FW
A few years ago, most of the 2,000 or so villagers in Donggaozhuang, northern China, were struggling to put food on the table by growing wheat and corn. Now, dozens of them are millionaires and more on well on their way of making six-figure fortunes after switching to selling yarn online.
Donggaozhuang’s success story started with the idea of one villager, who set up an e-shop on Taobao, China’s largest online commerce platform, to sell yarn. Things went way better than he had anticipated, and in just three months, he had made a small fortune.
Word of his booming business spread like wildfire around Donggaozhuang, and the village elders soon approached the man, asking him to teach other members of the community how to set up their own online businesses. Since yarn had worked so well for Donggaozhuang’s first online entrepreneur, everyone followed in his footsteps and they all started making money. They started buying wool, turning it into yarn and selling that on Taobao.
But Donggaozhuang isn’t the only rural success story to come out of China. Nanliu, a small village in Shaanxi province, has become known as China’s stock trading village after many local farmers switched to trading stocks online.
Germay will host Fespa from May 8 to 12. This is an event for sign-making, digital, screen, industrial, textile and interior printing industries. There will be a series of seminars delivering key insights and market knowledge.
The seminar program covers a range of topics, focusing on the use of digital, screen and textile print technology in a variety of scenarios. Delegates attending these seminars have exclusive access to specialist learning opportunities, insights and discussions with respected industry figureheads, who will be on hand to provide their knowledge and understanding across a wide portfolio of printing applications.
The seminar program allows industry professionals gain access to and discuss a mix of technical and business knowledge, ensuring individuals have the tools to take their print business to the next level. Covering topics from direct-to-garment and promotional products to industrial inkjet and business solutions, the program is specifically tailored to the needs of attendees, delivering professional insight that can help to shape and transform industry practice moving forward.
Also the best wrappers from around the world will showcase their skills to win the title of world wrap master. The competition will see 36 wrappers battle it out to be crowned European Wrap Master 2017. During the wrap masters final, the wrappers will wrap a speedboat, with the final design being created by the winner of Fespa’s wrap design competition, which is running ahead of the exhibition.
Exporters in Pakistan want refunds to be done urgently. They say the cash flow crunch is causing problems, denting the country’s exports and impairing textile capacity. They stress the need to reform the tax system and make it export and trade friendly. They want gas supply at fair prices.
Other issues include the high cost of doing business, including high withholding and indirect taxes, and a distorted import tariff structure; weak implementation of export promotion measures; lack of coordinated support from formal institutions at federal and provincial levels; the relatively high cost of energy vis-a-vis regional economies; and an exchange rate regime that hurts exporters.
Exporters say an export-oriented industrial policy is needed with a focus on broader institutional support to exporters along with a duty-free regime for inputs and a strategic collaboration between public and private sectors. Small and medium enterprises need to lend financial and technological help with a focus on operational management skills, financial assistance, innovation, and technological upgradation.
The country’s falling competitiveness is also driven by poor trade facilitation, infrastructure gaps, inefficient logistics and poor investment climate. Export competitiveness can be improved by making use of the country’s GSP Plus status and bilateral and regional trade agreements, for example, with China, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh is hoping the US restores the GSP facility and has been making repeated requests for it. But the country has to fulfill conditions including a transparent database, workers’ rights and safety and implementation of labor laws. Bangladesh’s $25 billion garment industry has been facing scrutiny since the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy, in which more than 1,100 people were killed.
The US suspended GSP facility on grounds of factory safety and workers' rights concerns. Against this backdrop, thousands of factories were inspected and dozens closed over safety concerns. Suspension of GSP means enhanced duties on exports of Bangladesh to the US. At present, more than 7,000 factories in Bangladesh are producing goods for the global fashion business. Many of those are small- and medium-sized factories, workers of which indirectly produce goods for foreign brands through larger factories.
The US is the single largest export market for Bangladesh. GSP was established by the US in 1976. The aim is to promote exports of low income countries to industrialized countries in order to support their economic growth and development. The beneficiaries of GSP include all South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Only Bangladesh remains excluded.
Golobal intimates market keeping pace with athleisure trends—and in some cases, the two categories are considered teammates rather than competitors. Millennials are attracted towards ‘bralette’ of late — easy to wear, cost effective and more comfortable. For Pattie Ficorilli, Senior Account Manager, intimate apparel and swim, North America for Invista, the appeal is easy to recognize. They are pretty, lacy and meant to be seen. It’s a different way to think about your intimate apparel that we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s a return to femininity.
Golobal intimates market keeping pace with athleisure trends—and in some cases, the two categories are considered teammates rather than competitors. Millennials are attracted towards ‘bralette’ of late — easy to wear, cost effective and more comfortable. For Pattie Ficorilli, Senior Account Manager, intimate apparel and swim, North America for Invista, the appeal is easy to recognize. They are pretty, lacy and meant to be seen. It’s a different way to think about your intimate apparel that we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s a return to femininity.
For Guido Campello, CEO, Cosabella, comfort is key. To him, bralettes represent a more fundamental change in body image. The surge in interest in bralettes doesn’t seem to be fading. Ficorilli says bralettes are fuelling a larger ‘casual bra’ market, which includes sports bras. These comfortable, less structured garments are taking a cue from the ease we all crave thanks to our activewear-infused closets. In fact, Ficorilli compares athleisure’s influence on intimates to the way foam cup revolutionised the bra market decades ago.
Buzzing innovations
Whether it’s seamless, lace, microfiber or nylon, fibre companies are finding new ways to appeal to crossover crowd by pilling on the performance characteristics. For instance, Invista’s Lycra fibres which when blended with nylon, offer moisture management, support and odor control. Similarly, Hyosung’s Creora Fresh is an odour neutralizing spandex, while its Mipan AquaX nylon features cooling and moisture management. Ria Stern, Global Marketing Director, Hyosung Textiles, points out the influence between intimates and performance wear goes both ways. There are sports brands using technology originally developed by intimate apparel—around sizing, molding, stretch and recovery—in sports bras and underwear categories that are performance oriented. At the same time, intimate apparel is going after sports-inspired collections, taking advantage of consumers’ interest in something comfortable and functional they can wear all day.
Apart from these attributes, Molly Kremidas, Nilit America’s marketing manager, says the focus is now on weights epecifically lighter the better. Whether it’s in shaping or loungewear, development is happening within super microfibres that provide a hand that is really quite luxurious. And it’s not just about the fibres being light weight but even the construction like in a seamless garment where there’s bonding to give it a sleeker look or lighter weight look.
The credit for these lightweight materials goes to mills, which are constantly innovating. They are investing in finer gauge equipment, which is linked to the trend of super lightweight types of fabric. Cosabella feels that it’s going to texture rather than prints hogging the limelight in 2017. Ready-to-wear fabrications like velvet and cashmere are also emerging, especially on bodysuits.
Variety that counts
There’s a wide variety of fibers and fabrics now and everyone agrees this variety is a must. Cosabella has been diversifying its fabric portfolio owing to the burgeoning demand. Cosabella approaches product development with four main consumer profiles in mind, and offers product specifically for occasions like maternity and bridal. Hitting these major milestones allows Cosabella to be a sentimental choice, which makes consumers more willing to spend.
According to Stern, today’s consumer is smart and they understand enhanced product characteristics aren’t cheap. Pricing is an issue but if there is an attached value, the consumer is willing to pay a premium. And the shift will help customers too. Ficorilli says the current bralettes are letting women down in the shape and support departments. If you are not making the right fabric selection, they aren’t going to perform to consumer standards. But if it fits right and provides the right functionality, consumers will pay more.
Sri Lanka is hosting Textech from March 9 to 11, 2017. This is an exhibition for textile garment technology and machinery. The event showcases products like chemicals and dyes, office and commercial supplies, computer hardware and software, industrial products, printing and publishing, plant, machinery and equipment, textiles, fabrics and yarns.
Textech is being held along with two concurrent fairs – Dye and Chem and Yarn & Fabric Show. More than 200 exhibitors from over six countries are participating in these expos. The expos are targeting the entire business community and are playing an important role by assembling worldwide technology, machinery and material manufacturers and the chemical sector under one roof.
Sri Lanka’s apparel exports account for over 50 per cent of its export earnings. Sri Lanka has always been an important location for apparel firms. Investors and international textile and apparel players are looking at Sri Lanka with renewed interest. One reason could be because the country may regain GSP Plus on exports to the European Union. This could expand the country’s export earnings.
Sri Lanka’s garment exporters have a design-to-deliver supply chain. This means design, manufacture and logistics such as delivery are all carried out in Sri Lanka.
Japan-based zip maker YKK is seeking to establish itself in the entry-level zip segment. Zips are used in apparel, handbags and fashion accessories. The main zip manufacturers are in China and elsewhere in Asia. No less than 60 per cent of YKK’s investment will be specifically targeted to Asia.
YKK’ currently accounts for 40 per cent of worldwide zip sales in value and 20 per cent in volume terms, since its range relies heavily on quality and innovation. The remaining 80 per cent of worldwide sales in volume reportedly comes from China.
Since there is a limit to how much it can reduce costs for current output, the group is planning to manufacture items using an addition rather than a subtraction approach. Manufacturing methods will be re-evaluated in order to make low-cost output profitable too.
Zippers are sent from Japan to overseas manufacturers. In Japan YKK dominates the market to the extent of 70 per cent. In Japan, YKK has fire retardant zippers, water repellent zippers, zippers for scuba diving suits and for suits that astronauts wear. YKK, founded in 1934, makes more than seven billion zippers a year.
Among the many uses, cotton has been found to have industrial applications as well as new and value-added technical applications. One is environmental clean-up following oil spills. It’s been seen that finer raw cotton in loose form performs best for absorbing oil. The oil spill issue has become a global issue, as it affects human health and environment.
Most oil absorbents are synthetic-based, which also leads to problems in marine environments. Cotton is a biodegradable and natural product which is an efficient and cost-effective oil absorbent. The oil absorption characteristics of finer and coarser cotton were compared in loose, needle punched nonwoven and hydro entangled nonwoven forms. Finer cotton in loose forms was proven superior for oil absorbency. Among the important characteristics of cotton, micronaire – a measure based on cotton’s air permeability – is an indicator of its fineness and maturity. Cotton micronaire was found to be suitable for oleophilic applications such as spill remediation.
Cotton's micronaire measurement impacts the following: processing waste; neps (knots of tangled fiber); spinning performance; yarn and fabric quality; and dyed fabric appearance. If the growing season ends too early, cotton will have a lower micronaire. An early frost will inhibit fiber development. Higher micronaire values come from other issues like drought stress, water stress, or higher yields. In these scenarios, the plants overproduce carbohydrates, which make the fiber's cell walls thicker.
At Texprocess to be held from May 9 to 12 in Germany, a digital textile micro factory will present a live demonstration of an integrated production chain for apparel. Micro factories offer the opportunity to put ideas into practice immediately and to try out new business models, based on specific customer requirements. They facilitate a type of production that is responsive to the market and, as an additional bonus, ensure optimised use of material, so as to contribute to greater levels of sustainability in textile processing.
The first stage in the micro factory is the CAD/Design area. Creative designs are put into effect in a virtual reality and/or adapted. The data that emerge from this are immediately merged with data for subsequent processes, such as the digital printing of the textile, the cutting out and sewing.
The next stage demonstrates large format inkjet printing. Manufacturing tasks can be flexibly combined here with various printing parameters so as to produce a print with reproducible colors. After this comes the cutting area. A feeder system at the cutter ensures that the material is transported as smoothly as possible and without distortion.
For assembling, the cut-out elements of the various orders are also identified in a context-specific manner and added to the garment. In labeling the garments will be provided with logos and graphic details that will be washable, can be ironed and are suitable for dryers.
Kenya wants to have a bigger share of the global cotton market. So attention is being given to support farmers, better cotton varieties, transparent pricing and irrigation projects. The country has a potential area of 3,84,500 hectares that can be put under cotton using both rain-fed and irrigation methods. The production potential from these hectares is 3,68,000 bales of lint cotton per year.
The current production is at 572 kg per hectare compared to the world’s average of 726 kg per hectare. About 40,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya depend on cotton crop for a living.
High input costs are making Kenya’s cotton uncompetitive in international markets. The cotton value chain flows from production, ginning, spinning, weaving and garment-making. But at the moment garment manufacturers are allowed by law to import raw and intermediate materials from other countries and carry out final processing.
With seven operational factories in the country, their machines are just utilised up to 50 per cent with 80 per cent of the raw material imported. This would change through a policy shift where cotton would only be grown in Kenya so that locals benefit in the entire value chain. This will be done through checking the cost of production and increasing efficiencies at all parts of the value chain.
