FW
Denim, a fixture of the apparel industry and a wardrobe staple for millions around the world has become an area of concern linked to a number of sustainability issues. Water is extensively used in the supply chain, beginning in the fields where cotton, denim’s raw component, is grown. It takes over 20,000 liters of water to produce a kilogram of cotton, roughly equivalent to just one T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Denim production often involves the use of chemicals. Irresponsible use and disposal of dyes or chemicals used in the production process can have devastating environmental consequences. Chemicals that have not been properly treated before disposal can lead to serious pollution problems. Rivers in China have turned blue due to wastewater from dyeing being dumped directly into the water.
Denim has also been associated with labor injustices along the entire supply chain. On the production floor, sandblasting—a process used to make denim look more worn and faded—can seriously damage workers’ health and lead to silicosis, a potentially lethal pulmonary disease. This risk becomes even greater when sandblasting is performed without proper equipment. While Turkey banned the practice in 2009, sandblasting has since moved to less regulated countries such as Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, and Egypt.
US retail sales were up 3.9 per cent during the first half of 2017. Still consumers are measuring their dollars. Most people were not frequenting traditional mall stores. Instead, during the first quarter of this year, online sites and off-price retailers were gaining retail territory.
Store traffic dropped 8.3 per cent in June over last June. This was the largest decline in three months. E-commerce will see double-digit growth with back-to-school sales jumping nearly 16 per cent this year, which makes up about 8.6 per cent of total back-to-school sales. Last year e-commerce sales for the back-to-school season rose 7.8 per cent.
Purchases of clothing and accessories may rise 10 per cent over last year. Hot items are expected to be casual wear, school uniforms, handbags and accessories. Stores missing their earnings estimates for the first quarter were Macy’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Kate Spade, American Eagle Outfitters, Chico’s and Express.
Consumers plan to shop at mass merchants more and less at department stores and specialty retailers. The unemployment rate in the United States was at a very low 4.4 per cent in June, up slightly from a 16-year low of 4.3 per cent in May. Private sector wages rose by 2.5 per cent this June compared to the same month last year and housing prices continued to rise with low supply and high demand.
Standard Textile and Vestagen Protective Technologies have entered a strategic partnership to market Vestex garments that are designed to minimize the risks to healthcare workers associated with unexpected exposures to body fluids during everyday use. The co-exclusive sales and marketing agreement covers acute and post-acute healthcare facilities in the US and Canada. Standard Textile healthcare sales representatives will be supported by Vestagen personnel, who will also take the lead on working with institutional customers during the implementation process.
Vestex fabric is breathable and contains an EPA-registered antimicrobial agent shown in controlled conditions in laboratory and hospital settings to inhibit the growth of certain bacteria on the fabric. Healthcare uniforms made with Vestagen’s unique Vestex active barrier fabric are increasingly being adopted by healthcare leaders. This partnership with Standard Textile now gives Vestagen the reach to bring Vestex garments to healthcare workers throughout the US and Canada.
For over 70 years, Standard Textile has been synonymous with innovation in the hospitality, healthcare, work wear and consumer sectors. Vestagen is a pioneer in the development of active barrier fabric that incorporates multiple technologies. Workers and patients in the healthcare setting face environmental risks. Vestex offers breakthrough technology for healthcare workers that complements Standard Textile’s existing specialty product lines designed to address the unique needs of healthcare institutions.
Tirupur hosted a knit show from August 11 to 13, 2017 which saw the participation of almost 200 exhibitors from the textile and apparel industry. Screen printing, sublimation printing and garment manufacturing machines were the show’s major highlights. Ink manufacturers and traders, and accessories companies were also seen in good numbers at the show.
The main items on exhibit included: yarns, laces, textiles, dyes, embroidery machines, zippers, fabrics, sewing threads, pouches, hangers and laser tools. Office automation systems, gen sets, safety appliances, pantone books, heaters, cyber promotion solutions and many other related items were also exhibited at the show. Buttons, weighing machines, packaging equipments, material testing devices, flock prints, heaters, material handling tools, bamboo, melanges, strapping equipments, fusing devices, rubber patches, holograms, laboratory supplies, oils, lining tables, stain removing equipments and processing machines were also displayed.
Tirupur is the knitwear manufacturing hub of India. The Tirupur textile hub has recorded a rise in revenue of Rs 2,000 crores in the past year. Export revenue in 2016-17 was Rs 26,000 crores against Rs 24,000 crores in 2015-16. The target was Rs 30,000 crores but that could not be achieved because of Brexit and the fall in the euro.
Cotton production in India is likely to increase 3.76 per cent compared to the last year. Better yield is expected even though the area under cultivation has dropped significantly. The cotton marketing year runs from October to September. Production is also expected to increase as there were fewer pest attacks, including white fly in Punjab and Haryana and pink ball worms in Gujarat.
The area under indigenous variety has increased and the acreage under Bt cotton has slightly declined. Meanwhile the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has come up with more native varieties, which are equally good in yield. Once they are commercialised in 2017-18, the area under the indigenous variety will grow even more. Total yield is estimated to grow by almost 20 per cent in 2016-17 from 2015-16. The yield is estimated to be better in almost all cotton producing regions, except Tamil Nadu, where it has declined significantly due to moisture stress.
Total exports are estimated to have declined to 60 lakh bales in 2016-17 from 69.07 lakh bales in 2015-16. Till May, shipment to Bangladesh was 40 per cent of total exports while it has shrunk drastically to Pakistan, which witnessed a bumper crop.
HanesBrands Japan is now working with Polygiene to offer Japan’s consumers in odour-free apparel in its iconic Champion 2017/18 fall-winter athletic wear collection in 70 different products for basketball, golf, training as well as practice wear and socks.
To strengthen the brand’s appeal to consumers who want more comfort and functional wear, Hanesbrands in Japan is introducing Polygiene permanent odor control technology to its 2017/18 Champion athletic wear collection. Champion apparel treated with Polygiene stay fresh and odour free. Sweat itself is odourless but it creates the conditions that bacteria need to multiply on fabrics, and some of those bacteria produce odour, the manufacturer explains. Polygiene stops the growth of odour-causing bacteria on fabrics, making it possible for people to wear Champion clothing longer and wash it less.
As many as 70 different Polygiene-treated products will be featured in the Champion 2017/18 athletic wear collections branded C-ODORLESS by Polygiene. Hanesbrands Japan is also introducing Polygiene odour control technology to Champion practice wear and Champion Block Logo Series, Champion practice wear and Champion socks.
The EU is Sri Lanka’s biggest export destination, absorbing some 36 per cent of total shipments. The EU has reinstated GSP benefits for Lanka. But even then Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the EU fell 5.8 per cent in the first five months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016. Production and labor costs in Sri Lanka remain high compared to many of its competitors’. It’s doubtful if the country will be able to meet its goal of doubling exports by 2020.
Wages in Sri Lanka are typically higher than in Bangladesh and Vietnam, making the country better suited to producing high-end garments such as swimwear, trousers and underwear, including lingerie for top brands such as Victoria's Secret. The minimum monthly wage in Sri Lanka is $120 compared with $70 in Bangladesh. Sri Lankan labor laws also limit factory workers to 57.5 hours per week, with fixed weekly holidays. This compares with Bangladesh's working limit of 60 hours and Vietnam's 64 hours.
Sri Lanka needs to do more to catch up with countries such as Bangladesh, which is now the world’s second largest clothing exporter after China. Bangladesh accounts for 6.4 per cent of global clothing exports compared with Sri Lanka’s 1.2 per cent.
Indian textile machinery industry has tremendous growth potential buoyed by growing domestic and global demand. The only need is to identify untapped opportunities. The size of the domestic textile machinery industry is expected to touch Rs 35,000 crores in the next five years from the present Rs 22,000 crores.
Global textile machinery market is witnessing tremendous growth and is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 14.02 per cent till 2018. Major manufacturers are: Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, France and China. One of the major trends in the global textile machinery market is the growing number of technological innovations.
India is a major importer of textiles machinery. Demonetisation affected the entire textile chain. Textile machinery suppliers faced the immediate impact as orders were badly hit for a month. Bigger companies had a lighter impact on the topline as they were already under the organised sector and payments were effected through banks. The most affected was the unorganised sector which took some time to change to digital cash or online transactions. Demand reverted to normal within next the few months with an improvement in liquidity.
The textile sector is one of the largest contributors to India’s exports, accounting for approximately 11 per cent of total outbound shipments.
Exporters from Tirupur will organize a R&D conclave in Coimbatore. Products of R&D associations of India, as well as innovative technology, will be displayed at the upcoming conclave. The event aims at giving commercial value to research-based products of various Indian textile research associations.
The conclave will benefit stakeholders textile industry as well as research associations as they don’t have such a platform yet which can connect them with the industry directly. The R&D conclave is being viewed as a support to Indian research associations as their products will be displayed at the event and hence commercialised. This will attract textile and apparel manufacturers and push them to explore how these products can be promoted in Indian and overseas markets.
Industry and research associations will also get an opportunity to exchange views about their existing and upcoming research projects to make the products more viable from the industry perspective. There are eight such textile research associations: Northern India Textile Research Association, Ghaziabad; The Bombay Textile Research Association, Mumbai; South India Textile Research Association, Coimbatore; Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association; Wool Research Association, Mumbai; Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association, Kolkata; Man-Made Textile Research Association, Surat; and Synthetic & Art Silk Mills’ Research Association, Mumbai.
Uniqlo’s entry into India may be delayed by up to two years. The brand was planning to open stores in India in 2018.
Uniqlo, based in Japan, produces a billion units a year. It’s planning to boost production to five billion units. Uniqlo is the third largest company globally on a sectoral basis.
The group is targeting sales worth 50 billion dollars in 2020 and hopes to open a 1000 stores a year. It currently reaches customers through 1427 stores in 16 countries. Its business volume in 2013 was 14 billion dollars while it grows at a rate of 20 per cent on an annual average.
The group has seven brands. The major one is Uniqlo, which accounts for a 30 per cent share in the group. Fast Retailing is the parent company of Uniqlo, Theory, and J Brand.
Uniqlo started as a chain of suburban roadside stores in Japan. In Japan alone the company operates over 840 stores. It has over 400 stores in Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The company has a relatively small European presence: one in Germany, 10 stores in the UK, 8 stores in France and five stores in Russia.
Uniqlo will make Turkey its production hub for the company’s exports to Europe.
