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"Shanghai is ready to host the 2017 edition of Yarn Expo Spring from tomorrow. Expanding by nearly 20 per cent this year, the fair will occupy the entire hall 5.1 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) to host over 390 suppliers from 12 countries and regions including China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Slovakia, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam."
Shanghai is ready to host the 2017 edition of Yarn Expo Spring from tomorrow. Expanding by nearly 20 per cent this year, the fair will occupy the entire hall 5.1 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) to host over 390 suppliers from 12 countries and regions including China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Slovakia, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Yarn Expo Spring will showcase some of the world’s highest quality yarn and fibre products, such as natural and blended yarns including cotton, wool, flax/ regenerated flax, silk, and man-made fibres and yarns, as well as specialty products including elastic, and fancy and blended yarns.
An all-encompassing product line-up awaits trade buyers
This year, the fair will once again cover a comprehensive range of high-quality sourcing options to accommodate the changing needs of the market. The overseas exhibitor line-up remains strong with 90 international suppliers taking part. While the India Pavilion, Pakistan Zone as well as leading exhibitors from Uzbekistan and Vietnam will showcase competitive cotton yarns, elastic yarns and eco-products, exhibitors from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Slovakia and Thailand will impress buyers by exhibiting a series of cutting-edge fancy yarns, and synthetic, knitting and metallic fibres and yarns. What’s more, Birla Planet is returning to the fair to demonstrate its popular Birla Spunshades, Birla Micro-Viscose and Birla Micro Modal products.
The fair’s domestic offerings are not to be missed either. Over 300 of China’s domestic exhibitors will be showcasing in six display zones – Fancy Yarn Zone, Natural Cotton Yarn Zone, Colourful Chemical Zone, Quality Wool Zone, Green Linen Zone and e-Commerce Zone –revealing a wide range of innovative yarns and fibres, such as nylon, viscose filament, renewable & recycled fibres and much more. Other than selling and sourcing, all fairgoers can also gain inspiration and learn the latest market insights from the Shenghong China Fibre Trend Area 2017-18 in the Colourful Chemical Zone, as well as from a series of informative seminar sessions.
Concurrent shows
Together with Yarn Expo Spring 2017, four other textile trade fairs are held concurrently from 15 – 17 March in the same venue: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, PH Value and the China International Fashion Fair (CHIC). Yarn Expo Spring is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK); The Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; China Cotton Textile Association; China Wool Textile Association; China Chemical Fiber Association; China Bast & Leaf Fibres Textiles Association; and China Textile Information Centre.
Heimtextil has started preparations for next trade fair to be held from January 9 to 12, 2018. Trend researchers from Denmark, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands and US discussed current trends in interior design, architecture, fashion and art.
Given that participants come from different continents, the team at Heimtextil draws from a comprehensive pool of inspiration. Designers analyse developments in materials and textures, colors and patterns from all corners of the world and determine the stylistic design themes. At the end of the process, a mutual, globally applicable trend prognosis for the coming 18 months will be agreed upon and presented.
A team from Denmark will be involved in the development of Heimtextil trends for the first time. SPOTT aims at the individual development of brands and combines trend research with neuroscience and commercial expertise. A team from the Netherlands focuses on textile innovations, predictions, color trends and strategic design concepts. WGSN from the US is one of the leading international trend studios for color and design. Via a global network of design consultants and color specialists, the company creates trend statements, quantifiable forecasts, outlooks and product data as well as reliable color trends.
British design studio Franklin Till comprises trend researchers, designers and stylists as well as a broad-ranging international network of creatives and visionaries.
The US Alpaca Fiber Council (USAFC) assists US manufacturers in production, promotion, and marketing of alpaca fiber. Since the US first commercially imported alpacas in 1984, the primary focus of the individual alpaca breeder has been to produce offspring with the finest, softest, most lustrous fleece. This concept has produced a national herd of superior fleece that is able to compete in the global market. Today the alpaca industry is moving forward to produce products that will be commonly found in homes across the United States and abroad.
USAFC, which aims to develop a sustainable and efficient US alpaca supply chain, was formed to bridge the gap between expectations of manufacturers and needs of the alpaca community. The council consists of artisan and commercial mills, agricultural cooperatives and alpaca industry experts that are qualified to support manufacturers with their alpaca product initiatives.
The mission of USAFC is to build an efficient communication infrastructure bridging the gap between US alpaca growers and US manufacturers by educating growers on profitability, sustainability and best harvest practices. Benefits to manufacturing will include sourcing, pricing, quality assurance and market analysis. The council aims to create a focal point where US growers and manufacturers can develop strategies to address technology, market access and quality.
During February, Vietnam Customs recorded imports of raw cotton to the tune of 118,446 tonnes, of which 88,370 were attributed to imports by Foreign Direct Invested (FDI) enterprises. The cumulative total for the first two months of the calendar year thus amounted to 212,335 tonnes, versus a revised 169,545 tonnes during the same period a year earlier, while imports during the international cotton season (commencing August 1) amounted to 639,227 tonnes (the unrevised sum of the monthly totals), against 561,860 in 2015/16. The latter comparison represents a year-on-year gain of 9.5 percent, on the back of a gain of almost 28 percent the year before. So far this season, the share of imports taken by US cotton has amounted to 59 percent, which is substantially more than double the proportion recorded in the comparable period during either of the two preceding season.
The 2017 Trade Policy Agenda unveiled by the Trump administration indicates that it is not going to be easy for India to do business with the Trump regime. The serious troubles lie ahead on trade and investment fronts. This document ominously states that the US will come down on India’s export subsidy programmes, and push for a stricter regime for intellectual property rights and patents. The Trump team’s first report — 2017 Trade Policy Agenda and 2016 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program — released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative categorically states that India’s “import restricting measures” result in “serious market access issues” for the US industry. The document sees a general trend of tariff increases in India, which reflects an active pursuit of import substitution policies. The March 2 document states that the US will engage India bilaterally to commit to a phase-out of its export The report also states that India’s trade and regulatory policies have “inhibited” the real growth potential of the bilateral trade that rose to $109 billion in 2015 from $4.8 billion in 1980. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, it says, could provide an impetus to the creation of a “common internal market that significantly lowers transaction costs.” While agreeing that India’s reforms on IPR are encouraging, the document says India’s new National Intellectual Property Rights Policy should protect US innovations. As per sources, the US will “come down heavily” on India and other countries with which it has trade surplus. The US has registered its biggest monthly trade deficit in nearly five years of $48.5 billion.
Textile and garment workers and allied sectors affiliated with IndustriALL Global Union participated in a three day collective bargaining and negotiation training course from 3 to 5 March 2017 at Antipolo City. Supported by Japanese union UA Zensen and in cooperation with IndustriALL Philippines, the training aimed to equip skills and enhance the capacity of plant level union officers to negotiate for better working conditions. Twenty five local union officers and shop stewards were equipped with negotiation skills and collective bargaining strategies and techniques. Participants expressed the view that in challenging times where trade union and collective bargaining rights are under attack by corporate globalization, new approaches to collective bargaining are needed, and it is necessary for trade unionists to acquire adequate skills and innovative negotiation strategies. Union density and collective bargaining coverage are low in the Philippines, leading unions to look at different types of collective bargaining so that more workers can be covered by collective agreements. “Real changes happened in our workplace. In the past almost all workers were covered by our collective bargaining agreement, but today contractual workers outnumber regular workers, and those contractual workers are excluded from our collective bargaining agreement”, said Roland Vicencio, a union officer from Frankhaus International Corp. “Now that we are aware that this situation will eventually lead to the loss of our bargaining power and weaken the union, it is a challenge for the union to exert our collective effort to negotiate for inclusive provision of all workers regardless of their status,” he added.
Vietnam’s exports to the United States might be impacted at least in the short term if America implements its border adjustment tax (BAT) as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to revise tax policy, a macroeconomic report said.
The BAT, if implemented, would cause significant disadvantages for countries exporting goods to the U.S., including Vietnam, said the report, which was prepared and distributed by MarketIntello and the Development and Policies Research Center (DEPOCEN).
America is Vietnam’s biggest market, the report said. It quoted figures of Vietnam’s General Department of Customs as saying that shipments to America made up nearly 22% of Vietnam’s total exports last year, the highest in more than 10 years.
Statistics of the department showed Vietnam’s export revenue amounted to US$176.63 billion last year, up 9% over 2015, and enjoyed a trade surplus of over US$2.52 billion. Vietnam got US$38.46 billion from export sales to America, leaping 14.9% year-on-year; followed by the European Union (EU) with US$33.97 billion.
The report pointed out effects of the BAT on Vietnamese exports would rely on a number of factors. It said given declining domestic demand, Vietnam’s economic growth this year should depend heavily on international trade.
The report said that with a share of about 42%, apparel and footwear were the most important goods Vietnam exported stateside, followed by mobile phones and accessories with a share of 11% and wooden products with 7%.
“These products are inputs for industries that are most affected by a BAT by strongly relying on imports. Generally, it will strongly depend on the substitutability of imported and U.S. domestic products as well as how U.S. consumers will react to increasing prices of imported goods,” the report said.
The report noted for Vietnam’s top export earners, products such as garments and electronic products could hardly be substituted by U.S. home products. “As a consequence, it can be expected that importing companies such as retail giant Walmart will pass on increasing prices to consumers and, thereby, rising inflation. Consumer reaction then will determine the change to import demand and, hence, Vietnamese exports in the short-run,” the report said.
To deal with the BAT, exporting countries are expected to use monetary policy to weaken their currencies against the U.S. dollar to maintain the competitiveness of their exports as a counter-measure to the 20% border tax.
The Vietnam dong is projected to fall 1.5-2% against the dollar owing to Vietnam’s stable trade balance, positive capital account and higher foreign exchange reserves. However, the report said it is difficult to predict the movement of the dong/dollar exchange rate in 2017 now since it is heavily dependent on U.S. economic policies during Trump’s presidency.
India has long been a creator and manufacturer of high fashion for Western designers and brands such as Dries van Noten and Christian Louboutin. Now, the country’s homegrown talent is hitting the global stage and will be on show in Hong Kong during the first edition of ICE (Indian Couture Experience) on March 18. The one-day event was conceived and is being curated by Ankita Sareen Batra, a former model and managing partner of Delhi-based creative agency Green Room Creative. ICE, which will be held at a showroom in Kennedy Town, will feature a range of labels, from bridal and ready-to-wear designers to accessories brands – a mix of high-profile names favoured by Bollywood actresses to rising stars in the fashion world. Headliners at the event include designer Nikhil Thampi – a favourite of stars such as Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra – who is known for his glamorous red-carpet gowns, body-conscious dresses and chic jumpsuits.
The ministry of textiles and jute (MoTJ) has sought a fresh allocation of over Tk 3.55 billion from the government for the state-run Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC), officials said. The amount of money will be spent on jute procurement by BJMC and payment of its different dues Earlier, the government released had released Tk 4.60 billion in favour of BJMC. Besides, it also released Tk 2.70 billion to help the state-run entity in purchasing raw jute and paying gratuity and wages to its employees recently. It is very difficult for cash-strapped BJMC to operate jute mills even after payment of its all dues. The corporation has set target to procure 2.57 million bales of raw jute in the current fiscal year (FY) 2016-17. An amount of Tk 12 billion will be required to meet the procurement target, according to the data available with BJMC. At present, BJMC is the biggest employer in the industrial sector of the country. It provides direct jobs to about 70,000 workers as well as 5,500 officers and employees supporting the livelihood of around 6.0 million farm families. More than 50 million people are directly or indirectly involved with jute and jute industry. The state-run entity is operating 26 mills, including three non-jute industries. There are seven mills in Dhaka zone, ten in Chittagong and nine in Khulna.
Cotton farmers in Zimbabwe have expressed displeasure with the poor and inadequate input package being provided. The farmers say there has been a continuous disregard of their concerns by some companies and in turn they have approached government for help. Such claims also give credence to assertions by analysts that some private companies are not providing adequate inputs just to warrant their presence at buying points. The cotton sector, which supports about 400 000 households, had virtually collapsed with production declining to record lows at 30 000 tonnes last season, the lowest since 1992. This season, the government came up with a $50 million inputs package but fears are growing that it could lose the bulk of the contracted crop through side marketing. Based on distributed seeds, the minimum crop size would be around 110 000 tonnes. Already, there are growing concerns that some private companies might have overstated cotton inputs they gave to farmers to obtain buying licenses during the selling season.
