FW
Gujarat (India) will soon get its first cooperative cotton spinning plant. With the total expenditure of Rs. 140 crore, Surat Vankar Sahkari Sangh is going to start the plant in cooperative sector of Dinod village, the tribal-dominated area of Mangrol taluka which will be inaugurated by Cooperation Minister Ishwarsinh Patel on 1 June, 2017. President of Surat Vankar Sahkari Sangh, Rajnikant Bachkaniwala stated that, this is the first state-of-the-art cotton spinning plant set up by us in the whole of Gujarat. The production of cotton yarn had started in April and until now we have exported around nine containers of yarn to Pakistan, China and Indonesia
Sources say that the cotton park has been set-up at Mangrol to tap the ever growing demand of cotton yarn in India and abroad. The plant will have around 30,000 spindles which will be helpful in twisting of 17,000 tonnes of cotton yarns on regular basis. Spread across 17-acre land, it will have 10 units of weaving, five units of knitting and three units for garment manufacturing. The yarn manufactured at the facility will be of international quality which definitely has a huge market.
Bangladesh, the apparel manufacturing hub, noted a wave of panic when hundreds of garment workers fall ill. Around 18 factories were shut down after 30,000 workers left in the middle of their shifts as some of their fellow workers lost consciousness due to the soaring temperature in the country.
The workers were then rushed to hospital where they were given saline and first aid and were released within an hour.
The workers were attacked by a disease called hysteria conversion reaction. Laborers were malnourished, while a lack of rest owing to rising temperatures and acute power cuts left them further weakened, succumbing to heat waves.
The temperature in Dhaka rose to 36 degrees celsius, but taking humidity into account it would have felt like 51 degrees celsius.
With more than 4,500 garment factories in the country, many of them lack basic ventilation and air coolers.
Accord and Alliance have so far severed business relations with 217 Bangladeshi readymade garment factories on grounds of unsafe working conditions.
Alliance is a coalition of North American retailers. Accord is a grouping of EU retailers.
These groups are interested in structural, electrical and fire safety initiatives at the factories from where they procure products. They have conducted safety inspections at more than 2,600 factories in Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013.
The East African Community (EAC) may raise taxes on clothing and footwear imports. Taxes may go up to 50 per cent to reduce imports and help revive the region’s ailing textile and leather sectors.
The East African Community comprises Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Over the years, the clothing and shoe manufacturing industries in the EAC have collapsed due to the emergence of informal sector trade in used clothes and shoes and the impact of trade liberalization.
Among the measures suggested include a three-year tax waiver for textile raw materials and shoe manufacturing equipment that are not available locally. A ban on export of raw hides and skins is also proposed.
There may be a 40 per cent tax on readymade garments or five dollars a kg, whichever is cheaper. For the footwear sector, the proposal is to increase the common external tariff on new shoes from 25 per cent to 50 per cent or 20 dollars a pair (for leather shoes) and five dollars a pair (for plastic shoes), whichever is higher.
If the proposals are accepted, it will increase the price of imported clothing and footwear in the six countries of the EAC region.
ICE cotton futures settled marginally lower on Tuesday on increased production of natural fiber with federal data showing strong progress in the US cotton harvest.
Sixty-three per cent of cotton crops were harvested in the US by the week ended May 28, up from 52 per cent in the previous week. The crop is getting planted very nicely in the northern hemisphere without any major disruptions.
The December cotton contract on ICE futures US settled down 0.04 cent, or 0.1 per cent, at 72.75 cents per lb. It traded within a range of 72.33 and 72.77 cents a lb.
Meanwhile, the July cotton contract on ICE Futures US touched a two week low of 76.90 cents per lb. July prices have fallen about 12 per cent since touching a near three-year peak of 87.18 cents mid-May.
Ever since the July market peaked on May 15, open interest has been declining, and so have the prices. Total futures market volume rose by 3,674 to 22,066 lots. Data showed total open interest fell to 241,984 contracts in the previous session.
Elsewhere, speculators cut their bullish bet in cotton by 8,532 contracts to 97,141 contracts in the week ended May 23.
Futures contracts are subject to a daily price limit that can range from three to seven cents per pound.
Japanese sportswear specialist Asics has released its 2016 Sustainability Report which summarizes the company’s sustainability performance for last year and outlines progress towards its medium-term sustainability targets.
2016 was a special year for the Asics group. This was the year it kicked off its new five-year Asics growth plan, embarking on an ambitious new set of sustainability targets towards 2020.
Last fiscal, Asics Europe launched a centralized review of energy procurement and updated its electricity contracts, switching about 300,000 kwh to renewable energy and saving 100 tons of CO2. It also launched its new Global Retail Concept with the opening of a new flagship store in Germany with features like LED lighting, energy efficient systems and floor materials in addition to hangers, mannequins and other POS components made from certified sustainable and/or renewable materials.
The retailer also organized training sessions in collaboration with independent partners, such as the International Labor Organization’s Better Work Program for both Tier I and Tier II suppliers to give them the knowledge and understanding necessary to further improve their performance.
ASICS expects to double its total use of renewable electricity in Europe, which will account for ten per cent of the company’s total global electricity usage. It also plans to conduct energy efficiency audits in its most energy-intensive locations and implement efficiency improvements where necessary.
Japan’s same-store sales in April increased by 0.6 per cent over the same month of last year.
This increase comes for the first time since November 2016.In April, men’s jackets, easy pants, business shirts, blousons and long-sleeve casual shirts saw a commendable surge in sales while the domestic market was sluggish for cardigans, cut-and-sewn articles and jeans. On the other hand – in the women’s category – women’s wear, jackets, spring coats, skirts, three-quarter-sleeve sweaters and cardigans were sold well in the month.
Sales of household goods were slow due to the fluctuations in temperature, while apparel sales increased by 0.2 per cent.
On a year-on-year basis, sales of men’s wear were down 0.5 per cent. Similarly, sales of women’s wear were down 1.7 per cent. Sales of other garments were up by 1.6 per cent from last year.
The Japanese apparel market and fashion industry witnessed a minor downfall after the earthquake of 2011, but soon bounced back overcoming the economic concerns. The categories trending in the Japanese apparel markets are women's outerwear, sportswear, and children’s wear. Recent innovations in functional garments have increased the sales and increased the unit price of such clothing.
The All India Recycled Fibre & Yarn Manufacturers Association, while finalising the GST rates has requested the Union Finance Ministry to maintain the current excise duty cost advantage of recycled PSF vis-à-vis virgin PSF.
Virgin PSF manufacturers are charged 12.5 per cent excise duty, while recycled PSF attracts 2 per cent concessional excise duty, due to which spinners get the cost advantage of 10.5 per cent, and so opt to buy recycled PSF In the current tax regime.
A same uniformity in the GST regime has been requested by the finance ministry by theassociation, so that the excellent work of recycling PET bottles continues. As per the association, if the existing differential is not maintained, operations of the whole PET recycling industry will become impracticable. PSF buyers would prefer to buy virgin PSF, which would lead to closure of PET bottle recycling companies, which apart from destroying jobs, will also harm the environment, if they lose on the cost benefit.
The PET bottle recycling value chain provides direct and indirect employment to around 500,000 people. The industry has grown in the last ten years and the current production of recycled PSF is around 660,000 metric tons per annum, turnover around Rs 5,000 crores and currently recycles around 700,000 metric tons of used PET bottles.
BP Sultania, president of the All India Recycled Fibre & Yarn Manufacturers Association commented on this saying that they first have hit by the ban on import of PET bottle scrap, which led to a steep increase in prices of locally available PET bottle scrap and now if GST on recycled PSF is at parity with virgin PSF, this will make the survival of the PET bottle recycling industry very difficult.
He further added that they urge Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to consider their demands of continuing the tax cost advantage. An intervention of Textiles Minster has also been sought to convince the finance ministry to accept valid demands and thereby safeguarding and promoting the PET bottle recycling industry.
Zimbabwe has re-established itself as a major player in cotton production, at one time Zimbabwe’s top agricultural export. During the 2016-17 cropping season, the government provided growers with free cotton inputs worth 36 million dollars to boost production of the crop.
Production of cotton had significantly declined in recent years owing to the high cost of production and unending fights over pricing between farmers and merchants.
Zimbabwe’s textile and clothing sub-sector consists of three components: production and ginning of cotton, transformation of lint into yarn and fabric, and the conversion of fabric and yarn into garments.
Zimbabwe is flooded with cheap textile and apparel imports from Asian countries, especially from China. These low-priced textile and apparel imports have had a negative impact on the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe. Textile and apparel manufacturers want a ban on imports of cheap polyester knitted fabric and finished blankets.
Other problems plaguing the industry in Zimbabwe are poor performance, low productivity, out of date technology, and lack of investment and government support. An increasing number of textile mills in the country is closing down.
The apparel sector in Zimbabwe currently operates at less than 30 per cent of its capacity. The industry that once used to employ over 40,000 people now employs only 8000 workers.
Being an American manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items, Wrangler owned by the VF is honoring its 70th anniversary this year, and among the celebrations planned is the launch of the Peter Max capsule collection, one of the initiatives aimed to update the label's look. Sean Gormley, creative director explains that capsule collection, entirely mixed, is here to surprise everyone and showcase what we can do in terms of style.
Wrangler is carrying its style through Peter Max, American artist and pop-art figure. The brand is recognized for its 5 pocket jeans was a fashion principal, an image of the Woodstock Summer of Love which marked the end of the previous decade. For Spring-Summer 2017, the capsule comprises 15 garments for men and 15 for women. Not just limited to jeans, the collection includes shorts, T-shirts, sweaters, shirts and blouses with cargo pockets. Manufactured in Italy and Turkey this uber-colourful line will also be availableuntil Spring/Summer 2018
The line which was launched at Parisian boutique Colette has been dedicated a window display to the collection until June 15. The label is also set to make the most of the festival season to increase visibility, participating at a handful of well-known festivals including Glastonbury, one of England's most famous and which will see 135,000 attendees at the end of June this year.
Talking about the brand the Peter Max capsule is a very positive and optimistic. For us, the line is an opportunity to speak to young people, to better target them, much like our new campaign that was launched in April, explains Gormley, He also adds that the company wishes to get back the provocative, sexy image back which was one of the brands that set the pace in the 70s both for men and women.
The label's main aim has also undergone several fundamental changes in order to attract a wider client base: On this Gormley added his thought saying that the company is keen on showing the lifestyle identity denim. They are also looking to open a mono brand store in Paris to make the brand more visible.
A leading U.S. children's apparel manufacturer Carter's plans to open at least 40 new outlets this year in China, with a target of opening 200 stores by 2022 with at least 40 new outlets this year.
Carter's chairman and CEO Michael Casey stated that, the store will open 10 to 15 stores in major cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu. The company has collaborated with listed retailer Pou Sheng International (Holdings), which manages more than 8,000 stores for international brands including Nike and Sketchers.
Describing China as the "largest and most important" international market, Casey says that they will target mass consumers in the country with affordable prices. He added that Carter's, which has been manufacturing children's apparel for 152 years, is "excited" about the growth opportunities that China has to offer. Half of the demand for Carter's e-commerce website, launched seven years ago, was from international customers, with Chinese consumers topping the rank.
The country's consumption of children's products is massive at about $12 billion and is expected to double to $25 billion by 2025 with the relaxation of the one-child policy. The company currently has 12 stores and an online shop on Alibaba's platform, Tmall. Half of the online demand for Carter's products was from international customers, with the most coming from China. The company has launched Weibo and WeChat social media accounts to interact with Chinese mothers about their products.
Though, the company is going to be considerate regarding how to grow, by continuously studying the market and understanding consumer's preferences. Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, says thatThe country's consumption of children's products is massive at about $12 billion and is expected to double to $25 billion by 2025 with the relaxation of the one-child policy.
