Ethical fashion gains ground with growing awareness on socio-environmental issues
"Young consumers today are concerned about social and environmental causes that are defining issues of our times. They support their beliefs by favoring brands aligned to their values. Studies indicate nine out of 10 GenZ consumers feel companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues. However, this concern about environmental and social issues is not restricted to younger consumers alone. Around two-thirds consumers worldwide would switch, avoid, or boycott brands that do not agree with their stance on controversial issues."
Young consumers today are concerned about social and environmental causes that are defining issues of our times. They support their beliefs by favoring brands aligned to their values. Studies indicate nine out of 10 GenZ consumers feel companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues. However, this concern about environmental and social issues is not restricted to younger consumers alone. Around two-thirds consumers worldwide would switch, avoid, or boycott brands that do not agree with their stance on controversial issues.
Trend towards making principled purchases
Over the past three years, one third consumers worldwide have incorporated principled views and values in their purchasing decisions. Fashion companies are becoming alert to injustice in society. Brands and retailers, including Levi’s and Nike have taken a clear stance on social issues in recent months. Nike supporting Colin Kaepernick, the face of the NFL’s “anthem protests,” and Levi’s fronting a campaign against gun violence. Gucci has also supported that cause, supporting a student-led march calling for more gun control.
Some fashion players have attached collections and ranges to specific causes. For example, H&M launched a Pride collection in 2018 in support of the LGBTQ+ community, and Balenciaga collaborated with World Food Programme, donning its slogan, “Saving Lives, Changing Lives”.
Increase in B-certified corporations
There are growing number of B-Corporations, which are certified to have considered the impact of their decisions on people, society, and the planet (exhibit). Companies including Ben & Jerry’s, Danone, and Patagonia are B-certified. In the fashion, apparel, and beauty sector, the number of B-corps rose to nearly 200 by April 2018, compared with just seven in 2010.
Notably, environmentally and socially focused companies are considered by younger cohorts as better prospects for employers, and they would be more loyal to companies that are aligned with those values.
Identifying ‘real’ from ‘fake’
However, not all causes that fashion brands advocate are universally popular, and these can come with significant risks. The
NFL “anthem protest” was a divisive issue in the United States, creating a mixture of applause and backlash for Nike. Still, it created earned media exposure worth more than $163 million, within just days of the campaign launch. Besides potential controversy from supporting divisive causes, brands may also risk being perceived as hypocritical if they do not carefully ensure consistency in their messages and actions.
Another reason brand alignment with causes can backfire is that discerning consumers can easily spot the difference between gimmicks and a genuine purpose that aligns with the values of the organization. Companies can expect consumers to closely examine the level of continuity across campaigns and the nature of their strategic and operational decisions, as well as their tone.
More consumers to increase commitment levels
While consumers in Western markets currently tend to dominate the movement towards environmental and social conscience this is likely to change. In future, a rising number of consumers in other markets will increase their levels of commitment.
Despite many associated risks, some large brands willingly court controversies to express beliefs, particularly luxury players, which attract younger consumer groups. And while expression of controversial views may deter some, loyalty rewarded by remaining customers matters more.
Zara to launch first denim capsule collection
Zara plans to offer its first capsule collection of customisable denim apparel via pop-ups later this month. The pop-ups start on March 27 in three Zara locations in Europe: Vittorio Emanuele, Milan; Kalverstraat, Amsterdam, and Plaza Cataluña, Barcelona. Customers who shop Zara’s online stores in Spain, the U.K., the Netherlands and Italy will also have access to the customisation features. Customised product from a store can be delivered immediately, while those ordered online will be sent to the buyer via Zara’s usual delivery times.
The service Zara is testing allows consumers to have embroidered one word–up to 11 characters–onto any of nine different denim products in the capsule. The apparel options include jeans, denim skirts, jackets and shorts. Customers will also be able to choose a range of fonts and six different embroidery thread colors.
Under Armour lauded for labor rights
Under Armour has secured a stamp of approval from Fair Labor Association (FLA). The US-based sports apparel maker’s social compliance program includes strong policies for monitoring and fixing problems affecting workers in the supply chain. This includes a commitment at the board and executive level to protect workers and improve conditions, regular training on workplace standards, clear channels through which workers can report grievances and a comprehensive monitoring program that involves meeting with unions.
FLA is a labor group which monitors labor practices covering factory workers around the globe. As a part of accreditation process, Under Armour published a list of apparel and footwear factories in nearly 30 countries where about 90 per cent of its products are made, including places such as China, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico, Vietnam and the United States. Other factories are located in Brazil, Egypt, El Salvador, Haiti and Malaysia. Under Armour has been working on improving operations, including supply chain initiatives that are expected to help boost 2019’s gross margins. The company’s accelerated innovation agenda, disciplined go-to-market process and powerful consumer-centric approach gives it increasingly greater confidence in its ability to deliver for Under Armour athletes, customers and shareholders. The company has guided gross margin to an improvement of 60 to 80 basis points from 2018’s adjusted gross margin.
Australian buyers unwilling to pay right price for Bangladesh RMG
Australian brands pay pitiful prices for the garments they source from Bangladesh. They have resisted paying a better price and so raising the wages of the multitudes who paradoxically, make world-class wear for those who can afford to pay more. Readymade garment workers making clothes that are sold across Australia are trapped in a cycle of poverty, no matter how hard they work. Women in Bangladesh and Vietnam making clothes for the Australian fashion industry go hungry because the wages are as low as 51 cents an hour. Paying better prices for readymade garment products can enable workers to have a better life.
Practices by Australian companies are contributing to driving wages down. They undertake fierce price negotiation, often jump between contracts instead of working with factories over the long term, squeeze lead times for orders and operate with a separation between their ethical and standards staff and their buying teams, who negotiate directly with factories.
On an average, just four per cent of the price of a piece of clothing sold in Australia goes towards workers wages. If brands absorb the cost of paying living wages, it would amount to less than one per cent of the garment price.
UK Materials Show in May to attract manufacturers, brands
Materials Show will be held in the UK from May 1 to 2, 2019. This is the first European event of Materials Show. Brands will get an opportunity to meet hardware, textiles and components manufacturers at the event. The popular NE and NW trade shows, which took place in Portland and Boston earlier this year, are frequently used to provide inspiration for future product lines, with global companies like Nike and Under Armour sending product development teams to tour the exhibits. This event aims at sharing similar innovations and insights with a new audience of international footwear, outdoor and performance and apparel brands. The February and March shows in the US saw consistent trend for sustainable technologies and multipurpose textiles, which are expected to be seen in this edition as well.
Leather industry, popular in England, in particular is to watch out for. Footwear companies from across Europe will gather under one roof, offering unprecedented brand access to European attendees. Materials Show also coincides with the 100-year anniversary of Satra, a footwear research and testing non-profit and one of the event’s sponsors.
PolyU lingerie fashion show in June
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Department of Textile and Apparel will host the annual "PolyU lingerie fashion show" in Hong Kong in June 2019. The event will feature 12 students who will create three sets of underwear and casual sportswear each to showcase their creativity and day copies.
In addition, four senior industry stalwarts will be on the judging panel of the event.
Pakistan’s hosiery company Interloop sets IPO record
Interloop, Pakistan’s largest hosiery producer, has launched an IPO which is the biggest equity issue ever by a Pakistani private sector company. The company has set out to raise fresh capital, representing a 12.5 per cent stake in the company. There has been an overwhelming response to the book building process on social media. Interloop’s book building has been oversubscribed by 30 per cent. The company plans to utilise the raised amount to finance a new facility to expand hosiery production capacity and set up a denim production facility.
The company, founded in 1992, extended beyond Pakistan and has established a production facility in Bangladesh. It ranks as Pakistan’s seventh largest exporter and generates approximately 90 per cent of its revenue through exports, supplying yarns, hosiery and apparel items to some of the world’s leading brands including Nike, Puma, Reebok, H&M’s and Levi’s. The company’s plans for future growth include increasing its global footprint by increasing hosiery production by around 22.6 per cent and expanding its product mix by adding knitted apparel and denim jeans.
Following the completion of its issue, the company would be among the top 50 companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange by market capitalisation.
Global sports merchandise market to reach £36 billion by 2024
The global sports merchandise retail market is likely to reach £36 billion by 2024. Growth is being driven worldwide by continuous innovation and development by major producers. These producers design and manufacture some of the most gorgeous sporting accessories, sports apparel and general memorabilia. Now-thriving economies like India and China are contributing enormously to the growth of the industry, as millions of new customers spend vast combined sums of cash on sporting merchandise.
The advent and expansion of ecommerce has also played a role in driving industry growth. Online retail reduces overheads that quality sports merchandise can be picked up at far lower prices than would be the case with any traditional retailer. Enormous global marketing campaigns have been credited with contributing to the growth of the industry. Additonally, US powerhouses like Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) achieve spectacular merchandise sales each year.
Designers and manufacturers continue to ink lucrative deals with major franchises, sporting celebrities and individual clubs. Just a few examples of which include Adidas – Reebok, Nike Inc., VF Corporation, G-III Apparel, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Jarden Corporation, Knight Apparels, New Era Cap, Under Armour and Great American Products.
Mukta Group to venture into garmenting
Mukta Group of Industries plans to start a garment factory of 500 machines. The factory will initially manufacture formal and casual shirts for the domestic market.
In the initial stage, 150 machines will be installed and later the facility will be expanded completely. Production is expected to start within April.
Producing 2.5 lakh meters per month, Mukta Group of Industries is known for woven fabric production. The company is very enthusiastic about its new initiative and is expecting good growth in the coming years.
DyStar’s Color Solutions releases latest colour report
The 6th Color Analysis report by Color Solutions’ for Autumn/Winter 2020 features 54 ColorWall colors along with additional color validation, color evolution, and direction by hue. Color Solutions is a member of the DyStar Group. Color Solutions is passionate about the impact color has on mindset, lifestyle, art and culture and is continually rediscovering how colors intermix together and how each hue flows from deep intensity to softer tints. From a time gone by to this moment of now, themes take shape as they transform historic elements into modern day life, intertwining together to create a new existence full of creative energy and vitality. Color Solutions looks from the past to present day reality to shape the themes of trends reflected in the spirit of present time.
New for this season, Color Solutions has delved deeper by giving more detail for each color using its proprietary Relative Color Popularity process. RCP is a marriage of color validation with trend color forecasting. The RCP report has been organized into four categories to help validate color selection.
Color forecast is essential for product designers, color managers and buyers working in textiles, apparel, accessories, decor, interiors, and cosmetics. Color Analysis includes seasonal color palettes selected from a wide range of approximately 3,700 colors.
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CCI introduces quality norms for cotton
This season onwards, Cotton Corporation of India has introduced stricter quality norms for ginning and processing units in cotton-producing states. Until now, there was a loophole in trash and moisture content that was exploited by some ginners. Indian cotton is of a lower grade as it contains higher trash content and moisture but India is the only exporter which gives trash and moisture guarantees in the global trade. India introduced mandatory traceability in cotton a couple of months ago but its implementation is likely to take some time. Because of stricter norms, the inventory with CCI is of good quality and most buyers have expressed satisfaction with it.
CCI has procured 11.6 lakh bales so far, nearly four times the amount collected during the same period the previous year. Procurement is likely to touch 15 lakh bales by the end of this season. Prices have firmed up and therefore the purchase under procurement is down. The 348 centers are active and will remain open throughout the season to ensure that the market remains stable.
Of the total procured stocks, around 80 per cent have been purchased from Telangana, followed by Maharashtra. Cotton was also procured from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
Adidas hikes recycling goals, aims to reduce greenhouse gas by 30 by 2030
Apparel brand Adidas is focusing on corporate social responsibility. Sustainability at Adidas goes far beyond recycled plastic. Adidas also continues to improve its environmental performance during the manufacturing of products. This includes the use of sustainable materials, the reduction of CO2 emissions, and waste prevention. In 2018 alone, the company saved more than 40 tons of plastic waste in its offices, retail stores, warehouses, and distribution centers worldwide and replaced them with more sustainable solutions.
In 2018, Adidas produced more than five million pairs of shoes containing recycled plastic waste. The company plans to more than double that figure this year. To reach this goal, the company has partnered with global collaboration network Parley for the Oceans, which intercepts plastic waste on beaches before it can reach the oceans. The waste is then made into a yarn, which becomes a key component in Adidas footwear. The company also produces other apparel from the recycled material.
The company plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. In addition, it is committed to using only recycled polyester in every product and on every application where a solution exists by 2024. The company sources only sustainably produced cotton. In addition, the company hasn’t used plastic bags in its stores since 2016.
Shaping socio-political growth through fashion
"Fashion and politics have always complemented each other in paving the future growth of a nation. The term Fashion Activism, coined by famous designer Céline Semaan, Founder of Tech Lab Slow Factory denotes the use of fashion to implement social and political change. Semaan championed the term by retailing an assortment of socially conscious fashion garments and accessories for social causes, such as the ‘Banned’ scarf to revolt against American President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban or the ‘First Amendment Jacket’ featuring the First Amendment written in Arabic to show disagreement towards crimes against American Muslims."
Fashion and politics have always complemented each other in paving the future growth of a nation. The term Fashion Activism, coined by famous designer Céline Semaan, Founder of Tech Lab Slow Factory denotes the use of fashion to implement social and political change. Semaan championed the term by retailing an assortment of socially conscious fashion garments and accessories for social causes, such as the ‘Banned’ scarf to revolt against American President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban or the ‘First Amendment Jacket’ featuring the First Amendment written in Arabic to show disagreement towards crimes against American Muslims.
Globally peace sign symbols have broken the market during the hippie movements whereas Trump supporting hats saying ‘Make America Great Again’ were retailed during the 2016 electoral campaign to show profits up to 40 per cent for small retailers.
Fashion shapes the political landscape
Several movements throughout history were promoted better using the power of attire. Suffragettes used color to communicate and spread the idea of votes for all: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope. Recently, high fashion retailers Liberty and Selfridges showcased an assortment of tricolour ribbons, underwear, bags and soaps on retail to uphold the dignity of the woman in everything.
Several fashion movements are conforming to the new fashion strata to emphasise a point. The Black Panther spirit of 1960s and 1970s was evoked by a simple accessory of the era: the beret. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior unveiled a new collection of leather berets by Stephen Jones that represents an army of strong and independent women.
Rise of the inclusive fashion
Amidst diverse consumer groups influencing social, broadcast and print media, ‘inclusive fashion’ was born. This trend
became popular in 2017, when the American President called transgender community a ‘burden. This resulted in a sudden outburst of rainbow colors laced over layers of garments. Numerous fashion retailers introduced collections supporting the community.
Calvin Klein launched Calvin Klein Pride capsule and donated the revenue collected to Human Rights Campaign, while Gap Inc. launched the ‘Wear Your Pride’ collection and H&M introduced its first-ever ‘Cohesive Collection’ dedicated to support the LGBTQ community. Other major names that were soon to join the movement were Kenneth Cole with the Pride Kam Sneakers, J Crew’s ‘Love First’ collection, Tommy Hilfiger’s inclusion of rainbow colours in their logo and Speedo’s rainbow swimwear collection.
Emergence of smaller retail groups
The movement also gave rise to smaller retail groups such as e-retailer Ease-In-Tees and Queer Theory which retail clothes, accessories and jewellery reprising the LGBTQ along with. Gender norms no longer dictate the runways. The trends are changing globally as was seen in the gender-neutral Spring and Fall 2019 collections of designers such as Stockholm’s Selam Fessahaye; Copenhagen’s Stine Goya; Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren; Hedi Slimane of French fashion brand Celine; American designer Harris Reed and quirky fashion house Moschino.
With body positivity as a trending notion, Michael Kors showcased its first body positive collection in NYFW Fall 2017, while Dolce & Gabbana presented its Spring 2019 RTW collection through a plethora of models without any age, size, race or gender bar. Brands like Good American and Nike launched the plus size collection for sportswear, while e-retailers like ASOS and ModCloth introduced their plus-size lines for e-commerce.
Thus, the utilisation of fashion offers two-way benefits – it not only involves the consumer in bigger cause but also ensures subsequent profits for the retailers.
Men’s dress shirt gets a new look
"Even though ‘casual Fridays’ have loosened up the men’s formal dressing style, the classic shirt, paired with a suit, remains a staple for office going men. The trend is being customised across many apparel categories ranging from jeans and T-shirts to shoes and suits. Suits are taking more casual forms with unstructured tailoring, oversized fits and unconventional designs. However, the classic dress shirt still remains a staple pairing. As per Drury, mass marketers in the US are following suit, recording a 5 per cent increase in dress shirt arrivals in 2018 compared to 2017."
Even though ‘casual Fridays’ have loosened up the men’s formal dressing style, the classic shirt, paired with a suit, remains a staple for office going men. The trend is being customised across many apparel categories ranging from jeans and T-shirts to shoes and suits.
Suits are taking more casual forms with unstructured tailoring, oversized fits and unconventional designs. However, the classic dress shirt still remains a staple pairing. As per Drury, mass marketers in the US are following suit, recording a 5 per cent increase in dress shirt arrivals in 2018 compared to 2017.
In 2018, there was a 12 per cent sellout of styles, more than double the year before. Of those that sold out, majority was split between two brackets: the $40 to $60 range and the $60 to $80 range. J.C. Penney, Express and Kohl’s have had the most sellouts in the last three months.
Demand for more personalised look
The trend of customisation is boosting the sector as consumers are increasingly seeking a more personalised look. Tailored Brands aims to custom suit accessible for anyone who plans to buy a suit. The company has a sustainable competitive advantage in meeting its customers’ needs with custom, given its expansive store footprint, highly trained wardrobe consultants and our at scale supply chain. For the third quarter of 2018, its custom sales averaged over $5 million per week, an increase of a 150 percent compared to $2 million per week for the same period a year ago.
In September, Tailored Brands reduced the delivery of Joe and 1905 custom suits to three to four weeks from the earlier four to six weeks. It also accelerated the rollout of Custom Express to just seven days to all Jos. A. Bank, Men’s Wearhouse and Moores stores. Each of these three brands offers more than 250 custom suit fabrics, over 100 linings and roughly 200 shirt fabrics from which to choose in making a custom garment.
Fabrics with new features a hit
In the third quarter, customised shirts in performance fabrics were introduced in Kenneth Cole at Men’s Wearhouse. Moores
also introduced stretch fabrics and construction that allow for greater range of motion and comfort. At Jos. A. Bank, traveler custom in both suiting and shirts was launched, as was travel tech custom, featuring moisture-wicking technology.
Although athleisure is booming and casual clothing dominates, a formal suit still remains the uniform for a high proportion of men in the US. But now, there is an opportunity for brands to focus on the fit and variety of these shirts. They should be made more high-tech just as the sportswear. In fact, brands like Brooks Brother’s, J.Crew, Banana Republic and Express are incorporating new features like moisture wicking technology, water repellent properties and, most importantly, stretch fabrics in these shirts. Way to go
