India’s finance ministry has made it mandatory for all government departments to buy at least 20 per cent of their textiles requirement from thehandloom clusters and registered weavers to boost the khadi industry. The ministry has amended Rule 153 of2017 to implement this change.Pic: ShutterstockTill now, the government had reserved all items of hand spun and hand-woven textiles (khadi goods) for exclusive purchase from KVIC.According to the amended rule, "of all items of textiles required

As apparel export industry passes through a tough time, we bring to you the views of some of the top industry experts on how to survive during these testing times…Apparel export industry is passing through a tough time and industry representatives have been knocking the Government’s door time and again in this regard. So, it becomes highly important to know the suggestion of bureaucrats, policymakers and experts who are instrumental in the decision making process. Apparel Resourcesbrings to you

Gerber announces an upgrade to its AccuMark 3D pattern design platform!Image Courtesy: www.whichplm.comThe enhanced capabilities of the software will help manufacturers cut their lead time to just 48 hours and reduce material waste by 40 per cent.The upgrades are for the AccuMark, AccuNest, AccuPlan and AccuMark 3D. The designers working on the software will be able to edit directly in the 3D workspace.It will allow visualisation of entire collection designed in different fabrics and colourways

Innovations in threads are taking place at a rapid pace. Coloreel’s on-demand thread coloration technology and AMANN’s conductive thread technology are transforming the way threads have been used by the companies over the decades.Threads are the most significant trims in the sewing process but that’s not the only use of thread in today’s time. Over decades, the thread industry has transformed multifold in terms of innovations and the applications where it is being used, both in apparel and non-a

Ever wondered if your backpack could be secured by your fingerprint? Well, LockPack has developed a line of backpacks that boast a host of features including a fingerprint-sensing lock that secures the zippers of your bag.Image Courtesy: www.kickstarter.comLockPack recently hit Kickstarter where they have presented this idea of bags in two variants. One is a rugged backpack made of suede and leather,while the other is sleeker and minimalistic for more professional use.The highlight of this bag i

Despite theacing some problems in its supply chain due to the coronavirus outbreak, no negative impact is reported on the export of RMG products, according to top government officials who attended an inter-ministerial meeting onat the prime minister’s office in Dhaka recently.Pic: ShutterstockPrime minister’s principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus presided over the meeting attended by finance secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder, senior secretary of banking and financial institutions division Mohammad Ashad

The Pakistani government has reached an agreement with textile exporters to address their concerns and also ensure that no additional financial burden is borne by the power and finance divisions for current and next financial year combined, minister for economic affairs Hammad Azhar announced recently.Pic: ShutterstockIt was agreed by the parties that the government will provide a maximum of Rs 20 billion total subsidy for power and petroleum, in the form of cross subsidy and/or allocation, in t

Retail sales during 2020 will increase between 3.5 per cent and 4.1 per cent to more than $3.9 trillion despite uncertainty from the lingering trade war, the coronavirus outbreak and the presidential election, the US National Retail Federation (NRF) recently projected. “The nation’s record-long economic expansion is continuing, and consumers remain the drivers of that expansion,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.Pic: ShutterstockPreliminary results show that retail sales during 2019 grew

Apparel manufacturing in Vietnam is facing mammoth challenges as the coronavirus outbreak hampers material imports from China – from where 60% of textile materials are sourced.Figure:Many medium to small textile producers will expire of feedstock by the end of this month and may have to close down next month. Courtesy: Collected“Many medium to small textile producers will expire of feedstock by the end of this month and may have to close down next month,” said Truong Van Cam, Deputy Chairman of

Sustainable cottonThe 2020 ‘Sustainable cotton ranking’ was published by PAN UK,and WWF recently. As per their ranking, Adidas ranked the top, IKEA and H&M became 2ndand 3rdrespectively.Figure: All the sustainable initiatives on cotton are positively contributing to ecology, economy and society one way or the other.It was reported that the global production of sustainable cotton in 2017-2018 was 21%. Quite an improvement as it was only 12% in 2015-2016. But in 2017-2018, only 25% of the sust