and fashion jackets.
Epic AS and Gral AS are aimed at outdoor performance sportswear, woven outerwear and fashion jackets. The construction of the threads delivers high seam strength and excellent performance. Both the threads have lower static and dynamic friction values, which help minimize the attraction of down towards the needle in dry factory conditions. This results in less down leakage through the needle holes.
In drier atmospheric conditions the lower static and lower dynamic friction values of Gral AS and Epic AS minimize the attraction of down towards the needle, helping to prevent down leakage through needle holes. The lower dynamic friction values of Gral AS and Epic AS also enhance the uniformity of the stitch formation allowing neat and well-balanced seams.
The AS range of threads allows for improved sewing performance on complex materials due to its higher heat shield along with outstanding sewability. It provides solutions for oil-sensitive materials such as C0 fabrics. Lower tension settings can be locked so that the stitch balance can be improved and neater and flatter seams can be achieved.
At the Strategy 4.0 press conference Daniel Harari, CEO Lectra, presented its company strategy up until 2019. The company has identified four mega trends. At the Strategy 4.0 press conference Daniel Harari, CEO of Lectra, laid out the company’s strategy until 2019.
This four mega trends will already fundamentally changing the fashion, automotive and furniture industries. The Lectra’s strategy is closely aligned to this. The online magazine will have the Millennial, who as employees and buyers, are breaking all the established rules, have different needs and are demanding higher quality, customisation and sustainability, the digitalisation of companies which paves the way for intelligent, networked technologies driven by the customer demand for high-quality, customised yet affordable products, the switch to Industry 4.0 with a digital supply chain, from creation to production, with networked communications and the realignment of the Chinese economy, triggered by the country’s economic rise.
Daniel Harari shared his thoughts that the companies have to respond flexibly to change and thanked to Lectra’s soft and hardware solutions and industry expertise, the customers are now ready to face these challenges. The current company strategy creates the foundation for their future, he concluded.
Practical technology-based products seeking immediate field trials and ground-breaking technology concepts are among the winners of the inaugual 2017 Tech eChallenge Wool Innovation program.
Bringing young minds to everyday issues faced by woolgrowers, the collaboration involves Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the Entrepreneurship Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC) at The University of Adelaide and Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga (CSU).
Teams comprising students, staff and the wider community undertook an intensive workshop course over the past three months to give them the skills to develop practical, low-cost digital tools to help wool producers improve animal health, welfare and productivity.
Working in teams, participants came up with ideas and developed products they then pitched to a panel of expert judges in the Grand Final held at University of Adelaide.
Taking home the $20,000 first prize is the winning team representing CSU & TAFE Wagga Wagga; Wireless Farms demonstrated a low-cost, Wireless Sensor Network kit for farmers, driven by solar powered wireless links of up to 10km that can be used to transmit data from cameras and a range of sensors including custom-developed water level sensors.
The four runner up teams, who each won $10,000 were:
Woven Optics from ECIC who presented the concept of a 3D printed phone clip-on device that, in theory, enable woolgrowers to measure wool quality characteristics from the paddock and woolshed, in real time.
BreedElite from ECIC who presented a software/hardware weighing and drafting prototype that adds data functionality and analysis from smart phones and tablets to inform real time decision making.
Team Agraph, representing CSU, who presented an intelligent data analysis system that will give farmers easy access to real time customised information on demand via their smart phone or tablet to help decision making; and
Farwatch representing ECIC who presented a remote-controlled camera sensor device incorporating infrared photo capability to monitor water sources.
Australian Wool Innovation CEO Stuart McCullough said “Australian Wool Innovation is delighted to have been part of this innovative approach to attracting the best young minds in the “Tech World” towards thinking about wool. The University of Adelaide - Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation & Innovation Centre and Charles Sturt University have delivered with many of the participants in the 2017 Tech eChallenge Wool Innovation program having brought their skills and enthusiasm from outside the wool industry. The variety and quality of innovative digital ideas to improve the productivity and profitability for Australian woolgrowers has been great to see.”
Prof Noel Lindsay Pro Vice Chancellor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Adelaide added how partnering with AWI has provided the University with great insight into the real issues that the wool industry faces and it has been a great privilege to inspire young entrepreneurs to look for innovative solutions that can help shape the future of the wool industry. The outcomes have been exceptional and we look forward to being a catalyst for generating future innovations in the Wool Industry.
Head of CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Professor David Falepau said, “the 2017 Tech eChallenge Wool Innovation has shown us just a glimpse of the solutions out there for everyday issues and opportunities faced by wool producers. Opening up wool producers’ challenges to the wider community was key to capturing these great ideas around technologies not immediately thought of as having a wool industry application.”
AWI will now be extending the partnership with ECIC and CSU by supporting a wool innovation stream in the 2017 Australian eChallenge. Commencing in July, the 12-week program will equip teams comprising people from diverse backgrounds, skill disciplines and locations, with the capability to take ideas to improve woolgrower productivity & profitability through to launch via business model and market validation.
The International Labour Organization estimates that around 168 million children all over the world are involved in some form of forced child labour. These issues are especially rampant in textile manufacturing and the cotton production industry that supplies it. This defines as "work for which the child is either too young it is altogether considered unacceptable for children and is prohibited". These issues are especially rampant in textile manufacturing and the cotton production industry that supplies it.
The children are willing to work for very low pay and in dangerous conditions, according to the organisation Stop Child Labour. Failure to address the challenge of child labour can seriously impact on their corporate reputation. According to Helena Helmersson, H&M's Head of Sustainability, these supply chain networks are so complex that "it is impossible to be in full control". With 11 per cent of the world's children still sacrificing school in order to work; this is no time for business to be self-satisfied.
Talking about the corporate responsibility and reputation research indicates that, by going above and beyond the basic requirements for fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities, proactive firms can engender goodwill that acts as an insurance against potential damage to their reputation. Careful reputation management implies that firms setting high standards must continue to live up to them.
By illustrating the reputational benefits of sustainable supply chain practices, they can sign up GoodWeave, which awards companies the right to carry the GoodWeave label if they can show that no child labour was used in the production of their goods.
Global Brands is partnering with Bebe to relaunch a newly transformed e-commerce platform and its international brick-and-mortar stores designed to meet the heightened shopping expectations of the savvy, confident female consumer. The announcement represents the first initiative under Global Brands' direction of Bebe's e-commerce platform, direct-to-consumer divisions and international operations.
The company has also appointed designer Nathan Jenden as creative director to lead this effort. Jenden is known for his eponymous collections, as well as his time as creative director at Diane von Furstenberg. Jenden joins Global Brands Group’s Bebe division after spending over a decade working with fashion icon Diane Von Furstenburg, and then catering to a prominent client list that counted music mogul and mega star Madonna
Global Brands Group has been a strategic licensee and can now seamlessly synergise the international distribution, e-commerce platform and wholesale business. Its efforts will concentrate on an omni-channel distribution approach to service and expand the Bebe customer, both domestically and internationally.
Ethiopia has recently announced that its flagship Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park, designed and constructed in an environment-friendly manner, will be model for other industrial park projects throughout the country. It will model the country's other industrial parks on the Chinese-built Hawassa for its eco-friendly operation.
The east African country hoped that the park would help its aspiration and commitment to build green economy, the park applies the latest technology for treating and recycling about 90 percent of its water usage as it is created and operated in environment-friendly manners.
According to Arkebe Oqubay, Special Advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minster.Development of sustainable, competitive export-driven industrial parks is a major target of Ethiopia's vision towards economic development. Oqubay noted that Ethiopia's requires creating a robust and competitive industrial base rapid economic growth which can be continued through the realization of a structural transformation.
According to Oqubay, the Hawassa industrial park would be considered as a model for other industrial parks under construction to implement the Zero-Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology to promote environmental protection. Hawassa Industrial Park was completed in a record time of nine months built by China Civil Engineering Corporation (CCECC).
Sisay Gemechu, CEO, Ethiopia's Industrial Parks Development Corporation, says that the Ethiopian government aims at enhancing job opportunities, earning revenue and promoting technology transfer.
After the Hawassa industrial park, the government has further embarked on the development of similar parks in many industrial parks that will be inaugurated soon.
There is a change in the U.S. retail market. Consumers are spending less on products and spending more on “experiences,” preferring vacations over wardrobes, to the point some malls are being recreated as community colleges or indoor parks. To take advantage of the growth potential in those areas of the globe brands are looking to develop markets like China and India. From activewear to luxury brands, more and more major apparel players have entered or are readying to enter these markets.
U.S has a population of 321.4 million people. U.S. consumers are spending 65 percent of their discretionary dollars on things like vacations and sporting events, up from the low-40 percent range 60 years ago, In contrast, China has a population of 1.37 billion, while India counts 1.3 billion residents. China’s disposable personal income has grown at average annual rate of 11.5 percent; while India’s has seen a 7.5 percent increase, according to an analysis by Deloitte University Press. The difference is staggering.
According to the Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated’s global survey, “In China, 83 percent of consumers “love or somewhat like” shopping for clothes. China is such an interesting market for apparel brands, as Chinese are frequent clothing shoppers, with 68 percent shopping for apparel for themselves once a month or more,. But Chinese shoppers mostly prefer to buy their clothes online (79 percent). The bulk of Chinese consumers say they buy clothes on sale, but other factors like quality are more important than price alone. Just 8 percent say they’re willing to sacrifice quality to get a better price.
In India, even more consumers (91 percent), express that they “love or somewhat like” apparel shopping. 66 percent cite it as their favorite items to shop for, outstripping groceries and electronics (both 9 percent), cosmetics (8 percent), and fashion accessories (4 percent). However, just 25 percent shop for clothes for themselves once a month or more, and instead prefer to shop once every two-to-three months.
India is also very different from China in that its most popular shopping channels are independent stores A.T. Kearney points to India’s strong GDP growth, growing middle class, and a more favorable regulatory environment that has developed over the past few years as reasons for its ranking.
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has decided to keep all the mills shut next week in protest, as the government is not providing the incentives that were promised to the industrialists. APTMA Chairman Aamir Fiaz expressed his views in a press conference and stated that the trade deficit has reached the highest level in country’s history due to poor policies of government and continuous increase in production costs. Gohar Ejaz, Vice Chairman Ali Pervez and APTMA Punjab Chairman Syed Ali Ahsan were also present along with him.
The chairman noted that Prime Minister is not fulfilling the promises that were made with the industrialists. He further stated that the volume of export was more than $25 billion in 2013 when the incumbent government took charge, but it has reduced to less than $20 billion.
Aamir Fiaz told that PM Nawaz had promised to pay funds worth Rs180 billion, but Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has allocated only Rs4 billion in the budget for fiscal year 2017-18. He told the industrialists are being asked to increase the exports without giving them the incentives. Aamir further added that it was made clear in the previous year that the trade deficit would cross $30 billion, but government did nothing expect taking loans that the nation will pay with interest. He mentioned that the progress cannot be made without increasing exports, and exports cannot be increased just by announcements.
APTMA chairman demanded that government should act upon the policy that it had announced. He stated thatRs200 billion of export industry have been held by the government, and industry will not run until they are paid. After the press conference, a protest was raised outside the APTMA House, and slogans were raised to get the demands fulfilled by setting fabric and thread on fire.
Amid a rapidly increasing global technical textiles market, China is expected to stay dominant in this sector in 2017. Europe and the US are two top markets which China is aiming to cater to the most.
The global technical textile industry was estimated to be worth 142 billion dollars in 2015 and is expected to reach 165 billion dollars by 2019. China contributes 30 per cent to global technical textile production and it is followed by the Americas with 19 per cent of global production, India with 18 per cent, the EU with 16 per cent, and the rest of the world with 17 per cent.
China has a clear edge over its competitors. A large workforce, a strong domestic market, and advances in textile technology have made China a very strong competitor in the global technical textiles industry. Despite setbacks in terms of reduced textile exports in the last few years, these qualities have allowed China to continue to thrive in this sector.
Adidas and Arizona State University have they announced the creation of the Global Sport Alliance. They have come up with new twist on the traditional collegiate apparel deal.
The partnership will bring together Arizona State faculty and students, Adidas employees and industry experts to study sport's role in society, including diversity, gender and race. It will also study the technical aspects of the industry, such as sustainability, textiles and manufacturing.
The deal comes as the terms of university apparel deals have ballooned and seemingly answers critics who question the benefits of multimillion-dollar sportswear deals to the wider university community. The traditional apparel deal benefits athletes and some athletic administrators.
Global Sport Institute (GSI) will be the key component of the Global Sport Alliance that will translate and amplify complex sports research to broad, global audiences. It will convene public events, engage leading sports figures and publish research findings through reports, infographics, podcasts and social media. Kenneth Shropshire, a leading expert at the intersection of sports, business, law and society, will lead GSI as CEO and join ASU as the distinguished professor in global sports, a position created by Adidas.
The Global Sport Institute will support collaborative inquiry and research that examines critical issues impacting sport and all those connected with sport. GSI’s purpose will be to transform the resulting findings into practical knowledge that is widely shared, educating and influencing audiences,” says Kenneth in a news release.
