NEW YORK – The Ralph Lauren Corporation has announced a minority investment in sustainable startup Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) which aims to recycle natural fibres – such as cotton waste – into high-performance new materials.As a part of the investment, understood to be worth around US$13 million, Ralph Lauren will help scale NFW’s patented technological process and develop performance apparel made from natural, sustainable materials.Recycled cotton is often unsuitable for use in new apparel due

More than 100 Kenyan apparel manufacturers have temporarily closed, sending hundreds of workers home because of a decline in demand in export markets, primarily in the United States. The affected units are mostly from the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Machakos, the industrialisation, trade and enterprise development ministry said.“The clothing manufacturing industry has been punched hard by COVID-19 devastation as its main export has been the United States of Ame

LUBBOCK - Organic cotton production in 2018/19 increased 31 per cent on the previous season to achieve the second largest harvest on record, according to the Textile Exchange’s 2020 Organic Cotton Market Report.The report reveals that 222,134 farmers grew 239,787 metric tons of organic cotton globally - slightly less than the record harvest in 2009/10 just before the financial crash prompted a dramatic decline.Organic cotton was grown on 418,935 hectares of land in 19 countries in 2018/19. And a

While many businesses are reopening existing brick and mortar stores that were temporarily closed during spring lockdowns, Dick’s Sporting Goods has announced the opening of 11 new stores in nine states throughout the US.The new locations will include four standard stores, one combination Dick’s and Golf Galaxy location, five “Warehouse Sale” stores and one “Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods'' location. The Warehouse Sale locations are clearance stores, with products discounted up to 90%

The rate of duty drawback on both non-textile and textile products should be enhanced to 7 per cent to achieve export targets, according to Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Muhammad Ashraf Malik, who recently said incentive schemes for exporters are vital to keep the industry competitive in the international market.Pic: ShutterstockThe COVID-19 pandemic has opened new avenues of trade for exporters that include manufacturing and export of personal protective equipment (P

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP and a Swedish company have become the first to produce a viscose filament yarn from recycled cotton, overcoming the challenges in recycling clothing made of cotton. This fibre can be used for mass-manufacturing of textiles. Garments are often made of blends rather than a single fabric.Countless closets are overflowing with clothes, yet their owners wear many of those trousers, skirts and tops rarely or not at all, as a Green

The global export of synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning of acrylic or modacrylic decreased 20.48 per cent from $593.28 million in 2017 to $471.78 million in 2019. Total exports fell 21.67 per cent in 2019 over previous year and is expected to rise to $572.15 million in 2022 with a rate of 21.28 per cent from 2019.Pic: ShutterstockThe global import value of synthetic staple fibres of acrylic or modacrylic was $1,026.00 million in 2017, which slipped 26

UK-based premium clothing retailer Superdry has secured a 70 million pound (roughly US $ 91 million) lending facility to help tide over the tumbling sales during the pandemic.Image Courtesy: superdry.comThe Group’s share prices have fallen 77 per cent so far after its stores remained closed during lockdowns.That being said, the retailer’s performance has picked up in the last 3 months up to July-end helping total sales decline lesser than expected to 24.1 per cent.Online sales saw a 93.2 per cen

One of the promising export sectors of Bangladesh, the leather sector has been struggling. After apparel, the leather, leather goods and leather footwear is the lone sector fetching over $1 billion from export every year since fiscal 2011-12 except for last fiscal year.On top of it the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the global consumption of leather products – the leather exports in the month of July was down by 15.23% to $106.1 million, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.Figure 1:Ban

Mohawk Industries, a global flooring leader, posted 21 per cent sales decrease to $2.04 billion in its second quarter (Q2) fiscal year 2020 ended on June 27, 2020 compared to the sales of $2.58 billion in same period previous year. Company reported a net loss of $48.2 million during the quarter compared to net income of $202.4 million in Q2 FY19.Pic: Mohawk IndustriesGross profit dropped to $369.9 million (Q2 FY19: $736.6 million). Selling, general and administrative expenses for Q2 FY20 were $4