Textile

The worldwide textile industry has been going through a mixed phase for some time now. The after-effect of the Rana Plaza incident in Bangladesh a few months back is creating a stir in the textile world. Factory building inspections begin this month.

Credit: Anonymous Hand Printed Textile India, a major exporter of hand-printed textiles and scarves has seen an evident growth in the arena with a 6.01 percent growth in the first half of year 2013.

The multi-billion dollar global fashion industry has never been so dynamic. With new products, technology and booming business, the fashion industry never stands still! Be it high-fashion haute couture or ordinary apparel, expensive designer stuff or wearable apparel for the masses; one of the major components of the fashion industry is the FABRIC!

More than 700 international fashion buyers from at least 35 countries are expected to attend Colombiamoda 2014 in Medellin, Colombia, from July 22 to 24, 2014. Colombiamoda is Latin America's largest fashion event, consisting of runway shows and business meetings with industry heavyweights from around the world.

It was a wild and woolly ride for prices in May, according to reports from the Australian Wool Exchange. After rising 6 percent in April, wool prices plunged during the first two weeks of the month after banks in China tightened credit policies, which considerably reduced that country's buying power.

Hudson's Bay Company, owner of Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Fifth Avenue "OFF 5th" and Hudson's Bay, reported first quarter net earnings of $176 million, as its retail sales climbed to $1.85 billion from $971 million year-over-year. The dramatic increase was a clear indicator that the company benefited from its acquisition of luxury...

Rising international demand for textiles and the availability of raw materials at a reasonable cost lifted margins and profits for some of India's largest textile producers. Even those firms not posting a profit from the increase in demand still reported lower net losses as the worldwide textile market heated up.

Recent data released by UN Comtrade named India as a top contender in textile and apparel exporting. While China retained its top position as the leader in global textile exports, India ranked second, outpacing competitors like Italy, Germany and Bangladesh. Currently, India's exports textiles are worth $40.2 billion, or a 5.2% share in global textile...

The 21st edition of HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week will run July 7-10, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. With an estimated 1,260 exhibitors from 20 countries in attendance, the fair is billed as a one-stop shop for all fashion, accessories and fabric merchandising needs for global buyers.

eBay Inc. is sprucing itself up with straight-from-the-runway designer threads. The online retailer known for bargain shopping and auctions-style sales launched its Designer Collective Tuesday. The current-season, full-price shopping destination offers 16 high-end men's, women's and accessory labels, including Calvin Klein, Cynthia Rowley, Billy Reid and True Religion and more designer brands are in pipeline....

It may be early yet to set estimates for cotton pricing in the 2014/15 crop year, but when it comes down to it, whatever next moves China makes will have a heavy influence on the market.

The China and Asia Textile Forum, held annually in Beijing, brings together retailers, brands, factories and service providers to discuss the state of the industry. The 2014 event functioned as an update and outlook for the Asian apparel and textile industry in 2014, shedding light on the future competitiveness of China and other sourcing options in the region.

The global synthetic fiber price decline that began in December accelerated in January, hurt by an overall softness in synthetic fiber, yarn and textile prices. Sluggish demand for apparel and other textile products around the world and a healthy supply of fiber raw materials are at the root of the problem.

Sourcing giant Li & Fung (LF) just announced its annual performance results for the 2013 fiscal year and detailed ambitious plans for expansion over the next three years. According to the report, LF increased its core operating profit by an impressive 70 percent to $871 million, and its net profit also increased by a robust 21 percent to $755 million.

Cone Denim continues to grow its EarthSpun recycled polyester yarn program, which is an essential element to the mill's broad initiative for eco-conscious denim solutions at the fiber and fabric levels. Manufactured by nearby North Carolina spinner Patrick Yarns, EarthSpun yarns are made from domestically sourced, post-consumer plastic bottles and packaging.

Resource network FabricLink has recognized ten textile companies for leadership in fabric technology development and originality in the 2014 Top 10 Innovation Awards. FabricLink announced the winners Monday, saying that the awards highlight cutting edge products like fiber technologies and fabric developments that improve design, construction or performance of existing textile products.

In an effort to promote wool as more than a cold-weather fiber, The Woolmark Company and fabric brand and fashion retailer Raymond have partnered to launch Cool Wool, a new collection for Indian consumers designed to promote wool as trans-seasonal.

Every year the apparel industry is buffeted by a combination of domestic and global trends. The global nature of the apparel sourcing supply chain means that wage protests thousands of miles away can be as critical as a stalled trade bill in Congress.

SJC Inc., which operates Silver Jeans stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, claiming that the stores have been suffering from the slow economy in the U.S. and fierce competition with other denim labels like Lucky Brand and True Religion. The company plans to liquidate inventory and close five of its six [...]

Macy's Inc. is adopting practices to reduce waste and packaging in the merchandise supply chain and among private brand products as part of its 2014 plan to decrease the company's environmental footprint, the retailer announced last week. The department store chain released its 2014 objectives in a multi-year plan to integrate sustainability practices across products,...