FW
The global smart textiles market is expected to have a CAGR of 33.58 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Growth is mainly driven by the uptrend in wearable devices, increasing demand for sophisticated electronics, miniaturization of electronic components, and a rapid growth of wireless sensor networks.
Smart textiles have numerous applications, such as sports and fitness, defense and military. Currently, military application of smart textiles is the largest market segment, with a share of around 25.8 per cent of the global smart textiles market. Sports and fitness is the second largest segment in global smart textiles – from smart shirts that record heart rates to intelligent bands that track physical activities. Smart textiles in the form of fitness monitoring devices have a lot of demand from health-conscious people. There is also an increasing demand for smart textiles in the architecture and automotive industries.
North America is the world’s largest smart textile market, representing over 45.5 per cent of the global market revenue. But the Asia Pacific region is projected to grow faster. China and India are two of the major manufacturers of smart textiles in the Asia Pacific market, are the largest producers of manufactured fibers, and are expected to dominate the global smart textile market in the near future.
A new report argues that synthetic clothing should be designed in such a way that it it sheds fewer fibres. The report also suggests that invisible plastic particles washed off synthetic clothes are the main source for marine plastic pollution – a claim which has been supported by several other pieces of research in recent years. The report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - Microplastics in the Oceans: a Global Evaluation of Sources – suggests that by far the largest proportion of plastic particles in the ocean stem from the laundering of synthetic textiles and the abrasion of tyres while driving. Invisible plastic particles washed off synthetic clothes are the main source for marine plastic pollution. By far the largest proportion of plastic particles in the ocean stems from the laundering of synthetic textiles and the abrasion of tires while driving. Daily activities, such as washing clothes and driving, significantly contribute to the pollution choking oceans, with potentially disastrous effects on the rich diversity of life within them, and on human health.
So the strategy to tackle ocean plastic pollution must go beyond the focus on reducing plastic waste. Solutions must include product and infrastructure design as well as consumer behavior. Consumers can act by choosing natural fabrics over synthetic ones. Synthetic clothing should be designed in such a way that it sheds fewer fibers.
Synthetic textiles are the main source of primary micro plastics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The annual consumption of fiber for apparel amounts to 69.7 million tons globally. Synthetic fibers represent almost two-thirds of this consumption. The majority of synthetic fibers are consumed in developing economies. In these economies, consumers buy a larger proportion of synthetic textiles than in developed economies.
Global leaders in the chemical industry for textiles are driving towards consistent and conscious chemistry throughout the denim supply chain and beyond. Representatives from the supply chain are debating the best, safe, sustainable and affordable practices. The debate came up strongly at Kingpins Transformers last year
A lot of chemicals go into making a pair of jeans. At every step of the production chain, chemicals are inserted to facilitate some sort of process. Synthetic petro-chemicals are added in the spinning process to make the cotton stretchier. The dye bath, which is one of the most chemical intensive steps, contains all sorts of dye fixatives, oxidizing agents, reducing agents, and enzymes to bind the synthetic dye to the cotton. To get the yarns stiff enough to run through the loom, the material is sized with PVA, resins, and waxes. After the fabric is woven, the desizing process uses acids and enzymes to dissolve those chemicals that are coating the yarns, which are washed out into the wastewater stream. And in the final step, heavy bleaches and lightening agents are used to create fades and finishes, to give that worn in look.
These days, cleaning up the denim supply chain focuses mainly on water and energy use. However, that misses a big part of denim jeans’ environmental footprint.
"Next month will see the global industry converge in Shanghai to source the latest apparel fabrics and accessories from some 3,000 exhibitors coming from 24 countries and regions at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition. The three day fair scheduled from March 15-17 will be a melting point for stakeholders. There will be much more than sourcing at the fair though, with both international and domestic trend forums revealing the Spring/Summer 2018 trends."
Next month will see the global industry converge in Shanghai to source the latest apparel fabrics and accessories from some 3,000 exhibitors coming from 24 countries and regions at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition. The three day fair scheduled from March 15-17 will be a melting point for stakeholders. There will be much more than sourcing at the fair though, with both international and domestic trend forums revealing the Spring/Summer 2018 trends. The international trends will be presented in the Intertextile Directions Trend Forum, which this year is curated by Elementi Moda Srl. The overall mood of next season’s trends is Feel Good, which is encapsulated in three themes:
Engaging Themes
Merge with Nature: Feel good with the harmony of sea horizon. Give rise to a deep feeling of wellness through a meditative walk on the seaside, in total harmony with the natural elements. Feel the dryness of the windswept sand dunes, immersed in sandbanks, shellfish, seaweed and shingle… Plunge your eyes into the sea waves, foam and fish, and take a breath of fresh air to remind what is really essential… For those who are seeking the harmony of body and soul, through a slow and natural way of life made of essentials products.
Care for the future: Feel good and feel positive, thanks to a fresh energy full of vitamins! Science and mindfulness are now cooperating, while technology is going emotional. A new creative 3.0 wave is emerging, both hyper connected and totally relaxed; radical and thoughtful; logical, rational and poetic – all at once. A playful and technological universe inspired by the pop sixties era, for a new generation aiming to mix modernity with wellness and comfort in order to boost their style.
Meet with culture: Feel good through the world journey and cultures mixing… An ode to beauty and elegance, created by the luxurious mix of East and West. An initiatory journey from Asia to the north of the Mediterranean, where the young generations mash up influences, wardrobes and references to reinvent aesthetic codes. Inspired by melting pots and nomadism, we discover a multitude of new savours, through the charming flower and spice markets, the majestic mosaic compositions and ornamental gardens.
Trend Forum introduction tour
On days one and two, Trend Forum introduction tours will take place. What’s more, the latest domestic trends can be seen in three Chinese trend forums curated by Fabrics China. These include the Fashion Focus Trend Forum in hall 7.2 which focuses on colour, and trend forums for suiting in hall 6.1 and ladieswear in hall 8.2. Each of these will reveal the Spring/Summer 2018 trends in four themes: fantastic dimensions, roaming mindfulness, emulative heritage and naturalistic poet.
Panel discussions and seminars
Those looking for more on the latest developments across the entire industry will benefit from a number of seminars and panel discussions taking place during the fair. Till date, Carlin Creative Trend Bureau, Elementi Moda, the NellyRodiTM Agency, Peclers Paris and Promostyl are confirmed to host seminars on various topics of the Spring/Summer 2018 trends, while Pantone and Liberty will also present on design and trend topics. And under the sustainability issues topic, Hohenstein, GOTS, UL, SGS and Testex will also host seminars. Furthermore, panel discussions on three themes – eco-fabrics, linen in fashion, and trends and new opportunities in retailing and sourcing, moderated by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), Celc Promotion and Trendstop, respectively – will take place on the first two days of the fair.
Verve for design zone
Further design and trend inspiration will be on display in the fair’s Verve for Design zone, which features a number of leading original design studios from Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea and the UK. Some of those already confirmed to exhibit in this zone include Alex & Kate, Amanda Kelly, Anteprima Disegni, Atelier Mineeda, Bernini Studio, Boggia Disegni, Camilla Frances Prints, Canvas Print Studios, Circleline Design Studio, Design Union, Fairbairn & Wolf Studio, Karolina York, Longina Phillips Designs, New Age, Nix and Whiston and Wright.
Concurrent shows
In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs are taking place concurrently at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. These include Yarn Expo Spring (hall 5.1), Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition (hall 4.2), CHIC (halls 1, 2, 3 & 4.1) and PH Value (hall 3). Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2017 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre.
The fashion industry in the US is opposing the proposed border adjustment tax. American companies importing items such as jeans would be required under the border adjustment tax to add the cost of those goods to their profit when calculating their corporate income tax bill. That could produce a situation where a company’s tax bill is greater than its profit unless the company significantly increases selling prices. Higher prices, in turn, would lower overall demand.
Companies importing materials like cotton to produce clothing domestically would also face an increased tax bill. The US fashion trade believes a new tax would lead to apparel price inflation far exceeding wage inflation. Companies feel such a tax will put them out of business. The US administration is proposing to revamp the nation’s tax policies to stimulate domestic production and exports. To compensate for the budget shortfall, a greater tax burden would fall on import industries, such as clothing.
About 97 per cent of apparel sold in the US is imported. America doesn’t have the necessary factories or the trained workforce to make up for imports. It would take a generation or two for the US textile industry to get to such a level.
Sandler is presenting a range of nonwovens for acoustic insulation in the home and at the office, for transportation and for filtration.
These textile solutions provide for a quieter everyday work life in office partitions, additionally functioning as a design feature for individual room design.
The product range offers the right acoustic nonwoven for every application: soft and voluminous or self-supporting and compact; with an open-pore surface of especially smoothed; white, black or a marble-like shade in color – these textiles can be adapted to customer requirements.
Sandler nonwovens are designed to ensure a comfortable drive, particularly on long trips. Efficient acoustical absorbers dampen engine and driving noise, providing for a pleasant noise level. New advanced nonwovens achieve this level of sound insulation at low product thickness. Lightweight exterior shadow absorber nonwovens are not only acoustically efficient at low product thickness, they also feature hydro- and oleophobic properties, particularly for exterior applications in wheel house liners or underride guards.
Nonwovens for seat upholstery in vehicles are air-permeable and moisture resistant. These materials contribute to an optimum micro-climate of the seat. The latest development in this product line features a particularly soft, bulky and foam-like quality. Quilted with leather, this nonwoven produces an especially pronounced 3D-quilt-look.
Sandler will present these materials at Techtextil, Germany, May 9 to 12, 2017.
Global fabric production increased by more than three per cent in the third quarter of 2016.
Asian and South American output grew by over four per cent each, while European fabric production fell by nearly 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
Year on year, global fabric output improved moderately by 0.6 per cent in the third quarter with Asian production increasing by 0.6 per cent and South America’s output improving by 4.7 per cent. Europe’s fabric output fell by nearly seven per cent year on year.
Worldwide fabric stocks also fell quarter- on-quarter and fabric inventories were reduced in South America and increased moderately in Asia and North America. Year on year, fabric stocks declined while European and South American fabric orders also decreased quarter on quarter. On a yearly basis South America’s fabric orders increased and Europe’s fell.
Worldwide fabric stocks fell by 1.4 per cent compared to the previous quarter with an eight per cent drop in South America while inventories decreased by five per cent for the year. Asia was down by 0.4 per cent and Europe by two per cent. North American stocks increased by 0.8 per cent.
In the third quarter, yarn orders fell by five per cent in Europe compared to the second quarter. South American orders fell by 11 per cent for the quarter but rose 100 per cent year on year.
Pakistan wants Chinese companies to set up units at the Quaid-e-Azam apparel park. The zone is spread over 1,500 acres. Pakistan’s embassy in China hosted a roadshow, which was attended by representatives of 76 Chinese companies. Chinese entrepreneurs are being urged to explore the untapped commercial and business potential of Pakistan due to the availability of cheap raw materials and manpower.
The park is especially designed for exports of apparels from Pakistan. Around 1,000 acres of land are allotted to industrial plots of ten acres each. Each unit can employ up to 3,000 workers. The remaining land area will be for amenities and various services.
The industrial park would generate approximately annual exports of three to four billion dollars. It’s expected that the park’s ideal location and availability of all necessary amenities would lead to the success of this project and that the garments produced at the park would be exported the world over, adding billions to the country’s GDP.
Pakistan’s exports slid 3.82 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year 2016-17. Currently textile exports account for more than half of the total exports from the country. Around 19,000 Chinese nationals are working in Pakistan on different projects.
Lenzing has developed fabrics featuring black fiber. This is a spun-dyed — or solution-dyed — fiber, in which pigment is added to the dope prior to extrusion, to produce a fiber with completely integrated color that does not wear off or wash off. The black fiber is meant to address consumer demand for permanently black jeans, and also for other wovens and knits for the wider apparel market.
Because of increased consumer interest in sustainability, Lenzing is emphasizing modal black’s environmental benefits. Using Lenzing modal black in fabrics lowers the environmental impacts of production by 50 to 65 per cent. In addition, spun-dyed modal black fiber uses only 20 per cent of the pigment required in conventional dyeing. Production of fabric containing the fiber requires half the energy and water needed for conventional fabric production and has a 50 per cent lower carbon footprint. Water effluent also is reduced.
Lenzing, based in Austria, developed modal fiber in the 1960s as a regenerated cellulosic fiber that offers improved tenacity. The raw material for Lenzing modal comes from sustainably managed beech wood forests in Europe. The fiber is produced using on-site-produced biomass process energy and chlorine-free cellulose. Ninety-five per cent of process chemical byproducts from modal production are recovered for reuse.
India’s silk industry is growing by 19 per cent a year. The country is expected to be self-sufficient in silk production by 2020.
China produces 80 per cent of global silk output while India’s share is 13 per cent. Production in other countries accounts for the remaining seven per cent.
But while China produces only mulberry, India produces other varieties, including tasar, eri and muga.
The silk industry in India is an integral part of the textile industry and is among the oldest industries. The silk industry in India engages about 60 lakh workers and involves small and marginal farmers. But the country’s production of raw silk falls short of requirement. The aim is to stop imports from China and produce that much in three or four years.
About 80 per cent of the silk produced in the country is of mulberry silk, most of which is produced in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu followed by West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir.
India needs 120,000 tons of silk and with better infrastructure, the sericulture industry could improve its productivity by 15 per cent against the current seven per cent.
An institute in India has developed a virus-resistant transgenic silkworm. This silkworm would help in stabilising silk yield levels by reducing uncertainties like viral outbreaks.
