The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) recently announced a plan to set up a mulberry silk cluster in three villages of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district where over 550 artisans would be trained. A not-for-profit institute, EDII is sponsored by financial institutions like the IDBI Bank, the ICICI Bank Ltd and the State Bank of India.Pic: ShutterstockThe project was undertaken under the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), launched by the minist

So these were the 2010s. An exciting decade that began, for the fashion industry, with the tragic suicide of Alexander McQueen in February 2010 and closed with Karl Lagerfeld’s death in 2019. Two giants of fashion, both had a decisive influence on fashion in the years before their deaths, and their absences have left large gaps. In this review, FashionUnited looks back at the greatest moments, celebrities, fashion designers, developments and trends of the decade.The icons of the decadeIn the nou

Foundry powered by IFA Paris, opened its doors on September 23, 2019 at 18 - 24 Quai de La Marne in Paris’ creative 19th district. Foundry is a dynamic fashion tech lab and first of its kind in Paris. The lab is a space for ideas to become reality which members and general public can get an insight of how the future of fashion is going to look.Pic: FoundryOne can experience great pieces of technology from Foundry’s partners such as by TG3D Studio, IBM and N-Hega inside the lab. The TG3D Studio’s

In the first 11 months of this year, Turkey exported leather goods worth $1.6 billion and sold footwear to 186 countries and other leather products to 202 nations. The export target of $2 billion can be surpassed in 2020 if the sector is revived a little more, Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association (IDMIB) chairman Mustafa Senocak said.Pic: ShutterstockSenocak pointed to a slight increase in export figures compared to last year despite the protectionist measures in global tr

FableStreet , an Indian technology-enabled premium workwear brand, offering custom fits for women, recently raised ₹21 crore in series A led by Fireside Ventures. The funds will be utilised for market expansion including offline presence, adding product categories and hiring senior professionals who will partner in growth and brand building.Pic: FableStreetIt also plans to invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning to build a customer recommendation engine, strengthen product develop

The European Union (EU) may be preparing to revoke the generalised system of preferences (GSP) status for Myanmar, according to U Zaw Min Win, chair of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), who said he was informed of the development by the EU and UK ambassadors but did not know the extent of pressure for that.Pic: ShutterstockHe told this during a meeting with vice president U Myint Swe earlier this week, according to a report in a Myanmarese newspaper.The E

India's annual rate of inflation, based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI), for November 2019, stood at 0.58 per cent over November 2018. The index for textiles dipped 0.5 per cent while for apparel it was up 0.4 per cent in October, according to the provisional data released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, ministry of commerce and industry.Pic: ShutterstockThe official WPI for all commodities (Base: 2011-12 = 100) for the month of November 2019 rose by 0.10 per cent to 122.3 from

Amidst drought for three years. Australian cotton crop is expected to be about one million bales.An hour-long insightful discussion with, Vice President for Agricultural and Environmental Research at Cary-based, revealed some of the successful management practices adopted by the Australian cotton sector.Figure: With increasing labor costs, Australian cotton farmers are effectively utilizing technology.Hake has just returned from his trip to down under interacting with global cotton industry peop

Myanmar’s garment industry will benefit from the new phase of the European Union’s (EU) SMART Textile and Garments project that will bring together brands, trade unions and business associations to boost social and environmental sustainability. The project, launched last week, will work with over 100 factories in Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, Pathein and other regions.Pic: ShutterstockThe project will involve local and European experts and deliver on-site assessment and training on topics like human r

Azerbaijan recorded a cotton harvest of 293,880 tonnes by December 11, according to the agriculture ministry, which said this is a 31.9 per cent increase over the figures during same period last year, when production was 222,748 tonnes. This is the result of the agrarian reforms, include measures to increase cotton harvesting, carried out in the country.Pic: ShutterstockCotton production in the country is most developed in Saatli, Bilasuvar, Barda, Aghjabadi and Sabirabad regions.The country’s S