In the face of inflation of wages, energy and food and commodities, automation and investment in technology has become the biggest opportunity and need of the apparel industry considering how labour-intense the industry is, said Sanjay Mahtani, owner, Must Garment Corporation. The firm has benefitted by investing in RFID production technology and nanotech. “We have invested heavily in RFID production technology and nanotech and foam dyeing for our wet processing. Some of these efforts have

Effective July 1, 2018, the Government of China will reduce average tariff rate for clothing, shoes and hats, kitchenware, and sports and fitness supplies from 15.9 per cent to 7.1 per cent. Indicating further cut in future, Premier Li Keqiang said at an executive meeting of the State Council, “China’s door will only open wider and wider.” The progress that China has made over the past 40 years shows that continuous opening-up has boosted reform and development, which must be unswervingly i

Esprit, an international fashion brand, has committed to increase sustainable viscose production as outlined by Changing Markets Foundation roadmap. Esprit will work with suppliers and viscose manufacturers to move to a closed loop production system by 2023-25. With this, Esprit commits to improve the manufacturing process of viscose and modal fibres. Following the roadmap outlined by the Changing Markets Foundation, Esprit will take all steps to promote and improve the sustainable producti

Brand: Tommy Hilfiger, owned by PVH Corporation, mainly focuses on designing and marketing apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and kids.Company: Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world’s premium designer lifestyle groups. Brand ambassadors: American model Hailey Baldwin, and Winnie Harlow, Canadian fashion model and activist are the new global brand ambassadors for Fall 2018 Tommy Icons capsule collection for women. Product profile: Tommy Hilfiger’s focus is on designing and ma

Union textile minister Smriti Irani and Union finance minister Piyush Goyal recently called a meeting with the heads of Export Promotion Councils (EPCH) to formulate the strategies for enhancing export in each sector which comes under the ministry of textiles and to resolve the problems and challenges commonly faced by the handicrafts sector. O P Prahladka, chairman, EPCH gave an overview of the sector at the meeting and informed the ministers about the strategies being adopted by the EPCH

The government of Tamil Nadu has provided exemption from generation of e-way bill for jobwork and services relating to yarn, fabrics and garments. Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) president Raja M Shanmugham has sent a letter to the state chief minister thanking him for clear understanding of Tiruppur knitwear business and conceding the request of TEA. Tiruppur knitwear cluster has grown up to a level where it is producing ₹42,000 crore worth of garments annually because of the cr

American apparel retailer Ross Stores has recorded 9 per cent hike in its sales to a total of $3.6 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Comparable store sales for the 13 weeks ended May 5, 2018 grew 3 per cent over the 13 week period ended May 6, 2017. This compares to a same store sales gain of 3 per cent for the 13 weeks ended April 29, 2017. Earnings per share for the reported quarter were $1.11, up from $.82 in the same quarter of previous year. Net earnings for the 2018 first qua

Bangladesh’s RMG sector is much safer than in 2013 when the Rana Plaza disaster occurred, said US ambassador Marcia Bernicat. She added that Bangladesh has made progress on workplace safety, especially with the support of buyer-led initiatives like the Accord and the Alliance, and it must do a better job at marketing the dramatic improvements. Bernicat was speaking at a press conference on Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the BGMEA Institute of Fashion

The consolidated profit after tax at Dollar Industries Limited, one of the top hosiery brands in India, stood at ₹64.25 crore for financial year 2017-18 as against ₹43.46 crore during the previous fiscal, a rise of approximately 48 per cent. The company registered total revenue of ₹984.52 crore for 2017-18 as against ₹887.53 crore during 2016-17. Dollar’s profit before tax stood at 95.8 crore for 2017-18 as against ₹66.75 crore during the previous fiscal, a ris

After the announcement of the special textile package last year, the sector has attracted investments to the tune of ₹27,000 crore, said Union textile minister Smriti Irani. The industry is also expected to get more investment from domestic and international markets in the future. The ₹6,000-crore textile package includes tax and production incentives. Textile commissioner’s office record has shown that investments worth ₹27,000 crore have been infused into the textile se