The latest Economic Outlook Survey by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) forecasts India’s annual median gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 7.4 per cent for 2018-19, with a minimum and maximum range of 7.1 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively. The projection is in line with the estimates put out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) this month. The survey was conducted in July this year covering economists representing industry, banking and financial servi

The living cost of readymade garment (RMG) workers in Bangladesh marked a 17 per cent annual rise from Tk 10,353 in 2013 to Tk 19,267 in 2018, according to think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). CPD research director Khondaker G Moazzem said this while presenting a study at a programme on minimum wages and livelihood conditions of RMG workers in Dhaka. The study, titled ‘Addressing the livelihood challenges of RMG workers: exploring scope within the structure of minimum wages and bey

Azerbaijan's Gilan Textile Park has raised its exports by 40 per cent compared to 2017, according to park CEO Mehriban Akhundova, who is also the chairwoman of the Azerbaijani Textile Producers and Exporters Association. Russia continues to remain the biggest importer of the park’s products, followed by Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus, she said. The textile park’s products include bathrobes and towels, bed linen, blankets and pillows made of 100 per cent cotton. Plans are under way to ex

Odd Molly, leading Swedish global lifestyle brand, plans to expand in North America and extend its omni-channel retail business worldwide. To expand its concept outside of Europe, Odd Molly has recruited a new leadership team. Together with CEO Jennie Högstedt Björk, Odd Molly has recruited Sara Fernström as Co-CEO to develop a global omni-channel business. Fernstrom has a long history of successful brand development and global business expansions of omni-channel businesses for consumer-re

Pakistan’s ministry of commerce and textile industry is offering multiple training courses in different fields to enhance the capabilities of its workers to make the sector competitive. The streams include garments, fashion, apparel design, cutting for lingerie, line supervision and knitting machine operation, according to a senior government official. The ministry has also launched a skill development project in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Canadian I

In the first quarter of fiscal 2018-19, the revenue of Grasim Industries from the viscose staple fibre (VSF) business has climbed 35 per cent to 2,480 crore and EBITDA has been recorded at 3,212 crore, up by 33 per cent. The VSF business has reported its highest ever quarterly production and sales volume of 134KT and 132KT respectively. The share of the domestic sales in the overall sales of VSF has risen to 82 per cent in the first quarter in comparison to 69 per cent in the first quarter of

Indian fabric firms are shifting attention from China to Vietnam, which is being widely considered as an emerging denim fabric manufacturing centre. After the third edition of the Denimsandjeans Vietnam Show organised in Ho Chi Minh City in June, many Indian companies expressed interest to collaborate with Vietnamese partners in producing denim fabric. Denim goods accounted for a fifth of the sector’s export revenue, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS). A

To give a major push to the readymade garment (RMG) industry, India’s Uttar Pradesh (UP) state government will set up a raw materials hub for the sector in Gautam Budh Nagar district, popularly known as Noida and Greater Noida, under the state’s One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. The district’s garment industry has an annual turnover of 14,000 crore. A group of businessmen, local residents and members of legislative assembly from Noida and Dadri attended an ODOP programme in Noida, wh

DUSSELDORF – Fashion retailer C&A has today launched a new range of sustainable jeans for sale in store, together with the details of exactly what materials they’ve been made from. The new jeans were designed in partnership with Fashion for Good and meet the strict environmental requirements of the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified Gold level standard, which evaluates garments for human and environmental health, recyclability or biodegradability, energy and water requirements and social

Australia-based Good On You’s brand-rating app has recently added 500 new brands specifically targeted at Europe and plans to raise the number of brands rated from 2,000 to 10,000 over the next 6-12 months, according to founder Gordon Renouf. The app shows how a brand impacts workers, environment and animal protection to help shoppers make better choices. The most ethical brands on their app are People Tree from the United Kingdom and Japan, Know The Origin from Germany and Etiko, a long-s