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Uganda’s cotton has found favor with textile importers in Germany, Denmark and other European countries. Despite the unpredictable weather conditions that keep affecting yields, cotton prices have been on rise in Uganda. Increase in prices and the introduction of fast-yielding cotton variety, which takes four months as opposed to about seven earlier, is encouraging farmers to grow cotton.
Uganda's Vision 2040 highlights the importance of manufacturing and value addition in enabling the development of an export-led and an internationally competitive economy, which is able to spur growth. Almost 90 per cent of Uganda’s cotton is exported. Cotton production in Uganda is entirely rain-fed. The soil is highly fertile and therefore no fertilisers are used. Pest management is reliant on predatory black ants which are highly effective against most of the cotton pests. Pesticides, if applied, do not exceed two sprays on an average.
Uganda is the only country in the world that grows one variety of cotton, the long-stapled Bukalasa Pedigree Albar. The focus on one type ensures uniformity and easier quality control measures in producing lint and yarn. Currently, cotton is cultivated in about 1, 00,000 hectares.
In Uganda clothing and apparel manufacturing is still minimal and large quantities of fabrics and garments are imported.
Mother of Pearl, the sportswear-inspired brand founded in 2002 and Palmer Harding, the men’s and women’s shirt label founded in 2012 are the proud recipients of BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund 2017. For the first time in the history of this prestigious Fashion Fund, which awards £200,000 and provides mentoring to up to three British-based emerging designers with the potential for becoming global fashion forces, there are two recipients. Keeping in mind the adverse effects of Brexit, The organisation decided to ‘spread the benefit’ of the prize to two labels this year. Though this split is not something very new, the American counterpart of the benefit, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has also done something like this, when it had three recipients, instead of two.
The fund aims to support British designers and businesses from start-ups to established brands with a focus on providing key expertise, and as a result has chosen to open up the prize money to be shared between up to three recipients, enabling the fund to benefit multiple designers at pivotal stages of growth and development.
Alexandra Shulman, Editor, British Vogue, has informed that the two recipients Mother of Pearl and Palmer Harding are very different in terms of the clothes they offer and the way they operate. But both these brands was able to convince the jury that they will be backing brands with strong potential who understood how they could grow and who had and exciting vision.
Tommaso Bruso has been appointed the new chief operating officer at Benetton. His task is to revamp Benetton’s labels and the group's franchising network. Bruso is currently in charge of the US unit of Italian clothing group Diesel. Before that he was Italian handbag brand Furla’s CEO for North America.
Benetton, based in Italy, saw a 1.2 per cent drop in 2015 sales. Famous in 1980s and 1990s for its colorful jumpers and controversial ad campaigns, Benetton failed to keep up with the rapid expansion of trendier rivals such as Zara, which woos clients with fast-changing, affordable collections inspired by catwalk fashion.
The company, which has 5,000 stores around the world, has embarked on a restructuring plan aimed at cutting down losses and retaking its place among the forefront of fashion brands.
India is Benetton’s biggest market outside Italy. The brand caters to the 18 to 35 age group but it also has different segments like young and trendy, young professionals, thriving middle class and loyalists between 35 and 45 years. As a brand, Benetton considers factors like environment and social responsibility very important. It aims to mobilise people to think, talk and act in ways that support the empowerment of women.
Bangladesh’s export earnings grew 3.97 per cent year-on-year from July to March period of current fiscal year. Garment shipments, which contribute nearly 82 per cent to total national exports, increased 2.39 per cent during July-March compared to the same period a year ago.
However, earnings from garment exports were 5.98 per cent lower than the July-March target. Apparel shipment went down due to various factors. Though the UK is the third largest export destination for Bangladesh, exports began declining because of Brexit. Garment shipments to the UK fell 5.19 per cent in the first half of fiscal 2016-17.
Similarly, apparel exports to the US, the single largest export destination for Bangladesh, declined because of a volatile economy after national elections. Jute and jute goods performed well in the July-March period, as exports grew 13.94 per cent. Shipments of leather and leather goods were up 8.41 per cent year-on-year. Furniture exports rose 18.21 per cent and pharmaceuticals 9.44 per cent.
Shipment of home textiles increased 4.68 per cent and plastic products 36.76 per cent, riding on the back of a ten per cent cash incentive on shipments.
"Gauging development trends of digital printing ink and nozzle helps end-users to seize the initiative. In view of this, there will be a number of sharing sessions on different themes at the oncoming Shanghai International Digital Printing Industry Exhibition from April 19 to 21. The intent is to have in-depth discussions on the development of digital printing ink and nozzle. In particular, the organizers have invited Dr Tim Philips, MD, IMI Europe, to speak on latest inkjet technology for textile digital printing at the technical lecture area of the exhibition hall on April 20th."
Gauging development trends of digital printing ink and nozzle helps end-users to seize the initiative. In view of this, there will be a number of sharing sessions on different themes at the oncoming Shanghai International Digital Printing Industry Exhibition from April 19 to 21. The intent is to have in-depth discussions on the development of digital printing ink and nozzle. In particular, the organizers have invited Dr Tim Philips, MD, IMI Europe, to speak on latest inkjet technology for textile digital printing at the technical lecture area of the exhibition hall on April 20th.
Discussing the nuances of digital printing
Dr Philips will focus on the world’s leading textile inkjet technology in digital printing and share a new generation of advanced film sprinklers, single pass high-speed printing machines and paint inks. Through technology, we can overcome different challenges in different circumstances. Also on the agenda is a discussion on how to open new opportunities through the technological advances brought by industry leaders.
As founder of Catenary Solutions and Managing Director of IMI Europe, Dr Philips has extensive experience in inkjet integration projects. He has worked at Xennia Technologies for eight years, a leading inkjet solution company acquired by Sensient in 2015. He founded Catenary Solutions in 2015 to bring more digital solution development and marketing knowledge to wider audience. As the managing director of IMI Europe, Dr Philips offers a wide range of courses, including inkjet studios, inkjet ink manufacturing and digital textile printing courses. The forum will be able to convey to the audience the most advanced inkjet technology and digital solutions in TPF2017.
Knowledge sharing on textiles inks
In textile ink usage, printing problem and filtering solution has always plagued users. The reason of the breakdown of textile digital printing is extremely complex, there are ink salting out, hydrolysis, reunion, filter fibre shedding and other conventional problems, and there are issues like compatibility, ink raw materials and other problems, even the inkjet filter selection and the installation are closely related with the print quality. The organizers have thus invited senior sales manager, Mr Chen Xincan in Hangzhou Kebaite Filtering Equipment, to share knowledge about filtering of textile inks with the TPF2017 audience.
At present, paint is the second largest pigment material behind dyes in textile industry. And in textile printing, paint printing has 80 per cent market share globally. In this context, Li Jianfa, International Marketing Director in China of National Glazed Group, will speak on ‘the application and case analysis of paint ink on digital printing.’ He will also share the composition of paint ink, coating process of coating ink and application of coating ink in blended and man-made fibres.
Industry’s authoritative ink and nozzle suppliers will be especially invited to attend the seminar presided over by Dr Philips, and give insights on latest technology. The audience will get the opportunity interact with industry experts and top brands and put forward the problems encountered in application.
Shanghai International Digital Printing Industry Exhibition
The 8th Shanghai International Digital Printing Industry Exhibition, hosted by UBM China and Shanghai Longyang, will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center for three consecutive days from April 19 to 21. The exhibition is expected to attract about 230 exhibitors who will lay out the latest and perfect digital printing machines and matching ink, nozzles, software and so on. Also on the agenda are numerous forums and one to one business negotiations. Wonderful not to be missed!
"Deploying inkjet technology into the textile industry is presenting an increasingly compelling opportunity for the print industry, recent research from Smithers Pira reveals this. Double digit growth across 2016-21 is making digital textile printing one of the most exciting market opportunity in the print and textile supply. It is creating new value-adding business opportunities for fabric printers and material suppliers, as the capabilities of the latest generation of digital textile presses dovetails with evolving priorities for end users, like fashion designers."
Deploying inkjet technology into the textile industry is presenting an increasingly compelling opportunity for the print industry, recent research from Smithers Pira reveals this. Double digit growth across 2016-21 is making digital textile printing one of the most exciting market opportunity in the print and textile supply. It is creating new value-adding business opportunities for fabric printers and material suppliers, as the capabilities of the latest generation of digital textile presses dovetails with evolving priorities for end users, like fashion designers.
A booming market
Exclusive data from the new Smithers Pira shows that in 2016 only 2.9 per cent of the overall market volume for printed textiles – 30 billion mt. sq. – is produced on such equipment. Digital print’s share has been increasing rapidly across this decade, however, with total volume rising from 461 million mt. sq. in 2012 to 870 million mt. sq. in 2016. This will push through the 1 billion mark in 2017, and in 2021 will constitute 1.95 billion mt. sq. of fabric – more than four times the volume in 2012.
This rapid expansion is translating into rising revenues – from €592 million in 2012 to €1.17 billion in 2016. Smithers Pira’s extensive research and analysis forecasts that this will grow at a year on year rate of 15.7 per cent for the next five years, reaching €2.42 billion in 2021. This is in contrast to the average growth for all printed textiles – which remains principally on screen presses – of around 3 per cent.
With double-digit annual growth across the board, major printhead developers, ink formulators and press builders are increasingly looking to capitalise on this market. This is especially true as some conventional analogue markets record static or even declining revenues through to the end of the decade. This is simultaneously fuelling both business consolidation and technology evolution. As this occurs, it is having an increasing impact on the global textile supply chain and ordering models.
With conventional markets under threat global print firms are seeing digital textile print as an attractive location to invest in. One strategic means to do this is through acquisition of smaller specialist technology developers. These are typically based in the Como region of Italy, which has developed this expertise to meet the demands of fashion industry centred on nearby Milan. US-based EFI made its own acquisition in July 2015, buying up Bergamo-based Reggiani. The first fruit of this – a joint-engineered printer – was shown in June at Drupa 2016.
Fashion industry trends
As in other print segments digital’s potential is founded on its ability to produce single, short and custom runs more economically and with a much faster turnaround than conventional screen printers. These advantages are important in signage – where digital print penetration is deepest – and fashion. Haute couture and high street fashion demand for digital print is worth €190 million in 2016 and will exceed €420 million in 2021. This is being aided by the fashion industry’s shift towards multiple mini-seasons within one traditional season. This favours digital as it translates into more new designs, and multiple repeat runs of short orders. This customisation potential is now being seen in the home décor segment with bespoke interior furnishings.
Another means to produce unique designs for a customer, is to overprint details onto screen printed textile stock. The need for quick turnaround on such orders also favours relocating textile print to areas like Europe, from lower labour cost regions like the Indian sub-continent. This so-called ‘reshoring’ trend further helped by the current political instability in Turkey, has developed its own regional hub feeding European demand. Sportswear is another key segment that is growing strongly, helped by an increasing interest in high-grade athletic wear from amateur sportsmen and sportswomen, such as cyclists.
Sustainability to the fore
A final motivator for the brands using digital print is the process’s superior environmental profile. Inkjet jobs can consume as little as 20 litres of water per kg of printed substrate – for cotton this can be as much as 10,000 litres per kg, a factor of 10 is the difference quoted most often. Furthermore, polyester and polyester blends used in many digital textile applications are recyclable. Advocates in this area are now coalescing into organisations like the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), and the Textiles 3.0 consortium.
The corpus fund for yarn banks in Surat has been increased to Rs 2 crore and bank guarantee reduced from 50 per cent to 25 per cent. This means power loom weavers will be able to procure yarn at concessional rates. Yarn is the raw material for the polyester fabric.
Surat has two such yarn banks. Surat is India’s largest manmade fabric center and has around 5.5 lakh power loom machines which produce three crore meters of fabrics a day and employ around seven lakh workers.
The yarn banks provide an opportunity to weavers to arrest price fluctuations and check the presence of middlemen. The yarn banks allow weavers to procure yarn on credit and repay the amount in installments. The yarn banks get yarn samples from around the world and store them. Domestic industry can get access to yarn samples of global standards and do further research and come out with innovative products.
These banks were started with an initial corpus fund of Rs 1 crore for purchasing yarn from the open market and selling at concessional rates. Since the corpus fund at the yarn banks has been increased from Rs1 crore to Rs 2 crores, they will be able to cater to 200 weavers, while earlier it was only around a 100 weavers.
Vietnam will gain a lot from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The country's garment and textile sectors will benefit in terms of cost, market scale, and material supply. And, they will not have to bear many trade barriers. The RCEP covers 16 countries, including 10 members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations and their regional trading partners of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
When participating in RCEP, Vietnam will have a strategic market in Asia with three major benefits. The first, lower transportation fees due to geographical proximity. Second, RCEP market will help Vietnamese firms with raw material supplies. Third, cultural similarities among Asian countries will help RCEP negotiations and the signing processes will take place faster.
Vietnamese garment and textile exports are expected to grow 13 to 14 per cent in 2017 compared to 9.2 per cent in 2016. The industry is working on providing products with more competitive prices, higher quality, and shorter delivery times. In the first quarter of 2017, Vietnam earned $5.6 billion from garment and textile exports, up 10.2 per cent year-on-year, while spending on fabric imports was up 5.5 per cent.
Ralph Lauren is cutting jobs and closing stores. The luxury retailer is moving its e-commerce business to a cheaper and more efficient cloud platform. It plans to integrate its products from the Fifth Avenue store into the Ralph Lauren men’s and women’s flagship stores on Madison Avenue and other downtown locations.
Ralph Lauren, like other luxury brands, has been struggling as Americans spend less on apparel and accessories, resulting in falling sales in the last seven quarters. The company’s margins have also taken a knock as department stores discount heavily to get rid of excess inventory.
Ralph Lauren’s lower-end Polo and Lauren brands are facing competition from fast-fashion retailers such as H&M and Inditex’s Zara. Ralph Lauren expects to incur about $370 million in charges and save about $140 million from the new measures, which are part of a cost-cutting plan.
Fashion brand Ralph Lauren, that opened in 1967, is named after its founder. Ralph Lauren has also decided to stop working with the less profitable multi-brand stores: between 20 and 25 per cent of the label’s wholesale clients will not be served any longer. Apart from Polo, Ralph Lauren owns brands such as Chaps and Club Monaco.
World cotton production is forecast to grow by one per cent in 2017-18. Global consumption may recover by one per cent as cotton prices decrease. Cotton production in India is projected to grow by two per cent. World cotton mill use is expected to remain unchanged due largely to weak global economic growth and competition from polyester.
In China, after several seasons of decline, mill use is projected to rise by two per cent in 2016-17 and by one per cent in 2017-18. The gap between China’s domestic cotton prices and international cotton prices has decreased, making yarn imports less attractive than in recent seasons. In India, after declining by three per cent in 2016-17 due to high domestic and international cotton prices, mill use is projected to recover by one per cent in 2017-18.
During the first seven months of 2016-17, China’s cotton imports were up six per cent from the last season during the same time period. China’s total volume of imports is expected to rise by two per cent in 2016-17. Imports by Bangladesh are expected to rise by six per cent and Vietnam’s imports are projected to grow by 17 per cent in 2016-17. India’s exports are projected to decline by 23 per cent in 2016-17.
