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An American company Rothy’s has developed a method to make shoes using recycled plastic bottles. Rothy’s is into footwear and apparel. These shoes, made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) filament fiber, are fully recyclable. They won’t end up in a landfill. They can be sent directly back to the company, which has established a recycling program to eliminate improper disposal and needless waste.
Researchers have also discovered a way to make Bulk Continuous Filament (BCF yarn) from recycled PET bottles. Billions and billions of discarded plastic bottles every year, and here’s textile technology to the rescue. This technology allows for the production of distinct BCF yarns with high efficiency, excellent process stability and low transformation costs, fulfilling market requirements when using 100 per cent recycled PET flakes or mixtures of flakes with other material.
Using PET fibers for making carpets has a number of advantages including high stain resistance and an easier spin and dye process. Recycling of PET waste and the issue of sustainability in the textile industry have become of increasing concern around the world for both environmental and monetary reasons. Recovered secondary raw material, such as PET bottle flakes, has become an increasingly popular trend in both the global plastic industry and the fiber and textile industry.
An American company Bolt Treads is launching neckties made of spider silk. Bolt Threads was founded in 2009 out of a curiosity about natural spider silk and the idea of engineering novel protein materials. Through its proprietary technology, the company has developed a way to closely mimic silk created in nature for mass commercial production, pioneering more sustainable and non-toxic processes for textile manufacturing.
The unisex tie is 100 per cent spider silk made by humans. It is the culmination of seven years and over 200 person-years of research and design, and embodies the company's mission to produce sustainable performance fabrics for commercial use.
Spider silk’s qualities are nearly mythical. Its tensile strength is comparable to steel’s. Yet it is lighter and can be as stretchy as a rubber band. A real spider generates silk in specialized glands in its abdomen, and creates the silk strands using a spinning organ called a spinneret. Synthetic spider silk could be used for everything from automobile parts to medical devices to performance outdoor gear.
Bolt Threads, a biotechnology company, is creating the next generation of performance fibers and fabrics using proprietary breakthroughs in industrial biotechnology. Working at the molecular level, Bolt Threads will transform the textiles market, turning renewable raw materials into products with outstanding properties that meet specific consumer needs.
The global lingerie market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2 per cent from 2016 to 2024. Women over the years have become conscious about wearing the correct lingerie with their attire and about wearing lingerie of specific brands and styles.
The market is segmented into bras, panties, lounge wear, shape wear and others, which includes baby doll, corsets, chemises and camisoles. But bras dominate global lingerie market as it is a fashion accessory and also a daily necessity for every woman across the globe.
Skin rashes or other issues can occur if high quality fiber or cloth is not used. Large companies and brands take their time in selecting the material and elastics. High costs associated with the advertising are also hindering the development of the global lingerie market.
Europe lead global lingerie market in 2015. Asia Pacific with a growing population and the presence of emerging countries like India and China is expected to drive the market and create a positive impact on the demand for lingerie during the forecast period. >Key players operating in the global lingerie market are Jockey, Hanes, LVMH, L Brands, MAS Holdings, Ann Summers, Marks and Spencer, PVH.
Sri Lankan exporters want tax exemptions. They feel the country can be a sourcing hub much like Hong Kong and they can specialize in value additions in terms of products and styles. Sri Lanka is not very competitive when it comes to apparel exports. Bangladesh has the advantage of cheap labor and so can be more competitive. Lanka can however capitalize on being internationally recognized in terms of quality and delivery. So modernization and industrialization in technology and machinery could help. Incorporation of new technologies will result in efficiency, help existing workers be more productive and break the monotonous nature of their jobs.
Sri Lanka feels apparel exports are no longer viable and that it is time to look at other growth areas that promise better returns. The country is looking at production of electronic items such as mobile phone accessories and robotic machine spares since China has decided to use around 4,000 robotic machines for production.
Another profitable area would be parts of electronic and electrical goods and other modern equipment which are needed by Japan and which are manufactured in countries such as Thailand. With this in view, the country is planning to introduce technology in schools soon.
Pakistan’s new textile policy doesn’t seem to have helped the industry. One is the looming competition from Chinese textiles. China is heavily investing in textile manufacturing facilities in provinces bordering the South Asian nation. Pakistani markets are already awash with low cost Chinese products. Pakistan fears a similar influx of goods under China’s transit trade.
Then there is the issue of high energy prices. Energy is an important element of the cost of production, particularly for spinning, weaving and processing. The industry feels its availability at regionally competitive prices is important. Textile exports contribute around 60 per cent to Pakistan’s total exports, which are already on the declining trend owing to a host of factors, including high production costs and lack of incentives.
Pakistan aims to export $35 billion worth of textile products by 2018. And for this the government has given exporters Rs 180 billion incentive package. Top five textile sectors have been given a zero-rated sales tax regime. Sales tax and customs duty on imports of textile machinery and cotton have been abolished. A number of projects of power generation through hydel, coal, solar, wind, and other resources have been initiated.
A network of roads, highways and motorways is being laid to integrate different regions of the country.
Spinexpo will take place in France from July 3 to 5, 2017. This is an exhibition for fibers, yarns, knitwear, knitted fabrics and creative machinery. The event will present collections from leading spinning mills and knitwear manufacturers addressing the active, knitwear, weaving, embroidery and lace sectors as well as any other outlet using yarns.
Spinexpo is a professional trade exhibition dedicated to promoting innovation in yarns for flat-bed knits, circular knits and weaving, as well as knitwear. For the latest edition, the show will present Spring/Summer 2017-18 trends from where designers and manufacturers can draw ideas and inspirations for their next collections. The exhibition will also feature seminar program and some valuable market analysis as well as latest exhibits by leading companies and brands.
In response to increasing demand from buyers for reliable and high performance products, the exhibition is focused on bringing suppliers closer to their consumers. The goal of the upcoming event is to bring together spinners and knitwear manufacturers, who invest in innovation and have become the most effective suppliers of US and EU brands, to Paris.
Leading mills in spinning and knitwear manufacturing will be present. Among the exhibitors will are leading spinning specialist Consinee Group and a knitwear manufacturer Hong Kong Sales.
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan will allot a bigger area for cotton in the forthcoming season. Acreage under the crop may see a jump of about 20 to 25 per cent over last year’s 11.96 lakh hectares.
Growers are attracted by the high cotton prices, and they are switching back to the fiber crop from other cereals like paddy. Cotton yielded better returns in 2016-17 compared with other competing crops. Cotton is a cash crop and fetched a good price this year. Also, weather forecast of an El Nino impact — adverse for paddy — will make cotton a safer choice.
Cotton planting for kharif 2017 is set to begin by mid-April .Farmers expect one spell of rains to be sufficient for the initial sowing. Cotton acreage in Punjab may witness a sharp surge of about 60 per cent from the current 2.5 lakh hectares.
North India’s cottonseed market is likely to expand this year to around 65 lakh packets of 450 grams each from last year’s 50 lakh packets. Last year, cotton acreage had drastically dropped in the north, mainly in Punjab, as farmers suffered significant losses on account of crop damage inflicted by pest attacks, mainly the whitefly. Also, farmers moved away from Bt hybrids in several areas.
Dutch retailer C&A is expanding its clothing recycling program ‘We Take it Back’ to Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. As s part of this program, C&A offers customers the chance to return unwanted clothes at 121 C&A stores. In return, customers gain a 15 per cent discount on future purchase. C&A reports the recycling program has been a great success, as C&A has collected over 2,78,000 kilos of clothing in collaboration with recycling company I:CO, in the last five years.
Jeffrey Hogue, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at C&A, exults, “Our approach is grounded in the idea that we must shift our industry from a model of ‘make, use and dispose’ to one where every apparel product is designed for its next life. The transition to a fully circular apparel industry will be challenging and will require time and a holistic systems approach. Important steps on this journey are the development of an effective collection and sorting system around the globe, the support of innovative start-ups, the development of new cycling technologies and the use of recycled materials in our clothing.”
Currently, about 60 per cent of the clothing and shoes collected by C&A is reused. A large part of the 40 per cent is recycled into new products. The C&A recycling initiative was launched in 2012 in the Netherlands. By 2020, C&A plans to offer the recycling program in all its 18 European retail countries including Brazil, Mexico and China.
US-based Talon International, Inc, a leading global supplier of zippers, apparel fasteners, trim and stretch technology products, will hold an exhibit featuring the rarest vintage Talon zippers, some of the hottest new garments using Talon zippers, and the World Records Longest Zipper in Los Angeles on March 24. Talon is a supplier of zippers, apparel fasteners, trim and stretch technology products. These are used in areas like specialty waistbands, shirt collars. Talon offers a full range of zippers for use in a wide variety of applications including ready-to-wear, outerwear, footwear, children’s apparel, performance gear, backpacks, handbags, luggage.
The zippers are made with metal, coil and molded plastic, and are available in a variety of specialty finishes and configurations. Talon is known for having built the world’s longest zipper, 3.1 miles long. Talon zippers are available in hundreds of standard colors, styles and finishes. It offers custom dye-to-match tapes and zippers to match the color of any sample or electronic data file.
Zipper sliders are available in numerous styles including short and long tabs, double tabs, single and dual functioning. It has offices and facilities throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
The company caters to manufacturers of fashion apparel, specialty retailers, mass merchandisers, brand licensees and major retailers worldwide.
Some of the brands it supplies to are VF Corporation, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kohl's, JC Penney, Victoria's Secret, Wal-Mart, Phillips-Van Heusen, Levi Strauss.
PVH is buying True an intimate apparel e-commerce retailer. PVH owns, designs, sources and markets a selection of world-renowned brands in the dress shirts, sportswear, neckwear, footwear, and accessories categories. The acquisition will enable PVH to participate in the fast growing online channel and provides a platform to increase innovation, data driven-decisions and speed in the way it serves its consumers across channels.
True was founded five years ago to change the way women shop for intimate apparel. True was started with the goal of empowering a woman to understand what flatters her specific shape best. It is a company that fits women into their bra with a fit quiz. So there are no fitting rooms, no measuring tapes.
It uses a proprietary fit quiz to recommend bras and other intimates that will best fit the responding consumer. The online quiz asks things like: How old is your bra? How do you feel about padding? Are you right- or left-breasted? Do your shoulder straps dig in? What’s your dress size?
Leveraging its consumer-centric data for over five million women who have taken its quiz, True enables women to embrace an entirely different and personalized lingerie shop that offers a fun, fashionable and truly intimate experience.
