FW
The world’s biggest cushion, 20 feet tall, will be displayed at Heimtextil, New Delhi, June 20 to 22, 2017, expected to be inaugurated by Smriti Irani, Minister of Textiles, .
This textile masterpiece will represent the fabrics and embroideries of India. It will be curated with fabrics from India’s home furnishing brand D’decor. The theme is based on an unique design concept of harmony in nature and the congruence of man and woman inspired by DaVinci’s famous portrait.
The materials used in the making of the cushion represent fabrics of the nation such as khadi, brocade, morr, mixed embroideries, a blend of sustainable textiles such as yarn and fabric waste, among others.
The installation, a tribute to Indian capability, is meant to epitomise prowess, excellence, quality, vision and a capacity to overcome any challenge.
Heimtextil India is known for its mix of brands, design trends and home fashion innovations. This is India‘s leading home fashion business platform. Purchase managers from some of the top hotels and restaurant chains in India and Asia are expected to attend and engage in buyer-seller meetings.
The hospitality segment will continue to be one of the key focus areas of visitor engagement at the fair this year. Heimtextil India is a unique platform for hospitality buyers to meet exhibitors with international quality products.
Cotton is one of Tanzania's key crops. Around 99 per cent of the country’s cotton is grown in the western region. Around two million of the country’s 42 million people depend on it for their livelihood. It provides around 13 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange – second only to coffee in agricultural exports.
Poverty level among cotton farmers is high despite the crop being expected to improve their livelihoods, The deficiencies of the cotton industry are bound up with the poverty of the farmers. With no savings, and paltry and uncertain returns, they cannot afford pesticides and fertilisers to improve the quality of their cotton.
The result is that Tanzanian cotton trades at a discount on the international market due to its lower quality. And since the liberalisation of the cotton industry in the 1990s, productivity has fallen sharply, with yields just over a quarter of the world average.
One of the reasons productivity has not improved is that there has not been enough research into high-yield seed varieties. In addition, there has been no system to provide credit to farmers for fertiliser. Without credit, farmers can't afford fertilizer. There are farmers who haven’t even sprayed their crop once.
Sanjay K Jain, Chairman NITRA and Vice Chairman CITI , while extending thankfulness towards Honourable Ministers, Arun Jaitley and Smriti Irani for having understood well and keeping the cotton value chain and garments (1000) under 5% GST slab. That will ensure, according to him, “That there is no inflation for the common man due to GST. It has been a very balanced GST announcement overall. GST would benefit the industry in terms of lower logistic costs, low lead times, make pan India selling easier by removal of Forms needed, reduce administrative hassles by creating a single tax window, reduce costs by allowing taxes in all expenses to be adjusted etc. Overall the industry is very happy with the GST rates and so are the consumers.
However, he says, “There are a few oversights and anomalies which we hope will get corrected in due course”. The anomalies are as:
• Textiles is a very fragmented and unorganised industry. Mostly manufacturers just do a single process and hence a lot of job working is involved. Pre GST it was recognised as a manufacturing acitiity and exempted from service tax. However such exemption is missing in the current GST exemptions for services. This means it would have a 18% GST rate which would make the job work segments and their principals uncompetitive against large composite mills who will not have this impact due to inhouse production. We have represented to the Government with all facts and are hopeful that this shall get suitably modified in the next GST Council meeting
• Synthetic chain is impacted due to the inverse rate structure – fibre and yarn enjoy 18% GST while fabric & garments have 5%. This problem is further accentuated due to disallowance of refund of excess GST on input. Further this will also lead to flood of imports of fabric as GST on imports will be 5%, while effective tax incidence on domestic fabric will be close to 10%
• This GST structure will lead to more cotton consumption, due to duty variance of 13%. We have requested to reconsider and reduce synthetic yarn duty to 12% to make it more equitable or atleast allow refund of excess credit if any.
• Another indirect fallout from GST, is the big threat of imports of fabric and garments from China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Earlier imports had a 12.5% CVD which wasn’t adjustable. Now they would attract 5% GST which is adjustable against subsequent sales. Hence post GST the industry will be relatively disadvantaged by 12.5% vis a vis its peers abroad. This could create a very big issue as 12.5% in textiles is more than the net profit of most manufacturers. We shall need to approach the Commerce and Textile Ministry to work out some solution to save the industry from this impending avalanche by increasing import customs duty on textile products.
He concludes, “We hope the above anomalies are corrected soon, so our Industry can focus on accelerated growth as the uncertainty of GST is over. However, if these small but high impact irritants are not removed – we could see a big hit in the industry.”
India’s history of cultures and clothes can now be explored through Google’s latest virtual exhibition project.
Working with 183 renowned cultural institutions from around the world, Google’s project, We Wear Culture, lets people explore history of clothes dating as early as 3000 years ago from the ancient Silk Road to the courtly fashion of Versailles to the unmatched elegance of the Indian sari. So anyone with a phone or laptop can learn about the stories behind what they wear.
The online project includes collections from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and varied weaves from across India, from gharchola to patola to temple to Ikat saris, as it traces the story and importance of Indian textiles from ancient sculptures.
The world fashion exhibit also showcases designs from north-eastern India including the weaves of tribes such as the Nagas, Meitis and the traditional attire from Meghalaya called dhara or nara worn by Khasi women.
The unique colorful and rich embroidery arts, applique and mirror work from different communities have also been brought online. Fashion and textile enthusiasts can explore over 400 online exhibitions and stories sharing a total of 50,000 photos, videos and other documents on world fashion.
Some of the highlights include icons, game changers and trendsetters like Alexander McQueen, Audrey Hepburn, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace and many more.
As part of the Dutch trade mission to Italy, ‘Best of Both’ impact debates that has taken place involving Dutch and Italian denim industry leaders on Amsterdam, on 8 June 2017. In addition, a Global Denim Awards exhibition will be on display 17-23 June at the Triennale Di Milano Mariette Hoitink, of fashion recruitment and consultancy agency HTNK and co-founder of House of Denim, will open the exhibition on 17 June and close it on 23 June with a tour for the Dutch Royal couple.
Denim industry trade relations between Italy and The Netherlands have existed for many decades. Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, will lead this Dutch trade mission to Italy. This mission focuses on opportunities for smart and sustainable solutions in agriculture & food, heritage, water and the creative sector.
The Global Denim Awards exhibition is part of the official agenda of Camera Nazionale Della ModaItaliana. The exhibition will open on 17 June, the first day of Men’s Fashion Week in Milan, at the Triennale di Milano Design Museum.
Global Denim Awards links fashion design with technical innovation in denim by partnering emerging fashion designers with the most progressive denim mills worldwide. It has become the world’s premier platform for the future of denim design, innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship.
The Global Denim Awards Exhibition focuses on the Italian and Dutch collaborations over the last three years. During three impact debates, Dutch and Italian stakeholders from government, education and enterprise will discuss how to improve existing Italian and Dutch collaborations. Best practices will be presented and the topics to be discussed include sustainable and circular concepts and reshoring, as well as how to bring production back to Europe. The third debate will be lead by James Veenhoffand will focus on how to strengthen the Italian and Dutch denim industries.Best of Both’ will conclude with a presentation of general conclusions to Dutch Minister Ploumen for Foreign Trade and the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU).
Signs of a renaissance in British clothing and textile design and manufacture are evident. Kate Hills is founder and CEO of “Make it British” and a former designer and buyer for major brands such as Burberry and M&S. In 2014, she founded Meet the Manufacturer – which brings together buyers and designers looking to make products in Britain.
Britain is the world’s fifteenth largest textile manufacturing country. It’s one of the largest consumers of textile and clothing goods with a yearly market size of around 58 billion pounds.
The EU will remain the biggest trade partner of the UK even after Brexit. Around 50 per cent of British export goes to the EU. If tariff and non-tariff barriers are imposed on this zone, the British fashion industry will be affected. Many fashion businesses of UK have very close ties with suppliers and consumers of different EU countries. These businesses must not be disturbed for the stability of the sector.
In mostly a price-driven retail market British companies will continue to face competition from overseas manufacturers. Apart from the scarcity of a skilled work force, unwillingness of the young generation to join manufacturing will be challenging. High cost of energy and lack of investments in textile and clothing manufacturing will cause sufferings in the growth pattern.
Tirupur manufacturers are worried about the 18 per cent GST rate fixed for different segments in the production chain. The feeling is that this will put pressure on the working capital of the job working units, forcing them to exit the business.
Tirupur’s textile industry does business worth over Rs 50,000 crores every year, including revenue earned from exports. The industry also employs over 1,000,000 people.
Over 80 per cent of units in the Tirupur cluster are dependent on job work to carry out the various stages of garment manufacturing. The sequence of activities, from the yarn to garment is knitting, bleaching, dyeing, calendaring or compacting, printing, garmenting, embroidery and value-added activities like embellishment, glasswork, ARI work, thread work.
The product is normally transported from one stage of processing to the other at least five to seven times before getting packed for shipment or for domestic sales. At almost every stage now, 18 per cent GST will be applicable.
GST may increase costs by around two or three per cent. However the worry is not limited to costs, which can be managed through refund or passing on to the buyer. The worry is over the fate of hundreds of micro and small units, which were never under any tax purview so far.
There are some possible consequences of GST on various raw materials, fabrics and garments. The 18 per cent service tax on job working activities such as knitting, cutting, weaving and packaging could hurt small textile units badly. Integrated textile units, which do the job working internally will not be impacted.
GST of 18 per cent on manmade fibers will have considerable negative impact on manmade fiber manufacturing companies.
Subsuming of countervailing duty in GST for garments and fabrics will result in intense competition from companies in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
GST will be capped at 12 per cent on garments priced above Rs 1000 and at five per cent on garments below Rs 1000.
Companies that sell garments below Rs 1000 will see cost savings of two or three per cent while those selling garments above Rs 1000 may report a two or three per cent increase in costs.
Though there is no excise tax on readymade garments, the industry was still paying VAT of 5.5 to six per cent and 7 to 7.5 per cent for garments above Rs 1000. The difference in tax rate will get offset, more or less, by embedded tax credit.
The industry’s value chain, which is extremely fragmented at present, will benefit from a uniform tax rate across all verticals.
The government has revised and announced a major relief by sharply allowing to cut down GST rate at 5 per cent from 18 per cent announced earlier, for the work provided by job workers in textile and apparel industry, enabling job workers full input credit.
The high level of 18 per cent tax on job working and merchant services would have offered inverted duty structure resulting into a negative impact on the business, since many inputs were kept under various tax slabs. The textiles and apparel industries in India are largely dependent upon the work with over two-thirds of the volume manufactured as job working activity.
"The move of the GST Council will help many job workers generate self-employment. Since captive plants attracted 5 per cent, it was only job work which was kept under 18 per cent slab. So, job workers needed to be aligned with captive manufacturers. Hence, the GST rate cut on job workers is a big relief for the entire textiles industry," said Siddharth Rajgopal, Executive Director, The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil).
"These are very good steps by the government, good for the highly decentralised sector. From processing of fabrics to embroidery, GST rate on making charges have been fixed at 5 per cent," said Srinarain Aggarwal, chairman, Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Exports Promotion Council( SRTEPC).
Thanking government for the announcement of reduction of GST rate for job workers to 5% per cent, Rahul Mehta, president, CMAI, says "We had represented to the government raising possible issues and the negative impact of high duty on job working. This would help job workers survive and compete with those with captive manufacturing facilities," said.
"When President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate agreement last week and sent the world careening toward a global environmental calamity, a historic collection of parties in the United States came together in response."
When President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate agreement last week and sent the world careening toward a global environmental calamity, a historic collection of parties in the United States came together in response.
Officially named We Are Still In, the pledge has been signed by 1,370 businesses and investors (along with nine states, 275 colleges and universities, and 178 cities and counties), and the list is still growing. Of the 1,370 businesses involved in We Are Still In, 35 of those are apparel brands like Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, Gap, Levi’s.We Are Still In wants to show the US is committed to fighting climate change. 
Timberland was moved to sign the We Are Still In initiative to join forces with like-minded companies that believe business plays an important role in climate action. Patagonia calls Trump’s decision to leave the Paris agreement cynical and short-sighted. Nike is deeply disappointed by the withdrawal.
We Are Still In will unite the public and private sectors on an even larger scale moving forward. Signatory Nike has signaled its ready to link up with its home state of Oregon, one of nine states also signed on to the pledge. Not only can the two work together to reduce total emissions coming out of Oregon, but Nike—which wants to use only renewable energy by 2025—can share its cutting-edge methods with public and private organizations.
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has pledged to fulfill the 15 million dollar contribution the US would have made annually to the United Nations had it stayed in the agreement. We Are Still In also makes companies a part of a coalition promising to fulfill the abandoned promises of the United States.
What ‘s happening here is a giant global trust fall and while Trump may have walked away, over a thousand different entities are opening their arms.
Nike, as well as the companies under the VF Corporation umbrella (including Vans), have pledged to use 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025. By 2020, H&M wants to use cotton only from sustainable sources while Gap hopes to do the same by 2021. Warby Parker is working on eco-conscious changes as granular as the weight of its try-at-home boxes, hoping to reduce their mass in order to put less strain on the vehicles that transport them.
How all these admirable actions will be coordinated between We Are Still In signatories is yet to be seen, but even in its initial form the pledge is still a massively important gesture. In the face of challenge, this group is coming together to overcome and meet the expectations of millions of people in the US and billions of people around the world.
