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Oerlikon Textile will soon have a new service center for the polymer processing industry in the US. At the new address, synergy effects and resources will be used to a noticeably greater extent for the benefit of all Oerlikon customers in 4500 square meters of office and commercial space.
Oerlikon already has an American subsidiary. All processes will now be optimized in the new building. Incoming goods, warehouse and dispatch will be merged, inventory control will be strengthened. Also, the range of services in the repair area will be expanded.In addition to services in the area of filament and carpet yarn systems, Oerlikon will also be able to offer customers repair services for staple fiber components such as crimpers or nonwoven systems in future. This will further strengthen the market position for the Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven brands.
Oerlikon Textile has been active in the manmade fibers business in the United States for over 55 years. In addition to the sale of staple fiber, BCF, IDY, POY, FDY and texturing plants, the product portfolio also includes upgrades and modernization of old plants, service and training offers as well as repair services and spare parts supplies.
The global hunting apparel market is growing at three per cent a year.
Hunting apparel is outdoor clothing worn during hunting activities. It is weather resistant and durable compared to ordinary clothing. Hunting apparel is designed with specific characteristics for the field, for instance, extra pockets for gear, scent-masking fabric, etc.
The market is driven by product innovation and product line extension leading to product premiumization, rise in popularity of outdoor recreational activities, and growing online sales of hunting apparel. This growing demand for hunting licenses is one of the prime reasons driving the hunting apparel market growth. Also, the adoption of omnichannel retailing and the rise in the number of private-label brands will lead to sizable demand in the market.The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services.
Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies to remain competitive in the market.The global hunting apparel market is a part of the global apparel, accessories, and luxury goods market. The end-to-end understanding of the value chain is essential in profit margin optimization and evaluation of business strategies. The data available in the value chain analysis segment can help vendors drive costs and enhance customer services.
More accurate forecasting data can significantly improve margins and efficiency, ultimately reducing waste. So says OC&C.
The use of such technology can serve in tackling overproduction in the apparel industry. Buying more in line with customer demand can increase contribution margins by one to three percentage points per product category. Additionally, a reduction in overproduction by five per cent to 15 percent can represent a three percent reduction in carbon emissions.
Use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, says OC&C allows brands to refine their collections in keeping with consumer demand, while also enabling them to operate more efficiently. So, evolving planning and buying to be more demand-led is a practical first step, enabling significant margins to be gained, and unnecessary waste and CO2 emissions to be reduced.
The industry’s trend landscape has become increasingly more complex, driven by consumers that engage and transact across multiple physical and digital platforms, changing the way in which demand is determined. So, says the strategy consultant, planning needs to be in real-time, in consideration of shortened, more frequent buying windows, while still allowing better management of waste.
OC&C speaks and works with fashion brands that are under significant pressure as the complexity of business models continues to increase, cost inflation rises, and there is a need to operate more sustainably.
Global Fashion Summit will be held in Denmark, June 27 to 28, 2023.
This forum for sustainability in fashion will convene core stakeholders across the fashion ecosystem and parallel industries to drive tangible action on social and environmental sustainability.
Major objectives for sustainability action are in place, yet across the globe, industries are not on track to meet them. Under this premise, the event will present content experiences focused on tangible impact.
Speakers will showcase inspiring thought leadership for accelerated change by exploring a matrix of interconnected topics. Tangible learnings and concrete recommendations will be given to help drive implementation.The forum will also host even more strategic roundtable meetings with the aim to mobilise industry leaders to build alliances with solution providers, policy makers, investors and other industry stakeholders and implement immediate solutions, the premise being such alliances can set in motion the much-needed progress towards a net positive industry.
The event will shed light on the ongoing pieces of legislation currently under discussion both within the EU and worldwide. Transforming ambition into action and pioneering net-positive leadership will be the focus of the event. Industry leaders can share knowledge and by working in partnership can create more sustainable logistics solutions for all.
The global market for flame retardant textiles is growing at two per cent a year.
Flame retardants are a diverse group of chemicals that are added mainly to textile products to prevent or delay the spread of fire. The main families of flame retardants which are commonly being used in the textile industry are halogens (bromine and chlorine) phosphorus.
Nylon, polyester and acrylic tend to be slow to ignite but once ignited, severe melting and dripping occurs. Wool is comparatively flame-retardant. If ignited, it usually has a low burning rate and may self-extinguish. Glass fibers and modacrylic are almost flame-resistant. Aramid fibers from companies like DuPont create inherently flame resistant fibers, with brands such as DuPont Kevlar and DuPont Nomex. The actual structure of the fiber itself is not flammable. Woven in plain weave, 100 per cent para-aramid fabrics have excellent thermal characteristics. In addition to their good insulating properties, they can reach a peak temperature of 500 °C and a continuous operating temperature of 350 °C. Studies show that flame retardant textiles can significantly slow down or even prevent fires.
Fire prevention is regulated by national and international standards, and research into the causes of fire shows that unsuitable textiles can contribute considerably towards a fire spreading.A comparative fire test shows the speed at which a blaze can spread in a room furnished with conventional textiles.
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will be held in China, August 16 to 18, 2023.
This is a home textile show and will comprise a wide range of home textile products, including bedding and toweling, rugs, table and kitchen linen, upholstery and curtain fabrics, editors, home textile technologies, and textile design.
With well-known participating brands, extensive product categories, and an informative fringe program, the fair will continue to serve as the hub for resource exchange within the global home textile sector, and prove particularly essential for industry players who wish to enter the Chinese market.
This autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is targeted more toward international participants. With many trade fairs restarting their event schedules worldwide and China notably relaxing border restrictions for travellers entering the country, global industry players are looking forward to the return of trade fairs. Due to the promising home textile market, the fair expects to welcome more overseas exhibitors and visitors to the upcoming show.
The global home textile market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent between 2020 and 2025. China is expected to remain the world’s largest home textile market with a share of over 28 per cent.
Unions in Bangladesh are demanding an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers.
The demands include the minimum wage of an entry level garment worker with a yearly increment of ten per cent as opposed to the current five per cent.
Other demands of workers’ unions include ration facilities for workers, considering the rising cost of living.The unions are demanding that the basic wage is made 65 per cent of the total wage, which includes both the basic wage and allowances.
Currently, the basic wage for a garment worker is less than 60 per cent of the total wage. This is important as termination payments, like severance and gratuity are calculated based on the basic wage. Inflation has left workers struggling to make ends meet.
Bangladesh’s labour laws require the formation of a new wage board every five years to settle wage structures for every industry. The last review of garment workers’ wages was in 2018. The market situation has drastically changed between 2018 and 2022. With skyrocketing inflation, it has become impossible for workers to afford a decent standard of living.
The inflation rate in Bangladesh crossed 9.5 per cent in August 2022, the highest in eleven years.
Always a draw for customers, the free return policy offered by e-commerce platforms seems to spur a spate of impulsive purchases which eventually are returned. Returns can be costly for the e-retailer. In the US, The National Retail Federation found 18.1 per cent items purchased online in 2020 were returned. In most cases, returns mean the retailer paid for shipping to and from a customer without getting a sale, plus returned merchandise can’t always be resold, and those costs hit their bottom line. However, some retailers disagree as they know that those who purchase the most return the most.
Fee on returns
After years of subsidizing them, more retailers are charging customers to send back unwanted goods. It’s a risky move because shoppers have become accustomed to buying an item in multiple sizes and colors and returning what doesn’t fit for free. Looking back at 2022, return policies of retailers underwent change in the US, one of the largest e-commerce markets in the world. In 2021, the number of large retailers in the US and Europe who introduced a return fee policy were 31 per cent and it rose to 40 per cent in 2022. Brands like Zara, J Crew, Boohoo and Abercrombie & Fitch are on this list. Zara now charges UK customers £1.95. Emboldened by such a large retailer implementing this change, others feel confident of their decision to do away with free returns.
Making business sense
Moving away from subsidizing returns was a thought-through decision for the global e-commerce sector as they spent the past two decades removing costs from supply chains and customer service. Returns had not been looked into, leaving them as one of the few places with lots of room for reducing expenses. They are costly because of the labour to have them shipped back, inspected and put up for resale. Investors are demanding that online businesses focus on increasing profitability rather than focus on growth. Year 2022 seems to be the one when free return policy was heavily weighed.
The pandemic had seen a huge growth in online shopping as people couldn’t access physical stores for health safety issues. This spate of buying also meant a larger than before number of returns. Lockdown disruptions created an inventory glut in categories such as apparel, which is expected to increase discounting and the potential for shoppers to return goods when they see better deals. As Amit Sharma, CEO and Founder of Narvar a post-purchase customer experience platform said in a recent media interaction, consumers experiencing the highest inflation in four decades are more frugal, increasing the chances that they second-guess a purchase and return it. On the other hand, increased costs for transportation, energy and labour have made returns even more expensive, giving e-retailers the raison d’etre for them to change their return policies. The cost of processing returns has eroded margins too much to be able to continue with it according to industry experts.
Indian e-commerce players follow global trends
Myntra, the mega local e-commerce giant has reviewed and renewed its return policy after experiencing an unnaturally high number of returns. It has started identifying customers who have a record of higher number of returns than the average and adding a convenience fee of Rs 299 for subsequent purchases, ensuring that the cost of return is covered.
Customers who were Myntra loyalists because of their zero per cent return fee policy and leveraged it to buy large number of items and then return most, are dismayed. Many such customers spoke out about transferring their shopping to Amazon which continues to provide free returns. Of course, it remains to be seen if Amazon will join the bandwagon.
Charging customers for returns is a business policy that will see an immediate reduction on operating costs for e-retailers and discourage impulsive purchases which are more often than not returned. This is also a step towards wasteful consumption. The way forward for brands is to ensure that customers who wish to return can do so by visiting the nearest physical store and getting a reward for it. The returned goods are then immediately put back in circulation which unclutters the e-commerce inventory. Another way is to provide AI assisted online trials to help customers make the right choices, thereby doing away with the need to return.
The United Kingdom and Italy have partnered to enhance trade, boost economic growth, create jobs, increase wages and drive exports.
The partnership, the first of its kind between the UK and any EU country, also aims at boosting exports in various sectors and promoting inward investment in low-carbon industries such as offshore wind and carbon capture storage.
The agreement cements the UK's position as a vital trade partner within Europe and the G7, demonstrating the country’s potential as an independent trading nation to form comprehensive trade deals with new markets, while strengthening its partnerships with EU member countries. It marks a significant milestone in the UK’s trading relationship with Europe and shows how an independent UK can benefit from striking ambitious trade deals with the world, while also reinforcing its already strong and prosperous trading relationship with EU members such as Italy.
The partnership is expected to boost trade and investment between British and Italian businesses, ease the path for valuable investment, and grow UK exports. The UK and Italy are among the top ten global economies. Italy is the UK’s eleventh largest trading partner. In 2020-21, Italy was also the sixth largest recipient of UK foreign direct investment projects globally.
Saks’ spring 2023 campaign stars Emma Roberts. Told through a surrealist lens with bold and saturated colors, the campaign celebrates the spirit of individuality and inspires customers to express their identities through luxury fashion they can wear anytime and anywhere.
The campaign showcases an unparalleled assortment of spring fashion and accessories from iconic brands and emerging designers in unique content across Saks-owned channels and partner-owned editorial platforms.
Emma Roberts is actress, producer, and star of the new hit film Maybe I Do. She incorporates a season’s top trends into her everyday wardrobe and adapts her personal style to dress for the many aspects of her busy life.
Saks is a digital platform for luxury fashion.Saks remains focused on delivering a fresh and inspiring assortment of luxury fashion that serves every aspect of its clients’ unique lifestyles. Since Emma Roberts shares Saks' relatable approach to luxury fashion her fresh perspective on everyday dressing is expected to resonate with Saks’ customers.
Each season, Saks showcases the biggest trends and most sought-after styles that are breaking through the fashion scene. Top trends for the spring 2023 season include bare it all, minimalist tailoring, utility dressing, clear sequins, head-to-toe denim and the carryall tote bag.
