Fibre2Fashion Magazine June 2018 by Fibre2Fashion

World of Garment-Textile-Fashion

GLOBAL • INDUSTRY • OUTLOOK

Vol 06 Issue 11 June 2018 `150

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Lead Feature | Intimatewear

Fashionably intimate Q&A

BRAND SPEAK | PrettySecrets: Lingerie Is No Longer Casual Innerwear VENDOR TALK | Hela Clothing: Quality Is Embedded In Our Production Process FABRICS | Eurojersey: Comfort Factor Is Big In Technical And Stretch Fabrics ACCESSORIES | Brunet International: Lingerie Shapes Evolving With Advent Of Athleisure SUSTAINABILITY | Organic Basics: Inside Sustainability SWIMWEAR | Fair Harbor: Shift To Conscious Shopping Not A Trend, But A Movement TRADE EVENT | Maredimoda: Athleisure Is The New Casual

Analysis | Acquisition Walmart/Flipkart

IT’S QUITE A BIG DEAL

Trade Event | 1st European Textile Startup Summit

STARTUPS DREAM OF A NEW TEXTILES UNIVERSE

Meet Australian Trade Buyers

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Editor’s Letter Inside story The intimatewear sector of the textiles and apparel industry—more often than not—remains hidden away under everything else. But then, intimatewear is not something that a person can do without, and the intimatewear sector is for the same reason that the industry can do without... discussing it. Intimatewear was once taboo—to an extent it still is. Things, however, have been changing since the late 1990s, a good few years after the economy was liberalised. Till that time, the intimatewear sector was marked by low-quality production and chaotic market dynamics. As in the case of most sectors and industries, matters took a turn only with the gradual trickling in of foreign brands and the growth/ expansion/diversification of Indian companies. But unlike those other sectors and industries, here the process was a tad slow, possibly because of societal mindsets. It was only in the second half of the first decade of the 21st century that the pace increased. The Indian intimatewear market has been growing rapidly in the last few years. The current market size of the sector is estimated to be around $4.8 billion, which is an 11 per cent increase over 2014. The share of the intimatewear sector is about 8 per cent of the total domestic apparel market. The intimatewear sector is expected to grow at a healthy rate in the coming years. By 2025, the market is estimated to reach around $13 billion. This edition discusses this category at length with perspectives also from players from across the value chain through a series of interviews. Fibre2Fashion looks forward to your feedback. I would like to hear from you on what more you, as an industry player, would like information and reports on. Mail me @ richabansal@fibre2fashion.com. Hope to see the brickbats or the bouquets come rolling in…

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World of Garment-Textile-Fashion

GLOBAL • INDUSTRY • OUTLOOK

Vol 06 Issue 11 June 2018 `150

www.fibre2fashion.com

QR Code: www.fibre2fashion.com

Lead Feature | Intimatewear

Fashionably intimate Q&A

Trade Event | 1st European Textile Startup Summit

Analysis | Acquisition Walmart/Flipkart

STARTUPS DREAM OF A NEW TEXTILES UNIVERSE

IT’S QUITE A BIG DEAL

ON THE COVER

Lead Feature | Intimatewear (Pg. 50)

LEAD FEATURE INTIMATEWEAR

Contents June 2018

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A BRAND SPEAK | PRETTY SECRETS

114

136

TRADE EVENT Q&A – MAREDIMODA

TRADE EVENT 1ST EUROPEAN TEXTILE STARTUP SUMMIT

ADVERTORIAL Soul Space

HKTDC

AD INDEX Inside Front Cover

Embee Group

PDS Multinational Group

Texfab

Spinning King

Dollar - Missy

Splash Fashions

Texellence 2018

132

Back Cover

Lux - Lyra

Pg.

Madhusudan Group International Sourcing Expo Hi-tech heavy industy Premier evolvics Amarjothi Spinning Mills Aditya Birla - Raysil Reliance - R | Elan GA Morgan Dynamics Atul Ltd Comet Chemicals

03 04 05 06 09 13 15 17 19 21

Skaat Machine GTTES Texfab Engineering 3rd Garments show of India Texworld Paris Oriental Textile Bluesign Technologies Reckon Industries Premiere Vision Rieter BGC Group

23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 45

Rieter Pratibha Syntex Saurer Trutzschler Laxmi Shuttleless Embee Group CHIC Komal Texfab Eppinger Tooling Savio Macchine

47 49 61 63 71 77 81 87 91 93

Lectra Titas Spinning King Bir Horizons N9 World Technologies ITMF 2018 A.T.E. Enterprises F2F - TexPro MyF2F Force NXT

95 96 97 98 99 105 107 108 110 111

Riello Power RSWM Limited Dollar - Bigboss Fujifil Sericol Polytex Engineering Dollar - Missy Hunstman Peixin F2F - eCAAS Prabhat Textile

112 113 119 121 123 125 127 129 130 134

Jetstar Prym Lakshmi Caipo S.L. Banthia Source India 2018 F2F - News App ATDC India Ultra Denim F2F - Social Media Yingyang Nonwoven

135 139 141 143 144 145 145 146 147 150

E-COMMERCE

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA

Walmart to pay $16 billion to acquire 77% share in Flipkart

Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon (left) with Binny Bansal, Flipkart’s co-founder and group CEO. Pic courtesy: Walmart

In what is termed as the biggest global e-commerce buyout so far, Walmart Inc. has signed definitive agreements to become the largest shareholder in Flipkart Group, India’s innovative e-commerce company. The investment will help accelerate Flipkart’s customer-focused mission to transform commerce in India through technology and underscores Walmart’s commitment to sustained job creation and investment in India. Walmart will pay approximately $16 billion for an initial stake of

GST GST Council unveils new return filing process

Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley (right) chairing the 27th GST Council Meeting, via video conference. Pic courtesy: PIB

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, at its 27th meeting, has unveiled a new simplified return filing process. The new system, which will come into effect in six months, will require a taxpayer to file only one return every month. However, composition dealer and zero-transaction dealers will have to file returns on a quarterly basis. The Council also approved making the GST-Network (GSTN) a government entity by allowing the regime to take over the stake held by private entities. While the Central government will own

10 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

approximately 77 per cent in Flipkart, subject to regulatory approval in India. The remainder of the business will be held by some of Flipkart’s existing shareholders, including Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Tencent Holdings Limited, Tiger Global Management LLC and Microsoft Corp. “Our investment will benefit India providing quality, affordable goods for customers, while creating new skilled jobs and fresh opportunities for small suppliers, farmers and women entrepreneurs,” said Doug McMillon,

50 per cent of the GSTN, the remainder will be owned collectively by the states. The GSTN is a company that provides the IT backbone for the GST. At present, the Central government has 24.5 per cent ownership, and the state governments collectively own another 24.5 per cent. The remaining 51 per cent is with five financial institutions, viz HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, the NSE Strategic Investment Company and LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

POLICY Indian government extends MEIS rate at 4% beyond June 30 The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the ministry of commerce and industry, Government of India, has extended the incentive at 4 per cent under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) under Foreign Trade Policy of India (FTP 2015-20), beyond June 30, 2018. The MEIS incentive under Foreign

Walmart’s president and chief executive officer. “This investment is of immense importance for India and will help fuel our ambition to deepen our connection with buyers and sellers and to create the next wave of retail in India,” said Binny Bansal, Flipkart’s co-founder and group chief executive officer. While Walmart and Flipkart will leverage the combined strengths of both companies, they will maintain distinct brands and operating structures. Post signing the agreements, Walmart Inc has sought approval from Competition Commission of India (CCI) for its proposed acquisition of 77 per cent stake in Flipkart. Walmart said it will buy stake from most of Flipkart’s investors including SoftBank Group, Accel Partners, Naspers and Ebay Inc through its subsidiary Wal-Mart International Holdings. In its filing with the CCI, Walmart said that its proposed buying of majority share in Flipkart does not create any competition concerns.

Trade Policy of India (FTP 2015-20) was valid from November 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, as per earlier Public Notices issued by the DGFT. Welcoming the extension of MEIS on garments and madeups beyond June 2018, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman HKL Magu said, “The extension in MEIS scheme has given us a breather and sanction of our request to ensure that all embedded, non-reimbursed Central and state levies be refunded which will help in restoring the competitiveness of Indian exports. This will enable us to increase India’s share in the world market and given our high employment intensity, create significant employment opportunities across India.” The continuance of MEIS rate at 4 per cent beyond June 30, 2018 is “a major relief to the exporting units who used to take up orders six months back normally,” said Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) president Raja M Shanmugham.

Samarth scheme to train 10 lakh Indians in textile sector

Textiles minister Smriti Irani (3rd left) chairing the stakeholders meeting on ‘Samarth’ - Scheme for Capacity Building in Textiles Sector, in New Delhi on May 14, 2018. Pic courtesy: PIB

The Indian ministry of textiles has launched the ‘Samarth’ scheme in the organised and traditional textile clusters to develop skills among the youth to help them get gainful and sustainable employment. The scheme was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which recently met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian government has earmarked a budget of ₹1,300 crore covering the entire textile value chain, except spinning and weaving. The scheme will have national skill qualification framework (NSQF)compliant training courses with funding norms as per the common norms notified by ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE). The scheme also will ensure 70 per cent placement of successful trainees. The Samarth scheme aims to impart skills to nearly 10 lakh young people in the organised and traditional textile sectors over three years, said Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) chairman Narain Agarwal.

Special package has increased investments & jobs: AEPC

The ₹6,000 crore special package announced in 2016 by the Indian government for the textiles and apparel sector has not only boosted exports but has also helped in increasing investments, a survey conducted by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has found. The survey

conducted to gauge the package’s impact, terms it as a step in the right direction. In the first twelve months of the roll out, the package had generated additional investment of around ₹2,500 crore and additional employment of around 1,00,000, the survey found. The findings of the survey suggest that Rebate of State Levies (ROSL) had a positive impact on garment industry. After the implementation of the ROSL in September 2016, India’s apparel exports increased by 2.7 per cent in value terms and grown by 6.4 per cent in volume terms, AEPC said in a press release.

TRADE India’s apparel exports decline 22.76% in April

is working towards developing a technology to help cotton gins cut their power consumption by up to 40 per cent. This research and development project, spanning a year, was given to the association for the improvement of cotton ginning by the state government’s industries and mines department. The current ginning machinery has multiple moving parts and the association is working towards reducing the number of these parts to reduce power consumption by up to 40 per cent, media reports said quoting ATIRA’s principal scientific officer RM Sankar. The decrease in moving parts will also reduce the number of spare parts used in the machinery, thus reducing the maintenance cost by close to 40 per cent, Sankar added.

MACHINERY ICC Ltd consolidates card clothing production in Himachal Pradesh

India’s apparel exports in April 2018 were to the tune of $1.34 billion, registering a decline of 22.76 per cent against exports of $1.74 billion in the corresponding month of last year, as per the latest trade data. In rupee terms, exports for the month of April 2018 stood at ₹8,859.67 crore against ₹11,272.24 crore in April 2017, down 21.4 per cent. “The exports are in a negative territory since October due to a declining trend in the global apparel industry. The high base effect has been due to the release of rebate of state levies (RoSL) amount during April 2017 but the continued backlog in GST and RoSL is affecting the sentiments,” said HKL Magu, chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). In fiscal 2017-18 that ended on March 31, India’s apparel exports fetched $16.71 billion, a decline of 3.83 per cent compared to exports of $17.38 billion in the previous financial year.

COTTON ATIRA to help cut power consumption in cotton gins The Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA)

ICC Ltd, a leading Indian company engaged in manufacturing card clothing products and card room accessories for the textile spinning industry, has consolidated its entire production at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh. The company has shifted all card clothing production from its Pune plant to the Nalagarh facility.

ICC's plant in Himachal Pradesh; Pic courtesy: ICC

The Himachal Pradesh plant currently specialises in addressing the card clothing requirement of the latest generation of carding machines. With the strategic move of closing down the Pune facility, ICC will now be focusing production from that plant and ensure that this single plant caters to the whole range of ICC’s card clothing market. ICC is also in the process of further automating the Himachal plant with more advanced technologies.

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 11

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA Kusters Calico inaugurates upgraded manufacturing facility

to just bring in their machines and start operations. The sheds will be open to all kinds of enterprises irrespective of size. Most demand for such sheds is from Ankleshwar, Surat, Bhavnagar, Bardoli and Kathwada, according to D Thara, vice chairman and managing director of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC).

Inauguration of KCM’s upgraded manufacturing facility. Pic courtesy: KCM

DENIM Directa Plus & Arvind to make graphene-enhanced denims

Kusters Calico Machinery Pvt Ltd (KCM), a producer and exporter of open width wet textile processing machines for both woven and knitted fabrics, has recently inaugurated its upgraded manufacturing facility. Under the upgradation programme, KCM has constructed a new 22,000 sq. feet assembly shed, one double column 4 metre x 1.5 metre 4 axis rotating head machining centre, converted all lathe machines to CNC and commissioned separate blasting and painting booths, for both MS and SS. Also, successfully commissioned SAP B1, HRMS and PLM software. These are just a few of the more than 100 projects that KCM has initiated. With strong backing of its German parent, the Jagenberg Group, which now holds 100 per cent controlling stake in Kusters Calico since February 2018, KCM started the upgradation exercise two years back and has invested close to ₹10 crore, with plans to invest another ₹5 crore in 2018.

INDUSTRIAL Gujarat to set up sheds for apparel units at 12 locations

The Gujarat state government in India will create industrial sheds for the apparel industry at 12 locations. A need for 6.5 million square feet has been estimated after getting response to expression of interest issued by the state government and the Garment Manufacturers Association of India (GMAI). The multi-storey sheds will follow the ‘plug and use’ model, where units have

12 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

Directa Plus Plc, a leading producer and supplier of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, has entered into an exclusive collaboration agreement with Arvind Limited, India’s leading textileto-retail-and-brands conglomerate, to infuse the high-performance benefits of Directa Plus’ G+ graphene-based products into denim fabrics. Directa’s graphene-based products can be used in a variety of ways to alter or enhance the properties of conventional denim fabrics, and to produce ‘smart’ clothing for different purposes and environments. By incorporating G+ products within fabrics and textiles, end-users benefit from the thermal and electrical conductivity and bacteriostatic properties of G+, such as thermal regulation, heat dissipation, energy harvesting, data transmission and no odour effect.

APPAREL Kitex to invest `400 crore in two new subsidiaries

Kitex Garments will invest ₹200 crore each in two of its new wholly-owned subsidiary companies. The two facilities will help to increase the manufacturing capacities of the company to meet rising future demand. Kitex, which produces garments for just-borns to babies up to the age of 24 months, will invest in the facilities from borrowings and internal accruals, the company said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Kitex Garments exports about 95 per cent of infant wear to the US and the rest to Europe.

IOA partners with Li-Ning till Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has made sports apparel brand Li-Ning

as Indian team’s official sports apparel partner till Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Li-Ning will provide Indian athletes and officials sports competition and training apparel, leisure wear and footwear for the Asian Games 2018, 2018 Summer Olympic Youth Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

RETAIL Walmart India plans to open 50 new stores in 5 years

Interior of a Walmart India Best Price store. Pic courtesy: Walmart India

Walmart is looking forward to expanding its business in various parts of India with the opening of 50 new stores in next 4-5 years. At present, Walmart is operating in nine states and 19 cities, its cash-and-carry business. “We expect to open five stores in the current year and then pick up pace and eventually start opening 12-15 stores a year,” Walmart India president and chief executive officer Krish Iyer told mediapersons while talking about the company’s deal with Flipkart. Walmart is planning to spread across the country with major focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, said Iyer.

PrettySecrets to double offline retail distribution Indian fashion lingerie brand PrettySecrets plans to more than double its offline retail distribution to 60 exclusive stores and over 600 retail counters by the end of 2018, according to founder-CEO Karan Behal. After starting out as an online brand in 2012, the company entered offline retail last year. It has 23 exclusive brand outlets in India at present. The brand now sells through six distributers in about 250 retail counters and is exploring seven more distributors, which will raise its total retail counter distribution to over 600, media reports quoted Behal as saying. The company is exploring debt options now for expansion.

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA INDIA DEBUT Uniqlo set to enter India with first store in Delhi

and Bengaluru, apart from Delhi in the next 3 years, media reports said quoting Rajat Kapoor, director of Kay Kay Clothing. Stores will also be opened in tier II cities via the sub-franchise agreement.

Swiss Military enters Indian retail market Uniqlo store in Singapore. Pic courtesy: Fast Retailing

Uniqlo, the Japanese apparel retailer, will launch in India with the opening of its first store in Delhi during Fall 2019, marking the brand’s entry into the South Asia region. India will become the latest in a string of new markets for Uniqlo worldwide, following earlier announcements to launch in Sweden and the Netherlands in Fall 2018. Following the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary in Delhi in May 2018, Uniqlo will soon begin recruiting local talent as it prepares to open its store in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. “The company will focus on expanding its presence in the capital region before considering other areas,” Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. said in a media release. As part of its preparations to enter the Indian market, Uniqlo will soon introduce its Uniqlo Manager Candidate (UMC) programme in the South Asian country.

Maternity wear brand Seraphine coming to India soon

Pic courtesy: Seraphine

Seraphine, the London-based fashion maternity wear brand, will be launched in India in August this year. It has signed a master franchise agreement with Kay Kay Clothing LLP to enter the country. The brand’s first store in India will be opened in Delhi and it plans to have about 10 company-owned and sub-franchised stores in the next 3 years. The London based brand along with Kay Kay Clothing will open stores in major cities like Mumbai

14 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

Swiss Military, a world-renowned brand from Switzerland, has begun a new chapter in India. The company has recently signed an exclusive deal with India based company Suisse A La Mode, the sister concern of Million Exporter. As per the agreement, Suisse A La Mode will manufacture, sell, promote and distribute apparels for Swiss Military. Suisse will manufacture innovative products like jackets, pullovers, polo t-shirts, tops for Swiss Military in India. The Swiss brand will be available in stores across India from September.

the readymade apparel market with menswear. The company had earlier introduced an apparel brand called Vivaldi and had sold it to Proline. Bombay Dyeing is also planning to open close to 100 franchise stores in tier II and III cities before the end of this year. The demand for readymade apparel is huge in South India and the company is looking at test marketing its new brand in the region, media reports said quoting Aloke Banerjee, Bombay Dyeing’s chief executive officer (retail). The new menswear brand will gradually be introduced to other markets across the country, he added.

BRAND AMBASSADORS Ayushmann & Bhumi are brand ambassadors of V-Mart

STORE OPENING H&M opens first store in Ahmedabad Brand: H&M Company: H&M Location: Iscon Emporio, Ahmedabad Area: 15,500 sq ft Product profile: The store offers women’s, men’s, teenagers and children’s apparel, accessories, footwear and lingerie. The store features the summer collection which is a mix of silhouettes on natural fabrics as well as silky fabrics. The collection includes sunset colours with a hint of fresh bright green and whites. About the company: Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) was founded in Sweden in 1947. H&M’s business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday as well as H&M Home. The H&M group has more than 4,400 stores in 66 markets including franchise markets. H&M currently operates 29 stores across 12 cities in India and on hm.com.

FASHION Bombay Dyeing to re-enter readymade apparel market Bombay Dyeing, the textile arm of the Wadia group, is set to re-enter

Pic courtesy: V-Mart

What: Hindi film actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar have been signed on as brand ambassadors by V-Mart Retail Ltd. Why: Ayushmann and Bhumi have a strong connect with the young middle class families making them perfect fit for the brand. The collection: From premium party wear to formal attire, from pure ethnic to westernwear, V-Mart offers everything for men, women, and kids under one roof. V-Mart offers fashion garments at competitive prices and is the destination for bargain hunters and the fashionable alike. About V-Mart Retail Ltd: It is one of the fastest growing retail chain store in India with a flair for delivering high quality fashionwear for men, women and kids in the best possible prices with a motto “Price Less Fashion”. V-Mart primarily operates in tier II & tier III cities across 14 states via 176 stores offering latest fashion and lifestyle to middle class. V-Mart also operates 37 composite stores which offer FMCG and grocery products along with the fashion offering.

POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

BANGLADESH Bangladesh & Thailand boosting bilateral trade

Bangladesh and Thailand are working towards boosting bilateral ties and the trade between the two countries is expected to touch $2 billion by 2021 from the current $800 million. Bangladesh has also requested a Thai delegation led by Kobsak Pootrakool, investment and economic reforms affairs minister,

Bangladesh government extends permission of Accord

The Government of Bangladesh has extended the permission of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Accord), a western buyers’ platform working to improve workplace safety in Bangladesh readymade garment sector, to work beyond May 2018. A joint Transition Monitoring Committee (TMC) set up by the government determined that the criteria agreed by the Accord and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have not yet been met. The TMC comprises Accord brands, global trade unions, BGMEA, ILO and the Bangladesh government. It has been established by the Government for the purpose of determining when the agreed conditions for a handover of the Accord work to a fully-functional and competent national regulatory body have been met. Meanwhile, the government has formed a Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC) under inspection for factories and establishment department. The

16 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

to consider a free trade agreement (FTA) to encourage bilateral trade. A meeting was held between the Thai delegation and Bangladesh representatives led by Tofail Ahmed, commerce minister of Bangladesh. Ahmed made the request to sign an FTA as Thailand already offers dutyfree access to many Bangladeshi products. He has also asked the delegation to provide duty-free access to some other items including garments, leather goods and jute products. The commerce minister also invited Thai entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh, according to Bangladeshi media reports.

RCC will take over the responsibility of monitoring from Accord after being fully organised and capable, said BGMEA president Md. Siddiqur Rahman at a press conference. The government and entrepreneurs are working jointly for making the RCC active before the end of the extended six months period of the Accord, he added.

TRADE Bangladesh garment exports up 9.37% in July-April Readymade garment exports from Bangladesh increased by 9.37 per cent in the first ten months of current fiscal 2017-18 to $25.305 billion compared to exports of $23.137 billion in the corresponding months of the previous year, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau. The percentage increase in garment exports during July-April 2017-18 was higher than 6.41 per cent growth in overall exports from Bangladesh during the same period.

Category-wise, knitwear exports rose 11.43 per cent to $12.540 billion in the first ten months of fiscal 2017-18, as against exports of $11.254 billion during the corresponding period of

the previous fiscal, as per the data. Germany was the largest importer accounting for $2.671 billion of all knitwear exported from Bangladesh, followed by the United Kingdom with imports of goods valued at $1.597 billion. Likewise, exports of woven apparel increased 7.42 per cent to $12.765 billion during the period under review, compared to exports of $11.883 billion during July-April 2016-17. The US was the largest importer with $3.254 billion worth of woven clothing supplied by Bangladesh. Germany and the United Kingdom procured woven apparel valued at $1.979 billion and $1.560 billion, respectively.

INDUSTRIAL Bangladesh government honours apparel firms for workers’ safety The Government of Bangladesh has honoured 10 apparel firms for maintaining high safety and workers’ health standards in their factories. The ministry of labour and employment, for the first time, introduced Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Good Practice Award’ to recognise business owners who have made proactive efforts to ensure welfare of employees.

State minister for labour and employment, Mujibul Haque, handed over the award to representatives from Wisdom Attires, Fakir Fashion, Knit Concern, Hop Lun Apparels, Square Fashion, Snowtex Outwear, Ecotext, Tarasima Apparels, Viyellatex and AKH Eco Apparels, on the National Day on OSH. “Our government believes that a safe and healthy workforce is the pillar of sustainable development. This year on National OSH Day, we have introduced OSH Good Practice award for the first time to recognise business owners who have made proactive efforts to ensure welfare of employees,” secretary of the minister of labour and employment, Afroza Khan, said.

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POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

CHINA China, Nigeria opt currency swap to cut dollar use

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, and China have agreed to swap their currencies in order to reduce their dependency on third-country currencies and thereby, give a boost to

FIBRE | YARN Lenzing begins Ecovero viscose fibres production in China

Pic courtesy: Lenzing

The Lenzing Group has introduced the eco-responsible process for the production of Lenzing Ecovero branded viscose fibres at its Chinese location, Lenzing Nanjing Fibres (LNF). The company first launched the fibres in autumn 2017. The expansion of the production of Lenzing Ecovero fibres emphasises the focus of the Lenzing Group on specialty fibres. Certified with the EU Ecolabel, Lenzing Ecovero are derived from sustainable wood and pulp, coming from certified and controlled sources (FSC or PEFCTM certified) following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing wood and pulp policy. A special manufacturing system enables Lenzing Ecovero branded viscose fibres to be identified in the final product, even after long textile processing and conversion steps through the value chain. Thus, the retailers and brands are assured that they are incorporating Lenzing Ecovero eco-responsible viscose in their products.

PETROCHEMICALS CNOOC, Shell JV starts production at 2nd ethylene cracker China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Shell Nanhai BV (Shell)

18 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

their bilateral trade. The agreement for a three-year swap of 15 billion yuan or 720 billion naira was signed recently by the Central banks of both countries in Beijing. The currency swap was calculated at the Nigerian central bank’s official rate of around 305 naira per dollar. The transaction will “provide naira liquidity to Chinese businesses and provide renminbi liquidity to Nigerian businesses respectively, thereby improving the speed, convenience and volume of transactions between the

have announced the official start-up of the second ethylene cracker at their Nanhai petrochemicals complex in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. With the commencement of production at the new ethylene cracker, ethylene capacity at the complex has increased by around 1.2 million tonnes per year, thus, more than doubling the capacity of the complex. The new facility will also include a styrene monomer and propylene oxide (SMPO) plant, which will be the largest in China when it begins operations.

Pic courtesy: Shell Global

The new complex utilises Shell’s proprietary OMEGA, SMPO and polyols technologies to produce ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, propylene oxide and high-quality polyols, as well as advanced technologies for polyolefins, phenol and oxo-alcohols production.

two countries,” the Central Bank of Nigeria said in a statement. It will allow Nigerian companies to import spare parts and raw materials from China by sourcing the Chinese currency from local banks and help them avoid “the difficulties of seeking other scarce foreign currencies,” it said. The deal will also help Chinese manufacturers sourcing raw materials from Nigeria to obtain the Nigerian currency from banks in China to pay for their imports from the African country.

The two plants with a capacity of 1,250 kta each will come up at Lianyungang’s petrochemical facility in Jiangsu Province, China. Their design will utilise CB&I’s market-leading, low-cost ethane cracker flowsheet which reduces investment costs by eliminating plant equipment. Once complete, these will be China’s first ethylene plants to crack 100 per cent ethane feed, signifying a new wave of ethylene projects fed by shale gas ethane sourced from the US.

SUPPLY CHAIN Li & Fung joins hands with Softwear Automation Li & Fung, a supply chain solutions partner for consumer brands and retailers, is collaborating with Softwear Automation, a US company that develops revolutionary sewing technologies for manufacturing automation in the home goods, footwear and apparel industries, to create a fullydigital manufacturing supply chain for apparel and textile products.

CB&I bags ethylene technology contract from Lianyungang CB&I, a leading provider of technology and infrastructure for the energy industry, has been awarded an ethylene technology contract by Lianyungang Petrochemical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical Co., Ltd. The scope of work includes a process design package, heater engineering and technology license for two ethylene plants.

Pic courtesy: Software Automation

The two have signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The partnership leverages Li & Fung’s global supplier network and Softwear’s autonomous sewing worklines. It will initially focus on the supply chain of t-shirts, with potential to expand to other product categories in the future.

POLICY

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REST OF THE WORLD EC takes action against hazardous chemicals in clothing

A majority of EU countries have supported the European Commission’s proposal to protect EU consumers from substances known to cause cancer and reproductive health problems. Under the REACH Regulation, the Commission proposed to limit the exposure to 33

Uzbekistan & Turkey plan to launch textile trade centre Uzbekistan and Turkey are planning to create a wholesale trade centre called Textilkent for textile products and knitted garments. The centre will be inspired by similar centres created in Turkey and Europe. Preliminary agreements were made on the establishment of this project during president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Uzbekistan.

Myanmar government launches garment workers’ safety guidelines The government of Myanmar has introduced some health and safety guidelines for workers in the garment sector in order to improve the working conditions of the employees. The guidelines have been launched by the country’s ministry of labour, immigration and population and includes instructions for handling machines, equipment and chemicals.

US AAFA signs agreement with Haitian industries association The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) recently signed an agreement with the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) for collaboration on industry-related issues. The agreement was signed during an AAFA conference titled ‘Supply Chain Innovation: The Key to Success in the New Retail Dynamic’ in Washington, D.C.

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chemicals that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic by restricting clothing and textiles containing them. The proposal will now go to the European Parliament and the Council for scrutiny. Thereafter, it will become applicable in the following 24 months from the date of publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Once the restriction enters into force, clothing and related articles, textiles and footwear containing the listed substances, whether they are produced within the EU or imported into the EU, will not be allowed to be placed on the EU market.

TRADE Japan’s clothing imports up 4% in fiscal 2017

of these imports valued at 820.624 billion yen ($7.623 billion) were supplied by the countries in the Asian region, with China alone accounting for 511.333 billion yen ($4.750 billion), while imports from Asean nations stood at 192.582 billion yen ($1.789 billion).

Egypt’s garment exports up 17% to $385 million in Q1 2018 Garment exports from Egypt fetched $385 million (LE 6.77 billion) in the first quarter of 2018, showing an increase of 17 per cent over exports of $330 million during the same period of the previous year, Egyptian media reports said quoting data from the Ready Made Garments Export Council. The council expects $1.8 billion exports this year. Of the total export in January-March 2018, around 48 per cent or $185 million of garments were destined to the US. This a 16 per cent jump compared to $160 million during the comparable period of 2017.

Kenya’s AGOA exports decline 4.65% in 2017

Japan’s imports of clothing and accessories increased by 4 per cent year-on-year to 3,097.905 billion yen ($28.779 billion) in the Japanese fiscal 2017 ending March 31, 2018. Of this, 92.83 per cent or 2,875.979 billion yen ($26.717 billion) worth of goods were imported from Asia, according to trade statistics from the ministry of finance. Among the Asian countries, imports from China stood at 1,906.290 billion yen ($17.709 billion), an increase of 1.3 per cent year-on-year, the data showed. During April-March 2017-18, Japan imported apparel and accessories worth 162.640 billion yen ($1.510 billion) from the EU, up 4.5 per cent year-on-year. The Far Eastern country also imported 13.349 billion yen ($124.01 million) worth of clothing and accessories from the US, down 2.9 per cent. Meanwhile, the value of Japan’s import of textile yarn and fabrics increased 6.1 per cent year-on-year to 925.684 billion yen ($8.599 billion) during the period under review. A bulk

Kenya’s exports of goods to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) declined by 4.65 per cent or Ksh1.6 billion ($15.9 million) in 2017. The exports, mainly textile items, fell from Ksh34.4 billion ($343.3 million) in 2016 to Ksh32.8 billion ($327.3 million) last year, Kenyan media reports said quoting the recent Economic Survey.

Capital investment too dropped last year by 14.1 per cent. “The value of exports reduced for a second consecutive year… with capital investment reducing to Ksh14.2 billion ($141.7 million) in 2017,” the Survey said. AGOA exports constituted 60 per cent of all Kenyan goods shipped to the US in 2017.

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REST OF THE WORLD COTTON Pakistan government assigns PKR 2.5 billion to boost cotton production

The government of Pakistan has allocated PKR 2.5 billion ($21.61 million) to boost the production of cotton in the country during the financial year 201819. The government is working towards using all the available resources to improve the agriculture sector as well as the financial condition of farmers and other involved in the industry, said a minister. The farming community of Pakistan does not have access to good quality seeds, said Haji Sikandar Hayat Bosan, federal minister for national food security and research, while speaking at a seminar called ‘Cotton Production Technology’ in Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan. The researchers are working on developing varieties that can survive various scenarios including climate changes.

Azerbaijan’s state cotton programme showing results The state programme for development of cotton growing in Azerbaijan for 20172022, approved by President Ilham Aliyev in July 2017, has started to show results, according to Bahruz Jamalov, general director of Azercotton LLC (Azerpambig). Cotton production in the Central Asian country has increased from 35,000 tons in 2015 to 207,000 tons in 2017.

BCI releases new Chain of Custody Guidelines Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has come out with new Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) Guidelines (v1.3), which replace the previous v1.2. The revision incorporates minor changes, such as removing outdated content, clarifying existing requirements, and adding new guidance sections. It also has more information on supply chain monitoring and penalties for non-compliance. The revised CoC Guidelines incorporate the new name for the Better Cotton Tracer—now referred to as the Better Cotton Platform, or BCP. The CoC Guidelines also clarify maximum timelines for companies to enter transactions into the BCP and will expand mandatory use of the BCP to all companies buying and selling Better Cotton products by 2020. The revised guidelines will become effective by August 1, 2018.

Staplcotn acquires 50% stake in TJ Beall Company

The project, which will be located in Saudi Arabia, will be executed from KBR’s Houston, Al-Khobar and Chennai offices and is expected to continue through to the start-up of the facility in 2025.

Formosa to set up petrochemical plant in Louisiana Formosa Petrochemical Corporation has selected St. James Parish in the US state of Louisiana for setting up a $9.4 billion petrochemical complex. The Taiwanese company has purchased a 2,400-acre site along the west bank of the Mississippi River to set up the plant, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards and Formosa executive VP Keh-Yen Lin announced. Located just downriver from the Sunshine Bridge, the complex would be built in two phases and produce ethylene, propylene, ethylene glycol and associated polymers. Formosa plans to operate the complex under its subsidiary and Louisiana registered company, FG LA LLC, and is branding the site as ‘The Sunshine Project’.

DYES | CHEMICALS Devan Chemicals unveils Moov&Cool technology

Pic courtesy: Staplcotn

Staple Cotton Cooperative Association (Staplcotn), one of the largest producerowned cotton marketing cooperatives in the US, has acquired a 50 per cent stake in Gary Beall Enterprises, a manufacturer and supplier of natural cotton fibres. Gary Beall conducts business as TJ Beall Company. Mississippi based Wildwood Gin owns the rest of the stake in TJ Beall.

Textile finishing expert Devan Chemicals has unveiled new Moov&Cool technology. Detailed as a ‘cool comfort technology’, the innovation has the potential to improve athletic performances by regulating core body temperature. The technology leads to absorption of heat during performance and improvement of moisture management properties of the fabric.

PETROCHEMICALS KBR wins contract to develop COTC complex in Saudi Arabia Owing to implementation of the state programme, the annual cotton production in Azerbaijan is expected to reach 500,000 tons by 2022, Jamalov said at a scientific-practical conference held to commemorate the 95th birth anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, the third President of Azerbaijan.

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KBR, Inc., a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies, has bagged a contract from Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and SABIC as the second Project Management Contractor (PMC) to provide Pre-FEED, FEED and Program Management Services to develop the world’s largest fully integrated crude oil to chemicals (COTC) complex.

Pic courtesy: Devan Chemicals

The patent-pending Moov&Cool is a multi-functional polymer technology. Applied by either padding or spray, the treatment targets and regulates core body temperature and simultaneously reacts to sweat build up and heat emission.

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REST OF THE WORLD THREAD A&E introduces Repel

Pic curtesy: American & Efird

American & Efird (A&E), a global leader in industrial sewing thread manufacturing, has introduced Repel, an advanced, PFC-free, water repellency enhancement. Repel is an additional feature that customers can order and have applied to A&E’s global sewing thread brands. Repel is ideal for backpacks, footwear, athleticwear, uniforms, and workwear. Repel will not affect product colour, the company said.

for processes (polycondensation, spinning, and textile processing) at the Guben site where Trevira produces filament specialties for the textile industry. A total sum of approximately €7.5 million is scheduled to be invested. These investments will generate additional quantitative growth and optimise processes and procedures at Trevira’s site in Guben where flat and texturised filament yarns are produced for automotive interiors, technical textiles, apparel, and home textiles.

SILK Kraig marches ahead in silk production with Prodigy

FIBRE | YARN Indorama Ventures to invest in projects at Guben site

Pic courtesy: Trevira

Trevira’s owner Indorama Ventures has decided to invest in various large projects at the Guben site which will be of importance for the company. The approved investments will be in the form of equipment

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Kern-Liebers Textile unveils latest Relanit Sinkers Kern-Liebers Textile, developers of the world’s leading range of high quality parts and components for high-performance knitting systems in the textile industry, headquartered in Germany, has introduced a new generation of Relanit Sinkers. The sinker fully meets the latest requirements of the advanced knitted machines in the textile market. The new generation enables a uniform pattern even for highly advanced knitted fabrics, considerably extending the range of strength of knitted fabrics.

Shima Seiki joins MIT Media Lab as lab member

Coloreel & Ricoh to make thread colouring unit for textile Coloreel, Swedish innovative firm, has sealed a partnership with global electronics company, Ricoh. Together, they are set to create a groundbreaking, thread colouring unit for the textile industry. Ricoh will develop and build one of the major sub-systems in the unit, based on its inkjet printing technology and Coloreel’s technology for colourisation. The partnership is a joint development effort to revolutionise the textile business, first with the thread colouring unit for the embroidery industry.

22 per cent less than the first quarter for 2017. In foreign markets, the index registered 107.2 points.

Pic courtesy: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., the leading developer of spider silk based fibres, has taken its next step towards the commercialisation of spider silk technology, following the recent announcement of formation of its Vietnamese subsidiary, Prodigy Textiles Co,. Ltd. The company views Prodigy as its main production arm for spider silk technologies and is gearing up production of its proprietary spider silk silkworm eggs in preparation for shipment to Prodigy.

MACHINERY Italian textile machinery order index drops in early 2018 The order index for textile machinery prepared by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, for the period from January to March 2018 dropped 12 per cent compared to the same period for 2017. The decline mainly affected textile machinery orders for the domestic market, while the drop was more contained in export markets. The value of the index for the first quarter of 2018 stood at 104.8 points (basis: 2015=100). For the Italian market, the index was at 94.1 points,

Shima Seiki, a Japan-based computerised knitting machine manufacturer, has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab (Cambridge, Massachusetts, US) as a consortium lab member. With this collaboration, Shima Seiki seeks to explore next generation technologies that open up new opportunities for the garment sector.

Saurer to open technology centre in Arbon, Switzerland

Pic courtesy: Saurer

The Saurer Group, a leader in machinery and components for yarn processing, has announced that it is set to invest in a technology centre in Arbon, Switzerland. The research and development centre at Saurer group’s headquarters will combine Saurer’s leading expertise in sensor technology and automation with the latest innovations of Industry 4.0. The technology centre in Arbon will work closely with existing research and development departments of the Saurer Group.

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REST OF THE WORLD DIGITAL PRINTING Mimaki & Bompan launch Mimaki Bompan Textile

Pic courtesy: Mimaki Europe

Mimaki Europe, focused on promoting the analogue-to-digital transformation of printing processes in the textile and apparel market based in Netherlands, has established a joint venture with Bompan Srl, a leading distributor in Italy, to launch Mimaki Bompan Textile Srl. Mimaki Europe has a 51 per cent ownership in the new joint venture.

INDUSTRIAL ILO, IHKIB to work together under cooperation protocol

Pic courtesy: ILO Turkey

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB) are working together under a cooperation protocol to create decent work for Syrians and host communities in the apparel industry, and support an enabling environment for economic growth. The work under the protocol will be undertaken in Istanbul and Bursa. The protocol will be valid for two years.

Strategic programmes to improve competency, research, production and promotion are also expected to be conducted at the centre.

The company can produce up to 500,000 pieces per month. It exported garments worth $62 million to the US and $300,000 to the EU in 2017.

APPAREL Canadian Tire Corporation taking over Helly Hansen

Delta Galil to acquire Eminence Group

Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) is acquiring Helly Hansen, the company controlled by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan which owns and operates the Helly Hansen brands and related businesses. The acquisition is likely to close in Q3 2018 and is subject to usual closing terms. Founded in 1877, Helly Hansen is a leading global brand in sportswear and workwear based in Oslo, Norway. Within its core categories of sailing, skiing, mountain, urban, rainwear and workwear, Helly Hansen designs and delivers products used by professionals and outdoor enthusiasts around the world. The acquisition will strengthen CTC’s core businesses across multiple banners, increases its brand offerings in Canada and its ability to grow its brands internationally.

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Legacy Athletic, League Collegiate Outfitters to merge

Jerash Garments becomes first Arab firm to get listed on Nasdaq Jerash Garments and Fashions Manufacturing Company (JGFMC) located in Sahab Development Zone in Jordan has become the first Arab company to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. It was also the first Jordanian company to receive authorisation for exporting to the EU as per relaxed rules under a deal between the country and the Union in 2017.

TEXTILES New woven fabric SMEs centre comes up in Indonesia The industry ministry of Indonesia has partnered with the regency of Tanah Datar in West Sumatra to establish a centre for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dedicated to developing woven textile industry in the region. The centre will encourage makers of woven fabrics to create trendy products with better design, motifs and quality for the customers.

Delta Galil Industries, an Israel-based manufacturer and marketer of apparel for men, women and children, as well as leisurewear, activewear and denim, has signed an agreement to acquire Eminence SAS and its subsidiaries. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018 and is subject to the fulfilment of French law requirements. As per the deal, Delta Galil will acquire the Eminence Group, which includes leading French underwear brands for men, women and children: Eminence and Athena and the Italian brand Liabel.

Jordan’s King Abdullah during a visit to JGFMC in May 2018. Pic courtesy: King Abdullah II

JGFMC has factories in three locations and provides employment to over 2,800 people. It manufactures products for some big brands like Walmart, Sears, Costco, Hanes, Columbia, Timberland, The North Face, Lee, Wrangler, Tommy Hilfiger, Speedo and Calvin Klein.

Pic courtesy: Legacy Athletic

Two Pennsylvania apparel companies— Legacy Athletic, a leading designer and supplier of vintage-inspired collegiate, resort and corporate headwear, apparel and home decor, and League Collegiate Outfitters, a manufacturer of premium collegiate apparel and accessories—are merging to offer a complete line of classic, casual apparel, headwear and home decor. The two announced that they have closed on a merger deal to create a single parent company, L2 Brands, LLC, that has been recapitalised by Dominus Capital. The combined platform will allow each brand to aggressively pursue growth opportunities in current and new markets with a cohesive-looking, fullscale line of customisable, trend-right products for its retailers and end consumers.

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REST OF THE WORLD Boardriders completes acquisition of Billabong

Pic courtesy: Billabong

Boardriders, a global action sports and lifestyle company that owns and operates Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes brands, has completed the acquisition of Billabong International Limited. The acquisition brings some of the most coveted brands in the industry to the Boardriders family, including Billabong, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, Xcel, Kustom and Palmers. The combination of these two businesses will create the world’s leading action sports company with sales to over 7,000 wholesale customers in more than 110 countries, owned e-commerce capabilities in 35 countries, and over 630 retail stores in 28 countries.

ACCESSORIES Nike introduces Flyprint 3D printed textile upper

Pic courtesy: Nike

Nike has introduced its first 3D printed textile upper in performance footwear, Flyprint. This method allows designers to translate athlete data into new textile geometries. It advances Nike’s efforts in digitally enabled textile development and adds to a legacy of proprietary modification of machines to achieve previously unimaginable performance solutions. Through performance printing, Nike is capable of moving faster with unprecedented precision—prototyping is 16-times quicker than in any previous manufacturing method, says the company.

LABELLING Swedish brand Asket launches new garment labelling standard Swedish menswear brand Asket recently implemented a new garment

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labelling standard called ‘Full Traceability’ that offers customers detailed information about the garment, including manufacturing process, name of stylist, type of cotton seed and place of manufacture. It will replace the traditional ‘Made In’ labels found in most clothing items. The company’s first cent per cent traceable garment is the Oxford Shirt and the rest of its permanent collection will follow the labelling by the end of this year, it announced in an Instagram post.

RETAIL Walmart, Sainsbury combine Sainsbury’s and Asda Group Walmart and J Sainsbury have combined Sainsbury’s and Asda Group, Walmart’s UK retail subsidiary. Amidst changes in the retail sector, the Combination brings together two distinctive customer propositions to create a more competitive, adaptable and resilient business—one of the UK’s leading grocery, general merchandise and clothing retail groups. Under the terms of the Combination, which is subject to various approvals, including from the Competition and Markets Authority, Walmart would hold 42 per cent of the share capital of the combined business. The new business is expected to be better placed to invest in price, quality, range and more flexible ways for customers to shop.

C.Banner to buy additional 51% stake in House of Fraser

The transaction is expected to complete by the end of June 2018 and is subject to both bondholder and shareholder approvals. Post-transaction, existing shareholder, Nanjing Cenbest, part of the Sanpower Group, will remain a significant minority shareholder. The transaction will provide vital capital to accelerate transformation plans at House of Fraser. The conditional agreement is, amongst other things, subject to House of Fraser restructuring its store portfolio.

Nordstrom extends sizing expansion to 30 stores

Pic courtesy: Nordstrom

Making the shopping experience inclusive for everybody, both online and in stores, Nordstrom, a leading US-based fashion retailer, has extended sizing expansion to 30 stores, with 100 brands producing extended sizes—by adding more zeros, 2’s, 14’s, 16’s and 18’s—across multiple categories, including denim, dresses, swimwear, activewear and lingerie. New signage highlights the extended sizes in the stores.

FASHION Fosun acquires 50.87 per cent stake in Wolford

Pic courtesy: Wolford

Pic courtesy: House of Fraser

Nanjing Cenbest, the parent company of House of Fraser, the UK and Ireland’s premium department store group, has announced that international retailer C.banner has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire a 51 per cent stake in House of Fraser Group Ltd. As part of the transaction, C.Banner will subscribe for new shares in the company.

Fosun Industrial Holdings has acquired 50.87 per cent stake in Wolford from the previous majority shareholders, becoming its major shareholder. The Chinese financial investor systematically invests in the global fashion and consumer goods industry. The management of its growing portfolio in the fashion sector was recently handed over to Fosun Fashion Group. Fosun Fashion Group holds stakes in the German Tom Tailor Group and the French luxury brand Lanvin, amongst other holdings.

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REST OF THE WORLD Jobedu joins hands with Walt Disney Company

Pic courtesy: Jobedu

Jordan-based Jobedu, the apparel company famed for being the Arabised voice and presence of international pop culture in the Middle East, has joined hands with the Walt Disney Company for the Middle East to create original collections—both apparel and accessories—based around Disney’s iconic characters. As per the licensing agreement, Jobedu will produce a range of fun, modern streetwear collections, adding its unique voice to the company’s worldrenowned properties. Jobedu will use its network of affiliated graphic designers to develop ideas and contribute original work to be used in the collection.

VF Corporation sells Nautica to Authentic Brands Group

Pic courtesy: Nautica

VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, has announced that it has completed the sale of its Nautica brand, a leading global lifestyle brand for modern nautical style, to Authentic Brands Group (ABG). VF had entered into a definitive agreement with ABG in March. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Furniweb to start business collaboration with PPI & PS

Pic courtesy: Furniweb

Furniweb Holdings Limited, an elastic textile and webbing manufacturer in

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Malaysia and Vietnam, has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Philipp Plein International AG (PPI) and Plein Sport AG (PS AG) to start a business collaboration. To be started initially in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, the new venture is for lifestyle fashion apparel. The business collaboration envisages the appointment of Furniweb as the authorised dealer for the distribution, promotion and sale of luxury fashion apparel carried on under PPI’s trade name and/or lifestyle fashion apparel carried on under PS AG’s trade name in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The LOI also covers the possibility for further business collaboration in other countries in Southeast Asia.

SUSTAINABILITY ZDHC releases electronic version of ZDHC MRSL To drive implementation and ease usability, the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme has released the electronic version of the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL)—the ZDHC e-MRSL. The ZDHC MRSL lists chemical substances that should be banned from intentional use by the industry in the production of textile, apparel, leather and footwear. With the ZDHC e-MRSL, users will be able to easily search for chemical substances, either by using the name of the substance or the CAS number. In the future, it will also be possible to filter for different criteria and to translate the tool into multiple languages. At the same time, it would still be possible to download the tool as a PDF file. Textile dye & chemical producers to review ZDHC: A group of nine sustainably oriented textile dye and chemical producers has issued an open letter to the Stichting ZDHC Foundation defining some principles and expectations that require clarification/ commitment in order to officially contribute to the ZDHC Foundation. The signatory companies will review the progress made by ZDHC after a 12-month period beginning September 1, 2018. Under the banner of Evoxess GmbH, the nine signatory companies, viz Archroma, Colourtex, DyStar,

Huntsman, Jay Chemical, Protex, Pulcra, Rudolf and Tanatex, have consulted on the issues of the increasing complexity and resultant cost burdens for the textile value chain, which are proving an obstacle to the overall goals of the elimination of hazardous chemistry from within the textile supply chain, the letter said.

Pic courtesy: ZDHC

The signatories confirmed their willingness to actively engage with the ZDHC Foundation, in particular with the ZDHC Gateway Chemical Module and also as a ZDHC Contributor. However, they would do so on the basis that their expectations regarding accelerating the industry towards the elimination of hazardous chemistry within the textile value chain are fulfilled.

Hugo Boss to increase use of sustainable cotton Hugo Boss, a German luxury fashion house, has defined specific goals for sourcing sustainable cotton, says its sustainability report for 2017. By the year 2020, 50 per cent of the cotton will come from sustainable sources, in accordance with the criteria defined in the group’s cotton commitment. By 2025 this percentage will increase to 80 per cent.

Pic courtesy: Hugo Boss

Cotton by far constitutes the largest percentage of total material usage at Hugo Boss, followed by wool, synthetic fibres and leather, according to the report.

17 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 20 September 2018 Paris Le Bourget THE INTERNATIONAL FAIR FOR FASHION FABRICS, TRIMS, ACCESSORIES www.texworld-paris.com

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REST OF THE WORLD SOFTWARE | TECHNOLOGY Datacolor unveils SpectraVision

within the warehouse management system than are other cases.

HARDWARE BMSvision unveils new data unit DU3 for textiles

Pic courtesy: Datacolor

Datacolor, a global leader in colour management technology, has unveiled SpectraVision, a solution enabling businesses to objectively measure and digitally communicate the colour of previously unmeasurable materials, including multi-colour prints, trim, yarn, zippers and lace, thereby saving costs and significantly shortening the time from concept to consumer. Retailers and suppliers using SpectraVision save up to 50 per cent of colour approval process costs by decreasing strike offs, lowering colour standard maintenance costs, and reducing physical sample shipments. Furthermore, the system can eliminate weeks in the development and production process, which is especially important for retail brands which must react quickly to trends to remain competitive in this fast-paced industry.

Datex unveils dynamic packaging functionality in WMS Datex, a supply chain software developer, has introduced new packaging functionality within its award-winning warehouse management software (WMS) to save companies time when dealing with packaging configurations.

Pic courtesy: Datex

With Datex FootPrint WMS, users simply set up the case within the warehouse management system on the Dynamic Packaging tab and add the case level. In doing so, the WMS will automatically prompt the user to validate the quantity per individual case. These cases are then tracked differently

32 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

BMSvision (Belgian Monitoring Systems) has extended its latest generation data collection hardware with the DU3, a small and low-cost data unit for the textile and plastics industry. The compact, pre-wired unit allows a quick and straightforward connection of any textile production machine resulting in reduced installation costs. As operators can easily enter why a machine is down, input the number of scrap and view production and planning information, managers will be able to respond swiftly to changing conditions and enhance operational efficiency.

Pic courtesy: BMSvision

The IoT-ready device has been equipped with an MQTT data broker, enabling data access from anywhere and through other applications such as ERP systems and third-party apps.

IOT | AR Stoll and Myant come out with a Digital Textile Factory Stoll, Germany’s leading 3D knitting machinery company, and Myant, Canada’s leading textile computing company, have unveiled a Digital Textile Factory, building foundations for mass application of Textile Computing, an industry which uses engineering and material science to provide textilebased solutions for companies aiming to connect textiles to Internet of Things (IoT). The Digital Textile Factory will give entrepreneurs, innovators and established industry players access to a virtual factory for ideation, research and development, and design and manufacturing at scale. In so doing, this initiative will propagate and

democratise advanced manufacturing techniques and access to the most advanced textile computing machinery in the world. The Digital Textile Factory will also help establish and export standards related to textile computing and its use as a platform across industries.

SIZING | FITTING Hong Kong’s PolyU tech projects body shape, size in 10 seconds

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed an intelligent 3D human modelling system by integrating computer graphic and vision technology to simplify and enhance the process of shopping well-fitting clothes online. The system digitally accurately reconstructs the shape and size of a person from two full body photographs within 5-10 seconds. Developed by Tracy PY Mok, associate professor from PolyU’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing and PhD graduate Zhu Shuaiyin, the innovation allows a customised model in arbitrary dynamic poses to be created automatically within 5-10 seconds, according to a press release from Shuaiyin’s start-up Tozi.

TESTING | INSPECTION Uster Technologies acquires Elbit Vision Systems Uster Technologies has announced the successful closure of the acquisition of Elbit Vision Systems Ltd. (EVS), a world-leading high-technology supplier for automated vision inspection in the textile industry. The acquisition expands Uster’s competencies in quality control and strengthens its product portfolio. EVS’s products are used to automatically locate, label, and trace defects of fabric and web products, and ultimately to grade the quality and determine the value of the produced goods.

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REST OF THE WORLD EDUCATION | TRAINING Burberry partners Farfetch for Dream Assembly programme

AWARD Temperley London bags award for sustainability

Brands. Baxter will be responsible for 7 For All Mankind and Splendid brands.

Mark Walsh becomes CEO of Avenue brand Avenue Stores has appointed veteran retailer Mark Walsh as chief executive officer of the Avenue brand of women’s plus-size fashion apparel, footwear and accessories, completing expansion of the company’s senior leadership team.

Pic courtesy: Burberry Plc

Burberry, known for its leadership in digital for luxury fashion, is the first brand to partner with Farfetch, the global technology platform for the luxury industry, to provide modules for the Dream Assembly programme. The technology accelerator Dream Assembly will provide a cohort of the world’s most promising start-ups with a programme of mentorship, networking opportunities and access to early-stage funding. The Dream Assembly programme will include a series of workshops, one-to-one sessions with senior leaders within Farfetch and mentorship meetings covering topics including e-commerce, marketing, technology, fashion, logistics and operations, giving start-ups direct access to Farfetch’s expertise in the luxury fashion and technology industries, over the course of 12 weeks.

Pic courtesy: Temperley London

Temperley London has been awarded Positive Luxury’s Butterfly Mark for commitment to sustainability across innovation, social good, environment, community investment, and governance. The fashion brand by designer Alice Temperley is also dedicated to standards of excellence, responsible business practice, and thoughtful leadership in the fashion category. Consumers will be able to discover Temperley London’s commitments online by clicking the unique interactive Butterfly Mark, which displays Temperley London’s positive actions and instantly showcases their status as a trusted brand.

APPOINTMENTS Loepfe Brothers names Daniel Link as new CEO

Stephanie Phair is new chair of British Fashion Council

Stephanie Phair; Pic courtesy: British Fashion Council

Stephanie Phair, the chief strategy officer for Farfetch, the global tech platform for the luxury fashion industry, has been chosen the new chair of the British Fashion Council by its board. Her tenure is for three years which can be renewed. The role will be formalised at the July 5, 2018 board meeting.

Saudi princess becomes Arab Fashion Council president

RESEARCH Algorithm generates knitting patterns for 3D objects in US Computer scientists at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the United States have developed a system to translate a wide variety of 3-D shapes into stitch-by-stitch instructions that enable a computer-controlled knitting machine to automatically produce those shapes. The researchers have used the system to produce a variety of plush toys and garments. According to James McCann, assistant professor in the Robotics Institute and leader of the Carnegie Mellon Textiles Lab, this ability to generate knitting instructions without need for human expertise could make on-demand machine knitting possible, according to a press release from the university.

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Pic courtesy: Arab Fashion Council

Loepfe Brothers Ltd., developer of integral quality control systems like sensors and monitoring equipment for yarn spinning, has appointed Daniel Link as the new chief executive officer (CEO), from May 1, 2018.

Tim Baxter named CEO of Delta Galil Premium Brands Delta Galil Industries, Ltd., the global manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label apparel products, has appointed Tim Baxter as the new chief executive officer of Delta Galil Premium

Saudi Arabian princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud has recently been named the president of the Arab Fashion Council. She had also overseen the Arab Fashion Week, the first such show to be held in the Middle Eastern country.

Katie Greenyer is world president of Textile Institute Katie Greenyer, creative talent and network director at Pentland Brands, has been chosen as the world president of the Textile Institute.

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UPDATES On The News Beat

BUSINESS OF E-COMMERCE China’s Alibaba partners with Thailand for digital trade

L-R: Thai industry minister UttamaSavanayana, Thai deputy PM SomkidJatusripitak, KanitSangsubhan from the Office of Economic Corridor East Thailand, Alibaba’s Globalization Division president Zhao Ying, Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma, and Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lu Jian. Pic courtesy: Alibaba Group

China’s Alibaba Group recently signed an agreement with the Thai Government to build a smart digital trading hub there and develop its capabilities in e-commerce, digital logistics, tourism and training. The partnership will give Thailand access

E-COMMERCE Alibaba takes over e-commerce platform Daraz Alibaba Group has taken over South Asia’s largest e-commerce platform, Daraz Group. The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, will make Daraz a wholly owned unit of Alibaba, China’s biggest e-commerce provider and operator of the popular Taobao and Tmall platforms. For Alibaba, the acquisition spreads its e-commerce reach further outside of China. Daraz was founded in 2012 and has grown into a leading e-commerce company in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Nepal. It has 30,000 sellers and 500 brands on its platform, with two million products available to its five million customers. Daraz will continue to operate under its brand name after the transaction.

Amazon invests `2,600 crore in India unit American e-retailer Amazon has invested ₹2,600 crore in its Indian unit, Amazon Seller Services, to compete with the Indian e-commerce website Flipkart. The investment has been made by Amazon.Com Incs and Amazon Corporate Holdings, according to filings to the corporate affairs ministry. Amazon Seller Services had also received ₹1,950 crore from its American parent company in January this year.

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to technologies and processes to advance its economy, while Alibaba gains a stronger foothold in that country. Alibaba will boost trade efficiency in Thailand and educate Thai entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in digital commerce, according to a company press release. The hub, to be located in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), will leverage technologies from Alibaba and its logistics platform, Cainiao Network, to streamline trade between Thailand and China and other markets, including digitising the customs process.

Amazon will continue to invest in the infrastructure and the necessary technology to grow its eco-system in order to make e-retail a habit for people in India, said media reports quoting an Amazon India spokesperson.

Hummel exploring Indian market for expansion

FASHION Amazon India launches Weavesmart on its marketplace

Amazon India has announced the launch of Weavesmart, the largest e-commerce store for handlooms in India and an e-marketing partner for the ministry of textiles for promoting India handloom brand and handloom mark products, on its marketplace. As a result, handloom and handcrafted products by weavers from various parts of the country associated with Weavesmart will now be available to millions of Amazon customers across India. Weavesmart brings quality and vibrant weaves such as handloom and handcrafted saris, dress materials, dupattas, accessories and home and living products from handloom clusters belonging to the smallest of villages in India. Helping the weavers to display their creativity on a large scale, Weavesmart today has more than 3,000 weavers in its network and more than 20,000 products.

RETAIL Hongri products to be available on Amazon & Alibaba Pic courtesy: Hummel

Hummel, 95-year-old Denmark-based international sportswear company, is exploring Indian market for its next leg of expansion. The company has already joined hands with premium fashion e-commerce companies such as Jabong and Myntra for retailing its products in the India subcontinent. The company runs a substantial part of its production business in India. “The Indian market is on Hummel’s priority list. We’ve been slow, yet steady and took our time to enter the Indian market, it is because we are here to stay,” CEO Allan Vad Nielsen said and added, “Very soon you will find collections that are India centric. We will create branded content and products for the Indian market.”

KBS Fashion Group Limited (KBS), a vertically-integrated casual menswear company in China, has announced that its China-based subsidiary, Hongri (Fujian) Sports Goods Co. Ltd. has entered into a cooperative agreement with Hangzhou Si Teng Internet Technology Co. Ltd to open, operate and maintain online stores through Amazon US and Alibaba Express. As per the agreement, Si Teng will sell Hongri products on online stores, which are expected to be launched in June 2018.

Pic courtesy: KBS Fashion

UPDATES On The News Beat

BUSINESS OF E-COMMERCE BRAND DEBUT Two entrepreneurs unveil online apparel brand ‘Enakshi’

Pic courtesy: Enakshi

What: Two young entrepreneurs launch women’s fashion platform ‘Enakshi’ Who: Enakshi is founded by Maharsh Shah, 20, and Namya Patel, 22 USP: The brand offers only exclusive pieces of garments with no two pieces alike. At Enakshi a new collection is launched every 21 days. The brand also ensures dispatch on the very same day. Collection: The brand offers fusion apparel for women created by a handpicked pool of designers shortlisted by Enakshi and then further curated to suit the brand’s style and vision. Price Points: ₹1,500-6,000, depending on the intricacies/detailing in the designs, material used, etc. Available: On enakshi.com Maharsh Shah, Co-Founder, Enakshi remarks: “As of now our focus is to establish ourselves in the women’s apparel segment in the market. We would like to develop outfit designs to meet the demands and the likes of a modern woman, typically in the age range of 18-48 years. We would also like to provide our customer base with a vast range of designs sourced from a large pool of designers from around India.”

IT Infibeam acquires Snapdeal’s subsidiary Unicommerce

Ahmedabad based e-commerce company Infibeam has acquired Unicommerce, a cloud based inventory management company, wholly owned by Snapdeal, for ₹120 crore. The two

38 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

companies have signed a non-cash deal and Infibeam will be issuing optional convertible debentures (OCD) to Jasper Infotech, which owns Snapdeal, to cover the value of Unicommerce. The line of business of Unicommerce is similar to Infibeam. The acquisition would result in growth in merchants and revenues from Infibeam Web Services. With the acquisition of Unicommerce eSolutions, Infibeam will further expand and strengthen its e-commerce web service offerings and capabilities, said Infibeam in a BSE filing. The acquisition is likely to be completed within 3-5 months.

SIZING My Size to introduce MySizeID app for e-commerce

Pic courtesy: My Size

My Size, the developer and creator of smartphone measurement applications, plans to launch its MySizeID app in the growing e-commerce platform market. My Size is making a new version of its MySizeID measurement technology that can be seamlessly integrated into a retailer’s online store, directly through the e-commerce platform that the website was built on.

Amazon scanning bodies to learn more about sizing Online retailer Amazon is inviting customers into a New York office to learn how their body shape and size varies over a 20-week time period, according to US media reports. Volunteers chosen from a survey will visit the office twice a month to allow Amazon keep tab on their body shape and size. The new exercise has come up after Amazon’s recent acquisition of Body Labs, a computer vision startup. Subsequently, the company has developed a 3D body scanning team too. The body scanning exercise is expected to be used in a “wide range

of commercial applications” and is especially likely to help in reducing the number of returns, particularly of clothing items.

Under 5’10 takes over Fittery

Pic courtesy: PR Newswire

Under 5’10, a company dealing with apparel for shorter men, has taken over Fittery, an e-commerce fit technology company that uses predictive analytics to match shoppers to clothing that fits perfectly, reducing online return rates from about 30-40 per cent to just six per cent. The acquisition of Fittery positions Under 5’10 to approach the specialty sizing market in an entirely unique way: using large data sets to accurately determine body proportions for their customers.

AI DataWeave unveils counterfeit products detection solution

Pic courtesy: DataWeave

DataWeave, a competitive intelligence as a service provider for retailers and consumer brands, has announced the launch of its counterfeit products detection solution. The new detection solution will enable consumer brands to discover and curb the presence of counterfeit products on e-commerce websites using AI-powered image and text analytics. DataWeave’s unique approach, which leverages its proprietary data aggregation platform and robust deeplearning models, involves analysing the catalogue images and content of millions of products across diverse product types, enabling e-commerce executives and brand managers of consumer brands to detect counterfeit products at an accuracy of over 95 per cent.

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Acquisition | Walmart-Flipkart

ANALYSIS

Walmart bid $16 billion and valued the unprofitable Flipkart at about $20.8 billion, at roughly seven times the sales figures of last year. Photo shows Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon (left) with Flipkart’s co-founder and group CEO Binny Bansal. Pic courtesy: Walmart

It’s quite a big deal

Walmart’s recent acquisition of Flipkart has sent market analysts into a tizzy. Subir Ghosh takes stock of the Indian e-commerce situation.

nly a year back, the e-commerce landscape was dominated by two players: Amazon and Flipkart. With the acquisition of Myntra and Jabong by Flipkart, it would have appeared as though a process of consolidation had set in, and that the years to come would see the two in a no-holds-barred fight. Now, with the buying of Flipkart by American retail giant Walmart in May, things have changed in a way, and yet in many ways they remain the same. It would still remain a war between two big players, only that now it will be fought between two multinationals. Both have the monies to sustain themselves for the long haul, and both are known to be ruthless in carving out market shares.

A DONE DEAL Innumerable stories had been doing the rounds all through this year about Walmart making moves on acquiring a majority share in the debit-ridden Flipkart. There were even reports of Amazon itself being interested in buying out Flipkart, as there were reports of Google-parent Alphabet being in talks to invest about $3 billion for a roughly 15 per cent stake in Flipkart. All those speculations were set to rest on May 9 when the big announcement came: that Walmart would be paying a whopping $16 billion for a 77 per cent stake in the Indian company. The deal now awaits clearance from India’s anti-trust regulator and is expected to close later this year.

40 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

In the Flipkart ecosystem, Walmart was also said to have been particularly interested in the Myntra and Jabong fashion-centric portals. Walmart has been trying to enter the fashion e-space that is brutally dominated by Amazon in the US, but not so much in India. Pic courtesy: Walmart

The world’s largest e-commerce deal was an all-cash transaction, with Walmart purchasing new shares of Flipkart worth $2 billion and buying a stake worth $14 billion from the firm’s existing investors. Within the first year of the closing of the deal, Walmart was said to be planning to pump in another $3 billion into Flipkart, founded in 2007 by former Amazon employees Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. The deal, which still needs regulatory approval, would have to close by March 9 next year failing which it could be terminated, as per the filing that Walmart made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In comparison with the Flipkart deal, Walmart had paid only $3 billion for e-commerce site Jet.com, which it had acquired two years ago. The new board at Flipkart will have eight members, including five directors appointed by Walmart. Walmart founder Sam Walton’s grandson, Steuart Walton, may join the board of directors. Other minority shareholders will get to nominate two directors, besides co-founder Binny Bansal who will continue as a board member. Other minority shareholders after the deal will include China’s Tencent Holdings, US hedge fund Tiger Global Management and IT giant Microsoft Corp. Walmart may in the future appoint a sixth board member with the approval of the majority of the Flipkart directors. Walmart can also appoint or replace Flipkart’s chief executive and other key executives of group companies in consultation with Bansal and the board of directors. Walmart will have a veto right “over specified decisions relating to Flipkart’s business and activities,” the SEC filing said, With the Flipkart acquisition, Walmart would want to bridge the physical-digital gap, and without sharing more details. Walmart will India would be the testing ground. Walmart had entered India in 2009 through a joint also have the say on the appointment or venture with Bharti Enterprises, and took full control in 2013. Pic courtesy: Walmart removal of top executives at Flipkart and its

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 41

Acquisition | Walmart-Flipkart

ANALYSIS

group companies, PhonePe and Ekart. “Walmart may appoint or replace the chief executive officer and other principal executives of the Flipkart group of companies, subject to certain consultation rights of the board and the founder,” the SEC filing said. The acquisition would include Flipkart’s other properties like fashion e-commerce sites Myntra and Jabong, digital payments firm PhonePe and logistics company Ekart. The Flipkart-Myntra-Jabong set of portals commands about 70 per cent of the market share in fashion. Ekart is present in over 800 cities and towns across the country, and makes over 500,000 deliveries every day.

THE NEXT BATTLE The Walmart takeover will help Flipkart in its pyrrhic battle with cash-rich Amazon, which had allocated $5 billion to its India operations—$2 billion in June 2014 and $3 billion in June 2016. The number, however, pales out in comparison to the Walmart bid figure. But the American shopping giant is in here for e-tail, not retail. According to Walmart’s own investor presentation, India’s e-commerce market is expected to grow four times faster than overall retail over the next five years. While the consolidated retail segment will grow only 9 per cent between 201718 and 2022-23, the corresponding figure for e-commerce is 36 per cent. This growth will be driven by smartphone penetration which is expected to grow from 30 per cent in 2017 to 58 per cent in another three years. Morgan Stanley estimates that India’s e-commerce India has more than 400 million millennials, a growing middle-class and exploding market will grow from $38 billion to $200 smartphone penetration, all of which are critical as shopping continues to shift online. billion in a decade from now.

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But it’s not the existing size of the market that would have lured in Walmart. After all, according to a different estimate (by eMarketer), Indian retail e-commerce sales in 2017 were only $21 billion compared to $1.11 trillion in China. The same estimate believes that India’s e-commerce sales will jump 141 per cent in the next four years alone—it’s the market to be in. Walmart’s strengths lie in logistics, sourcing and supply chain management, and it has not been able to capture the e-commerce market in the way that it dominates retail—its own online sales are a little over 3 per cent of its business in the US. In contrast, close to half the total e-commerce market in the US is controlled by Amazon. With the Flipkart acquisition, Walmart would According to Walmart’s own investor presentation, India’s e-commerce market want to bridge the physical-digital gap, and is expected to grow four times faster than overall retail over the next five years. India would be the testing ground. Walmart’s current presence in India is limited to its 21 cash-and-carry stores and one fulfillment centre in 19 cities across nine states. It had entered India in 2009 through a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises, and took full control in 2013. As things stand now, Walmart plans to support small businesses through direct procurement as well as by increased opportunities for exports through global sourcing and e-commerce. “Among other initiatives, Walmart will partner with kirana owners and members to help modernise their retail practices and adopt digital payment technologies,” the company said in a statement. Walmart also plans to launch another 50 new cash-and-carry stores in the next 4–5 years.

All speculations were set to rest on May 9 when the big announcement came: that Walmart would be paying a whopping $16 billion for a 77 per cent stake in the Indian company. Photo shows 447-C, 12th Main, Koramangala—the house where Flipkart was born. Pic courtesy: Flipkart

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 43

Acquisition | Walmart-Flipkart

ANALYSIS

So, food and groceries—something that Flipkart had unsuccessfully tried its hands at earlier— would be one of the main focus areas. Amazon India has its own Amazon Pantry and Amazon Now (wherein it partners with local retail chains in Bengaluru), and there are a number of relatively smalltime players in a number of cities that supply vegetable and groceries, including BigBasket and Grofers. As Amazon battles with the Flipkart-Jabong-Myntra group in fashion, it will now have to grapple with Walmart in food and groceries, where the latter holds sway everywhere, particularly in the US. Amazon is already fighting it out with Walmart in the US with its recent Whole Foods Market venture. For its part, Walmart has been concentrating more on developing markets for a share of the grocery pie. Only last month, it gave up control of its UK grocery chain, Asda, merging it with British rival J Sainsbury Plc. Walmart will retain a minority 42 per cent stake in that combined company. In the Flipkart ecosystem, Walmart was also said to have been particularly interested in the Myntra and Jabong fashion-centric portals. Walmart has been trying to enter the fashion e-space that is brutally dominated by Amazon in the US, but not so much in India. Walmart has already acquired Bonobos and ModCloth, and partnered with department-store chain Lord & Taylor. The e-commerce war will spill over into the brick-and-mortar theatre too. As of now, the e-commerce is far to minuscule compared to the over retail marketspace of about $750 billion, most of which (estimated to be 90 per cent) falls in the unorganised sector. With the most-likely Flipkart re-entry into the food-grocery business (backed by Walmart’s own expertise in the area) there is bound to be a rethinking of strategies on part of retail chains like Reliance, Future Group, Tata Group, D’Mart (Avenue Supermarkets), Aditya Birla Group, Landmark, Metro (Germany) and Shoppers Stop. The food-grocery segment is said to be the largest in terms of overall consumer spending. The cascading effect of this is likely to be felt first in the logistics and food processing businesses.

A LOSS-MAKING INHERITANCE Most of the post-acquisition debate has hovered over Walmart’s decision to take over a company that has been bleeding. Flipkart’s share of the Indian e-commerce market grew from 31.5 per cent to 35.7 per cent between 2016 and 2017, according to Bloomberg Intelligence and Euromonitor Passport. Over the same period, Amazon’s share grew from 24.5 per cent to 27.7 per cent. Both grew at the expense of smaller players, that started getting wiped out one by one. Flipkart’s revenues grew 29 per cent last year to $3 billion, but much slower than the growth of 50 per cent in 2016. The net losses at the same time grew by an unnerving 68 per cent to $1.3 billion. In other words, Walmart bid $16 billion and valued the unprofitable Flipkart at about $20.8 billion, at roughly seven times the sales figures of last year. To turn Flipkart profitable would be quite a task.

The new board at Flipkart will have eight members, including five directors appointed by Walmart. Walmart founder Sam Walton’s grandson, Steuart Walton, may join the board of directors. Photo shows a team in discussion at the old Flipkart office. Pic courtesy: Flipkart

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Acquisition | Walmart-Flipkart

ANALYSIS

Within the first year of the closing of the deal, Walmart was said to be planning to pump in another $3 billion into Flipkart, founded in 2007 by former Amazon employees Sachin Bansal (left) and Binny Bansal (right). Pic courtesy: Flipkart

Minority investors holding 60 per cent of Flipkart’s (minority) shares “acting together, may require Flipkart to effect an initial public offering” (IPO) four years after the close of the Walmart-Flipkart transaction, Walmart said in a May 11 filing with the SEC. The IPO should be done at no less a valuation than that at which Walmart invested in the Indian e-commerce firm, the filing said. Not everyone was sold on the deal—shares of Walmart fell 4 per cent on May 9 triggered by a belief that it had made a terrible decision in acquiring a loss-making company. The drop was driven by “scepticism about the cost of the deal” as well as the cynicism around whether the deal will really help Walmart gain ground against arch rival Amazon in India, the Wall Street Journal reported. Almost $10 billion of Walmart’s market capitalisation was said to have been wiped out. S&P lowered Walmart’s outlook to negative from stable, citing increasing leverage and risks stemming from the company’s spending to expand online and globally as it continues its share buyback programme. Walmart was rated AA, the third-highest investment grade. The negative outlook shows there’s “about a one-in-three chance” that Walmart’s strategy shift could result in a downgrade over the next two years, the credit-ratings company said in a statement. Others do not concur. Rating agency Moody’s in its Credit Outlook report the very next week felt Walmart’s acquisition was “credit positive” for the US retail giant. Moody’s said it expected the deal to initially weaken Walmart’s credit metrics, with retained cash flow (RCF) to net debt ratio likely dropping to the low—30 per cent range from 40 per cent currently and debt to EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio likely to double from 1.6 times currently. “Despite this deterioration, the acquisition is credit positive because it provides immediate scale in India’s burgeoning retail e-commerce sector and we expect that a combination of increased cash flow and debt reduction will push the RCF/net debt ratio back above our 35 per cent. Although we expect that Flipkart will continue to generate losses for the next few years, our credit-positive view is based on India’s compelling features, including its 1.2 billion residents and an economy that generates more than 7 per cent annual GDP growth,” Moody’s said. The reason for this rating echoed what the same reasoning that Walmart would have had in acquiring Flipkart: a prospective Indian market. “India is one of the most attractive retail markets in the world, given its size and growth rate,” Walmart’s president and CEO Doug McMillon had said. Moody’s agreed: India has more than 400 million millennials, a growing middle-class and exploding smartphone penetration, all of which are critical as shopping continues to shift online. Following the announcement, we affirmed Walmart’s Aa2 rating and stable outlook.” But what is definitely certain is that the retail/etail is up for some action in the days to come.

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LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

Fashionably intimate

The Indian domestic intimatewear market is sizeable, and its potential is reckoned to be enormous. The prospects of exports too are substantial—a Fibre2Fashion report anchored by Subir Ghosh, with base inputs from Sanjay Arora, Anubha Sehgal and Barnaa Dekaa

hose were once perceived as only functional elementary necessities that no one needed to talk about or give second thoughts to. But today, they are used to assert style statements. That’s how much the sheer concept of intimatewear itself has changed. These days, the term ‘intimatewear’ connotes one of those handful of product ranges that are both a necessity and luxury. The once-traditional intimatewear market that was underlined by abysmal production quality and desultory promotions is now seeing experimentation of untold scale in terms of product design, style, colours, fabrics and what-have-you. The insipid, anaemic market of yesterday is now bustling with life. Some indicators: ad spends by intimatewear brands have grown exponentially; there are fashion weeks dedicated specifically to intimatewear, and the intimatewear market is expanding at a stunning rate. Innumerable international brands have hurtled into the segment, rightly fathoming its immense potential in the Indian scenario. Intimatewear is now a talking point; intimatewear is something that an Indian cannot do without. The market needs to talk about it too—it can’t be all hush-hush anymore.

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JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 51

LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

Intimate Goes Indian Intimatewear is an integral segment of apparel manufacturing; it also lies at the core of any individual’s set of garment requirements. Even conservative estimates put the share of intimatewear in the average consumer’s garment expenditure to be as much as ten per cent. Although—globally speaking—intimatewear manufacturing is consistently scaling new heights, Indian intimatewear manufacturing is arguably still in a nascent stage. India is a long way off from realising its—well—potential. The current state of affairs is not a State secret—the Indian intimatewear market has been growing rapidly over the last few years. The current market size is estimated to be $4.8 billion, which marks an 11 per cent increase over 2014; and, the share of intimatewear is roughly 8 per cent of the total domestic apparel market. The segment is expected to grow at a healthy pace in the coming years—by 2025, the market will be worth a whopping $13 billion. Very broadly speaking—in terms of product segmentation at least, intimatewear in India can be safely categorised into three major segments: women’s innerwear, men’s innerwear and kids’ innerwear. The market is dominated and also being driven by women’s innerwear which holds sway over 50 per cent of the landscape. The value of women’s innerwear alone is estimated to be around $2.4 billion. Men’s innerwear accounts for 38 per cent with an estimated market value of $1.8 billion, and the kids’ constituent is surprisingly low in terms of value ($0.5 billion). The women’s innerwear component is the fastest-growing among the three and is expected to wrap up 60 per cent of the market share by 2025.

Growth of Innerwear Segments in India Till 2025 ($billion ) 2025 (P) 2016

7.5 2.4

1.8

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1.3

0.5

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Menswear

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The market is dominated and also being driven by women’s innerwear which holds sway over 50 per cent of the landscape.

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The current intimatewear market size is estimated to be $4.8 billion, which marks an 11 per cent increase over 2014.

In terms of manufacturing too, the market can be broken down into three, but not along the same lines. The first are the indigenous small-scale manufacturers. For long, most of the Indian intimatewear manufacturing has been taking place in the ubiquitous small-scale industry (SSI) units across the country and catering primarily to local market requirements. These units are typically proprietary firms, with an average size per unit not exceeding 15–20 machines, and churning out simple, inexpensive products. Next come the indigenous large-scale manufacturers without foreign tie-ups or collaborations. In fact, a number of such manufacturers have been remarkably successful in their own right. They make products using different types of raw materials, and notable players include Groversons, Rupa, Amul, Lux, Bodycare, TT, Maxwell Industries, Pratibha Syntex, Juliet Apparel and Sonari Lingerie. Then, there are the large-scale manufacturers with their respective foreign tie-ups / collaborations. Quite a few Indian companies in recent years have entered into the manufacturing, marketing or brand licensing tie-ups with international players with a focus on both domestic and export markets. Examples of this category include Page Industries, which has a brand licensing arrangement with Jockey (US).

Fast-Changing Society The innerwear market is being driven by a few key factors or trends. All spell good news for the current manufacturers of innerwear in the country and also for those wanting to enter the market. At the heart lies the demographics factor. India is seeing rapid growth in its urban population not only in the big cities, but in smaller towns and cities too. While on the one hand people are shifting base to cities and metros for better livelihood opportunities, on the other the rural population too is becoming infused with urban patterns and cultures through—what is referred to as—r-urbanisation. Besides, demographics of the country are changing just as swiftly with an increase in the working age population, better male-female ratios, increasing female literacy rates, and narrowing birth and death rates.

Globally innerwear exports amounted to $45 billion in 2016. It is expected to reach $80 billion by 2025. China and Hong Kong are the major exporting nations of innerwear for men and women with a value of $21.3 billion which is a 47 per cent share in global exports. Following closely are Bangladesh, Turkey, India and Vietnam with 4.3 per cent, 4 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent shares respectively. India held the fourth position with around 4 per cent share of global exports and approximately $1.7 billion exports value in 2016.

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LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

Being associated with distinguished brand names and that innate need for a sense of belonging to the upper segments of the society is shaping the average consumer’s need for such apparel items.

The current state of affairs is not a State secret—the Indian intimatewear market has been growing rapidly over the last few years. The current market size is estimated to be $4.8 billion,which marks an 11 per cent increase over 2014; and, the share of intimatewear is roughly 8 per cent of the total domestic apparel market. The segment is expected to grow at a healthy pace in the coming years—by 2025, the market will be worth a whopping $13 billion.

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This triggers growth elsewhere, and therefore the booming growth of the innerwear segment is rooted in fast-changing consumer profiles. New-age consumers are well-educated, fashion and quality conscious, and also well-dressed with that better spending capacity owing to higher disposable incomes—combined with a sense of clarity over needs and wants. The most dynamic of the demographic segments is the aspirational working class who today have the money that they are willing to splurge on intimatewear. Being associated with distinguished brand names and that innate need for a sense of belonging to the upper segments of the society is shaping the average consumer’s need for such apparel items. Moreover, the average customer has also been equally aware of the functional properties of good quality innerwear for support and protection of the body. Karan Behal, founder and chief executive of top-selling brand PrettySecrets, points out, “Over the past decade, the average woman in India has gained exposure from social media, the ways of the West and similar sources. This has led innerwear and intimatewear to no longer remaining a hush-hush discussion, but rather one wherein women openly have a say in their choices and preferences. Women no longer accept lingerie as casual innerwear—they make time to try, select and make the purchase. Innerwear and intimatewear are now seen as fashion accessories instead as necessities. “For example, women make calculated purchases of innerwear with an event, activity or occasion in mind. This has been driven by the media, product innovations within the industry and an increased awareness of fashion orientation and health trends. The sector has also witnessed a rise in the number of working women, a rise in disposable incomes, and a thriving youth population. Bringing together these factors, the innerwear/intimatewear sector has experienced drastic changes over the past decade and is poised to experience unprecedented growth.” At the same time, the population of working women—especially in the urban agglomerations— has grown tremendously in the last few years. The tastes and styles of working women are everevolving, coupled with the freedom and luxury to spend more. The lingerie basket of women has graduated from hopelessly-mismatched bras and panties to impeccably matching sets, bikinis, swimwear, shapewear, sportswear, loungewear and nightwear. The lines between athleisure and casual sportswear has been blurring with the growing popularity of sports bras, while crop tops have been turning into forms of outerwear. In a similar fashion, the men’s innerwear hamper too is expanding. Men are better-groomed than earlier and take special care in choosing the right products for their needs.

The natural outcome of these inter-related socio-economic factors is that retail gets the chance to first grow, and then boom. Retailing is one of the most important sectors of the economy, contributing 20 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The Indian retail market is among the top five in the world and is expected to touch $2 trillion by 2025. The Union government’s decision to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail has been a much-needed boost for the sector with several international players rushing headlong into the beguiling Indian market. Apart from the conventional brick-and-mortar retail, the clickand-mortar retail more commonly known as online retail, or e-tail, is also on a high-growth trajectory courtesy the ongoing digital revolution in the country. India is expected to become the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world with robust investment being its backbone. And, intimatewear will be a key component.

Emerging Categories Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of ensembles that they want to buy for any specific occasion or a particular purpose. This has led to an increase in demand for special categories such as shapewear, sleepwear, swimwear and athleisure. Among these, sleepwear has already seen unprecedented growth in both branded and unbranded segments. However, other categories such as shapewear and swimwear still present a lot of possibilities. Herein, there are three promising categories. Sleepwear: The demand for sleepwear is continuously expanding with sleepwear emerging as an essential clothing item and a fashion statement. Organised players have entered the segment over the last few years with heavy investments in R&D seeking to augment their respective product ranges and have since then come up with either new or better functionalities altogether. Trendy sleepwear is now a mix of t-shirts, shorts, capris, pajamas and nightgowns along with the conventional kurta-pajamas. Fabrics used for sleepwear are mainly of the cotton-blended type (usually with prints). Still enough, a large part of the segment remains unorganised, which can be tapped into by manufacturers and brands. Loungewear: Loungewear now is nightwear which can be easily converted into multi-purpose daywear. For example, taking a morning walk in glam pajamas or wearing chic yet comfortable capris/shorts and tee for a run. There is unexploited and unexplored potential in this segment

The lingerie basket of women has graduated from hopelessly-mismatched bras and panties to impeccably matching sets, bikinis, swimwear, shapewear, sportswear, loungewear and nightwear.

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LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

due to the sheer multi-functionality of products. This in turn provides an opportunity to manufacturers to experiment with fabrics, prints and designs. Growth in man-made fibres such as modal is also a contributing factor to the growth of loungewear. Global brands such as GAP, Marks & Spencer and Calvin Klein have already made headway into this category. Thermals: Another booming category is that of thermals, with many domestic and international brands already diversifying into this hitherto-ignored bracket. Some of the key players in thermals are Monte Carlo, Jockey, Rupa, Hanes and Dixcy. Van Heusen and other premium brands have also launched thermals and men’s innerwear, and are actively promoting it on digital and in print media. Small players too exist, but only cater to local area requirements. Sleepwear could well turn out to be the jack in the box. That’s certainly what the founder of PrettySecrets indicates, “We are currently experiencing enormous growth in the sleepwear segment. Our sleepwear collection is unique compared to any other product in the market. Our collection consists of distinctive prints that are fun and quirky. These are developed in-house by a highly experienced design team. We offer the widest catalogue of sleepwear in the market; our products are available at affordable price points and are value for money. We also offer products for all sizes, XS to XXL.”

Retailing is one of the most important sectors of the economy, contributing 20 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The Indian retail market is among the top five in the world and is expected to touch $2 trillion by 2025. The Union government’s decision to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail has been a muchneeded boost for the sector with several international players rushing headlong into the beguiling Indian market. Apart from the conventional brickand-mortar retail, the click-and-mortar retail more commonly known as online retail, or e-tail, is also on a high-growth trajectory courtesy the ongoing digital revolution in the country.

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Next to Skin The very essence of intimatewear has been changing, particularly over the last two decades. Even in the late 1990s, an overwhelming 90 per cent of innerwear would be made from 100 per cent cotton-woven non-stretch fabrics. The market was highly fragmented and dominated by relativelyinconsequential brands from the unorganised sector. Countless multibrand outlets dotted the rugged innerwear terrain till even the late 1990s. And then came the influx of premium international brands, and growth of their indigenous cousins. The inevitable shift in fabrics too started early this century, and in the first five years itself the mix was almost equal: between innerwear made from cotton-woven non-stretch fabrics and those produced from cotton-knit fabrics. At the end of the first decade, the mix was approximately this: 10 per cent made from 100 per cent cotton-woven fabrics, 50 per cent from 100 per cent cotton-knit fabrics, and the rest from polyester or cotton-mix fabrics. In short, cotton has been losing its status as the fabric of choice among consumers, and that has been directly reflected in the product mix of both brands and unorganised small players. Over time, there was an increasing proclivity towards spandex, and then lycra brought in that stretch element that subsequently reshaped the market altogether. The perfect fit became ‘in’, and additional features were being talked about: from anti-odour and anti-sweat properties to anti-microbial elements. It was no more a question of that functional, basic garment anymore— innerwear needed its own features.

Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of ensembles that they want to buy for any specific occasion or a particular purpose.

Men are better-groomed than earlier and take special care in choosing the right products for their needs.

The plethora of new fibres that hit the market had its cascading effect on intimatewear as well. To name just a few: DuPont Sorona, Lenzing Modal, Lycra, Inviya, Freshsil, Birla Cellulose and Creora. But all this happened towards the higher end of the market mix. Down below, small-time manufacturers stuck to the basic cotton-oriented fabrics— some by design, others by default. The market therefore remained varied and polarised, with one end of the spectrum swathed in the new and exciting, and the other unceremoniously bereft of either invention or innovation. But what’s past, is past for sure. It’s the set of trends of the future that one will henceforth need to keep in mind. As Behal, who has been keeping a close eye on trends and changing consumer behaviour, indicates, “Consumer preference will shift towards practical choices in innerwear and companies will cater to functional requirements. The majority Indian female body type is one with a heavy bust; they require high-support full-coverage bras. Full-coverage bras will not only remain simple and functional, but also come in several style options and trim additions. Similarly, plunge bras that are bought for deeper necklines are currently among the (hot) trends in the market. “Owing to the trend that suggests consumers take notice of the colour palette in their wardrobe while shopping for lingerie, more women seek to match their lingerie sets. Even as per different skin tones, we have added three different nude shades to cater to these specific needs. Likewise, we added neon colours to the PrettySecrets 2017 collection when neon outerwear was hitting the market.” The inclination towards certain fabrics too is bound to set in, sooner than later. Behal underlines, “Preference for natural fabrics will see a rise as consumers become increasingly conscious about their purchases. Bamboo-based fibres such as modal viscose will gain popularity. Our Breathe collection consists of all natural 100 per cent cotton bras and we keep adding more options in solids and prints. Our Super Soft Essentials in modal are an all-time favourite among our customers. Natural fibres are super-absorbent and perfect for Indian weather, and hence it will work well in the market.”

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LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

The Indian consumer is still evolving. So, the onus of educating customers about their latent needs and new product innovation lies completely with the brands.

Key Challenges

Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of ensembles that they want to buy for any specific occasion or a particular purpose. This has led to an increase in demand for special categories such as shapewear, sleepwear, swimwear and athleisure. Among these, sleepwear has already seen unprecedented growth in both branded and unbranded segments. However, other categories such as shapewear and swimwear still present a lot of possibilities.

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Yes, the market is booming, and the potential is phenomenal. But that doesn’t mean that there are no hitches or drawbacks. In fact, there are one too many. A snapshot: Lack of economies of scale; Lack of skilled manpower; Lack of sophistication to manufacture high-end women’s intimatewear; Unavailability of quality inputs within the country; Intense competition and low margins in economy to mid-segment; Lack of professional fashion and design schools that impart training specifically in intimatewear; Lack of R&D focus unlike countries such as Sri Lanka. There’s, of course, a context here. The intimatewear demand is moving from plain cotton white sets to designer sets with advanced fabrics. Product development in terms of design is also gaining ground with products like weighted vests, biker vests, and cowboy vests becoming popular among customers. As a spin-off, the focus on product development and innovation becomes key to sustain in this market. Joint venture options can also be explored by the industry to bring in the requisite technology to the country. Such collaborations will help industry upgrade in terms of skillsets, manufacturing capacities, and design and operational efficiencies as they gain access to the partner company’s invaluable resources. True, the Indian consumer is still evolving. Hence, the onus of educating customers about their latent needs and new product innovation lies completely with the brands. They need to invest in marketing and communications to realise long-term gains of the potential Indian intimatewear market. Manufacturers, for their part, should invest in large plants to reap the benefits of economies of scale. Organised retailers should grant due consideration to the intimatewear category in their merchandise mix. Retailers should focus on building a comprehensive range of right brands and products around the needs of their target consumers. Emphasis should be given on visual merchandising, as this will help in maximising the per square foot yield from the promising intimatewear category. A complete shopping experience should be offered to customers entering a shop to buy intimatewear. The elements should ideally include some of the following: Ambience that enhances the privacy and pleasure in shopping of this category; Aesthetic display of products in a way which facilitates easy browsing; Clean and well-lit trial rooms; Female staff and privacy for the women’s section; Personal counselling on correct size measurement, selection of correct styles based on usage and body types, trousseau collection and gifting. It is noteworthy that the Indian intimatewear industry has reached a tipping point and is geared to take its next leap of growth. The time is ripe to reap the benefits of the massive growth potential in the sector. Manufacturers can adopt a mix of strategies such as product diversification, strategic tie-ups among domestic brands or with international brands. Also, the focus should be on better product designs and increased functionalities to make Indian products globally competitive and catapult Indian exports of intimatewear towards the top. Both organised and online retailers who have not yet included intimatewear in their merchandise assortment could well consider doing so to provide an all-inclusive shopping experience to customers as well as maximise their own profits.

A Trade Perspective The global market for intimatewear is ever-expanding, fuelled by growing global demand, changing dynamics of the end-consumer and innovative technologies. A range of attractive and practically useful innerwear has flooded the markets from many global brands vying for the top spots, especially in the lucrative women’s intimatewear category. Globally innerwear exports amounted to $45 billion in 2016. It is expected to reach $80 billion by 2025. China and Hong Kong are the major exporting nations of innerwear for men and women with a value of $21.3 billion which is a 47 per cent share in global exports. Following closely are Bangladesh, Turkey, India and Vietnam with 4.3 per cent, 4 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent shares respectively. India held the fourth position with around 4 per cent share of global exports and approximately $1.7 billion exports value in 2016. Countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have marched ahead in the innerwear trade mainly due to large manufacturing set-ups, economies of scale, huge investments, market access arrangements and strong focus on design and research and development (R&D) which are some areas in which India is still lacking in. For example, Sri Lankan brand Amanté has been selling widely in India for over a decade through multi-brand retailers and e-commerce platforms. Witnessing their enviable success, owner company MAS Holdings has already sanctioned over 100 exclusive stores for their lingerie brand (Amanté) all over India. The strategy being employed here is the need for privacy by the customer while going on a lingering-shopping spree. Similar strategies are being followed by other global brands such as Marks & Spencer, which conducted a pilot run of six standalone beauty and lingerie stores.

Five Year Trend of Global Intimatewear Trade (2012 to 2016) in $billion 45 42 2012

2016 Source: UN Comtrade and Wazir Analysis

Top exporting countries for innerwear in 2016 RoW 23%

France 2%

China & HK 48%

Netherlands 3% Italy 3% Sri Lanka 3% Germany 3% Vietnam 3%

India 4% Turkey 4%

Bangladesh 4% Source: UN Comtrade and Wazir Analysis

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LEAD FEATURE Intimatewear

Van Heusen and other premium brands have launched thermals and men’s innerwear, and are actively promoting it on digital and in print media.

Indian manufacturers and exporters could well look at what their rivals or counterparts in the tiny island of Sri Lanka are doing. A tête-à-tête with one particular company reveals that their emphasis is quality. Buddhi Paranamana, general manager for innovation and strategy at the $200 million Hela Clothing, says, “Quality is embedded in our development and production process. Our quality assurance starts at the fabric mill, where fabric technologists develop and produce the fabric in collaboration with the mill adhering to our customers’ quality levels. Quality assurance checks are carried out for all raw materials (fabric, trims, elastics, thread and all other components), when laying the fabric, after cutting the fabric, when sewing, after sewing, and just before the goods are shipped to the customer.” Hela manufactures for an array of brands and retailers. Its top brands/groups for intimatewear are PVH (Calvin Klein, Warner’s, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod), Michael Kors and MGF group of brands; VF Corporation, Tesco, Marks & Spencer for casualwear arm; and Speedo in sportswear. Paranamana continues, “Five out of the nine factories we have in Sri Lanka have been awarded Gold WRAP certification, and we are currently the only PVH Green-rated plant in Africa, which speaks for itself in terms of where Hela places its benchmark for quality. In terms of design, since we manufacture end-to-end designs, we always follow a customer-price architecture which is designed to suit the demand for fashion products, which in turn allows the customer to market the product at the right price.” He also outlines something that Indian manufacturers would want to take note of, “Most brands turn to Sri Lanka for innerwear due to the high standard in quality and end-to-end solutions. All leading manufacturers in Sri Lanka boast of very high standards in compliance for their factories as well as employees. This has become part of the overall country’s offering. Hela Clothing, like most leaders in the industry, provides more than just manufacturing solutions for brands. An end-to-end approach for design & innovation is a key offering that differentiates us from Asian counterparts.” That’s how Sri Lanka has gone on to becoming one of the biggest players in the global intimatewear market, and possibly why Amanté too is one of the biggest players on Indian turf.

Lingering On Despite the continual growth and the potential growth factor, intimatewear for inexplicable reasons remains under the cover. Perhaps some taboo, some of that introverted veneer still remain. Till, hopefully, those are ripped to shreds by that ever-burgeoning market. About the author Subir Ghosh (subirghosh.in) is a Bengaluru-based journalist and writer. Sanjay Arora (business director), Anubha Sehgal (senior consultant) and Barnaa Dekaa (associate consultant) are with leading consultancy firm Wazir Advisors (wazir.in).

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Soul Space: Making responsible fashion accessible to all In a country like India where pollution levels are high and is ever increasing, we as responsible citizens must make every step count and work towards creating a greener and sustainable environment. The fashion conscious brand Soul Space is working towards this ideology by making responsible fashion accessible to all. The spirited brand has recently unveiled its flagship store in Pune and hopes to establish its footprints in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad by the third quarter of the year. The brand has a strong presence on multi brand e-commerce stores and its own website as well. It is planning to launch 20 more stores across India by fiscal 2019-20. The story of all Soul Space products begins with 100 per cent organic cotton farming weaved by happy workers who take care to bring customers sustainable, fashionable clothes that come at affordable price range. Trendy and stylish categories are available for both men and women—Essentials, Studio and Athleisure. Essentials is an impressive array of lounge and intimatewear. The Studio collection presents yoga and performance wear to ‘be flexible’. The brand offers a special class of fashion in Athleisure, where sportswear takes an uber stylish turn. Apart from having trendy ensembles, the label is planning to keep handloom dresses for women and a section for kids’ garments. “The brand is #madeinindia with the cotton #sowninindia for every person who feels for mother earth

and believes that everyone should be treated equally and fairly. It helps you to reduce your carbon footprint and give back to mother earth with clothing that is ethically made. Sustainable fashion is about being kind to our environment, sensible with our resources and treating our fellow garment workers like human beings,” says Rajat Jaipuria, director, Soul Space. Every year, around 20,000 farmers experience severe health-hazards due to poisoning. Hence, the brand is working to help farmers and spread the message to care about the people and planet by wearing rational fashion. All the garments of Soul Space are GOTS (General Organic Textiles Standards) certified and Fair trade certified with a promise to be produced in a way that uses methods and materials that lessen the impact on our environment and does away with pesticides and toxic chemicals. Shopping with the brand is not just about buying a fashion statement; it is about being an appreciator of ethical clothing as the fashion line cares for the farmers. Narrowing the gap between grassroots and glamour, the brand spins the tale of clothing that begins with organic cotton farming and responsible manufacturing uniting sustainability with style.

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The 25th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer Latest fashion collections and market intelligence to be unveiled Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/ Summer will raise its curtain again in coming July under the theme ‘Happy Collage’. Entering its 25th edition, the four-day fair will run from July 9-12, 2018 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Some 1,100 international exhibitors are expected to present the latest fashion designs, international brands, garment, fabrics and accessories. As a premier sourcing platform for global buyers, the Hong Kong Fashion Week is also a gateway to vibrant markets in the Chinese mainland and Asia, making it an important event in the global fashion calendar. New ‘Corporate Fashion and Uniforms’ zone The Hong Kong Fashion Week strives to keep abreast of the market pulse by actively incorporating new elements into the fairs. It is noticeable that corporate uniform, being an indispensable niche, has its sustainable growth in the global clothing market. In particular, there is a surge in demand for workwear in the Chinese mainland market with growing number of people engaging in the secondary and tertiary sectors. Following its first debut in 2018 Fall/ Winter edition, the Corporate Fashion and Uniforms zone will take place again in this Spring/Summer edition

to showcase latest corporate uniforms and workwear for different industries. While functionality is an essential criterion for workwear, buyers nowadays also put much attention to the design approach, styles, quality as well as the technology element. After the successful participation in the 2018 Fall/Winter edition, Hong Kong exhibitor Antonhill Co Ltd. will be returning to present its latest collection of uniforms and one-stop design service. The brand put forward the concept of ‘corporate fashion’ into uniform supply service and focuses in designing and tailoring unique and representative uniforms for different companies. The fair is also categorised with different thematic zones to enhance sourcing efficiency. Highlights among

them are ‘Fashion Gallery’ where high fashion and brands/labels will be featured, ‘World of Fashion Accessories’ which will house all fashion accessories-related zones such as bags, footwear, leggings and socks, gloves, scarves and shawl, as well as ‘Menswear’ and ‘Fabrics & Yarn’. Fashion Tech transforms the industry Changes brought by advancement of technology have transcended industries, including the fashion industry. From trend forecasting, textile design, quality control to retailing, technology has gradually transformed different elements in the industry. Meanwhile, the application of technology into fashion can be spotted in the fair as well, with exhibitors presenting technologywoven fabrics or garment pieces. For example, the luminous fibre optics textile, presented by Shenzhen Fashion Luminous Technology Co Ltd, is a fabric with LED optical

fibres weaved within. Thus, the fabrics can illuminate in seven colours and varied flashing effects controlled by smart phone application. The starry, distinctive fabrics can be used in making shoes, garments and decorative clothing, in which designers can make use of this innovative material to demonstrate more aesthetic details in their fashion designs. The fair also encompasses fashion related IT solutions to help add value to business. Among them, Hong Kong exhibitor Key Links Data Technology Company Limited will showcase its ComLink QC inspection tool, which performs quality inspections on garments based on Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) standard. Workers from the production line can submit real-time report with images to the application; while manufacturers can simultaneously monitor the production and share customised quality control reports in the application, achieving high efficiency production line management.

Enriching events on the scene An exciting line-up of fashion parades will be staged during the fair period to provide platforms for exhibitors and designers to showcase their latest designs to global buyers. During the fair period, veterans from key international trend forecasting agencies Fashion Snoops, representative from the Hong Kong Research Institute

of Textiles and Apparel and industry professionals will be invited to shed light on the latest fashion trends, textile technology, e-tailing, and market development in seminars and forums. Networking reception will also be arranged during the fair for buyers, exhibitors and industry representatives to mingle and expand their business network through personal contact.

Hong Kong Fashion Week Fair Date: July 9-12, 2018 (Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Thursday) Venue: Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Admission: Free admission for trade buyers aged over 18 only

PrettySecrets

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A Brand Speak | PrettySecrets

Lingerie is no longer casual innerwear

KARAN BEHAL, founder and chief executive of top-selling brand PrettySecrets, talks about trends, forecasts and consumer behaviour.

66 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

What are the elements that you need to change in your collections? Designs? Colours? Material? We take pride in our designs and colours as that is our USP. Our unique designs and colours are widely appreciated across the country and actually run synonymously with the PrettySecrets brand name. The sole element that we believe we need to strengthen in our collection is the engineering and raw material component. Fit and comfort along with the feel of the fabric are of utmost importance when it comes to the first layer of clothing you wear on your skin, and hence it’s imperative to get these right. Additionally, through intensive consumer research, we have seen that the fundamental press points for women when it comes to lingerie is comfort and fit. Hence, if these aren’t right the customer does not and will not ever consider buying.

Karan Behal, founder and chief executive, PrettySecrets

he innerwear/intimatewear sector has changed drastically over the last one decade. What factors have contributed to this? Over the past decade, the average woman in India has gained exposure from social media, the ways of the West and similar sources. This has led innerwear and intimatewear to no longer remaining a hush-hush discussion, but rather one wherein women openly have a say in their choice and preferences. Women no longer accept lingerie as casual innerwear—they make time to try, select and make the purchase. Innerwear and intimatewear are now seen as fashion accessories instead as a necessity. For example, women make calculated purchases of innerwear with an event, activity or occasion in mind. This has been driven by the media, product innovations within the industry and an increased awareness of fashion orientation and health trends. The sector has also witnessed a rise in the number of working women, a rise in the disposable incomes, and a thriving youth population. Bringing together these factors, the innerwear/intimatewear sector has experienced drastic change over the past decade and is poised to experience unprecedented growth.

Which segment is driving growth for you: sleepwear, loungewear, athleisure, or any other? We are currently experiencing enormous growth in the sleepwear segment. Our sleepwear collection is unique when compared to any other product in the market. Our collection consists of distinctive prints that are fun and quirky. These are developed inhouse by a highly experienced design team. We offer the widest catalogue of sleepwear in the market; our products are available at affordable price points and are value for money. We also offer products for all sizes, XS to XXL. In India, sleepwear is currently a booming category as is evident by the growing demand. Indians are now not only taking fashion consciousness to the streets but to home as well. People are increasingly recognising the need to buy sleepwear of a specific quality. Which are the top trends in innerwear for women and men? 1. Bra and bralette sets with special design features at the back and on the sides, such as caged bras, lace wing/band bralettes that are used with outerwear garments.

The seamless look is very aesthetic and functional as well. This trend will continue going forward to next seasons.

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INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A Brand Speak | PrettySecrets

2. Growing technological additions made to bras such as dotted accupressure padding in bras (regulates blood flow in the body). 3. Front open bras and reversible bras and other such “easy to wear” designs which are made keeping primarily the ‘function’ of the product in mind. What kind of fabrics will influence innerwear in 2019/20? Seamless technology is an on-going trend. The seamless look is very aesthetic and functional as well. This trend will continue going forward to next seasons. Lurex is a growing trend within fabrics. We will soon be seeing lurex fibres in single jersey fabrics/polyamide/ polyesters, lurex graphic artworks and lurex stripes on camis, PJ sets and even bras. This trend can give a versatile usage in the innerwear market. Spacer knit fabrics will be a booming fabric trend. Spacer is a highly breathable, cushioned, multi-faceted fabric, used in the practical making of a wide variety of products. We may see its use in the innerwear as bra cups. In synthetic fabrics, polyester blends with peach finish in bras, brushed poly-cots in nightwear/lingerie, fleece effect in knitwear tops and sleepshirts will also see a rise owing to the extreme comfort they give to the user. In natural fabrics, eco-friendly consumerism is a growing trend which attracts the market to our Super

Soft collections that include products made of modal fabric. This fabric is essentially made of re-purposed bamboo fibre and will be a growing trend in coming seasons. What are the current consumer preferences for innerwear? Consumer preference will shift towards practical choices in innerwear and the companies will cater to functional requirements increasingly. Majority of Indian female body types have a heavy bust and they require a high support full coverage bra. Full coverage bras will not only remain a simple functional aspect, but will also come in several style options and trim additions. Similarly, plunge bras that are bought for deeper necklines are currently among the trends in the market. Owing to the growing trend that suggests consumers take notice of the colour palette in their wardrobe while shopping for lingerie, more women seek to match their lingerie sets. Even as per different skin tones, we have added three different nude shades to cater to these specific needs. Likewise, we added neon colours to the PrettySecrets 2017 collection when neon outerwear was hitting the market. Preference for natural fabrics will see a rise as consumers become increasingly conscious about their purchases. Bamboo-based fibres such as modal viscose will gain popularity. Our Breathe collection consists of all natural 100 per cent cotton bras and we keep adding more options in solids and prints. Our Super Soft Essentials in modal are an all-time favourite among our customers. Natural fibres are super absorbent and perfect for Indian weather, and hence it will work well in the market. What are the trends in terms of trim and accessories in innerwear? Bra accessories such as strap extenders and hook ‘n eye adjusters are doing well because of their functionality. It is natural for body shapes and size

Functional bras such as nudes, convertibles and strapless bras which are a ‘must have’ in every woman’s wardrobe and require a good fit are among the top-sellers in offline stores.

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Fit and comfort along with the feel of the fabric are of utmost importance when it comes to the first layer of clothing you wear on your skin.

to constantly shift and change over the years and consumers will look forward to these accessories to sustain their existing products much longer. These accessories also add features such as backless, strapless effects to everyday bras. Accessories such as silicon padding and bras that have removable padding have also gained popularity as awareness about their usage has increased. Majority of women all over the world have asymmetric bust shapes and additionally removable padding aids in giving a perfect fit. Which fits and styles will be in vogue in 2019/20? In the dark palette, there is a preference for classic romantic tones such as maroon, brown, grey and navy which compliment dusky skin tones. These colours will commonly be seen in our Tempt Me collections and bralettes. In the light tones, the market preference is shifting from candy pastels to sophisticated luxurious pastel tones such as dusky rose, champagne gold, pearl white and an entry of precious gemstone shades. Prints will be changing into ditsy florals with a polka spread and striped with floral effects. Florals will continue as an evergreen trend, followed by abstract prints. These are mostly digital and juxtaposed shapes and textures. Then you will have stripes and geometric prints as another favourite, but with a new twist of

organic elements to break the monotony. There may still be animal prints with some brands, but the demand in the market has revealed a declining trend. Hawaiian prints with flora and fauna prints will trend in the swimwear category. In silhouettes, snug fits with a contoured feel and look; broad bands with seamless innerwear such as our Miracle Fits which take the exact shape of the body and create a contoured look. Then there are lightweight modal fabric products which give a “barely there” feel when worn. We have modal fabric hipsters, boyshorts, thongs and bikinis that cling to the hips without giving any marks or irritating the skin. For the ‘no show look’ with a glimpse of silver effect, lurex seamless innerwear will also work well in the market. Which price points work well for your brand(s)? ₹399–899. Which are your top-selling products online and offline? Our top-selling product online is from the Miracle Fit collection that has padded non-wired and padded wired varieties—both have been a huge success in the online market. Those are followed by the Breathe collection owing to a growing market of conscious consumerism that looks for products in natural fabrics. The next is Tempt Me, which caters to the bridal market and has a loyal customer base. Additionally, we have bridal trousseau events at a few stores to celebrate our loyal customers. The offline market demand trends are similar to the online ones, but here we have customers who do not visit the store only to scroll through the options, but have specific needs when they enter a store. The BasiX bra which has a core basic styling with multiple colour options has worked well for us. Functional bras such as nudes, convertibles and strapless bras which are a ‘must have’ in every woman’s wardrobe and require a good fit are among the top-sellers in offline stores.

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ADVERTORIAL

InfiniumiD: Embee Group’s latest innovation in rotary printing machine Servo Individual Drive System with state-of-the-art European technology Embee, established in 1956 with a small beginning always believed in continuous innovation and research for the betterment of today’s and tomorrow’s commitments to the textile industry. More than six decades of experience with continuous research, technical modernisation, and cooperation of its technical team enables it to offer unique textile machinery products of high quality and precision. Today, Embee provides a complete range of rotary printing solutions. Innovation has been not only core strength, but also a tradition at Embee. The company’s recent innovation, InfiniumiD has been developed by using the state-of-the-art electronic individual drive system of latest European technology. The machine is equipped with a servo motor for each printing position to improve superior printing accuracy and ease of operation. Each position can be adjusted individually and can be set high or low. This delivers the highest printing quality, combined with excellent efficiency and minimum waste. This highly sophisticated approach reduces the amount of cabling in the machine and therefore reduces the chance of malfunction. Unique Features: Servo Individual Drive system InfiniumiD is an ideal option for customer who prefers individual drive system. The printing blanket as well as all printing heads are provided with superior quality individual motors. This allows greater flexibility with lowest speed difference between the printing blanket and the Screen Head. One of the main benefits is significant energy saving because of the reduced number of running printing heads. Key benefits are greater stability, perfect print fitting even in long printing runs and hence reduced wastage.

Repeat setting InfiniumiD ensures the easiest setting longitudinal, lateral and diagonal repeats at any printing position. For magnetic roller squeegee the magnetic force can be latered which controls the squeegee pressure to give desired print quality. Thus, repeat setting, squeegee/ magnet force and colour pump settings can be adjusted with ease. Maximum repeat size up to 1018mm is possible. Touch screen individual head InfiniumiD comes with the most innovative touch screen interface for ease of operation. The user interface of the touch panel is very easy to understand for the factory workers. Touch screen main panel The main touch operated control panel is also very informative, yet easy to

operate. It is connected to an industrial PC. For security purpose, control settings and access can be restricted to authorised personnel. Remote assistance For urgent technical solution by Embee’s experienced engineers, the machine can be accessed remotely whenever required. This ensures that there is no loss in regular production and immediate solution. Any issues are resolved immediately, and productivity therefore remains high.

Embee’s all products are aligned with its vision—to be the most trusted global leader in innovative technological solutions which are focused on ‘higher efficiency’ and ‘returns’ for sustainable growth of all the stakeholders.

Vendor Talk | Hela Clothing

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

QUALITY IS EMBEDDED IN OUR PRODUCTION PROCESS

A $200 million company focusing on apparel manufacturing, design and innovation, Hela Clothing is headquartered in Sri Lanka and has 12 factories in four countries—one each in Kenya, Ethiopia and Mexico and the remaining in Sri Lanka. Providing design-to-deliver solutions in the intimate, sleep and casual wear product ranges, its two main clusters Hela Intimates and Hela Casual produce intimatewear, activewear, casualwear and kidswear. BUDDHI PARANAMANA, General Manager—Innovation and Strategy, talks about technological innovation in innerwear. What is the global market size of intimates and casuals? How do you see your market segment growing in the next few years locally and globally? The market size of the global apparel industry is estimated to be $1.4 trillion by the end of 2021 based on reports published by the World Bank and Euromonitor. High-value products such as sports and intimatewear are among the fastest growing segments in the apparel market. Where the CAGR of all segments in the apparel industry averages at 4.5 per cent, the CAGR of the intimates segment will be around 5 per cent over the next three years.

Buddhi Paranamana, General Manager, Innovation and Strategy, Hela Clothing

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What are the growth prospects of the global product lifecycle management in the apparel market for 20182022? With the increasing demand of ‘speed to market’, brands are challenging vendors to improve their product lifecycle management. There has been an increase in third party service providers catering to provide product lifecycle management tools. The future of such tools will include artificial intelligence to streamline supply and demand in a better way.

portion, the larger product range is in women’s products focusing on higher quality fabric finishes. The men’s underwear segment is focused on functional fabrics and added support for a better fit. And the latest collection of Hela Casual? The casualwear collection continues to provide affordable products in the kids’ range with a focus on back-to-school clothing. A new range was introduced for women’s bottoms using space dye technology in the fabrication. What is the retail presence of Hela Intimates and Hela Casual? Products manufactured by Hela Clothing can be found in all major retail stores in the US and UK, such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Costco, Tesco, etc. What are the latest technological innovations used at your units? A number of semi-automated machines are being used in the manufacturing lines—ranging from waistband elastic cutting and placing to folding and packing. We also focus on automating the information flow in production modules at the quality checking points by using touchscreen-based input devices. This information is then visualised in real time for better decisionmaking and errorproofing. For designing, we are equipped with industry standard CAD software and tools. The lines between innerwear and outerwear are blurring, given how athleisure and certain intimates such as bralettes which are considered to be innerwear are also worn as outerwear in a massive boudoir-dressing trend which has caught on.

What factors do you keep in mind while designing the garments? There are three areas to consider when designing. The first is asking ourselves who the brand’s iconic customer is, and the kind of lifestyle they lead. Second, a brand caters to customers across the world and therefore, the product should cater to that unique identity and global marketspace. Finally, it should be based on the latest trends of the existing demand in the market. Tell us about the latest collection of Hela Intimates. The latest collection is focused mostly around underwear and sleepwear. Out of the underwear

How do you ensure the quality of garments? Quality is embedded in our development and production process. Our quality assurance happens at the fabric mill, where fabric technologists develop and produce the fabric in collaboration with the mill adhering to our customers’ quality levels. Quality assurance checks are carried out at the GRN point for all raw materials (fabric, trims, elastics, thread and all other components), when laying the fabric, after cutting the fabric, when sewing, after sewing, and just before the goods are shipped to the customer. How scalable is customisation in mass production? Scalability of customisation depends on a number of variables. If it’s a simple digital print, that can be scaled up with the use of advance printers available

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Vendor Talk | Hela Clothing

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

today. However, if the customisation includes multiple raw materials, there is a limitation to scalability related to the amount of raw materials in stock. Which brands and retailers are you associated with? Hela manufactures for an array of brands and retailers from intimatewear and casualwear to sportswear. Our top three brands or groups in intimatewear are PVH (Calvin Klein, Warner’s, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod), Michael Kors and MGF group of brands; for casualwear arm our main customers are VF Corporation, Tesco, Marks & Spencer; and we manufacture for Speedo in sportswear. What kinds of quality and design standards do you comply with? Five out of the nine factories we have in Sri Lanka have been awarded Gold WRAP certification, and we are currently the only PVH Green rated plant in Africa, which speaks for itself in terms of where Hela places its benchmark for quality. In terms of design, since we

manufacture end-to-end designs, we always follow a customer-price architecture which is designed to suit the demand for fashion products, which in turn allows the customer to market the product at the right price. What is your R&D team like? How much do you spend on R&D on an annual basis? We have a diverse R&D team, in terms of expertise as well as experience in the industry. The team expertise ranges from mechanical/automation engineers, fabric technologists, product development specialists to data scientists and business analysts. While most members have a minimum of 3–5 years of experience in the industry, we also encourage those from outside the industry to join the team. How sustainable are your production facilities? The Higg Index is a self-assessment standard for the apparel and footwear industries to assess environmental and social sustainability throughout the supply chain. Hela has assessed five out of the nine factories in Sri Lanka and the factories in Africa as well. We are actively working to assess the remaining factories so that collectively—as a group— we work towards sustainability from the initial point of the garments’ lifecycle. What policies and practices have helped Sri Lanka as a manufacturing hub for the innerwear sector? Most brands turn to Sri Lanka for innerwear due to the high standard in quality and end-to-end solutions. All leading manufacturers in Sri Lanka boast of very high standards in compliance for their factories as well as employees. This has become part of the overall country’s offering. Hela Clothing, like most leaders in the industry, provides more than just manufacturing solutions for brands. An end-to-end approach for design & innovation is a key offering that differentiates us from Asian counterparts. How do you ensure a lean supply chain? We work closely with strategic suppliers who are located close to our manufacturing facilities for speed models and focus on VMI/JIT initiatives. Hela has service providers within the plants to make the manufacturing as lean as possible. Demand forecasts and supply forecasts are areas which we are focusing on in order to better VMI/JIT initiatives.

Most of Hela’s technological innovations are focused around its largest product ranges—boxers and panties. Adding more functionality by creating an ideal fit and comfort through fabric features are the main technological innovations in these categories.

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What are the HR policies followed across your offices? While Hela firmly enforces and deploys several HR policies into practice, they fall under the key pillars of (i) attract talent, (ii) develop talent, and (iii) retain talent. Under these pillars, some other initiatives are gender equality, diversity and setting up workplace flexibility as the new norm.

What are the latest technological innovations used in the manufacturing and designing of bra, bralettes, boxers and panties? Most of our technological innovations are focused around our largest product ranges—boxers and panties. Adding more functionality by creating an ideal fit and comfort through fabric features are the main technological innovations in these categories. Are you into maternity innerwear? No, we’re currently not manufacturing maternity innerwear. However, we are exploring innovative solutions to provide added functionality to this category of products. The lines between innerwear and outerwear are blurring. Are you working towards designing products in this range? Guaranteed that the lines between innerwear and outerwear are blurring, given how athleisure and certain intimates such as bralettes which are considered to be innerwear are also worn as outerwear in a massive boudoir-dressing trend which has caught on. We offer products in this range as part of our seasonal design and innovation offering. To name a few, we have created fashion bralettes with added functional support for wearing one for a workout. What is your manufacturing capacity? Any expansion plans? Our current manufacturing capacity from a group perspective would be 6.5 million units of intimatewear

Most brands turn to Sri Lanka for innerwear due to the high standard in quality and end-to-end solutions. All leading manufacturers in Sri Lanka boast of very high standards in compliance for their factories as well as employees.

and three million units of apparel every month. Seeing how we aggressively ramped up over the past two years given our expansion into Africa and Mexico, for the next couple of years we will focus on optimising our growth potential and stabilising our efficiencies. The growth in capacity will continue to come from the factories in Africa. What’s in the pipeline? In terms of products, we are continuously innovating to identify and improve functionality. We provide a ‘big data analytics’ based approach to identify white space opportunities for brands who want to increase market penetration.

With the increasing demand of ‘speed to market’, brands are challenging vendors to improve their product lifecycle management. There has been an increase in third party service providers catering to provide product lifecycle management tools.

How did you fare in the last two fiscals and what are your expectations from the next two? The last two were years of investment and setting the foundation for our growth to become a $300 million company by 2020. We made significant investments in Kenya and Ethiopia and now employ 5,000 people in the region. We invested heavily in our Sri Lankan manufacturing arm and in our people by introducing lean concepts and layouts across the group as well as investing in sustainability. This has won us a PVH Human Rights Award and we currently have the only Green rated factory in Africa. Now that our investments have stabilised, we are looking forward to reaping the benefits of the investment we made over the past two years. We see Kenya and Ethiopia growing by 25 per cent while the Sri Lankan operations continue to build on their expertise to become the technical hub for the group.

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ADVERTORIAL

Complete solution for textile processing machinery Texfab Engineers India Pvt. Ltd. is known for manufacturing and exporting of textile processing machinery and is fully committed to delivering complete solutions. The company offers a comprehensive range of fabric processing machinery like steaming, washing, mercerizer, bleaching and varieties of dyeing machines enough to offer customers choice, along with laboratory steaming and dyeing machine in different versions. We command 98% market share of Loop Ager machine in India. IOT enabled machine Industry 4.0 Ready.

Why Texfab?

Good quality machines: Texfab manufactures excellent quality machines using advance technology CNC automatic machine in various production process. Manufacturing of quality machines – starting from raw material procurement to assembly of the final product, is accompanied by a strong sense of responsibility towards the strict and escalated quality parameters, set within the organisation. Today, the name of Texfab stands synonymous with quality – both in product and in service. And this is a result of more than a decade of continuous improvement, dedication and hard work, put in by the entire team of Texfab. Reliable service support: With its reliable and dedicated service networks spread across the nation, sincere service is not just what Texfab delivers to customers, but it is also deeply embedded in its corporate DNA. More specifically, reliable service is Texfab’s goal when it supplies machineries to customers, while sincere service is its philosophy when serving customers. Texfab’s professional service network includes engineers both at its headquarters and

regional resident engineers are operated by Texfab. Its commitment to ‘Sincere Service’ means that the needs of customers and customer satisfaction are driving considerations in everything it does as a company. Customer focus: Texfab is committed to meeting customer’s needs and exceeding customers’ expectations. It provides products and services of the highest quality to its customers, thereby gaining their respect and trust. “We think from the customer’s point of view in order to arrive at mutually beneficial outcomes. We make promises cautiously, and do our utmost to meet our commitments. We encourage the creation of value, to exceed customer expectations,” says Mukesh Pachauri, Managing Director of Texfab.

Products

Texfab service network

Surat: 23 Service Engineers Delhi/NCR: 02 Service Engineers Ahmedabad: 02 Service Engineers South India: 03 Service Engineers Mumbai: 02 Service Engineers

Achievements

Steamers Washing Machines Bleaching & Mercerizing Machines Drying Range Dyeing Machines Pre & Post Machines for Digital Printing

ISO 9001:2015 certified company (certificate no. IND17.5368Q/U issued by Bureau Veritas). Company exists since 1990 having experience of 28 years in textile processing machinery. More than 3000 installation base across the world. Exporting to more than 25 countries. An overall manpower strength of 300 enthusiastic, technically sound, honest and dedicated employees. Company has 32 technically sound skilled erection and service engineers available across the nation. Company has CNC automatic machine for quality production of machines. Company is powered by SAP ERP software.

Loop Ager

Major export markets

Soft Flow Dyeing Machine

Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, Colombia, Dubai, Dr Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, UK, USA, Vietnam, Yemen

Fabrics | Eurojersey

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

Comfort factor is big in technical and stretch fabrics Founded in 1960, Eurojersey Spa represents the Made in Italy style and creativity in warpknit through its Sensitive Fabrics range. Its manufacturing unit spread over 35,000 sq m is a vertically integrated plant with an annual production capacity of 12 million metres of fabric. MD ANDREA CRESPI discusses the future of high-quality jersey fabrics and more in an interview with Fibre2Fashion

hat is the size of the Italian textiles industry? At what rate is it growing annually? The Italian textiles industry is still well-known for its unique quality, and recognised as a key player in the European textiles industry. Quality, innovation and technology are the reasons for the success of our textile industry. We perceive an annual growth of 5 per cent.

Andrea Crespi, MD, Eurojersey Spa

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What is the market share claimed by Eurojersey? Eurojersey as part of Carvico Group represents the global point of reference in the warp-knit sector.

The Italian textiles industry is still well-known for its unique quality, and recognised as a key player in the European textiles industry.

Which are your major markets (in terms of geographies and industries)? The best-selling markets in Europe are Italy, Germany and France. The US is the most successful market for us, while in Asia we see growth in China, Korea and Japan. What are the prospects and scope of jersey fabrics in formal/businesswear? This is a strategic segment for us. The upcoming trend for technical and stretch fabrics is comfort, which is also the USP of our Sensitive Fabrics range. We see big volumes in the ready-to-wear market. What factors are driving the demand for Italian jerseys? The creation of products with high performance, without compromising on the look. The upcoming trend for technical and stretch fabrics is comfort.

What is the contribution of Sensitive Fabrics to the revenue mix? In terms of market share: 60 per cent ready-to-wear and sportswear markets, 25 per cent swimwear, and 15 per cent underwear. With the athleisure trend growing, what new features and designs do you plan to bring in? We are investing in several applications for the Sensitive Fabrics range such as thermoregulation and anti-bacterial properties. What is the latest in knitted fabrics in terms of fabric composition, colours, prints, and look & feel? Our patented Sensitive Fabrics collections are made from nylon and Lycra fibres. For 2019, we will present new embossing patterns and coloured pigments made with our Eco Print technology. What are the top sustainable practices followed at Eurojersey Spa? We started our sustainability programme in 2007 as pioneers in the textiles industry. Our main objectives are resource reduction, renewable energy, pollution abatement, reusing wastage and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). What would be the next big thing in jersey fabrics? We are working on it! Please share some of your financial details. Our revenue for 2016 was €56 million. We closed 2017 with a revenue of €68 million, and we expect growing to €70 million by 2020. What are the future plans at Eurojersey? We will empower our knitting and dyeing departments. We are also investing in digital printing technology and logistics to improve our customer service.

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ADVERTORIAL

Chemically-manufactured bamboo rayon Wonderful properties adored by conventional and eco-aware designers and consumers Bamboo fabric has a natural sheen and softness that feels and drapes like silk but is less expensive and more durable. Clothing made from this fabric is easy to launder in a clothes washer and dryer. Because of the smooth and round structure of its fibres, bamboo clothing is soft and non-irritating, even to sensitive skin. Bamboo clothing is hypoallergenic. Moreover, bamboo is naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal supposedly because of a bacteriostatis agent, unique to bamboo plants called “bamboo kun” which also helps bamboo resist harbouring odours. “Kun” is also sometimes spelled “kunh”. The bamboo kun in bamboo fabric stops odour-producing bacteria from growing and spreading in the bamboo cloth allowing bamboo clothing to be more hygienic and to remain fresher smelling. Bamboo is highly absorbent and wicks water away from the body 3 to 4 times faster than cotton. The structure of bamboo fibres makes bamboo fabrics more breathable and thermal regulating than cotton, hemp, wool or synthetic fabrics. In warm, humid and sweaty weather, bamboo clothing helps keep the wearer drier, cooler and more comfortable and does not stick to the skin. Bamboo the plant and also bamboo the fabric can rate high as an environmentally friendly and renewable resource. It is because bamboo grows rapidly and naturally without any pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers. Bamboo clothing (both mechanically and chemically manufactured) is 100 per cent biodegradable and can be completely decomposed in the soil by microorganisms and sunlight without decomposing into any pollutants such as methane gas which is commonly produced as a by-product

of decomposition in landfills and dumps. Bamboo grows naturally without the need for agricultural tending and large diesel exhaust-spewing tractors to plant seeds and cultivate the soil. Growing bamboo improves soil quality and helps rebuild eroded soil. The extensive root system of bamboo holds soil together, prevents soil erosion, and retains water in the watershed. Bamboo plantations are large factories for photosynthesis which reduces greenhouse gases. Bamboo plants absorb about five times the amount of carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas) and produces about 35 per cent more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. Bamboo fabrics and clothing can be manufactured and produced without any chemical additives although eco-certification such as Oeko-Tex is necessary to ensure

Products INNOVATIVE FIBRES & VALUE ADDED YARNS Tanboocel® - Jigao Bamboo Fibre PVA fibre and PVA Yarn 100% linen, hemp & ramie fibre & yarn 100% Indian cotton, absorbent cotton & cotton linter Other innovative fibre/yarn/ fabrics FABRICS & GARMENTS Tanboocel® - Jigao Bamboo Products Bamboo fabrics & garments, towels (All Sizes), bathrobes, bedding and child care products Hemp, linen, ramie fabrics, bed linen, bedsheet sets Soya fabrics, milk fabrics, cashmere fabrics and garments

that the manufacturing and finishing processes are healthy. Currently, there are no known genetically modified organisms (GMO) variants of bamboo.

The company The Ahmedabad India based Spinning King (India) Limited (Kashiwala Group of Companies) has been providing dedicated services to the textile industry. It started its operations in 1990 as a textile consultant to the industry by providing complete services for textile projects, pre-feasibility studies, project reports and market survey. People Kishan Kashiwala, chairman of Spinning King, has over 40 years’ experience in textiles. He looks after fibres, yarns and R&D for value addition in fibres and its yarns. Khagen Kashiwala, managing director, is a very young, enthusiastic and dynamic entrepreneur. He looks after the fabrics and garments division. Clientele Spinning King (India) Limited is working with many reputed groups of India like Nahar Group, Vardhman Group, Winsome Group, RSWM Group, Raymond, GPI Textiles (ISPAT Group), Gokak Group, Pallavaa Group, PKPN, Best Cheran, Pratibha, Rajveer, Sanghi etc.

CHINA INTERNATIONAL FASHION FAIR

As the largest and most influential professional fashion exhibition in Asia, CHIC has been one of the most superior comprehensive resource platforms integrating functions like business negotiation, channel expansion, resource integration, international collaboration, market test, trend release, crossover cooperation, and capital connection, etc. Over the past 26 years, leading the transformation of the industry and market, CHIC has never stopped being innovative. It has grown up together with Chinese fashion brands and has been widely recognized as the promoter and partner of the Chinese fashion industry and the market development.

For Inquiries, Ms. Shan Zhang : zhangshan@cwtc.com

Accessories | Brunet International

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

Lingerie shapes evolving with advent of athleisure

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hy did you move production to China and Thailand from France? The strategic decision was implemented in 2005, when we decided to be in the region where garment manufacturing too was. We are still delivering all our production to Asia/Southeast Asia.

Arnaud Limousin, Managing Director, Brunet International Ltd

Brunet International manufactures laces for womens’ intimate apparel. The company was established in 1911 in France; production was moved to China and Thailand in 2005–08. The company’s HQ has been in Hong Kong since then. Brunet International’s clientele includes Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Chantelle, and Triumph along with Gokaldas and Jockey India. Managing Director ARNAUD LIMOUSIN discusses the latest technologies, trends and triumphs at the company.

How has the world of laces evolved since 1911? Which are the vintage styles that keep coming back year after year? Obviously, the world of lace has changed a lot since 1911. The location—and also the technology—is not the same. Romantic and Chantilly laces are still in high demand. Can lace ever be functional? Or, is its role only that of an embellishment? The primary role of a lace is embellishment. It is gracious, elegant and can dress up any garment. Since activewear has developed, we have also studied functionality in lace—whether it is related to hand feel, stretchability, compression and even moldable laces. We have customers specialise in this market, and we develop products according to their expectations. Which are your major markets for trims and laces? Where do you see the prospects growing? For Brunet, Europe and North America have always been strongholds in terms of revenue. Since we moved

Delicate, elegant, soft with a touch of vintage, bohemian look—this defines the latest trends in laces and trims in women’s intimate apparel.

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Accessories | Brunet International

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

to Asia, we have learnt a lot about various consumer behaviours and style requests in this region. Therefore, we have consistently increased our position in Asia and Southeast Asia. The demand has evolved into a more embellished approach to intimate apparel. This is exactly what we do. Tell us about the brands you are associated with. Our customers are brands or specialised retailers. In Europe, we supply to brands like Chantelle, Aubade, Triumph and Van De Velde and retailers like Etam, Oysho and Hunkemoller. In North America, we have been longtime partners with The Limited, CK, Adore Me, Hanes and

Spanx. In Asia, it is so far mainly the Chinese domestic market. Last but not the least, in India we are delivering to Gokaldas and Jockey. What are the latest technological advancements in the manufacturing of laces and trims? I would say the machinery. Brunet has the most highdefinition lace machines in the market. We can create very detailed laces with true authentic looks. This has helped us launch our new trademark “Nouveau Leavers”. It is done on Karl Mayer machines and takes lace aesthetic to new heights. We have shown it globally since our launch in January, and the reactions have been fantastic in all the markets. Where do you source raw material for trims and laces from? Our source is an agile mix between Asia and Europe which helps us keep our identity and uniqueness. What is the annual production capacity of laces and trims at Brunet? Our total available capacity is around 40 million yards. What are the latest trends in laces and trims in women’s intimate apparel? Delicate, elegant, soft with a touch of vintage, bohemian look.

The world of lace has changed a lot since 1911. The location—and also the technology—is not the same. But, Romantic and Chantilly laces are still in high demand.

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Very detailed laces with true authentic looks under the new trademark “Nouveau Leavers” take lace aesthetic to new heights. The reactions to its launch in January have been fantastic in all the markets.

How big is the design team at Brunet? How do they keep up with the latest global trends? We have 15 designers in Hong Kong, China and Thailand. They are always keeping an eye on fashion through the internet, exhibitions and shopping. We also have an integrated sales team in Europe which helps fetch the latest high-street trends. How sustainable is your manufacturing process? In terms of yarn, we are now developing recycled and organic ranges. It should be ready within this year. Our dye house is one of the best in China with a minimum water usage ratio. Has athleisure or sportswear influenced the demand for conventional lingerie segment? Yes, it did; even though the regular lingerie segment is still there. We can see the shapes of lingerie evolving and our lace needs to follow those changes.

The primary role of a lace is embellishment. It is gracious, elegant and can dress up any garment.

What is your USP compared to other players? We are service-oriented and passionate about what we do. We help our customers reinforce their identity and develop their business. Our company was established in 1911. We have a lot of valuable archives that are still helping in today’s trends.

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ADVERTORIAL

Dollar Missy ropes in Chitrangada Singh as Brand Ambassador Introduces a new TVC for Missy Leggings, featuring Chitrangada Dollar Industries Ltd, which has forayed into fashionable female wear such as leggings, capris and innerwear under the brand name Dollar Missy, signed model and Bollywood sensation, Chitrangada Singh as their Brand Ambassador in this segment. “Dollar Missy, launched in the last quarter of 2014, is an evolving brand and we had been looking for a face which could carry the brand image in the right spirit. Having met the Bollywood diva, Chitrangada Singh, we knew she would be the best fit for the brand. She represents today’s elegant and vivacious woman who takes on the world, beaming with confidence. We have recently shot a new ad campaign with her where she showcases our product style with loads of panache,” said Vinod Kumar Gupta, managing director, Dollar Industries Ltd. The new Dollar Missy advertising campaign was shot in Bangkok by Sachin Kotre for A La Carte Films with Mullen Lowe Lintas being the creative agency. “Dollar Missy leggings are quite fashionable and trendy. They are very comfortable as they are made of super soft special fabric and have vast array of shades to choose from. I am in love with the entire collection of Missy,” said Chitrangada Singh, Brand Ambassador of Dollar Missy. Dollar Missy has a wide colour range of leggings and leg wears such as shorts, cycling shorts, relaxed capri, trousers, pyjama and lounge pants. They also have trendy teeshirts, racer backs, and affordable collection of innerwear including camisoles and panties. The collections in leggings made of 95/5 four-way stretch fabric is comfortable and ideal

for partywear, casualwear and formalwear. The Dollar Missy products are perfect for everyday wear. Dollar will have a 360-degree advertising campaign across print, electronic, outdoor and online media to promote this new commercial.

About Dollar Industries Dollar Industries Limited is today amongst the top three hosiery brands in India. The company has four manufacturing units in Kolkata, Tirupur (TN), Delhi and Ludhiana. Dollar Industries enjoys a 15 per cent market share in the branded hosiery segment in India. Dollar Industries has recently started business in African market with Nigeria to enhance export revenue. The company’s existing export markets are in the Gulf, Middle East and Nepal.

Ecom | Sustainability | Organic Basics

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

INSIDE SUSTAINABILITY

Four Danish men, tired of buying and using overpriced big-branded underwear, in 2015 decided to create Organic Basics. Launched with the aid of crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, the brand began with a subscription service and then expanded into a cool online store. Organic Basics is trying to break free from the mainstream fashion industry by making products that are sustainable and built to last. Co-founder and CEO, MADS FIBIGER RASMUSSEN, shares the journey from the Kickstarter days to launching silver fabric treated products.

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What products did you begin with in 2015? We started manufacturing GOTS-certified organic cotton boxer briefs and mid-rise socks for men. Initially, we sold those on a subscription basis, but later pivoted to a more regular e-commerce setup focusing all of our efforts on making sustainable products.

Mads Fibiger Rasmussen, Co-founder and CEO

hat was the seed capital you began with? Who are the major investors now? Organic Basics launched through Kickstarter, which gave us the initial capital for our first production. Since then, we have done several Kickstarter campaigns, and in the late summer of 2017 we took in our first venture capital from Nordic-Eye Venture Capital, Bumble Ventures and an angel investor.

What course corrections did you have to do from conceptualisation to implementation? We did a lot of pivots in Organic Basics. As mentioned, we initially sold our products only through a subscription service and only wanted to make two products (boxer briefs and socks). After our initial launch, we saw a lot of demand for other organic and sustainable basic products for men, and about that time we also started getting a lot of demand from women who wanted the same basic products. Thereafter, we wanted to create even more innovative products, and decided to introduce SilverTech. We took our organic cotton and spun actual pure silver into the material to make it antibacterial. This year, we have started to work with Polygiene in order to make technology-advanced underwear, which is more durable, comfortable, odour-killing and sustainable than any of our competitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

A large part of the market for underwear (especially women) still prefer to buy their products in physical stores, and in order to have an impact on the fashion industry and drag it towards a more sustainable direction, we need to be present where our customers prefer to shop.

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Ecom | Sustainability | Organic Basics

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

This year, Organic Basics has started to work with Polygiene in order to make technology-advanced underwear, which is more durable, comfortable, odour-killing and sustainable than any of its competitors’.

How successful has Organic Basics been so far in terms of financial viability? Organic Basics has been growing significantly since we started in 2015, where we have experienced yearly growth rates between 200 per cent and 400 per cent. Which are your major markets? Which new markets do you plan to explore? Obviously, our home market Denmark is big for us, but besides that we have seen a lot of traction in California where people really believe in our sustainable vision. Second, we have large markets in Germany and in the UK. We plan to explore a larger part of Europe in 2018. Which are your best-selling products? Which price points work well for you? Our best-selling men’s products are our original boxer briefs. For women, it is our bikini briefs. Both are in

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All underwear and tees are made with 100 per cent recycled nylon, making them more comfortable, more breathable and more durable.

Ecom | Sustainability | Organic Basics

INTIMATEWEAR | Q&A

Organic Basics has been growing significantly since its inception in 2015, where the company has experienced yearly growth rates between 200 per cent and 400 per cent.

GOTS-certified organic cotton and made through a sustainable production process. What is the USP of your products? We have a brand mantra saying “Basically Better Made. Consciously Created. Designed to Last”. We want to make the most comfortable and sustainable basics for both men and women sold primarily on a direct-to-consumer basis. How have you managed to make innerwear biodegradable? One of the next big steps for us is to dive deeper into the lifecycle of our products, and make sure our products are fit for recycling. We believe this is the key to sustainability. Where do you source raw material from? Do you manufacture your products or outsource them? We manufacture our products and source our own raw materials through different manufacturing and sourcing partners around Europe. We have most of our production focused in Turkey and Portugal, where they are also able to harvest the GOTS-certified organic cotton that we use.

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What is your outreach? Do you plan to get into offline retail? We’re just starting to look into the options of going into offline retail, after having only sold online for the last couple of years. A large part of the market for underwear (especially women) still prefer to buy their products in physical stores, and in order for us to have an impact on the fashion industry and drag it towards a more sustainable direction, we need to be present where our customers prefer to shop. That said, we still focus mostly online and believe this is the future. What new products do you plan to introduce next? We’re introducing our SilverTech 2.0 products this summer for both men and women, which are by far the most advanced products we have ever made. We enhanced our design for more comfort, heat regulation, durability, and breathability. We have partnered with Polygiene, one of the most advanced and sustainable silver fabric treatments in the world, to give an even better anti-microbial, odourless experience. All our underwear and tees are made with 100 per cent recycled nylon, making them more comfortable, more breathable and more durable, while reducing our environmental footprint. After this, we’ll manufacture more seamless underwear and make use of tencel, which is a great and sustainable fabric.

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ADVERTORIAL

Splash introduces sustainable antibacterial activewear garments Since few decades sportswear has become a driving force for new trends in fashion and for textile innovations. As a responsible fashion retailer in the Middle East, Splash enables customers to have all the benefits of wearing Splash products with pride. Splash’s sports and activewear brands have introduced N9 Pure SilverTM Anti-bacterial technology followed by their innerwear garments. The technology aims to enable activewear to fight against odourcausing bacteria, owing to the fact of a growing hygiene quotient in consumer perspectives. Speaking on Splash’s association with N9 Pure SilverTM Raza Beig, director, Landmark Group & CEO, Splash, Iconic & Landmark International, said, “Activewear has always been an integral element in a person’s life and at times it walks hand-in-hand with demerits such as bacterial accumulation. To answer this need, it is important to innovate. We are pleased to associate with N9 Pure SilverTM to offer intelligent activewear to our customers, answering their need with our innovation.” N9 Pure SilverTM, a revolutionary silver based antibacterial technology that acts by controlling the growth of odour-causing bacteria on garments, making sure wearers stay fresh and hygienic throughout their active lifestyle. N9 Pure SilverTM is sustainable, non-leaching, zero VOC and has low silver loading properties that make this technology the ideal solution for garment treatments. The technology is compatible with multiple substrates and processes that provide long-lasting freshness and malodour control. Function and fashion have always been an integral part of activewear. In fact, workout clothes act as a daily uniform for a growing number of sport and gym enthusiasts. But the major lurking problem with such garments is the unpleasant malodour. Textile materials in the activewear range demand continuous all-round protection against various modes of contaminations such as dirt, sweat and malodour. The primary cause for the malodour for activewear garments is the bacterial growth on the fabric surface. Textile materials do not have any inherent anti-microbial properties. The natural properties of textile fibres provide room for the growth of microorganisms due to sweat. Humid and warm

About Splash Fashions Headquartered in Dubai, Splash is Middle East’s largest fast fashion retailer and part of the Landmark Group, one of the biggest retail conglomerates in the Middle East, India and Africa. Founded in 1993 as a single brand store in Sharjah, Splash currently operates over 270 stores across 13 countries. environments further aggravate the problem. Staining and the loss of performance of textile substrates is a result of the microbial attack. The N9 Pure SilverTM finish is applied to textiles with the intention to protect the wearer from sweat malodour and the textile substrate from degradation. The potential presented by N9 Pure SilverTM is immense. From articles of daily use, such as clothing, and bed linen, to food packaging—the opportunities are vast, making it an ideal solution for several industries. N9 Pure SilverTM finds very interesting consumer applications on textiles as well as other non-textile substrates such as plastic packaging materials which can be made more hygienic. Cosmetics can be preserved and their anti-microbial properties can be enhanced. Shoes and leather articles can be made odour free and safe to touch using N9 Pure SilverTM. Showcasing popular collections and accessories for men, women and teens, Splash’s existing product portfolio includes a uni-brand concept across its stores providing a comfortable and easy shopping environment. Alongside, the brand also houses a gamut of international brands under its portfolio celebrating fashion in its true sense with its tagline ‘In Love with Fashion’. About N9 Pure SilverTM The silver anti-bacterial is manufactured by Resil Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. and is marketed under the brand N9 Pure SilverTM. The brand is synonymous with freshness, hygiene and protection and has been accepted and used by renowned global manufacturers such as Wrangler, Lee, Wacoal and Van Heusen as an ingredient brand in their product to communicate the use of a premium, safe and novel silver technology.

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Swimwear | Fair Harbor

CATEGORY WATCH | Q&A

SHIFT TO CONSCIOUS SHOPPING NOT A TREND, BUT A MOVEMENT 100 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

Growing up in the little beach town of Fire Island, New York, the brothersister duo Jake and Caroline Danehy always appreciated the sun, sand, and living mindfully. It wasn’t until they noticed the plastic waste in the ocean that the idea of using plastic bottles to create swimwear sprang up. Today, together they run a NY-based brand creating swimwear out of recycled plastic bottles— Fair Harbor. The young founder & CEO, JAKE, talks about the journey of the brand, new product launches using innovative materials, collaboration collections, and a soon-to-debut women’s line. >>>

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Swimwear | Fair Harbor

CATEGORY WATCH | Q&A

Jake Danehy, Founder & CEO, Fair Harbor

Fair Harbor’s debut women’s collection is inspired by co-founder Caroline’s time spent in the beach town of Fair Harbor, as well as abroad in Australia. It speaks to the inclusivity of the island and there’s a style for everyone.

ow did the idea to start Fair Harbor come to you? Why swimwear? Fair Harbor is the name of the beach town on Fire Island, off the coast of Long Island, where our family spent summers. It’s essentially a glorified sandbar, where no cars are allowed and everyone rides around on weathered bicycles. It’s a really small community that lives simplistically and inclusively. Situated between the bay and the ocean, we witnessed a lot of plastic waste wash up on the beaches of Fair Harbor. Once I had studied extensively about the negative effects of plastic waste in the ocean, Caroline and I decided we needed to do something to keep the waters clean and protect special communities like Fair Harbor. Swimwear was a natural fit. After learning about the technology to convert plastic bottles into a functional fabric, making swimwear spoke to our childhoods at the beach, wearing boardshorts and bathing suits all day to surf, swim, fish, lounge, and so on. How much funds did you raise from Kickstarter? Who are the major investors in Fair Harbor? We first pitched Fair Harbor as part of a mock Shark Tank competition at our school, Colgate University, which was organised through their entrepreneurship programme called Thought Into Action. The panel of celebrity entrepreneurs included Jessica Alba, Neil Blumenthal, MC Hammer, Jennifer Hyman, and more—in front of a 2,000-member audience.

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Each pair of boardshorts or swim trunks makes use of approximately 11 recycled plastic bottles. Fair Harobor projects to use more than 100,000 recycled bottles this year alone.

The pitch, in 2015, came before anyone really knew that the technology to convert recycled plastic bottles into apparel even existed. While on stage, I held a plastic bottle and asked if they could imagine turning it into these (as I held up a pair of boardshorts). People were in awe, including Jessica Alba and Jennifer Hyman who are into fashion. From that competition, we were awarded $20,000 for our first production run. Thereafter, in 2015 we successfully raised 225 per cent of our initial funding goal through a Kickstarter campaign. Would you say American consumers are conscious shoppers when it comes to fashion and apparel? Yes—especially now more than ever. This shift in awareness and consciousness is not just a trend, but we see it as a movement that will continue to gain momentum. People’s efforts to support ethically or sustainably produced goods has grown tremendously since we started Fair Harbor. Millennials, in particular, have a real concern for the authenticity and production of the goods they purchase. Will recycling help fix the problem of fast fashion? Recycling single use plastic is our focus, while simultaneously creating a really high-quality product

in effort to change the way consumers view single use plastic. It’s going to help in creating less waste that winds up in landfills or the oceans, which is obviously a huge issue, especially for oceanic wildlife. While recycling will help fix the problem of fast fashion, it’s not going to solve the issue of fast fashion. Tell us about your product line from upcycled coconuts. Two of our newer products—The Rockaway (performance boardshort) and The Anchor (athletic short with built-in-liner)—make use of both recycled plastic bottles and upcycled coconuts. Essentially, the discarded husks of coconuts are broken down and spun into polyester, much like the plastic bottles. Which are your strong markets in the US? Based in New York, we are definitely East Coast-strong. As we have travelled along the coast to beach towns in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, and so on, we’ve developed communities and loyal customers in these different places. Where do you source raw material for swimwear from? The plastic bottles are sourced from mass recycling facilities worldwide, and then sent to their respective

Fair Harbor’s first retail space opened in downtown Manhattan in May 2018. The space has been thoughtfully designed with small pieces, and people can come touch, feel and engage with the brand in a new way.

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Swimwear | Fair Harbor

CATEGORY WATCH | Q&A

manufacturing facilities to be broken down, spun, sewn, and shipped out. How many pet bottles go into making a Fair Harbor swim trunk or boardshorts? Each pair of boardshorts or swim trunks makes use of approximately 11 recycled plastic bottles. We project to use more than 100,000 recycled bottles this year alone. How many collections do you come up with every year? How many styles are there in each collection? This definitely varies; we don’t have a set number of styles or even collection schedule. It’s an extremely organic, creative process that we’re navigating as we go. We just released our debut women’s collection in May, and have more exciting things planned for the future.

Tell us about FH’s soon-to-be launched women’s swimwear line. We just launched our first women’s collection, spearheaded by Caroline, my sister, co-founder and creative director. The line was inspired by her time spent in Fair Harbor, as well as abroad in Australia. It speaks to the inclusivity of the island that I spoke to earlier, and Caroline aims to make this collection about body positivity. There’s a style for everyone and the intent is to feel comfortable in your suit—whether you’re lounging around, playing beach volleyball, or riding some waves. How many retail stores do you have? Do you plan to open more? Our first retail space opened in downtown Manhattan in May. We have thoughtfully designed the space with

Made from recycled plastic bottles, organic cotton and a bit of spandex for stretch, One Short is one of the best-selling styles. These shorts can be worn throughout the day at the beach and into the evening by throwing on a collared shirt.

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Swimwear | Fair Harbor

CATEGORY WATCH | Q&A

Two of the newer products—The Rockaway (performance boardshort) and The Anchor (athletic short with built-in-liner)—make use of both recycled plastic bottles and upcycled coconuts.

small pieces that remind us of our childhood in Fair Harbor that people can experience for themselves. This location will be a place where people can come touch, feel and engage with our brand in a new way. We have strong retail partners that carry our gear across the East Coast of the States; however, Fair Harbor itself is e-commerce-based. We’re incredibly strategic about those partnerships, but focus primarily on our directto-consumer business. Which are your best-selling products online and offline? Made from recycled plastic bottles, organic cotton and a bit of spandex for stretch, our One Short is one of our best-selling styles. These shorts can be worn throughout the day at the beach and into the evening by throwing on a collared shirt. They are extremely

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transitional, and we haven’t been able to keep them in stock. What’s next for FH? Do you plan to expand your current product basket? We have a lot of exciting new products launching this summer! We’ve just released a new performance boardshort and athletic short that use the signature recycled polyester from plastic bottles and upcycled coconuts. We also have a collaboration collection coming out featuring a local artist, Johnny Vacay, with his photographs digitally printed on to our signature boardshorts. They’re incredibly unique and limited in quantity. As we look into the future, we’re constantly creating new products that relate back to the Fair Harbor lifestyle and seeking different ways to develop a community around our brand.

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Maredimoda

TRADE EVENT | Q&A

Athleisure is the new casual

Maredimoda is a leading trade fair for beachwear, underwear and athleisure that takes place every year in Cannes. Its key themes include consumer protection, ‘Made in Europe’, traceable supply chain practices, and European quality and excellence. President MARCO BORIOLI tells us why Maredimoda is a haven for the beachwear industry, athleisure is more than a trend, and purple is the new black.

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the quite-often virtuous creative contamination, many brands outside the circuit of our fair too do come to Cannes anyway to find their inspiration and choose fabrics. What is the global market size for women’s innerwear and beachwear? The global market for swimwear and beachwear is projected to reach 2.2 billion units valued at $22.7 billion by 2022. Emerging countries represent the global hub for growth, with Latin America led by Brazil representing the largest market worldwide.

Marco Borioli, President, Maredimoda

ow has Maredimoda evolved over the years? What will be special about the 17th edition? Maredimoda’s strength is our uniqueness. We are a benchmark trade fair for beachwear, underwear and— since last year—for athleisure too. International brands meet in Cannes to find the best European fabric and accessories suppliers. It is only at Maredimoda that they know they will be able to get an overview of the new collections along with other fashion contents, besides incomparable innovation and quality (being displayed at the fair). Today, more than ever, considering the mixture of genres and styles as well as

What is the market share of Italy in the global beachwear industry? Italy ranks second in Europe after France. The annual beachwear turnover in Italy is €733 million. What has revolutionised the market in Italy—and not only Italy, actually—has been the transformation of the distribution channels. Next to multi-brand stores today are the mono-brand chain stores, either owned or franchised, which have contributed to moving brands from the high-streets to shopping malls on the one hand, and strengthening their brand identities on the other. About 40 per cent of the Italian market today is covered by the chain stores followed by independent stores with a market share of less than 20 per cent. Even in this sector, online business has risen and keeps on rising at an average annual rate of 5 per cent, but currently still has a relatively low overall share of 8 per cent.

Italy has an age-old tradition in beachwear. The market is dominated by several small/medium brands which on the one hand account for the successfully added value, and on the other hand seem to slow down the diffusion abroad.

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 115

Maredimoda

TRADE EVENT | Q&A

Tell us about the beachwear market in Italy. What’s special about it? Italy has an age-old tradition in beachwear, and in the past was driven by the domestic industry which paid attention to the fashion quotient and took hold of foreign markets too. The market is dominated by several small/medium brands which on the one hand account for the successfully added value, and on the other hand seem to slow down the diffusion abroad. Another interesting aspect is the intended use of the swimsuit in Italy: the biggest share (63 per cent) is for leisure (sunbathing and beach life) which prevails over sports activities. Out of this, about 5 per cent is shared by swimming (training and competition) and 32 per cent by swimming pools (simple swimming, health clubs, aqua-gym). The women’s beachwear has the lion’s share of this (54 per cent of the market in value terms) whereas the men’s segment is 29 per cent and kids’ 17 per cent. If we take women’s beachwear into account (for over-14 and for leisure), in 2016 the premium market segment—whose unit price ranges from €50 and goes beyond—accounted for 24 per cent of total Italian and European swimwear value sales, and has had a relatively steady rate of growth over the last four years. Over the same period, the so-called “hourglass effect” has become more significant with a progressive reduction of the mid-price range (€30–40 as an average price) in favour of the entry price (up to €20) which has gained more ground. Inside the five benchmark European markets (Italy, France, Spain, Germany and

Great Britain) about 15 per cent of over-14 aged women buy at least one bathing suit every year for leisure. Within this segment, the two-piece swimsuit (bikini) comprises 70 per cent of the European turnover, and the rest of the purchases are dictated by the “mix and match” factor. What steps does the industry do to promote this segment? The most important battle in Italy is about fabric traceability—quite an important issue that is energetically pursued by European Union authorities who are responsible for relevant regulations in member states. Since Italy is marked by quality and innovation, it has been essential to obtain a certification that can guarantee Italian production and at the same time protect the end-user. Maredimoda has always been an ambassador of both this culture and the traceability policy. What is the USP of Italian beachwear manufacturers? Creativity, quality and attention to detail are the elementary attributes of Italian brands. Not only do stimuli and challenges come from inside but from outside too. It is a deeply-rooted culture, and generations of artists and creatives. It is a genetic issue that gets honed day after day. Which top regions do exhibitors and visitors hail from (at Maredimoda)? The exhibitors are mostly from Italy and Spain (in particular, the district of Barcelona), with both acting as leading countries in Europe for beachwear fabrics and accessories, while visitors come from all over the world. Italy accounts for 30 per cent of total visitors, followed by France, Spain, Germany and the UK. The US and Turkey are also there with several premium brands looking for fabrics and accessories capable of making their items unique and exclusive.

The global market for swimwear and beachwear is projected to reach 2.2 billion units valued at $22.7 billion by 2022. Emerging countries represent the global hub for growth, with Latin America led by Brazil representing the largest market worldwide.

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How have sourcing practices changed in the times of Brexit, circular economy, sustainable living, wearable technology and a thrust on consuming homegrown fashion?

For some years now, we have been witnessing the reshoring phenomenon where production goes back to Europe or neighbouring countries due to the negative experiences in the Far-Eastern countries. In this regard, Maredimoda is hosting a very peculiar area for garment makers producing on behalf of third parties and hailing from Italy, Portugal, Romania and Tunisia, who are able to provide high-quality service, low minimum order quantities and fast delivery times compared to the Far-East. This is in addition to the geographical and cultural closeness which makes work more simple and profitable.

Maredimoda is a benchmark trade fair for beachwear, underwear and—since last year—for athleisure too. International brands meet in Cannes to find the best European fabric and accessories suppliers.

What are the three must-haves that buyers for innerwear & beachwear are looking for in terms of yarn, fabrics, and design? Eco-sustainability awareness is becoming stronger, and fibres from natural sources or recycled fibres are increasingly gaining ground. And, as far as fabrics are concerned, technological innovation and fashion content are two unavoidable features. Is athleisure still going to remain a macro-trend at Cannes in November? Athleisure is the new casual—we are no longer talking about a trend but a revolution in the fashion sector, with innovative and performing fabrics aimed at combining comfort with style. Fabric manufacturers are working in this direction and are creating high-level collections to be submitted to the new and popular brands that are in turn looking for exclusive products.

Athleisure is not only a macro-trend, but also features a wide and comprehensive new vision of a way of life. Athleisure is healthy, comfortable and responsible. What will be the major trends at Maredimoda in November 2018 in terms of colours, prints, patterns, style & fit, accessories, and fabric? At the next edition of Maredimoda, a three-day affair beginning November 6, we will present the S/S 2020 trends as developed by a think-tank heading the Maredimoda Trend Board. Its members include David Shah, trend forecaster and editor of trade magazine VIEW, Anne Marie Commandeur from the Stijlinstituut in Amsterdam, a trend analysis agency specialising in fashion and design trends, as well as a pool of experts of design department heads at our companies. Trends are under investigation, but preliminaries indicate that purple will be the most interesting colour. From soft lilac to electric or luminous to deep purple—those would be the colours. In terms of patterns and novel material surfaces, purple and electric blue depict the impact of technology—trying to reach a luminescence and saturation that translates well only on screens. That is what we also like to see in the comeback of the fluorescent hues. Do you plan to take Maredimoda beyond Cannes? Maredimoda has always been planned to go beyond Cannes, with promotions all over the world, both in trade magazines and on the internet, while viewing the universe of social networks more favourably. Our strength, however, lies in the oldest and most

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 117

Maredimoda

TRADE EVENT | Q&A

effective communication method—word of mouth. All trade players know about the fair and want to be there; the brands which do not know us yet are recommended by their suppliers to visit us by their suppliers (and also the other way around). “See you at Maredimoda” is the most common closing salutation at the end of a business meeting. It is an exclusive yearly appointment that nobody wants to give up. “Those who do not visit Maredimoda are not creating nice collections” has been summarised so by Brazilian designer Amir Slama. Should we talk about new events, we would have to move to another area of our company. Maredimoda works at a global level by organising targeted events or business missions in countries deemed interesting for textile companies. In September, we organise a preview in

Eco-sustainability awareness is becoming stronger, and fibres from natural sources or recycled fibres are increasingly gaining ground. And, as far as fabrics are concerned, technological innovation and fashion content are two unavoidable features.

Munich (Germany), and over the last few years we have organised business missions in Columbia, Brazil and the US.

The most important battle in Italy is about fabric traceability—quite an important issue that is energetically pursued by European Union authorities who are responsible for relevant regulations in member states.

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What was the footfall at Maredimoda last year? What are the expectations this year? The 2017 edition was marked by an increase in the number of visitors and the presence of new high-level exhibitors. The expectations from 2018 will be in the confirmation as a leading event in the top-of-the-range list, extending the presence of visiting athleisure brands while becoming a reference trade fair for companies in the sector. Those who work with fashion cannot stay away from Maredimoda. Don’t forget to mark it in your calendar.

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NONWOVENS

Indorama Ventures to acquire 65% stake in Avgol Industries Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 65.72 per cent stake in Avgol Industries 1953 Limited at $1.62 per share. Israel-based Avgol is one of the largest manufacturers of nonwovens for hygiene applications in the world. The transaction is expected to be completed during the second half of 2018, subject to regulatory approvals. The acquisition represents a unique opportunity for IVL to strengthen its leadership position in the high-growth personal hygiene-oriented nonwovens market. Avgol offers IVL further diversification of its high valueadded (HVA) portfolio.

North American nonwoven capacity increased by 2.5% in 2017 In 2017, North American nonwoven capacity increased to 4.96 million tonnes, an increase of 2.5 per cent (122,000 tonnes) over 2016, according to the North American Nonwovens Supply Report published by INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry. The report is based on extensive research, producer surveys and interviews with industry leaders. According to the report (fifth edition), North American imports and exports, in tonnage, declined 2.9 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively year-over-year. However, the downward trend of exports and upward trend in imports continue, as over the last five years exports have declined 7.9 per cent annually and imports have increased 10.4 per cent annually. Even with the significant shifts

absorbent core technology. The two new production sites to be set up at a cost of €200 million, will be located in Europe, with one in central Spain and the other in Hradek, Czech Republic.

Pic courtesy: Drylock

Drylock to open new production sites for Magical Tubes Drylock Technologies, manufacturer of baby care, feminine care, and adult care services, is set to open two new European production sites for Drylock’s Magical Tubes proprietary

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COMPOSITES Chomarat develops new unidirectional woven tape

This follows the already announced addition of two production sites to the Drylock Technologies group in Brazil in January 2018 with the acquisition of the Mardam and Capricho companies. Drylock will add an additional 50,000 square metres of new production capacity with these two initiatives.

AUTOMOBILE TEXTILES Airbag yarn market in auto sector to reach $1.3 billion by 2023

in North American trade dynamics, nonwovens tend to stay where they are produced, with the net trade balance (imports less exports) accounting for only 4.1 per cent of the region’s capacity.

Factors bolstering the growth of the airbag yarn market include organic growth of automobile production, especially in Asia, introduction of more bags per vehicle, high focus on passenger safety and introduction of more stringent safety standards across the globe, says the report released by Detroit-based global market intelligence firm Stratview Research.

The global automotive airbag yarn market is projected to experience a healthy growth beginning 2018 with favourable opportunities in all the four regions around the world and is estimated to reach $1,274.3 million by 2023, offering an opportunity to players in the value chain to align themselves with the market growth, according to a new research report.

Pic courtesy: Chomarat

Chomarat, the composite reinforcement specialist, has come out with a new unidirectional woven tape for its C-Tape line of products. Designed to meet the standards of industrial production, the new C-Tape, which has a lot of flexibility, is reinforcing the foils of the ‘Figaro Beneteau 3’, the first production foiling one-design monohull ever to be designed. C- Tape offers a lot of flexibility in terms of weight, width and construction. It has been optimised to facilitate series production yet provide the foils with maximum performance. The weft yarn developed by Chomarat makes the tape easy to handle and to work with. It is produced in 50-centimetres widths in order to adapt better to the mould, thus reducing both scrap and production cost.

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CCS & Stratagem to set up composites repair centre

Pic courtesy: Composite Cluster Singapore

Composite Cluster Singapore Pte Ltd has joined hands with Stratagem Group to set up a Composite Repair, Inspection and Training (CRIT) section, within the framework of a composite application centre in Singapore. Stratagem specialises in break-through technology in the global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) community. The composite application centre, within which CRIT section is operating as independent entity, will provide additional composite design and manufacturing capabilities besides the CRIT section’s focus on repair and inspection to provide the full range of industrial composite solutions to customers. The centre will address the needs for advanced composites training, capability building for regional companies, equipment and machinery trials as well as strong local support from experienced experts to support the growth of composite related activities.

Exel Composites to buy Diversified Structural Composites

complements well Exel Composites’ existing expertise and growth strategy. DSC’s product portfolio consists of carbon fibre and glass fibre reinforced composites that are produced particularly for the wind energy industry. The acquisition of DSC will make Exel Composites the only pultrusion company with significant presence on all three major continents. This way Exel Composites aims to improve its global supply position to the markets.

The Mandela Bay Composites Cluster & Entsa join hands The Mandela Bay Composites Cluster and Entsa, an engagement institute within the Nelson Mandela University, have signed a cooperation agreement which is set to boost the development and use of composites in South Africa. The Composites Cluster represents and advances the interests of commercial opportunities in the composites sector in South Africa.

Pic courtesy: Mandela Bay Composites

As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the two entities will work together to unlock value for local manufacturers by optimising access to the world class Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) housed on campus. The CIC, containing cuttingedge research and testing technology, would be managed by Entsa.

LDI acquires composites company Polygon Pic courtesy: Exel Composites

Exel Composites Plc has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the shares in Diversified Structural Composites, Inc. (DSC), a composites company, from Teijin Carbon America, Inc. a subsidiary of Teijin, a global carbon fibre manufacturer. DSC has one manufacturing facility using mainly pultrusion technology located in Erlanger, Kentucky. DSC has a high level of technological know-how in pultrusion related technologies, which

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LDI Limited has acquired Polygon, a leading manufacturer of composite components based in Walkerton, Indiana, US. Polygon’s patented products are designed to replace steel and other metal components across a diverse set of domestic and international end markets. LDI seeks investments in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics businesses. Polygon was founded in 1949 by Sam Shobert, a chemist working on advanced composite materials during World War II at the US Wright-Patterson Air Force base. It was owned and managed by the

sons of the founder, Tim and Jim Shobert, until the purchase by LDI.

MACHINERY Staubli offers latest weaving machines for technical fabrics

Pic courtesy: Staubli

Staubli, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-speed textile machinery, has launched its latest innovative weaving machines for technical fabrics. The new Magma T12 warp tying machine ties monofilaments, coarse multi-filaments, PP ribbons, bast fibres, coarse staple fibres, and many other fibre types. It has been developed for universal application ranging from coarse technical yarns to the medium yarn-count range. Its rigid design includes an optical doubleend detection system. The company has also unveiled the TF weaving system for sophisticated reinforced fabrics. The TF weaving system allows high-volume production of up to very thick and/or dense fabrics and efficient processing of a wide variety of technical and highly sensitive yarns, such as glass fibre, carbon, Kevlar, or similar.

RAW MATERIAL India’s MCPI to invest `1,000 crore in Odisha textile park India’s Materials Chemicals and Performance Intermediaries Private Limited (MCPI) has submitted a ₹1,000crore proposal to set up a polyester continuous polymerisation and allied yarn project in a textile park in Odisha’s Bhadrak district. At the state’s investors meet held last January, officials had urged MCPI representatives to invest in the park. Executives of the Kolkataheadquartered company then visited the park site, held discussions with the state government and have now submitted the proposal about the project, which can potentially employ around 200. The project will help in supplying raw material to the downstream technical textile industries that will come up in the park.

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Royal DSM expanding production capacity for Dyneema

Pic courtesy: Royal DSM

Global science-based company Royal DSM is expanding its production capacity for Dyneema, the world’s strongest fibre. Strong demand for both Dyneema UD (Uni-Directional laminate) and Dyneema fibre is prompting this increase. The global production capacity of Dyneema UD will be increased by more than 20 per cent. The company is investing to install additional new UD technology at its plant in Heerlen, the Netherlands, and its plant in Greenville, NC, US and will also make improvements to existing production lines to expand Dyneema UD and Dyneema fibre capacity, incorporating the latest technologies. The increased production capacity will further strengthen DSM’s product leadership under the Dyneema brand.

Solvay launches three specialty polymers

leverage Solvay’s high-performance KetaSpire PEEK polymer. The third new filament is based on Solvay’s Radel PPSU polymer. Solvay is also developing an AMready powder based on its NovaSpire polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) polymer, which will target AM applications in aerospace and healthcare.

Teijin opens new carbon fibre firms in China & Taiwan

Pic courtesy: Teijin

Teijin Limited, a technology-driven global group, has announced the establishment of Teijin Carbon Shanghai Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, China and Teijin Carbon Taiwan Inc. in Taipei, Taiwan. The new sales affiliated companies are set to capitalise on the expanding demand for carbon fibre and further strengthen Teijin’s global business capabilities. Previously, offices were established in Shanghai in December 2012 and Taipei in April 2014 to identify demand opportunities and provide customer services in China and Taiwan. These two offices now have been respectively absorbed by the new subsidiaries.

the lines with the new glue before year-end 2018. The company is still defining the range of tyres and sizes but will produce at least some sizes of the Michelin Energy Saver and Michelin Alpin tyres with the new adhesive before year-end.

INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES IFAI signs representation agreement with BCH in India The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) recently signed an agreement with Business Coordination House (BCH) to represent it in India. BCH is positioned to help IFAI expand its opportunities in the emerging Indian market for technical textiles and offer opportunity to network and collaborate, according to IFAI president and CEO Mary Hennessy. “IFAI can not only provide an open door to the Indian companies who are reciprocally seeking active partnerships overseas in the field of technical textiles but can also be an active answer to the information and knowledge seeking pattern of the Indian industry,” BCH managing director Samir Gupta said.

CONSTRUCTION TEXTILES Owens Corning takes over Guangde SKD

Michelin unveils new highperformance resin adhesive Pic courtesy: Solvay

Solvay has introduced three specialty polymer filaments that promise to introduce game-changing performance for 3D-printed parts. With this, Solvay aims to take additive manufacturing (AM) to the next level. Based on the company’s high-performing KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) polymers, the three filaments were unveiled at RAPID + TCT 2018. The three filaments represent the first products in what Solvay plans to become a broader portfolio of specialty polymer filaments and powders designed specifically for high-end AM applications. Two of the three filaments

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Michelin Group, a France-based tyre manufacturer, has launched a highperformance resin adhesive after nine years of research and development. The company will start using the new resin, which eliminates resorcinol and formaldehyde as its material of choice for bonding textiles to rubber, providing better safety in products. The new resin, which is currently unnamed, will avoid regulatory constraints in industrial settings where the Resorcinol Formaldehyde Latex (RFL) adhesive would be produced, as resorcinol and formaldehyde are subjected to regulatory limits. The company is moving ahead in mass production of some passenger car and light truck tyres, launching

Owens Corning has taken over Guangde SKD Rock Wool Manufacture, a mineral wool manufacturer in China. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed. SKD produces mineral wool insulation for the building and technical insulation market. Mineral wool is the primary insulation material in China with its lifesaving and fire protection properties. Owens Corning now has seven insulation manufacturing facilities across China, providing customers with a full temperature range of products including fibreglass, extruded polystyrene foam, cellular glass and mineral wool insulation.

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PROTECTIVE TEXTILES ISEA’s standard for secondary flame-resistant clothing

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) has prepared standards for secondary single-use flame-resistant protective clothing. The new American National Standard for Secondary Single-Use Flame-Resistant Protective Clothing for Use over Primary Flame-Resistant Protective Clothing has been approved by American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This standard, ANSI/ISEA 203-2018, was prepared by members of ISEA’s Protective Clothing group and was approved by a consensus review panel of health and safety experts, oil and gas and other industry user groups, and test labs. Apparel covered by the standard is intended for single-use wear in occupational environments where flame hazards exist and where the worker may also be exposed to workplace contaminants, such as grease, oil or welding spatter, that can become attached to primary flame-resistant garments worn underneath, potentially affecting the performance of those critically important items.

EQT takes majority stake in Dunlop Protective Footwear

growth plans of the company in close cooperation with EQT and management. Dunlop is the leading global manufacturer of branded protective wellington boots, serving professionals in agriculture and fishery, food processing, industry and oil, gas and mining. With over 500 employees, production sites in the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, and sales activities around the world, Dunlop serves customers in more than 50 countries. Dunlop is expected to benefit from EQT’s deep sector expertise within tech and digitalisation in its mission to further expand its e-commerce platform. EQT also intends to support Dunlop’s growth ambitions through add-on acquisitions.

Safety Supply Corporation to acquire LFS Glove

Pic courtesy: LFS Glove

Safety Supply Corporation, a manufacturer of high quality personal protective equipment, has announced its agreement to acquire LFS Glove, a division of LFS, Inc. The newly formed subsidiary is registered as Bellingham Glove, Inc. and will be part of the Radians group of companies, joining brands like RadWear USA, Crossfire, VisionAid, and RadPlugs. Once the systems integration is completed later this year, customers will be able to conveniently order both Radians products and Bellingham gloves on a single purchase order.

Ballyclare joins Achilles FPAL Pic courtesy: Dunlop Protective Footwear

The EQT Mid Market Europe is buying a majority stake in Dunlop Protective Footwear, global manufacturer of branded protective wellington boots, from its current owner Gilde Equity Management Benelux (GEM). GEM will remain a significant shareholder and will continue to support the

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Ballyclare has joined Achilles FPAL, an online community for the procurement needs of the European oil and gas market. This reinforces its position as a leading workwear provider to companies in the oil and gas sector, and provides customers a clear picture of its capabilities and performance record in key business areas like quality, health and safety.

Pic courtesy: Ballyclare

Achilles FPAL uses a series of data validation plus desktop and physical audits to ensure that information from companies such as Ballyclare who supply goods to this sector is accurate and reliable. Established in 1997 it is the largest supply chain risk management community supporting the North Sea and European oil and gas industry and works to streamline the procurement process and reduce costs.

TRADE FAIRS Technotex 2018 to promote ‘Make in India’ initiative The 7th edition of the International Exhibition and Conference on Technical Textiles (Technotex 2018) will focus on making India the manufacturing hub in the area of technical textiles under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The two-day event being organised by the ministry of textiles in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will be held in Mumbai on June 28-29, 2018.

Pic courtesy: Technotex

Technotex 2018 will pool in participants, visitors and other key decision makers from a diverse cross section of the technical textile industry with a view to provide more innovative solutions, identify new business opportunities and create an environment congenial for growth. The event will serve as the right platform for interaction between the Indian and foreign companies from technical textile value chain.

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RESEARCH UBC team working on de-wrinkling textile composites

Professor Abbas Milani (right) and graduate student Armin Rashidi using 3D scanning equipment to analyse textile composites. Pic courtesy: UBC

Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) are working on de-wrinkling methods for textile composites. Abbas Milani, a professor in UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering, explains a simple wrinkle in the manufacturing process can significantly alter the end product— sometimes diminishing its strength by 50 per cent. To iron out the problem, researchers at UBC’s Composite Research Network-Okanagan have investigated several de-wrinkling methods and have discovered that they can improve their effectiveness by pulling the materials in two directions simultaneously during the manufacturing process. They did this by creating a custom-made biaxial fixture—a clamp that stretches the textile taught and removes unwanted bumps and folds. The research included stretching the material and then using specialised image processing and 3D scanning to analyse the required forces and its impact on the wrinkling and dewrinkling of the material. The research, recently published in the Materials & Design journal, was partially funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council.

Chinese scientists build silk devices for skull surgery use Researchers at a Shanghai laboratory have transformed silk into screws to stabilise skull bones during brain surgery. They extracted silk proteins from the cocoons of the Bombyx mori silkworm and converted those into fixing devices like screws and linking stripes. After animal trials, the devices’ properties like strength and toughness have been improved. Led by Mao Ying, vice president of the Fudan University’s affiliated Huashan Hospital, and Tao Hu, researcher of

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Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, the research results were published in a recent issue of ‘Advanced Healthcare Materials’ journal. “Compared with metal or chemical materials, silk devices have outstanding biocompatibility that induces no foreign-body reaction, and controlled degradation without generating hazardous residues,” said Hu. The devices are likely to complete clinical trials within the next five years.

AMRC comes up with highpressure RTM system

Members of AMRC’s Composite Centre and KraussMaffei in front of bespoke KraussMaffei RimStar Compact HP-RTM. Pic courtesy: AMRC

The Composite Centre at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has come up with a unique high-pressure Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) and composite press facility to host collaborative research and development projects with manufacturers from the composites industry. The bespoke KraussMaffei RimStar Compact is the most advanced highpressure RTM system operational within a UK research institution. The facility is a world first in terms of its size, capabilities and the level of monitoring and control it can provide the AMRC Composite Centre. The facility is being used for research into novel composite technologies.

SMART TEXTILES CREOL produces user-controlled colour-changing fabric CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida (UCF), has produced the firstever, active user-controlled colourchanging fabric which allows the user/ wearer to change the colour or pattern of the fabric through smartphone. The colour change differs from previous “colour-changing” fabrics, which contain LEDs to emit light. Instead, CREOL’s ChroMorphous technology, developed by a team

of UCF scientists, enables a never-before-seen capability: usercontrolled, dynamic colour and pattern change in large woven fabrics and cut-and-sewn textile products. Each thread woven into the fabric incorporates within it a thin metal micro-wire. An electric current flows through the micro-wires, thus slightly raising the thread’s temperature. Special pigments embedded in the thread then respond to this modification of temperature by changing its colour.

AWARDS Michael Hauschild bags 2018 Edana LCA award Michael Hauschild has bagged the 2018 Edana LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) Life Time Achievement award. The award was presented at the 28th annual conference of SETAC, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, in Rome, Italy. The award was granted in recognition of Hauschild’s 25-year body of work in the field of LCA at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Michael made lasting contributions in the areas of ecotoxicity in LCA, the assessment of the social sustainability dimension in a life cycle perspective and, more recently, the introduction of an absolute sustainability perspective into LCA.

APPOINTMENTS Burberry Materials Future Research Group names new chair The Burberry Foundation and Royal College of Art based in London has named Sharon Baurley as professor of design and materials and chair of the Burberry Material Futures Research Group. The Burberry Group is the first explicit ‘STEAM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) research initiative at an art and design university. Informed by her industryfocused experience, ranging from smart materials to the impact of new technologies on the future of manufacturing, Professor Baurley will define the research agenda of the Group. She will also lead the commercial and practical application of the outcomes through collaboration with industry partners.

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Texellence 2018 focuses on strategies to ‘Business Excellence in Textile & Apparel Industry’ The CII Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness recently organised a Conclave in Mumbai on “Business Excellence in Textile & Apparel Industry — Competitiveness Strategy for Growth in Uncertain Times” which aimed to identify challenges faced by the Indian textile and apparel industry and find solutions through deliberations at a single day event.

Union textiles minister Smriti Irani while addressing CII Texellence 2018 said that the textile sector has attracted up to ₹27,000 crore investments since the announcement of incentive package last year, and is likely to get more investment from international and domestic markets going forward. The government in June last year announced a ₹6,000 crore special package for the textile and apparel sector, which included several tax and production incentives. “As per the record of textile commissioner’s office, an investment of up to ₹27,000 crore has come in, and we are hopeful that with the government’s intervention, we will get more investments both from the international and domestic markets,” Irani said while addressing the CII Texellence 2018, an annual textile conclave organised by the apex industry body CII.

Speaking at the Conclave, RD Udeshi, conference chair and president–Polyester Chain, Reliance Industries Ltd., emphasised on

the importance of technology and market access for the Indian textile and apparel industry. “We need international collaboration within the industry to learn what the world is doing,” he said. Udeshi also highlighted the need for skill development to generate more employment opportunities and friendly labour laws in the industry with a focus to make India a talent hub in textile and apparel arena. Through the Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS), the textile and apparel industry is targeting to have 60–62 million skilled workers by the year 2022 through training and development.

“For every ₹1 crore investment in the garment manufacturing sector, the government will provide support/ subsidy of 60 per cent,” textile commissioner, Government of India, Dr. Kavita Gupta said during the inaugural session. She also reiterated that the textile manufacturers need to take advantage of the various government schemes, subsidies and rebates which are available to boost and promote textile and apparel manufacturing. She also urged the industries’ bodies to create clusters to streamline best practices for which the government is ready to support such initiatives. While discussing various schemes offered by the government, Gupta pointed out the need for more research

and development (R&D) initiatives by the industry players as the government is ready to provide support of up to 70 per cent.

From L-R: Pikender Pal Singh, Sr. Director CII and Head CoE for Competitiveness; RD Udeshi, President–Polyester Chain, Reliance Industries Ltd.; Dr. Kavita Gupta, Textile Commissioner, Government of India; Prashant Agarwal, Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director, Wazir Advisors, releasing the Theme Paper on “Business Excellence in Textile & Apparel Industry – Competitive Strategy for Growth in Uncertain Times”

Manu Kapur, president & CEO – Home Textiles, GHCL Ltd., enabled in-depth discussions with the industry leaders and discussed various thought provoking topics including the core values and concepts of business excellence in textile and apparel industry, role of digital solutions for transformation of the industry, operational excellence, to name a few.

SK Khandelia, president, Sutlej Textiles & Industries Ltd., focused on the ability to sustain business by focusing on both the environment and social aspect. He emphasised on the fact that while it is important to comply with the regulations, it is equally important to have goodwill of the community. “Customers today have started to move from mindless consumption to mindful purchase,” he said while emphasising that the demand for sustainable and

environment friendly products is growing. According to him, waterless dyeing/processing will soon become a reality. He further stated the importance of technology given the growing need for traceability in the supply chain. “Giving customers a unique experience while shopping has become essential and important in order to survive in the apparel industry these days,” said Thomas Varghese, business head–Domestic Textiles, Overseas Spinning and Acrylic Fibre, Aditya Birla Group. He also emphasised on the uses of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and VR (Virtual Reality) for “Virtual Try Rooms”—a technology which allows customers to try various outfits and dresses without trying them on physically. RK Rewari, managing director, Morarjee Textiles, talked about the importance of customer satisfaction by being customer centric. He talked about the changing scenario due to reduction in fashion cycles and customers’ inclination towards mindful purchase. He talked about real time tracking of purchases being made and change in productmix accordingly by the retailer. He said that in order to cope up with the changes, it is important to understand customer requirement, have an attitude of collaboration for technological advancement and scale and understanding the roles & responsibilities as manufacturers. During the session on “Government Role in Enhancing Industry’s Competitiveness”, Atul Patne, secretary–Textiles, Government of Maharashtra, and Mihir Parekh, director–Mega Textile Park, Government of Telangana, elaborated on their respective state government’s Industrial Policy and the support it provides to the textile and apparel industry. Industry expectations were also spelled out by Narain Aggarwal, chairman, SRTEPC, during the session.

Mihir Parekh, Director – Mega Textile Park, Government of Telangana

Atul Patne, Secretary – Textiles, Government of Maharashtra

Narain Aggarwal, Chairman, SRTEPC

Anjani Prasad, managing director, Archroma India, highlighted the importance of presence of strong value chain. He specified some of the potential areas of innovation in textiles like feel, comfort, looks, technology and functional technical textiles. He said that ecological and environmental factors are having a gamechanging impact and there is an increasing push from legislators as well as consumers. Mohan Kavrie, managing director, Supreme Nonwoven, focused on the importance of robust systems and processes for any industry. He stated that the entire value chain in textile industry needs to be efficient for overall growth of the industry. He stated the example of automobile industry in which even the Tier 1 & 2 suppliers are forced to follow the norms and the same model. He also highlighted the importance of government policies in leading to job creation. Finally, he urged the financial institutions not to be sceptical of the textile industry in general because of recent issues with few companies.

Rahul Mehta, managing director, Creative Casuals India, moderated the session which focused on the need to shift focus from product first to people and customers first. The session discussed on moving beyond competitive prices to serve customers with the right product and in the right time. Sanjay Kumar Verma, vice president–L&D, Reliance Industries Ltd., focused on the need of efficient supply chain management with complete transparency in the value chain. Given the increasing focus of brands towards supply chain transparency, he emphasised the need to have social compliance in addition to being environmentally compliant. He stated that technology can be leveraged to provide full transparency to customers that ultimately leads to customer satisfaction.

Union minister of textiles Smriti Irani with industry leaders at “Texellence 2018” which was held on May 25, 2018 in Mumbai.

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1st European Textile Startup Summit

TRADE EVENT

Startups dream of a

What Italian industrialist Paolo Canonico, President at ETP (European Technology Platform of Textile and Clothing), likes most is that new technologies and urgent sustainability requirements create numerous opportunities.

Over the last few years, a vibrant and growing startup scene in the textiles and fashion industry has sprung up all over Europe. Jozef De Coster reports from Brussels.

136 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

ur times are fond of innovation. Many textile and apparel companies mention “innovation” in the text of their Vision and/ or Mission statements. But then, where can more daring—even disruptive—innovations be found, than in startups? This was at the heart of the European Apparel and Textile Confederation Euratex in Brussels on April 17–18—the First European Textile Startup Summit. Lutz Walter, Director of the Innovation and Skills department at Euratex, enthusiastically hailed the some20 young starters who pitched their company at Brussels, saying: “Over recent years, a vibrant and growing startup scene in the textiles and fashion industry has sprung up

new textiles universe

Euratex handpicked some 20 starters from the enthusiastic phalanx of innovators who are currently looking for capital, and for supporting networks that should enable them to grab their chance.

all over Europe. This event will bring together this new breed of brave young textile innovators and startup entrepreneurs who bravely challenge the incumbents in this long-established industry, and open entirely new markets for textile-based products and services.” Starters, who are definitely optimistic people, are also happy people because—at least for some time— they live in an exciting present while dreaming of a great future. Most of them are not aware that nearly all innovations are either intrinsically useless or—even when useful—are never put into production (look at the fate of most of the many thousands of patents which every year are registered in the textile patent databases).

Also, most starters do not expect that their smart, well-aimed business project—when introduced in the market—will enter the inexorable world of cybernetics, where feedbacks of all kinds will force them to adapt the project, not once, but again and again. Some philosophers explain the whole sad history of mankind as an example of “cybernetics-of-the-second-order.”

Opportunities abound As Italian industrialist Paolo Canonico, president at ETP (European Technology Platform of Textile and Clothing), explained in Brussels: one can easily defend two divergent views on the current state of the European textiles and apparel industry. A pessimist will

JUNE 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 137

1st European Textile Startup Summit

TRADE EVENT

remark that in Europe this industry has shrunk into a niche industry specialising in hi-tech products which for the time being are relatively safe from attacks by Chinese and other foreign mass producers. Since 2005, when after a period of 30 years the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) no longer adequately protected the industry, the total annual turnover of the European textiles and apparel companies has fallen by nearly 20 per cent. Many parents continue thinking that the textiles and clothing industry is a sunset industry and try dissuading their children from taking up courses in textile schools. The average age of European textile workers is increasing. Textiles and garment companies find it increasingly difficult to find employees with the right skills. But an optimist like Canonico also looks at the bright side of the sector where he sees a lot of precious strengths partly traditional and partly newly acquired. Since 2005, the annual total value added of the European textiles and apparel companies has increased by 36 per cent. The world’s top companies in fashion, luxury clothing, personal protection clothing, technical textiles, sustainable textiles, can all be found in Europe. Since 2015, employment in the sector is again on the rise and, though on a very modest scale, some previously delocalised production capacities are coming back.

The ambitious ultimate goal of Fashion for Good is to pilot the global fashion sector into the circular economy.

innovators who are currently looking for capital, and for supporting networks that should enable them to grab their chance.

A good idea is no longer enough

Ash Mauray, author of the book Startup Lean, wrote: “We live in a fantastic time to launch a startup or a new product. And yet, most initiatives go wrong. The reason is not that we don’t try hard enough, but that we waste time, money and energy to develop a product that nobody is waiting for.” So, the first question the audience at the ETP event in Brussels probably had in mind when 20 startups pitched their special idea and connected business plan was: “Is there a market for such product?” For a few years, in many countries potential investors will spontaneously add a second question: “Can this startup contribute to sustainability?” For, it is dawning even on ultraconservative economists and financial analysts that limitless growth is a fairy tale without a happy ending. It can’t be expected that startups, even with a big potential for sustainable growth, will succeed on their own in transforming the European textiles and apparel industry. Also, responsible authorities Most starters do not expect that their smart, well-aimed business project—when introduced in the market—will enter the and conscious consumers inexorable world of cybernetics, where feedbacks of all kinds will force them to adapt the project, not once, but again and again. have an important role to play. But listening to What Canonico likes most is that new technologies ambitious starters who are deeply convinced that they and urgent sustainability requirements create will make a difference in the sector, in and outside numerous opportunities. Euratex handpicked Europe, is an exciting experience. Let’s have a closer some 20 starters from the enthusiastic phalanx of look at three of them.

138 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

1st European Textile Startup Summit

TRADE EVENT

‘Fashion for Good’ aims at global impact The startup Fashion for Good, launched on March 30, 2017 attracted a lot of attention at the ETP event. This startup is different from most others since it is not only built, like many others, on goodwill and creative amateurism, but funded by C&A Foundation. It boasts the support of strong partners like C&A, Adidas, Kering (with Gucci, YSL, Puma,…), Zalando, Galeries Lafayette, Target. During the first year of its existence, Fashion for Good has given several small, innovating startups a push from the back. Its core business is providing promising startups the needed expertise, contacts and resources to rapidly scale up. The ambitious ultimate goal of Fashion for Good is to pilot the global fashion sector into the circular economy.

Canadian software and engineering specialists who started Scalable Garment Technologies have designed and prototyped a robotic knitting machine to produce custom seamless knit garments in the size, material and style chosen by customers.

Will this startup succeed in alleviating the very heavy ecological and social footprint of the fashion sector? Conscious clothing consumers who wonder how this sector—from fibre to fashion—is fitting in the doughnut model of the popular British economist Kate Raworth have to conclude that it does not fit at all. Its pollution and excess consumption are degrading the environment beyond repair. Millions of garment workers do not yet enjoy the comfort of a living wage and social security. Scepsis is justified about the possible success in the medium term of Fashion for Good. Can ‘fast fashion’ companies be expected to voluntarily drop the core advantages of their business model (speed and low price)? Recently, even the consequently CSR-oriented (corporate social responsibility) clothing brand C&A was criticised because it presented in

140 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

its Best Deals budget collection very cheap articles like t-shirts for ¤2 and trousers for ¤8. “How can C&A pretend to aspire to sustainability with such prices?”, was the essence of most public reproaches. C&A explained that it requires from all its suppliers a guarantee that the workers get at least a minimum salary. Market observers remarked that C&A has to compete with price breakers like Primark.

The Infinited Fiber Company Another interesting startup is The Infinited Fiber Company, which was pitched in Brussels by CEO and Co-founder Petri Alava from Finland. Alava contends that Infinited Fiber is able to produce a cotton-like textile fibre from waste materials and residue biomaterials. This fibre can be recycled again and again without loss of quality. The ambition of Infinited Fiber is to replace cotton and polyester in the fashion industry and in the large market of disposable hygienic products. Also, the industry of technical products for filtration, insulation, composites, is reportedly showing growing interest. Alava doesn’t want to conquer the world alone. He invites all other radical recycling innovators to cooperate with his company for building a new global ecosystem. He expects that demand will increase fast since so many big players want to get rid of the traditional, unsustainable cotton and synthetic fibres. Ikea intends to increase the use of man-made cellulosic fibres to more than 40 per cent of all fibre usage by 2030. Wrangler has the objective to replace 30 per cent of cotton in jeans. Suominen wants to bring sustainability to nonwoven markets. Tommy Hilfiger sees major potential in menswear with new fibres. Also, consumers are willing to pay a price for sustainability (or so they say), and not only in the rich countries. According to Alava, 95 per cent of the people in Brazil, China and India are actively in search of responsible products. The Infinited Fiber Company may be a startup, but according to founders its technology is mature. It has been developed since the Nineties with more than ¤7 million investments. The fibres have been successfully tested in industrial production tests by an H&M subcontractor. According to Adidas, the fabric made of the fibre “has already a commercial quality.”

1st European Textile Startup Summit

TRADE EVENT

Since 2005, the annual total value added of the European textiles and apparel companies has increased by 36 per cent. The world’s top companies in fashion, luxury clothing, personal protection clothing, technical textiles, sustainable textiles, can all be found in Europe.

Now, Infinited Fiber wants to attract investors for scaling up production. In 2020–21, a flagship fibre plant with a capacity of 25,000 tonne should be built, and in 2022–23 a first high-volume plant of more than 100,000 tonne. “Join us, and we don’t need another planet Earth,” Alava is telling business angels and other potential investors.

Scalable Garment Technologies Inc It’s not difficult to detect some weak spots in the brave future plans of Fashion for Good and The Infinited Fibre Company. It’s even less difficult to shoot holes in the project presentation of the three Canadians who want to change the world of fashion with their startup Scalable Garment Technologies Inc. They have designed and prototyped a robotic knitting machine to produce custom seamless knit garments in the size, material and style chosen by customers. This means better fit and less waste. The three pioneers predict a future where all mainstream clothing production is on-demand and completely manufactured by machines. By the way, this is the kind of utopian future that is dreamt of by the American sociologist Peter Frase, who in 2016 published the book Four Futures, Life after Capitalism. If Scalable Garment Technologies

142 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018

Infinited Fiber is able to produce a cotton-like textile fibre from waste materials and residue biomaterials. This fibre can be recycled again and again without loss of quality.

would succeed on a big scale, like they intend, the double sector issue of scarce textile resources and poorly paid monotonous labour would be resolved. As for now, the Canadian software and engineering specialists who started Scalable Garment Technologies are still working on a prototype machine that makes scarves to validate and demonstrate the technology needed for ondemand manufacturing of single custom garments. Their next step will be launching a machine for producing knit ties and then a machine for fully customisable foot-shaped socks.

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Index A Accel Partners, American venture capital

Bombay Dyeing 14

Element, US-based apparel, skateboards

Hunkemoller, Netherlands-based clothing

firm 10

Bompan Srl, Printing machinery distributor

and footwear brand 27

manufacturer 83

Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Accord) 16

in Italy 25

Eminence Group, Owner of Eminence,

Achilles FPAL, UK based online community

Bonobos, US-based e-commerce-driven

Athena and Liabel labels 25

for procurement needs of oil and gas

apparel company 43

Enakshi, Online womenswear fashion

market 126

British Fashion Council 33

provider 37

ACIMIT, Association of Italian Textile

Brunet International Limited, Hong Kong-

Entsa, Engagement Institute within the

Machinery Manufacturers 24

based lace manufacturer 82

Nelson Mandela University 121

Adidas 139-140

Buddhi Paranamana, General Manager-

EQT Corp 126

Aditya Birla Group, Indian multinational

Innovation and Strategy, Hela Clothing 60, 72

Etam 83

conglomerate 44, 131-132

Bumble Ventures, US-based venture

[ETP] European Technology Platform of

Adore Me, US-based womenswear boutique 83

capital firm 89

Textile and Clothing 136-137

[AMRC] Advanced Manufacturing Research

Burberry Foundation 128

Eurojersey Spa 78-79

Centre 127

Burberry Group Plc 128

Infinited Fiber Company, Finland-based

Exel Composites Plc, Finnish technology

Business Coordination House [BCH] 123

company 122

firm producing cellulosic and ecological

[AGOA] African Growth and Opportunity Act 20 Afroza Khan, Secretary of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Bangladesh 16 [ATIRA] Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association 11 AKH Eco Apparels Ltd, Bangladesh-based garment manufacturer 16 Alibaba Group 36 Allan Vad Nielsen, CEO, Hummel International 36 Aloke Banerjee, CEO-Retail, Bombay Dyeing 13 Amanté, Sri Lankan lingerie brand 58, 60 Amazon 36, 38, 40-43, 46 [A&E] American & Efird 23 [AAFA] American Apparel & Footwear Association 20 [ANSI] American National Standards Institute 126 Amul Innerwear 53 Andrea Crespi, MD, Eurojersey Spa 78 Anne Marie Commandeur, Editor of trade magazine VIEW 117 [AEPC] Apparel Export Promotion Council 10-11 Arab Fashion Council 34 Arnaud Limousin, MD, Brunet International Limited 82 Arvind Limited 11 Ash Mauray, Author of Startup Lean 138 Asket, Swedish menswear brand 28 [ADIH] Association of Industries of Haiti 20 Aubade, Innerwear brand of Calida Group 83 [ABG] Authentic Brands Group 30 Avenue Stores Llc 33 Avgol Industries 119 Ayushmann Khurrana, Hindi film actor 14 Azercotton LlC 22 B Bahruz Jamalov, General Director, Azercotton LLC 22 [BGMEA] Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association 16 [BCI] Better Cotton Initiative 21 Bhumi Pednekar, Hindi film actor 14 BigBasket, Online grocery shopping app 43 Billabong International Ltd 27 Binny Bansal, CEO, Flipkart 10, 40-41 Boardriders Inc 27 Body Labs, US-based software firm 38 Bodycare, Manufacturer & supplier of innerwear 53

C C&A 140

F Fair Harbor Clothing Co 101-103, 105-106

I ICC Ltd, Equipment manufacturer for textile spinning industry 11 INDA, Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry 120 [IOA] Indian Olympic Association 120 [IVL] Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited 119 [IFAI] Industrial Fabrics Association International 123 Infibeam, Indian e-commerce company 38

fiber textiles 140 [ILO] International Labour Organisation 26

C.Banner, Chinese fashion conglomerate 28

Fakir Fashion Ltd, Bangladesh-based

[ISEA] International Safety Equipment

Calvin Klein 26, 55, 60, 73, 83

garment manufacturer 16

Association 125

[CTC] Canadian Tire Corporation 25

Farfetch, UK-based online fashion retail

[IHKIB] Istanbul Apparel Exporters’

[CMU] Carnegie Mellon University 34

platform 33-34

Association 26

Caroline Danehy, Co-Founder & Creative

Fast Retailing Co Ltd 14

Izod, Brand owned by PVH Corp 60, 73

Director, Fair Harbor Clothing Co 101

[FICCI] Federation of Indian Chambers of

Carvico Group, Parent company of

Commerce and Industry 126

Eurojersey Spa 78

Flipkart, Indian e-commerce company 10,

CB&I, US-based technology and

12, 36, 40-46

infrastructure provider for energy industry 18

Formosa Petrochemical Corporation 21

[CCRI] Central Cotton Research Institute,

Fosun Fashion Group 28

Multan, Pakistan 22

Fudan University 128

Chantelle, French lingerie company 83-84

Furniweb Holdings Limited 30

[CNOOC] China National Offshore Oil

Future Group 44

Corporation 18 Chomarat Group 120 Coloreel AB 24 Columbia Sportswear 26, 118, 127 Composite Cluster Singapore Pte Ltd 121 Costco Wholesale Corp 26, 73 [CoC] Cotton Chain of Custody 21 D D Thara, Vice Chairman & MD, GIDC 11

G Galeries Lafayette, French department

John Bel Edwards, Governor, Louisiana 21

[GOTS] Global Organic Textile Standard 88, 92

Juliet Apparels Ltd 53

Gokaldas Exports Ltd 83-84

Gucci 139

DataWeave, India-based software firm 38

[GIDC] Gujarat Industrial Development

Datex Corp, Software & hardware solutions

Corporation 11

Inc 122 Dixcy, Men’s innerwear company 55 Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart 10, 40, 46 Drylock Technologies NV 120 E Ebay Inc 10

H H&M 14, 140

K Karan Behal, Founder & CEO, PrettySecrets 12, 54, 57, 66 Karl Mayer India Pvt Ltd 83 Katie Greenyer, Creative Talent & Network Director, Pentland Brand 34 Kay Kay Clothing Co 14 KBR, Inc, Services and technology provider for energy industry 22 [KBS] KBS Fashion Group Limited 36

Haji Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Federal

Keh-Yen Lin, Executive VP, Formosa

Minister for National Food Security and

Petrochemical Corporation 21

Research, Pakistan 22

Kering, Paris-based luxury group 139

Hanes, American clothing brand 26, 55, 83

Kern-Liebers Textile Group 23

Hangzhou Si Teng Internet Technology Co

Kitex Garments Ltd 12

Limited 36

Knit Concern Ltd, Bangladesh-based

Hela Clothing Pvt Ltd 60, 71-73

garment manufacturer 16

Heydar Aliyev, Former President, Azerbaijan 22

Kobsak Pootrakool, Minister for Economic

Higg Index 74

Reforms and Investment, Thailand 16

HKL Magu, Chairman, AEPC 10, 11

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc 24

Hongri (Fujian) Sports Goods Co Ltd 36

KraussMaffei Group GmbH 128

Hop Lun Apparels Ltd, Bangladesh-based

Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart

garment manufacturer 16

India 12

House of Fraser Group Limited 28

[KCM] Kusters Calico Machinery Pvt Ltd 12

Ecotext Ltd, Bangladesh-based garment

Hugo Boss, German luxury fashion house 30

manufacturer 16

Hummel International, Denmark-based

Ekart, Subsidiary of Flipkart 42

sportswear company 36

[EVS] Elbit Vision Systems Ltd. 32

[JGFMC] Jerash Garments and Fashions

Jockey India 53, 55, 83

Datacolor Inc 31

[DSC] Diversified Structural Composites,

Jennifer Hyman, CEO, Rent the Runway 102

[GEM] Gilde Equity Management Benelux 126

[GSTN] GST-Network 10

Trade 10

University 34

Jobedu, Jordan-based apparel company 29

Asia 36

[DGFT] Directorate General of Foreign

Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon

of India 12

Groversons Apparel Co 53

Directa Plus Plc 11

James McCann, Assistant Professor,

Jessica Alba, American actress 102

Daraz Group, Online retailer in South

Devan Chemicals NV 22

Clothing Co 102

[GMAI] Garment Manufacturers Association

Grofers, Online grocery shopping app 43

Delta Galil Industries 25, 34

Jake Danehy, CEO & Founder, Fair Harbor

Manufacturing Company 26

Daniel Link, CEO, Loepfe Brothers Ltd 34

DC Shoes, US-based footwear firm 27

e-commerce portal 36, 40-43

Gap 55

Google 40

David Shah, Trend Forecaster, Maredimoda 117

Jabong, Indian fashion and lifestyle

store chain 139

D’Mart, Indian supermarket chain 44

provider 32

J J Sainsbury Plc 27, 43

Kustom Shoes, US-based footwear brand 28 L Landmark, Dubai-based multinational conglomerate 44 Lanvin, French luxury brand 28

LDI Ltd, Private equity firm 122

Myntra, Indian fashion e-commerce

League Collegiate Outfitters Inc 26

company 36, 40-43

Lee, American brand of denim jeans 26, 94 Legacy Athletic Inc 26 Lenzing Group 18, 57 [LNF] Lenzing Nanjing Fibres 18 LFS, Inc, Marine and outdoor sportswear manufacturer 126 Li & Fung Ltd 18 Liabel SpA, Manufacturer & exporter of innerwear 26 Lianyungang Petrochemical Co., Ltd 18 Loepfe Brothers Ltd 34 Lord & Taylor, US-based department store 43 Lutz Walter, Director-Innovation and Skills Department, Euratex 136 Lux, Indian brand of men’s innerwear 53 M Macy’s, American department store chain 73 Mads Fibiger Rasmussen, Co-Founder & CEO, Organic Basics 88-89 Maharsh Shah, Co-Founder, Enakshi 37 Mao Ying, Vice President, Huashan Hospital, Affiliated to Fudan University 128 Marco Borioli, President, Maredimoda 114 Maredimoda, Trade fair for beachwear, underwear and athleisure 114-118 Mark Walsh, CEO, Avenue Stores Llc 33 Marks & Spencer, British multinational retailer 55, 59-60, 73 Mary Hennessy, President and CEO, IFAI 124 MAS Holdings, Sri Lanka-based lingerie manufacturer 58 [MCPI] Materials Chemicals and Performance Intermediaries Private Limited 122 Maxwell Industries Ltd, Indian innerwear manufacturer 53 MC Hammer, American hip-hop artist 102 Md. Siddiqur Rahman, President, BGMEA 16 Metro, German global diversified retail and wholesale/cash and carry group 44 MGF Group 60, 73 Michael Hauschild, Professor & Head, DTU Management Engineering 127 Michael Kors Holdings Ltd 60, 73 Michelin Group, French tyre manufacturer 124

N Namya Patel, Co-Founder, Enakshi 37 Nanjing Cenbest, China-based department store group 28 Narain Agarwal, Chairman, SRTEPC 11 Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, India 11 Naspers, South Africa-based internet and media group 10 Neil Blumenthal, CEO, Warby Parker 102 Nike 28 Nordic-Eye Venture Capital, US-based venture capital firm 89 Nordstrom, American chain of department stores 27, 73 Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, President, Arab Fashion Council 34 O Organic Basics, Danish sustainable innerwear manufacturer 88-91 Owens Corning, US-based manufacturer of insulation, roofing, and fibreglass composites 124 Oysho, Spanish clothing retailer 83 P Palmers Surf Wax Inc 28

S Sachin Bansal, Co-Founder, Flipkart 41, 46

Temperley London, UK-based e-commerce

Safety Supply Corporation, Manufacturer

boutique for womenswear 33

of personal protective equipment 126

Tencent Holdings Limited 10

Sainsbury’s, US based supermarket

Tesco Plc 60, 73

firm 27

The Limited, US-based clothing company 83

Sam Shobert, Founder, Polygon 122

The Mandela Bay Composites Cluster,

Sam Walton, Co-Founder, Walmart 41, 44

South Africa 121

Samir Gupta, Managing Director, BCH 124

The North Face Inc 26

Sanpower Group 27

Tiger Global Management LLC 10, 41

[SABIC] Saudi Basic Industries

Timberland, American manufacturer and

Corporation 22

retailer of outdoor wear 26

Saurer Group, Yarn processing machinery

[TEA] Tiruppur Exporters Association 10

manufacturer 24

TJ Maxx, American department store

Scalable Garment Technologies Inc 140, 142

chain 73

Sears, American chain of department

Tofail Ahmed, Minister of Commerce,

stores 26

Bangladesh 15

Seraphine, London-based maternity wear

Tom Tailor Group 28

brand 14

Tommy Hilfiger 60, 73, 140

Sharon Baurley, Professor of design and

[TMC] Transition Monitoring Committee 16

materials & Chair, Burberry Material

Trevira GmbH 24

Futures Research Group 128

Triumph, International underwear

Shell Nanhai BV (Shell) 18

manufacturer 83

Shima Seiki Mfg Ltd 24 Shoppers Stop 44, 102 Snapdeal, Indian e-commerce company 38

TT Innerwear & Sleepwear 53 U Uniqlo, Japan-based apparel retailer 13-14 [UBC] University of British Columbia 127

Paolo Canonico, President, ETP 136-137

Snowtex Outwear Ltd, Bangladesh-based

Pentland Brand, Subsidiary of Pentland

garment manufacturer 16

Group Plc 34

[SETAC] Society of Environmental

Peter Frase, American sociologist 142

Toxicology and Chemistry 128

Petri Alava, CEO and Co-Founder, Infinited

SoftBank Group 10

Fiber Company 140

Solvay SA 124

[PPI] Philipp Plein International AG 29

Sonari Lingerie 53

PhonePe, Subsidiary of Flipkart 42

Spanx Inc, American underwear maker 83

[PS AG] Plein Sport AG 29

Speedo International Ltd 26, 60, 73

Polygon, US-based manufacturer of

Square Fashions Ltd, Bangladesh-based

composite components 122

garment manufacturer 16

Pratibha Syntex Ltd 53

Staple Cotton Cooperative Association

PrettySecrets, Indian inner- and sleep-

(Staplcotn) 22

wear brand 12, 55, 57, 65-68

Stephanie Phair, Chief Strategy Officer,

Prodigy Textiles Co Ltd 24

Farfetch 33

Proline Clothing 13

Steuart Walton, Grandson of Walmart

Puma 139

Founder Sam Walton 41, 44

Warby Parker, US based online retail

PVH Corp 60, 73, 75

Stoll, German 3D knitting machinery firm 32

company 102

Stratagem Group, Singapore-based

Warner’s, US based textile & clothing

business advisory firm 121

corporation 60, 73

Swiss Military, Switzerland-based

Wisdom Attires Ltd, Bangladesh-based

manufacturer of travel accessories 13

garment manufacturer 16

[SRTEPC] Synthetic and Rayon Textile

Wrangler, American manufacturer of

Q Quiksilver Inc, American-Australian retail sporting company 27 R Raja M Shanmugham, President, TEA 10

Microsoft Corp 10, 41

Rajat Kapoor, Director, Kay Kay Clothing Co 13

Million Exporter Pvt Ltd 13

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President, Turkey 20

Mimaki Europe BV 26

Reliance Retail, Subsidiary of Reliance

Export Promotion Council 11 T Tao Hu, Researcher, Shanghai Institute of

[UCF] University of Central Florida 128 Uster Technologies, Swiss manufacturer of instruments & monitoring systems for textile 32 V Van De Velde NV, Belgium-based luxury lingerie manufacturer 83 Van Heusen 55, 94 VF Corporation 30, 60, 73 Victoria’s Secret 83 Vivaldi, Brand by Bombay Dyeing 13 Viyellatex Group, Bangladesh-based garment manufacturer 16 V-Mart Retail Ltd 14 VonZipper, US-based eyewear provider 27 W Walmart 10-11, 26-28, 40-46

jeans 26, 94, 140 X Xcel Hawaii Inc, Manufacturer of sun

ModCloth, American online retailer 43

Industries 44

Monte Carlo, Indian apparel retailer and

[RCC] Remediation Coordination Cell 16

Microsystem and Information Technology 128

manufacturer 55

Rent the Runway, US based online

Tarasima Apparels Ltd, Bangladesh-

Y YSL, French luxury fashion house 139

Moody’s, US-based investor service

apparel service provider 102

based garment manufacturer 16

provider 46

Ricoh Company Ltd 24

Target 139

Z Zalando SE, German e-commerce

Morgan Stanley, American financial

RM Sankar, Principal Scientific Officer,

Tata Group, Indian multinational

services company 42

ATIRA 10

conglomerate 44

Mujibul Haque, State Minister for Labour

Roxy, New Zealand-based online store 27

Technical University of Denmark (DTU) 128

and Employment, Bangladesh 16

Royal DSM NV 123

Teijin Carbon America, Inc 122

Myant, Canada-based textile computing

Rupa Co, Indian knitwear brand 53, 55

Teijin Carbon Shanghai Co., Ltd 124

firm 32

RVCA, US-based clothing company 27

Teijin Limited 124

protection apparel 27

company 139 ZDHC Foundation 30 [ZDHC MRSL] ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List 30 Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical Co., Limited 18

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