Celebrating the theme, ‘Somos’ (‘We Are’), the 35th edition of Colombia's premier fashion event, Colombiamoda concluded successfully in Medellín. Attended bymore than 600 brands, the event connected over 12,000 buyers from 40 countries with more than 70,000 visitors, according to the event’s organiser, Inexmoda,

Inexmoda described this year’s Colombiamoda as a tribute to the last 35 years of Colombian fashion, highlighting the unique factors that make the country's textile industry globally competitive. A new feature in this year’s event was the City Circuit methodology, which showcased different parts of Medellín beyond the traditional Plaza Mayor venue, emphasising fashion's transformative power.

Sustainability was a focal point this year, with the Circular Fashion Pavilion showcasing brands committed to eco-friendly practices, from material selection to garment production, as highlighted by PolitécnicoGrancolombiano University.

The event kicked off on July 22 with designer NicolásRivero’s runway show. Titled ‘Proceso’ (Process), Rivero’s collection showcased 30 garments made from natural fibers like linen, silk, alpaca wool, cotton, and banana fiber stitches, emphasising material exploration and textile craftsmanship.

Notable among the daily runways was Beatriz Camacho’s show. In collaboration with Bronzini, an affordable clothing brand sold in Éxito supermarkets, Camacho presented ‘Despertarse en La Habana’ (To Awaken in Havana) to 1,200 attendees. Despite economic challenges, Camacho emphasised the importance of democratic and inclusive fashion, using eco-friendly fibers even for mass-produced items.

Peruvian designer Sandra Weil, making her Colombiamoda debut, closed the event. Founded in Mexico City, her eponymous brand has grown over 12 years, as reported by El Colombiano.

Known as Colombia’s fashion capital, Medellínhas a rich textile history dating back to Coltejer’s establishment in 1907. The city is a pivotal economic hub, with the textile sector exporting $8,974 billion pesos ($2.23 million) in 2018, accounting for 42 per cent of Colombia’s total textile exports. According to Inexmoda’s Fashion Observatory February 2024 report, Medellín represented 9.9 per cent of the national textile market in 2023, with companies exporting textiles worth $53.6 millionlast year.

Both the Export Promotion Bureau (EBP and the Bangladesh Bank have presented contrasting data on apparel export earnings by Bangladesh during the period spanning July-May ’23-24.

While the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) reported a 2.85 per cent growth in apparel exports earnings during the period, figure from the Bangladesh Bank (BB) indicate a 5.2 per cent decline in RMG earnings for the same period.

According to BB's corrected data, Bangladesh earned $33.04 billion from RMG exports in the first eleven months of FY 2023-24, compared to $34.86 billion in the previous year. This represents a significant downward revision from EPB's earlier estimate of $43.85 billion for the same period. Compared to $42.63 billion the previous year, The EPB's figure indicates a 2.86 per cent growth.

Conversely, BB's calculations show a 5.3 per cent decline in net income from garment exports to $17.60 billion from $18.58 billion the previous year. Additionally, revenues from woven products decreased by 5.1 per cent to $15.40 billion from $16.22 billion the previous year, as per the BB data.

Exporters believe, various factors contributed to the decline in income from the garment industry. One of these includes the significant decline in the unit cost of garments, alongside a slight downward trend in work orders due to global political unrest and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Mohammad Hatem, Executive President, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), affirms, rising fuel, electricity, and gas prices have increased production costs. However, buyers have failed to raise their product prices. Consequently, exporters have been unable to secure orders, he explains. Alack of cooperation from banks and harassment by customs and revenue officials is further weakening the competitiveness of these exporters, he adds.

Global political unrest, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the economic slowdown are also leading to a negative growth in export earnings in Bangladesh, adds Hatem.

SM Mannan Kochi, President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), adds, issues like increased production costs, including higher worker wages and electricity and fuel prices, are making it challenging for exporters to compete on price. Compounding this issue is the reduction in product prices by buyers, leading to a decline in exports.

To sustain positive growth in export earnings, the government needs to ensure uninterrupted gas and power supply, adds EPB.

The Government aims to set up seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) parks in Greenfield/Brownfield siteswith world-class infrastructure including plug and play facility. To be set up with an outlay of Rs. 4,445 crore by 2027-28, each of these parks will generate 1 lakh direct and 2 lakh indirect jobs on completion.

One of these parks is being set up in Virudhanagar Tamil Nadu. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) i.e. ‘PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel Park, Tamil Nadu,’ has already been incorporated for the project with the Government of Tamil Nadu holding 51 per cent stake in the SPV and remaining 49 per cent being held by the Government of India. The project has achieved both the environmental Clearance as well as layout approval from Directorate of Town and Country Planning. The government has also signed MoUs worth Rs 1,200 crore for investment in the park.

The Textile Ministry had earlier introducedthe Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP) to support the development of textile parks across the country with world-class, state-of-the-art infrastructure. The scheme was in implementation up to March 31, 2021. However, the Scheme the government has now subsumed the scheme under the umbrella Scheme of Textile Cluster Development Scheme (TCDS) and allotted an outlay of Rs.568.15 Crore for completing ongoing projects only.

The cabinet aims to soon extend the benefits of production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes in the textiles sector. The government’s plans include lowering the investment threshold for the textile PLI for man-made fabric (MMF) garments and technical textiles, and expandingthe range of MMF products covered. Additionally, the government also plans to include apparel in the scheme. The schemeis yet to gain momentum, as per a government official.

Separately, the commerce and industry ministry proposes to invest Rs2,600 crore in the leather and footwear sectors.

Currently, the PLI program spans 14 sectors, including mobile manufacturing and specified electronic components, medical devices, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, specialty steel, telecom and networking products, and white goods. The total budgetary allocation for various PLI schemes has been increased by 88 per cent to Rs 16,092 crore for FY25. All these 14 PLI schemes were approved with an outlay of Rs1.97 lakh crore, and by the end of May, the cumulative disbursement to beneficiaries had reached around Rs9,700 crore.