FW
Because of the significant investments in the construction of new high-tech, enterprises with the participation of foreign partners have expanded the export capabilities of the industry the textile complex of Turkmenistan, which has a powerful production infrastructure and raw materials base, holds one of the leading places in the country's economy.
Cooperation with world-renowned foreign companies and large financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) promotes the introduction of advanced technologies that ensure the production of high-quality and competitive products in the world market.
The highly productive spinning equipment of the well-known Swiss company Rieter was installed at the Tejen cotton mill during the partial modernization. The modernization allowed increasing the volume and improving the quality of the products. In the framework of the export-oriented program at the “Serdar” cotton spinning mill in Kaahka was launched a workshop for the production of twisted cotton yarn with a capacity of 1300 tons per year. The new production facility is equipped with SSM (Switzerland) and Saurer (Germany) equipment. The shop for the production of regenerated fiber from the waste of the spinning, weaving and sewing industries of the branch enterprises was commissioned based on the Ashgabat textile complex. The high-performance equipment of “Balkan” (Turkey) is installed in the workshop. It can process several thousand tons of textile waste per year. Last year, most of the regenerated fiber was sold to foreign consumers.
Partial modernization of the Bayramali textile complex is continuing, during which in the preparation workshop of weaving will be installed the equipment of the well-known German company Karl Mayer. In the weaving department will be installed the machines of the Italian company "Itema". Jacquard machines "Stäubli" planned to be installed to produce a new product range. All innovations makes possible the company to increase exports.
New varieties of blended fabrics of fashionable colors will be used to create seasonal collections. The textile industry plans to launch the production of new types of fabrics and finished products. It will be expanded the range of knitted products, as well as outerwear for children and adults.
In 2017 the jeans market saw the largest year-on-year growth in the sector since 2013, pulling in over $95bn worldwide compared with $91bn the previous year while sales of premium designer jeans doubled its growth. The jeans market is booming again as the US turns back the clock to denim’s glory days.
Witnesses believe shoppers are deciding to try other styles beyond the skinny silhouette that has been so popular for more than a decade. This season styles hark back to authentic American selvedge denim and come straight-legged, stiff and in a deep indigo type.
The trend began last year on the Calvin Klein catwalk, when designer Raf Simons paired dark indigo jeans with a matching shirt for his influential debut collection for the brand. For spring/summer 2018, a host of other designers joined the fray, showing not just indigo jeans but indigo denim in general. At Tom Ford, dark denim materialised in a sharp blazer with pointed shoulders and high-waisted, wide-legged jeans.
The impact of the trend is already being felt on the high street. Asos reported sales of jeans were up 58 per cent this week, compared with the same period last year, while denim dressing at the e-tailer was up 81 per cent from 2017.
Celia Cuthbert, the head of buying at Asos, says that “authentic dark, raw and untreated indigo” was its biggest denim trend this season, and that while its customers still loved slim and skinny jeans, the brand was seeing more and more sales coming through from wider-leg silhouettes and straight legs.
This look, similar to that immortalised by Marilyn Monroe in 1961’s The Misfits and Martin Sheen in 1973’s Badlands, evokes a glory time in American history when the US was the leading purveyor of denim worldwide.
Reliance previous year started offering cut-rate mobile services to promote its new telecom venture Jio, which it claims now has more than 160 million subscribers. The company had posted a loss of Rs 271 crore during the second quarter in 2017-18. The Mukesh Ambani-promoted company says its Digital Services Business posted standalone net profit of Rs. 504 crores for the December quarter, with revenues standing at Rs. 6,879 crores.
During the quarter, Reliance Market launched its 43rd store at Mysore and the business introduced several SKUs under a new range of own brands: Home One, Graphite and RelGlow across housewares, luggage and hard-line categories respectively.
According to the company, Reliance Trends crossed a milestone of 400 stores during the quarter with 25 new store additions. The company claims Reliance Trends witnessed 25 million customer walk-ins during the festive period.
Reliance Retail further strengthened its presence through its partnerships during this period. The joint venture with Marks & Spencer expanded its store network with 5 new stores opening during the quarter and reach extending to 24 cities with 63 stores, making India as the significant market for Marks & Spencer outside of UK.
Reliance, the operator of the world's biggest oil-refinery complex, stated that its operating earnings in the refining business marginally declined, while earnings at the petrochemicals business jumped 73 per cent. Airtel's net profit came in at Rs 305.8 crore for the three month period ended December 31, 2017 bruised by the tariff war in the industry and cut in call connect charges. Turnover from the business grew 116.4 percent year-on-year to Rs 18,798 crore and earnings before interest and tax grew 110.8 percent to Rs 487 crore.
In December 2017 the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) had raised its apprehension over the 3 per cent decline in CAGR in textiles and apparel exports. During the period, India’s textile and apparel exports stood at US $ 2996 million as compared to US $ 3075 million in the same period of 2016, revealed data released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Constant increase in imports of textiles and clothing during the same period also worried the trade association which otherwise appreciated the cumulative increase in the textiles and clothing exports during April-December 2017 at US $ 26,136 million against US $ 25,721 million in the corresponding period of last year.
Additional, as compared to US $ 137.24 million in 2017 the imports of textiles registered a 20.48 per cent increase to US $ 165.34 million in December 2017.
India noted a 66 per cent increase garment imports to US $ 111.3 million as per the data released by Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh, during July to December 2017 from US $ 66.9 million during the same period last year.
The data further showed that knitted garment imports from Bangladesh zoomed 77 per cent US $ 36.5 million during July-December 2017, while woven garment import increased by 62 per cent to US $ 74.8 million.
According to a major industry manufacturer has prediction the European lingerie market will experience a growth of 2-3 per cent in 2018.
Peter Partma, CEO of European Lingerie Group AS (ELG) believes that further consolidation of Europe’s still relatively fragmented lingerie industry will also continue this year.
Partma further says that as for further consolidation, mergers and acquisitions are a strategic way of entering the market and understanding the current needs and preferences of the population.
ELG has a clear strategy to grow through geographical and product portfolio expansion, new distribution channels and online sales. It is expecting organic and stable growth in the next years approximately 6-10 per cent turnover increase yearly for the Group companies, he added.
European Lingerie Group’s revenue for 2017 is approximately EUR72 million, including EUR34 million generated by Lauma Fabrics and around EUR38 million by Felina International.
ELG’s nearest competitors in 2017 were other European countries, mainly Germany, but the biggest competition in the lower-priced segment came from Asian and Turkish manufacturers.
In recent years, however, production costs in Asia have grown rapidly and production in Europe has started to flourish and regain its global position in the industry, noted Partma.
Baiba Birzniece, a supervisory board member of ELG says that western consumers value locally sourced materials and production quality, comfort, design and innovations of the products which is ELG’s big advantage together with the full production cycle from fabrics to ready-made garments.
The fact of the matter is that consumers’ preferences vary from country to country. European women often prefer functional lingerie over fashionable lingerie. They also value convenient shopping and online becomes more and more relevant. That is why ELG has defined online sales channels development as one of the priorities in 2018 together with product innovations and expansion into new markets, she added.
Ten U.S. cotton organizations have promised industry contributions in 2018 to sustenance the demand-building activities of Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) export promotion arm, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Plains Cotton Growers Executive Vice President Steve Verett says that the growers believe that contributing to CCI is an investment in the future of our industry and ultimately is essential to our success. The work they do is dynamic to helping safeguard that the rest of the world knows why U.S. cotton is a superior product and worthy of sourcing. The fact that 80 per cent of U.S. cotton is exported highlights the critical need for a healthy export market.
U.S. cotton industry contributions help CCI to build export markets for U.S. cotton fiber, yarn and other cotton products, and are an invaluable supplement to the funding from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. CCI is the largest recipient of MAP and FMD funding to promote U.S. cotton overseas.
CCI promotes U.S. cotton in more than 50 countries under its COTTON USA trademark. Last year alone, buyers and sellers throughout the global textile supply chain conducted more than 2,100 business meetings at COTTON USA events aimed at increasing exports of U.S. cotton.
Export markets are critical to the U.S. cotton industry, as nearly all cotton grown in the United States is exported either in the form of fiber or cotton yarn.
In the 2016 marketing year, the U.S. cotton industry exported 18.4 million bales of raw cotton fiber and cotton textiles. The 2016 marketing year was the second highest year of U.S. raw fiber exports, with exports reaching 14.9 million bales.
Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the state’s first Green khadi park in Seraikela-Kharsawan District. The first-of-its’s-kind park is spread over two acres. Murmu lauded the move and said it will play a key role in promoting khadi products as well as create job opportunities for many in the sector.
Around 200 charkhas have been installed at the solar-based khadi park set up at a cost of Rs 4 crores. These charkhas will run on renewable source of energy. The inauguration, was attended by ex-chief minister Arjun Munda and Sanjay Seth, Chairman of Jharkhand Khadi Evam Gramodyog Board, who said the importance of khadi can be gauged out from the fact that this movement has succeeded in preserving traditional arts and crafts. It has also been successful in providing self-employment to a large number of people in rural areas, particularly among women.
A training centre for the skill development of artisans has also been set up along with the accommodation facility. The state khadi board has termed it an ambitious project for them. Other than the production unit, the park boasts a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, manicured gardens and an emporium. The main aim of which is to showcase khadi (park). Presently, a weaver can produce around 100 gm of silk threads a day. The introduction of solar charkhas will eventually increase the production.
Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Los Angeles along with Unionwell participated in Agenda Show 2018 held January on 4-5, in Long Beach, California. Agenda Show is a fashion show for street style (streetwear). ITPC Los Angeles Head Antonius Budiman says Indonesia's participation in the Agenda Show is an effort to open market penetration opportunities in the US, especially California, for Unionwell and other independent fashion brands from Indonesia. Agenda Show is a gathering for buyers, business, investors, distributors etc.
Unionwell is an Indonesian product that sells a variety of fashion street clothes with distinctive Indonesian accents that are packaged vintage to make Unionwell stand apart from other similar products in the market. In Agenda Show, Unionwell entered the ‘The Woods’ segment which focused on craftsmanship and emerging trends. The brand’s products are a fashion product with added value designed by young Indonesians. The presence of Unionwell at Agenda Show 2018 successfully attracted the attention of independent and other major brands, including Carhartt, Eno, Chinese Laundry, Clarks, Supra, and Toms. Unionwell also managed to lure up 25 potential buyers, including major retailers such as TJX Companies, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.
Textile and textile products are Indonesia's main exports to the US which record export value of about $4.1 billion in 2017. Indonesia's main competitors for textile products are China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Honduras and El Salvador.
Worried about the recent drop in exports of textiles and garments and rise in imports from countries like Bangladesh, exporters have urged the government to come up with more incentives in the forthcoming Union Budget to help the domestic industry stay competitive. The Textile Ministry has already formed a Committee to look into the issues raised by the industry and exporters are hopeful that together with the Finance and Commerce Ministries, help could be given to this sector.
HKL Magu, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said, garments exports have suffered a huge loss within three consecutive months since October 2017 and hopefully the industry’s problems would be looked into seriously and suitably addressed. “Under the new GST and drawback rules, the reimbursements of taxes for the sector have gone down to the extent of 7 per cent (of the value of exports), whereas an additional incentive of 2 per cent was given to the sector in the foreign trade policy review in December. There is a shortfall of 5 per cent which has to be addressed in the Budget as it is pulling down exporters,” Magu said.
AEPC has sought a number of Budget interventions, which include: more incentives, continuation of duty-free import of speciality fabric up to 1 per cent of export value of garments, 24x7 customs clearance, withdrawal of GST on air-freight and duty-free import of samples. Exports of garments and textiles fell 3 per cent in December 2017 to $2.99 billion, although in the April-December 2017 period it recorded a growth of 2 per cent at $26.13 billion.
What has shaken the domestic industry is the rise in imports in the comparable period. According to CITI, India’s imports of garments from Bangladesh increased 66 per cent to $111.3 million during July- December 2017 as against $66.9 million in the same period last year.
Birla Cellulose, a part of Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries, has launched its premier international design studio in New York. Grasim is India’s leading fibre manufacturer and the global leader in Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF). The company offers an entire range of cellulosic fibre under Birla Cellulose.
Located at 7th Avenue in New York fashion district, the design studio will cater to the demands of the international market. The studio will offer a one-stop solution for brands in the US in terms of fabric samples in viscose, modal and spunshade. The studio will be actively involved in supply chain support from India, technical support to fabric manufacturers, fabric swatch support, followed by yardages for making prototype samples. The presence of the studio in New York is also targeted at reducing lead time for buyers.
Speaking at the launch, Rajeev Gopal, Chief Marketing Officer of Grasim Industries Limited, said, “It is a historic moment for all of us at Birla Cellulose as we embark on this new journey. Birla Cellulose design studio will offer a one-stop solution for brands in the USA.” The design studio will display an assortment of over 300 varieties of fabrics created by the value chain partners in India, showcasing the best of innovations done on modal, viscose and spunshades, besides the core fabric collection. It will also have a display of 74 shades of dope dyed spunshades fibres from Birla Cellulose.
Gopal says this move is targeted at building awareness for international buyers on possible partnerships towards a mutually profitable growth. Birla Cellulose will exhibit innovations in fibres that work beautifully with the fashion sentiment, thus re-enforcing the group’s philosophy of constant innovation to suit changing consumer needs. He also officially launched the Spring/Summer 2019 fabric collection in viscose, modal, spun-dyed which would be beneficial to the fashion industry as January and February are the months when the Industry looks forward to new fabric range for the upcoming season.
Birla Cellulose has made its seasonal collection accessible to global markets, with this launch. The company already has manufacturing in six countries and sales in over 65 countries.
