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Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (Bureau Veritas), leaders in testing, inspection/audit, advisory and certification services, have announced an exclusive partnership for the next 5-years with the Cotton Egypt Association (CEA) to provide conformity assessment services to verify that the materials are traceable to confirmed lots of true Egyptian Cotton at any stage of production.
The Egyptian Cotton Logo is a mark that helps restore faith as to the authenticity of products bearing the claim, Egyptian Cotton. It demonstrates that the CEA has certified that the product is true Egyptian Cotton by conforming to the requirements in the Factory Audits and Testing services and is ready for retail. The exclusive agreement with Bureau Veritas brings global scale and reach to the scheme thanks to Bureau Veritas' leadership position within the retail / consumer goods marketplace with test labs and auditors worldwide.
Bureau Veritas will be providing the services of Factory Audits, Retail Surveillance and Information Managment to companies making or selling products with the Egyptian Cotton Logo.
Mark Agius, Senior Vice President for Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services in Europe, Middle East & Africa commented, "This exclusive partnership with CEA for the next five-years takes our support for producers and buyers of Egyptian Cotton to the next level, enabling retailers, brands and their supply chain to easily access this scheme."
The ASBCI Spring Conference 2017, titled DOING THE RIGHT THING? Best practice for sustaining our people, planet and profits will take place on 5 April 2017 at the Marriott Hotel in Peterborough, UK. Ten years ago, a leading retailer Marks & Spencer launched its Plan A placing sustainability on top of the global fashion industry agenda.
Since then the majority of big brands and retailers have implemented their own robust ethical and environmental sustainability programmes with the collective objective of protecting people and the planet. The best sustainability practices, processes and products are reducing waste, transport and material costs and boosting brand image, efficiency, customer loyalty and share prices.
The ASBCI sustainability conference has some expert speakers with experience of the most effective and commercial, sustainable initiatives and innovations lined up like Rakesh Vazirani, Director – Product Traceability & Environmental Information Management, TUV, Hong Kong, Keynote speaker Mike Barry, Director Plan A, Marks & Spencer. Prof Tim Cooper, Professor of Sustainable Design and Consumption, Nottingham Trent University, Robin Anson, Editorial Director, Textiles Intelligence, and Graham Burden, Director, Sustainable Textile Solutions.
The second part of the conference, will have Elaine Gardiner, Sustainability Manager, Berghaus, Guido Rimini, Head of Marketing, Apparel Europe, Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel SE & Co., Ross Barry, Lawrence M Barry & Co and finally, Tara Luckman, Fabric & Sustainability Manager, ASOS.COM
The Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry (ASBCI) was formed in 1992, arising from the British Interlining Manufacturers Association. Since 1992, the ASBCI has grown from 20 members to over 100 including some of the most prestigious names within the clothing and textile industry, forming a huge pool of expertise.
The Association organises a series of specialist conferences and seminars throughout the year on various key subjects. The ASBCI is concerned with new technology, new ideas and new care labelling standards; and has an effective representation of members' interests in the UK, European and International standards committees
Caroline Rush CBE, CEO of the British Fashion Council and Professor Christopher Moore, Director of the British School of Fashion, Glasgow Caledonian University launched the British Fashion Council’s British High-End Manufacturers Database. The national database of UK-based manufacturers aims to make it easier for designers to form supply chain relationships and reach production units. The British High-End Manufacturers Database is the first milestone of 2017 for the BFC’s Positive Fashion initiative.
In March 2015 the BFC and a working group comprising of M&S, UKFT, Creative Skillset, The Alliance Project and Centre for Fashion Enterprise worked alongside independent specialists in the sector to launch the High-end and Designer Manufacturing Report. The need for a database of audited UK manufacturers was highlighted as a direct result of this report, for which research was undertaken by Glasgow Caledonian University and Oxford University.
The Database is free to use and will sit as part of the BFC Designer Fact File, a dynamic designer business learning platform providing insights and training across a wide spectrum of topics. The topics covered are tailored to a range of business stages, from start-ups to established brands, and content is provided by leading industry professionals.
Throughout 2017 and beyond the BFC looks to celebrate Positive Fashion best practice in the industry by direct example and through facilitating processes for change. Through the Positive Fashion initiative the BFC hopes to encourage designer businesses to prioritise sustainability and ethical practices. The three key focuses for Positive Fashion in 2017 are Sustainability, Diversity & Industry Education (including model health) and Local Manufacturing and Craftsmanship.
"Textile industry is an integral part of the global economy and the quality of life for citizens. Knowing the crucial impact it has on economy, it makes perfect sense for the government to offer the most lucrative policies towards its growth. Government initiatives are an excellent way to revitalise textile manufacturing, create jobs, promote the purchase and support of domestic textile and apparel products, and protect the livelihood and stability of the industry and economy."
Textile industry is an integral part of the global economy and the quality of life for citizens. Knowing the crucial impact it has on economy, it makes perfect sense for the government to offer the most lucrative policies towards its growth. Government initiatives are an excellent way to revitalise textile manufacturing, create jobs, promote the purchase and support of domestic textile and apparel products, and protect the livelihood and stability of the industry and economy. Here is a look at some of the most lucrative and supportive government initiatives taken across the globe to boost growth of textile industry:
Nigeria
In February 2017, the Nigerian government announced the allocation of $162 million for revitalisation and recovery of domestic textile industry. These funds will be routed towards stimulating growth in the industry, creating jobs, encouraging the purchase of locally-made textiles and clothing, and combating the threats of counterfeit and smuggled textile goods. The allocation will also be used to improve infrastructure, especially access to electricity, which is key for textile manufacturers. It is also expected to help increase cotton production and quality.
India
The New National Textile Policy, announced in 2016 by the NDA government, is a package worth $894 million. This package supports labour reforms in relevant sectors such as yarns, made-ups, and fabrics, and is expected to help the textile industry in India outpace competitors like Bangladesh and Vietnam. It will increase textile exports and is expected to create millions of new jobs. India’s Make in India initiative, which promotes job creation and manufacturing within India, will also help to boost the success and growth of India’s textile industry.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s Third Industrial Master Plan, which will be in effect until 2020, is encouraging the growth of the textile industry. The plan focuses on the growth of industrial and home textiles, functional fabrics, high-end fabrics and garments, and the establishment and improvement of support facilities and services like design houses, fashion centres, and specialised dyeing and finishing facilities.
The USA
Last year, former US President Barack Obama announced the establishment of a new fibres and textiles manufacturing innovation hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and more than $2 billion in manufacturing research and development investments. The Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute is combining $75 billion in federal resources and USD 250 million in non-federal investments to research and produce innovative textiles with novel properties. This initiative is creating textile industry jobs, continuing the promotion of the industry’s recovery from its decline in the 2000s, and promoting domestic textile printing, textile manufacturing, and textile manufacturers.
In recent years, the printing and dyeing sector has been negatively affected by Chinese government's intensified environmental regulation so end-users were burdened with hiking printing and dyeing cost. On the other hand, dope-dyed chemical fibre with its low cost and eco-friendly property has grown rapidly. Dope-dyed virgin PSF, for example, has developed and gained around 15 per cent total capacity of virgin PSF in 2016. And among the non-conventional varieties, the black one takes the lion’s share for around 60-70 per cent. Compared to conventional virgin PSF, this variety has shown good cost advantage. Black virgin PSF basically trended likewise with semi-dull virgin PSF in 2016. However, the price spread between the two sustained high at around 1500-2300yuan/mt. At the same time, black rose 1500yuan/mt or 18 per cent, showing this variety has a better anti-risk ability compared with the cost-sensitive conventional PSF which hiked around 2000yuan/mt or 33 per cent. The fundamental reason for the development of doped dyed virgin PSF is its low cost and eco-friendly properties. Compared to 6000yuan/mt cost of printing and dyeing for conventional spun yarn and grey fabrics, downstream plants will save around 4000yuan/mt using black virgin PSF as the feedstock. Not to mention that their production is free from political influence such as environmental regulation. Thus nowadays, the whole industrial chain from chemical fiber plants, spinners to fabrics plants, all are devoted to proclaiming the dope-dyed product to cater for the idea of environmental protection.
The Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association (PCGA) has submitted budget proposals to the Federal government demanding a bailout-cum-incentive package. This comes as no surprise, since the annual cotton production target has been missed again and the area under cotton has declined sharply by 16 per cent.
Over the last couple of years, Pakistan has seen abysmally low cotton production. At present, cotton arrivals are 10.5 million bales, despite an increase over last year’s 9.7 million bales, it is still short of the initial 14.1 million target that was revised to just 11 million bales later. The textile economy has been suffering from shortage of raw material on top of all its other miseries.
Ginners have demanded a National Cotton Policy though how this would tie into the broader Agriculture Policy that Punjab is currently developing is uncertain. The development of such a policy would be a welcome move though given the country’s track record, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Muslim fashion exporters in Japan are vying to enter the Japanese market for modest clothing despite the relatively small local Muslim population. They believe they can succeed in Japan. As per estimates Muslim population in Japan varies between 70,000 and 150,000 among the country’s total 126 million people. The Japanese fashion market however, is not small and is expected to grow to $72.72 billion by 2020 from $63.72bn last year, indicates data compiler Statista.
According to Japan Muslim Fashion Association (JMFA) president and chief executive Shinichi Orita there is god potential for Muslim fashion exporters in Japan. What makes him optimistic about Muslim fashion is the Japanese government’s ‘Visit Japan Campaign’, and the interest in Japan brought on by the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020; easing of visa regulations for countries with a large Muslim population such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. All this will increase the number of Muslim visitors and, therefore, consumers.
On the other hand, the Dubai-based Islamic Fashion and Design Council is increasingly seeing demand from Japanese consumers for a more modest trend, as its chairwoman, Alia Khan points out. There is a big overlap between modest and Muslim fashion, Khan says.
Hong Kong-based Li & Fung, one of the world’s leading consumer goods design, development, sourcing and logistics has entered into agreements for a new supply chain relationship with PVH Corp. The agreements transform the current non-exclusive buying agency agreement between them into a new strategic partnership under which Li & Fung will provide additional value-added services to PVH. The new agreement will lead to cessation of existing non-exclusive buying agency agreement between them. The transaction is expected to close on July 1, 2017.
The new supply chain relationship is expected to be mutually beneficial and focus on applying latest technology and knowhow into the PVH supply chain. And as Daniel Grieder, CEO Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe said the focus of his company was to create a more effective and efficient supply chain that would enable them to adapt and evolve so that it could stay ahead in the rapidly changing industry. This transformation in the company’s sourcing strategy is an important step to improve speed to market and faster integration of consumer insights into our new collections.
US-based PVH Corp has a diversified portfolio of brands including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Speedo, Warner's and Olga and numerous other owned and licensed brands and markets them globally. PVH has 30,000 associates operating across 40 countries and speaking 20 languages. In 2015, the company generated over $8 billion in revenues.
The Kenyan ministry of Industry and trade says it is enhancing partnerships with local textile and apparel sector in a bid to improve quality of products. The partnership between the government and private sector is aimed at fast-tracking the ‘Buy Kenyan, Build Kenya’ initiative, says C S Adan Mohamed.
In its latest move duties and taxes on apparel, clothing and garments made in Export Processing Zone have been waived. So the products can now be sold in local Kenyan market without VAT and duties. Speaking during a tour of Athi River-based Hela Clothing, Mohamed said they are getting this good news at a time when the global textile and apparel industry is facing tough times due to uncertainties in the global economy.
The $6 million undergarment production facility has so far exported $1.5 million worth of undergarments in six months to US clothing conglomerate Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation through its well known brands such as Calvin Klein and Victoria Secrets. This is the country’s first undergarment production facility which is also aimed at slicing Kenya’s clothing import bill currently at over $815 million. The ministry is gearing up to host a clothing fair from March 29 to 31 at the KICC grounds. The exhibition will showcase high fashion, top quality apparels including trousers, shirts, jeans, jackets and undergarments.
"China is the perfect country for the world’s big sportswear brands with just the right mix of ingredients to fuel businesses in future. For athletic wear companies including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Under Armour, as well as activewear brands such as Lululemon, China offers the perfect market with its 415 million millennials; a booming middle class getting interested in health and fitness; government investment in sports; and a rapidly growing consumer appetite for sportswear—especially foreign brands."
China is the perfect country for the world’s big sportswear brands with just the right mix of ingredients to fuel businesses in future. For athletic wear companies including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Under Armour, as well as activewear brands such as Lululemon, China offers the perfect market with its 415 million millennials; a booming middle class getting interested in health and fitness; government investment in sports; and a rapidly growing consumer appetite for sportswear—especially foreign brands.
The US is still counted as the biggest market for sportswear. But it’s a mature and fiercely competitive one, much like Western Europe. In China, the rising tide is lifting all boats, even with increasing competition in the country’s sportswear sector. And brands have been cashing in. Nike, for instance, recorded growth of about 9.5 per cent last quarter in China. Adidas saw its sales jump 22 per cent in the country through 2016. This is just the start, believes Mark Parker, CEO, Nike. The opportunity is massive in China, according to Nike brand president Trevor Edwards.
Factors driving growth
China has 415 million millennials, according to a 2015 report by Goldman Sachs—exceeding the 350 million or so people who make up the entire working populations of the US and Western Europe combined. China has the world’s largest middle class, and it’s still growing. Goldman Sachs estimates that the country’s aggregate income will grow by around $3 trillion in the next decade.
China’s millennial generation is different from the one that preceded it. It’s more globally connected because of technology, and has a strong consumer appetite, matched by rising purchasing power. Aided by economic development, there has been a substantial growth in new activities, especially sports. Gym membership in China has doubled since 2008, reveal figures from China Business Research Academy reported by (paywall) the Financial Times. And the number of marathons taking place in the country has grown six-fold over the past five years.
In order to become a global soccer superpower, China’s government has pledged to have more than 70,000 soccer pitches ready across the country by 2020. To accomplish the goal, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced plans to expand the country’s ‘sport economy’ to $850 billion by 2025, which would make it the world’s largest. The Chinese Government’s push for sports isn’t just about bragging rights. To reduce rising rates of health problems such as obesity and diabetes, it has also urged citizens to be more physically active. The country launched a national fitness plan through 2020 that will involve significant investment in sport and fitness facilities.
Growing expanse of activewear
Euromonitor figures show last year, sales of sportswear jumped 11 per cent in China, while overall apparel sales rose just 5 per cent. Like countless shoppers around the US and Europe, Chinese consumers are developing a taste for activewear as everyday clothing. Colin Currie, Adidas’s MD for Greater China, says that consumers want a versatile piece of footwear, or they want apparel they can do sports in but also go to social occasions in. looking at the growing potential, Euromonitor estimates that China’s market for sportswear will surpass that for luxury goods by 2020.
Mid-market brands, such as China’s homegrown sports label Anta, could be the biggest beneficiaries of the new Chinese athleticism, since foreign brands such as Adidas and Nike are seen as fashion products as much as fitness ones. But Chinese shoppers also want the brand prestige and perceived quality of foreign labels, which gives companies such as Nike and Adidas an advantage over domestic rivals. Those two companies are actually China’s top sportswear brands by market share.
