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The India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) is gearing up to promote India’s country level participation in IM Intermoda-International Apparel & Textile Fair to be held at Guadalajara (Mexico) from January 17 to 20, next year. Being a regular participant, ITPO aims to provide an excellent business opportunity in high potential Mexican markets that attract a large number of buyers from North America and Latin American regions.
Aiming to strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation between India and Mexico, the participation in the coming fair assumes a special significance in the backdrop of our prime minister’s visit to the country in June last. The participation offers excellent opportunities for Indian companies to export apparel, textile, leather garments, fashion accessories blouses, skirts, evening wear, woollen shawls, tie and die items, made-ups, fashion jewellery, wooden block printed garments, terracotta items, etc.
The fair, that also brings together Mexican and international companies, manufacturers, importers and distributors, is an ideal place to publicise brand image as well and also to analyse the competition, step up sales, launch new products, get to know the market trends and expand network of business contacts. IM Intermoda is the continent’s largest specialised exhibition that attracts more than 10,000 businessmen including top buyers, the world’s leading apparel, textile buyers of fashion wear manufacturers and service providers. The fair will be supplemented with a number of conferences on color, textures and fabric as well as fashion shows highlighting new trends and merchandising.
The fair will bring together Mexican and international companies, manufacturers, importers, distributors. It is an ideal place to publicise the Indian brand and step up sales, launch new products and expand company’s network of business contacts in the highly potential Latin American market.
Slowing demand and fading consumer confidence have created havoc in the global fashion industry. Days after American Apparel filed for bankruptcy for the second time in 13 months, popular clothing brand GAP said it expected to shut about 65 company-operated stores this year due to sluggish sales.
High-end designer houses are also losing out on reduced foot falls in malls. German fashion house Hugo Boss recently announced plans to eliminate two brands and slowdown expansion while it has come to light that Kate Spade put itself up for sale. The woes of traditional apparel and luxury brands have been exacerbated in recent years as online retailers grow in popularity, especially among millennials, forcing these big names to rethink growth plans and device new strategies to cut costs and bump up sales.
Many, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Michael Kors, have posted disappointing earnings in the third quarter, leading to a drop in share prices. The challenge for these brands has mostly come from fast-fashion chains such as H&M, Forever 21 and Zara which have grabbed a large chunk of market share by offering trendier clothes at lower prices.
Clothing companies have been hit particularly hard with brands such as Aeropostale, Quiksilver and Pacific Sunwear of California filing for bankruptcy in the past two years. American company Banana Republic recently announced it is closing all eight stores in the United Kingdom, and moving its operations online to its regional website.
The garment industry in Ludhiana has been hit hard by the government's decision to abolish larger bank notes. The move has dealt a severe blow to small time traders and shopkeepers whose 90 per cent trade happens only in cash. The knitwear industry in Ludhiana contributes about 80 per cent of the total woolen/acrylic output of the economy and generates employment for over 400,000 people in the city. Ludhiana has a large number of small industries - both registered and unregistered – that deal in readymade garments, textiles and winter hosiery products.
The industry has seen a fall in footfalls as thousands have been left without cash in the wake of demonetization and strict limits on withdrawals from banks. According to the government, demonetisation is aimed at bringing billions of dollars' worth of cash in unaccounted wealth into the mainstream economy as well as dent the finances of Islamist militants who target India and are suspected of using fake 500 rupee notes to fund operations.
Fast Retailing has set up a denim innovation center in Los Angeles, a city well-known as the home of denim. The center aims to bring together specialists in jeans development from premium denim brand J Brand and other Fast Retailing Group companies to develop jeans utilizing innovative technologies and materials, based on established tradition of jeans. The first project for the facility will be research on jeans for Uniqlo and J Brand. Products for both brands developed at the center will be available from the fall-winter 2017 season.
The denim innovation center is Fast Retailing’s first facility to focus on research and development of denim fabric. It will enable Fast Retailing to quickly incorporate the essence of current trends in its designs. Focusing on fabric, fit, and finish, the key elements in making jeans, the center will develop fabrics with the world’s leading fabric makers as well as conduct R&D on the latest production technologies to make jeans that look exceptional and are comfortable to wear.
The center can also be used by contracted producers as a research center, which will increase the integrity of the finished product during actual production. In addition, the facility will focus on environmentally friendly processing and production methods, conducting R&D on chemicals and techniques used for fading and distressing of jeans.
Karl Mayer’s latest digital innovations include the Karl Mayer Connect and Karl Mayer check parts apps and the spare parts webshop. They complement the 360 degree service provided by Karl Mayer and guarantee efficient communication with the company’s own technical support staff. They also ensure that the machines operate more economically.
The new Kamcos 2 automation platform is the basis for this innovative link between network communication and the machine technology and also for solutions for integrating systems.
Karl Mayer exhibited these machines at the recent ITMA Asia + CITME 2016 show in China from October 21 to 25. The company’s representatives had more than 600 meaningful conversations at the trade fair. As well as neighbouring Asian countries, there was considerable interest from Turkey. Some customers even travelled from as far as the US and Eastern Europe.
Karl Mayer is committed to promoting the concepts of sustainability and digitisation when dealing with its customers. Its entire operations have technical solutions concentrating on sustainability, such as the Low Energy Option for warp knitting machines and the materials-conserving HSB-PW Size Box for warp preparation as well as textile applications having ecological implications in the field of multiaxial technology.
In the tricot machine sector, Karl Mayer has two HKS models of the next generation. Their modern design sets them apart from other machines on the market. The new OJ 59/1 B for the lace sector, with its unique level of productivity, is revolutionising the production of lace. Karl Mayer also has some new developments in shoe fabric production and an innovative preparation machine for warp knitting.
In a veiled counter to US President-elect Donald Trump over his protectionist stance, leaders of 12-member states of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have agreed to step up efforts to implement the free trade agreement. At a meeting in Lima, the leaders affirmed their intention to advance domestic procedures such as ratification by parliaments of member states so that the US-led TPP can enter into force, it is understood.
Although it is unclear whether the free trade pact will come into force with the new Trump administration, the leaders did not discuss the possibility of implementing the TPP without the US participation. President Barack Obama has been quoted as saying that his administration will continue efforts to win domestic support for the pact.
Interestingly, Trump has vowed to scrap the TPP once he assumes office in January. It is not immediately known whether the leaders’ call for implementing the TPP would prompt Trump to reverse the harsh anti-globalism rhetoric he advocated during his presidential campaign.
Garment factory inspection agency Accord is in talks with the Bangladesh government to extend its tenure in the country beyond June 2018 so that it can ensure completion of remediation works in all its member factories. The platform is planning to extend its stay in Bangladesh by another three years, much to the displeasure of garment factory owners.
The number of factories from which the 220 Accord signatories source has expanded much since the inspections started in February 2014. Currently, the number of signatories stands above 7,000. Accord is now conducting its fourth batch of preliminary inspections. This means the more recently inspected factories will not have finished with their remediation by June 2018.
Accord's first batch of inspections concluded in September 2014 and remediation works in this group of factories will most definitely be complete by June 2018. About 72 per cent of the total findings from the initial inspections are reported as corrected by the factories and/or verified as corrected by Accord engineers. After the Rana Plaza building tragedy, 220 retailers joined hands to form the Accord with the view to fixing the structural, electrical and fire loopholes in Bangladesh's garment factories.
More than 60 delegates representing cotton textile leadership in India attended a Cotton USA seminar in Mumbai recently to explore how, in these changing and challenging times, cotton can have an increased role to play in the textile value chain. In his keynote address on Growing the Passion and Spinning the Fashion, the GTN Textiles Group Chairman, B K Patodia, highlighted cotton’s success story primarily comes from the strong linkages among passionate cotton farmers who have passed on a legacy and the spinning mills that have catered to the ever-changing needs of fashion through their innovative approach in spinning.
Representatives of more than 20 prominent textile mills attended along with 12 Cotton USA licensees like Raymond, Vardhman, Welspun, Trident, GTN Textiles, Ambika, Morarjee, etc. In addition, leading domestic apparel brands such as Madura Lifestyle and Raymond, and international brand Ralph Lauren also participated in the seminar. Their participation and views shared as a part of business forums brought new insights and perspectives to the present issues and encouraged more collaboration among textile value chain players.
Levi Strauss is a vocal advocate for environmental protection. It has a Collaboratory fellowship that focuses on ways to reduce the apparel industry’s impact. Each year the Collaboratory focuses on a different sustainability challenge facing the apparel industry. In 2017, the Collaboratory funded water-saving ideas, including projects that expand a natural indigo dyeing facility, create products that are less water-intensive and make wastewater treatment solutions more accessible to small artisan workshops.
This year the theme is climate change. The year-long fellowship will support entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs to advance innovative ideas for reducing their company’s—or the overall industry’s—climate impact in product design, raw materials, manufacturing or consumer use.
Climate change has devastating effects on the apparel industry, the communities in which the industry operates, and the world at large. By 2025, Levi Strauss plans to manufacture all of its products from recycled cotton.
It would be the first company to do so. Levi Strauss runs a program in five major markets - Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany - that gives customers a 15 per cent discount on a new Levi’s item if they donate any old clothes (they don’t have to be Levi’s) to be recycled.
"In a world where supply chains can be extensive, monitoring and ensuring due diligence is no easy task. Before setting out the action plan, one must realise that there is a need to streamline their supply chain operations and technology alone can’t achieve that. Yes, they will assist you in reaching your target right from identifying suppliers that need attention and simplifying audit findings, action management processes to providing capacity building tools to help create a sustainable, effective and resilient supply chain technology."
In a world where supply chains can be extensive, monitoring and ensuring due diligence is no easy task. Before setting out the action plan, one must realise that there is a need to streamline their supply chain operations and technology alone can’t achieve that. Yes, they will assist you in reaching your target right from identifying suppliers that need attention and simplifying audit findings, action management processes to providing capacity building tools to help create a sustainable, effective and resilient supply chain technology. Here’s decoding five ways in which technology can help reach goals:
Identifying risky suppliers
Risk management is one of the key factors that companies need to quickly manage in order to sustain competition. By automating the risk management process, supplier self-assessments and code of conduct surveys, for example, one can reduce the manual administration required. Using a supply chain information management system, suppliers can be automatically screen risks based on their country of operation, products, existing audits, and using pre-existing data. Then the system can simply invite suppliers to respond to questionnaires, and automated emails and summary dashboards follow up with required actions, so you can dedicate more time to engagement or considering alternatives.
Simplifying the auditing process
Agreed that we are yet to see a sound audit of any company, yet it is one of the best toolset for responsible sourcing professionals. Here also technology can play a crucial role in creating, schedulling and conducting audits, in-house or managing third parties. Observations and non-compliances - including images - can be captured on site, even when offline. Data can then synchronise with your systems as soon as the auditor’s device is back online.
Measuring and anticipating carbon footprint
Supply chain holds the forte when it comes to reducing carbon footprints for any organisation. There are software tools which help you determine the carbon footprint of each supplier and calculate your carbon emissions per pound spent. You can also use software to anticipate what the carbon footprint of future purchases might be, and make informed decisions.
Ensuring sustainable sourcing
Tracing suppliers if they are taking sustainable production steps seems next to impossible task. Again, traceability and tracking software and services enable you to do just that. For instance, by creating a map through your supply chain based on batches or lots of the product purchased. These processes draw on other databases – for example, in the timber category checking performance against the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sourcing criteria. When risks are identified, you can work with suppliers to resolve any issues before they can actually harm the entire value chain.
Enabling collaboration and building capacity
As Peter Parker once said, with (great) power comes (great) responsibility, if companies continue to hold suppliers to their standards and only audit the results, they definitely fail in the long run. One has to collaborate with partners and suppliers to reap greater benefits and enhance transparency in return. Countries have established capacity building projects to inform, support and nurture developing countries, and companies are realising the need for and benefit of capacity building in their supply chains. Again, education and collaboration is being facilitated by technology. All in all, technology is at rescue for all our problems.
