Fibre2Fashion Magazine May 2018 by Fibre2Fashion

World of Garment-Textile-Fashion

GLOBAL • INDUSTRY • OUTLOOK

Vol 06 Issue 10 May 2018 `150

www.fibre2fashion.com

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All that’s Fit to Print PREVIEW

| FESPA 2018

Sustainability | Transparency

Trade Events | ITM | Hightex | ETT TURKEY ON TRACK Trend Watch | Milan Design Week

DESIGN, AS EVENT

Interview | Fashion@IMG Reliance FOLLOWING A VISION

FASHIONING TRANSPARENCY Q&A | Denim@Arvind

DENIM, GOES SUSTAINABLE

Communities | Usha Silai

SEW FAR, SEW GOOD

DACHCOM

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Ÿ A unique method of measuring True Maturity ensures traceability to image based Maturity values

USDA Calibration Cotton and tiles for instrument calibration to assure international standard for precision accuracy

Ÿ Automatic Moisture measurement ensures the exact moisture content of the samples at the time of

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Ÿ Automatic Gravimetric Trash measurement as optional provides precise results with single passage of material

Ginners, Traders and

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Consulting Editor Richa Bansal Sr. Assistant Editor Rajesh Kumar Shah Reporters Hiral Oza Ruby Roy Sr. News Researcher Rohit Mergu Editorial Coordinator Prachi Acharya ––––––––– Contributing Editor Subir Ghosh Assistant Editors Savita Verma Dipesh Satapathy ––––––––– Creative Raj Sharma | Montu Chauhan ––––––––– Enquiry Editorial: editor@fibre2fashion.com Advertising: advertisement@fibre2fashion.com Subscription: subscription@fibre2fashion.com

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Editor’s Letter Time to ink deals There are happenings, and then there are happenings that are—to be a bit circumlocutory—“happening” in themselves. The FESPA Global Print Expo 2018, which takes place from May 15 to 18 at the Messe Berlin in Germany, is one such textiles-apparel event. Technically of course, it is not a textiles-apparel congregation per se, but the scale and scope of the event is such that it is one of those must-visit events for the industry. That’s not just because the industry cannot do without printing; it’s also because textiles-apparel lie at the core of the event. As we go to the press, FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 is still a fortnight away; the organisers are already promising that visitors “will be able to explore the largest textile presence of any FESPA exhibition to date.” Those aware of FESPA would know that it is not another tall claim; if they say so, it will be so. This year’s expo will feature Print Make Wear, which, according to the organisers, would be “an exciting, full end-to-end, design-to-finish production line for fashion and sportswear. Within the feature visitors can discover all aspects of a textile production line, from creation and preparation to production and presentation incorporating both screen and digital print.” Print service providers (PSPs) and sign-makers from across the globe—particularly the big ones and trend-setters—are all ready to exhibit their latest technologies, equipment, consumables and materials. The event is known for its high-profile launches, and there would be over 650 exhibitors (at the last count) across ten halls who would be putting up their latest and best for display. It is the right place to ink deals for the future.

RICHA BANSAL

World of Garment-Textile-Fashion

GLOBAL • INDUSTRY • OUTLOOK

Vol 06 Issue 10 May 2018 `150

www.fibre2fashion.com

QR Code: www.fibre2fashion.com

All that’s Fit to Print PREVIEW

| FESPA 2018

Sustainability | Transparency

FASHIONING TRANSPARENCY

Trade Events | ITM | Hightex | ETT TURKEY ON TRACK

Q&A | Denim@Arvind

Trend Watch | Milan Design Week

DESIGN, AS EVENT

DENIM, GOES SUSTAINABLE

Interview | Fashion@IMG Reliance FOLLOWING A VISION

Communities | Usha Silai

SEW FAR, SEW GOOD

Preview | FESPA 2018 (Pg. 40)

ON THE COVER

PREVIEW FESPA 2018

Contents May 2018

114

ADVERTORIAL Lux - Lyra

Embee Group

GCCI

TRADE EVENTS ITM | HIGHTEX | ETT

123

Pg.

RSWM Ltd

Bharat Beams

Prym

119

F2F - My F2F App

Pratibha Syntex Ltd

Komal Texfab

F2F - eCAAS

120

Saurer

Softech Controls

Dolphin

Bang Overseas

122

Polytex Engineering

Dollar - Big Boss

S.L. Banthia

ATDC

123

ADNAS

Eppinger Tooling

Embee Group

Everflow Petrofils

100

F2F - TexPro

124

Anaadih Vincom

Trigger Apparels

CII - Texellence 2018

Riello Power

109

N9 World Technologies

131

Kornit Digital

DCC

A.T.E. Enterprises

Huntsman

SPG Prints

111

Vardhman Textiles

133

Lyra

Shakti Knitfab

Laxmi Shuttleless

F2F - News App

Peixin

112

Force NXT

135

Skaat Machine

Reckon Industries

Fujifilm Sericol

Dollar - Missy

Prabhat Textile

113

Yingyang Nonwoven

138

Bluesign technologies ag

Pg.

Madhusudan

Spinning King

GTTES

Jupiter Comtex Pvt Ltd

Oriental Textile

Hi-Tech Heavy Industry

Jetstar Innovations

Premier Evolvics

Texfab Engineers

Amarjothi Spinning Mills

Aditya Birla - Raysil

110

Q&A DENIM@ARVIND

Eppinger

AD INDEX Inside Front Cover

INVISTA

SUSTAINABILITY TRANSPARENCY

Back Cover Reliance

POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA

Indian cabinet approves integrated scheme for silk industry India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs last week approved the Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry from fiscal 2017-18 to 2019-20 with an allocation of ₹2161.68 crore. To be implemented through the Central Silk Board (CSB), it is expected to raise production from 30,348 metric tonnes (MT) during 2016-17 to 38,500 MT by end of 2019-20. The scheme will help increase the production of highquality Bivoltine silk by 62 per cent to 8,500 MT by 2020 and India will turn self-reliant in silk production by then, an official press release quoted textiles minister Smriti Irani as saying. The scheme has four components—research & development (R&D), training, transfer of technology and information technology initiatives; seed organisations and farmers extension centres; coordination and market

Digital platform launched for Indian MSME exporters

development for seed, yarn and silk products; and quality certification system (QCS) by creating a chain of silk testing facilities, farm-based and post-cocoon technology upgradation and export brand promotion.

with help from the textiles ministry, he said.

Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu (2nd from left) at the launch of FIEO GlobalLinker in New Delhi. Pic courtesy: PIB/ministry of commerce and industry

A digital platform for exporters in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) industry has been launched by Indian commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu. The interesting idea for such a platform was given by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). The FIEO GlobalLinker will help MSME exporters to digitise their businesses. FIEO GlobalLinker is setup with a view to make the business growth of SMEs simpler, more profitable and enjoyable. “This initiative will help in expanding India’s multi-focused export strategy and also aid in connecting art and artisans to the market,” said Prabhu while launching the platform.

India plans ‘super premium’ khadi for luxury customers The Government of India is planning to create a ‘super premium’ segment for handwoven khadi to raise sale of products made from the fabric by targeting luxury customers, according to AK Panda, secretary in the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). The ministry is also planning to rope in top designers for the initiative

10 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018

The ministry will initially prepare a list of the actual super premium khadi products already being manufactured across the country which are not so popular. The super premium products will be sold in lounges in select khadi outlets.

Telangana to set up Apparel Super Hub at Sircilla India’s Telangana state will set up an apparel value chain system at the upcoming apparel park in Sircilla district at an estimated investment of ₹100 crore in collaboration with apparel manufacturer Kay Ventures. To come up over 20 acres, the Apparel Super Hub is proposed to be developed in three phases and will be fully operational in three years. It will host 5,000 modern sewing units with its corresponding embroidery, printing, washing and value addition and support facilities, according to media reports.

TRADE Apparel exports drop 3.83% to $16.7bn in FY18 Apparel exports from India dropped by 3.83 per cent to $16.716 billion in

April-March 2017-18, compared to exports of $17.382 billion in fiscal 201617, according to data from Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), Kolkata, under the ministry of commerce, Government of India. March 2018 showed fall of 17.78 per cent year-on-year. In March 2018, India’s readymade garment exports were to the tune of $1.491 billion as against exports of $1.813 billion in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal. In rupee terms, exports during the month stood at ₹9,694.68 crore as against ₹11,946.37 crore in March 2017, registering a decline of 18.85 per cent.

COTTON Cotton procurement by CCI rises eight-fold Higher price volatility resulted in stateowned Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) recording an eight-fold rise in cotton procurement in fiscal 2017-18. It procured 1.2 million bales (of 170 kg each) of cotton under minimum support price (MSP) and commercial operations in the last fiscal, compared to 150,000 bales in 2016-17. A third of the total was MSP buying.

INDIA CAI further lowers 2017-18 cotton crop to 360 lakh bales The Cotton Association of India (CAI) has reduced the cotton crop estimate for 2017-18 season further by 2 lakh bales than its previous estimate released a month earlier. India’s projected cotton output for the ongoing season now stands at 360 lakh bales of 170 kg each. CAI has reduced one lakh bales each in Maharashtra and Karnataka compared to its previous estimate. The projected Balance Sheet drawn by the CAI for 2017-18 crop year beginning October 1, 2017 estimates total cotton supply at 410 lakh bales, which includes the opening stock of 30 lakh bales at the beginning of the season and imports of 20 lakh bales. The CAI estimates domestic consumption at 324 lakh bales while the exports for the season are predicted at 65 lakh bales which is higher by 5 lakh bales than the CAI’s estimate of the previous month. CAI has increased its cotton exports projection as cotton export demand has picked up due to the US-China trade war. As a result, the carry-over stock at the end of 2017-18 season is estimated at 21 lakh bales.

PETROCHEMICALS Integrated petrochemicals complex to come up in Ratnagiri

An integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex is set to come up in Ratnagiri town of western Indian state of Maharashtra. An Indian consortium consisting of IOCL (IndianOil), BPCL (Bharat Petroleum) and HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum) and Saudi Aramco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop and build the complex. The estimated project cost of Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL) is around ₹3 lakh crore ($44 billion). On completion, it will rank among the world’s largest refining and

petrochemicals projects and will be designed to meet India’s fast-growing fuels and petrochemicals demand. Besides processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day, the refinery will provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex, which will be capable of producing approx. 18 million tonnes per annum of petrochemical products.

INDUSTRIAL Apparel output declines for 10th straight month

The company’s annual turnover from its textiles business now is ₹6,000 crore.

DENIM Future Specialty extends agreement with Lee Cooper Future Specialty Retail Limited (FSRL), fully-owned subsidiary of Future Lifestyle Fashions has strengthened its portfolio by signing a long-term license agreement for Lee Cooper brand owned by Iconix Brand. Effective from April 1, FSRL has exclusive license to manufacture and sell Lee Cooper apparel and footwear across all distribution channels in India.

RETAIL Organised retail in India poised for strong growth: Report

India’s apparel production has shown a decline of 4.7 per cent in the month of February and a decline of 9.9 per cent for the period April-February 2017-18 as per the latest IIP figures. Apparel manufacturing has suffered the 10th consecutive monthly decline on account of the issues which have arisen after the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). As per the IIP figures, there has been a month to month decline in apparel productivity, from a positive growth of 1.3 per cent in April 2017, May saw a fall of 5 per cent. In June, the decline was 3.2 per cent, while in July it was 5.1 per cent. In the months of August, September, October, November and December the industry had recorded a decline of 6.4 per cent, 7.2 per cent, 11 per cent, 13.1 per cent and 13.5 per cent respectively. In January, the apparel production recorded a dip of 10.7 per cent.

Arvind plans to manufacture 40% garments in-house India’s Arvind Ltd is planning to manufacture 40 per cent of garments in-house from the current 10 per cent to take its textile business turnover to ₹10,000 crore in the next five years. It is adding a capacity of 1 million metres annually for this and expects a million garments to be produced each month in-house, said Aamir Akhtar, chief executive, denims.

As per capita income increases, organised retail sector in India will witness strong growth in the years to come, and segments like apparel will reap the benefits, says a recent report from an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Favourable demographics and increasing urbanisation would help in robust growth. Currently, organised retail constitutes only 7 per cent of the market size, and post demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), organised players would attain greater market share, media reports said quoting Jefferies report.

Japan’s ASICS readies to comply with FDI norms in India ASICS, the Japanese multinational manufacturing footwear and sports equipment, is gradually increasing the share of its products manufactured in India to comply with foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for single-brand retail and will open its own stores in the country. ASICS India currently sources about 10-12 per cent of its total products sold from India. The company will apply for FDI in single-brand retail after meeting 30 per cent sourcing norms and then will open its own bigger stores, ASICS India managing director Rajat Khurana said, according to media reports. It will look at operating a mix of both partner stores and own retail stores.

MAY 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 11

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA Germany’s Tom Tailor plans 55 stores in India in 3 years

Pic courtesy: Tom Tailor Group

With an investment of ₹80 crore, German fashion brand Tom Tailor plans to open 50-55 exclusive stores and 300 shop-in-shop (SIS) stores across India in the next three years. It plans to achieve a revenue of about ₹500 crore in five years. The brand wants to open stores in major malls and high-end locations to compete with rival fashion brands and also tap the e-commerce route to increase sales, media reports said quoting Devender Gupta, founder of Inceptra Lifestyle Pvt Ltd which owns exclusive rights of the brand in India.

Future-KR joint venture to operate apparel stores in Gulf India’s Future Group recently announced a 50:50 joint venture, KR Future Fashions, with Khimji Ramdas (KR) to operate Fashion at Big Bazaar (Fbb) apparel stores in Oman and Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) countries. The venture will have an investment of $11.71 million each from the two sides. Fbb runs affordable clothing brand stores in India. KR will combine its market expertise across legal regulations and compliances, real-estate selection and local finance options with the Future Group’s sourcing, selecting and merchandising of suitable apparel and retail operating expertise.

STORE OPENING Urban Blackberrys unveils first EBO in Bangalore

Brand: Urban Blackberrys Company: Mohan Clothing Company Pvt Ltd

12 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018

Location: Garuda Mall, Magrath Road, Bangalore Area: 756 sq ft Product profile: The store offers clothes designed for young and free-spirited Indian men. It houses Blackberrys’ latest spring summer ’18 collection which is inspired by the season’s trends around the world. The collection is designed using blends of cotton and linen fabrics for comfort. Floral shirts, bold t-shirts, trousers and denims are the highlights of the collection. About the company: Since its inception in 1991, Blackberrys has pioneered suits of impeccable fits, introduced wrinkle-free khakis, dress line trousers and the certified ‘whitest shirt in India’. Blackberrys launched the brand Urban Blackberrys in 2014 with the focus to cater to hipster fashionwear with the adage ‘Why Plan’.

FASHION Blackberrys targets 60% growth in 2 years

Pic courtesy: Blackberrys

Indian menswear brand Blackberrys is targeting a 60 per cent growth in the next two years to reach ₹1,500 crore turnover by fiscal 2019-20 by expanding sales network. The company, which closed the last fiscal with a revenue of around ₹900 crore, has plans to add 100 new stores in the current fiscal, with 35 of them being company-owned and the rest franchise-operated.

Arvind launches ready-to-wear private label for men

Woodland opens two EBOs in Noida Brand: Woodland Company: Aero Group Location: Great India Place Mall and DLF Mall of India, Noida, UP Area: 2,000 sq ft and 2,800 sq ft respectively

Product profile: Both the stores display a range of footwear, apparels, bags, and accessories for both men and women. Store design | Interiors & VM | Fixtures: The stores showcase new format interiors in line with brand’s eco-conscious philosophy, featuring eco-friendly elements like use of recycled wood, LED energy saving lighting amongst others with a warm colour palette. About the company: Woodland has operations across the globe including countries like Mauritius, Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore, Middle East and Far East. It has a network of over 600 stores and 5,000 plus multi-brand outlets across the globe.

Pic courtesy: Arvind Store

India’s textile and retail conglomerate Arvind Ltd recently launched its ready-to-wear private label for men and announced its retail expansion plans of adding 60 stores this fiscal. The group plans to retail the ‘Arvind Ready to Wear’ collection in 127 cities, at its exclusive stores and online on Amazon India and nnnow.com.

Creyate plans stores in Singapore, US, UK, Dubai

Pic courtesy: Creyate

Indian custom-clothing brand Creyate plans to open stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Dubai after successfully entering Japan. The firm’s first luxury store was recently opened in Bengaluru and it wants to expand through a franchise model. Owned by Arvind Internet, the emerging brand has 13 stores operating in India.

UPDATES On The News Beat

INDIA Aeropostale aims `500 crore business in India in 3 years

Actor Rannvijay Singh launches label Disrupt Actor Rannvijay Singh has stepped into fashion couture with his label, Disrupt – Defy Ordinary. The brand new fashion label has been exclusively carved out considering Rannvijay’s fashion sense – free, wild-spirited and originality. The debut collection of Disrupt will be soon made available online and on top fashion e-commerce marketplaces.

Pic courtesy: Aeropostale

US youth brand Aeropostale plans to be a ₹500 crore business in India in the next three years, according to Sumit Dhingra, CEO of Heritage Brands Division of Arvind Fashions Ltd, which has been handling the brand since it entered India in 2015. Aeropostale, which did ₹100 crore business in the country in 2017-18, recently opened its 33rd store in Surat. The brand plans to add 12-15 stores across India in 2018-19, and will soon focus on leisure and kids apparel as well.

BRAND DEBUT Mojostar, Jacqueline Fernandez launch Just F fitness brand

Jacqueline Fernandez; Pic courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Mojostar, a joint venture of Dream Theatre and Kwan Entertainment, has collaborated with Hindi film actor Jacqueline Fernandez to launch Just F, an athleisure brand for females. The fitness brand, co-owned and cocreated by Mojostar and Fernandez, will be made available through the official Just F website and various other e-commerce websites in May. Designed to suit Indian women’s body type, the athleisure outfits under the brand cover a number of contemporary products and trends such as floral infused activewear, sports bras, club-inspired activewear, monochromes and colour blocking among others.

14 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018

SUSTAINABILITY Gradiant Corporation opens Indian subsidiary Gradiant Corporation, the US-based leader in innovative solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and desalination, has established its Indian subsidiary, following the successful commercialisation of products in the region. The division, called Gradiant India Pvt. Ltd., will provide zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and water footprint reduction solutions for textile processors, dye stuff manufactures, and other industrial facilities. Gradiant India will provide local leadership, sales, and service personnel, while product development and engineering support will remain

Pic courtesy: Gradiant Corporation

within the parent, Gradiant Corporation. This approach ensures focus on in-country customer needs, while centralising innovation and intellectual property development.

EDUCATION | TRAINING CAI to set up farmers training institute in Mumbai The Cotton Association of India (CAI) recently cleared a proposal to set up an All India Training Centre for Farmers in the Cotton Green commercial area in Mumbai, CAI president Atul S Ganatra announced at the inaugural session of Cotton India 2018 conference. With over 122 lakh hectare acreage, India has the largest acreage under cotton in the world. But, land holdings

are relatively smaller and about threefifths of the total acreage under cotton in the country is rain-fed and dependent on the vagaries of nature, Ganatra said.

Pic courtesy: Heimtextil India

Against the world average productivity figure of 779 kilograms per hectare, cotton productivity in India is still around 500 kg per hectare, he added.

TRADE FAIRS Heimtextil India & Ambiente India launch Bespoke Living Heimtextil India and Ambiente India, India’s premium fairs for home textiles, homeware, and interior decor, will have a special display arena, Bespoke Living, which will display exquisite signature collections from interior decor and home textile sectors. The exhibitions will be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India, from June 27 to 29, 2018. The launch of Bespoke Living aims

Pic courtesy: India ITME Society

to highlight one-of-a-kind brands who deal with uniquely crafted designs that will range from plush statement pieces to extensive signature collections for home and retail furnishing. Halls dedicated to Bespoke Living will feature selected designer brands from India and around the world showcasing their premium collections.

India ITME Society advances GTTES 2019 The second edition of Global Textile Technology & Engineering Show (GTTES) 2019 has been preponed and will now begin on January 18, 2019, fair organiser India ITME Society said. The event was earlier scheduled to start from February 3, 2019.

POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

BANGLADESH UK assures tariff-free access for Bangladeshi goods post Brexit

At the second Bangladesh-UK Strategic Dialogue held in London, the United Kingdom assured tariff-

BGAPMEA wants corporate tax reduced to 12%

The Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) has proposed the government to reduce corporate tax for fiscal 2018-19 to 12 per cent from the present 35 per cent to boost exports and attract new investments. The association’s proposals were placed recently before the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in a pre-budget meeting. The association also urged the government to bring down tax at source to 0.50 per cent instead of 0.70 per cent. The knitwear and woven products exporters pay 12 per cent corporate tax and garment owners manufacturing products at certified green factories pay 10 per cent. Hence, the association feels discriminatory treatment is being meted out to their units, according to Bangladesh media reports.

INDUSTRIAL Resource centre to enhance Bangladesh RMG’s union capacity A Workers Resource Centre (WRC) which aims to build the capacity of trade unions in the Bangladesh RMG sector was recently launched in Dhaka. A joint platform between the National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE) and the

16 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018

free market access for Bangladeshi goods entering the UK market after the latter leaves the European Union. The dialogue was led by the permanent under-secretary at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Simon McDonald and his Bangladeshi counterpart foreign secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque. The UK encouraged Bangladesh to continue addressing human and labour rights issues in the garment industries.

IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), it will help unions operate effectively and provide better services to members. The initiative is supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations project funded by Sweden and Denmark. The WRC will provide various services including advocacy, awareness raising and training on workers’ rights, dispute resolution, grievance handling, negotiation, collective bargaining as well as occupational safety and health. A team of paralegals is being put in place to provide legal advice to trade unions and federations to help address labour grievances and disputes. A call centre will help union members who wish to make complaints or ask advice. The WRC will also help promote the active participation of women in trade unions.

US firm Sourcemap mapping Bangladesh garment factories

Representatives from US firm Sourcemap, which maps supply chains across the world, visited Bangladesh recently to initiate a door-to-door census of garment units for a digital readymade factory map of the country. Data collectors have started collecting thousands of geographical positioning system (GPS)-linked

data points from workers and organisations. In addition to factory and worker statistics, types of products manufactured, the names of clothing brands that each factory manufactures for will also be captured. This data is being fed into Sourcemap’s supply chain mapping and transparency platform, which will then be available to global apparel brands and consumers.

Alliance announces progress in Bangladesh factory safety Eighty eight per cent of factory remediation is complete, with 84 per cent of items most critical to life safety covered and 322 affiliated factories have completed all material components in their corrective action plans and are considered substantially remediated, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) announced recently in Dhaka.

Of the 290 Alliance factories that required structural retrofitting, 264 have fully completed the task, implying that their foundations, columns and beams can now meet the imposed load demands required of an industrial building, Alliance executive director Jim Moriarty said at a press conference. Similarly, 118 out of 141 factories needing installation of sprinkler systems for fire safety have completed the task. Nearly all affiliated factories have now upgraded their outdated electrical systems, and nearly all have installed fire doors that provide an escape route for workers, he said. Alliance has trained more than 1.5 million workers to identify potential safety dangers in their factories and to protect themselves in the event of an emergency. Over 27,000 security guards have also been trained in the skills necessary to protect life in the case of an emergency, he said. For these gains to be sustained over the long-term, they must be owned and led locally in future, he added.

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FIBRE | YARN

UPDATES On The News Beat

CHINA China’s MMF output grew 5% in 2017

The production of man-made fibre (MMF) in China increased by 5 per cent year-on-year to 49.20 million tons last year, according to data from the China Chemical Fibers

PETROCHEMICALS Jinneng to use CB&I’s Catofin tech to produce propylene China based Jinneng Science & Technology Co., Ltd. has awarded a contract to CB&I for the license and engineering design of a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in Qingdao, Shandong province. The unit will use CB&I’s Catofin technology to produce 900,000 mt of propylene per year. On completion, the unit will be the world’s largest single-train PDH unit. The unit will also utilise Catofin catalyst and heat generating material from CB&I’s catalyst partner, Clariant.

APPAREL Columbia intends to acquire 40% interest in China JV

Pic courtesy: Columbia Sportswear Company

Columbia Sportswear Company, a leading innovator in active outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment, has announced its intent to acquire the remaining 40 per cent interest in Columbia Sportswear Commercial (Shanghai) Company, the joint venture that it currently operates in China with Swire Resources Limited, a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited. The acquisition is subject to various conditions, including regulatory approval in China, and is expected to be completed on or about January 1, 2019.

18 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018

Association (CCFA). Of this, polyester production was 39.34 million tons. MMF output is likely to grow at the same pace of 5 per cent this year and is expected to cross 50 million tons. Among various MMF, acrylic production was down 1 per cent last year. However, production of polypropylene increased by 16.2 per cent, nylon 8.8 per cent, spandex 8 per cent, rayon filament 7.5 per cent, rayon staple fibre 3.7 per cent and acetate 2.6 per cent, CCFA data showed.

Jason Zhu will continue as general manager of Columbia Sportswear Commercial (Shanghai) Company.

US retailer signs license pact with China’s Zhejiang Semir The Children’s Place Inc., the largest pure-play children’s specialty apparel retailer in North America, recently signed an exclusive license agreement for the Greater China market, covering mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, with Zhejiang Semir Garment Co. Ltd, parent of Balabala, China’s largest specialty children’s apparel retailer. Over the first five years of this agreement, Semir will execute an omnichannel strategy by opening at least 300 Children’s Place locations in Greater China and operating The Children’s Place e-commerce business. This partnership is projected to generate $125 million to $150 million in retail sales in the fifth year.

FASHION Sanpower to bring top Chinese brands to Europe through HoF China’s Sanpower Group has launched a supply chain programme to bring premium Chinese brands to Europe and the rest of the world through the House of Fraser (HoF), a subsidiary of Sanpower holding Nanjing Cenbest. The programme, which supports Beijing’s ‘Belt and Road’ vision, was launched at the first Sanpower Global Supplier Conference in Nanjing. Under the programme, the new Sanpower Supply Chain and Branding Management Centre will undertake

and manage HoF’s trade orders, increasing the breadth and depth of in-house products and shorten product development cycle and delivery.

Alibaba-owned Tmall ties up with Shanghai Fashion Week Tmall, the business-to-consumer (B2C) shopping site owned by China’s Alibaba, has signed an agreement with Shanghai Fashion Week to help the event enhance attendee experience and deliver valuable consumer insights to organisers, buyers and designers over the next two years through digital solutions that can be replicated by other fashion weeks around the world. This year’s autumn-winter edition of Shanghai Fashion Week, which ended on April 3, featured a number of Alibaba’s smart technologies. Fashion aficionados who did not get a chance to attend runway shows watched some of the brand showcases in an immersive, 360-degree ‘see now, buy now’ format on Tmall.

CCI & Chinese and Western design masters unveil new fashion

Pic courtesy: Cotton USA

It was a rare West-East fusion as denim maestros Adriano Goldschmied and Chen Wen were roped in by Cotton Council International (CCI), the global marketing arm of the US cotton industry, to use sustainable US cotton fibre for the launch of the 2018-19 Autumn/Winter denim fashion collection at the China International Fashion Week in Beijing, on March 28. The denim fashion show created a unique kaleidoscope of expression in fabric and denim design by combining today’s fashion trends with US cotton-rich knitted fabric and woven denim fabrics from Heng Liang and Advance Denim, two leading denim fabric manufacturers in China, with the technological innovation of SolucellAir and traditional Chinese Miao embroidery.

POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD US to review GSP eligibility of India, Indonesia & Kazakhstan

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that it is reviewing the eligibility of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) based on concerns about the countries’ compliance with the programme. The reviews are based on the

Cambodia’s draft minimum wage law drops contentious clauses A draft of the universal minimum wage law handed over to unions and employers in Cambodia recently was devoid of the controversial clauses in earlier versions that penalised individuals for protesting or putting pressure on the wage determination process. Two earlier clauses that imposed fines on anyone putting ‘obstacles’ or ‘illegal pressure’ on the wage determination process and for protesting the determined wage, are missing from the latest draft.

Ethiopian textile, garment sector on the rise: Ministry

The Ethiopian textile and garment sector is rapidly expanding and playing a key role in boosting the country’s light industry and in transforming the economy, according to the country’s ministry of industry. The number of industries in this sector has more than doubled in the last few years to reach over 200, Ethiopian media said quoting Zerihun Abebe, director of textile and apparel research, monitoring and support, in the industry ministry.

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Trump Administration’s new GSP country eligibility assessment process, outlined in October 2017, as well as GSP country eligibility petitions, USTR said in a statement. For India, the GSP country eligibility review is based on concerns related to its compliance with the GSP market access criterion. For Indonesia, the review is based on concerns related to its compliance with the GSP market access criterion and the GSP services and investment criterion. Kazakhstan’s eligibility review is based on concerns related to its compliance with the GSP worker rights criterion.

Government statistics show Ethiopia’s textile and apparel industry has grown at an average rate of 51 per cent and more than 65 textile investment projects have been licensed for foreign investors in the last five to six years. The trend shows that the sector is in the right path to become the leading sector in Africa and turn the country into a continental textile hub in the coming years, Abebe said.

Sweden’s TMAS to help Vietnam turn top global textile hub The Textile Machinery Association of Sweden (TMAS) is now firmly established in Vietnam to help turn the country into a leading textile and garments manufacturer globally by assisting through advanced production technology, innovative solutions and equipment. TMAS member companies see a tremendous potential to add value to an important local industry. TMAS has established an office in Ho Chi Minh City and provides customers with highly innovative products, including machineries, equipment and solutions to support customers in their production processes.

Higher tariff would harm US cotton trade with China: NCC China’s announcement of significantly higher proposed tariffs on US raw cotton shipped to that country would significantly harm the economic health of the US cotton industry, the National Cotton Council has said. For the current

2017 crop year, China stands as the second largest export market with purchases of approximately 2.5 million bales of US cotton. Cotton has been listed among

multiple US agricultural products that could potentially be hit with higher tariffs from China—specifically an in-quota tariff that would increase from one per cent to 26 per cent, according to GAIN Report of the Foreign Agriculture Service of the US department of agriculture (USDA).

TRADE Vietnam’s textile & garment exports earn $7.3 billion in Q1 Vietnam earned $7.339 billion from textile and garment exports in the first quarter of 2018. Of this, yarn exports accounted for $914.257 million while fabric and garment exports were valued at $6.425 billion, according to the preliminary data released by the customs IT & statistics department, general department of customs, Vietnam’s ministry of finance.

Fabric and garment exports from the Southeast Asian nation increased at 14.9 per cent year-on-year to $6.425 billion during January-March 2018. Of this, the US alone accounted for nearly half or $3.036 billion, followed by Japan and South Korea with exports to these countries valued at $855.437 million and $708.599 million, respectively. In 2017, Vietnam earned $29.631 billion from textile and garment exports. Of this, yarn exports accounted for $3.593 billion while fabric and garment exports contributed the remaining $26.038 billion.

UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD COTTON Global cotton consumption rising in 2017-18: USDA World cotton consumption in 2017-18 is projected at 120.4 million bales, as per latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures. This is 5 per cent or 5.6 million bales above 2016-17. In addition to rising cotton mill use, an expanding global economy and the slowdown in polyester production contributed to this year’s above-average growth. Despite the highest cotton consumption in a decade, 2017-18 world production is expected to exceed consumption for the first time in 3 years, the Economic Research Service of USDA said in its ‘Cotton and Wool Outlook’ monthly report. Prior to 201516, global cotton production had been above consumption for five consecutive seasons.

Oeko-Tex unveils GMO test for organic cotton Oeko-Tex, an organisation that provides standardised solutions which optimise customers’ manufacturing processes and help deliver high quality and sustainable products, has launched genetically modified organisms (GMO) test for organic cotton. With GMO, a molecular level indicator, companies can test whether or not cotton products meet a fundamental definition of organic.

Egypt to raise cotton production to meet high export orders After a disastrous year for Egypt’s cotton industry in 2016, the country’s agriculture ministry has initiated measures to boost the cotton sector by improving and raising production of long-staple and mediumlength cotton. It also plans to increase the area under cotton cultivation to 224,208 acres to meet export market demand.

PETROCHEMICALS Motiva signs MoUs signalling expansion into petrochemicals Motiva Enterprises LLC, which owns and operates North America’s largest refinery, has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with TechnipFMC and Honeywell UOP to enable multi-billion-dollar investments in petrochemical sector. Under the

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MoUs, the companies will study potential petrochemical projects utilising each companies’ technology. One of the MoUs paves the way to evaluate the use of TechnipFMC’s world scale mixed-feed ethylene production technologies in the US. The second MoU enables Motiva to examine the use of Honeywell UOP’s world scale aromatics extraction and production technologies for benzene and paraxylene for development of a potential complex along the US Gulf Coast.

Pic courtesy: Motiva

The MoUs are a first step in Motiva’s expansion into petrochemicals. Final investment decisions on these projects are not expected to be made until 2019 and are dependent on strong economics, competitive incentives, and regulatory support, Motiva said in a press release.

KBR completes KPIC’s ethylene plant revamp project KBR, Inc. has successfully completed the ethylene plant revamp project for Korea Petrochemical Ind. Co., Ltd (KPIC) in Ulsan, Korea. As per the contract, KBR provided its proprietary Selective Cracking Optimum Recovery (SCORE) technology license, basic engineering design and proprietary equipment supply services to expand KPIC’s existing plant. As a result of revamp, KPIC’s ethylene plant capacity has increased from 486 KTA to 800 KTA. The revamp included the addition of two new highly selective SC-1 proprietary furnaces and targeted product recovery system modifications to provide superior yield, energy and operational performance.

Nova Chemicals pursuing JV for ethylene export terminal Nova Chemicals Olefins LLC, a subsidiary of Nova Chemicals Corporation, and Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals LP (SPMT), a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners,

Pic courtesy: Nova Chemicals

have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding regarding a potential joint venture to develop an ethylene export terminal to be located on the United States’ Gulf Coast. The parties will seek market commitment for an anticipated start-up of the terminal by mid-2020. The terminal is expected to have the capability to export 800 kta (1.8 billion pounds) per year of ethylene to the global market, Nova Chemicals said in a press release.

FIBRE | YARN Unifi to buy dyed yarn business of National Spinning Unifi, Inc., a leading innovator in synthetic and recycled yarns, has announced that its subsidiary, Unifi Manufacturing, Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire the dyed yarn business and assets of National Spinning Co., Inc. The acquisition is expected to enhance Unifi’s position as a leading producer of dyed staple and filament yarn in the region. The acquisition will also add acrylic and wool products to Unifi’s dyed yarn portfolio.

A facility of National Spinning. Pic courtesy: National Spinning

Unifi intends to transition the dyed yarn business from National Spinning’s facility in Burlington, North Carolina, to Unifi’s state-of-the-art dye house in Reidsville, North Carolina. Once completed, Unifi expects its Reidsville dye house to operate on a seven-day schedule, allowing the company to deliver on quick lead times and enhance responsiveness to customer needs.

UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD Construction begins for cotton yarn plant in Oman’s Sohar Construction of a major cotton yarn manufacturing project recently commenced at the Sohar Free Zone in Oman. Being set up by India’s ShriVallabh Pittie Group (SVP) with an investment of $300 million, its first phase will incur a cost of $150 million. SV Pittie Sohar Textiles (FZC) LLC had signed a land lease agreement with Sohar Port and Free Zone a few months ago. The first phase, with a capacity of 150,000 spindles and 3,500 rotors, is likely to be completed by March 2019. However, production is planned to start in a phased manner in 2018. The automated plant will also include a training centre and is expected to generate 750–1,000 jobs.

MACHINERY Stoll launches new ADF 530-24 knitting machine

Pic courtesy: Stoll

Stoll, a leading manufacturer of flat knitting machines, has launched the ADF 530-24 Stoll, a new flat knitting machine for the production of coarse knits. With 24 independent yarn carriers and three systems in gauges E2,5.2, E5, and E7, the new model enables sophisticated colour and pattern designs with more room for creativity and the chance to react quickly to trends. In addition to new applications, Stoll promises significantly more productivity with the ADF 530-24. The entire knitting process is optimised by shorter sequences and set-up times and by direct yarn feed which makes knitting with low thread tensions possible. By reducing the system distance to 5.2 inches, the knitting time is also reduced. The standard equipment also includes the EKC operating system, which can be operated intuitively and without much training. The ADF 530-24 offers high degree of flexibility, which is due to the carriage-

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independent yarn carriers. Two of them are mounted on a total of 12 tracks on the ADF 530-24 and can be moved both horizontally and vertically, are easily programmed and quickly populated with yarn.

Oerlikon acquires Germany’s ACAutomation GmbH

Pic courtesy: Oerlikon

Oerlikon has announced that it has acquired Germany-based ACAutomation GmbH & Co. KG, an engineering company specialising in large-scale plant automation solutions for the textile and packaging industries. The integration expands the market-leading technology portfolio of Oerlikon’s Manmade Fibers Segment. It also marks a milestone in Oerlikon’s ongoing quest to offer innovative, fully automated, and digitally networked Industry solutions in the man-made fibre industry. The 60 employees at ACAutomation’s Bernkastel-Kues and Augsburg locations will become part of Oerlikon’s Manmade Fibers Segment, which includes the leading brands Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag. The move will enable Oerlikon to offer customers a total solution from a single source, including automation logistics for packaging, high-bay storage, and other areas, which complement its current market-leading spinning and process technologies for the textile industry.

Crealet & Eichler and Meurers to offer creels for yarns Crealet, a developer of electronically controlled warp feed systems for weaving machines and mechanical engineering partner for the high-tech industry, has joined hands with Eichler and Meurers Industrietechnik GmbH, a manufacturing company with many years of experience in the field of mechanical engineering, to offer all types of creels for yarns.

DIGITAL PRINTING Epson & For.Tex launch Pregen PCC textile treatment Epson, a leader in digital textile printing, and its subsidiary For.Tex, a producer of dyes and thickeners, and other products, have unveiled Pregen PCC, the innovative textile pre-treatment formula for digital pigment-printed fabrics that allows them to reach a grade 4 rating for fastness to rubbing along with unprecedented brilliance and colour intensity. Pregen PCC is already available and is suitable for fabrics used for both clothing and interior decorating. Compared to current pre-treatment products, it guarantees improved colour performance (20 per cent higher intensity) and better rubbing fastness in both dry and wet tests (grade 4). Pigment printing is also environment-friendly; it does not require steaming or washing units, thereby reducing water and energy consumption.

EMBROIDERY Coloreel, Scanfil partner for textile innovation

Pic courtesy: Coloreel

Coloreel, a Swedish technology innovation company within the textile industry, has partnered with Scanfil, an international contract manufacturer, for the production of Embroline that will revolutionise the textile industry. The Coloreel technology enables a high-quality instant colouring of textile thread while it is in textile production. The first product to be launched based on this technology is the groundbreaking thread colouring attachment Coloreel Embroline that works with any existing embroidery machine. By instantly colouring a white base thread during the embroidery production, Coloreel enables complete freedom to create unique embroideries without any limitations in the use of colours.

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REST OF THE WORLD INDUSTRIAL Cambodia’s nod for nine new textile & footwear projects

Nine projects belonging to the textile, garment and footwear industry have been given preliminary final registration certificates by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) in the first three months of this year. The nine projects in the textile, apparel and footwear sector are Advance Team (Cambodia), Grand Oriental Footwear International, Helios Garment (Cambodia), Monti Apparel, Qian Qun Huang Jia, Sisophon Hong Seng Sport wear, TH Zipper and Metal Accessory (Cambodia), Wincrown (Cambodia) Industrial, and VCOFF Apparel.

Belgrade new base for Turkish firms for easier access to EU Belgrade is now the new base for medium and big Turkish firms as the city offers easier access to the European market and helps reduce logistics time and costs. These companies, including 10 from the textile sector, have invested $100 million in Serbia and are aiming to raise their capacity in future. Many are attracted to the incentives offered.

DENIM Isko first denim manufacturer to get EPD for products

Isko has become the first denim manufacturer to get Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its products, grouped into nine categories.

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The results of the industry’s first EPDs will be used to create the Product Category Rules (PCR) for future denim industry EPDs. It is a document to share verified and transparent information about the life-cycle of products. The PCR is due to be published in November 2018 paving the way for consistent and comparable assessments of denim across the industry, increasing transparency of environmental impact, improving consumer awareness and driving environmental improvement, an Isko press release said.

TEXTILES Japanese firm Itochu acquires 15% stake in Vinatex Due to rising labour costs in China, Japanese trading house Itochu has increased its stakes in Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) to nearly 15 per cent by investing $46.9 million with an aim to turn the country into a textile export hub for Europe. Itochu is now the secondlargest stakeholder in Vinatex after the Vietnamese government. Itochu exports a little over 60 billion yen ($559.15 million) worth of apparel from Vietnam a year, with half of that produced by Vinatex. The company had acquired a nearly 5 per cent stake in 2015.

Taiwan’s Far Eastern to acquire Texas polyester plant Taiwanese polyester and textile maker Far Eastern New Century Corp (FENC) plans to spend $375 million to acquire a US-based polyester plant through a joint venture between its wholly-owned subsidiary Far Eastern Investment (Holding) Ltd, Thailand-based Indorama

Ventures Holdings LP and Mexico-listed Alpek SAB de CV to broaden customer base. The factory to be acquired is a

under-construction polyester plant owned by M&G USA Corp in Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, a crucial site that offers cheaper raw materials for global petrochemical companies, Taiwanese media reports said. The joint venture, Corpus Christi Polymers LLC, would be FENC’s largest investment in the US and would help expand its Latin American customer base. The plant will have a capacity of producing 1.3 million tonnes of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and 1.1 million tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

APPAREL Gulf Capital invests in Classic Fashion Apparel Industry

Gulf Capital in association with NBK Capital Partners has announced strategic investment in Classic Fashion Apparel Industry, a garment manufacturer in Jordan with more than 24,000 employees. The investment will enable Classic Fashion Apparel Industry to expand its production facilities and increase annual exports beyond 60 million garments. Founded in 2003, Classic Fashion Apparel has achieved significant growth and is now a recognised global industry player, with an annual turnover of over $450 million.

Dubai textile firm plans garment unit in Kenya’s Naivasha Dubai-based textile company United Aryan plans to build a garment factory that could employ up to 10,000 workers at Olkaria geothermal fields in Naivasha town of Kenya’s Nakuru county to take advantage of lower electricity costs. The factory, likely to come up in the next two years, will manufacture apparel like trousers, knit tops, fleeces, shirts and robes. The factory is likely to offer indirect employment to around 40,000 Kenyans, and will manufacture products for sale in Kenya, the United States and Europe.

UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD Spain’s Inditex signs export contracts with Russian units For the first time, Zara has signed contracts to supply clothing and footwear made in Russia to Spain, according to Russian deputy minister of industry and trade Viktor Evtukhov. Apparel brands Zara and Massimo Dutti, women’s homewear brand Oysho and footwear brand Tempe, all affiliated to Spain’s Inditex Group, have awarded contracts to Russian factories. The Inditex Group is currently working with 11 Russian factories and the goods will be manufactured with staff trained by Inditex, the deputy minister was quoted as saying by Russian media.

Alex Textile to expand production in Armenia

VF Corporation to sell Nautica to Authentic Brands Group

Pic courtesy: VF Corporation

VF Corporation, a leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Nautica brand business to Authentic Brands Group (ABG), LLC. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals for a closing to occur. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

ACCESSORIES US-based shoe firm Allbirds expands to Canada Pic courtesy: Alex Textile Company

Alex Textile company, the Yerevan based socks and garment manufacturer, is planning to expand output by importing machinery and equipment worth 706.3 million drams ($1.46 million). This will result in creation of 80 new jobs with an average monthly salary of 70,000 drams ($145), Suren Karayan, minister of economic development and investments, said at an official meeting. Around 683.8 million drams worth of output will be sold in Armenia, while another part valued at 833.6 million drams will be exported to Russia, and 2.5 million drams to Italy, Armenian media reported.

Storm CEO buys women’s clothing chain from Hallenstein Deborah Caldwell, a shareholder of Blackstar Holdings in New Zealand and CEO of women’s clothing chain Storm since August 2005, recently bought the brand from retailer Hallenstein Glasson Holdings for an undisclosed amount. Caldwell earlier worked for JK Kids and Max Fashions. Storm had assets of about $1.2 million and current liabilities of $487,000.

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San Francisco-based shoe company Allbirds has launched its online business in Canada and will open two pop-up shops at Nordstrom department stores in Toronto and Vancouver. It started selling minimalist woollen sneakers direct to consumers in 2016 and recently launched a new range using a textile woven from sustainably grown eucalyptus fibre.

Miix launches world’s most customisable sneaker Miix Footwear, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle footwear brand, manufacturer and retailer, has unveiled the world’s most customisable sneaker. The Miix sneaker consists of up to seven different parts including the base, insole, heel, tongue, heel patch, straps and laces. The design allows the consumer to make a low, mid or high cut from the same design. In contrast to other attempts at mass customisation, Miix footwear can be a different shoe every day, the Toronto, Canada based company said. All parts are infinitely interchangeable, so one shoe has the potential to become more than seven million different looks on an ongoing basis just by continuously mixing and matching parts.

RETAIL Nine West files for reorganisation under Bankruptcy Code Nine West Holdings, Inc., a leading footwear, accessories, women’s apparel, and jeanswear company, has filed voluntary petitions for reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The petition will help the company to right-size its capital structure around its profitable and growing businesses, including One Jeanswear Group and Anne Klein. The petitions will also facilitate the sale of Nine West and Bandolino footwear and handbag business.

Pic courtesy: Nine West

In conjunction with the restructuring, Nine West received $300 million in debtor-in-possession financing and it has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) with parties that hold or control over 78 per cent of its secured term debt and over 89 per cent of its unsecured term debt.

Differential Brands signs for brand extension Differential Brands Group Inc., a portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of Hudson Jeans, Robert Graham and Swims, has announced that Robert Graham has embarked on its largest brand extension in the company’s history. The company has signed four licensees in footwear, home furnishings, loungewear and eyewear, along with two license extension partners.

Pic courtesy: Differential Brands

The new license partners for Robert Graham include luxury footwear company Prodigy Brands, home textile company Royal Heritage Home, sleepwear company Komar, and Nouveau Eyewear.

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REST OF THE WORLD VF Corp completes acquisition of Icebreaker VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies, has completed its previously announced acquisition of Icebreaker Holdings, Ltd., a privately held company based in Auckland, New Zealand. As a result, Icebreaker Holdings has become a wholly owned subsidiary of VF Corporation. Terms of the agreement were not announced.

better standards in cotton farming in order to develop Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity.

Bluesign & ZDHC work for textile chemical management

Print24 expands textile range with new products Print24, a well-known brand of the online print shop Underprint SE, has expanded its textile range with numerous products and new categories to offer 25,000 new possibilities for personalising textiles. It now offers a selection of customisable textile products within categories such as leisure wear, work clothing, sports clothing and home fabrics. With the expansion of its textile portfolio, the online print shop also allows clubs, restaurants, hotels and other sectors the opportunity to conveniently order personalised clothing online. Furthermore, the fullrange supplier now offers optimised shipping options which can be used to order textile products with different designs and sizes together and save shipping costs.

FASHION South Korea’s Lotte to merge fashion biz with apparel arm South Korean retail giant Lotte will merge the management of its various fashion businesses under its apparel affiliate for better competitiveness in the domestic market. Lotte Shopping, which operates the group’s department store chain, will transfer its global fashion business unit to its subsidiary NCF in June. Lotte purchased NCF for $18 million in 2010.

SUSTAINABILITY Around 350 brands support BCI’s cotton sustainability With new retailers and brand members joining the organisation in the first quarter of 2018, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) now has around 350 brands that are committed to support farmers. BCI encourages

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Bluesign Technologies, a global developer of the bluesign system adopted by worldwide leading textile and accessory manufacturers for sustainable textiles, has collaborated with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation. The company will support the ZDHC initiative for chemical management from the beginning of the textile process. The chemical products from the bluesign bluefinder will be recognised at level 3 in the ZDHC Gateway - Chemical Module. The bluesign bluefinder has also banned over 600 products based on both the precautionary principle and legal bans as well as adhering to the industry’s Manufacturing Restricted Substance Lists (MRSL) and Restricted Substance Lists (RSL).

Oeko-Tex updates guidelines and standards for 2018 To support consumer protection and sustainability along the textile value creation chain in 2018, Oeko-Tex has announced modifications of the existing guidelines in the Oeko-Tex product portfolio. The guidelines came into effect on April 1, 2018, following a threemonth transition period, and are valid for all certification systems and other services.

RECYCLING Carbios develops process to recycle PET fibres Carbios, a pioneer company in bioplasturgy, has taken a new step forward in the development of its enzymatic depolymerisation process rending it applicable to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyester fibres from textile waste. This will help the textile industry to use recycled PET

fibres that can fully replace those made from fossil resources.

SOFTWARE | IT Lectra releases cloud-based applications for fashion Lectra, a leader in integrated solutions for fabrics, technical textiles, and composite materials, has released its first of a series of cloud-based applications, Quick Estimate and Quick Nest, designed for product development and production teams. The fashion applications will be first launched in France and Italy and progressively in other countries. As part of Lectra’s Industry 4.0 strategy, Lectra collaborated with its leading, digitally-attuned customers to develop apps that empower decisionmakers to respond in an instant. Quick Estimate revs up product development efficiency and is instrumental to managing costs. Quick Nest provides easy access to automatic marker making and capitalises on cloud technology to handle heavy volumes of calculations in parallel, maximising productivity and marker efficiency. Lectra unveils new solutions for design & development: Lectra has unveiled collaborative solutions specifically developed for design and product development teams, enabling fashion firms to affront tighter deadlines and handle wider product mixes with speed and serenity.

Pic courtesy: Lectra

The two new solutions, Lectra Connected Design and Lectra Connected Development deliver collaborative environments that integrate business applications to aggregate, standardise and store data from all design and product development stages. These innovative solutions make every-day working life less stressful by allowing criteria-based searches, inciting users to capitalise on data links, and providing them with innovative tools and services to speed up their processes.

UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD Sewport sews ideas into garments on e-platform

Pic courtesy: Sewport

In one-of-its-kind, UK based Sewport has put in efforts to change the way brands and manufacturers interact by launching a modern online platform where brands, start-ups and fashion enthusiasts can seamlessly interact and develop clothing online. Sewport consolidates service providers and provides an online environment with tools for a better experience. Both experienced fashion brands and newcomers without any links to the apparel industry will benefit from the platform’s inquiry process as intelligent algorithms to categorise their projects and determine the best manufacturers for the job—bringing brands one step closer to manufacturing their product.

Exenta unveils Exenta PLM REVO solution Exenta, the innovator in next-generation information technology solutions for the fashion and consumer goods sectors, has launched the new Exenta PLM REVO Product Lifecycle Management solution (PLM). The cloud-native application can be deployed either as a stand-alone PLM solution or fully integrated with the Exenta Enterprise suite of business solutions. Benefitting from an intelligent mobile-first design strategy, the advanced software provides a rich, image-driven environment that promises to revolutionise the PLM user experience for desktop and mobile users alike.

RFID Fujitsu unveils fifth generation washable RFID linen tag Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc., a leader in innovative technology and front-end solutions, has launched the new fifth generation super-slim washable RFID linen tag. The new tag is 30 per cent to 40 per cent smaller than current tags, allowing it to be inserted

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into the smallest seams of washable items. Like its predecessors, the WT-A533 new super-slim linen tag has advanced antenna and mechanical design which gives it extra strength and reliability in heavy-duty industrial garment and flat linen laundry applications. Customers will have the ability to perform bulk reading of hundreds, even thousands, of articles simultaneously in seconds with very high reliability and bulk read density.

Thinfilm’s EAS tags qualify for use in denims

Pic courtesy: Thinfilm

Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) has announced that its Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tags have qualified for use in new clothing categories, including denims. As a result, demand for Thinfilm EAS tags is expected to increase significantly later this year. Preliminary deliveries of EAS tags for this product category were made as a result of sheet-based manufacturing earlier in 2018.

IOT | AR Asos collaborates with Zeekit for virtual try-on tech

Pic courtesy: Zeekit

Online fashion retailer Asos has collaborated with Zeekit for its virtual try-on technology, to offer shoppers a better way to understand how their clothes will fit in real life. It shows different sized models wearing each product. But, instead of shooting multiple models for each product, Zeekit’s algorithms are used to virtually dress up the models.

Asos said that it has been working with Zeekit to use augmented reality (AR) to revolutionise the shopping experience. The technology has been applied to a limited number of products as of now and will be continued throughout the Asos site and the app, said Zeekit in its blog.

AI Bold Metrics unveils Apparel Insights designing product Bold Metrics Inc. (BMI), a global leader in algorithmic body measurement prediction technology, has announced the launch of Apparel Insights. The new product allows apparel brands to leverage Bold Metrics’ proprietary artificial intelligence technology to take a more data-driven approach when designing clothes and ready-to-wear sizing.

Vue.ai unveils world-first AI- based human model generator Vue.ai, the retail industry’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) platform, based in the US, that promises intelligent retail automation, keeping the human experience front and centre, has announced the commercial launch of its latest product, world’s first AIbased human model generator, that analyses garments and automatically generates a human model. The product will allow retailers to give their customers a unique experience, personalising the model’s pose, body type, accessories, and more.

TRADE FAIR | EVENT ITMA 2019 to host sessions on innovation & automation ITMA 2019 will feature a number of industry-leading knowledge-sharing events to facilitate sharing and collaboration among global textile and garment industry members. The world’s largest textile and garment technology exhibition beginning June 20, 2019, in Spain, will discuss hot button issues such as sustainable innovation, Industry 4.0 and automation. More than 1,500 companies from 45 countries are likely to participate in the 18th edition of ITMA, for which more than 110,000 square metres of exhibition space has already been booked.

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UPDATES On The News Beat

REST OF THE WORLD Pure London to unveil new section ‘Pure Conscious’

Pic courtesy: Pure London

Pure London, UK’s leading fashion event for womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, and young fashion, is set to launch a new section ‘Pure Conscious’, at the next edition to be held from July 22 to 24, 2018. Pure Conscious will be highlighting sustainable brands along with a sector completely dedicated to ethical fashion from various new designers. Pure Conscious, together with Common Objective (CO), the new online platform launched by the team at the Ethical Fashion Forum, aims to educate and connect conscious designers with retailers and brands whilst also creating a platform for new and emerging talent.

Environmental Choice Australia (GECA). This development is a milestone in TÜV Rheinland’s strategy of creating a global network of Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) partners. Under the terms of the MoU, TÜV Rheinland will work in collaboration with GECA’s existing IAF accredited auditors as a qualified conformity assessment body (CAB) conducting on-site audits for GECA’s certification scheme. It will also jointly develop common core criteria for the development and sharing of standards for products and services certified in accordance to the rules set out for Type 1 ecolabelling members, recognised by the Global Ecolabelling Network Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System (GENICES) scheme.

EDUCATION | TRAINING Brandix & VTA join hands for Sri Lankan apparel sector

Heimtextil to increase exhibition space, reduce distance With interest from a large number of major domestic and international players of the textiles industry, Heimtextil will be undergoing radical changes in 2019 by increasing the exhibition space and shorter walking distances. The world’s leading trade fair for home and contract textiles is scheduled to begin from January 8 in Frankfurt.

Pic courtesy: Messe Frankfurt

TESTING TUV Rheinland signs MoU for sustainable services TUV Rheinland, a global leader in independent technical services, has marked a significant development in its sustainability services offering with the signing of MoU with Good

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Brandix Chief People Officer Ishan Dantanarayana (centre, on left) and VTA Chairman/CEO Eng. Dr Lionel Pinto exchanging the agreements. Pic courtesy: Brandix

The Brandix Group and the Vocational Training Authority of Sri Lanka (VTA), have recently signed two memoranda of understanding (MoU) initiating a collaboration to set new records in developing the skills for Sri Lanka’s apparel sector. The first of these agreements facilitates the creation of an NVQ Level 5 equivalent qualification for garment technicians, the first of that level in the apparel industry, with Brandix assisting the VTA to develop the curriculum and providing training at the Brandix Academy. The second MoU enables Brandix to identify and employ school leavers who have received a three-month training as industrial sewing machine operator at the VTA’s island-wide network of vocational training centres. Selected trainees will undergo a further three months of training at Brandix business units, after which they will be offered a certificate equivalent to NVQ Level 3 upon completion.

Alyasra Fashion to establish training academy for Saudis Middle East fashion and retail brand Alyasra Fashion will set up an academy to boost the careers of Saudis engaged in the retail industry by offering them functional, behavioural and leadership training. Alyasra will leverage support of leading international academic fashion institutions to establish the academy in Riyadh, CEO Asil Attar announced recently. The aim is both career advancement of Saudis and supporting the country’s fast-growing retail fashion sector within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030.

APPOINTMENTS Hillary Super and Andrew Carnie to lead URBN Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN), a leading lifestyle products and services company, has announced that Hillary Super, Anthropologie Group president, apparel and accessories, which includes beauty and BHLDN, along with Andrew Carnie, Anthropologie Group president, home, garden and international, are set to take over the leadership of the brand.

Tapestry names Anna Bakst as CEO & president, Kate Spade Tapestry, Inc., a leading house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, which is headquartered in New York, US, has announced that the company has appointed Anna Bakst as the new chief executive officer (CEO) and brand president of Kate Spade.

Esprit appoints new executive director & group CEO The Board of Directors of Esprit Holdings Limited, a leading apparel company headquartered in Hong Kong, has appointed Anders Kristiansen as the new executive director of the company and group chief executive officer (CEO), effective June 1, 2018.

Virgil Abloh new artistic director at Louis Vuitton Luxury house Louis Vuitton has appointed Virgil Abloh as its new men’s artistic director, with immediate effect. The first show of Abloh for Louis Vuitton will take place in June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.

POLICY

UPDATES On The News Beat

BUSINESS OF E-COMMERCE Indian inter-ministerial group to study e-commerce issues

The Indian government has set up an inter-ministerial group to study issues related to the e-commerce sector in the country, according to commerce

ECAB, BFTI join hands to boost e-commerce in Bangladesh The E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (ECAB) and Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) recently signed an agreement to jointly work for creating e-commerce entrepreneurship through workshop and research. ECAB aims to create new entrepreneurs and work for policymaking and capacitybuilding among the youth, according to its president Shomi Kaiser. The e-commerce sector may surpass the readymade garments sector in future, Kaiser said.

E-COMMERCE Amazon launches B2B selling for Indian exporters

secretary Rita Teaotia. The discussion will involve industry representatives and will find out possible areas in the policy framework that need attention, she told a press conference in Hyderabad recently. The e-commerce sector is growing rapidly by not just selling goods but also through services like transport aggregators. However, there is no time-frame for coming out with the recommendations, she said.

Once the sellers register for the individual marketplaces, they will then be able to export to the Amazon global marketplaces mentioned.

Flipkart’s new Bengaluru campus to consolidate offices Indian e-commerce company Flipkart has set up a new campus in Bengaluru to consolidate its other offices in the city to improve operational efficiency and take advantage of the resulting synergy between various teams and functions. Spread over 8.3 lakh sq ft, the new campus can seat over 7,300 employees. By co-locating all its business units in one new, agile work environment, the company aims to create a unified office that supports cooperation, collaboration and flexibility, media reports said quoting Flipkart head of marketplace Anil Goteti.

OrderMyGear receives $35 million investment

Amazon Business has announced the expansion of its Global Selling programme with the launch of Business-to-Business (B2B) selling for Indian exporters. Through this initiative, B2B sellers, manufacturers and exporters will be able to reach and serve procurement needs of business customers across Amazon’s various marketplaces across the globe. Started as a pilot late last year, the programme has received a positive response with over 2,000 exporters registered for B2B global selling at present. Amazon’s B2B Global Selling programme is present in US, UK, Germany, France, Japan and India.

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OrderMyGear, a leader in group e-commerce, has received $35 million investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity. The OrderMyGear platform streamlines the merchandising, ordering and fulfillment of team gear and group apparel by providing online stores and tools for dealers, decorators, and anyone selling to teams, leagues, corporations, and other groups.

India’s Fynd secures fresh funding round led by Google Fynd, the Indian lifestyle omni-channel platform that sources its inventory directly from brand stores, has closed its series C round of funding, with the lead investor being Google, followed by Kae Capital, IIFL, Singularity Ventures, GrowX, California-based Tracxn Labs,

Venture Catalyst, Patni family office and Hong Kong-based Axis Capital. The latest round of funding will enable Fynd to enhance the way it engages with consumers and retailers. The online-to-offline platform directly sources products across various categories including clothing, footwear, jewellery and accessories, from the most prominent brands in the country and brings them online.

China’s Alibaba to invest another $2 billion in Lazada China’s Alibaba Group will invest a further $2 billion in Singapore-based Lazada, a southeast Asian online shopping giant, as part of the group’s efforts to accelerate the region’s e-commerce, the company recently announced. The move will deepen Lazada’s integration into the Alibaba ecosystem and makes the latter’s total investment in the former $4 billion. In 2016, Alibaba acquired control of Lazada with an investment of $1 billion and raised its stake to 83 per cent in 2017 by investing another $1 billion.

FASHION Flipkart launches fashion label ‘Miss & Chief’ for kids

Pic courtesy: Pexels

Fulfilling the fashion requirements of its youngest consumers, Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce marketplace, has launched in-house label ‘Miss & Chief’. The private fashion line will cater to children in the age group between 2-10 years, offering a variety of clothing range including sporty apparel, casuals and partywear among others. “Kids fashion is one of our fastest growing categories, where we have witnessed a 100 per cent year-on-year growth. This is a testimony to a huge potential this market offers,” said media reports quoting Flipkart head of fashion Rishi Vasudev. The fashion line will offer high quality clothes while maintaining the value for money.

UPDATES On The News Beat

BUSINESS OF E-COMMERCE Secoo promotes Chinese designers on global fashion map

Amazon to open new fulfilment centre in Nevada, US

Secoo, one of the largest premium e-commerce platforms in China, has set up a designer channel to enhance its influence in the fashion world and to help promote more Chinese indie designers on the global stage. Secoo launched its plan for cooperating with the Top 100 Global Designers Alliance during 2018’s Shanghai International Fashion Week. Top 100 designers will provide the designer channel with cutting-edge fashion, and these items will be easily accessible to Secoo’s 18 million highnet-worth consumers. Additionally, the designer channel will be available offline to the public by a joint agreement with Shanghai’s reputed fashion exhibitor, Ontime Show. To support artists and designers connecting with the global market, Secoo has established the ‘Good Life Industry Investment Fund’ with RMB 200 million ($31.87 million).

Amazon.com Inc., US-based online retail giant, has announced plans to open its fourth new customer fulfilment centre in Nevada, in North Las Vegas, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs with benefits starting on day one. The company currently employs more than 3,000 full-time associates at its three existing Nevada facilities in North Las Vegas and Reno.

LOGISTICS Alibaba to acquire Ele.me for boosting new retail efforts Alibaba Group would acquire all of the outstanding shares that it does not already own in Ele.me, a leading online delivery service in China, to deepen the platform’s integration into Alibaba’s ecosystem and further expand the technology company’s New Retail strategy for local services. The transaction implies an enterprise value of $9.5 billion for Ele.me. Alibaba and its affiliate, Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group, currently own roughly 43 per cent of Ele.me, according to a statement. The companies had invested $1.25 billion in Ele.me in 2016. The addition of Ele.me will complement Alibaba’s affiliated local-services platform Koubei to offer an integrated experience to consumers both online and offline, the statement said.

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Flipkart to build mega logistics hub near Kolkata Indian e-commerce company Flipkart is planning to invest a substantial amount to set up a second integrated logistics hub near Kolkata after the one in Bangalore to cater to all eastern and north-eastern states and offer employment to around 5,000, according to company vice president Amitesh Jha. The 40-lakh-sq-ft logistics hub will be spread over 80 acres. The hub, which will host several fulfilment and sorting centres, will improve supply chain efficiency and reduce costs by deploying mechanised warehousing and intelligent transport systems, media reports said quoting Jha.

theWitworks team into its Innovation Labs; further strengthening the company’s robust technology team and augmenting its product development capabilities. This acquisition will enable Myntra to develop wearable products for its in-house brands as well as leverage the technology to drive innovation and enhance consumer engagement in the future.

Magento Commerce expands business in India

Pic courtesy: Magneto Commerce

Magento Commerce is expanding its presence in India and Asia Pacific. The strong portfolio of Magento Commerce Cloud for B2C/B2B, Magento Order Management for omni-channel solution, Magento Business intelligence and Magento Marketplace will enable the businesses to accelerate e-commerce growth, said Anand Natarajan from Magento Commerce.

TRAINING Myntra, Jabong adopt AI & Machine Learning

TECHNOLOGY Myntra acquires Witworks for smart wearables E-commerce giant Myntra has acquired Witworks, a Bangalorebased technology start-up focused on producing smart wearable devices, and its underlying software. As part of the acquisition, Myntra has inducted

Pic courtesy: Myntra

India’s leading brands Myntra and Jabong have partnered with Udacity, the Silicon Valley-based lifelong learning platform, to leverage AI and Machine Learning for its operations. This collaboration will give its employees access to Udacity’s courses to enhance skills required to apply futuristic technologies directly affecting their operational efficiency.

PREVIEW FESPA 2018

All that’s Fit to Print The four-day FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 begins on May 15. More than 18,000 professionals from 125 countries are expected to land up in Berlin for the event that showcases the latest in printing technologies and innovations. Subir Ghosh presents a curtain-raiser.

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here are—few would contest—many aspects of the textiles-apparel-fashion business where technology holds sway. Still fewer would disagree it is the printing one that is decidedly the most colourful of them all. And when it becomes a question of what’s the latest in printing, the FESPA Global Expo is the one to visit for updating oneself on the trendiest in technologies and machineries. The annual congregation where manufacturers and suppliers from the world of print engage with those from the fashion world wanting to steal an immediate march over rivals gets under way in a few weeks’ time—the four-day FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 kicks off at the Messe Berlin on May 15. It is undeniably Europe’s largest exhibition for the wide-format print industry where over 600 exhibitors would showcase the latest innovations and product launches in the digital and screen printing sectors for graphics, signage, décor, packaging, industrial, corrugated and textile applications. As the official website of the event proclaims, “Attracting in excess of 18,000 print professionals from 125 countries, this event is recognised by the industry as a key strategic marketing activity to display your innovations across the wide format digital, screen and textile print sector, to a highly qualified audience. ” Numbers tell their own story; they also indicate how things stack up. Roz Guarnori, FESPA’s exhibitions director, summarises: “The prevalence of textiles within FESPA has not been an overnight occurrence. FESPA ran its first FESPA Digital Textile Conference in Geneva in 2008 and the launch of a dedicated textile section in 2010— later rebranded as FESPA Textile— gave a specific home within FESPA to the garment printing and decorating community. Eight years on, FESPA remains the destination event for printers interested in everything from soft signage to garment printing, promotional wear to decorative textiles.” That’s how it began; that’s how it is.

Textile is the Key

Apparel remains by far the largest segment for digitally printed textiles. FESPA

Textiles would obviously be at the views textiles as the dominant growth application in the wide format market. core of FESPA Global Print Expo 2018, and is being highlighted as one of the key industry attractions by the organisers. One of the not-to-be-missed exhibit areas would, naturally, be Print Make Wear, featuring a live production environment. The idea is to enable visitors discover each step of the entire creative process. From the initial design to finished garments and accessories, an integrated theatre, catwalk demonstrations, presentations and a chance to meet the experts would be the key elements of the Print Make Wear exhibit. The interactive visitor feature was announced quite late—in February. The objective was laid clear in the official announcement: “In Print Make Wear, FESPA will bring together collaborators from all areas of the printed fashion sector, including fashion brand owners, designers, garment printers and producers, to explore the latest production possibilities, exchange experiences and share knowledge in the interests of a more sustainable fashion value chain. Demonstrating an integrated, end-toend production environment, the Print Make Wear fast fashion factory will feature a screenprinting carousel, washing and drying equipment, digital direct-to-garment printing, cutting and sewing, and solutions for welding and embellishment.” Among those who had confirmed participation even before the announcement were Premier Textiles, Magna Colours, Brother, Juki and Vastex.

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PREVIEW FESPA 2018

Fast turnaround on digital presses means retailers can order shorter initial runs, allowing swift re-orders on fast-selling stock. This results in reduced warehousing costs and less risk of wastage of unsold inventory.

The feature has been programmed to be interactive in all ways feasible. Design and technology experts will be present to explain each step of the fashion production process. Besides, a live fashion catwalk will add the ‘Wear’ element, enabling visitors to see garments and accessories produced in the ‘factory’. The items which would be produced here are being designed by Sandra Zomer, herself a FESPA Young Star Award winner who now works for renowned fashion designer Julien MacDonald. Print Make Wear will be action-packed, with additional seminar sessions providing fashion designers, brand owners and producers a platform “to present the latest trends, technologies and case studies to inspire and inform visitors about printed fashion textiles and garments.” FESPA chief executive Neil Felton had remarked in February, “Trend data from Smithers Pira (FESPA’s knowledge partner) shows that the printed textile market today equates to around 30 billion square metres and that, in 2016, printed textile for clothing accounted for half of the total textile industry by volume. Recognising the growth in digital textile printing in recent years, FESPA has been consistently expanding its textile proposition for visitors. Print Make Wear builds on this commitment, focusing specifically on the growth opportunity within so-called ‘fast fashion’.” The announcement itself had been made by Duncan MacOwan, head of events at FESPA. He had provided the backdrop: “The fashion and sportswear industry is transitioning rapidly from old-world, supply-led production cycles dependent on traditional analogue techniques, to a demand-centric digitallyenabled production landscape. For FESPA 2018 visitors with aspirations in textile, the addition of this unique live Print Make Wear production environment, supported by the interactive product showcase and expert knowledge-sharing sessions, will elevate awareness of the latest technical developments and highlight the product innovations they enable.”

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Interview

Printing Growth

FESPA is a global federation of 37 national associations for the screen printing, digital printing and textile printing community. Founded in 1962, it organises the leading exhibitions and conferences for this community. FESPA’s Exhibitions Director, ROZ GUARNORI, tells Subir Ghosh all about FESPA Global Print Expo 2018. What, according to you, has been the growth story of the FESPA Global Print Expo since it was organised for the first time? On that count, could you also share some numbers in terms of participants, visitors, etc? FESPA has certainly come a long way since the launch of its first exhibition in Paris in 1963. Originally formed as an exhibition for European screen printers, by 1973 the event started to grow its audience outside Europe, welcoming visitors from further afield including the US, Asia and South Africa. With the evolution of digital printing, 2006 saw the launch of a Roz Guarnori, FESPA’s Exhibitions Director dedicated FESPA Digital exhibition focusing on the emerging digital technologies in the signage and graphics market. Moving forward, our flagship FESPA event has alternated with its sister event FESPA Digital, reflecting the growth in digital that has so dramatically reshaped and revitalised our sector over the last decade. In fact, FESPA Digital succeeded to the point where it was almost as significant a landmark in the print event calendar as the original FESPA, and feedback from both our visitors and exhibitors was that, as digital becomes a mature technology, they would prefer to see FESPA present one annual event, embracing both digital and analogue products as well as applications to reflect the diversity of their businesses. It was because of this that we took the decision to make FESPA Global Print Expo an annual event for 2018 onwards providing the global speciality print community with one comprehensive, yearly destination event, covering all technologies, processes and applications. FESPA Digital has therefore been replaced by this all-encompassing event, allowing exhibitors— screen and digital—to exhibit each year in line with their R&D timelines. FESPA 2018 will be the first FESPA Global Print Expo in our new annual cycle. How much has the textiles world changed since the first time that FESPA Global Print Expo was held? Could you elaborate? Today textile printing—both digital and screen—plays a big part in our FESPA exhibitions, covering fast fashion, soft signage, garment decoration, embellishment and décor. Until a decade ago, textile printing at FESPA shows was predominantly screen printing and garment decoration; however, more recently with the growth in digitally printed textiles, the take-up and growth in textile printing is huge. We work hard to ensure we align our shows’ features and content to the needs of the audience, reflecting developments within the industry. As digital textile makes an emergence, bringing more application possibilities to life for our visitors, we have reflected this in our offering. The prevalence of textiles within FESPA has not been an overnight occurrence. FESPA ran its first FESPA Digital Textile Conference in Geneva in 2008 and the launch of a dedicated textile section in 2010—later rebranded as FESPA Textile—gave a specific home within FESPA to the garment printing and decorating community. Eight years on, FESPA remains the destination event for printers interested in everything from soft signage to garment printing, promotional wear to decorative textiles. Now in 2018, this is reflected in the growing emphasis on textile within the halls of FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 in Berlin, Germany from 15 to 18 May 2018. Visitors will find the largest ever contingent of textile-related exhibits at any FESPA event to date, with over 150 exhibitors, including Aleph, Caldera, D. Gen, Dover, EFI, Epson, Kornit, M&R, Mutoh, OKI, Ricoh, and Roland, showcasing textile printing equipment, substrates, inks and consumables.

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Inside Out Manufacturers, suppliers, buyers, sellers—all have valid reasons to head for Messe Berlin. It’s a great junction for networking, a grand platform to launch products/services from, a bustling melting pot for ideas, and a phenomenal opportunity to learn which way the world is headed. All this becomes possible only because of the organisers’ understanding of the subject. How does FESPA look at textiles, especially the digital aspect of it? The official event website in early April had posted a statement that ought to set debates to rest. FESPA views textiles as the dominant growth application in the wide format market. “This growth can be viewed as a response to evolving demand in key segments: clothing, household textiles, displays and signage and technical textiles. ” According to FESPA, household textiles covering upholstery, carpets and floor coverings, bed linen and curtains is a fast-developing market segment. “Although it is smaller and growing slower than other key areas, technical textiles still provide clear opportunities for both generalist and specialist print service providers (PSPs), with applications such as automotive fabrics and protective clothing both expanding. ” But apparel remains by far the largest segment for digitally printed textiles, “with fashion, haute couture and sportswear representing the most lucrative sub-segments. ” This is an interesting angle to understand fashion from. While lifestyle choices of consumers are overall drivers when it comes to giving a direction to certain trends that shape up the market, a key enabling factor that makes this growth of the fashion market possible is printing. FESPA points this out, contending in the same breath, “It is investment in high-end digital printing equipment that is enabling the acceleration of fashion cycles, delivering photo-realistic

Digital production is a perfect fit for today’s fast fashion industry. Brands competing for consumer spend means that the traditional two-season model has been effectively replaced by multiple mini-seasons, with new collections and launches for each one.

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This time FESPA Global Print Expo will focus on ‘Print Make Wear’. How significant is this in the present context? The launch of our Print Make Wear feature reflects the significance of garment applications and the wider opportunity in printed textiles today. Our FESPA Print Census in 2015 identified textile printing as the dominant growth application among respondents. Twenty-seven per cent of participants stated that they were already involved in garment printing, with 81 per cent seeing growth in this segment, the highest of any growth applications. The findings also showed that digital was the key enabler, with over half of respondents expecting digitally produced garments to become an important alternative to traditional screen printing in the following two years. Print Make Wear builds on this research replicating a fast fashion factory focusing exclusively on fashion textiles, garments and printed accessories. Taking the form of a live production environment this area will highlight every step in the screen and digital printing production process, from initial design to finished product. Visitors can gain inspiration, and a greater understanding of all processes —The Print Make Wear ’production line’ will feature a screen-printing carousel, washing and drying equipment, digital direct-to-garment printing, cutting and sewing, as well as solutions for welding and embellishment. Contributing exhibitors include Brother, Coloro, Dekken, Falk & Ross, Gerber, Inedit, Juki, Magna Colours, MHM, Mimaki, Premier Textiles, Unik and Vastex amongst others, with design and technology experts on hand to explain each step of the fashion production process. This unique area also offers a live fashion catwalk, with designs from FESPA Young Star of the Year Award winner Sandra Zomer. Visitors will be able to see the garments and accessories produced in the factory before their appearance on the catwalk. In addition, visitors will be able to join daily Print Make Wear tours providing an informative introduction to all things textile. Industry experts will be on hand to guide attendees around software, colour management, textile and ink selection, printers, cutting tables, sewing, welding, folding and packing, DTG and screen SFX. Further information on this important growth area can be found within the Print Make Wear fashion and print trend presentations as well as the FESPA Trend Theatre which explores the growing sectors of décor, digital textile, signage, industrial and digital print for packaging. Print Make Wear will appeal to both experienced textile printers and PSPs looking for areas to diversify into a real, fast fashion environment. The interactive feature will bring together collaborators from all areas of the printed fashion sector, including brand owners, designers, garment printers and producers, to explore the latest production possibilities, exchange experiences and to share knowledge. We will also be announcing the findings from our second Print Census during the course of the event and it will be interesting to see how textile printing is developing. For any visitor with an interest in textile printing, Print Make Wear is a “must visit” at FESPA 2018. A key indicator about how beneficial an event is for companies lies in the amount of business generated at an event like this. How have you been tracking this? Of course, ROI is important for any exhibitor attending an event. We know from speaking with exhibitors that sales and high-quality leads are generated at the show. At FESPA 2017, for example, many exhibitors reported record sales at the event. Our visitor survey, also showed us that in 2017 we attracted an audience of senior decision makers with an intention to invest immediately. This level of sales and the high-quality audience led to us taking reservations onsite for almost 80 per cent of floor space for this year’s FESPA 2018, requiring the addition of two further halls at Messe Berlin to meet exhibitor demand. This response underlines the success of FESPA as a forum for meeting customers and prospects face-to-face, making concrete sales and developing business pipelines. You don’t have to take just my word for it—please see below a handful of quotes from our exhibitors following the FESPA 2017 exhibition:

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While lifestyle choices of consumers are overall drivers when it comes to giving a direction to certain trends that shape up the market, a key enabling factor that makes this growth of the fashion market possible is printing.

images and bespoke detailed garments. Fast turnaround on digital presses means retailers can order shorter initial runs, allowing swift re-orders on fast-selling stock. This results in reduced warehousing costs and less risk of wastage of unsold inventory. This model can be extended even further for online retailers, with garments printed in very short runs as soon as orders have been placed. ” That brings ‘fast fashion’ into the broad picture. Fast fashion is not just about a well-oiled, streamlined supply chain and analysis of real-time data. Fast fashion brands could go only half-way through in meeting the demand if it were not for the printing technology at hand. “Digital production is a perfect fit for today’s fast fashion industry. Brands competing for consumer spend means that the traditional two-season model has been effectively replaced by multiple mini-seasons, with new collections and launches for each one. ” This could well be one of the risk factors for manufacturers and suppliers if they are to hinge all financial hopes on fast fashion. Fast fashion, as a fashion segment, is slowly losing currency. If fashion has to become sustainable, fast fashion will have to cede ground to slow fashion. That, however, will take some time to play out. But, as things stand today, one of the fallouts of the fast fashion boom has been the proliferation of direct-to-garment (DTG) presses. Not only are these optimised for different types of clothing, “advances in web-to-print ordering and job management software allow garment decorators to adopt just-in-time (JIT) delivery approaches, the benefits of which are manifold when it comes to cash flow, investment, reduction in stock holding, minimisation of warehouse space and general operational efficiencies. ” All this is becoming increasingly easy to do with new pigment inks. Earlier, digital textile printing was virtually beholden to polyester because of binding properties of dye sublimation inks. The new age inks, however, are just as good for cotton, silk and lycra. In short, this is one of the best times to be in the business of printing, particularly textiles. About the author Subir Ghosh (www.subirghosh.in) is a Bengaluru-based writer and researcher. He can be reached at subir.f2f@gmail.com

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Ronald van den Broek, General Manager Sales-EMEA: FESPA 2017 exceeded our expectations as it has done time and time again, and was our most successful FESPA ever. The theme for FESPA 2017 was “Dare to print different,” and visitors from around the world came to the Mimaki stand with lots of great ideas for printing on innovative substrates and with different technologies. Most were introduced to solutions that would help them achieve their objectives. Whether they were looking to print on natural fibres, use sublimation inks for fast fashion or soft signage, find solutions that would allow them to repatriate outsourced processes, or move from conventional to digital printing, FESPA 2017—and the Mimaki stand—had answers. Willy Van Dromme, Wide-Format Marketing Manager, Agfa Graphics: In terms of sales, Agfa Graphics experienced a successful FESPA 2017. The extension of our wide-format printer portfolio with UV LED technology drew a lot of visitors, as did the successful launch of our Avinci soft signage wide-format printer. We spoke to a lot of potential customers with real buying intentions, which confirmed that the market perceives us a reliable supplier of wide-format printing solutions. Mark Lawn, Director, Canon Europe Graphic & Communications Group: FESPA 2017 has exceeded expectations for us. By Wednesday we had to reassess targets after outstanding sales across the portfolio. We’ve been especially blown away by the response and feedback we have had to the new Océ Colorado 1640, reconfirming how a game-changing technology like Canon UVgel is welcomed in the industry. Oliver Luedtke, Head of Global PR, Kornit Digital: This edition marks another successful participation of Kornit Digital in FESPA and like fine wine, it keeps improving over time. FESPA goes to great lengths to keep growing its focus, its audience and its commitment towards its participants. Our figures don’t lie—all efforts pay off. Our garment action really showed people the power of personalising textile anno 2017, and what the Kornit Digital solutions bring to the table. As a result, we closed our most successful edition to date, marking significant increase in lead generation and system sales. The feet may be tired, but our minds are still buzzing from the FESPA vibes. Johan Bonner, Director, Squid: We came to this show to be discovered as an innovation. As it turns out, it was Squid that did the discovering. We were introduced to a vibrant community of visual experts all looking for solutions to lift this market to an even higher level. Participating in FESPA proved the invaluable jump-off we needed to reach an international and varied audience of customers, partners and distributors. We can hardly wait for FESPA 2018 in Berlin.

At FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 in Berlin, Germany, visitors will find the largest ever contingent of textile-related exhibits at any FESPA event to date, with over 150 exhibitors showcasing textile printing equipment, substrates, inks and consumables.

MAY 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 47

Interview

PREVIEW FESPA 2018

DIGITAL IS LESS ABOUT VOLUMES, MORE ABOUT EXTRA VALUE CREATION

Kamal Kulshreshth, Textiles Head (International Sales) at Colorjet

Colorjet is among the fastest-growing wide format digital inkjet print technology leaders in the Indian sub-continent. Colorjet’s range of digital textile printers are among the most-preferred solutions in Indian industry. KAMAL KULSHRESHTH, Textiles Head (International Sales) at Colorjet, speaks about trends and prospects. Is digital textile printing defining the industry today? Be it ‘yes’ or ‘no’, could you explain your assessment? Why is it so? No, the textiles industry is too huge to be defined by digital printing. Printing is only one way of adding value to fabric. Besides printing, fabrics are dyed, jacquard patterned, dobby patterned or imparted special finishes to add value. Even within the printed variety, less than 5 per cent of the total printed fabric production is digital, but adoption of digital printing is growing at a very fast pace and early adaptors are reaping benefits. What do you think is going to drive digital textile printing in the next 2–3 years: consumer demand or industry compulsions? What are your views about mass customisation? Fashion trends in apparel wear and use of digital prints in home textiles is what will drive digital textile printing. Mass customisation is an oxymoron. If it is mass, it cannot be customisation. . Digital printing is all about

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customisation and about creating value by exclusivity with imaginative designs. More importantly, what role is digital textile printing going to play in influencing the process of automation in the textiles industry that is already a reality? Digital printing has automated the creative aspect of printing. In the process, the designer has been freed of constraints of colours and repeat size. Do you think fabric makers and apparel companies are adopting digital printing to the extent that you expect them to? Established fabric makers and apparel companies have to change the way they look at business to adopt digital printing. Digital printing is less about volumes and more about extra value creation or adding value to the fabric. How much do your own products contribute to cost-effectiveness and speed for your customers?

Our products have been designed to minimise energy and water usage. Cost-effectiveness and speed of a digital printer cannot be seen in isolation. It is a combination of factors and each investor needs to find what combination of machine configuration, ink type, process set-up, etc, best suits their needs. At Colorjet we offer optimised solutions that can be chosen from a range of upto 6 print heads, working widths of upto 320cm, suitable for different ink types to cover all kinds of end usage. Do you think digital textile printing will open the market for smaller players by offering them a level-playing fieldwith big brands? Do you think, for instance, a small businessman can start selling customised products through a big ecommerce portal like Amazon? How do you see this space filling out? This is already happening. Not just in India, but at an international level as well. Our customers entertain queries for a few hundred metres of customised prints and even offer to do samplings in several shades to help a buyer decidewhich print runs he wants in longer runs. Digital textile printing is reckoned to be more sustainable than traditional forms of printing. Do you agree? In what sense is it so (or not so)? That the carbon footprint of digital printing is smaller than conventional rotary printing has been established by various independent studies. Another spin-off of digital printing is almost no wasted fabrics because only as much as is needed is printed. When you become aware

that 1kg of cotton garments require more than 2,000 litres of water to make, such avoidance of water or wasting printed fabric is a huge environmental plus. Given the fact that your own segment is a cog in the longwinding textile-garment supply chain, how do you ensure that you do your bit in terms of sustainability? Could you elaborate? As (I have) already mentioned, our machines are designed for minimal usage of energy and water. We know how important running costs for an investor are and efficient engineering is a key component of our products. Our customers appreciate that our machines consume less energy and water as compared to other machines. In which segment of digital textile printing, do you foresee the maximum changes in the next 3-5 years: machineries, inks, softwares, or any other? Digital printing is a rapidly evolving area in textiles. All areas will improve but inks will probably see maximum changes in the next 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 years. Do you think industry is geared up fully to take the digital leap in terms of human resources? Going digital is not a big deal anymore. Human resources will rise up to the challenge, we are sure. What we need is creative thinking applied to value creation. With digital printing we have removed the constraints of colour, repeat size and resolution to a large extent. Investors need to understand this, while marketers need to drive this.

Digital printing has automated the creative aspect of printing. In the process, the designer has been freed of constraints of colours and repeat size.

MAY 2018 FIBRE2FASHIONâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;|â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 49

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WE LIVE TEXTILE.

SUSTAINABILITY Transparency Vidyashilp

Fashioning Transparency

One of the cornerstones of the Fashion Revolution movement has been transparency. The just-published Fashion Transparency Index by the movement shows that top global brands are gradually becoming more transparent. Subir Ghosh takes a closer look at the transparency issue.

ive years is often not enough to gauge the impact of any movement. But in this case, the early signs of change are there for all to see. The Fashion Revolution movement, that first coalesced as an emotive idea and then gathered revolutionary zeal worldwide in the aftermath of the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy that resulted in the death of over 1,000 workers, observed the fifth Fashion Revolution Week from April 23 to 29 this year. The week kicked off with the launch of the 2018 Fashion Transparency Index indicating that top global brands are gradually improving on transparency. If it were big and influential brands that found themselves at the receiving end of widespread public anger over the 2013 disaster both in Bangladesh and the world over, then the positive impact of the movement is perceptible: last year not a single brand scored over 50 per cent in the Index; this year there are as many as ten in the 51–60 per cent bracket. The numbers certainly are clear.

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But as Carry Somers, co-founder of the Fashion Revolution movement, points out, “We still have a long way to go until everyone who makes our clothes can live and work with dignity, in healthy conditions and without fear of losing their life. Poverty, human rights abuses, lack of union representation, unfair wages, discrimination, environmental pollution, waste and lack of transparency all remain within fashion.” Somers’ own fashion brand Pachacuti had earlier pioneered radical supply chain transparency, mapping GPS coordinates of each stage of the production process, from the community plantations where the straw grows, through to each Panama hat weaver’s house. It is not without reason that the Fashion Revolution movement hinges on transparency.

factories—in other words, where their clothes are typically cut, sewn and completed. This means 37 per cent of brands and retailers in this report are disclosing who their suppliers are, up from 32 per cent last year (32 brands in total in 2017). This year, 32 of the 150 brands and retailers are publishing over 95 per cent of their ‘tier one’ suppliers.

This time out, Adidas and Reebok have scored the highest followed by Puma, H&M, Esprit, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, C&A and Marks & Spencer—all scoring in the 51–60 per cent bracket out of a possible 250 points. Since 2016, Fashion Revolution has tracked leading global brands and benchmarked performance on five key issues: policy and commitments, governance, traceability, know show and fix, and spotlight issues. In 2017, the Index reviewed 100 brands, with the number being enlarged this year to 150. The original brands which were reviewed in 2017 have shown a 5 per cent overall improvement in transparency levels across each section of the methodology. Somers continues, “The section on transparency is where we have seen the most improvement in transparency since last year’s report. Fifty-five of the 150 brands are publishing a list of their ‘tier one’

Aizome

Branding Transparency

As a part of its commitment to the environment, Aizome only uses ‘clean chemistry’ and develops business process using sustainable means in a transparent manner.

“A few brands and retailers are going above and beyond the requirements of the Transparency Pledge. Four brands include an email address or phone number for each ‘tier one’ supplier; these include Converse, Jordan, Nike (all owned by Nike, Inc.) and Lindex. Three brands—Converse, Jordan, Nike— include the percentage of foreign and migrant workers in each supplier. Although not covered within the scoring of our methodology, we thought it interesting to point out that Marks & Spencer is the only brand/retailer that includes whether each facility on its ‘tier one’ supplier list has a trade union or workers committee.” There has been a spin-off effect too. Fairtrade India chief executive Abhishek Jani points out, “The movement is gaining traction with younger brands. Pioneers like No Nasties have successfully completed seven years of making ‘fair fashion’ available to Indian consumers and have been joined by young and exciting brands like Huetrap, Aizome and Tuuda. Milind Soman’s brand Deivee has also launched its organic and Fairtrade fashion collection. We are also seeing adoption of sustainable apparel and textiles from newer areas such as school uniforms with Vidyashilp School

Though the sustainability movement in India is at a nascent stage, it is slowly and steadily being embraced by brands across the FMCG and fashion industries, says Abhishek Jani (in pic), chief executive of Fairtrade India.

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SUSTAINABILITY Transparency

(in Bengaluru) making a commitment of sourcing Fairtrade uniforms and in the hospitality sector with the Novotel and Ibis Techpark Bengaluru sourcing Fairtrade bath linen across the property.” Jani agrees with Somers, and believes that “we still have our job cut out to get larger mainstream fashion brands in India to make significant commitments towards sustainable and fair fashion and getting more consumers to demand for fair and sustainable fashion as a fundamental requirement that ensures that farmers and factory workers have access to better living conditions and that our environment is also protected. A wide range of sustainable start-up and designer brands have started in the country over the last four to five years. This year with brands like Huetrap, Soul Space, Deivee and Aizome joining the movement we are beginning to break into the next tier of scale and commitment. We are also noticing the change in the conversation with the larger fashion brands in India who are now seriously evaluating making commitments towards sustainable and fair fashion.” Then again, transparency itself needs to be transparent. Asserts Somers, “I think there is less and less greenwashing around. Debbie Coulter [acting head of practice, evidence & learning at the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI)] said at our Fashion Transparency Index press briefing that it is no longer a question of whether brands are moving towards transparency, but how.

The 2018 Fashion Transparency Index shows that many brands and retailers are still lagging far behind, and that is why we still need a Fashion Revolution, says Carry Somers (in pic), co-founder of the Fashion Revolution movement.

HueT rap

“Disclosing key supplier, supply chain and operational information helps NGOs, unions, local communities and the workers themselves to more swiftly alert brands to human rights and environmental concerns. It can also help to protect brand reputation by enabling the company to more swiftly take action if any unauthorised facilities are being used to make its products.” Adds Jani, “The global Fashion Revolution movement has been successful in getting some of the mainstream brands to demonstrate greater supply chain transparency. Transparency is the starting point for initiating change and implementing a more systematic sustainability programme across the various operators that are involved in the complex textiles value chains.” Indices such as the Fashion Transparency Index also help to motivate brands to improve. That’s what Somers found when she compared the 98 brands and retailers that were included in both the 2017 and 2018 Fashion Transparency Index: “We have seen these brands Huetrap’s products are dyed using 90 per cent recycled water and 10 per cent fresh water. So, every kg of fabric is dyed with less than 5 litres of fresh water compared to global average of 30–80 litres. and retailers increase their level

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of transparency by an average of approximately 5 per cent overall and across each section of the methodology—suggesting that inclusion in the Index has influenced brands and retailers to disclose more information.” Through this index, Fashion Revolution wants to see fashion brands and retailers increase levels of supply chain transparency and communications, and improved scores year on year. “We hope brands will be pushed in a more positive direction towards a fundamental shift in the way the system works, beginning with being more transparent.”

Vidyashilp

All this has a bearing on sustainability. Transparency goes hand in hand with sustainability for Cibi Karthic, director of Huetrap: “Without In India, a big part of the population cannot afford a completely sustainable lifestyle even though they may be aware of the consequences. So, the biggest challenge is to make sustainability affordable. transparency, sustainability means nothing. We try to make every process as transparent as possible. We source from sides of the same coin. Unless we create systems that Eastman Exports, who believe in a transparent and are transparent, our journey towards sustainability sustainable manufacturing process. Our products are has not even started. As a company, we ensure that dyed using 90 per cent recycled water and 10 per cent our entire supply chain is clean, transparent and fresh water. So, every kg of fabric is dyed with less traceable. All our organic, Fairtrade yarn is purchased than 5 litres of fresh water (30–80 litre is the global through GOTS and Fairtrade-certified vendors following average). Efficient processes lead to 10 per cent less the required norms of traceability. We are a Bluesign energy consumed during the manufacturing process. system partner now through which we will be able to And around 20 per cent of the energy used across the produce fabrics using only clean chemistry, which has production process is from renewable sources.” minimal impact on the environment. Our products are Aizome founder Akshat Chaudhary thinks along transparently produced and are also traceable.” similar lines, “Sustainability and transparency are two For Chaudhary, understanding the question of sustainability is key. “My understanding of sustainability is the longevity of the resources we have. To ensure that we must reuse, recycle and reduce our dependability on economic, social and environmental resources. It is imperative to preserve natural resources, and to have clean air and water for all. The textiles industry is known to be a polluting industry. As a part of our commitment to the environment, we only use ‘clean chemistry’ and develop business process using sustainable means in a transparent manner.” Naturally, his Aizome project fits into his idea of sustainability. “Every garment produced is clean and sustainable. For example, in one Aizome jeans, the fabric is made using 100 per cent Fairtrade organic cotton yarn, and environment-friendly chemical recipes. Trims like buttons and rivets are free from nickel and lead, and labels, hangtags and packaging materials are made from recycled materials. We intend We are also seeing adoption of sustainable apparel and textiles from newer areas such as school uniforms with Vidyashilp School (in Bengaluru) making a commitment of sourcing Fairtrade uniforms. to maintain a minimal footprint on our ecosystem.”

MAY 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 57

Hue Trap

A Cascading Effect

SUSTAINABILITY Transparency Aizome

No Nasties

And, likewise for No Nasties. Founder Apurva Easier said than done, if sustainability is to be Kothari underlines, “Our work is built on this very seen as a lifestyle issue. Says Chaudhary, “Creating a foundation—we believe and hope that everyone should sustainable lifestyle takes a lifelong commitment—to follow an organic and fair path to production of our learning, experimenting, exploring, committing to food and clothes (and extend that to other aspects of increasingly sustainable practices and, above all, our life too). Say no to things that don’t make sense. living. Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to If it’s not ethical—say no. If it’s not eco-friendly—say reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the earth’s no. And why not, when we have so many amazing natural resources and personal resources. It requires alternatives that make sense!?” a complete shift in how we live our lives. It has No Nasties, for its part, perceptual, emotional, behavioural, follows a two-pronged approach and international dimensions.” Kothari, towards ensuring that the supply however, believes it is a survival issue. chain remains sustainable: “We And governments need to act too. work directly with our supply Says Somers, “We have certainly chain—one farmer co-op, one seen improvements in the fashion factory. We know the people industry in the past five years as we work with and build mutual more brands are understanding the trust. No middlemen.We only importance of publishing information buy from certified organic about their suppliers and their codes (GOTS) and Fairtrade (FLO) of practice, coupled with pressure supply chain partners—the from consumers and from legislation certification process has more such as the Modern Slavery Act eyes on the entire process than and California Transparency in we can ourselves.” Kothari Supply Chains Act. We hope the agrees that without transparency, Fashion Transparency Index helps to sustainability means zilch. “We’ve demonstrate the need for mandatory always been fully transparent due diligence and reporting. We about our supply chain—all would also like to see governments the information has been on make companies and their executives our website since the day we legally responsible for what happens Indian consumers are getting more social and environment conscious, says No Nasties founder Apurva Kothari (in pic). launched seven years ago.” in the company’s supply chains, regardless of whether the company has direct control or where in the world abuses may be happening.” Jani continues in the same vein: “Sustainability is the urgent and critical requirement of the hour affecting everyone on the planet—though some (the marginal and the vulnerable communities) more than others. The need of the hour is not to work in silos or with selective stakeholders, but for all stakeholders to work on their own and to forge partnerships wherever possible to promote sustainability. We need: governments to formulate and assess their regulatory paradigm and to fund and support sustainability initiatives (where catering to the externalities); industry to undertake R&D and adopt continuously improving sustainability practices; consumers to demand and then vote with their wallets for more sustainable lifestyle choices and civil society organisations to work on the development agenda Aizome ensures that its entire supply chain is clean, transparent and traceable. All its organic, Fairtrade yarn is purchased through GOTS and Fairtrade-certified vendors following the required norms of traceability. across the fashion value-chain.”

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SUSTAINABILITY Transparency

For a country that is a major player in cotton, textiles and apparel, the impact of the global Fashion Revolution movement becomes important. So, what’s happening in India? Jani points out. “India has a diversity of production systems and brands. Some of the artisanal productionbased brands have embraced the movement, and you can see that the social media is abuzz with these brands supporting the sustainable fashion movement. At Fairtrade India we are seeing a growing number of brands launch their Fair Fashion collections or committing to going 100 per cent Fairtrade for their entire collection. Further, the brands are embracing the concept of being more transparent about their supply chains and talking about the impact generated through Fairtrade and the Premium benefits to farmers on their social media platforms. “So, though the sustainability movement in India is at a nascent stage, it is slowly and steadily being embraced by brands across the FMCG and fashion industries. Fairtrade India has been promoting systematic and holistic sustainability practices in India through our Fairtrade Certification and Standards, and has always focused on this being the only way production needs to be done. Our emphasis has been on mainstreaming sustainable production and consumption (SDG 12). So, while the sustainability journey of the garment factories in India may have been started off to cater to the international markets where consumer engagement with sustainability has been historically more, we are definitely seeing traction in the Indian market as well. It’s only a matter of time for the sustainability dialogue to be a part of the mainstream in India also.” But are Indians lagging behind in terms of awareness and lifestyle changes? Kothari reacts, “It’s unfair to use the word ‘lagging’—we, Indian citizens, have so many harsh realities and challenges in our daily lives, but yet are ethically-minded and socially-conscious on the whole. There are definitely other countries that have become extremely aware of the social and environmental impact of our lifestyle choices, but most of them are wealthy nations not dealing with as much strife as we do, and I think that has an impact on the consciousness too given there is more mind-space to think about these issues. But Indian consumers are getting more conscious—the trend is very positive.” Karthic looks at the subject from a different angle. He contends, “I don’t think we are lagging behind a lot in terms of awareness. But in a lot of instances, being sustainable comes with an additional financial cost. For example, treating the dirty water in the dyeing plant is expensive. But, we have to do it because if we don’t, the cost is a dirtier future. In India, a big part of the population cannot afford a completely sustainable

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lifestyle even though they may be aware of the consequences. I think that’s the biggest challenge— to make sustainability affordable.” Challenges abound, of course. Chaudhary chips in: “I feel the biggest challenge is the demand of sustainable products, especially in the Indian market. In a price-sensitive market, it will take some time to optimise the costs of manufacturing.” To Kothari, the main problem is green-washing. “As the market size for sustainable clothing grows, bigger brands are entering it with their own spin of sustainability and really diluting the values while pumping in their marketing dollars to make it sound sustainable. There’s a lot of noise in the space and it’s going to be increasingly difficult for consumers to know the good from the bad. “I think certifications and labels like Fairtrade are key to build trust in this noisy space. Take the example of the green dot vs the red dot for food—a simple and effective indicator for veg vs non-veg food. That’s how simple it needs to be for consumers, but that level of simplicity takes a lot of hard work for trust-building, certification, transparency.”

At Aizome, every garment produced is clean and sustainable, says founder Akshat Chaudhary (in pic). The fabric is made using 100 per cent Fairtrade organic cotton yarn, and environment-friendly chemical recipes.

The Need To Go On The show, however, must go on. Concludes Somers, “In the 2018 Fashion Transparency Index which ranked 150 of the biggest fashion brands and retailers according to how much they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impact, 12 brands scored zero per cent and 48 brands and retailers (32 per cent) are scoring in the bottom 0–10 per cent range. This shows that many brands and retailers are still lagging far behind, disclosing very little about their social and environmental practices. This is why we still need a Fashion Revolution and are planning to make this Fashion Revolution Week bigger and bolder than ever before.”

Aizome

At Home

ADVERTORIAL

Lyra expands its brand portfolio • Set to become a complete womenswear brand • Forays into intimatewear market with Lyra Lingerie Lyra, the pioneers of organised branded women legging brand in the mid to premium segment, has expanded its portfolio and ventured into the lingerie segment. Positioned as ‘legging for anytime anywhere’, the manufacturers of Lyra, Ebell Fashion Pvt. Ltd., a Lux group company Udit Todi, Senior VP-Lux Industries Ltd has recently launched intimatewear for women under the same brand name. Elaborating on the upcoming new collection, Udit Todi, Senior Vice President, Lux Industries Ltd, said, “Lyra today enjoys very high level of consumer awareness and consumer loyalty. In a short span of time, Lyra has successfully established itself as the largest legging brand in the womenswear segment. With topmost quality and comfort features, Lyra has emerged as the market leader in the legging category with highest brand recall in the organised retail and online space. “We have extended our brand portfolio to intimatewear to emerge as the most sought-after womenswear brand in the country. With our battalion of strong retailers and distributors

across India we plan to reach out to our discerning customers. In the online space, in addition to our own website, we have tie-ups with leading e-commerce sites to sell our new products. We have competitively priced our products keeping in mind the price sensitivity of the Indian consumers.” The company has positioned Lyra Lingerie in the market as the affordable fashion range. With a collection of eight style ranges of bra and four designs of panties, Lyra targets self-independent emancipated women who are fashion conscious and prefer to own the right priced products. Lyra bras are made of super stretch combed cotton fabric and seamless wrinkle free cups for right comfort and support. Innovative cross over designs and soft adjustable straps with perfect stretch ensure natural shaping and mark free skin. Made of breathable Modal blended cotton fabric, Lyra panties comprise both hipster and bikini styles. Its modern fit sits just below the waist and adds complete front and back coverage. Soft signature waistband leaves no marks on skin and ensures all day comfort. With the launch of Lyra Lingerie the brand is all set to delight the consumers ensuring stupendous brand success.

Q&A Denim@Arvind

DENIM

goes sustainable SAMAR FIRDOS, Chief Manager (Design) at Lifestyle Apparel Denim Fabrics, Arvind Ltd has diplomas in textile design from the National Institute of Design and fashion design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology. He currently heads innovation in design in khadi and knits at Arvind Ltd. Firdos discusses the latest in denims with Meher Castelino

Which are the denim varieties being used for garments in the coming season? Which are the most popular varieties? Which weights and varieties are usually preferred? The different varieties are 3/1 Twill weaves denim with stretch (comfort and high), going towards high stretch and better performance with Boomerang, as also comfort with athleisure in Mutants (woven knit denim) and Azurite (Indigo by Indigo). In woven knit denims, the fabric is woven on a loom and creates a knit-like structure. These are denims that give the feel and comfort of knits. Meanwhile, we have also launched Ikat Denim, made sustainably, and resembling the traditional art form of ikat. In India, Mutants and 3/1 Twill weave with stretch are popular. Below 10 oz. is the preferred weight for women’s denim. Men’s denim starts from 8 oz. and can go Samar Firdos up to 12–13 oz. The Ikat Denim is a technology-driven concept giving the flavour of Indian traditional art. The concept has been inspired from the ikat technique. It is made using highly sustainable dyeing processes. We have different weights both for men’s (10–11.5 oz.) and women’s (7–9 oz.). How popular do you think innovations like ikat in denim are likely to be? Which other weave are you planning to incorporate into denim? There is an underlying story of sustainability with aesthetics in products like Ikat Denim. As mentioned earlier, there is a developing taste for innovations and aesthetics in denims, and that is something that should drive success for such products. The focus has been on building on finishes and washes in all existing popular weaves.

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DENIM TRENDS SPRING/ SUMMER 2019: INSPIRATIONS

Apart from the rigid line (100 per cent cotton), most of Arvind’s denim varieties have lycra, which may be in the form of comfort stretch or high stretch. About two-thirds of the denims are made in stretch (which have lycra).

Denim goes through various inspirations each season, and according to the Arvind design team, the Spring/Summer 2019 trend inspirations will be earth, wind and fire. EARTH: It’s a stable balanced grounded inspiration that is classic yet modern, and which works with a sense of belonging and warmth. WIND: It signifies movement with freedom and harmony. So, the fabrics are free-flowing, but in harmony with the changing seasons. FIRE: It is for power, energy and illumination that comes alive with blends of fibres and yarns.

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Q&A Denim@Arvind

Why is khadi denim more expensive than normal denim? Khadi involves the authentic way of producing fabric, something that was developed over 4,000 years back. It is a cottage industry where each process of making yarn, dyeing and weaving is done manually, and no automation and electricity is used. At the most, around 3–4 metres of fabric can be woven in a day. That is what makes it more premium and artisanal. Which are the latest washes that are popular? Does conventional denim in heavy weights still sell well? What do customers look for in denim – innovations or fashion? Denim-washing is shifting towards sustainable methods, which include washes with less chemicals, dyes and water. Bottom is still popular. Ninety per cent of our business is in bottom weights. Chinos have been a niche category, while denim is primary for a lot of brands. We have tried stretching the boundaries for chinos with our Hybrid Chinos line, which is a combination of denims and chinos. Fitted is going out of fashion. In men’s, basic 5-pocket, engineered denims, workwear and comfort fit with stretch are popular. In women’s, high stretch and body shaping denim are still trendy. Denim is trans-seasonal. Weights and shades segregate it into different seasons. There has always been a market for heavy weight denims, though other varieties in lighter and more comfortable weights have gained traction. Customers are looking for performance features along with aesthetics. How often does the Arvind Design Studio present collections and fashion garments? Are the styles shown at the recently concluded The Gravity fashion show available in the retail market? In India, we showcase the collection through festive shows in Delhi and Mumbai during March, and brands shows in Bengaluru around May. For international shows, the collection is made for spring/ summer and autumn/winter shows, which take place in Amsterdam, New York and Paris. Apart from this, we make separate collections for our key buyers. The Gravity collection showcases the latest denim fabric offerings from Arvind. Those are sold as fabrics to major brands and traders across the country. However, the idea of the collection is to showcase the capability of the fabrics as a garment.

Made sustainably, and resembling the traditional art form of ikat, the Ikat Denim is a technology-driven concept giving the flavour of Indian traditional art. The concept has been inspired from the ikat technique. It is made using highly sustainable dyeing processes.

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Denim-washing is shifting towards sustainable methods, which include washes with less chemicals, dyes and water. Arvind too has been developing products using sustainable fibres, dyes, chemicals and finishes.

ARVIND’S LINE UP OF DENIM OPTIONS

BI-STRETCH – the 360-degree comfort and movement: This is performance stretch denim with high dimensional stability and comfort with stretch in any direction for the perfect fit. It retains the shape over time to be perfect for daylong wear. AZURITE – bluer than blues: This is patented technology of Arvind. Azurite is a line of saturated indigo fabrics with indigo being in the weft as well as the warp. It has greater contrasts, differentiated casts, and greater washdowns in one fabric. COAL – the blackest black: This is all about experiencing the richest black in denim, which is all about emitting power elegance, strength and rebellion. IKAT DENIM – imperfect artistry: Resembling traditional textile art form of ikat, the ikat denim is the latest innovation. The fabrics use a path-breaking new indigo dyeing technique that is not only sustainable, but also gives a new and aspirational appeal to the finished material. It is visually rustic, abstract and imperfect. BOOMERANG – denim that comes back: Just like the boomerang, the super-stretch denims Boomerang offers the comfort of stretch to a higher level with an amazing hand feel. It is ideal for ultra-comfortable jeans since it has extreme elasticity, feel, superior recovery, and shape retention freedom to move, besides multi-blends. BOOMERANG 360 – live for movement: Here is denim that stretches in four directions, and is built for active performance that offers fit, besides retaining shape over time for daylong comfort and fashion. BOOMERANG BOUNCE – classic flex denims: This has the sensibilities of the classic rigid denim with vertical stretch comfort. It’s an ideal pair of jeans that does not gape at the waist and stays in place, while flexing. SELF-EDGE – a true classic: This is a premium range of authentic vintage-look selvedge denim. It has reduced usage of water, energy and chemicals. It is a blend of open-end, traditional shuttle-loom weaving styles with a modern touch. It is available in rigid and multidirectional stretches in a variety of options. MUTANTS – athleisure looks: This has the comfort of denim with the athleisure looks in making woven knit denim very popular for the season, with its many fashionable options.

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Q&A Denim@Arvind

In India, Arvind Design Studio showcases its collection through festive shows in Delhi and Mumbai during March, and brands shows in Bengaluru around May. For international shows, the collection is made for spring/summer and autumn/winter shows, which take place in Amsterdam, New York and Paris.

SPRING/SUMMER 2019 ADDITIONS

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NATURAL FIBRES: These are at the heart of the eco-fashion and sustainability movement right from manufacturing to disposal. So, there are fibres like linen, hemp and wool, which fit well into the theme with denim. HYBRID CHINOS: These hybrids of denims and chinos in different colours range from pastels to indigo. It is the saturated shades and a soft-hand feel due to the 2-ply yarns that make them popular. SLUBS AND NEPS: The summer range of space-dyed slubs on ecru and indigo gives a natural appeal to the neppy fabrics dyed in pastel shades. INDI-JEAN: This collection is inspired by the in-house traditional hand-made khadi fabrics that have a hand-spun, dyed and woven base. LIGHT WEIGHTS: These are for the long days when it is necessary to have an easy, breezy line of fabrics in a variety of washes and designs that are ideal for warmer climates.

Q&A Denim@Arvind

SUSTAINABILITY IN DENIM Sustainability in denim is important; so, Arvind offers environmentally, socially and economically sustainable denim, which is ideal for the fashion conscious as well as nature. WOOL DENIM: This is a combination of the most sustainable fibres—wool with cotton—which are ideal for all seasons. Wool with its moisture management properties for denim makes for a soft, breathable fabric that is perfect for fashion and performance. SORBET DENIM: This has freedom to dye garments with a yarn-dyed look with a denim sensibility. The product reduces the usage of water, energy and chemicals, while saving time too. It is ideal for the sustainable fashion section. HEMP DENIM: This variety is stronger and more durable than 100 per cent cotton denim. With ideal moisture management properties, it is suitable for hot climates. Hemp is drought-proof, has a higher yield than cotton, and does not need pesticides or herbicides. RECYCLED POLYESTER: The result of processing post-consumer waste into new products prevents wastage of materials and resources. Green house gas emissions are lower, and yet it has the look, touch and feel of fabrics made from virgin polyester fibre. ADVANCE DENIM: This encourages a way for low environment impact dyeing and finishing as it has lesser number of dye baths, since there is direct fixation of dye after padding, therefore saving water in washing.

How many varieties of denim have lycra in them? Does denim sell only with indigo? Apart from our rigid line (100 per cent cotton), most of the varieties have lycra, which may be in the form of comfort stretch or high stretch. About two-thirds of the denims are made in stretch (which have lycra). Indigos with different cast and shades sell broadly in domestic and international markets. But there are other shades, which are also promoted; black and grey are good examples. The focus is on deep dark indigos for 2018-19. What steps does Arvind take to reduce its carbon footprint? And, when it comes to sustainability, where does denim fit in? What about smart denims? Sustainability is at the core of Arvind’s way of doing business. We have been developing products using sustainable fibres, dyes, chemicals and finishes. Many fabrics are made from organic cotton, BCI, natural indigo, or post-consumer waste, to name a few. The industry is becoming aware of the needs and is using a low amount of water and chemicals in washing compared to earlier days. There already are smart denims in the market. Project Jacquard by Levi’s and Google is an example. Arvind has been a channel partner in the project. What percentage of sales does denim give to Arvind? What new can one expect from you? Denims are approximately one-third of the Arvind textiles business. There is a focus on developing more sustainable products for the Indian market. We also see a gradual shift from woven knits to 3/1s across all tiers of the Indian market. What is your vision when it comes to design for fabrics and fashion? The firm focus in terms of garment design and fabric should be on exclusivity, blending beautifully with freshness and innovation in design. Change is inevitable and enduring, and designs should cater to our constantly changing needs. My passion is to infuse innovation with fashion, and create fabrics that pave the way for beautiful garments.

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COMMUNITIES Usha Silai

Sew far, sew good

Dr. Priya Somaiya (fifth from left), executive director, Usha Social Services, with women entrepreneurs at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018.

The Usha Silai label from Usha International is all set for a retail launch. The brand is an outcome of the Usha Silai schools, a community-based initiative that reaches out to women in remote villages across the country. Meher Castelino reports.

he Usha Silai initiative has empowered close to 3 lakh women in over 350 districts in India. Heading this initiative is Priya Somaiya, executive director of Usha Social Services (USS). Somaiya is a leading organisation development (OD) and human resources (HR) consultant, and has done intensive work in the field of

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organisational transformation and change management. Over the last ten years, she has led the community development project at Usha International Limited through its USS division. In this role, she spearheads community development initiatives in the areas of entrepreneurship for rural women (spread across SAARC countries) and rural integrated development through

non-formal education, arrest of distress migration and poverty alleviation. Under her leadership, Silai schools, which are training centres imparting sewing skills to marginalised rural women and enabling them to train other village girls and women, have grown to become a national movement aimed at women’s empowerment. Priya Somaiya shares the story of the USS with Fibre2Fashion.

Dr. Priya Somaiya, Executive Director, Usha Social Services

What is the Usha Silai story? When did it start? How has it been progressing? There are 16,184 Usha Silai Schools which were started in August 2011 and are spread over 29 states and seven union territories. They are also in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal. Usha International, in collaboration with IMG Reliance, marks the inception of the sustainable fashion label Usha Silai. The brand is an outcome of the commitment of Usha’s Silai schools, a community-

based initiative that reaches out to women in remote villages across the country. It aims to enable them to earn a living. Additionally, it empowers these women to establish themselves as entrepreneurs. The project was conceptualised in May 2017. Considering the potential of the skills and enthusiasm of female entrepreneurs, the project took shape and was launched in August 2017. There were 33 women involved in the final production that was showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018 on February 1, 2018 and the Usha Silai label was launched. What is the difference between a classical and satellite Usha Silai school? These are elementary terminologies to distinguish between the two. Classical are the schools where Usha directly trains on a seven-day residential module with a syllabus, which is in a local language. Signage and certificates are given along with a

Women artisans were trained and guided by designers at Usha Silai clusters to produce the collections of high-end fashion garments. Picture shows fashion designer Sreejith Jeevan (left) at a training session in Puducherry cluster.

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COMMUNITIES Usha Silai

The Usha Silai initiative has empowered close to 3 lakh women in over 350 districts in India. Picture shows designer Sreejith Jeevan with artisans from Puducherry at the launch of Usha Silai label in collaboration with IMG Reliance at Ogaan New Delhi.

black sewing machine. The ladies from these Silai schools then open schools in their respective villages. The women are trained in the village Silai schools for three months. The Silai school teachers identify two good learners and they in turn set up the Satellite schools in the villages. These learners get signage and certificates, but don’t give the machines. So Classical is where Usha trains them and Satellite is where the trained ladies

open classes. This is the ripple effect that takes place. There are 5,000-plus Classical schools and 11,000-plus Satellites now. The ladies get job orders; they earn through teaching; and they learn to repair machines. Their earning is in the range of ₹2,000–45,000. What is the partnership model with NGOs and others? The NGOs help us identify the villages as they are already

There were 33 women involved in the final production that was showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2018 on February 1, 2018 and the Usha Silai label was launched. Picture shows designers Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav showcasing Rani’sthan collection with artisans from Kaladhera cluster in Rajasthan.

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doing projects there. The other partnership is with corporates who have come forward, and under their CSR banner want to link up with us. How many clusters are in the project? There are four clusters: Kaladhera (Rajasthan) has worked with Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav; Dholka (Gujarat) has worked with Soham Dave; Mastikari (West Bengal) has worked with Sayantan Sarkar; and Puducherry has worked with Sreejith Jeevan. These four clusters were formed with 33 women being selected from the schools by the designers and Silai experts through a rigorous methodology. They were trained and guided by the designers, and produced the collections of high-end fashion garments showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018.

The Designers

Designer Soham Dave’s collection The Black Machine was inspired by the Black Usha Machine. Picture shows the designer (left) with artisans from Gujarat’s Dholka cluster.

What is the tie-up with IMG Reliance? IMG Reliance is the consulting partner. IMG Reliance has been providing consultancy services to Usha to boost the fashion quotient and product quality of garments produced by Silai school women selected by Usha in each cluster. IMG Reliance recommended and facilitated tie-ups for the label project with Indian fashion designers. The designers worked closely with the Silai women which boosted their fashion quotient and product quality during label launch. Now, the designers support during retail production as well. What is the initiative #ReImagineFashion? Usha International Ltd in consultation with IMG Reliance is working to create a new sustainable fashion project called #ReImagineFashion with its Silai women in rural areas. This initiative re-looks at the current narrative in the fashion business and partners with local Usha Silai communities’/female

The Project The Label Usha Silai project show is an innovative fashion concept that brought to the centrestage the work of four top designers working with Usha Silai clusters. Usha International, India’s leading manufacturer of sewing machines, fans and home appliances, has the label Usha Silai in collaboration with IMG Reliance, through a powerful fashion forward initiative #ReImagineFashion. The initiative aims to empower women in rural areas with skills and resources to create clothes and accessories that can be retailed in the urban fashion market. The collections will bear the credits of the women.

Soham Dave; Dholka cluster, Gujarat: The creativity of designer Soham Dave was challenged to work with the Dholka cluster in Gujarat; the result was a collection called The Black Machine inspired by the Black Usha Machine. The focus of the garments was created with surfaces and interesting textures on the black lock stitch machine. Staying true to a basic colour story of only black and white with minute detailing, the designs and fabrics were ideal to be used with the black-paddled machine. Sack dresses, batwing-sleeved mini, bellsleeved dresses, tunic with a flared skirt and asymmetric top with cigarette pants were a great offering in the negative/ positive theme. The final kurta with a flared midi skirt was just right for the summer festive times with fun on the agenda.

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COMMUNITIES Usha Silai

The inception of the sustainable fashion label Usha Silai is an outcome of the commitment of Usha’s Silai schools, a community-based initiative that reaches out to women in remote villages across the country. Picture shows Krishna Shriram (centre), director of Usha International Limited, with artisans from various clusters.

entrepreneurs to create fashion for the modern market made by the rural women ethically. Usha Silai tied up with four designers during Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018. Will the project tie up with other designers too? As of now, Usha Silai has tied up with four designers only; they will be with us till the retail launch of the Usha Silai label. Aashti Bhartia (left), Director, Ogaan, Jaspreet Chandok (with turban), Fashion Head, IMG Reliance, and Krishna Shriram (right), director of Usha International Limited at the launch of Usha Silai Label at Ogaan New Delhi.

Will the garments designed by the four designers be kept by Usha Silai project or sold by the designers? The garments are with the project, and more were added for the retail launch in mid-April 2018. Where will the garments be sold? Initially, the garments will be sold at Ogaan, a fashion accessories store located at Malcha Marg market, New Delhi and HAB by Usha at Mumbai.

Designers Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav with artisans from Rajasthan at launch of Usha Silai label in collaboration with IMG Reliance at Ogaan New Delhi.

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How will the project help the women in the clusters? The Usha Silai label project helped women in enhancing

The Usha Silai initiative aims to empower women in rural areas with skills and resources to create clothes and accessories that can be retailed in the urban fashion market. Picture shows designer Soham Dave (right) with artisans from Gujarat at launch of Usha Silai label in collaboration with IMG Reliance at Ogaan New Delhi.

Amita Vijaya and Richard Pandav; Kaladhera cluster, Rajasthan: The collection called Rani’sthan was an ode to every woman who is a queen in her own right. Hence, the poshak worn by queens inspired the clothes; but it was a modern deconstructed look at separates visualised by Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav. While the shapes were traditional, the shirts, tunics, kurtas, blousons and tops were referenced from the kanjri, skirts and dresses that evolved from the lehengas, scarves, etc. There were interesting colour contrasts that flowed effortlessly for the garments to give a perfect balance of fluidity, rigidity and rawness. Staying true to the royal red and then black, there were cold-shoulder tops, an asymmetric dress, a red tunic teamed with a yellow lehenga and a red dress with a black cover. The quartet of black dress, red pant, scarf, bolero and the final angarkha styled with a lehenga was an interesting look at modern ethnicwear.

Designer Sayantan Sarkar (left) with artisans from Kolkata.

Women from the four clusters at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018.

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COMMUNITIES Usha Silai

Under the Usha Silai label, collections of the designers made at the four clusters were launched at Ogaan New Delhi.

their existing sewing skills, giving them the overview of finishing/ aesthetics required for the label, and helped them in making high-quality garments. Whatever is sold at the retail outlets and whatever margins are left will go back to the women. What benefits do the women get in the clusters? Enhance their existing sewing skills; Making of high quality garments with perfect finishing; Additional income to women through retail production. What sort of garment production is done in the clusters? At present, they have been doing production at a small level at the clusters; those would be enhanced based on retail orders.

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What would be pricing for the garments? That will be revealed at the retail launch. Which models of the Usha machines have the women used? Usha Rotary Stitch Master (RSM) with motor. Will Usha Silai open exclusive stores for the garments like the HAB? Opening exclusive stores is too soon to comment on. We will see how the response is and how things unfold after the launch. Does Usha Silai have tie-ups with mills for the clusters? Not yet; but we will expand the clusters. What will happen to the income generated by the clusters?

Sayantan Sarkar; Mastikari cluster, West Bengal: The collection created by Sayantan Sarkar for the South 24 Parganas, Mastikari Cluster, West Bengal was quaintly called The Girl From The Pages Of The Diary. Wandering through the Usha Silai school, Sayantan’s inspirations were fuelled by visuals and encouraged him to use khadi and linen blends along with batik prints that revealed the lush green foliage of villages. The clothes were a stylish mélange of fabrics and designs that had a great mix of urban and rustic charm. The batik appeared in shades of blue or green for blouses, layered dress, long capes, wrap-around pants, smocked creation and hoodie jacket. The shirtdress with a circular hemline, a dhoti style pant, poncho style blouse with draped trouser and capeblouse worn with a kurta and pant were perfect Indo-West options.

COMMUNITIES Usha Silai

The collection created by Sayantan Sarkar (centre) for the South 24 Parganas, Mastikari cluster, West Bengal was quaintly called The Girl From The Pages Of The Diary. Wandering through the Usha Silai school, Sayantan’s inspirations were fuelled by visuals and encouraged him to use khadi and linen blends along with batik prints that revealed the lush green foliage of villages.

Stylishly called Window to the World, the collection by Sreejith Jeevan (centre) for the Puducherry cluster was a creative study in layers. Bringing in box pleats and pin tucks to metaphor the window panes, Sreejith added fabric patches and quirky detailing to reveal his inspiration of windows, glass panels, which were seen in every window of the old French colony.

The income generated would directly go to the women who are associated with this project. Does each cluster produce a particular type of garment? Yes, each cluster makes particular garments with regard to local ethnic designs, culture and weaves. Is the embroidery on the garments also done at the clusters? Yes, the embroidery is done as per the need and requirement for specific garments. Tailoring as an art continues to thrive in small towns and cities in the form of the ‘local tailor’,

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providing great fits at very reasonable costs. The same exists in premium and luxury spaces as boutiques/madeto-measure etc. Any plans to tap into this and maybe give a more formal training to such women? They won’t turn into tailors, but they will surely enhance their skill level with the additional training that they will be getting. So, they can do better stitching, quality sewing and finishing. They are already doing that on their own. They are running their Silai schools and have the freedom to do anything they want to do. Our network will keep expanding and more opportunities will be there to learn and hone their skills.

Sreejith Jeevan; Puducherry cluster, Puducherry: Stylishly called Window to the World, the collection by Sreejith Jeevan for the Puducherry cluster was a creative study in layers. Bringing in box pleats and pin tucks to metaphor the window panes, Sreejith added fabric patches and quirky detailing to reveal his inspiration of windows, glass panels, which were seen in every window of the old French colony. Opening with a black/white sari/blouse with 3D appliqués, the show moved to a lungi matched with a top, and a mustard sheath topped with white bolero. Here was fashion at its most interesting best with intense detailing being in the forefront.

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UPDATES TECHNICAL TEXTILES On The News Beat

NONWOVENS

Welspun plans two technical textile units in Telangana India’s $2.3-billion Welspun Group plans to set up three manufacturing facilities in Telangana with an investment of over ₹1,900 crore. Two of these would manufacture technical textiles, while the third would be for making line pipes. The three units are expected to generate direct and indirect employment for over 5,000. The first proposal is of Welspun Flooring for a ₹1,261 crore technical textile unit for manufacturing floor covering carpets and luxury vinyl tile (LVT). The other proposal pertaining to technical textile is by Welspun India Ltd with an investment of ₹409 crore. The project on 150 acres is for manufacturing technical woven fabric, stitch bonded fabrics and nonwovens. The projects will come up in Shabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district and the Telangana government has approved a set of customised incentives for the Welspun companies, media reports said.

Europe’s nonwoven production grows 4.3% in 2017

In 2017, nonwovens production in Greater Europe increased in volume by 4.3 per cent to reach 2,544,450 tonnes with a total estimated turnover of around €7,869 million (+5.6 per cent), according to the results of the annual nonwovens industry survey by Edana, the global association serving the nonwovens and related industries. Total European Union output is now close to 2 million tonnes. “In Greater Europe as a whole, the standout performers were Turkey, posting a double-digit growth rate, and Russia, where growth exceeded 9 per cent,” Jacques Prigneaux, EDANA’s Market Analysis and Economic Affairs director elaborated. Divergent trends were also observed between the various production processes. Wetlaid production recorded the most important growth rate (+10.2 per cent), mainly due to newly installed lines going fully operational in 2017. This type of web-formation now represents 9 per cent of nonwovens produced in Europe. Although the primary main end-use for nonwovens continues to be the hygiene market, with a 29.8 per cent market share by weight, significant

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growth areas for nonwovens were recorded in other sectors; medical (+13.2 per cent), automotive (+13 per cent) and electronic materials (+21 per cent). Nonwovens sales to the personal care wipes market, flat in 2016, increased again last year posting growth of 5.4 per cent in tonnes and 5.7 per cent in surface area.

MEDICAL TEXTILES Siren unveils new diabetic sock and foot monitoring system Siren, a San Francisco-based health technology company, has launched its first Neurofabric-powered product, the Siren Diabetic Sock and Foot Monitoring System. Neurofabric is the first-ever textile developed by Siren, with micro-sensors embedded directly into the fabric, making its sensors completely seamless and virtually invisible to the user.

Pic courtesy: Webwire/Siren

Siren Diabetic Socks continuously monitor foot temperature, so people can detect signs of inflammation, the precursor to diabetic foot ulcers. Monitoring foot temperature is clinically proven to be the most effective way of catching foot injuries and is up to 87 per cent more effective at preventing diabetic foot ulcers than standard diabetic foot care.

Pic courtesy: Welspun

Siren’s Foot Monitoring System includes a variety of patented technologies, enabling the standard manufacturing of integrated sensors, and simultaneous pairing of multiple devices, both of which were previously unsolved.

Velox to distribute Solvay’s Ixef Para for medical uses

Pic courtesy: Velox

Velox GmbH, a leading provider of raw material specialities, has announced a new partnership with Solvay, a leading global supplier of specialty polymers, to distribute the healthcare grades of Ixef Para, a special polyarylamide containing 50 per cent glass fibres and best-suited for the development of medical devices as single-use surgical tools. Ixef Para is suited for the development of complex parts requiring both strength and a smooth, beautiful surface. Even with glass loadings of 50 per cent, the material insures a high-gloss, glass-free finish. As a very high-flow resin, Ixef Para can fill walls as thin as 0.5 mm. It is biocompatible according to ISO 10993. Velox offers the material in different gamma stabilised colours.

UPDATES TECHNICAL TEXTILES On The News Beat

Gore & Bonbouton work for smart fabrics in medical apparel

Adient is the majority stakeholder in the new company with a 50.5 per cent share. Both Arvind and Adient will have representation on the board of directors of Adient Arvind Automotive Fabrics.

Lear Corporation opens seating structures plant in Valenca Pic courtesy: Gore

W. L. Gore & Associates, a global materials science firm, has joined hands with digital health start-up, Bonbouton, to explore material solutions in advanced sensor technology and enable practical smart fabrics for digital health applications. Bonbouton designs inkjetprinted, low-cost graphene wearable sensors for constant and wireless health monitoring. The initial phase of the GoreBonbouton agreement will focus on collaborative research in the area of temperature sensing materials. This explorative process will lay a foundation for future applications of sensor technology and conductive inks in digital health, chronic care management and smart fabrics.

AUTOMOBILE TEXTILES Adient & Arvind launch Adient Arvind Automotive Fabrics Adient, the global leader in automotive seating for all vehicle classes and all major OEMs, and Arvind Limited, one of the leading textile to retail and brands conglomerate based in India, have announced the formation of Adient Arvind Automotive Fabrics, a joint venture that will develop, manufacture, and sell automotive fabrics in Ahmedabad, India. Adient Arvind Automotive Fabrics will manufacture high-end performance fabrics for automotive seating systems at a world-class fabric manufacturing facility. The joint venture will benefit from synergies between Adient and Arvind, each bringing industry-leading technology and design capabilities in their respective fields. Working closely with its customers on long-term product road maps, the new company will provide Indian and global automakers with unrivalled product quality and innovative solutions in fabrics, enabling them to deliver new levels of comfort, aesthetic variety, and design versatility to end users in India.

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Lear Corporation, one of the world’s leading suppliers of automotive seating systems and electrical systems (E-Systems), has announced the opening of the expansion of its automotive seating structures manufacturing facility in Valenca, Portugal.

Pic courtesy: Lear

Lear extended its production space by more than 11,000 square metres and office space by 1,200 square metres, resulting in total area for production of more than 20,600 square metres and total office space of 2000 square metres. Lear maintains 257 locations in 39 countries around the globe and employs approximately 165,000 employees. The Portuguese facility employs 300 people and anticipates adding personnel in the future due to Lear’s increased business growth in the area.

Freudenberg to expand capacities in Taiwan Freudenberg Far Eastern Spunweb is planning to build an additional production line at the Tayuan TaoYuan site in Taiwan. This expansion of capacity will enable the company to meet growing demand in the traditional automotive and carpet markets of Asia. With the new production line, Freudenberg will increase annual production of nonwovens in Tayuan TaoYuan by around 11,000 metric tons.

COMPOSITES Owens Corning & Taiwan Glass enter into licensing contract Owens Corning, a global producer of glass fibre reinforcements for composite systems, and developers of insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites, has entered into

technology licensing and manufacturing supply agreements with Taiwan Glass Ind. Corp., based in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan Glass is a leader in producing yarns and highquality glass fibre. The agreements will leverage Owens Corning’s Advantex glass fibre reinforcements and the wellpositioned manufacturing platform of Taiwan Glass to produce a mix of products for both thermoplastic and thermoset applications. The companies will continue to operate as separate commercial entities. The agreements with Taiwan Glass represent the latest in a series of relationships Owens Corning has consummated with Asia-based manufacturers that license its technology. These agreements have enabled the company to leverage its internal capacity while also taking advantage of external assets to deliver Owens Corning products – tested using the company’s quality systems and meeting the same specifications as its owned operations.

R-Tech Materials completes ten years in composite industry R-Tech Materials, UK’s polymer and composites laboratory, is celebrating its tenth year of testing composites for the marine industry. The Port Talbot-based laboratory has worked with several key players in the marine industry including Lloyd’s Register, providers of professional services for engineering and technology and a maritime classification society. Lloyd appointed R-Tech Materials as its exclusive global laboratory in 2012 to test composite samples, components, and products to ensure they are suitable for a life at sea. R-Tech Materials has conducted over 100 tests for Lloyd’s Register, including failure analysis on corroded water systems from a super yacht; a liquid gas pipework and a swing arm from a jetty. By running a variety of laboratory tests, R-Tech Materials’ 22-strong team of highly qualified engineers, materials scientists, and chemists can characterise the composite material; check if it’s fit for market; identify quality issues; solve processing problems and determine why a product has failed. They can perform reverse or back engineering—revealing how, and from what, a material has been made.

UPDATES TECHNICAL TEXTILES On The News Beat

Hexcel opens manufacturing facility in Casablanca

Pic courtesy: Hexcel

Advanced composite materials manufacturer Hexcel has opened a manufacturing facility at the MidParc Free Trade Zone in Casablanca, Morocco. At the facility, Hexcel transforms lightweight honeycomb materials into engineered core parts that provide structural reinforcement for aerospace applications including aircraft structures, engine nacelles and helicopter blades. The state-of-the-art $20 million facility is expected to employ more than 200 people by 2020. The Moroccan plant is part of Hexcel’s ongoing worldwide investment to create a diversified and robust global supply chain to support aerospace customers’ growing demand for engineered core. In recent years, Hexcel has increased capacity at existing plants to support its engineered core business and plans further expansions to capture additional opportunities in a global market with excellent growth potential.

MACHINERY Rock West Composites deploys new filament winder

Six-spindle, four-axis filament winder in production. Pic courtesy: RWC

Rock West Composites (RWC), a provider of composite products for a variety of markets, has announced the deployment of a six-spindle, four-axis filament winder that the business recently acquired. With advanced programming software and operating controls, this machine adds significant production capability to the company’s manufacturing operation. RWC’s new filament winding machine has four axes of motion for

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precise fibre placement, and a 36-towcapacity resin bath for rapid material build up. Its programmable doctor blade provides precise control of resin content, and a digitally controlled resin bath heating system assures optimum fibre wet out. To complement the machine’s capabilities, an advanced pattern simulation software is used to generate the winding programmes that allows the winding pattern to be viewed at any stage prior to the actual manufacturing process.

Loepfe launches WeftMaster CUT-iT thermal fabric cutter

Pic courtesy: Loepfe Brothers

Loepfe Brothers has launched its new digital thermal cutting control unit, WeftMaster CUT-iT, for cutting synthetic fabrics. All applications with a high-quality demand benefit from the innovative solution. Typical applications include carpet backings, airbags, geotextiles, and labels for clothing. The digital control unit has various innovative features, which ensure top quality output in the weaving mill. Because of the intelligent control, the cutting temperature remains constant during operation. One control unit can operate up to four hot wire cutters at highest power. The boost mode ensures to reach the temperature needed in a minimum of time during fast machine start-ups. At machine stops, the control unit reduces the temperature immediately to standby. Thanks to the exact temperature control, the WeftMaster CUT-iT is a perfect match for cutting sensitive and finest fabrics, which are used in filter materials or medical products.

DiloGroup starts latest carding technology at Kisbu The DiloGroup, a machine-building company for needle felting technology, has put into operation a newly developed high capacity carding installation of 3800 millimetres working width, including MultiFeed card feeding and DON dosing opener,

Pic courtesy: DiloGroup

at Kisbu in Turkey. Kisbu is focused on polypropylene yarn, polyester yarn, ropes, tarpaulin, and artificial leather.

RAW MATERIAL Gravita starts PPCP granules production in Chittoor Gravita India Limited, a leading recycling company having its manufacturing presence around the globe, has started commercial production of polypropylene co-polymer (PPCP) granules at its plant located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The company has installed new imported washing line and extrusion line with an annual capacity of 1,200 MTPA. The company has plans to increase the capacity of Chittoor plant to 6,000 MTPA by installing two more plastic recycling lines. The production from the Chittoor plant will cater to the needs of injection moulding and nonwoven fabric industry globally.

Zoltek to increase carbon fibre production in Hungary

Pic courtesy: Zoltek

Zoltek Companies, Inc., a global leader in the production of low-cost industrial grade carbon fibre, will increase carbon fibre production capacity by fifty per cent to 150,000 tons annually, at its facility located in Nyergesujfalu, Hungary. This will increase Zoltek’s global production capacity of its PX35 carbon fibre to a total of 25,000 tons produced on an annual basis with production beginning in 2020. This expansion will cost approximately $130 million and will generate approximately 350 jobs in Hungary. The Hungarian Government will support the expansion with over eight billion HUF ($31.74 million).

UPDATES TECHNICAL TEXTILES On The News Beat

Metyx Group acquires facility for technical textiles in US

Pic courtesy: Metyx

Metyx Group has signed an agreement with the Gaston County Economic Development Commission in North Carolina to set up a manufacturing facility for its Metyx USA technical textiles division. The site includes 30 acres of land and existing buildings and 12,000 square metres of covered space, in Ranlo, Gaston County, a town approximately 28 miles west of Charlotte city. Production is expected to start by the end of Q3 2018. The planned new Metyx US operations in North Carolina, expected to employ up to 200 people, will initially focus on setting up technical textiles production lines for manufacturing a range of glass and carbon fabrics, along with sales, customer service, and warehousing facilities to serve the North American composites market. As a next phase, in line with customer needs, fabric, core, and vacuum consumable kit cutting capabilities will be added in the future. Metyx is primarily looking to establish business with US and Canadian OEMs and tier 1 converters in the wind energy generation, marine, road and rail transportation, and industrial sectors.

PROTECTIVE TEXTILES Teijin & Makita develop world’s first fan-cooled jacket

Pic courtesy: Teijin Limited

Teijin Limited, a technology-driven global group, and Makita Corporation, a leading manufacturer of electric power tools, have developed the world’s first fan-cooled jacket, incorporating a two-layer pressure-controlled cooling structure. The fan jackets will be used on a test basis by crewmembers

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working on ships in high-heat climates of the Middle East. The innovative new pressurecontrolled fan jacket was developed by combining Teijin’s expertise in high-performance materials that feature superior cooling and absorption properties and Makita’s expertise in specialty fans and battery systems. The pressure-controlled fan jacket has a unique cooling structure that allows air to enter through the jacket’s outer shell and inner lining in both the front and back of the jacket. The design prevents fabric from bundling up inside the jacket to allow the user to work unencumbered. The air is discharged on a pressure-regulated basis through openings mainly in the neck, underarms and chest, where blood circulation is particularly active, for enhanced cooling effect. The zippered arms and neck can be removed to enable the fan jacket to be used as a fan-cooled vest. The fan unit designed by Makita measures just 39.5 millimetres thick, which is 5.5 millimetres thinner than conventional units.

SPORTS TEXTILES Spartan & Craft to create highperformance sports apparel

Pic courtesy: PR Newswire/Spartan

Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand headquartered in the US, and Craft Sportswear, a Swedish brand specialising in clothing for endurance sports, have entered into a global partnership. The two brands have joined hands to develop the first highperformance technical apparel for the rising sport of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). The OCR-specific ‘Powered By’ Craft line of Spartan apparel and footwear is currently under development at the company’s sports science laboratory in Sweden. Spartan athletes face elements that require full functional movement and, at times, extreme temperatures. Having recently introduced the brand’s performance footwear in

Europe, Craft’s all-terrain shoe for Spartan athletes will be its US footwear debut. The first-of-its-kind shoe will be designed specifically for the obstacles and natural elements athletes face on the OCR trail. The ‘Powered By’ line will roll out in early 2019, with co-branded apparel from Craft’s existing training line launching in Summer of 2018.

Textreme launches ±45° Grid Spread Tow fabric

Pic courtesy: Textreme

Textreme has unveiled the ±45° Grid fabric, a new addition to its line of Spread Tow products. The new version of Textreme Spread Tow fabric will broaden the ability to optimise Spread Tow solutions for new applications and markets. Textreme Spread Tow Grid can be highly tailored to meet specific needs such as increasing torsional stiffness with minimum weight increase or enabling radio transmittency through the fabric’s opening. The new Grid material can be used in monolithic structures as well as for sandwich skins in either a prepregged form or dry form for infusion. Because of its extremely low 21gsm areal weight, this version of the dry grid material can be wet out by capturing excess resin from its neighbouring prepreg plies. Even though the Grid fabric has designed gaps which resemble a lattice, its characteristics are similar to other Textreme Spread Tow reinforcements. By using the Grid fabric by itself or in combination with the other products in the TeXtreme family, optimised reinforcement solutions can be created which enable customers to reduce the weight of their products without sacrificing mechanical properties. The new grid fabric offers excellent stability while handling and can be either manually or automatically cut or handled while being prepregged in standard hot melt processes.

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UPDATES TECHNICAL TEXTILES On The News Beat

GEO TEXTILES ASTM releases new geosynthetics standard for soil erosion

The committee of ASTM International, a globally recognised leader in the development and delivery of voluntary consensus standards, has released a new international standard that supports geosynthetic cementitious composite mats (GCCM), a new family of materials that can help control erosion, protect slopes and berms, and line ditches and culverts. The new standard (D8173) identifies proper layout, installation, and hydration procedures for GCCM. It also describes equipment for designers, inspectors, and installers as well as provides a checklist for contractors to use before installations.

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ASTM International member John Paulson of Dison Contracting and Supply, LLC., said, “This standard provides details on fastening, overlapping, attachments, anchoring, and other topics critical to good GCCM installation. The new standard will help minimise or eliminate common mistakes that may be made by a firsttime installer.”

SMART TEXTILES AFFOA & MIT-VMS launch a programme for entrepreneurs with a passion for advanced fabrics

Pic courtesy: AFFOA

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) has partnered with MIT-Venture Mentoring Service (MITVMS) to launch the Advanced Fabric

Entrepreneurship Program (AFEP). The first 24 venture teams have been selected to join the AFEP, with the goal of starting innovative advanced fabric businesses in the US. The year-long programme AFEP is aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and providing them with the foundation necessary for commercial launch of an innovative fabric-based venture. The programme aims to lower the barrier to innovation and commercialisation in the advanced functional fabric space. The training and support offered to the fabric entrepreneurs builds on 17 years of experience that MIT-VMS has had supporting hundreds of ventures and start-ups. The programme seeks to develop fabric entrepreneurs by combining IP, knowledge and entrepreneurship from universities, rapid prototyping through AFFOA’s Fabric Innovation Network (FIN), consumer insights, and funding from industry and resources from public and private sectors in order to accelerate product and business model innovation in Massachusetts and across the US.

ADVERTORIAL

Productive and efficient labour is the need of the hour

Shailesh Patwari

The Farm to Fashion global summit of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) and Maskati Cloth Market Mahajan (MCMM) provided a platform for the textile value chain to develop a vision for textiles industry for 2035. The three-day event took place from May 4, 2018 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. GCCI president SHAILESH PATWARI discusses the highs and lows of the Indian textiles sector.

What went into deciding to organise an event like Farm to Fashion? Gujarat has been known for its textiles industry. It was once called the Manchester of India. Slowly, the number of composite mills in the state began dwindling. Gujarat is still the highest cotton-growing state; yet, it lags behind in manufacturing products across the value chain—from Farm to Fashion. If we can bridge this gap, Gujarat’s textiles revenue will increase. This will also reduce the cost of transportation. Gujarat has better infrastructure than other states. Farm to Fashion is meant to fill up this gap. Gujarat is growing cotton and we would like to take it from farm to fashion, to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5F Formula: farm to fibre; fibre to factory; factory to fashion; fashion to foreign. Since it is Farm to Fashion, our focus is on farm; also, because Gujarat’s cotton production is high. But according to our data sources, the cotton yield here is just 550 kg per hectare while Australia produces 2,000 kg per hectare, the US 1,500 kg per hectare, and China produces 1,400-1,500 kg. We want to increase our productivity and take it to that level. The increase in cotton production will benefit not just farmers, but the high conversion of cotton (into textile products) will also boost the industry. How does this event dovetail with the Centre’s Make in India initiative? Make in India is a very good initiative. However, our policy

structure is weak, and we will draw the government’s attention to this. For example, when we import garments from Bangladesh there is no duty on it, but there is if you buy from an SEZ and sell in the domestic market. This anomaly needs to be done away with. It is unfair that duty is applied on products that are made and sold in India whereas no duty is charged when the same are imported. The industry cannot sustain itself in such an environment. Which verticals in Gujarat’s textiles industry need development? Gujarat’s capacity of ginning and spinning units is sufficient. The conversion of fabrics to readymade garments (RMG) is very low. We sell fabrics to manufacturers of RMG in places like Bengaluru, who then send the stitched apparels back to Gujarat. It is our intention to increase the conversion of fabrics into RMG through setting up of apparel units in the state. If we can increase the capacity to manufacture, market, and export RMG from Gujarat, the country and the textiles industry here both will benefit. What would be the Vision 2030 for the textiles industry? The textiles policy is very important, which is unfortunately long overdue. We held 17 different conferences and conclaves during the three-day event where several national and international speakers discussed various issues and solutions. It will be our sincere attempt to present

the outcome of these conferences in the form of a white paper to the government. We want the government to incorporate the inputs in the yetto-be-announced textiles policy. Our vision for textiles and garment industry for 2030 is for India to shine in the field of textiles, for which a proper policy structure is vital. What would be your expectations from the textiles policy? The labour laws need to consider the fact that if a worker is not productive, the company can fire him/her. The laws need to be fair and not favour labourers by providing them

protection. The government cannot keep neglecting this. Other countries have stricter rules to hire and fire. No company is going to fire workers unnecessarily, since there is a shortage of manpower. But a worker can be fired for misconduct or wilful mistakes. This freedom is needed for the growth of the industry. What according to you is the global perception of the Indian textiles and apparel industry? Globally, when compared to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China, India lags behind. Small countries import Indian cotton, chemicals and fabrics to make products. Bangladesh imports textile dyes and chemicals from Gujarat. These countries make and export RMG from cotton, chemicals, and fabrics made in India to large international brands. We too can do this. But we aren’t able to compete due to lack of knowledge, connectivity and appropriate policies. Through Farm to Fashion, which we plan to organise every alternate year, we want to change this perception and attract investments. What needs to be changed right away? To change perceptions, we need to showcase our success stories. For instance, it’s not enough to say that Australia grows 2,000 kg cotton per hectare; hearsay is not enough in today’s times. But when you see live demonstrations to such facts, when representatives of farmers and NABARD executives see how cotton is grown on barren lands with less water, people will believe. The government has agreed to a long-standing demand of MMF producers by lowering GST. What opportunities and challenges await India’s synthetic textiles industry? The policies are not conducive for MMF manufacturers in India. The government must listen to manufacturers while making policies. The government is making policies without any consultation, and when we oppose it, discussions do take place. This takes up 3-4 years. Our concern is that when new policies are framed, industries should be

consulted, and their suggestions must be considered. What can the industry do to increase global exports? Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are giving India stiff competition. China has reduced its share in RMG. All international brands are currently sourcing garments from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. These countries import and use fabrics that are made in India. Power in India is very expensive; in Ahmedabad the cost of energy is ₹7.5 per unit. But the cost of power in these countries is about ₹2.5 per unit. The labour cost is also less. Apart from this, the Indian government does not levy any duty when garments are imported from these countries. This is counterproductive and affects our domestic industry. The entire value chain must be considered when we talk about Make in India. How adept is the Indian textiles industry in adopting new technologies? When it comes to new technologies, Indian textiles and apparel manufacturers lag behind. We still import buttons for shirts. Our ancillary industries are not quite developed. The availability of technically sound staff is scarce. We need training centres for imparting technical skills. The productivity of labour is very low in India. A Chinese worker makes 20-25 pieces of apparel, while in India a labourer barely works on 7-8 pieces per day. This is a big challenge for us. I am not a big supporter of robotics, since we are a labour-intensive nation. Industry 4.0 is working well for the European markets; in fact, they are going beyond that too. In India, industry 4.0 can be used in the textile engineering sector, but not for garmenting. It will otherwise create unemployment. A lot of uneducated people are absorbed in the textiles industry as workers; hence, I wouldn’t recommend it at the garmenting level. The government has simplified the process for global retailers to enter India. Will this affect manufacturing or retail in India? We always lay out red carpets for foreign companies, not only in textiles,

but for other industries too. There should be a level-playing field. This will also be highlighted in the white paper. The policies and ease of doing business provided to international retailers and foreign investors must also be given to domestic companies. When a foreign company wants to invest, land is easily available, and the paperwork gets done in a few days. But when an Indian entrepreneur wants to do the same, the prices are high, and the paperwork is timeconsuming. This is affecting the textiles and retail industry. Has e-commerce helped small and medium enterprises, or changed the usual business pattern? A company like Raymond can sell a shirt at ₹3,000 at different places across the country while many MSMEs sell one for ₹800. Their markets and target audiences are different. Selling beyond that will be difficult unless they provide quality products and market those, which is important to survive in the domestic as well as global markets. Another essential aspect is environmental compliance. Whether it is a small or big company, it has to become compliant, especially small ones—if they fail to do so, they will vanish. We have schemes for cluster development for environmental compliance. Under this, 50 per cent of the cluster development cost from land and construction to machinery is sponsored by the government through a subsidy, and the rest 50 per cent has to be borne by members of the cluster. And because it’s a cluster, the laws are liberal. But, non-compliance is no more an option. No small company can say that because I am small, I can pollute. The court, NGT, or an NGO will not accept it. There is a lot of awareness about protecting the environment. NIMBY—not in my back yard—is the mantra people go by. Every industry needs to deal with its own waste and pollution. No third party is liable for it. What would be your concluding thoughts? If every state identifies its core strengths across the textiles value chain and works towards developing them, we can reduce our imports and increase revenues.

Fashion@IMG Reliance

INTERVIEW

Following a vision JASPREET CHANDOK, vice-president and head of fashion at IMG Reliance, is a man with a mission and vision. To put it more accurately–a fashion mission, and he not only wants to give Indian fashion, textiles and crafts a national platform, but a global thrust in international markets too. Chandok, in the two years as the driving force behind Lakmé Fashion Week, ensured that the brand has zoomed up the digital coverage ladder with 1.3 million social media followers with innovative projects that have created industry-changing conversations in design direction, technology, sustainability, craft and inclusivity. Jaspreet Chandok shares his thoughts on fashion in this exclusive Q&A with Meher Castelino

104 | FIBRE2FASHION MAY 2018 Jaspreet Chandok, VP & Head-Fashion, IMG Reliance

hen he was head of retail for Wills Lifestyle at ITC Ltd, Jaspreet Chandok managed a network of 120 stores across 45 cities; so, his retail expertise matches his fashion acumen. He spearheaded the largest design-retail tie-up in the country with the launch of The Wills Signature Line. Even while in grad college, Chandok, an alumnus of IIM Kozhikode, created his first start-up, which focused on raising money for charitable causes through youth events. Chandok sees fashion beyond Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) as he works with a diverse set of stakeholders including the ministry of textiles, United Nations and British Council. Meher Castelino (MC): How important do you think Indian fashion weeks are for global foreign buyers? Jaspreet Chandok (JC): We’ve seen a significant interest emerge for Indian designers from our interventions globally—whether it was the International Fashion Showcase win at London Fashion Week, or from our discussions with global stakeholders who are engaging with the property more frequently. We are still a largely local industry and Indian fashion weeks haven’t broken through as an overall industry and are yet to be a regular stop with all global buyers. But the point really is that there is such a large consumption market within the country that has not yet been tapped either. Maybe greater efforts to align design ranges to market realities will lead to a larger sales increase. MC: Do you feel the current season format of LFW is better than the six-months-ahead format, which is globally accepted? Do you feel that the schedule of LFW twice a year matches with the calendar for international buyers? JC: If you see, a lot of global fashion weeks are struggling with their formats with many designers showcasing in-season now. With a significant change in communication and digital media, design cycles will crunch and we feel our in-season format (especially after moving to early February for spring/summer) allows both designers to create ranges for buyers and gives them the flexibility to amplify their collections, which will soon be available in their own stores as well. MC: Do you think Indian designers know how to market and publicise their work? JC: I think it is a work in progress. Some designers are very good at it; others are still learning the ropes. Some have mastered social media; others don’t understand it at all. MC: Many senior Indian designers can’t write two lines about their collection, while Western designers have complete press kits ready. Will IMG Reliance help them to improve their communication skills and PR? JC: We usually hire senior consultants across various actions and we are happy to have Meher Castelino help out our young and senior designers if they require any assistance for LFW communication. Beyond that, we are currently looking at skill enhancement for young designers, not established ones. MC: Many Indian designers depend on Bollywood impact more than on their creativity. Please comment. JC: Fashion also has to make business sense. Each designer looks at various facets that add value to their brand—whether it is showcasing at the right fashion week, using influencers and celebs, working hard on their social media. We do not get into how designers choose to market their brands. MC: LFW has now started promoting regional textiles and designers, what happens to them after LFW is over? Does IMG Reliance follow up on their progress? JC: We provide designers the opportunity to constantly return to the platform, either to showcase their designs on the ramp or to put up stalls that allow them to meet and interact with consumers and buyers on-ground. Some of our projects are also longer term and have a business end.

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Fashion@IMG Reliance

INTERVIEW

An example of LFW and IMG Reliance going beyond the show would be the Usha Silai Project. Through the Usha Silai showcase, Usha International in association with IMG Reliance launched the Usha Silai label, which will soon be available at retail outlets starting with the launch at Ogaan. MC: In spite of LFW being one of the most followed fashion weeks in the world, why is it that no Indian fashion designer can compete with the western ones on their turf? JC: I don’t see a correlation in the question; so, will answer the second part. Designers like Rahul Mishra (will be presenting at Paris Fashion Week), Suket Dhir and Ruchika Sachdeva have won the International Woolmark prize. Our curated set of young designers won the International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week. Designers such as Manish Arora and Bibhu Mohapatra have been showcasing internationally for years. So, I’d say we are definitely competitive. Maybe more can break through if given the opportunity. However, designers need to have significant capital to be able to compete internationally as well from a business perspective. MC: Fashion weeks in India remain a glam event for socialites and the blitz-glitz brigade. A case in point—how many B2B editors do you call for your shows, leave alone first row seating. When will they emerge as serious trade events for the industry? What steps are being taken to ensure that industry takes it as a serious trade event? JC: Fashion weeks reach out to various sets of stakeholders. We don’t want to be too serious and boring and present ourselves as a joyous event. We see ourselves as both a trade and an amplification event; so, it depends on what the designer wants out of the event. Also, we have taken more efforts to reach out to a larger audience than any fashion event—whether it is consumers, national media, inclusion of artisans and retailers. We do a lot of serious work with our curations and focus on sustainable fashion, and hence we have a complete new set of stakeholders like the United Nations and British Council coming in. MC: What are the flaws in the Indian fashion business that need immediate rectification? JC: Greater alignment of product to consumer still remains the biggest flaw, leading to the designer industry not being able to tip over into large revenue businesses.

Hindi film actor Shahid Kapoor with his wife Mira Rajput in Anita Dongre creations at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018

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A model in Anita Dongre at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018

MC: What are India’s strengths and weaknesses as far as Indian fashion and designers are concerned? JC: I’d focus on the strengths as I’ve mentioned. MC: Have several fashion weeks in India diluted the business and turned it into a moneymaking racket and a tamasha? Publications, small suburbs and remote towns are organising fashion weeks which are more like exhibitions. Has the term ‘fashion week’ lost its seriousness? JC: If some entrepreneurs and businesses feel that they can leverage the fashion industry and create a viable model, then more power to them. Most of these events are ancillary and aid local designers. We don’t really feel our property will get diluted whether there are 10 or 100 other fashion weeks, weekends or events. MC: Some so called ‘Weeks’ are for two or three days. Your views on what it is doing to the fashion industry. JC: I think the only fashion weeks that matter are done by the Fashion Design Council of India and IMG Reliance. The others are peripheral to any major conversation on the growth of Indian fashion. MC: You have been in charge of IMG Reliance organising LFW since Winter/ Festive 2016. What changes have you brought in the four seasons that you have organised? JC: I have been fortunate to have the support of an incredibly efficient team At the London Fashion Week, IMG Reliance had an exhibit curated along with five young designers, for which they who put forth path breaking ideas season won the best country award. Picture shows Jaspreet Chandok and others at the London Fashion Week AW 2017. after season. The mandate is to break new ground, innovate, push the boundaries and create narratives that are relevant to a large set of stakeholders. We have converted the event from an “exclusive” to an “inclusive” property. MC: What is your vision for fashion in India? JC: To have multiple large designer houses as leading retailers across the world. MC: The dates for LFW have been moved from March to February and from September to August. Has this helped in the business opportunities both for the local and the global markets? JC: Yes, this is to aid the B2B side of the “in-season” format providing enough time for designer collections in stores. MC: What is LFW doing to attract new buyers? JC: More engagements with designer stores beyond fashion week; focus on international buyers especially from the Middle East and a much larger venue supporting a better showroom space (at least for the February edition). MC: IMG Reliance took designers for London Fashion Week and had an installation for which they won an award. What is the follow-up on that? JC: After we won the best country award for the exhibit we (IMG Reliance) curated along with five young designers, we once again showcased at London Fashion Week taking three of these designers to showcase their collections in the buyer area called the “LFW Showroom”. Now it’s for the designers to leverage the access we have created to grow their business.

MAY 2018 FIBRE2FASHION | 107

Fashion@IMG Reliance

INTERVIEW

MC: Designers need to go corporate to really make it big. Not quite happening in India. Why? And what is the solution? JC: All designer brands in India are still first generation, due to which designers do not want to let go of equity nor do they want someone else to have a say in their business and design. There is certainly interest from partners to engage, however the designers need to be more open minded and flexible on the possibilities. MC: How has your experience with Wills Lifestyle helped in guiding LFW? JC: Just a better understanding on each facet of a fashion event. I started as a bouncer for the VIP Lounge as a trainee. We’ve been able to look at the event from a partner’s perspective, and hence have seen significant growth in revenues as well. MC: What is IMG Reliance’s role in promoting arts/crafts in India besides organising LFW? JC: We’ve been working closely with various stakeholders beyond fashion to come into the fold and work with us in building the craft sector. Today, organisations such as the United Nations in India and British Council interface with the craft industry through us in developmental projects. We’ve now started looking at corporate intervention as well with Raymond, Usha for development work, which we now see as a major way to drive the sector in the future. Usha Silai Show: The Girl From The Pages Of The Diary collection by Sayantan Sarkar at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018

MC: Why is there no Indian high street label that can create a buzz like Zara, Gap, and H&M can? JC: Fabindia is a ₹1,000 crore brand. AND as well as Global Desi lead in sales in most competitive environments. Most of the Madura Garments brands are market leaders. So, Indian brands do hold up quite strongly against international competition in the high street space. MC: You have watched and been involved in the Indian fashion scene for several years now. Do you think the retail business is at times to blame for the fashion business being where it is, since designers have to still give on consignment basis? JC: I’ve seen most large format multi-brand businesses over a period of time move from outright to consignment, whether it was large format retailers such as Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop or more recently all the e-commerce platforms. Eventually, the market reality is that once demand outstrips supply, the retailer or “supplier” will hold the upper hand. Designers will have to create differentiation and consumer pull to genuinely be able to ensure buyers come searching for their products to reverse the trend.

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ADVERTORIAL

Arvind joins hands with INVISTA to launch festive 2018 collection, showcase new brands and exclusive denim trends for partners Arvind and INVISTA Apparel & Advanced Textiles have been bringing lifestyle solutions for the Indian denim market for years now. The two partners have collaborated yet again this year to showcase the latest festive 2018 collection ‘Gravity’. The collection was presented in the form of an engaging display and a flamboyant runway show hosted at The Lalit, Delhi and The Lalit, Mumbai. The festive 2018 collection GRAVITY highlights the most desired features of a modern-day denim taking inspiration fr¬om the most powerful force on our planet. Gravity is a constant and integral element which defines life. This season, Arvind crafts an experience of an amazing collection which brings out more ‘power, stability and comfort’ in their denims. The collection revolves around providing high on comfort denims for the Indian market. It features a line of popular Arvind Denims like BOOMERANGTM, MUTANTSTM 2.0 (an upgraded version of the popular line), AZURITE, NEO CORD and FUSION. The show had an exclusive brand launch of a path breaking denim

technology along with presence of new brands like BOOMERANGTM 360*, BOOMERANGTM BOUNCE, CHROME CORD and HYBRID CHINOS. INVISTA highlighted the COOLMAX® EcoMade technology which is being introduced to the Indian market in partnership with Arvind. The INVISTA zone showcased products made by Arvind with all the other INVISTA fibres and technologies. Arvind and INVISTA have been synonymous in the industry for

bringing out innovative technologies for the better life of consumers. All Arvind stretch denims are powered by LYCRA® fibre and also include other INVISTA specialty technologies and products like COOLMAX® CORE technology, COOLMAX® ALL SEASON technology, LYCRA® dualFX® technology, LYCRA® SHAPING technology, as well as sustainability related concepts like COOLMAX® EcoMade technology, LYCRA® T400® EcoMade technology and a few more. These products with their strong performance properties provide a set of unique comfort and durability to the garments—a deeply desired feature by the end consumers. This season, Arvind focused upon its core belief of an indigo inspired lifestyle and shared some services and trend inspiration during the show. There was a pattern making workshop to sensitise the makers on handling stretch fabrics and answering to their queries. This special zone had an exclusive wash trend collection developed by Arvind’s wash consultants Giovanni and Andrea who come from the famed Italian laundry Martelli. Sustainability lies at the core of Arvind’s belief. The wash trend collection has been developed at Arvind Denim Lab (ADL) using the most ecofriendly technologies and processes.

The zone also featured a sneak peak of Arvind’s Indigo Art Centre which has been working upon creating endless possibilities with Indigo, beyond denims. The show further witnessed industry experts coming together as a panel to discuss how denims have been shaping over time. About INVISTA With leading brands including LYCRA® fibre, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, STAINMASTER® and ANTRON®, INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibres. The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, car parts and countless other everyday products. Headquartered in the United States, INVISTA operates in more than 20 countries and has about 10,000 employees.

ITM | Hightex | ETT

TRADE EVENTS

A new mosque on Taksim Square

Turkey on Track After a lull of a few years, the Turkish textiles and apparel industry is on an upswing. The investment climate is positive, though some uncertainty remains. Jozef De Coster reports from Istanbul.

n the middle of April this year, the Tüyap Fair and Conference Cenre in Istanbul hosted four simultaneous textile events: the 34th International Textile Machinery Fair (ITM), the 7th International Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Exhibition (Hightex), the 15th Istanbul Yarn Fair, and the 8th International Textile Conference (ETT) organised by the Marmara University. The conclusion drawn from the four events was clear: the current investment and business climate in the Turkish textiles and apparel sector is positive. However, the future remains a bit marred by uncertainty. The Istanbul Yarn Expo learned that Turkey’s spinning sector is more resilient than Europe’s. While much of the spinning capacities of the European countries has disappeared, Turkey is still an important yarn producer and exporter, both of cotton yarn and synthetic yarn. Last year, Turkish yarn exports amounted to $1.6 billion, with Italy, the UK, Belgium and Iran being the biggest customers. Cotton yarns represent somewhat less than 30 per cent of Turkey’s total yarn exports, while synthetic yarns (filament yarns and staple fibres) add up to 70 per cent. Turkey’s imports of yarn are much bigger than its exports. In 2016, Turkey imported about $3 billion worth of spinning products. The main countries of origin were China ($682 million), India ($552 million) and Indonesia ($322 million). Turkey is mostly importing synthetic yarn. The country’s cotton yarn imports in 2016 were less than 18 per cent of the total yarn imports.

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Machinery exhibitors confirm investment surge Investments in the Turkish textiles sector, which over the last few years were weak, are now strongly increasing. Not only have Turkish textile manufacturers said so, but Adil Nalbant, president of Temsad (Turkish Textile Machinery Industrialists Association) has affirmed as much. From spinning to garment manufacturing, the entire supply chain is jacking up capacities. Among the ongoing investments is that of the leading nylon and polyester yarn, tire cord manufacturer Kordsa, which is investing in a 7,000 tonne polyester yarn capacity in its Izmir factory. Betting that the positive investment climate will continue, Turkish fair organiser Tüyap is expecting a record number of exhibitors (430) and visitors (more than 40,000) at the coming Istanbul Clothing Machinery Fair in September. Johan Verstraete, vice-president (marketing, sales & service weaving machines) at Picanol, said that on the first day of ITM 2018 Picanol hosted more visitors than in all four days of the previous edition of ITM. The Belgian Picanol Group is a leading producer of rapier and airjet weaving machines of which the consolidated turnover in 2017 was €640 million, while net profit amounted to €91.6 million. According to Picanol sales director Kurt Lamkowski, rapier weaving is still the main technology for Turkey, while China, India and Pakistan are the main airjet markets. Turkish textile companies are not only investing in Turkey, but abroad as well. The Turkish Tay Group recently partnered with the Algerian government to launch the biggest textiles investment in Africa ($1.5 billion). Forty-nine per cent of the investment (Tayal SPA) belongs to the Tay Group. According to Turkish magazine Aksesuar Dünyasi, recent investments made by ten Turkish textile companies in Serbia has already exceeded $100 million. One of these investors is the Ormo Group, which is said to be the largest exporter of handknitting yarns in the world. Ormo invested €0.5 million in a yarn production facility in Lebane, in southern Serbia, and it plans to invest an additional €0.5 million in 2018. The Serbian government spent €1.7 million in the renovation of the old premises of an insolvent stateowned company where Ormo installed the woollen yarn spinning mill.

Ravindra Kumar, joint director of The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), was pleased that many Indian companies (68, to compare with 19 in 2017) exhibited in the 2018 Istanbul Yarn Expo. Dyed cotton yarn from India was well in demand. Sales personnel at the booth of the Rameswar Group (Ahmedabad and Kolkata) were so satisfied with the commercial results that they wanted to suggest fair organiser Tüyap to extend the article range at Istanbul Yarn Fair to fabrics and clothing. Rameswar Group itself would benefit from such an extension because the group is not only involved in spinning yarn, but is in the business of manufacturing workwear too. A Ilavarasu, chairman and managing director of SA Aanandan Spinning Mills, Rajapalayam, is an eager collector of labels and certifications like Oeko-Tex, GOTS, Better Cotton Initiative, CMIA, Fairtrade, Flocert. He remarked that for Indian yarn exporters the price competition with countries like Turkey is tough. However, Aanandan Spinning Mills avoids brutal price competition by offering special products like the hybrid yarn Suvin (of which Aanandan is the largest licensed producer in the world), yarns for tea bags, cotton sewing threads, environment-friendly PES-yarns licensed by Toray, among others. Another Indian exhibitor was Indian Rayon, a unit of Grasim Industries Ltd (Aditya Birla Group), the largest manufacturer of 100 per cent viscose filament yarn (VFY) in India. Last year, rumours circulated in Istanbul that Indian Rayon intended to build a viscose staple fibre Johan Verstraete (top right), vice-president (marketing, sales & service weaving machines) at Picanol, said that on the plant in Turkey. However, this did not happen. first day of ITM 2018 Picanol hosted more visitors than in all four days of the previous edition of ITM. At the Istanbul Yarn Expo, Harish Maheshwari,

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International Istanbul Yarn Fair

Indian exhibitors at Istanbul Yarn Expo

ITM | Hightex | ETT

TRADE EVENTS

International Istanbul Yarn Fair

general manager (exports) of Grasim, promoted Raysil viscose filament yarn as “the fashion yarn” from Indian Rayon. Sagar Metallics Pvt Ltd from Surat, a manufacturer of metallised film, coated film and all types of metallic yarn which started production in 2009, has rapidly become the largest manufacturer of metallised yarn in India. According to the company brochure, Sagar’s annual production capacity of metallic cord is 4,000 MT. Managing director Mayank Patel was happy with the company’s maiden participation at the Istanbul Yarn Fair. Exports represent 25 per cent of Sagar’s total revenues, a share that undoubtedly can be increased. In the Turkish market, Sagar Metallics will have to compete with Betareks, Istanbul, a company that calls itself ‘world leader in metallic yarn’. Levent Önen, vice-president of Betareks, elaborated on the claim: ‘World Leader in Metallic Yarn’ is a slogan I devised to distinguish ourselves from local competitors. Our production capacity and market share is more than that of all our local competitors combined. We produce 300 MT of metallic yarn per month under one roof at our plant in Sinop. We have been in the yarn business since 1972 and in the production of metallic yarns since 1993. We travel all around the world, and have visited dozens of metallic yarn producers in India and China who are the other two major producers. We are certain that ours is the largest integrated plant under one roof. We do not claim to be largest by production volume, but we are certain we are one of the top 3-4 in the world. Even the largest producer in India does not come anywhere near 1,000 tonnes of metallic yarn per month. We have a wider range of products, and functional yarns compared to anyone in China and India. Also, we tend to produce much finer and more valuable yarns.”

‘Green’ production is more than a catchy slogan Over the past decade, Turkey’s environmental laws and conservation efforts have been eroding. Sagar Metallics Pvt Ltd from Surat, a manufacturer of metallised film, coated film Environmental issues like loss of and all types of metallic yarn, has rapidly become the largest manufacturer of biodiversity, air and water pollution, metallised yarn in India. Managing director Mayank Patel (bottom left) was happy with the company’s maiden participation at the Istanbul Yarn Fair. greenhouse gases and land degradation are aggravating. And yet, at the Istanbul Yarn Fair, several Turkish textile manufacturers demonstrated their commitment and ambitions in the pursuit of sustainable production. The Uşak region of Turkey is an important producer of regenerated yarn. Kempaş Iplik manufactures regenerated cotton/polyester open-end yarns (white and dyed). Haksa uses only strictly selected material. Sesli Tekstil, also from Uşak, produces regenerated yarn from 80 per cent recycled cotton and 20 per cent original polyester. Export representative Eray Dal of Sesli Tekstil said that Sesli’s regenerated yarn, which is cheaper than original yarn, is popular in Turkey. Sesli exports its regenerated yarn all over the world. Dal is sure that worldwide demand will continue growing. However, Turkey’s largest integrated regenerated yarn manufacturer and largest polyester fibre maker, Gama Recycle, is not located in the Uşak region, but in the southern town of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria. Gama Recycle is currently producing about 500 tonnes of fibres per month from plastic bottles. In 2017, exports amounted to around $15 million, but the company hopes to increase exports to $25 million in 2018 and $40 million in 2019. In western Turkey’s industrial town Bursa, Erman Iliman, a former tech professional who worked at IBM EMEA in London, has set up a factory that every day spins 5 tonnes of plastic bottles, saved from landfills, into yarn. Challenging Gama Recycle, the Bursa-located factory wants to raise daily production capacity to 20 tonnes by 2019 and 40 tonnes by 2020. Currently, because of the limited production capacity, the factory is unable to meet all export demands.

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Successful regional player

International Istanbul Yarn Fair

Several countries consider themselves as the centre of a region or a continent or even as the centre of the planet. However, in most cases their ‘centre’ claim is based on illusion. Not so for Turkey. Thanks to its own weight (81 million inhabitants), its Ottoman history, its customs union with the European Union, its good relations with Russia and Iran, its proximity to Africa, Turkey is a regional centre, well positioned to play an important role in international trade. At the 15th International Istanbul Yarn Fair, the second largest yarn fair in the world, exhibitors said that in no other international exhibition they could meet business visitors from so many countries. While developing into an upper-middle-income country, Turkey surprisingly not only could keep afloat a strong textiles industry, but an internationally competitive garment industry as well. Last year, Turkey exported around $10 billion of textiles and around $17 billion of garments. Koray Yurteri, who as director of the large textiles centre Tekstilkent in Istanbul has a privileged view on the development of Turkey’s domestic and export business, explained that the crisis which affected the sector in 2017 is a thing of the past. This year, the industry is definitely doing well.

Nurettin Karagöz (inset right), spokesman of the important clothing centre Giyimkent in Istanbul, believes that Turkish clothing exports, especially to EU markets, will continue increasing because high Chinese salaries are making China less price-competitive. Also, Turkish apparel has a better quality image than Chinese apparel.

Labour-intensive garment industry stands firm While Turkey has a higher level of production costs compared to Far East countries, it can offer Western, Middle East and Russian customers a double vertical supply chain (synthetics and cotton) and speed to market. Brands can make small orders, and do not have to carry extra stock. Nurettin Karagöz, spokesman of the important clothing centre Giyimkent in Istanbul, believes that Turkish clothing exports, especially to EU markets, will continue increasing because high Chinese salaries are making China less price-competitive. Also, Turkish apparel has a better quality image than Chinese apparel. Moreover, the gradual depreciation of the Turkish lira is giving exporters a tailwind. Turkish garment trade associations would like the government to give the industry a push in the form of incentives, subsidies and schemes, because international competition is heating up. They point towards Pakistan and Bangladesh which over the years have increased their apparel exports to the EU, Turkey’s main apparel export market. In 2017, $12.2 billion or 71 per cent of Turkey’s total clothing exports were shipped to the EU. Not only do Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoy cheap labour costs, they also have duty-free access to the EU market, Bangladesh under the ‘Everything But Arms’ scheme and Pakistan thanks to its GSP+ status.

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ITM | Hightex | ETT

TRADE EVENTS

Koray Yurteri (inset left), who as director of the large textiles centre Tekstilkent in Istanbul has a privileged view on the development of Turkey’s domestic and export business, explained that the crisis which affected the sector in 2017 is a thing of the past. This year, the industry is definitely doing well.

Predictions are difficult For the time being, it looks as if the wars and the socio-political instability in various neighbouring countries, and even the influx in Turkey of more than 3 million Syrian refugees in 2016-17, don’t much affect the development of the Turkish textiles and clothing industry. Some observers believe that under the strong leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey will be able to move quickly into the high-income status. They are impressed by Turkey’s performance under Erdogan (who was prime minister from 2003 to 2014 before becoming president). Macroeconomic and fiscal stability were at the heart of its performance, enabling increased employment and incomes and making Turkey an uppermiddle-income country. Poverty incidence halved over 2002–12. Extreme poverty fell even faster. However, other observers predict that Turkey will gradually lose its spirit and power since more freedom-loving, creative, educated and wealthy people want to leave the country. On April 18, Erdogan called snap elections for June 24, saying economic challenges and the war in Syria meant Turkey must switch quickly to the powerful executive presidency that goes into effect after the vote. Maybe a stronger presidency can speed up reforms that can bring down high inflation and high unemployment. But other problems affecting the Turkish textiles and apparel industry have to be addressed: the lack of skilled workers and textile students, the needed shift from traditional products to sophisticated technical textiles, and the alleged exploitation of Syrian refugee workers.

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ADVERTORIAL

Eppinger Gears: An icon among the equals What: Wide range of gears, gear components and gear assemblies Product range: Spiral bevel gear sets: 10 to 1 ratio – dia 457 mm; 2 to 1 ratio – dia 406 mm, module up to 12.7; 1 to 1 ratio – dia 323 mm Hobbed gear – dia 500 mm x 8 m. Hardened and profile ground spur and helical gears – dia 330 mm x 5 m. Internal gears – dia 152 mm x 3 m. Custom built/non-standard gears and gear assemblies.

USP: Attention to details, superior engineering practices, ultra modern manufacturing facilities, very high degree of process discipline and cutting-edge quality control techniques help Eppinger Gears roll out products which are unmatched in quality and performance.

Export destinations: Europe, Korea, etc. Domestic market: Eppinger products are very well received for almost all critical applications like machine tools, railways, textiles, automation, automotives, engineering, pumps, compressors, printing machines, etc.

About Eppinger Established in 1925 in Denkendorf, Germany, Eppinger Tooling Asia Private Limited is today well equipped to offer a wide range of gear assemblies, gear components and high precision gears—both standard and custom built. State-of-the-art manufacturing and quality control facilities ensure top quality, way above the local makes.

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Take a tour to TexPro User Guide For more details, please contact us at +91-990-992-0034 | texpro@fibre2fashion.com

TREND WATCH Milan Design Week

DESIGN, AS EVENT

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile and Fuorisalone together are the Milan Design Week, an event that lures in thousands of design enthusiasts. Cristiana Bonzi reports on this year’s Week.

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he Salone Internazionale del Mobile and Fuorisalone together define the Milan Design Week, the most important event in the world for those passionate about design. Every year, in April, the Week draws thousands of intrigued visitors and design enthusiasts. Fashion is an innate part of the set of events. The Salone del Mobile is a global benchmark for the home furnishing and design sector. Since 1961, it has promoted Italian furniture and furnishing to the world. The event offers a 360° overview on the home furniture world, from unique pieces to sets, representative of all styles, from classic to modern design.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile showcased three styles: Classic, Design and xLux—which is dedicated to timeless luxury. The event is seen as an international reference point for the furnishing and design sectors. The Fuorisalone, on the other hand, is not a fair event in that sense. It is, in fact, a set of events distributed across different areas of Milan on the same days that the Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place. The Fuorisalone does not have a central organisation, and is not managed by any institution. It was a result of spontaneity in the 1980s on part of companies working in the furnishing and industrial design sectors. It has since expanded into automotive, food, technology,

telecommunications, art and fashion sectors. This year too, from April 17 to 22, the Salone and Fuorisalone mobilised the whole town with a long list of events that went beyond the official exhibition, mostly held in brands’ showrooms. There were an astounding 1,500 mini-events spread across 11 key districts. Little wonder that in such a vibrant setting, the connection between design and fashion—both showcasing the ‘Made in Italy’ tag—should be all-pervading. These were promoted by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana with Milano Moda Design, a special calendar dedicated to fashion players for showcasing their home collections or host design-related events.

Louis Vuitton Uniqueness was the keyword. Among all fashion-related setups, Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades at Palazzo Bocconi was the most visited. Launched in 2012, the travel-inspired collection gathers imaginative interpretations of the idea of travel. Limited editions and experimental prototypes, conceived by some of the world’s most renowned designers such as Patricia Urquiola and Fratelli Campana, are then created by Louis Vuitton’s artisans. A fashion tribute to design, made of fine leather and a long tradition in luxury craftmanship. That’s what uniqueness was all about.

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TREND WATCH Milan Design Week

Antonio Marras At his concept store in Via Cola di Rienzo, Antonio Marras presented Build Make Unmake, a project supervised with the help of Francesco Maggiore, president of Fondazione Gianfranco Dioguardi and creative director at Kiasmo. This co-working has led to partnerships with Italian companies in the home furnishings and accessories sector, and is recognised for artisan values and quality, besides the formal aspects of products. The collaborations have led to new collections in full Marras style, beginning with a wallpaper for the designer’s space featuring windows and floral motifs created in collaboration with Wall & Decò. There was a new look for the store, which showcased trendy floral prints for shoes and dresses, along with floral applications in different shades of rose. Metallic tones of green and brown illuminated sandals and handbags, and there was a line of pillows—produced with Kiasmo—which told an existentialist story through a series of informal portraits made of multicoloured designs, while the small home collection signed with

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La Fabbrica del Lino featured 100 per cent ‘Made in Italy’ natural products suitable for a lifestyle in linen, including aprons, runners and tablecloths. This meant respecting the environment through the use of natural materials, vegetable dyes and green production. On the table, specially set in the garden, there was a line of dishware created with Vincenzo D’Alba for Kiasmo that went together with the pillows.

Couture in Orbit

Hi-tech, comfortable, functional and fashionable: the capsule collection Couture in Orbit was a project by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Politecnico di Milano, involving different European design and fashion design schools, and was on show for the exhibition Bright Monday in the newborn Bovisa Design District. Presented in 2016 at the London Science Museum, the collection boasted innovative materials which have been derived from space research: reflective, ultralight, made from aluminium multilayer and white nets in lunar shades and colourful prints inspired by Earth images.

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TREND WATCH Milan Design Week

Gucci The Monte Napoleone Gucci’s shop window during the Milan Design Week.

Dondup Fashion through music. At its Via Della Spiga flagship store, Dondup presented Music Icons, an art performance by illustrator Marco Mazzoni. On the walls of the store, six musical icons portraits inspired by womens’ Dondup SS18 collection were displayed: from John Lennon to Elvis Presley, from Amy Winehouse to David Bowie, without forgetting Rihanna and Ariana Grande. A new vision of feminine attitude was mixed with the brand’s heritage, offering a style in which Italian romanticism was linked with a sexy Garçon approach. As a result, among others, the standouts included bespoke blazers, special athletic-minded t-shirts evoking great music icons and psychedelic paisley prints.

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TREND WATCH Milan Design Week

Dolce & Gabbana The Via Della Spiga Dolce & Gabbana’s shop windows during the Milan Design Week, showing some items of the special edition of 100 exclusive FAB28 refrigerator models made in collaboration with Smeg, and officially presented at the Salone del Mobile.

Napapijri “Make it better”. The Napapijri philosophy generated the new Ze-Knit collection, a capsule of 19 monochrome digitally weaved outfits where fashion and technology melted together. Monochrome, tone-on-tone, made of breathable textiles, waterproof and flexible, the items were presented through the installation #Futurehood, at Via Tortona 31. Mobility stood for the collection concept, where elegance had to go together with functionality for people who are always on the move. Thus, from the t-shirt to the blazer, technical textiles were made of high-performing yarns, woven with the help of a software—because design and innovation are the new fashion boundaries.

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TREND WATCH Milan Design Week

Timberland

Titled Dafne, Timberland’s installation at Piazza XXV Aprile by Elena Salmistraro enhanced the global Timberland’s campaign Don’t Call Me, which riveted attention on the feminine universe, breaking all kinds of clichés. Salmistraro’s tree—a way of protecting Mother Nature—interpreted the spirit of the brand’s SS18 footwear with three new models dedicated to women: Kiri Up sporty sneakers, the Oxford Berlin Park, and the Los Angeles Wind sandals for a summery, sophisticated allure.

Paul Smith A classic trolley case with leather corners, webbing strips, handles and chapes featuring the colours and the stripes of Paul Smith trademark was the ultimate in quintessential British design. Created in partnership with luxury travel lifestyle brand Globe-Trotter, the limited edition of 120 trolley cases was showcased at the Paul Smith boutique. A true marriage of British design and craftsmanship.

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Index A A Ilavarasu, CMD, SA Aanandan Spinning Mills 115 Aamir Akhtar, Chief Executive–Denims, Arvind Ltd 11 Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India 55-56, 58, 60 AC-Automation GmbH & Co. KG 24 Adidas 55 Adient Plc 86 Adil Nalbant, President, Temsad 115 Advance Denim, China based denim manufacturer 18 [AFEP] Advanced Fabric Entrepreneurship Program 91 [AFFOA] Advanced Functional Fabrics of America 92 Aero Group 12 Aeropostale, Apparel retailer 14 Agfa Graphics NV, Belgium based supplier to the printing industry 47 Aizome, Fairtrade denim brand 55-57 AK Panda, Secretary, Ministry of MSMEs, India 10 Akshat Chaudhary, Founder, Aizome 57 Alex Textile Company, Armenian socks & garment manufacturer 28 Alibaba 18, 36, 38 Allbirds, US based shoe company 28 Alliance, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety 16 Alpek SAB de CV, Mexico-listed petrochemical firm 26 Alyasra Fashion, Middle East fashion & retail brand 34 Amazon 12, 36, 38, 49 Amit Vijaya, Indian fashion designer 76, 79 Amy Winehouse, English singer 130 Anand Natarajan, Enterprise Sales Leader, Magento Commerce 38 AND, A brand of Anita Dongre 108 Anders Kristiansen, CEO, Esprit Holdings Ltd 34 Andrew Carnie, President of Home, Garden and International, Anthropologie Group 34 Anil Goteti, Head of Marketplace, Flipkart 36 Anna Bakst, CEO, Tapestry, Inc 34

Axis Capital Holdings Ltd 36 B Banana Republic, American clothing and accessories retailer 55 [BFTI] Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute 36

Dondup, Online apparel brand 130

Gradiant India Pvt Ltd, Subsidiary of

Dover Corporation 43

Gradiant Corporation 14

Duncan MacOwan, Head of Events, FESPA 42

Grasim Industries Ltd 115

E [ECAB] E-Commerce Association of

Gravita India Ltd 88 GrowX Ventures Management Pvt Ltd 36

[BGAPMEA] Bangladesh Garment

Bangladesh 36

Accessories & Packaging Manufacturers &

EDANA, International association for the

Exporters Association 16

nonwovens and related industries 84

Betareks, Istanbul based metallic yarn

EFI Inc 43

manufacturer 116

Elena Salmistraro, Italian interior

Hallenstein Glasson Holdings Ltd 28

Better Cotton Initiative [BCI] 30, 70

designer 134

Harish Maheshwari, GM-Exports, Grasim 115

[BPCL] Bharat Petroleum Corporation

Epson, Japanese printer manufacturer

Helios Garment Inc 26

Limited 11

24, 43

Heng Liang, China based denim

Bibhu Mohapatra, Fashion designer 106

Eray Dal, Manager, Sesli Tekstil 116

manufacturer 18

Blackberrys, Indian menswear brand 12

Esprit Holdings Ltd 34

Hexcel Corporation 88

Blackstar Holdings Ltd 28

[ETI] Ethical Trade Initiative 56

Hillary Super, President-Apparel &

Bluesign Technologies AG 30, 57

[ESA] European Space Agency 129

Accessories, Anthropologie Group 34

Bold Metrics Inc 32

Exenta HRMS Software 32

[HPCL] Hindustan Petroleum Corporation

Brandix Group 34 Brother Industries Ltd 41 C C&A 55

F Fabindia, Retailer of handmade products 108 [FIN] Fabric Innovation Network 92

Gucci, Italian luxury brand 130 [GCC] Gulf Coordination Council 12 H H&M, Swedish clothing retail company 55, 108

Limited 11 [HoF] House of Fraser 18 Hudson Jeans, US based premium denim manufacturer 28

Canon Europe Graphic & Communications

Fairtrade India 56-58, 60

Group 47

Falk & Ross Group Europe GmbH 45

Carry Somers, Co-Founder, Fashion

[FENC] Far Eastern New Century Corp 26

Revolution 55-56, 58, 60

[FDCI] Fashion Design Council of India 107

IIFL, Indian diversified financial services

Central Silk Board, India 10

Fashion Revolution, Non-profit global

company 36

[CCFA] China Chemical Fibers Association 18

movement for systemic reform of the

IMG Reliance Pvt Ltd 76-77, 105-108

Cibi Karthic, Director, Huetrap 57, 60

fashion industry 54-57, 60

Inceptra Lifestyle Pvt Ltd 12

Classic Fashion Apparel Industry Ltd Co 26

[FIEO] Federation of Indian Export

Indian Rayon, Manufacturer of 100%

Coloreel, Swedish technology innovation

Organisations 10

VFY 115-116

company 24

Flipkart 36, 38

[IOCL] Indian Oil Corporation Ltd 11

Colorjet, Manufacturer of digital textile

Fondazione Gianfranco Dioguardi, France

Inditex Group 28

printers 48-49

based foundation for promoting culture

Indorama Ventures Holdings LP 26

Coloro, JV of Ascential & China Textile

and events 128

IndustriALL Bangladesh Council 16

Information Center 45

Francesco Maggiore, President, Fondazione

Inedit, Digital textile printing solutions

Columbia Sportswear Co 18

Gianfranco Dioguardi 128

provider 45

Converse, Subsidiary of Nike, Inc 55

Fratelli Campana, Italian architect 127

[ILO] International Labour Organization 16

Corpus Christi Polymers Llc 26

Freudenberg Far Eastern Spunweb Co

Isko, Turkish denim manufacturer 26

[CAI] Cotton Association of India 11

Limited 86

ITC Ltd, Indian multi-business

[CCI] Cotton Corporation of India 10

Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc 32

conglomerate 105

Cotton Council International 18

Future Group 12

[CDC] Council for the Development of

[FSRL] Future Specialty Retail Limited 11

Cambodia 26

Fynd, Indian lifestyle omni-channel

Crealet AG 24

platform 36

Creyate, Indian custom-clothing brand 12 D D. Gen Inc, Manufacturer of inkjet printing

G Gama Recycle, Turkey’s largest polyester

Huetrap, Apparel brand 55-57 I Icebreaker Holdings Ltd 30

J Jabong 38 Jacqueline Fernandez, Hindi film actor 14 Jacques Prigneaux, Director, Market Analysis and Economic Affairs, EDANA 84 Jaspreet Chandok, VP & Head of Fashion,

fibre maker 116

IMG Reliance 104-108

Anne Klein, American fashion designer 28

systems 43

Gap, Inc 55

Jinneng Science & Technology Co., Ltd 18

Ant Small and Micro Financial Services

David Bowie, English singer 130

Gerber Technology, Integrated software &

Johan Bonner, Director, Squid 47

Group 38

Debbie Coulter, Head of Practice, Evidence

hardware solutions provider 45

Johan Verstraete, VP- Mktg, Sales & Service

Antonio Marras, Italian fashion designer 128

& Learning, ETI 56

Giyimkent, Clothing centre in Istanbul 117

Weaving Machines, Picanol 115

Apurva Kothari, Founder, No Nasties 58, 60

Deborah Caldwell, Creative Director,

Global Desi, Fashion brand from House of

John Paulson, Director, Dison Contracting

Ariana Grande, American singer 130

Storm 28

Anita Dongre 38, 108

and Supply, LLC 92

Arvind Limited 11-12, 64-67, 70, 86,

Deivee, Sustainable athleisure brand

[GENICES] Global Ecolabelling Network

Jordan, Owned by Nike, Inc 55

110-111

founded by Milind Soman 55-56

Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling

Juki Corporation 41, 45

ASICS, Footwear & sports equipment

Dekken, Textile machinery manufacturer 45

System 34

Julien MacDonald, Welsh fashion designer 42

manufacturer 11

Devender Gupta, Founder, Inceptra Lifestyle

[GTTES] Global Textile Technology &

Asil Attar, CEO, Alyasra Fashion 34

Pvt Ltd 12

Engineering Show 14

Asos, Online fashion retailer 32

Differential Brands Group Inc 28

[GECA] Good Environmental Choice

ASTM International, International

DiloGroup, German machine-building

Australia 34

standards organisation that develops &

company for needle felting technology 88

[GST] Goods and Services Tax 11

publishes voluntary consensus technical

Dison Contracting and Supply, LLC 92

Google 36, 70

standards 92

Disrupt – Defy Ordinary, Fashion label by

Gradiant Corporation, innovative solutions

Atul S Ganatra, President, Cotton

Rannvijay Singh 14

provider for industrial wastewater

Association of India 14

Dolce & Gabbana, Italian luxury fashion

treatment & desalination 14

[ABG] Authentic Brands Group, Llc 28

house 132

K Kae Capital, India based investment company 36 Kamal Kulshreshth, Textiles Head (International Sales), Colorjet 48-49 KBR, Inc 22 Kempaş Iplik, Regenerated open-end yarns manufacturer 116 Khimji Ramdas, Oman based business conglomerate 12

Kiri Up, Footwear brand by Timberland

Oriental Footwear International Co Ltd 26

Sayantan Sarkar, Indian fashion

TUV Rheinland Pvt Ltd 34

Llc 134

Ormo Group, Handknitting yarns exporter 115

designer 76, 80

Tüyap, Turkish fair organiser 114-115

Komar Inc 28

Owens Corning, US based insulation,

Scanfil Sweden AB 24

Koray Yurteri, Director, Tekstilkent

roofing, and fiberglass composites

Secoo Holdings Ltd 38

117-118

manufacturer 86

Sesli Tekstil, Regenerated yarn

[KPIC] Korea Petrochemical Ind. Co.,

Oxford Berlin Park, Footwear brand by

manufacturer 116

Ltd 22

Timberland Llc 134

Sewport, UK based clothes and fabric

Kornit Digital Ltd 47

Oysho, Spanish clothing retailer 28

manufacturer 32

Kurt Lamkowski, Sales Dir, Picanol 115 L Lear Corporation 86

P Pachacuti, Fashion label by Carry Somers 55 Patricia Urquiola, Spanish architect 127

Shoppers Stop 32, 108 Singularity Ventures Pvt Ltd 36 Siren, San Francisco-based health

U Unifi, Inc 22 United Aryan EPZ Ltd 26 [USTR] United States Trade Representative 20 Urban Blackberrys, Fashion brand by Blackberrys 12 [URBN] Urban Outfitters Inc 34 [USDA] US Department of Agriculture 20, 22

Lectra, Technology solutions provider 30

Paul Smith, English fashion designer 134

Levent Önen, VP, Betareks 116

Picanol, Producer of rapier and airjet

Lifestyle, Large format retailer 12

weaving machines 115

Loepfe Brothers Ltd 88

Politecnico di Milano, University in Italy 129

Lotte Group 30

Premier Textiles, UK based importer of

domestic appliances 132

Usha Silai, Label from Usha International

Louis Vuitton, France based fashion

fabrics, yarns and finished fabrics 41, 45

Soham Dave, Indian fashion

Print24, Brand of online print shop

designer 76-77

74-80, 82, 106

company 34, 127

Underprint SE 30

Solvay, Global supplier of specialty

M M&G USA Corp 26 M&R Printing Equipment Inc 43 Magento Commerce, E-Commerce platform provider 38 Magna Colours Ltd 41, 45 Makita Corporation 90

Social Services 74

Soul Space, Organic and Fairtrade

Prodigy Brands Llc 28 Puma, German multinational company 55 R Rahul Mishra, Indian fashion designer 106

[MRSL] Manufacturing Restricted

India 11

Substance List 30

Rameswar Group, Manufacturer of yarn

Marco Mazzoni, Italian artist 130

and workwear 115

Mark Lawn, Director, Canon Europe

Rannvijay Singh, Hindi film actor 14

Graphic & Communications Group 47

[RRPCL] Ratnagiri Refinery &

Marks & Spencer 55

Petrochemicals Ltd 11

Max Fashions 28

Ravindra Kumar, Jt Director, TEXPROCIL 115

Mayank Patel, MD, Sagar Metallics 116

Raymond Ltd 94-95, 108

Metyx Group 90

Reebok, Athletic footwear and apparel

Meurers Industrietechnik GmbH 24

company 55

Miix Footwear, Direct-to-consumer

Richard Pandav, Indian fashion

lifestyle footwear brand 28

designer 76, 79

Milind Soman, Indian model 55

Ricoh Company, Ltd 43

Mimaki Engineering Co Ltd 45, 47

Rihanna, American singer 130

Mohan Clothing Company Pvt Ltd 12

Rishi Vasudev, Head of Fashion, Flipkart 36

Monti Apparel Inc 26

Rita Teaotia, Secretary, Dept of

Motiva Enterprises Llc 22

Commerce, Ministry of Commerce &

Mutoh Holdings Co. Ltd 43

Industry, Govt of India 36

[NCCWE] National Coordination Committee on Workers Education 16 National Spinning Co., Inc 22 Neil Felton, Chief Executive, FESPA 42 Nike, Inc 55 Nine West Holdings, Inc 28 No Nasties, Organic and Fairtrade cotton clothing brand 55, 58 Nova Chemicals Corporation 22 Nova Chemicals Olefins Llc 22 Nurettin Karagöz, Spokesman, Giyimkent 117 O Oeko-Tex 22, 30, 115 Oerlikon, Swiss technology conglomerate 24 Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. 43 Old Navy, American clothing retailer 55

athleisurewear brand 56 Spartan Race Inc 90 Squid, Self-adhesive fabric manufacturer 47 Sreejith Jeevan, Indian fashion designer 76, 82 Stoll AG & Co 24 Storm, New Zealand based clothing chain 28 Suket Dhir, Indian fashion designer 106 Sumit Dhingra, CEO-Heritage Brands,

Usha Silai Project, Training programme by Usha International 74-80, 82, 106

[USS] Usha Social Services 74-75 V Vastex International, Inc 45 Velox GmbH 84 Venture Catalyst, Incubator for development of start-ups 36 VF Corporation 28, 30 Viktor Evtukhov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Russia 28 Vinatex, Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group 26 Vincenzo D’Alba, Architect from Rome 128 Virgil Abloh, Men’s artistic director, Louis Vuitton 34 W W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc 86

Arvind Fashions Ltd 14

Wall & Decò, Italy based producer of

[SPMT] Sunoco Partners Marketing &

wallpaper for bathrooms, showers and

Terminals LP 22

damp spaces 128

Suren Karayan, Minister of Economic

Welspun India Ltd 84

Development and Investments, Republic

Wills Lifestyle 105, 108

of Armenia 28

Willy Van Dromme, Wide-Format

Suresh Prabhu, Indian Commerce and

Marketing Manager, Agfa Graphics NV 47

Industry Minister 10

Witworks, Bangalore based technology

Swire Resources Ltd, Subsidiary of Swire

start-up 38

Pacific Ltd 18 T Taiwan Glass Ind Corp 86

Woodland 12 Z Zara, Spanish fast fashion retailer 28, 108 Zeekit, B2C platform and mobile app 32

Tayyip Erdogan, President, Turkey 118

[ZDHC] Zero Discharge of Hazardous

Teijin Ltd 90

Chemicals 30

Tekstilkent, Large textiles centre in

Zhejiang Semir Garment Co. Ltd 18

Ronald van den Broek, General Manager

Istanbul 117

Zoltek Companies, Inc 88

Sales-EMEA, Picanol 47

Temsad, Turkish Textile Machinery

fashion brand 28 [RWC] Rock West Composites 88 Roland Corporation 43

Royal Heritage Home Llc 28 Roz Guarnori, Director, FESPA 41, 43, 45, 47

Industrialists Association 115 [TMAS] Textile Machinery Association of

R-Tech Materials, UK based testing and

Sweden 20

consulting group of companies 86

Textreme, Sweden based advanced carbon

Ruchika Sachdeva, Indian fashion designer 106 S SA Aanandan Spinning Mills 115 Sagar Metallics Pvt Ltd, Metallic yarn manufacturer 116 Samar Firdos, Chief Manager (Design)Lifestyle Apparel Denim Fabrics, Arvind Limited 64

Digital 47

Sandra Zomer, Dutch fashion and textile

OrderMyGear Llc 36

certified yogawear, activewear,

sewing machines 74-75, 77, 106

Tay Group, Turkish textile company 115

Robert Graham, US based luxury men’s

Oliver Luedtke, Head of Global PR, Kornit One Jeanswear Group 28

Smeg, Italian manufacturer of upmarket

polymers 84

Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS

brand 132

Sisophon Hong Seng Sportwear Co Ltd 26

Priya Somaiya, Executive Director, Usha

Manish Arora, Indian fashion designer 106

N Napapijri, Italian premium casualwear

technology company 84

Usha International Ltd, Manufacturer of

designer 42, 45 Sanpower Group 18

fibre reinforcements provider 90 TH Zipper and Metal Accessory Co Ltd 26 The Children’s Place Inc 18 [TEXPROCIL] The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council 115 The Wills Signature Line, Label by Wills Lifestyle 105 Timberland Llc 134 Tmall, B2C shopping site by Alibaba 18 Tom Tailor, German fashion brand 12 Toray Industries 115 Tuuda, Organic clothing brand 55