FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK… Bangladesh has over the years taken its rightful place in the global garment manufacturing business and the most encouraging part is that it has evolved with time to satisfy all buyers’ needs. A country that was once known as a hot-spot for ‘cheap’ basic products, is now admired as a compliant labour-friendly manufacturing base providing good quality products to the world’s topbrands. Like every year, there were many events to recall and reassess the progress of Bangladesh factories four years after the Rana Plaza tragedy that killed 1,100 people in 2013… Though the debate continues with all stakeholders making claims and counter claims…, but for me the most important indicator of change is the proactive attitude of themanufacturers. Their willingness to invest in change, to discuss problems on public platforms and implement even the most stringent norms to remain preferred suppliers, is worthy of praise. I always say that while an incident of such magnitude like the Rana Plaza could have ‘killed’ many other manufacturing hubs, but the way the industry stood up for the cause and made sure that everyonewho matters – from buyers to policy makers – take notice. How many times have we heard Marcia Bernicat, who became the US Ambassador to Bangladesh in February 2015, speak openly in support of the industry and encourage buyers to supportthe factories for the sake ofworkers and business in general. There is evidence on record that working conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh have greatly improved since the collapse; some 1,600 safety and fire control deficiencies have beenidentified andrectified. But what is most interesting is that the industry is not thinking of now…, they are planning for the future. The bigger factories have moved far beyond basic compliances and are investing in Green factories, labour incentives and training to ensure that the buyer is not just satisfied but genuinely happy to work withthem. Not only the garment factories, even accessory manufacturers are following the benchmarks set on compliance and today the accessory segment is keeping pace with the garmenting segment, to become partners ingrowth!
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MINDTREE
Q-and-A We are into the fourth month of the year already. So, how has your business been so far, this year? Has it been on the expected lines or are you facing any challenges/difficulties that is/are posing problem(s) in attaining the goals that you might have set for yourself in 2017? How do you see the rest of the year playing out? Please share with us your thoughts…
Mahashin Haque, Director, 9 Star Apparels Inds. Ltd.
Raihan Shams, Managing Director, Delmas Apparels (Pvt.) Limited Honestly speaking, business this year has been terrible. Our buyer has cancelled nearly 75 per cent of the order due to the new tax regulation in Turkey. Owing to the poor business, we have also cut down nearly 50 per cent of our production capacity.
Sunil Kumar Lehari, Chief of Marketing & Operations, ASTKnitwear The business in the first four months has been slow for us. Usually January/February is the period which is considered to be part of the peak season. However, we had less than peak business in this period. But the period between April to June seems to be good and as such we are expecting the second quarter to be better than the first. As to challenges, the biggest challenge for us is the rising yarn prices. Despite high yarn prices client is not willing to increase the FOB and it has become rather difficult to cope with the existing scenario. But we are keeping an eye on the yarn price while adjusting our sales accordingly.
Inamul Haq Khan, Managing Director, A.B.M. Fashions Ltd. Although we are not a bustling company like the big players of the industry, but we’ve been performing our part quite consistently. It’s actually a bit too early to call on the business scenario of the year; nevertheless it has been up to the mark so far. We’ve been facing several challenges since the beginning which distracted us several times. But at the moment those issues are no longer a hindrance that could impact the productivity. If the present scenario sustains, I am highly confident to achieve our targets for 2017.
We are conducting the business pretty smoothly so far. Though it is only the fourth month of the year, but so far things are quite favourable for us and we are getting regular orders from the buyers. There are always some challenges/difficulties that you have to face, especially in this sector. But those issues are minor and not affecting the business directly. We are expecting to achieve the goals set for 2017 and are hopeful of even surpassing the same.
Syed M Tanvir, Director, Pacific Jeans So far 2017 has been a good year and is going in a planned way For the rest of the year, it looks positive and very much aligned with the forecast. The main challenge in general is the speed to market not just in terms of delivery, but also in terms of how fast we can interpret the fashion trends into commercially saleable styles.
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NEXT MINDTREE QUESTION
With year 2021 almost round the corner (4 years to go), what according to you are the vital aspects/criteria that you think would determine if the industry could reach the target of US $ 50 billion in exports? Please share your views with us…
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ACCESSORY PLAYERS FULLY GEARED UP TO SUPPORT GARMENT INDUSTRY IN ITS GROWTH SPURT
ccessory and packaging is an integral part of the apparel industry, providing the muchneeded backward linkage. And for the Bangladesh garment sector – aiming to achieve US $ 50 billion in exports by 2021 – it attains even more significance. The accessory industry has not only risen to the challenge, but has been responsive in investing in new areas to keep pace with the expansion plans of the garmenting sector. The most recent being the number of investments made for manufacturing narrow fabrics, an important accessory for the fast-emerging lingerie segment. The responsive synergy between the accessory players and the garmenting sector is an edge that few other manufacturing destinations enjoy.
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Led by very proactive groups, the accessory manufacturers keeping with the growth of the apparel sector have been registering impressive growth over the years – the sector’s export earnings rose from a mere US $ 3.07 billion in FY 2012 to US $ 4.10 billion in 2013 to US $ 4.75 billion in 2014 and touched US $ 6.1 billion in fiscal year 2015-16 – and is now aiming to achieve US $ 18 billion by 2021. Recent analysis indicates that out of the total earning of US $ 6.1 billion in FY 2015-16, 15-20 per cent (amounting to around US $ 1.22 billion) came from direct exports while it earned another US $ 4.88 billion from indirect exports (being used in RMG, leather, pharmaceuticals, and other exportoriented sectors), in which RMG sector alone, accounted for 80 per cent. According to Md. Abdul Kader Khan, President of Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers’ and Exporters’
Chaminda Jayaweera –Manager CSR& Sustainability, Hop Yick Bangladesh Ltd.
Association (BGAPMEA), there is a US $ 24 billion market for garment accessories only in Asia, and China holds the lion’s share of it, underlining that given the quality and pricecompetitiveness of its products, Bangladesh holds the potential to grab this huge market. Khan points out that the sector growing at an annual rate of 13 per cent, with value addition standing at over 40 per cent, today has around 1,560 members registered with BGAPMEA and growing by the year. Apart from seeking Government’s support and financial incentive, the sector has undertaken several initiatives including development of workers’ skills, ensuring factory compliance according to the buyers’ requirement and searching for new markets to keep the growth going. “Currently, there are around 200 factories which are fully compliant. Since 2016, buyers and our Commerce &Industries Ministries have made compliance a must for accessories factories. But it is very difficult to become compliant overnight as remediation requires big investments… It would take some time before the sector becomes fully compliant,” underlined Khan speaking
Zakirul Alam –MD, Zas ApparelsLtd.
E SS E N T I A L S Keeping the export target of US $ 18 billion in perspective, BGAPMEA in association with and help of EU and the Industry Ministry, has set up a testing lab in December last year… The lab would provide internationally acceptable testing facilities for various types of RMG accessories and products to ensure quality as per the requirement of the global buyers.
Md. Abdul Kader Khan – President,BGAPMEA
to Apparel Online, and adding, “We produce almost 30-40 items locally including zippers, buttons, hooks, hangers, elastic bands, laces, threads, backboards, butterfly pins, clips, collar stays, collar-bones, ply gates, etc. Besides, we also print labels and price tags, all of which have very good prospects for the future.” Keeping the export target of US $ 18 billion in perspective, BGAPMEA in association with the help of EU and the Industry Ministry has also set up a testing lab in December last year with the objective to improve product quality and attract the global buyers. Built under the Integrated Support to Poverty and Inequality Reduction through Enterprise Development (INSPIRED) project funded by the European Union (EU) and the Ministry of Industry Bangladesh, the BGAPMEA lab would provide internationally acceptable testing facilities for various types of RMG accessories and products to ensure quality as per the requirement of the global buyers. The much-needed support from the Government as sought by the accessory manufacturers also seems close to materialising soon
after Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed reportedly assured that he would recommend the Finance Ministry to provide cash incentive to the RMG accessories exporters. “I will collect information about the garment accessories from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and send it to the Finance Ministry with recommendation to provide cash incentives to the exporters,” Ahmed reportedly said while throwing open the four-day GAPEXPO-2017 in Dhaka. The Minister also assured of all possible Government support for the development of the sector. Concentrating on improving the export volumes is no doubt a very good step towards ensuring the growth of the accessory sector but at a time when the garment manufacturers are looking at value additions and adding new product categories, there might still be scope enough within the domestic market to provide the momentum. Garment exporters are very happy with the way the accessory segment has kept pace with their requirements, but there are still some products that have to be imported. “The accessories sector has developed tremendously and we are mostly using accessories manufactured locally. But we still need to import certain accessory items like buttons, rubber patches, lace and metal items from time to time,” admits Zakirul Alam, MD of Zas Apparels Ltd. Zakirul’s sentiments found an echo in Chaminda Jayaweera – Manager CSR & Sustainability, Hop Yick Bangladesh Ltd. who underlined that the company uses the locally available accessories like poly bags and cartons but have to depend on overseas for products like bra foam cup, ring, slide, fold over elastic, lace, etc. Chaminda stressed on quality improvement, innovation, use of latest technology, third-party certification, ethical &environmental compliance, transparency and improved lead time as certain areas like the accessory sector needs to be looked into and addressed.
Accessory manufacturers upbeat of potential growth…
L i n g e r i e a growth segment for most
he upward moving garment industry in Bangladesh is ably supported by the accessory manufacturers, who thrive to remain in tune with the requirements of the industry and support them with better services and products. BGAPMEA, the official association for this industry claims that there are about 1,500 companies engaged in manufacturing accessories and packaging material for the RMG sector. These companies have supported the export industry in reducing the lead times and decreasing dependency on imported accessories. The strength of the industry can be gauged from the fact that last year the sector earned US $ 6.12 billion in foreign exchange. Now the focus of the industry is shifting very strongly towards narrow fabrics as most of the companies see undergarments and lingerie as the next big opportunity.
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Montrim, a leading accessory manufacturer in Bangladesh, is expecting to see a three-fold rise in its growth by setting up its own dyeing unit in 2017 and by expanding majorly in narrow fabrics and other lingerie-related products. At present,
it produces 7,000-8,000 yards per day which will increase to 25,00030,000 yards per day once the house dyeing mill becomes operational. “We have a certain edge coming from a garmenting background, aswe understand quality parameters and the challenge of fulfilling commitments,” says Nahid Hossain, Sr. Deputy
Sheikh MohammadKhobir (L) –MD, RSSThread & Accessories with Sheikh Ali Zulfiqar – Director Marketing, RSS Thread & Accessories
AJG Golam Hussain Bhuiyan –Managing Partner, Dody Trims
Nahid Hossain –Sr. Deputy General Manager (Sales & Marketing), Mondol Group
NOW THE FOCUS OF THE INDUSTRY IS SHIFTING VERY STRONGLY TOWARDS NARROW FABRICS AS MOST OF THE COMPANIES SEE UNDERGARMENTS AND LINGERIE AS THE NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY.
General Manager (Sales & Marketing), Mondol Group (Montrims Ltd./Trims International (BD) Ltd.). With absolute dedication on product quality, a range of product lines that is the most expensive among other players, and strong emphasis on client satisfaction, Montrim’s current turnover value wise is more than US $ 50 million-plus which will increase up to US $ 80 million-plus after their house dyeing mill is commissioned later this year. Moving forward the focus of Montrim is on development of total in-house manufacturing units so that they don’t depend on outsourcing. Armed with a compliant factory, the company has its own in-house laboratory where all necessary tests are conducted as per the client’s requirement. “Today many environment issues are dodging the industry and we want to support our customers on all fronts, not just products,” says Nahid Hossain. The company has top buyers like H&M, TESCO and GreenLand which have nominated it for specific products. To stay relevant, every company is trying to differentiate and create niches. Acknowledging that the competition level in the garment industry is very high and one of the most important elements to stay in the race is to deliver products ontime, RSS Threads has concentrated on making this their focus area. “Leadtime
FACTS According to BGAPMEA, there are about 1,500 companies engaged in manufacturing accessories and packaging materials for the RMG sector. Montrim’s current turnover value wise is more than US $ 50 millionplus which will increase up to US $ 80 million-plus after commissioning of their house dyeing mill later this year.
is our specialty; we are a team of young people who work hard to meet the deadlines,” underlines Sheikh Ali Zulftqar, Director Marketing, R SS Threads & Accessories. The company’s inspection team is very conscious about the quality of products offered and RSS has in-house dyeing unit with an aim to maintain the quality from dyeing to finishingof the product. To support SMEsthe firm will introduce two projects – Inventory Control Solutions and Brand Identification Solutions. “Our company is developing a new hardware as well as software solutions in which we are creating RFID tags and labels which will help our target consumers to track and control theirinventories. Under this project, we will also design tags and labels for small corporations for branding of the company by our in-house designing team,” highlighted Zulfiqar. The ISO and OEKO-TEX certified company is currently offering Labels, Heat Transfer, Offset Printing, Leather &Pleather Labels, Interlinings, Ribbons & Taper, Cards &Strings. With an annual turnover of US $ 8 million the company is optimistic towards the growth opportunities in packaging and metal accessories in domestic and international market in near future. Sheikh Ali, feels that the growth opportunities for accessories manufacturing companies is in the
packaging sector, while also a big gap exists in metal accessories. A much smaller player, but one that is growing fast is Dody Trims Ltd., which has seen consistent growth in the last few years because of their dedicated commitment towards their clients and the quality of the products that they deliver.“We are able to differentiate ourselves from other similarly placed companies by focusing on quality and commitment. Our loyalty and sincerity towards our clients has made us exist and grow as a company for almost 21 years,” says A J G Golam Hussain Bhuiyan, Managing Partner, Dody Trims. Established in 1995, Dody Trims Ltd. deals with garment accessories like Offset Printing, Woven Label, Printed Label, Poly, Carton and Leather Badges. They have got nominations from companies such as TEDDY Italy. Their quality parameters are kept high by outsourcing raw materials from Korea and Taiwan. China is also their active source of fancy items. With a current turnover of US $ 7 million, Golam Bhuiyan accepts that 2016 was not a good year for their company but claims that 2017 is definitely going to be positive as they have plans to expand their product categories to include narrow fabrics. They have also seen considerable profit in the Japanese market in product segments such as woven and printed labels.
ACCESSORISING APPARELS… Recognising the role and importance of the accessory makers in the burgeoning apparel industry of Bangladesh, Apparel Online has been regularly showcasing accessory manufacturers – both domestic and multinational – and what they have to present in terms of innovative products and offerings to help garment manufacturers achieve the desired goals of value-addition while also fulfilling their basic requirements. In this edition, we have brought for you a cross-section of the major players in accessories, successfully catering to the garment industry of the country.
American & Eftrd
As one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles, A&E’s global presence extends from Asia to Europe to the Americas. A&E Bangladesh has grown almost 4 folds in the past four years by sticking to what they know best; providing SERVICE, QUALITY and SOLUTION with brands such as M&S, GAP, A&F, Levi’s, Dockers, LL Bean etc., though Walmart and H&M are the biggest buyers in Bangladesh with a combined market share of 20-30 per cent. The company’s long-standing commitment to Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), sustainability and social responsibility continues to be top priority at all regional offices globally whereby the initiatives remain the same. “A&E’s global presence had to be accelerated and this could not be done by building business everywhere in the world and
rotating the American staff. So what we did was enter Bangladesh through a JV; at present we have reclaimed our 100 per cent ownership in the country…” Fred Jackson, CEO, American & Efird (A&E)
“As of today, the majority of business is from the core apparel segment, but future growth will come from diversification into categories like lingerie and footwear, as well as volume migration of business from China… We are now increasingly working on our e-commerce platform which provides multiple benefits for our customers in terms of speed and consistency…”
Coats Bangladesh
Frederic Verague, Managing Director – Bangladesh, Thailand & Myanmar, Coats
Coats Bangladesh Ltd., a joint venture between AK Khan & Company Ltd. and Coats plc., is part of the world’s largest manufacturer of sewing threads, which has changed almost every facet of sewing thread manufacturing and delivers high value to its customers. It is a one-stop destination for all sewing and embroidery thread requirements for many industries, e.g. apparel, footwear, leather goods, and specialized areas like automotive, tea bags, carbon composites, etc. A product-focused company earlier, Coats has today turned 360 degrees to create customer-confidence, which is helping it reap rich harvest from the strategy.
Cosmo Group
Fred Jackson –CEO, American & Efird (A&E)
Frederic Verague –Managing Director (Bangladesh, Thailand & Myanmar), Coats
The future of the accessory industry of Bangladesh does not appear very promising because of the new policy implemented by the Government as part of which it’s planning to increase the VAT by up to 15 per cent, which would render business increasingly unviable. “Currently our focus is on narrow fabrics which has extensive demand in the market and we are expecting
Zahir Uddin Haider, Director, CosmoGroup
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our turnover to touch BDT16 crore from the present BDT 12 crore. The total turnover of the Group stands at BDT 300 crore. However, if the accessory industry is to grow, I feel the Government ought to rethink about the policy and make necessary changes to make them business-friendly to ensure overall growth and development of the industry.” Zahir Uddin Haider, Director, Cosmo Group
Syed Nurul Islam, CEO, Well Group
for Industrial Sewing Thread, Well Group has invested in the spinning sector since 2010 and eventually Sewing Thread has emerged as our flagship product. Last year our earning from sewing thread alone was around US $ 14million and this year we are expecting to touch the US $ 15 million mark. Even though sewing threads remain our focus area that’s going forward, but we are also planning specialized elastic that has great demand forlingerie, a strongly emerging product category from Bangladesh.”
in the country. From providing quality accessories products to designing the solutions the buyer needs, KDS Accessories always plays an important role in the country’s apparel supply chain. Manufacturing diversity and design-based solutions will be the hallmark of our company’s growth strategy in fixture.”
Syed Nurul Islam, CEO, Well Group
T&S Buttons
KDS Accessories
Established in 2012 as a three-way joint venture between Ananta Group, Brandot International and T&S Buttons Hong Kong, T&S Buttons Bangladesh offers a comprehensive range of products including jean tack buttons, snap buttons, rivets and eyelets (under the metal button category) besides other categories of buttons such as polyester, wood and pearl buttons as well as imitation horn, chalk, natural shell and corrozo nutbuttons.
Well Group
Established in 1973 as a small workshop in Chittagong, Well Group today is a conglomerate with diversified business interests including RMG, Real Estate, Hospitality, etc. Its accessory division today boasts of supplying sewing threads not only to the domestic garment industry but overseas destinations as well and is counted amongst the top names in sewing thread manufacturing in Bangladesh. “Though Bangladesh started accessory manufacturing a bit late but is doing extremely well today. The accessory sector has very good prospects in the country, which is the second largest garment exporter globally. As Bangladesh is slowly increasing its expertise in value-added items, the demand for specialized accessories has also increased manifold along that for basic items. However, we still need to import some specialized accessories from Hong Kong and other places as we are yet to gain self-sufficiency in the same. But yes, we are learning by each passing day and building up our capacities and expertise accordingly. “Considering the growing demand for Spun Polyester Yarn in local and overseas markets, especially
Debasis Daspal –CEO, KDS Accessories
Kanchana Ranadeera, CEO, T&S Buttons
Trims and packaging has always played a very vital role in the country’s apparel sector’s growth. As the country’s apparel sector is poised to grow in coming years, the accessories sectorwill have significant growth as well. Moreover, there is a relocation of sourcing of accessories asmore and more varieties of accessories’ manufacturing are being shifted from China to Bangladesh like metal button due to supply-demand gap. Also, several apparel manufacturers are integrating accessories manufacturing as important backend to their garment production. All these are providing the much-needed momentum to the growth trajectory of the country’s accessories industry, whose growth rate will outpace that of garment’s sector. “KDS Accessories being the top of the accessories players always focus on proving value-added services to its vast customer bases
Debasis Daspal, CEO, KDS Accessories
“Bangladesh, although being the 2nd largest apparel manufacturer in the world, with its 14billiondollar industry, lacked an advanced manufacturer of metal buttons and accessories; this is the void we aimed to fill as we embarked on our journey. We are hopeful that we can support the industry in its quest for more reliable local sources that can offer speed, flexibility and of course cost advantages. Our commitment is to strive to ensure that we deliver the right product at the right time to our customers with a minimum impact on the environment, for a fair price.” Kanchana Ranadeera, CEO, T&S Buttons
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accessories and packaging products. It specializes in metal buttons, metal zippers and sewing threads, etc. With two state-of-the-art factories – one for poly bags and packaging material, and the other for accessories – ACIS Garment Solutions, is confident of growth and very upbeat of the opportunities available.
Tex Zippers
The opportunities in the trim industry in Bangladesh are huge, as even till now a lot of products – from zippers to buttons to labels – are imported from the Far East. The business continues to grow and some of the large apparel manufacturers are investing in a big way to add to capacities, which is always good for the ancillary industries also. “We at Tex have had a clear focus in Dhaka on the bottoms and light outerwear segment – which is where our biggest growth and focus has been in the zippers, we have added the metal trims factory a couple of years ago to support our customers and become single point contacts for all their metal trim requirements. Wemanufacture – shank buttons, rivets, eyelets and metal snaps… Our growth driver has been basically staying customer-focused; so we have adapted ourselves to the changing business requirements and focused on quick turnarounds, flexibility – in both sampling and production, and staying competitive in terms of price.”
Randeep Arora, CEO, Tex Zippers (BD) Limited
Dr. Mustahidur Rahman, MD, ACIS Garment Solutions
Britannia Label
Dr. Mustahidur Rahman – MD, ACIS Garment Solutions
Randeep Arora, CEO, Tex Zippers (BD) Limited
ACIS Garment Solutions
ACIS Garment Solutions, starting just three years ago, has already clocked a turnover of US $ 22 million, manufacturing many apparel
“We believe in working closely with our clients to understand their core needs, sothat we can design our services accordingly. This has helped us win the confidence of even the international buyers like H&M, VF Asia and George…”
Boasting global network of production facilities spanning 11 locations and proven track record of over 40 years in the garment industry, UK-based Britannia Label designs and produces all types of labels and packaging solutions. Being a nominated supplier for brands such as BHS, Topshop, Wallis, John Lewis, NEXT, Debenhams, George, Walmart, Peacock to mention a few, Britannia Bangladesh is among the biggest label suppliers in the country today. “We are not reactionary, but proactive and with the Green state-of-the-art manufacturing facility… Our mission is to further strengthen our position as a trustedpartner to retailers and brand owners as the garment industry continues to evolve.”
Jamil Ahmed –Managing Director, Britannia Label BD. Ltd.
Jamil Ahmed, Managing Director, Britannia Label BD. Ltd.
EXPOSED ZIPPERS Fashion is all about attention to detail and of new approaches to conventional trends dating back since the beginning of time. For the Fall/Winter 2017 season, the designers at New York, London, Milan and Paris collectively decided to keep the zippers and closures exposed and multiple. Cropping up as slashes on jackets, flys, turtlenecks at J.W.Anderson and Tome and even diagonally all the way through over-dresses and skirts, at the likes of Michael Kors and Peter Pilotto, the zips seemed to be the new accessory favourite for the approaching season. Tinted silver zippers with a circular ring as hardware closure is the most popular trend in this category to be taken note of which was well carried out by Coach and Topshop Unique.
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Monopsony’s Diverse Facets! Exclusive supplier to Walmart, MD of BSA Group underlines various sides of serving a sole client
or nearly a decade now, BSA has been supplying garments to solely one client – Walmart! And over this period, BSA has witnessed guaranteed sales; whatever it produced, not a single piece remained in the inventory. Not only that, within seven days after shipment – irrespective of order volumes – it always had the pay cheques credited. “We started with one million pieces per season and today we make between 3.5 million to 5 million pieces every season. We are the time-tested vendor of Walmart and they have lot of confidence in us,” informs a proud Md. Sarwaruzzaman Khan, MD, BSA Group, which houses under its umbrella several entities – BSA Apparels Ltd., BSA Fashion Ltd., Vanguard Dresses Ltd., Vanguard Fashion Ltd., Vanguard Packages Ltd., Vanguard Washing Ltd., Glare Trading, Royal Cement Ltd., Royal P P Bag Ltd., etc. Khan’s claims of the so-called confidence is evident from Walmart awarding BSA the ‘International Supplier of the Year’ for two consecutive years – 2003 and 2004, which also finds mention in BSA’s website.
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Currently working from its four production units, BSA chiefly supplies formal shirts and trousers in addition to kidswear, which is restricted to only the Canadian market of Walmart. The company is adding one more factory along with a washing plant very soon to cater to the increased demands from the US retail behemoth. “Walmart is very particular about workers’ safety and has provided us
“We started with one million pieces per season and today we make between 3.5 million to 5 million pieces every season. We are the time-tested vendor of Walmart and they have lot of confidence in us." Md. Sarwaruzzaman Khan, – Managing Director, BSA Group
full support to make the existing units safe,” says Khan about the group’s factories, all of which are compliant. However, the declining price points that seems to have become a global phenomenon, has become a matter of concern for BSA now. According to Khan, Walmart has substantially lowered the buying prices, of late. Keen on reducing prices further, the retail giant had to hold back when BSA made it clear that any more price reduction would render the business unviable, more so in face of increasing workers’ wage, spending on compliance and other areas. The reduced price has BSA now making profit of merely few cents apiece. To make the most of what is on offer, it has started to procure raw materials from suppliers in China in cash. “When we buy raw materials from China in cash, we get certain benefits like discount receipts and cash rebates,” explains the MDof BSA Group. Walmart’s huge order volumes (amounting to several hundreds of thousands of pieces in a season) however has also been a factor in enabling BSA to maintain a healthy bottomline so far. Formerly a banker himself, Khan in part, bequeath the Group’s financial solvency to its revenue model which
doesn’t allow borrowing from banks, that otherwise would have made a dent on its finances in form of interest levied on the amount borrowed. “Though RMG is our mainstay but we also have business interests in other sectors, including garments as our prime calling, but we also have business interests in other sectors like shipping and trading, which allows us to fall back on them in trying times,” informs Khan, who is all praise for the Chairman of the Group for giving him a free hand to call the shots. “The owner has given me full authority. I am not from this industry; in my first year, he used to give me one hour’s training every day. He would say that I would have to take decisions in future as he will not be available all the time to guide,” Khan says. As such, Khan today makes all the important decisions, albeit after discussions with his other senior colleagues. Keeping the future in perspective, BSA feels playing on volumes is perhaps the best way forward, more so when profit margins are increasingly getting thinner. As such, it has planned to come up with two more green factories to increase capacities substantially. Having hit the comfort zone with Walmart already and promise of increased order volumes in the days to come, BSA is not very keen on taking up new clients – all of whom have their own set of prerequisites and conditions, which are not easy to fulfil by a new entity – but stick with the tried and tested methods only.
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Azmat Group A MANUFACTURER’S STRIDE TOWARDS EXCELLENCE DESPITE STRUGGLES AND CHALLENGES
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zmat Group, a leading manufacturer of garments, with an annual turnover of US
reactions on kids, and therefore, we import the fabric from China,” said Dr. Athar Uddin.
$ 75 million, today has a production capacity of 1.8 million pieces (per month) across all its 6 units. Specializing in woven garments, their products majorly pertain to kids – from new-born babies to teenagers. In an exclusive interaction with team Apparel Online, Dr. Mohd. Athar Uddin, Chairman of Azmat Group, comprising companies Azmat Fashion Ltd., Azmat Apparel Ltd., Z-3 Dresses Ltd., Fareast Dresses Ltd., Zee-3 Washing Plant Ltd. etc., spoke about the expansion plans of his company, challenges faced due to attrition and also the relevance of compliance in today’s business scenario.
The company is now in talks with a Sri Lankanbased firm (Spectrum) which will convert their newly acquired building into green building. “Spectrum will also help in thearrangement of rooms and also machine layout, thereby enhancing the production capacity. Besides, they will ask the buyers to evaluate the building and will also initially get orders for us,” averred Dr. Athar Uddin confidently. The new factory will have 40 lines with each line having 50 workstations. The company is now expecting
Since its inception in 1985, Azmat Group has been largely known for its kidswear; however the company has also been manufacturing products pertaining to menswear and ladieswear especially for some of their European buyers and this is now helping them spread their base in Europe. “Although USA is our major market, we are doing well in Europe too, particularly Russia, and some other Dr. Mohd. Athar Uddin –Chairman, Azmat Group European countries where the products mainly pertain to menswear and ladieswear. We to double its capacity. Moreover, the company are on the verge of expanding our business,” has already brought many automated machines maintained Dr. Athar Uddin. under the able leadership of Azmat Rahman, Some of the leading clients Azmat Group works son of Dr. Athar Uddin. “My son has brought for are Carter’s Inc., Old Navy, Children’s Place new machines, from Brother and Juki, which Inc., etc. What has made them leave an indelible is helping us to understand and analyse the mark in the area of kidswear is also the extra production capacity and the target capacity care and measures that they take to ensure better,” underlined Dr.Athar Uddin. safety while manufacturing kid’s products. “We carefully check buttons and ensure they do not hurt kids. Needle detector machines are used so that pieces of needle do not remain in the garments. We are also careful with the quality of fabric so that there are no hazardous
Attrition, however, still remains one of the major challenges of every manufacturer, and Azmat is no exception. Most of the workers in the factory are girls and the probability of theirleaving the job increases once they are married.Also,
the girls learn the process during on-the-job training and then prefer to join other factories as operators once they have learnt the job. To counter these challenges, Azmat Group ensures that the girls get good remuneration according to their skill and productivity and promotes them as operators so that there is retention of talent. “Although attrition rate is only 10 per cent, yet we cannot afford to lose good resources,” stated Dr. Athar Uddin. Compliance is another main challenge. Ever since the collapse of Rana Plaza factory in 2013, all the buildings are checked to see whether they concur with the “The Accord” and “The Alliance”. In addition, there is no financial aid from the Government for small factories that are not compliant. Banks too do not give loans as these small factories do not have the capacity to pay back. Due to non-compliance, buyers refrain from giving them orders and virtually these factories are left with no work. In the long run, only large factories that are compliant will survive and excel, which is good for the industry. “It is a blessing for our industry. We have two washing plants that are rated platinum and green. These are the only washing plants in the world to have been rated platinum and green. Whoever survives will be able to do the business properly,” said Dr. Athar Uddin. Azmat Group, which has entered the industry of banking and television as well, believes that garment industry will never die in Bangladesh. “People normally say that garment industry can survive for only 10 to 20 years everywhere in world but it’s not so in Bangladesh because we have no other industry here and every industry, be it hotel or insurance, is connected to garment industry,” added Dr. Athar Uddin. He concluded with the belief that “although China is our main competitor, they are not a threat. India could be a potential threat but we have an edge as we are a small country and it will be easy for buyers to commute here rather than in India.”
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Finding a niche in sourcing, the only way to survive for small buying houses ut-of-the-box thoughts and the zeal to excel make Araf Tex Mode and Macrostyle the two enterprising companies in the cluster of several buying houses in Bangladesh. Their flexibility in accepting even small orders and also their thrust to explore new markets in future is the reason for their survival. Lutfor Rahman, CEO of Araf Tex Mode and Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, Director of Macrostyle in an exclusive interaction with the team of Apparel Online elucidate about their approach and also their plans to expand in future.
O
In a short span of time, Araf Tex Mode has carved a niche for itself and has all the elements to be a big name in the years to come. Started in 2010, under the inspiring leadership of Rahman, Araf Tex Mode works with several importers/wholesalers – from countries such as Malaysia, Dubai, Middle East, Singapore and Philippines – are adept at getting small orders. “Our clientele includes Ernsting’s family, Golden Touch Imports Inc., Marco Polo, etc. and so we have buyers across Germany, Spain, France and other European countries,” averred Lutfor Rahman, joined by his business partner S.M. Raqibullah, Executive Director. Macrostyle, headed by Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, too works mainly
Lutfor Rahman (R) –CEO and S.M. Raqibullah –Executive Director, Araf Tex Mode
MohammadAtiqur Rahman –Director, Macrostyle
Both, Araf Tex Mode and Macrostyle, have proved that large volumes are never the only criteria for a successful business to thrive. They believe that today small volumes also need to be entertained – an unconventional approach that makes them noticeably different.
Some of the products sourced by Macrostyle for its clients
with wholesalers/importers, which are proficient in sourcing small orders. Both, Araf Tex Mode and Macrostyle, have proved that large volumes are never the only criteria for a successful business to thrive. They believe that today small volumes also need to be entertained – an unconventional approach that makes them noticeably different. “In the case of small orders, quantity is small but price is standard. If you take big volume, margin is less,” said Raqibullah. In Bangladesh, most of the factories take large volume and it is not always easy to make them accept small orders. However, relationship is key. “Business is, essentially, a long-term relationship,” mentioned Atiqur Rahman. Working for around 7-10 factories across Bangladesh, Araf Tex Mode believes that compliance, production capacity, work environment and price are some of the principal criteria for selecting any factory. Echoing the same thoughts, Macrostyle too stresses on the relevance of similar issues. “Yes, volume and customer satisfaction, safe working environment and price are the core factors. If the price/margin is less, we select composite/large factories as they have all facilities,” said Atiqur Rahman. Their clarity and understanding in knowing the prerequisites for selecting a factory is a trait that keeps them
ahead than most of the other buying houses. In knitwear and woven, the product categories Araf Tex Mode deals with are men’s T-shirts, women’s T-shirts and leggings and all types of sweaters. On the other hand, denim is the major product (woven) that Macrostyle deals with, though they too handle a good volume of knitwear items – ranging from T-shirts, sweatshirts and sportswear. Araf Tex Mode, which has a turnover of almost US $ 20,000 per month, is now eyeing India. Although Indian market is big, the order size is significantly small. Macrostyle too, after establishing itself in USA and Canada, now plans to reign the markets across Europe and some Scandinavian countries like Sweden. Already into product development, the company is now coming up with its own sampling team as well. “For sample making we have to depend on factories and sometimes factories may not be willing to make samples if the volume is small. So it would be easy for us if we have our own production team/sampling house for sampling,” concluded a confident Rahman. It is the perfect synchronisation of right vision and right execution that has made buying houses like Araf Tex Mode and Macrostyle a force to reckon with and in all prospects a source of inspiration for all other buying houses in Bangladesh.
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Workers’ sound health, a commercial incentive for RMG sector o reveal that the expenditure on workers’ health-related issues have business benefits, is a task whichneeds perfect projection and simulation while to motivate and mobilise the garment factory owners to invest in sustainable work environment is another daunting task in itself. SNV – a more than 50 year old organisation founded in the Netherlands with local presence in 29 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where its global team of local and international advisors work with the local partners to equip communities, businesses and organisations with the tools, knowledge and connections needed to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services – has taken the initiative to do the both.
With regard to healthcare, the study also found that there were three common challenges generally faced by RMG workers: accessibility, affordability and availability. SNV addressed all these issues adequately while also taking owner’s benefits into consideration.
T
In Bangladesh SNV’s area of focus encompasses readymade garment industry and this is its first inclusive business project in the apparel sector. “It is always important to consider the needs and concerns of allthe stakeholders in the programme design. We are engaging directly with the management so that there isbuy-in for sustainability of the initiative. Women workers are the primary focus in this project as they are mostly vulnerable towards accessing services. Nevertheless, a lot of consideration towards gender equity has been made, and male co-workers and supervisors sensitized to facilitate and support the women’s cause,” informs Farhtheeba Rahat Khan, Team Leader, Working With Women Project – SNV. SNV is now creating awareness among the factory owners about how international organisations take the indicators of ‘reputation building’ seriously. The organisation accumulates such data directly and uploads on its website on a regular basis. In a case study in Egypt,SNV found that workers’ healthcontributed
Jamal Uddin (L) –Inclusive Business Capacity Building Advisor with Farhtheeba Rahat Khan – Team Leader, Working With Women Project – SNV
to the ROI by 2.4:1 ratio. “There are few indicators; if worker migration, absenteeism or late attendance is reduced, it is definitely going to increase the productivity. Now, if you look from a worker’s perspective, if she/he has more health costs, she/he will put pressure on industry to increase his/her salary. But, when there are no such costs, there is no requirement of additional income. Here, you have to at least ensure the theoretical part of sustainability which is indirectly going to helpthe businesses,” delineates Jamal Uddin, Inclusive Business Capacity Building Advisor, Working With Women Project – SNV. Before starting the project, SNV conducted a study which revealed that, on an average, a garment worker in Bangladesh needs around Taka 6,000 for healthcare every year. Consequently, SNV engaged one of the financial institutions in Bangladesh with which it formed an insurance policy for workers the premium of which is only Taka 500 per yearwhile the coverage is Taka 15,000 – two-anda-half times greater than the average health expenditure found in the study.
“Women workers are the primary focus in this project as they are mostly vulnerable towards accessing services…” Farhtheeba Rahat Khan, Team Leader, Working With Women Project – SNV
“ …if worker migration, absenteeism or late attendance is reduced, it is definitely going to increase the productivity…” Jamal Uddin, Inclusive Business Capacity Building Advisor, Working With Women Project –SNV
“Affordability was addressed bythe workers health insurance policy. Accessibility was taken care of by setting up health care facilities in close vicinity of the factory, from where the workers would get all required health services, under one umbrella,” explains Jamal. Not to interfere with the factory’s work schedule/operation, SNV has made doctors available within the centre along with a female service provider exclusively for the women workers, six days aweek. Apart from that, building awareness among workers was anotherarea of major concern. “Since workers aren’t much educated, they do not always remember information in detail if taught. As such our health partner shows them videos (one particular topic a day) and conduct interactive sessions. Such pictorial representations and visuals stand way out in building awareness and are working towards behavioural change, which we are witnessing since the starting of the project,” Farhtheeba maintains. This is a pilot project funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In this pilot project, only 20 interested factories/companies were selected as SNV’s primeobjective is to create role models that would inspire and motivate others to follow suit. SNV,however, has plans to increase this number in the future while also exploring opportunities to take the project to countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia andIndonesia.
Better Work Bangladesh holds 2nd Stakeholder and Buyer Forum
Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety completes 72% repairs
About 300 national and international garment sector representatives, including partners from the Government, employers’ associations, unions, as well as 80 members from international fashion brands, attended the recently held 2nd Better Work Bangladesh Stakeholder and Buyer Forum to explore the progress made by the programme in the country.
2014, Better Work Bangladesh had introduced an entirely new concept of supportingreadymade garment factories to boost their compliance, while enhancing productivity.
Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety has reported completion of 72 per cent of the required repair work, almost four years since the collapse of Rana Plaza. Of the repairs completed, 64 per cent were of high priority. Meanwhile, it has shut down 142 factories for failing to make adequate progress on remediation, while 71 factories have completed their Corrective Action Plans.
Addressing the same, Farook Ahmed, Secretary-General, Bangladesh Employers’ Federation was of the opinion that Better Work could help achieve the 2021 goals and elevate the country status to middle-income. He also noted that the programme needs to be flexible in adapting to Bangladesh’s on-the-ground reality.
In 2014, it started new training programme that taught almost 1.3 million workers how to protect themselves in case of emergency. It has retrained 85 per cent of the Alliance workforce to ensure that new employees are covered and that the skills are up to date.
Louis Vanegas, Programme Manager, Better Work Bangladesh said, “We are here to unite diverse stakeholders, promote decent work for all and help the garment industry in Bangladesh thrive. We would like to see the sector attain the Government’s own goals: for Bangladesh to become a middle-income country with a US $ 50 billion export sector and good compliance conditions by 2021.” The programme currently engages 120 garment factories. Bringing more factories under the programme and convincing individual factory owners and their trade bodies are some of the challenges faced. Srinivas Reddy, ILO Bangladesh Country Director, said that following its launch in
Kutubuddin Ahmed, Secretary General of the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), said that enhancing compliance levels in factories was key to guaranteeing workers’ safety and well-being, but “healthy workers means healthy production; therefore, we need to address the workers’ problems. Without addressing them we won’t be able to achieve the country’s goals. The world’s eyes are focused on Bangladesh’s development.”
Also, its confidential hotline, 'Amader Kotha', is available 24 hours a day and has received more than 1,25,000 calls to date on issues ranging from wage disputes to concerns about structural safety. Another step ahead, formation of 140 safety committees in its approved factories, has facilitated more open dialogue between workers and factory management. James Moriarty, Country Director, Alliance is expecting the number of completions to more than double within the next few months. He also confirmed that no worker died at an Alliance-compliant factory since remediation work began. “There is no question, however, that much work lies ahead for the Alliance over the next 15 months. Achieving completion of high-priority repairs – and investing in workers through the helpline, our safety re-training and the development of safety committees – all remain our laser focus,” said James. Formed in 2013 to improve safety in Bangladeshi readymade garment factories, the Alliance covers 676 active factories with around 1.2 million workers.
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Patagonia's clothing gets Fair Trade label Recently, Patagonia has got its full collection of board shorts and bikinis’ Fair Trade Certified, as part of its move to support workers, elevate communities and work in an equitable way. Fair Trade is a non-profit organization offering benefits to workers and Fair Trade Certified factories observing strict environmental norms. For every product made at a Fair Trade Certified factory, Patagonia pays a premium that workers can use to elevate their living standards. Such is the case that premiums from Patagonia purchases have been used to fund child-care programmes and vouches for medicine and household goods.
In addition to the benefits paid directly to workers, Fair Trade Certified factories are required to adhere to Fair Trade USA’s strict standards for safe working conditions and environmental responsibility. “For a long time now, there’s been too little transparency in the garment industry. When we buy clothing, we’re often oblivious to the reality of how it was made – not to mention the true human and ecological costs of the manufacturing process,” informs Dave Rastovich, Global Surf Activist, Patagonia. Patagonia’s swim and surf collection are field tested by some
of the best surfers in the world and incorporate recycled nylon or recycled polyester fabrics, while the women’s
swimsuits and bikinis are printed using a laser process that minimizes fabric scraps and waste.
New research focuses on clothes being used till they are worn out A new research by Sandra Roos on the clothing lifecycle reveals that clothes should be used until they are worn out. The research has been a five-year project, where the researcher studied 30 different sub-processes in textile production. The lifecycle perspective used in the research involves an overall assessment, from production
to the user phase and product waste management and the effect of background processes such as electricity consumption and mining. The results of this research make it possible to compare textile products that are extremely different to each other. “I have assessed the toxicity of the chemicals used in
the processes. This is an area where, until now, there were huge knowledge gaps. The sub-processes I studied extend from techniques as different as entirely synthetic textile fibres made of plastic, to cotton production – where farmers cultivate the soil, plant and harvest the cotton, before ginning and preparing it,” reveals Sandra.
Roos has taken an overall approach to the clothing lifecycle with her doctoral thesis at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the research institute Swerea, within the research programme Mistra Future Fashion which is a collaborative project between the fashion industry and researchers in Sweden. Their next step will be to transform the results of the thesis to a practical tool that clothing manufacturers can use to improve the environmental performance of their processes and products. The tool is expected to be ready sometime in 2017. This is an important step, since the majority of the environmental load in the clothing lifecycle is created in the production phase. Roos' research has also yielded conclusions about which consumer actions are most effective in reducing the environmental load of clothing.
Bangladesh Denim Expo focuses on building industry networks The sixth edition of Bangladesh Denim Expo, held at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka, focused on building networks within global brands and retailers. Themed “Denim Networks”, the show emphasised on the growing importance of developing longterm relationships and shared strategies to improve sustainable manufacturing in the country with contemporary denim industry. “Network is a key concept of contemporary society, and the denim industry is the highest expression of this. To face the important challenges ahead for markets nowadays, we believe
that it is absolutely necessary to create connections, share knowledge and ideas, building together as a community – the best practices that will shape a brighter and more sustainable future for denim,” said Md Mostafiz Uddin, Founder and CEO, Bangladesh Denim Expo. The two-day event focused on education and process learning with seminars –“From ideas to technologies: Discovering a new age for garment finishing” by Alice Tonello, Research and Development Manager at Tonello Garment Finishing; and Piero Turk, world renowned denim designer.
Furthermore, several special events such as “Tonello Denim Gallery,” “Sashiko Stitch”, the “Repair Display” along with the special “Information Exchange”
and the absolute novelties of the “Virtual Reality Booths,” a fascinating virtual tour of a fabric mill, denim factory or laundry was the highlights of the expo.
Radio-based campaign to address OSH issues of RMG workers Initiated by the Labour and Employment Ministry and Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a radio-based campaign titled ‘Safe Workplaces, Go Ahead
Bangladesh’ has been launched to raise awareness on basic Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues in the apparel sector in Bangladesh recently. “Efforts to improve workplace safety remain the highest priority for the Bangladesh Government.
This campaign will reach out to garment workers to help them better understand safety areas. I also firmly encourage owners and managers to listen as they too have an equal responsibility regarding safety and health,” said Mikail Shipar, Secretary, Labour and Employment Ministry.
over a period of two months. It will focus on five key areas – the role of DIFE; what to do in case of a fire; maternity protection; safety is everybody’s responsibility and the role of safety committees, which comprise representatives of management and the workers.
A series of 19 radio episodes will be broadcast on Dhaka FM 90.4 on every Thursdays and Fridays, at 10 pm. Each 30-minute episode will focus on a specific OSH issueunder a drama format. The first showwill cover ‘what to do in an emergency’ while others will include electrical safety, earthquakes, good housekeeping and hygiene.
Srinivas Reddy, Country Director – Bangladesh, ILO said, “This safety campaign is certain to benefit a large number of RMG workers. It is vital however that the effort to build a culture of safety in Bangladesh begins to go beyond the all-important RMG sector.”
Another series of safety-related radio commercials will also be broadcast throughout the day
The campaign has received funding from Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
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Pakistan gets GSP Plus status
European Union, which has been an important trading bloc for Pakistan, has given Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus status to the country till 2023. This will allow Pakistan to boost its exports to the region. The EU accounted for 12.8 per cent of Pakistan’s total trade in 2015 and absorbed 23.7 per cent of Pakistan’s exports. More than 80 per cent of Pakistan’s exports to the EU consist of textile and clothing. Pakistan’s imports from the bloc mainly
consist of machinery and transport equipment as well as chemicals. “Almost 72 per cent of Pakistan’s exports to the EU go to the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy,” informed Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Abdul Basit. Pakistan is mulling opportunities of market penetration in other countries like Greece, Slovenia and Ireland. The enhanced trade preferencesunder GSP Plus are of particular importance to Pakistan’s textile and clothing industry.
Vietnam to benefit from RCEP membership According to Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), Vietnam is negotiating for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which may bring innumerable benefits to the country’s garment and textile sector in terms of cost, market scale, and supply of materials. The local Bao Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade News) online newspaper quoted Giang as remarking that the RCEP membership will be a huge boost for Vietnamese garment and textile industry as the country will not have to bear many trade
barriers. The RCEP covers 16 countries, including 10 members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations and their regional trading partners of India, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Giang predicts that the garment and textile exports from Vietnam would experience a growth of 13-14 per cent in 2017, compared to 9.2 per cent in 2016. He, however, adds that the deeper the integration is, the fiercer the competition will be, and thereby urges local companies to enhance management to ensure providing products with more competitive price, excellent quality and shorter delivery time.
Indian apparel exporters divided on FTA with UK/EU Indian textile and apparel industry has been for a long time looking to have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU, but now after Brexit it is being said that India should prefer to have FTA with the UK because discussion with the EU is taking a lot of time. Negotiations have now started with the UK and the deal will take effect when the island nation exits the EU. Britain will work for a “future FTA” with India, one of its key investment and trading partners, British Chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond said after a three-and-a-half-hour marathon meeting with Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He was addressing the 9th India-UK Economic & Financial Dialogue in New Delhi. Apparel Resources talked to various Indian apparel exporters regarding this and most of them prefer to have FTA with the UK as things are not moving with the US. However, few exporters still prefer to have things finalized with the EU… Sudhir Dhingra, CMD, Orient Craft, Gurgaon (Haryana) says, “In today’s world where Brexit is happening and Trump is in the power in the US, India has a great opportunity to negotiate beneficial trade agreements on bilateral basis, with all our importing partners particularly in UK, US and Europe. These countries need India to sell their merchandise and gain market share in Indian market, which must be used as a tool to the advantage of Indian garment industry. This is the only way Indian garment industry will grow and millions of jobs created, which India is in dire need of.” Arun Jain, Director of Jain Shawls, Ludhiana (Punjab) shares: “India should avoid this agreement with the UK as it will affect our relations with the EU. India should only concentrate on the EU, and put more efforts to do these kinds of agreements as it is a more potential market for us.” Ramesh Verma, President, Diamond Exports, Panipat (Haryana) believes that India is already doing so much trade with the UK, and the EU had never showed any negative reaction. “But why to tap smaller market if we can get the bigger one…?” he questions.
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Myanmar garment workers shaping up amidst struggles In order to discuss the challenges faced by garment and textile workers in the country, Myanmar Garment Manufacturer Association (MGMA) recently held panel discussion and seminar, coorganized by Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). The theme of the seminar was ‘Achieving Success Through Challenges’. Continuous strikes over wages, little or no education, poverty, (alleged) child labour issues and several other reasons have not stopped Myanmar garment and textile workers to grow and make the country a strong competitor in garment export industry. Even the panellists, invited by the MGMA and UMFCCI for the seminar, have
families, especially those from rural areas. There are over 400 apparel manufacturing units in Myanmar, employing over 3,00,000 people including a large number of uneducated women.
faced all these hardships before achieving success. It may be noted here that the garment and textile industry is a
major contributor in the country’s economy and this industry is an increasingly popular ‘trade of choice’ for many low-income
In terms of empowering women workers in the industry, Zaw Aye Maung, Rakhine Affairs Minister said that every member of the industry is also contributing to the cause of women’s rights and gender equality in Myanmar. Just as the MGMA, which represents a big community of both domestic and foreign businesses, is contributing to elevating the status of women, the Government of the country also sees females taking more and more important positions and achieving total gender quality in the industry.
Cambodia: 2 killed, 4 injured in boiler explosion in factory A steam boiler installed just few days ago, proved fatal at the unregistered Chan Seng Heng garment factory in southwestern Phnom Penh, Cambodia claiming the lives of two workers
and injured four others recently. The explosion took place when the workers were on a lunch break. One security guard and one cleaner were among the deceased.
Neth Mony Ponnaka, Director of Phnom Penh Department of Industry and Handicraft said, “A specialized team will inspect the garment factory which opened just few days back (on April 1) and was not yet registered with the department. They made a mistake, and my department was not aware of it. We will talk with the owner. The department did not get the licence from the company, which violates the law on management of handicrafts, Article 23. This owner could be fined.” According to him, the boilers were “very old and second-hand”. A visit to the factory revealed that one of the two wood-fired boilers exploded,
blowing through walls and roofing, scattering debris across the factory floor and onto the street. Large metal components of the boiler landed as far as 50 metres from where the explosion occurred. It may be worth noting that the factory is not listed with the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and is likely a subcontractor – a sector of the industry that represents a significant regulatory gap. The latest explosion was followed by a recent incident that happened in a garment factory that cost the life of one and wounded seven. The factory makes clothes for Levi Strauss and Dutch retailer C&A.
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Retailers to see drop in sales, predict reports RBC Capital Markets has predicted slow growth rate for US retailers this year. According to the report, Ascena Retail Group which owns Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor, Dress Barn, and Catherines are likely to face 49 per cent decrease in growth rate. An 11 per cent decrease in revenue growth for next year has also been predicted for Under Armour, the American sports clothing and accessories company. This is expected in view of consumer’s decreasing interest in athleisure. According to RBC analysts, yoga-inspired
apparel athletic company Lululemon Athletica’s growth rate can also drop by 5 per cent. A 6 per cent decline in sales growth for this fiscal year for Coach is also expected. The increasing popularity of online shopping has also hit the retailers hard as consumers are opting to shop on e-commerce sites over brick-and-mortar stores, resulting in reduced traffic in stores. Fitch Ratings has also stated that the augmented number of discounted retailers has given a blow to more traditional and single-brand brickand-mortar retailers.
Sears Canada undergoes complete retail reinvention Canadian retailer, Sears is going through a period of absolute renovation, spanning through modern customer experiences systems, a redesigned e-commerce platform, new concept stores, and a new manifesto of customer service values that aim to capture as well as sustain brand loyalty. Brandon G. Stranzl, Executive Chairman of Sears
Canada elaborated on the initiatives stating, “2017 is the year for change and reinvention at Sears Canada. We started on our reinvention path last year when we focused on a dramatic refinement to our product selection, to achieve a simple value proposition for consumers – high quality at a low price, and our Sears label essentials and The Cut @ Sears
achieves this in a big way. We have also overhauled our customer experience online and in-store as we commit to providing Canadians the best shopping experience possible.” Sears has opened a pop-up shopin Toronto’s modish neighbourhood of Queen West where they will highlight the company’s hottest merchandise, together withthe
all-new private-label products as well as the off-priceoffering, making them the first nationwide retailer in Canada, to display both key retail approaches all in asingle store. The pop-up shop opened on April 8 with the marketing tag of #WeveCHANGED. “We’re using #WeveCHANGED as our monikerto attract new consumers and engage Canadians in our new customerobsessed approach without preconceptions. We’re re-introducing ourselves with new products, enhanced customer experiences, and a re-imagined philosophy of quality, on-trend merchandise at great prices,” explained Stranzl. Sears Canada is looking to coagulate their position as Canada’s go-to retailer for everyone’s every need with the launch of a mono-brand private label. The new line will be high on quality providing essentials at affordable prices for men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing, home décor as well as housewareitems.
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Hudson's Bay appoints new CEO for Europe
Louis Vuitton faces labourers' protest over wages
Hudson’s Bay Company has announced the appointment of Wolfgang Link as Chief Executive Officer of HBC Europe, effective from May 2017. He will lead the company’s expansion and growth strategy for the European business including Galeria Kaufhof, Galeria Inno, and the entrance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH. Reporting to HBC’s Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Storch, Dr. Link will oversee the European management team. Commenting on his appointment Jerry Storch, CEO stated: “We are pleased to welcome Wolfgang to the HBC family during this new phase of development for our European A group of leather workers, upsetover Louis Vuitton management’s failure to meet wage expectations,reportedly staged protest recently at the French fashion house. The hour-long walkout started with employees gathering in front of their various production facilities across France at 7:30 AM. Later they were invited for talks. This is the second labour protest at Vuitton in a span of 15years. The company had reportedly offered a gross raise of ¤30 a month or about
US $ 31.95 for every employee which is far lower than the ¤55 that workers requested through unions’ representatives. Company Managers had also offered raise of an additional ¤10 to ¤20 a month for 80 per cent of workers, but that too didn’t go well. Louis Vuitton has 18 leather workshops, 12 of which are inFrance. The house employs 4,500 people, including 2,000 in French workshops, according to theunions.
Global Fashion Group's revenue zooms business, as we prepare to launch two new banners in the region. Wolfgang is an accomplished leader with a proven track record in the retail sector in Germany and throughout Europe. His experience in both digital and traditional channels and profound knowledge of the European market were keys in selecting him for this role, and will help foster the expansion and success of HBC Europe, including our significant investment in Germany.” The fashion retailer has also decided to invest around US $ 425 million in Europe with an aim to increase its sales there. It is planning to increase its sales in the region by 20 per cent over the next two years.
Global Fashion Group (GFG), the leading online fashion destination for emerging markets, has reported strong results for the Financial Year 2016. GFG delivered net merchandise value (NMV) in excess of ¤1 billion, representing growth of 30.3 per cent on a constant currency and pro-forma basis. Total net revenue of the Group for 2016 exceeded ¤1 billion, up 26.4 per cent on a constant currency pro-forma basis despite continued macroeconomic challenges in several regions and associated increased pricing pressure. 2016 also saw the implementation of
several regionally led initiatives, including for example brand recruitment across all regional companies, warehouse automation and capacity increase at Lamoda and Dafiti, optimisation of the last mile delivery infrastructure with Lamoda Express, IT investment and integration of Kanui and Tricae IT into Dafiti, fixed cost rationalisation with the setup of a Malaysian shared service centre for all of Zalora. These developments helped enhance GFG’s efficiency and improve its services to both partner brands and consumers.
Jack & Jones goes for restructuring Menswear brand Jack &Jones has decided to revamp its business in order to get rid of negative results. The fashion brand has not been able to deliver the expected results in past years. It has decided to focus on simplifying the organization and getting back to its roots under its new strategic direction. “The new strategy will focus on the Jack &Jones brand as a unifying unit, and we will no longer be working as seven independent organisations within our brand – we will all be focusing on Jack & Jones,” Brand
Directors Anders Gam and Peter Kristiansen were quoted as saying in news reports. The brand will continue with its wide range and still make products for all occasions, but will no longer offer similar products under different brand names. Its focus will be on the market shelf to provide consumers with the best products at the best prices. As a result of the reorganization, 67 staff from buying, sales and marketing departments have been made redundant at the company’s headquarters in Brande and Copenhagen.
PVH inks licensing agreement with USA Legwear LLC Two subsidiaries of PVH Corporation have entered into a license agreement with USA Legwear LLC under which the latter will manufacture, sell, distribute and promote women’s
hosiery and socks under the Warner’s brand. The retailer will launch products for Spring 2018 which will be sold primarily in leading department stores, specialty stores, national
chains and mass retailers throughout the United States and Canada.
highs, trouser socks, dress socks, athletic socks, casual socks and boot socks.
The Warner’s product offering will include women’s sheer hosiery, tights, leggings, thigh highs, knee
“As we seek ways to grow the Warner’s product line, we naturally came upon hosiery as a great fit with our intimate apparel offerings. The Warner’s brand has a leading market share position in bras and panties, and we believe that USA Legwear can leverage this positioning to develop and grow a hosiery business,” said Ken Wyse, President Licensing, PVH Corp., adding, “USA Legwear has extensive knowledge and experience in this product category, and we look forward to working with them to build this business.” Commenting on the agreement, Aaron Harari, President &CEO, USA Legwear LLC said, “We are thrilled to add the Warner’s brand to our current portfolio and expand upon our existing partnership with PVH for its Van Heusen brand…”
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Envision Exports’ range of offerings
Envision Exports adding knitted fabric to its predominant yarn offerings ith Bangladesh upscaling its capabilities in spinning, the playing field for yarn suppliers is getting very competitive. Yet, companies like India-based Envision Exports that have been active in the industry for more than two decades with an office in the country, are finding new ways to stay relevant. In conversation with team Apparel Online, Gaurav Sachdev, Coordinator Business Development and Jayant Khurana of Envision discuss the strategy to stay competitive in a fast changing and demanding market.
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Jayant Khurana (L) and Gaurav Sachdev –Coordinator Business Development of EnvisionExports
FROM BASIC COTTON YARNS TO MORE FANCY AND SPECIALISED YARNS, THE COMPANY IS GEARED TO FEED ALL DEMANDS, THOUGH THE DUO ADMITS THAT THE MAXIMUM DEMAND IS STILL FOR VERY BASIC YARN.
Among the many reasons that make Envision a preferred supplier of yarn inBangladeshis theupfrontattitude of the company to service every demand of the customer. “We try to capture every requirement of the industry and through our global networkof spinners,makesure that the same is delivered satisfactorily,” says Gaurav. From basic cotton yarns to more fancy and specialised yarns, the company is geared to feed all demands, though the duo admits that the maximum demandis stillfor very basic yarns. “70% of our shipmentto Bangladeshis in basic yarn mostly from India, while theremainingis specialisedyarn from countries likeChinaandevenIndonesia,” says Jayant.
However, both admit that times are changing and working with standard products is no longer a viable business model. “As the end buyer is now asking for new developments, the demand is coming back to us and of late there has been an increase in the queries for polyesters, nylon and blended yarns,” shares Gaurav. To meet this challenge, the company is now looking to more product development at its own end to support its customers. “We are constantly travelling and meeting retailers and garment exporters. Through these interactions, we pick up clues on what could be the next big demand and then go back to our spinning partners for developments,” adds Gaurav. The company has found this direction to be very fruitful as knitters are willing to pay extra for new developments, as it gives them an opportunity to present something new to their buyers without the extra headache of research and development. Another area that the company is working on is to improve lead times, though in most of the situations that result in delays are beyond their reach. It takes practically 40 days for a shipment to reach Bangladesh from India (20 days production after LC and 20 days in transit) but if Cond. on page 46
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Cond. from page 44 there is a congestion at the port, either in Colombo or Chittagong the delay can be of weeks. “At the end of 2016 the situation at the Chittagong port got so bad that shipments were delayed for over 12 days and in this era of fast fashion that can be killing,” reasons Jayant. They share that transit by road is also not a solution as crossing the border can get very difficult if there is a strike or public holiday, which unfortunately is very often. What the company is trying to do is reduce time in production, working closely with spinners. “It is a challenge, but that is the only area where we can have an influence,” admits Jayant.
Navis TubeTex SCS technology uses less power
At an average, Envision ships 150 container loads of yarn to Bangladesh every month and though issues of lead-time challenge the operations, they prefer not to have a warehouse in the country, “With demand changing so fast and local industry getting stronger in basic yarn, it is imperative to provide latest yarn and not stock-up, that could result in gross miscalculations and losses,” reasons Gaurav. What the company has invested in is an office in Gulshan with three local employees – two for marketing and one for technical support to service the industry better. “The office has been operational for past 13 years and the team from India regularly comes in, meeting customers and understanding their requirements, but it is the local guys who provide the edge,” says Gaurav.
Comparing Bangladesh manufacturing with India, Gary Morris, Sales Director – Asia Paciftc, Navis TubeTex avers, “There’s a reason why Bangladesh has such a strong base in manufacturing. It is because of their abundant experience and availability of cheap labour, which within itself is a success key. Moreover, in Bangladesh the living standards of people are not high. Whereas, India’s labour isnot as readily available and dedicated. It’s also added cost to train and retain workers.”
Going forward the company is looking to expand its presence in fabric also, a division they started about a year ago, and which has great potential for growth. “We are providing basic knitted fabric, which customers are picking up and finishing/dyeing according to their specific needs,” shares Jayant. Adds Gaurav on a concluding note: “The cost of finishing and dyeing is much cheaper in Bangladesh, so there is no point in giving them something that works out to be more expensive; also it allows them to get latest finishes as per customer requirements.”
avis TubeTex, the North Carolina-based supplier of high technology finishing machinery to the global textile industry put spotlight on their all new technology Navis TubeTex Spirality Control System (SCS) for controlling spirality in knit fabrics at DTG 2017.
N
Marking its presence in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the SCS technology utilizes a specially designed correction chamber and sophisticated control parameters. Input such as fabric’s spirality percentage, direction of rotation and tubular width is fed into SCS control system, which by using proprietary algorithms imparts the correction to control the degree and direction of the twist based on the parameters. The correction chamber is designed to give correction to the tube with very limited friction to prevent any damage to the finished fabric. A hole detection safety shut-off is included to prevent damage to the fabric or machine. Company’s new technology works on power up to 2kW and enables spirality correction to less than 4% after processing. Moreover, it works on all tubular knitted fabrics. However, China dominates the textile market, while Navis TubeTex has
Gary Morris, Sales Director –Asia Pacific, Navis TubeTex
"There’s a reason why Bangladesh has such a strong base in manufacturing. It is because of their abundant experience and availability of cheap labour". GarryMorris
grown on its own. Sharing the same, Gary says, “We cannot compete with them in prices. Bangladesh is more focused on what their neighbouring countries buy and that’s why we were very successful with our TubeTex compact. When manufacturers present their feasibility report to banks, they demand for compressed and compact reports and that’s where we help them.” The company provides after-sales support through five local technicians in place. “Installing a good machine is not enough, it is after-sales that actually sell a machine,” concludes Gary.
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Prime Asia “ A vision for future is what we are looking at” “Owners of the industrial houses are now delegating the responsibility of choosing the right technology to its production heads, which is a great sign of maturity of the industry.” – Galstaun Clifford, Administrative Supervisor, Gerber Technology
ecalling the firms from couple of years ago when people were
R
not really considering much to imbibe automation on the sewing floor, K. M. Asib Reza, MD, Prime Asia Limited focuses on how now the customers are placing orders for automation systems for the whole factory. “The companies are now ready to invest in automation, as it basically reduces the handling
time and directly contributes to the efficiency of the workers, which nearly improves 30-40% of productivity without any increase in utilities or wages expenses with the same number of people.” Continuous market expansion and product diversification taking place in Bangladesh RMG sector have made it a mature one. Alongside,
cost of manufacturing supported by material cost, utilities cost and the labour cost is the competitive edge for the country to reach US $ 50 billion target by 2021. “Though the technology ROI is a major concern, but it is the reliability of the technology that matters the most. The cost of maintaining and running is equally important. If the technology is reliable and it works as expected, then only you can get the ROI on time and vice versa,” believes Reza. Specialized in automation, Prime Asia is focusing on increasing the efficiency of workers by minimizing the material cost and maximizing material utilization that would help in increasing profitability of the industry which is very important and crucial factor nowadays. With a proven track record of seven decades in the industry, Reza shares his strategy: “We are only working with the companies who have the vision for the future and are willing to get ready to compete against upcoming regions like in Africa, or Myanmar. Also, fashion is coming into today’s industry so we are also dealing with the products like washing machines too.”
K. M. Asib Reza (C) –MD, Prime Asia Limited with colleagues
Prime Asia Ltd. is the sole distributor of Gerber Technology in Bangladesh.
SANTONI TAKING A LEAP IN SEAMLESS TECHNOLOGY WITH SM8 TOP2V
Gianpiero Valsecchi, Sales Area Manager, Santoni SP
antoni, the Italy-based knitting machine manufacturer, attracted a lot of visitors to its stall with their main highlight – electronic single jersey circular machine SM8TOP2V machine.
S
A successor of SM8-TOP2, the single jersey machine is designed for production of seamless garments like underwear, outerwear, beachwear, sportswear and sanitarywear. It has 8 feeds and 2 selection points per feed, and offers 30 per cent more productivity than the previous model. Further, the machine is designed ergonomically and equipped with newly developed parts such as yarn
The company installed 50 single jersey machines last year in Bangladesh and has confirmed of a huge demand this year.
Visitors taking a close look of the machines on display at Santoni’s stall
finger groups and sinker cap for natural yarn plating. Added advantage of higher production and better quality, the machine consumes 15% less energy. “We are also doing extremely well nowadays on upper shoe. Our double jersey machine Mec-mor can produce up to 10 times more compared to the conventional vanity machine for making shoe upper,” informs Gianpiero Valsecchi, Sales Area Manager, Santoni SPA. Mec-mor has 2 jacquards with electronic selection of stripes. Started in Asia for the production of underwear, seamless technology is a
great success and is now expanded to sportswear and activewear. In garment where compression is required on the body, can be calibrated on a single machine, which makes seamless a winning technology. “Santoni covers all categories of garments where seamless technology is used, from professional wear to daily wear. Our customers appreciate these T-shirts which give less friction to the body,” says Valsecchi. The company installed 50 single jersey machines last year in Bangladesh and confirmed of a huge demand this year. “We are hopeful of a positive year ahead,” concludesValsecchi.
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Er gonomics in Appar el Manufacturing – III
REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY Earlier in the first article of the five-part series on ergonomics, Dr. Prabir Jana had discussed the importance and impact of ergonomics and its different facets in apparel manufacturing. In the second article, the writers N. Karthikeyan and K. Mohankumar from the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology discussed the wrong posture and risk analyses of workers leading to strain injuries in day-to-day operations in apparel manufacturing. In this third article, Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi highlights the cumulative trauma disorders and its interrelation with posture. He also talks about the rationale and science behind the genesis of problems to understand the cause, and finding preventive measures to overcome the same.
any workplace factors influence repetitive motion problems which lead to strain, and thus injury. The three main factors that cause strain injuries due to repetitive motion (also called Repetitive Strain Injuries or RSI) are Force, Repetition and Posture. Force is the pressure exerted or encountered; Repetitions are related to cycle time; and Postures concern the position of the body while performing a givenoperation. Other factors that lead to strains and injuries are – inadequate training, incentives given to work for longer hours, change in method or product model and physical condition of the worker such as pregnancy, menopause and hysterectomy. Acceleration is emerging as an additional workplace factor, especially related to the upper extremities.
M
According to ergonomic definition, a Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI is an injury to a part of the body caused by overusing or straining that body part. The body gets strained when the body parts are put to hard work, stretched farther, put to greater impact, directly or otherwise, and is made to function at alevel higher than it was prepared for. The immediate impact may be minor, but when it occurs repeatedly, the constant straining becomes a cause for damage. The term Repetitive Strain Injury identifies a group of conditions that result from using the body in a way it is not designed for or capable of comfortable working. Repetitive Strain Injuries also has been described as painful and limiting soft tissue failures that result from repeated or continuous application of slight to moderate physical stress over extended period oftime. Other terms that are used interchangeably with Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) are Repetitive Stress Disorder (RSD), Repetitive Strain Disorder (RSD), Repetitive Motion Injury
Wrist pronation while working in buttonhole or button stitch machine
(RMI), Repetitive Motion Disorder (RMD), and Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD). Another term Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), to be more specific, a Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder (WMSD), refers not only to conditions that involve the nerves, tendons, muscles, and supporting structures of the body, but also used interchangeably with RSI.
Forces and Repetitions Forces and repetitions are two interrelated factors. A force is considered low when average adjusted force (mean + variance) = 6.6 pounds +/- 3.52 pounds. While average adjusted force (mean + variance) of 27.94 pounds +/- 18.92 is considered as highforce. A task is considered repetitive if the cycle time is less than 30 seconds and task is performed for more than 50% of the work shift. One of the revolutionary researches by Tom Armstrong shows that cases of Repetitive Strain Injury in low force and low repetition operations are rare while that of high forceand high repetition is maximum.
Ackward shoulder angle while handling material during sewing
However, it is important to understand two important factors that determine the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in workers operations: firstly, the number of times the forces are exerted during the course ofthe work day; and secondly, the position of the body part which exerts or encounters theforce. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), USA document established the epidemiologic evidence of the relationship between selected RSI of the upper extremity and the low back and exposure to physical factors at work. The Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labour reported in 1990 that of all the reported cases of occupational illness, 56% were associated with repeated strain injuries. The body parts affected was shoulder (6%), wrist (51%), hand – excluding fingers (6%), andother body parts (37%). In 1997, the NIOSH reported that about 7,00,000 cases (or 32%) were the result of repetitive motion or overexertion. It also reported that RSIs accounted for 14% of physician visits and 19% of hospitalstays.
Postures No clear definition of ‘posture’ can be found in ergonomics literature. It may be regarded as the configuration of the body’s head, trunk and limbs in space or as a quasi-static bio-mechanical alignment, depending on whether the particular context in which it is used is anatomical or bio-mechanical. In any work situation, functional, geometric and bio-mechanical aspects are as integral to the concept of posture as they are to the consequencesfor performance and comfort. Pilot study data of laboratory experiment supports the hypothesis that extreme and/or complex postures correlate negatively with task performance. Sewing machine separation task can be characterized by “low force exertion, butwith high speed manipulation, frequent repetition of hand movement and long duration of continuous work under a constrained body posture”. An awkward sitting posture can be influenced by the interaction of several factors, including work place layout (e.g. seat and table height and inclination), task location (task height, distance and direction), and manual and/or visual requirements of thetasks and the anthropometric characteristics of the seated worker. Thetendency of operators to work in the hunched posture suggests a potential conflict between workstation geometry and operator dimension. Analyses indicate, most commonly, operators position the chair away from the work surface in order to allow a knee angle of 110°or greater. Factors limiting operator access to the workstation was the location of the treadle, which is too closeto the proximal edge and of various obstructions (motors, pneumatic equipment, and machine guards) beneath the work surface. While typical recommended knee room averages about 46 cm, the presence of these obstructions, in some cases, limit available space to less than 26cm. An increase in task distance and increase in trunk forward flexion, results in decrease in head/neck flexion. As the task height moved
HAZARDOUS BODY POSTURES WRIST Extremes of ulnar deviation; Extremes of radial deviation This represents the movement of wrist towards little finger or thumb. It is advisable not to exceed the extremes, of 30° for ulnar and 20° for radial deviation.
SHOULDER Shoulder flexion Shoulder flexion should not exceed 90°. It pertains to movement of hand from shoulder point towards front.
OTHER BODY PARTS FINGERS – Lumbrical and pinch grasps Pinch grip involves lifting of item with the help of thumb and one
Extremes of wrist flexion; Extremes of wrist extension
Extremes of wrist supination; Extremes of wrist pronation
“Wrist should remain straight,” this is the ideal position for wrist. The extension should not be more than 65° whereas flexion should not exceed 75°.
Wrist should remain as close to neutral as possible during much of the work cycle as possible. Pronation and supination at about 90° can give harmfuleffects.
Shoulder abduction and rotation
lateral shoulder rotation along with 15°-20°of shoulder abduction can cause traumas.
Shoulder abduction should not exceed 18°-20°. Abduction reflects movement of hand from shoulder point towards lateral side. Greater than 5°-10° of medial or
finger only, whereas lumbrical grasp is a fatiguing posture for the small muscles of the hand, causing ache of the palm. This is a posture where the fingers are straight except the thumb and grasp is done by the thumb.
Hyperextension of shoulder Hyperextension is extension of abduction towards back. It should not exceed 40°.
NECK – Greater than 20° of neck flexion Neck should not be more than 20° flexion from its normal position.
LOWER BACK – Leaning or bending of lower back beyond 18” for females, 22” for males is a hazardous posture.
REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURIES AND DISORDERS Exposure to repetitive, forceful or awkward tasks over a period of time result in stressful situations which most often result in microtraumas to a specific region of the body, such as a muscle or tendon. Without adequate recovery, the accumulation of micro-traumas results in pain, discomfort, numbness, reduced strength and/or inhibited dexterity. Examples of injuries or disorders that can be work-related include: • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) – It is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to paresthesia, numbness and muscle weakness in the hand. • Tendonitis (or Tendinitis) – It is an inflammation of a tendon. In this disorder the tendons become inflamed for a variety of reasons, and the action of pulling the muscle becomes irritating. For example, patellar tendonitis, also known as the jumper’s knee, is an inflammation of the patellar tendon, which connects the tibia to the patella. • Tenosynovitis – It is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called the synovium) that surrounds a tendon. Symptoms of tenosynovitis include pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the particular joint where the inflammation occurs. • Rotator Cuff Syndrome – The rotator cuff is a band of tendons which compose a portion of the shoulder joint. Rotator cuff syndrome is suggested by shoulder pain when the arm is elevated to the side. A rotator cuff tear, particularly if it is severe, will make it difficult or impossible to maintain the arm lifted up 90º. • De Quervain’s Disease – An inflammable or a tendinosis of the sheath or tunnel that surrounds two tendons that control movement of the thumb. • Trigger Finger – Sometimes tenosynovitis (discussed earlier) causes the finger to “stick” in a flexed position, this is called “stenosing” tenosynovitis, which is commonly called “Trigger Finger”. • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome – Tarsal tunnel syndrome is a compression, or squeezing, on specific nerve that lies on the inside of the ankle, next to the ankle bones. It produces symptoms anywhere along the path of the nerve. Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Figure 3: Repetitive Motion Injuries: Body parts
is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, which occurs in the wrist. Both disorders arise from the compression of a nerve in a confined space. It is a cause of foot and ankle pain in adults. • Sciatica – The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in a human body. It runs from the spinal cord to the buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. The term “sciatica” refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve – from the back down the buttock and leg. • Epicondylitis – Epicondyle is the outside (lateral side) of the elbow. Epicondylitis refers to an inflammation of an epicondyle. It is of two types: ► Lateral
epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow – A condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. It’s a condition that is commonly associated with playing tennis (or cricket, in Sachin Tendulkar’s case), though the injury can happen to almost anybody.
► Medial epicondylitis, also
known as golfer’s elbow – Pain and inflammation on the inner side of elbow, where the tendons of forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of elbow. The pain may spread into forearm and wrist. It’s not limited to golfers. Tennis players and others who repeatedly use their wrists or clench their fingers also can develop golfer’s elbow.
• Raynaud’s Phenomenon – A condition resulting in a particular series of discolorations of the fingers and/or the toes after exposure to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or emotional events. • Carpet Layers Knee – Abnormalities in the soft tissue of the anterior part of the knee, caused by protracted mechanical stress. • Herniated Spinal Disc – The spinal disc is a soft cushion that sits between each vertebrae of the spine. This spinal disc becomes more rigid with age. In a young individual, the disc is soft and elastic, but like so many other structures in the body, the disc gradually loses its elasticity and is more vulnerable to injury. As the spinal disc becomes less elastic, it can rupture. When the disc ruptures, a portion of the spinal disc pushes outside its normal boundary – this is called a herniated disc. Common symptoms of a herniated disc include Electric Shock Pain, Tingling & Numbness, Muscle Weakness and Bowel or Bladder Problems. • Low back pain – This refers to pain in the lumbosacral area of the spine encompassing the distance from the 1st lumbar vertebra to the 1st sacral vertebra. This is the area of the spine where the lordotic curve forms. The most frequent site of low back pain is in the 4th and 5th lumbar segment.
downwards relative to subject’s horizontal eye level, there is an increase in (move forward bending) head-neck flexion but decrease in trunk forward flexion (more upright posture). This suggests that a comfortable visual distance is needed in order to see the task position even for a normal task which is not visually demanding. Task is located within the distance of 50-70 cm and at the height of about 20 cm, below horizontal eye level appearsideal.
Epidemiologic Study: Detection of repetitive straininjuries The goal of epidemiologic studiesis to identify factors that are associated (positively or negatively) with the development or recurrence of adverse medical conditions. This evaluation and summary of the epidemiologic evidence focuses chiefly on disorders that affect the neck and the upper extremity, including tension neck syndrome, shoulder tendinitis, epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hand-arm vibration syndrome, which have been the most extensively studied in the epidemiologic literature. The relationship between workplace factors and the development of RSIs from epidemiologic studies is classified into one ofthe following categories: Strong evidence of work-relatedness ( + + + ) – A causal relationship is shown to be very likely between intense or long duration exposure to the specific risk factor(s) and RSI when the epidemiologic criteria of causality are used. A positive relationship has been observed between exposure to the specific risk factor and Repetitive Strain Injury in studies in which chance, bias, and confounding factors could be ruled out with reasonable confidence in at least several studies. Evidence of work-relatedness ( + + ) – Some convincing epidemiologic evidence shows a causal relationship when the epidemiologic criteria of causality for intense or long duration exposure to the specific risk factor(s) and RepetitiveStrain Injury are used. A positive relationship has been observed between exposure to the specific risk factor and Repetitive Strain Injury in studies in which chance, bias, and confounding factors are not the likely explanation. Insufftcient evidence of work-relatedness (+/0) –The available studies are of insufficient number, quality, consistency, or statistical power to permit a conclusion regarding the presence or absence of a causal association. Some studies suggest a relationship to specific risk factorsbut
TASKS IN SEWING OPERATIONS Sewing operations are most vulnerable to RSI, different operations pose different degrees of vulnerability to forces and repetitions. The following table gives an example of workplace factors and body parts affected for different operations. Legend: “X” in any cell means significant. A blank in any cell means insignificant. Note: - The repetitions indicated in this table are only for elected tasks elements and based on an 8-hour shift. It is important to realize that the total repetitions of all task elements would be far greater than indicated in this table. Tasks
High Forces L
SideSeam
High Repetitions R
X
L
Extreme Postures R
X(1320)
L
X(6900)
X
Hem PantLegs
X(1260)
X
X
Sew Buttons of Cuffs
X4800-6000
X
X
X
Buttoning
X
X(4800)
ThreadClipping
X
X(2700)
Folding
X
(1400-2160) PinsOnly
Side Body Basting
X
Bag Pockets
X
Waistband
X
L
R
X
Loading
Shoulder
Low Back
X
Wrist R
X X
R
X
X
X
X
X
L
X
R
L X
R X
X
X
X
X
X
Pinch Pinch
X
X
X
R
Fingers
Pinch
X
X
L
X
Thumb
X
X X
L
Hand
X
X
X
X X X
X
X
X (1424)
X
X
X
X
X(9840)
X
X
X
X
X
X (3105)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X (6120)
X
X
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Source: AAMAManual
NECK and NECK / SHOULDER SHOULDER ELBOW HAND / WRIST (Carpal tunnel syndrome) HAND / WRIST (Tendinitis)
Repetition
Force
++ ++
++ +/0
+++ ++
+/0
++
+/0
+++
++ ++
+/0 ++
+++ +++
++ ++
Posture
HAND-ARM vibration syndrome BACK
chance, bias, or confounding mayexplain the association. Evidence of no effect of work factors (-) – Adequate studies consistently show that the specific workplace risk factor(s) is not related to development of Repetitive Strain Injury. It is clear from the below table that combination of factors rather any single factor poses more risk of RepetitiveStrain Injury. Despite many years of research/efforts, the occupational exposure limits of different risk factors for development of RSIs have not yet been established. One of the problems in setting such guidelines is the limited understanding of how different risk factors of RSIs interact in causing
+++
++
Combination
Vibration +/0 +/0
++
+++ +++
the injury. It is unfortunate that in most sewing operations the excursions of arm and hand movements are too much to allow elbow support. Further the sewing operators use highly repetitive movements which often require a holding action of muscles. The steady holding actions or sustained postures result in static loading and fatigue. Highly repetitive tasks do not allow adequate time for muscles to rest. Recovery time can occur with job rotation. A carefully planned job rotation schedule may ensure use of different muscles and thus recovery time for muscles significantly reduce risk of RSI. Apart from job rotation engineered workstation layout, height adjustability of workstations, and specialty tools are several other ways to minimize the risk of RSI.
EXPORT STATISTICS
In February, US drastically goes down in its apparel imports January-February
2017
After witnessing a solid start in January 2017, US apparel imports have drastically fallen in February, from that a year earlier, with shipments being depressed in the first two months of the year, collectively. The new year holidays have ended in January this year, possibly affecting the level of February shipments. In value terms, shipments to the US market in February have even plunged by 13.58% after unit prices have declined by 2%. It is the lowest drop in unit values since May last year, meaning that US buyers find it difficult to get lower prices these days. The rise of labour costs in Asia and the lack of productivity gains explain the weaker unit prices. However, President Trump’s aversion from imports might worse the situation for the country’s apparel imports in upcoming months.
Global Apparel Imports by the US: Jan.-Feb. 2017
Total Decrease in Quantity
1
Foundation garments export from Vietnam to US surges
2
Babieswear exports from India to US continue to fall
During the review period, Vietnam noted surge in its export of foundation garments to US. Value terms rose by216.36%, while the volumes were up by 114.83% on Y-o-Y basis.
1.02 % Total Decrease in Value
4.46 % Percentage Decrease in UVR
Babieswear exports from India saw downturn both in value andvolume. Values plunged by(-) 2.50% while volumes decreased by(-) 10.05% during the period under review.
3.43 % (Average UVR in review period was US $ 2.91 as against US $ 3.01 in the same period last year)
Total global apparel imports by the US - Jan.-Feb. 2017 (Qty in SME & Value in US mn $) Jan.-Feb.2016
Jan.-Feb.2017
%Change
Type ofApparel
Change in Value Cotton
6.83 % MMF
1.05%
Wool
7.88 % Silk & Veg
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
2040.094
6756.80
1930.965
6295.114
-5.35
-6.83
Wool
17.54
320.38
16.349
295.128
-6.79
-7.88
MMF
2418.81
6280.85
2488.787
6214.714
2.89
-1.05
76.232
357.58
70.002
298.37
-8.17
-16.56
4552.68
13715.60
4506.10
13103.33
-1.02
-4.46
Cotton
Silk & Veg Total
16.56 % Total apparel exports to the US by 6 major manufacturing destinations - Jan.-Feb. 2017
Change in Quantity
(Qty in SME & Value in US mn $)
Jan.-Feb.2016
Cotton
5.35 % MMF
2.89 %
Wool
6.79 % Silk & Veg
8.17 %
[The information has been extracted from US custom site and further analyzed.]
Jan.-Feb.2017
%Change
Countries
India Bangladesh China Pakistan
SriLanka Vietnam
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
191.23
699.14
190.536
663.589
-0.36
-5.08
345.90
982.70
343.705
927.129
-0.63
-5.66
1886.691
4787.22
1853.036
4375.928
-1.78
-8.59
90.07
205.76
88.575
208.309
-1.65
1.24
82.72
347.42
81.333
342.77
-1.67
-1.34
587.99
1878.90
627.003
1955.062
6.63
4.05
3
Sweaters import by US tumbles both in value and volume
4
China’s T-shirts export to US falls
5
Ladies skirts: Afalling category in US apparel imports
Sweaters import by US witnessed drastic downfall during the review period and the country registered drop in value by (-) 19.38% while volume fell by (-) 23.43% as compared to the corresponding period last year.
6
Men’s shirts export by B’desh to US weakens
7
India gains negatively in undergarments exports to US
8
Legwear exports from B’desh to US goes down
Chinatumbled in its T-shirts export to US in the first twomonths of 2017. The country recorded adownfall in values by(-) 10.81% whereas, volume-wise too it fell by (-) 7.15% year-on-year.
While the values of ladies skirt imports byUS noted adecline of () 20.94%, volumes too fell by(-) 18.35% during the period under review.
Bangladesh noted downturn in its export of men’s shirts to the US both in value andvolume terms. Value decreased by(-) 16.70% whereas, volumes were down by (-) 13.78%.
India fell in its undergarments exports to US as the country noted declinein values by(-) 5.91% whereas quantities toodroppedby () 3.30% year-on-year.
Bangladesh registered negative growth in its legwear exports to US as the country witnessed decreasein value terms by(-) 95.54% and(-) 89.48% in volume terms, as against the same period last year.
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Feb. 2017 (Qty in doz, legwear in dpr, babieswear in kg) Exportsto USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE
China
India
Bangladesh
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
Babieswear
18,623,667
18,735,279
0.60
8,862,282
8,684,180
-2.01
1,416,337
1,273,973
-10.05
2,080,557
Foundation Garments
11,098,312
11,182,753
0.76
6,877,364
6,321,007
-8.09
327,807
264,755
-19.23
633,948
Jackets &Blazers
Vietnam %Change
2016
2017
%Change
2,019,233
-2.95
1,404,130
1,787,097
27.27
929,884
46.68
369,329
793,415
114.83 3.61
4,757,080
5,059,225
6.35
2,351,555
2,564,198
9.04
66,087
93,639
41.69
252,619
317,910
25.85
874,202
905,729
Ladies Blouses
11,487,200
10,808,486
-5.91
5,217,865
4,534,260
-13.10
1,561,542
1,500,220
-3.93
511,817
533,592
4.25
1,587,855
1,638,281
3.18
Ladies Dresses
12,959,801
12,384,706
-4.44
6,434,763
6,084,441
-5.44
896,268
944,192
5.35
377,732
307,264
-18.66
2,393,357
2,366,787
-1.11
Ladies Skirts
3,541,868
2,891,993
-18.35
1,457,852
1,251,466
-14.16
185,782
134,629
-27.53
221,484
148,428
-32.98
665,081
593,199
-10.81
55,053,033
55,617,361
1.03
34,546,895
38,990,092
12.86
284,008
414,125
45.81
61,554
6,477
-89.48
447,176
427,159
-4.48
Men's Shirts
7,559,198
7,370,208
-2.50
1,720,251
1,650,171
-4.07
530,069
646,057
21.88
2,258,305
1,947,187
-13.78
921,401
925,249
0.42
Nightwear
7,860,370
7,587,274
-3.47
4,889,716
4,402,151
-9.97
481,718
497,024
3.18
276,031
350,008
26.80
659,829
698,184
5.81
Suits /Ensembles
2,681,658
2,476,795
-7.64
1,377,668
1,243,713
-9.72
151,825
137,680
-9.32
57,605
34,369
-40.34
487,400
511,165
4.88
Sweaters
1,399,227
1,071,339
-23.43
1,110,619
811,615
-26.92
7,760
6,294
-18.89
66,787
50,868
-23.84
55,009
12,047
-78.10
Trousers
54,629,287
55,196,028
1.04
17,056,162
16,284,470
-4.52
1,046,630
927,556
-11.38
8,782,793
9,338,183
6.32
8,353,063
10,255,069
22.77
T-Shirts
94,955,093
92,165,471
-2.94
18,145,789
16,848,895
-7.15
4,328,482
4,480,539
3.51
3,681,947
3,599,438
-2.24
14,033,088
13,517,832
-3.67
Undergarments
40,838,052
39,360,010
-3.62
9,384,212
9,289,515
-1.01
3,159,643
3,055,513
-3.30
4,398,730
4,553,882
3.53
6,879,448
6,406,252
-6.88
Legwear
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Feb. 2017 (Value in US mn $) Exports to USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE
China
India
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
Babieswear
400.61
399.57
-0.26
177.79
Foundation Garments
463.49
475.42
2.57
240.87
Jackets &Blazers
720.76
729.32
1.19
Ladies Blouses
754.13
671.14
-11.00
Ladies Dresses
1,078.86
983.85
-8.81
Ladies Skirts
213.91
169.12
-20.94
Legwear
318.11
304.53
-4.27
Men's Shirts
624.34
574.68
-7.95
Nightwear
325.42
294.86
-9.39
Suits /Ensembles
249.28
225.40
Sweaters
140.77
113.48
Trousers
3,369.83
3,218.03
-4.50
T-Shirts
3,360.22
3,238.92
-3.61
592.29
557.07
-5.95
Undergarments
Bangladesh
%Change
2016
2017
173.46
-2.44
38.58
211.03
-12.39
23.37
439.09
314.54
-28.37
317.35
273.30
-13.88
522.23
451.09
-13.62
81.28
63.86
189.45
193.41
154.40
Vietnam
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
37.61
-2.50
35.60
43.05
20.92
35.56
43.28
21.70
17.46
-25.28
13.76
24.28
76.44
16.59
52.49
216.36
10.66
12.64
18.57
34.54
39.99
15.77
153.70
150.11
-2.33
116.43
112.77
-3.14
30.63
30.18
-1.48
86.39
88.81
2.80
83.34
82.76
-0.70
14.53
12.24
-15.79
169.95
156.63
-7.84
-21.44
14.73
9.99
-32.15
9.30
7.02
-24.52
41.03
30.60
-25.42
2.09
1.95
2.51
29.00
0.67
0.03
-95.54
2.61
2.31
-11.24
135.88
-11.99
43.03
43.18
0.36
127.16
105.92
-16.70
74.16
72.30
-2.52
197.51
168.56
-14.66
16.30
17.26
5.88
8.27
8.88
7.39
30.40
27.09
-10.89
-9.58
69.20
57.98
-16.21
14.04
15.08
7.39
3.31
2.39
-27.97
36.16
34.41
-4.85
-19.38
105.60
79.93
-24.30
0.59
0.45
-23.93
4.22
2.84
-32.73
1.50
0.94
-37.27
943.62
847.70
-10.16
76.09
60.97
-19.87
493.71
469.10
-4.98
500.69
552.66
10.38
766.24
683.427
-10.81
174.682
175.658
0.56
95.92
90.61
-5.54
538.96
538.26
-0.13
142.11
147.78
3.99
52.38
49.28
-5.91
48.47
46.61
-3.84
86.30
76.96
-10.83
EU maintains the stagnation in clothing imports in the first month of 2017 January 2017 The clothing sector of EU has undergone radical changes throughout the year 2016 and somehow, it could manage the balance to maintain its clothing demand. However, after frequent ups and downs, EU concluded the year 2016 on a positive note. Continuing the trend from December 2016, EU’s clothing imports have surged in the first month of 2017 which is mainly due to the continued holiday season. Projections for 2017 do not see long-term growth of clothing demand for EU because of large-scale redundancies in the economy as well as bankruptcies of fashion brands at a much higher rate this year.
Global apparel imports by the European Union during January 2017
1
EU’s imports soar in sweaters category
2
Legwear, a growing export category to EU from China and India
Total Increase in Quantity
1.21% Total Increase in Value
4.13%
During January 2017, imports of sweaters byEU registered growthof 8.28% in volumes, while value was up by8.33%. During the month India, China, Bangladesh andVietnam also registered positive export of sweaters to EU.
Exports of legwear byChinaregistered noteworthy surge of 9.44% in value, whereas volumes were upbyamarginal 0.20% year-on-year. India too noted gains of 11.37% in value and 32.07% in volume during review period.
Apparel imports of the EU: Selected Countries (Qty in mnKg &Value in mn Euro)
Percentage Increase in UVR
2.82%
Change in Knitted
2.43%
Jan. 2017
% increase /decrease
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Knitted
212.20
3463.22
217.35
3676.27
2.43
6.15
Woven
175.95
3752.85
175.49
3837.80
-0.26
2.26
Total
388.14
7216.07
392.84
7514.07
1.21
4.13
Knitted
75.52
1186.52
75.22
1215.56
-0.40
2.45
Woven
76.28
1482.02
72.41
1449.78
-5.07
-2.18
151.80
2668.53
147.63
2665.34
-2.75
-0.12
Knitted
13.04
224.21
13.84
239.41
6.19
6.78
Woven
8.00
217.19
8.15
215.85
1.90
-0.61
21.04
441.40
22.00
455.26
4.56
3.14
Knitted
55.43
689.87
56.69
764.73
2.28
10.85
Woven
33.68
541.92
34.80
581.99
3.34
7.39
Total
89.10
1231.79
91.49
1346.72
2.68
9.33
Knitted
4.09
82.89
3.88
81.79
-5.07
-1.32
Woven
2.21
51.81
2.11
53.69
-4.48
3.63
Total
6.30
134.70
5.99
135.48
-4.86
0.58
WORLD
Average UVR in January 2017 was Euro 19.13 per kg of fabric equivalent
Quantity
Jan. 2016 Country/Category
Value
6.15%
CHINA
Total INDIA
Total BANGLADESH
SRILANKA
Change in Woven Quantity
0.26%
Value
2.26%
[The information has been extracted from EU custom site and further analyzed.]
PAKISTAN Knitted
8.05
91.14
9.07
105.79
12.67
16.07
Woven
8.03
117.54
9.02
136.93
12.34
16.50
16.08
208.68
18.09
242.72
12.50
16.31
Total VIETNAM Knitted
4.09
81.98
3.88
95.87
-5.07
16.95
Woven
8.59
206.66
7.92
211.54
-7.79
2.36
12.68
288.64
11.80
307.41
-6.91
6.50
Total
3
Ladies dresses export to EU sees growth from Bangladesh
4
Jackets & blazers imports by EU drop
5
India’s babieswear export to EU gets stronger
Continuing the positive trend, ladies dresses export byBangladesh to EU witnessed boost in values by35.99%, while volume surged by 28.21% on Y-o-Y basis.
6
Vietnam sees growth in undergarments export to EU
7
Trouser export from B’desh upswings; China falls
8
India rises in T-shirts exports to EU
EU noted anegative growthin its jackets &blazers import as values were downby(-) 10.02% with afall of (-) 11.59% in volumes during the review period.
Continuing the positive trend from last year, India noted hike in its babieswearexports to EU in January 2017 too. Values surged by 8.55% while volumes rose by 4.26%.
Undergarments export from Vietnam witnessed growth as the country uplifted in its value byacommendable 39.37% while the volume too saw an increase by 31.02% year-on-year.
Bangladesh noted increase in trousers export in volume which witnessed arise of 4.93% whereas values rose by10.32% during the period under review. Chinafell both value-wise by(-) 4.54% and (-) 11.20% volume-wise in its trouser export to EU.
India found avery comfortable position as far as T-shirts export to EU is concernedas the country was upby4.29% in volumes, whereas in values it got hike of 5.86% during the review period.
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan. 2017 (Qty in mn kg) Exports to EU Total Imports byEU APPAREL TYPE
China
India
Bangladesh
Vietnam
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
Babieswear Foundation Garments
11.08 4.67
10.93 4.62
-1.32 -1.20
4.49 3.00
3.97 2.71
-11.72 -9.77
1.62 0.02
1.69 0.03
4.26 22.98
2.60 0.49
2.88 0.56
10.70 12.73
0.10 0.15
0.10 0.18
0.58 24.05
Jackets &Blazers Ladies Blouses Ladies Dresses Ladies Skirts Legwear Men's Shirts Nightwear Suits /Ensembles Sweaters Trousers T-Shirts Undergarments
12.36 10.52 13.97 4.15 16.43 24.36 11.03 3.83 43.77 97.48 51.01 12.25
10.93 10.48 13.90 3.68 16.21 24.45 11.35 3.85 47.40 97.67 50.89 11.31
-11.59 -0.37 -0.52 -11.32 -1.32 0.35 2.86 0.64 8.28 0.19 -0.23 -7.70
6.54 3.40 6.61 1.94 8.16 4.81 3.67 2.44 17.15 28.95 7.64 6.26
5.64 3.86 6.22 1.64 8.18 4.33 3.87 2.42 17.84 25.70 6.85 5.87
-13.75 13.39 -5.77 -15.85 0.20 -9.99 5.43 -0.84 4.01 -11.20 -10.40 -6.18
0.21 1.88 1.41 0.20 0.16 2.15 1.99 0.10 1.13 3.15 4.25 0.78
0.21 1.86 1.38 0.21 0.21 2.26 2.41 0.11 1.31 3.24 4.44 0.73
0.43 -1.14 -1.78 1.43 32.07 5.29 20.89 10.81 15.63 2.84 4.29 -6.99
1.00 1.40 1.11 0.56 0.12 9.59 2.41 0.16 11.90 27.63 23.23 2.07
0.92 1.34 1.42 0.47 0.21 9.29 1.90 0.32 13.11 28.99 23.18 1.68
-8.55 -4.83 28.21 -15.96 76.25 -3.15 -21.24 95.93 10.17 4.93 -0.23 -18.69
1.10 0.49 0.42 0.10 0.03 1.02 0.22 0.06 0.65 3.50 0.71 0.15
0.83 0.37 0.33 0.12 0.17 1.22 0.29 0.04 0.67 2.99 0.78 0.20
-24.40 -24.97 -21.53 23.13 567.72 19.13 31.93 -21.94 2.76 -14.49 9.60 31.02
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan. 2017 (Value in mn Euro) Exports to EU Total Imports byEU APPAREL TYPE
Babieswear Foundation Garments Jackets &Blazers Ladies Blouses Ladies Dresses Ladies Skirts Legwear Men's Shirts Nightwear Suits /Ensembles Sweaters Trousers T-Shirts Undergarments
China
India
Bangladesh
Vietnam
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
2016
2017
%tage
225.28 169.04
242.11 181.22
7.47 7.21
93.70 91.97
90.88 87.07
-3.01 -5.32
35.70 1.41
38.75 2.00
8.55 41.80
45.33 15.06
54.53 19.33
20.29 28.39
2.95 8.17
3.32 10.59
12.47 29.62
306.35 314.32 380.67 87.40 160.72 512.86 133.28 68.73 858.25 1602.76 799.51 209.18
275.66 314.47 398.98 86.01 175.18 523.73 143.96 65.30 929.76 1670.60 830.52 206.84
-10.02 0.05 4.81 -1.60 9.00 2.12 8.01 -5.00 8.33 4.23 3.88 -1.12
142.12 98.82 174.41 35.71 60.36 100.45 38.30 28.02 379.08 359.67 135.08 92.29
122.95 100.94 182.12 34.31 66.06 97.90 43.55 29.01 393.19 343.33 129.54 87.60
-13.49 2.14 4.42 -3.90 9.44 -2.53 13.69 3.53 3.72 -4.54 -4.11 -5.08
5.37 60.15 43.98 5.45 2.12 49.07 25.85 2.10 21.92 54.66 73.50 12.87
5.68 59.20 42.24 5.77 2.36 53.12 29.89 2.47 24.74 56.22 77.80 12.67
5.87 -1.59 -3.94 5.87 11.37 8.26 15.60 17.57 12.86 2.85 5.86 -1.53
16.35 31.00 17.39 8.37 1.35 147.97 25.83 2.03 178.31 381.90 250.68 32.84
15.44 31.42 23.65 8.01 2.51 145.87 23.48 3.28 201.02 421.30 274.88 32.58
-5.57 1.34 35.99 -4.32 85.53 -1.42 -9.10 61.65 12.74 10.32 9.65 -0.82
26.29 10.07 10.09 2.22 0.47 26.84 2.82 1.01 13.02 66.72 15.11 5.15
21.19 9.42 8.36 2.74 0.94 31.98 2.47 1.02 14.67 66.60 16.09 7.18
-19.39 -6.48 -17.18 23.65 100.25 19.12 -12.46 0.23 12.69 -0.17 6.48 39.37
Canada Apparel Imports January-February 2017
Amidst falling clothing imports, Canada plans to regain domestic clothing demand Due to slump in demand for apparel after new year holidays end, Canada witnessed a forgettable apparel import during first two months of the year 2017. Despite strong job creation in retail sector in January, Canada did not do well in domestic clothing sector, thus resulting in negative imports in both knitted and woven apparels. Most of the economic pundits predicted 2017 to be a better year for Canadian imports in apparel sector but the import data and demand of clothing are not going to prove these projections right in near future. However, Canada is aiming to regain pace in domestic clothing market via duty-free access which will help the country to reduce prices back home..
Canada Imports in Value
B’Desh Exports in Value
9.54%
1.88%
While in value terms, the knitted segment saw decline of (-) 1.64%, the wovensegment registered drop of (-) 2.11%.
Continuing the negative trend in value terms, during the review period, knitted garment exports from Bangladesh to Canada fell (-) 9.42% whereas, woven segment was down by (-) 9.61%.
Japan Apparel Imports January 2017
Japan starts 2017 on a high note; expects to keep momentum throughout the year All through 2016, Japan felt load of rising economic uncertainty and thus growing price-sensitivity. But, the country has witnessed a positive impact in the starting of the year 2017 as a stronger yen impacted tourist spending on the clothing. In the year ahead, it is projected that sportswear will gain in the domestic market; thanks to the athleisure trend, as many older consumers are appreciating its comfort and investing in this category. Also, internet retailing will continue to gain share in Japanese apparel market, although store-based retailing will dominate for some time now..
Bangladesh Exports in Value
4.46% The country witnessed surge in both value (4.46%) andvolume (6.62%) in apparelexports (both knitted &woven) to Japan during the period under review.
Vietnam Exports in Value
13.98% During the review period, the country surged by13.98% in its value-wise apparel exports to Japan. Volume terms too noted acommendable rise of 23.57% in both knitted &woven.
WORLD WRAP
The success story...
1,50,000 jobs in the US, growing its workforce in the country to 1,80,000 by the end of last year. Its other businesses, such as Marketplace and Amazon Flex, will also create hundreds of thousands of jobs for people who want the flexibility to be an entrepreneur and set their own schedules. Employing 45,000 robots, up by 50 per cent year-on-year, Amazon is also building a US $ 1.5 billion hub for its own cargo airline, capturing 0.7 per cent of the UK grocery market in a mere six months after launch, and showed a record holiday season in 2016 by shipping over 1 billion items.
So what makes Amazonsuccessful? New technologies and changing shopping habits are redefining the retail business globally with online being an important strategy for any retailer who is focusing on reaching a wider audience. And for those who are online, the convenience of reach and profits amass…, such is the case with the online retail giant Amazon. The retailer kick-started this year with fresh rounds of announcements which included its plan of hiring more than 1,00,000 people in the US in the next 18 months. This is particularly not surprising for a companypushingintomultiplecategories –fromgroceriestohardware,online videos,fashion,cloudservicesandmultipletiers ofdelivery.This e-commerce juggernautis continuouslydominatingandis the world’s eighthlargestretailer that is aggressively expanding its delivery network to get packages to prime members faster. Nevertheless, it recently announced its foray into private labelgroceriesalso.
A
ccording to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon generated 27
per cent of total retail growth last year and accounted for US $ 0.42 of every US $ 1.00 of growth in e-commerce. Despite its size, Amazon managed to increase its worldwide revenue by 28 per cent in the first quarter, to a total of US $ 29.1 billion. In addition to its retail success, Amazon’s cloud service and Amazon Web Services saw 64 per cent revenue growth year on year, accounting for 56 per cent of Amazon’s operating income in the quarter. Over the past five years, Amazon has created more than
Aggressivepush inapparel and fashionbusinesses The online retailer is aggressively expanding in the fashion business, owning seven fashion brands in addition to Zaapos footwear brand and is working hard to grow these numbers through acquisitions. According to Cowen and Company, the gross merchandise value of the Amazon US apparel business will grow from US $ 15 billion in 2016 to US $ 50 billion by 2020. And Cowen also predicts that Amazon will be the No. 1 apparel retailer in the US next year, achieving 14 per cent market share.
Growing AmazonPrime According to Piper Jaffray (a fullservice investment bank and asset management firm focusing on mergers and acquisitions, etc.) Amazon Prime grew by 51 per cent globally in 2015 bringing its total membership to an estimated 55-60 million. And this growth contributor is not just to the US, but also Japan and Europe that have started demonstrating traction. With more than 1,00,000 customer reviews, out of which 62,000 include a five-star rating, the Fire TV Stick is the most-reviewed product ever offered on Amazon. On Amazon’s first-quarter earnings, the management reiterated its commitment to invest in content, and said that the company had spent nearly US $ 10 billion in capex in the past year to grow its fulfilment capacity.
Same-day deliveryservice Amazon grasped the importance of speedy shipping earlier than many rivals and invested accordingly.
With more than 100 warehouses in the US alone, it has kept accelerating its delivery from 48 hours, to next day, and to the evening of the same day. The company has recently expanded its same-day delivery service, Prime Now, to Italy, Japan and the UK. Cowen and Company estimates that 25 per cent of Prime members have used Prime Now. Recently, Amazon has also signed two separate agreements covering the leasing of 40 Boeing cargo planes to be used for Prime Airdeliveries.
Amazon is also building a US $ 1.5 billion hub for its own cargo airline. The online retailer is aggressively expanding in the fashion business.
Apart from the above listings on Amazon’s success, 2017 is going tobe another exciting year for the e-tailer which plans to increase its emphasis on logistics, open brick and mortar stores, invest in original content such as movies, documentaries, etc. and looks at an overdrive in India. With a remarkable end in 2016 marked by the opening of Amazon Go, its first store that sells prepared food and grocery staples in Seattle, Amazon is also making a small push towards bookstores, which one can expect to grow more from four in2017.
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While globally Amazon is putting together specific strategies in place, it became the second largest online marketplace in India by shipments and gross merchandise value, after Flipkart. The e-commerce giantalso announced an additional US $ 3 billion investment, taking its total investment in India to US $ 5 billion. It also launched its popular subscriptionbased program Amazon Prime to drive customer loyalty and announced to soon introduce its Prime VideoService. Recently, in October, the firm launched its ‘Global Store’ for Indian customers enabling them to buy products sold on its US website while paying in Indian currency. Prior to this, when customers from India bought things on Amazon’s US website, they had to pay in dollars. With its growing focus on a seamless logistic support and assortment of products driven by technology,Amazon has been able to clock a good holiday season sales as compared to other retailers. However, for thisresolute e-tailer, the journey doesn’t stop here as it seeks to expand in other areasof the retail industry globally.
FASHION BUSINESS
Big Pockets for a Big Doze of Eighties As the four big fashion weeks are about to wrap up, we discern key themes like leather and ruffles that dominated throughout the season, while there are some, which made small but very concrete appearances like space age prints and large statement pockets. Last year, every designer was throwing back to the seventies and hipster styles, but this season, from mad metallic to power suits, inspirations are loudly rooted in the eighties. Fashion may not be as ‘hot mess’ as the eighties are famed for, however, references to a post-punk wave mixed with aspects of mod culture and evening glamour are positively apparent in every city. While some trends may have carried over from pre-Fall or even the spring collections, it is clear that they have found optimum sartorial ground only within the Fall 2017 collections. Take for instance, flared pants from last season ensued into oversize trousers this season, falling in line with the season’s biggest trend – blown up proportions. As silhouettes get bigger and fabrics get more comfortable, details like pretty lace collars, dancing friendly fringes and old school checks keep our hearts singing. Here are the key details and silhouette trends curated from the women’s readyto-wear collections for Fall/Winter 2017.
In-depth Details
1. OUT OF SPACE While men’s collection for the season might have thrown some strong post-apocalyptic vibes, womenswear is reaching out for the stars. As life on earth gets especially irrational for everybody, designers are looking for life in space to getinspiration for their garments. Christian Dior’s collection with its many shades of blue and embellished galaxies seemed to have been created a life for itself on the moon. Dolce &Gabbana and Christopher Kane showed prints packed with extra-terrestrial planets, UFOs and an astronaut. Gucci made a spaceship literally giving life to flowers in a very Gucci-fied take of the print.
2. FRINGE PARTY The playful trend that raged from the ’70s rock n’ roll to the ’80s disco parties, is not just for the rock star’s leather jacket anymore. The flounce in fringes allows it to transcend from bohemian to flapper so easily that it remains a go to trend season after season. The style that isalways boomerang ready is getting amakeover in larger variety of textiles likewool or even just strips of fabric.Emilio Pucci and Rochas created party-
ready dresses using beaded fringe. MSGM and Zadig &Voltaire gave a go at woollen fringing while Michael Kors like many others stuck to acing shredded leather.
3. HERITAGE CHECKS Checks endure their hegemony over everything this winter and traditional styles like tartans, gingham or glen plaids are raining all over. Although the silhouettes that these checks are played upon are far from customary, the print continues to take reference to the Western countryside in its format. Vivienne Tam used the check on restructured tops; Gabriela Hearst did not shy away from the boyish tartanon a double-breasted pantsuit creating a business-savvy look and Adam Selman fashioned a supremely feminine looking maxi dress in shadow checks. Nevertheless, for anyone looking for outerwear options, AquilanoRimondi’s overcoat or Fay’s suit jacket do not disappoint either.
4. MONSTER POCKETS There is an intense political history behind the lack of good pockets in womenswear. It was an archaic school of belief that women did not need pockets because they were notdoing
House of Holland
Major Silhouettes
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1. JUMPSUIT WAGON
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anything important enough outside the household. Nevertheless, seeing how women are on their way to change the world, designers are finally giving them the big utilitarian pockets they deserve. To make this statement as clear as they can, brands like Zadig &Voltaire and Simone Rocha made gargantuan protruding pockets while Armani and Calvin Klein used contrasting colours to make them stand out.
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5. RAZZY RUFFLES
2. DOUBLE-BREASTEDSUITS The double-breasted suit is not justfor bankers from the eighties anymore. Pantsuits are massively trending in womenswear, which has resulted in many variations given to stricter suiting styles, and the relaxedmanybuttoned suit is just an upshot of the same. Wearing a suit does not have to only mean business anymore, the new version is as sophisticated as it is stylish. The fluid suiting pieces from Zimmerman in monochrome pinstripes, Teatum Jones in woollen grey as well as Bibhu Mohapatra’s velvet set made a strong casein favour of the silhouette. However, La Perla and Ermano Scervino are also here to serve anyone looking for more tailored options.
3. WIDE-LEGGED LADIES
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As much as we love clean lines,we know that nothing is more joyful than a frolic wave of ruffles to liven up any outfit. The inherent architectural quality of ruffles adds a fancy dimension to anything without looking too gaudy or overdone. The fact that femininity is taking the centre stage in fashion just means that the playfulness of ruffles and frills is here to stay. Monse inculcated ruffles to rework shirting options and Saint Laurent went leather crazy creating oversize frills cascading all over the body. Ulla Johnson made a weather appropriate capein woollen ruffs, while Molly Goddard took the metallic route in a green A-linedress.
Utility is clearly in vogue and designers are looking at overalls to reference workwear clothingfor women’s collections just as they did for menswear. With co-ordinates and suiting becoming major hits, it is easy to establish that people are favouring stress-free looks that do not require a lot of time to put together. Julien Mac Donald and Lanvin created glamorous jumpsuits, while Adam Selmanand Joseph stuck to the silhouette’s relaxed uniform appeal. Alexander Wang moved into the purgatory of sexy with his black skin fitted offering and Gucci continued their eccentricity in hot red.
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The skinny jeans have been pronounced ‘dead’ for quite some time and its replacements have been coming and going. While last season, the transition from skinny to wide-legged took place by adding a little flare; this season, the switchover is in full effect. The raging trouser trend is loose and extra-long making it appear super fluid as a silhouette. Available in everything from mostly high to some low waist options, wide-legged trousers were
MSG M
AZZARO names Maxime Simoë n s as its Artistic Director
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seen on the runways of Lemaire, Dries Van Noten and Chloé. While not everyone experimented with fancy hues, the ones who did like Jil Sander and Paco Rabanne, definitely stole our sartorial hearts.
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5. CAPE COVERINGS This season’s main mantra is that bigger is always better and what is a better embodiment of the adage than larger than life cloak like outerwear. Everyone wants to look like a superhero out to save the world. As a result, structured clothing is being eschewed to bring in easier andfreer
Rebecca Minkoff increases focus on ‘see now, buy now' strategy
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Fashion is always trying to break boundaries; an illustration of the same is season less clothing that doesn’t just mean that consumers get to use a product year-round but also that there is a reduction in the wastage of products. A fitting result is the transition of crop tops into winter via crop sweaters and jackets, which are functional without foregoing the chicness. While Off White created plentiful crop jackets in different fabrics, oversize crop sweaters from Brandon Maxwell and Tods also looked insanely comfortable. To make the trend even more interesting, Lorenzo Serafini added tassels to an off-shoulder sweater and Rick Owens made a cropped sweatshirtdisrupting the whole fashion system.
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4. CROP OR DROP
Celebrating their 50th anniversary, French fashion house Azzaro has appointed designer Maxime Simoënsas its Artistic Director who will oversee couture collections, ready-to-wear and accessories. With a meritorious education from Chambre Syndicale de la Couture and an experience of having worked at Jean-Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab, Dior and Balenciaga, he is famous for bringing fluidity coupled with perversely architectural silhouettes as well as working on polarising contrasts in his work. SimoënssucceedsArnaud Maillardand Alvaro Castejón who left in 2016 and will present his first collection during the Paris Couture Week in July. Alongside the new role, Simoëns will continue operating his personal label called M.X Paris, which he just relaunched as an accessible and only-menswear brand.
5 flowing silhouettes where comfort is crucial. From Gucci and Rick Owens who added slit sleeve to theirbellowing overcoats to Sies Marjan and Bottega Veneta who literally wrapped the trend and the models in a big blanket, capes are proving to be the desperately needed comfort infashion.
While Thakoon and Tom Ford have bid farewell to ‘see now, buy now’, the strategy seems to be working out exceptionally well for the digitally forward Rebecca Minkoff. The company is laying off employees working on wholesale operations and hiring people that align better with its current strategy of building a seamless e-commerce base. The restructure will support direct retail in physical stores and online, which accounts for 60 per cent of the business. Rebecca cites a strong customer loyalty as well as the exciting experiences they provide via gutsy marketing initiatives as a big fuel to their growth. Staying ahead of the curve, the company also plans to add more production in Europe and domestically to counter Trump’s potential TPP tax code and be able to design under shorter deadlines.
FASHION RESOURCE
Following the departure of former Creative Director Rodolfo Paglialunga in March, Jil Sander announced the hiring of husband and wife duo Luke and Lucie Meier as the new Creative Directors of the brand. While both have individual resumes worth flaunting in the fashion world, this will be the first time they will work together in a design capacity. In the past, Lucie has worked for French fashion houses like Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and most recently under Raf Simons at Dior, where she took the interim reins with Serge Ruffieux before Maria Grazia Chiuri’s appointment. Luke cofounded the menswear brand – OAMC. The duo will be showcasing their first collection in June. With the Meiers’ taking over Jil Sander, we can expect traditionalist Parisian influences aptly coupled with some street style references owing to Luke’s personal aesthetics.
Jenna Lyons bids goodbye to J.Crew J.Crew has announced that Jenna Lyons, President and Executive Creative Director of the company, will be leaving the organization after 26 years and will continue as a Creative Adviser until the end of her contract ending December 2017. Lyons joined the company fresh out of Parsons at the age of 21 and eventually became not just the creative head but also a public face for the brand. J.Crew has clarified that there will be no replacement and her current responsibilities, including the oversight of all product designs, visual and brand presentations, will move to the executive team. However, Somsack Sikhounmuong, Current Head of Women’s Design, will be promoted to the post of Chief Design Officer, which will include the oversight of women’s, men’s and crewcuts design teams, with immediate effect.
FASHION FILE
Statement Sleeves
Jil Sander names new Creative Director
This spring season sleeves have taken on a life and character of their own, the trend of which can be observed over the course of the past few seasons. No longer sombre, the season presented plentiful doses full of surprise serving up oversized, voluminous and at times dramatic versions of the trend. There were bishop’s sleeves, poet’s sleeves, gigot sleeves,sleeves trimmed with fluttering fabric accents, sleeves with slits and cut-outs, and sleeves that were embellished, flared, or exaggerated.
In most cases, designers and high fashion brands, such as Marni and DKNY, elongated the silhouette by adding a few extra inches, allowing the sleeves to fall beyond the fingertips, dangling freely; while at others, like at Erdem and Preen, layered rows of frilled flares tiered the arms. Dries Van Noten and Dolce & Gabbana followed suit with Simone Rocha, who opted for a more dramatic look by introducing puffed up sleeves that were yanked down to reveal a matching puffed up shirt sleeve beneath.
Stockholm’s Acne Studios has decided to refurbish its denim collection as a standalone line, called Acne Studios Blå Konst. “The name has a feeling of free expression, which is how I like to view denim. Jeans are garments that we all wear, and wear most often. In them we all live our lives, and I wanted Blå Konst not only to have all the specific details, but also the anonymity, so that whoever wears them can make them their own,” described Jonny Johansson, Creative Director of Acne Studios. Available from 6 April, it will feature six styles of jeans with minimal detailing as well as an assortment of reimagined denim jackets, denim shorts and skirts. The collection will serve as a compliment to the Acne’s current offering and will draw inspirations from Swedish outdoors and functional aspects of artists’ uniforms.
by Fashion Forward Trends
Acne Studios launches a Denim-only line
A/W 2017-18
Colour Story
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DIRECTIONSBY
RETRO TRADITIONAL NATURAL MULTI FUNCTIONALITY COMFORT EASYWEAR
retro classic Technology has been focusing solely on function in the past, but the concept is shifting towards lighter variations with detailed surface effects for the Spring/Summer 2018 season.
fibres, yarns & finishes
Enhanced performance, exceptional protection and premium functionality is being delivered through a turbocharged feel features owing to the fabrics and trims used under this theme. High compression materials featuring a four-way stretch, take on a biomimetic approach on the structure of the body, protecting and embracing the muscular structures of the wearer. Reflective fabrics and trims in feather light weights are presented alongside high-tenacity fabrics that utilize micro fine steelstrength aramid fibres.
• High performance polyester and nylon feature
Intelligent interfaces on the technical or face of fabric improve performance and protection for activities such as swimming, running and triathlons, offering water repellence, UV protection and quick drying.
• Key functions include: cool touch, moisture management, UV protection
• Man-made fibres – lyocell, modal • Silver, zinc and copper yarns and finishes for well-being benefits • Cool touch technology • Coloured coatings • Retro-inspired trims and accessories • Spongey double knits • Classic interlock • Functional stretch membranes feature on second layers for those summer showers • Comfort and power stretch in wovens target markets • Beach sport • Yoga, pilates – natural touchtechnicity • Golf, tennis • Running – UV protection, cooling technology and moisture management key to this sector • Outdoors • Travel • Active intimate apparel and socks • Soft equipment – backpacks
ATTRACTION APPEAL BRIGHT ENTICING ILLUSION LUSTRE SCINTILLATION
lustre allure Materials and trims feature renewedluminosity, lustre and brightness of lustre. The brilliance of yarns and the luxurious feel of the fabric, scintillating materials and trims in this sector act like a magnet, standing out among the crowd. Compact fabrics with glossy substrates boast more textured constructions and optical prints colliding function with fashion. While lacquered looks and overall brilliance emerge, functionality is a must. Continue with cool touch, UV protection, high compression, moisture management and thermal regulating ingredients as the basics.
fibres, yarns & finishes • UV protection • High performance nylon • Super chlorine resistant spandex/elastane • Reflective yarns, prints and transfers • Iridescent yarns • Metallic coatings, transfers and prints • Traditional foil prints • Gleaming trims – new gold, titanium • Transparent plastic trims • High stretch jacquards • Compact and textured surfaces • Eye-catching optical prints target markets • Athleisure – glamor • Lifestyle/urban • Hiking • Beach sports apparel and swimwear surfers style • Stylish workout wear with high levels of performance • Aerobic classes – dry or aqua • Spin classes – soul cycle • Fitness swimming and aqua zumba, aqua fitness, aqua spin
HYBRIDIZE FRESH SYNERGY TACTILE HARMONY TEAM EFFORT
hybrid synergy
Sustainability, a key staple across the textile and fashion industry, takes centre stage in this theme, placing an emphasis on the partnership between new generation synthetics, natural and manmade fibres and how they can be mixed together to create a win-win situation. Ingredients from different sectors marry for a synergetic approach giving rise to a certain level of hybridization among fabrics. A strong use of natural fibres from BCI cotton, pima cotton, and merino wool as well as the luxury application of silk feature high in this trend. The application of Lyocell and micro modal deliver a soft touch. Opting for a selection of these ingredients in a blend, would create new variations with a strong sustainable stance for all sectors of the market.
fibres, yarns & finishes • Hemp and linen in refined yarns for a grainy aspect • The inherent function of merino wool in terms of thermal regulation and comfort for the Spring/Summer season • Micro modal, lyocell and silk for added softness • Moisture management and anti-bacterial • Recycled nylon and polyester • Nano membranes for DWR • Bio-based spandex/elastane and eco-friendly spandex/ elastane • Built-in performance yarns – moisture management, UV protection,anti-bacterial, cooling • Reduced water and energy consumption for a sustainable aspect in finishing and dyeing • Lightweight Spring/Summer insulation • High colour longevity and brilliance from synthetic and spandex yarns when blended with natural yarns • Double sided knits – natural/synthetic • Waterproof, windproof, breathable laminates and membranes • Texturized synthetic yarns with a cotton touch and built-in performance • Waterproof seamless transfers for added details • Lightweight double-sided fabrics with contrasting colour and texture target markets • Water sports – surfing, kite surfing, kayaking and windsurfing • Athleisure/lifestyle, urban cycling, outdoors, yoga • Soft sports, ZSoft equipment – tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, shoes
CRISP PERFECTION PRECISION FEATHERWEIGHT AMBITIOUS NEXT GENERATION
exactitude Weightlessness come alive from micro fine hosieryinspired knits to micro light trims and accessories. A pure techno sports trend, where the wearer doesn’t feel the weight of the garment and/or equipment accessories, yet the micro light, next-gen fabrics aid in the achievement. Cool touch, compression, UV protection and anti-bacterial elements are key to this theme which deliver barely ‘there’ fabrics improving performance. Engineered fabrics that focus on body mapping specific functions into key areas in the fabric constriction provides a greater sense of seamlessness and protection to the body, where microencapsulated yarns serve to create a perfect workout experience.
fibres, yarns & finishes • Micro fibre synthetics with permanent performance – moisture management, cool touch, UV protection, antibacterial, quick dry • High powered spandex/elastane for second skin compression and core stability support • Power stretch spandex/elastane – super chlorine resistant • Dye-able polypropylene for micro light knits • Iridescent yarns • Metalloplastic yarns • Trims and accessories take on a super smooth finish • Thermochromatic yarns and transfer prints • Reflective technology – yarns, prints and finishes • Day-glo trims and yarns • Day-glo silicone prints and trims • Phosphorescent micro fineyarns • Clean cut technology and laser cutting – perfect for heat seam bonding or clean hem finishing • Patina surfaces through yarn content or finish target markets • Track cycling, running • Marathon & triathlon,athletics • Fitness & gym apparel and soft equipment • Active intimate apparel and bodywear • Cross training and cardio classes • Wearable technology
HIGH TENACITY PROTECTION ROBUST TOUGH HARD CORE SOFT TOUCH
core shield Strength and tenacity come alive in this theme where a focus from anti-tear and anti-stress materials to body mapped aspects of reinforced engineered zones, only the toughest, resilient and most durable fibres will come to pass. The continual growth in high-tenacity yarns has a direct effect on the market. Fabrics that were previously tough and rigid, are being introduced with a super soft hand and enhanced flexibility. Endurance paired with an anti-tear function will play a key role in addressing the growing ‘lifestyle’ sector, from urban activities to leisure and camping involving extreme sports such as cycling and rock climbing, enhancing the performance of the wearer. The focus on protection is continued with engineered fabrics that lock on impact for cycling through high compression fabrics that embrace the wearer anatomically in crucial areas. Not just confined to wovens, knitsare also taking up this trend with protective elements applied in single and double-layer sponge-like fabrics.
fibres, yarns & finishes • Aramid yarns • High tenacity yarns • Natural, manmade and synthetics fibres all feature as blending partners • Classics including gabardine and twill are updated in lighter weights with high tenacity yarns for enduring products • Tough membranes and coatings – for shell-like protection • Glassy aspects through cooling technology • Stretch laminates • High power spandex/elastane for high compression • A renewed look at lightweight plastic trims and accessories with super strength through new ingredients in • Lighter weight performance fabrics • Anti-rip and cut resistant single jersey • Nylon/polyamide warp knits with integrated compression zones, selvedge finishes, clean cut function • 360° stretch wovens target markets • High impact sports • Road cycling/mountain biking • Rock climbing • Lifestyle – athleisure/street sports • Skateboarding • Travel • Outdoor equipment – tents, back packs, sleeping bags