Latest apparel and textile analysis

India manufacturers see coronavirus as catalyst for good 3 Jul 2020

Beth Wright

Sustainability, innovation and digitalisation are all seen as key to helping the Indian textile and clothing industry build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic. The South Asian manufacturing hub could also benefit from its indigenous environmentally friendly processes and models of textile production, executives believe.

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Mexico makers relish better times as USMCA kicks in 2 Jul 2020

Ivan Castano Freeman

Yesterday (1 July) should have been a day to celebrate in Mexico as its newly revamped trade deal with the US and Canada – the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – swung into effect. But instead of hosting a fiesta over the extension of a pact to export textiles and apparel duty-free to the world's biggest market, the Aztec nation is counting its losses amid tumbling shipments to its key northern neighbour.

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Virtual trade shows unlikely to replace physical post Covid-19 30 Jun 2020

Michelle Russell

Digital apparel and textile trade shows are unlikely to replace physical shows post-pandemic, but rather complement them, experts have agreed.

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Sustainable cotton needs investment for more credibility 25 Jun 2020

Michelle Russell

The organic cotton industry needs significant investment in infrastructure and seed, and the creation of a neutral body to ensure the distribution of more credible data, according to industry experts.

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"Innovation slowdown" will fuel maintainable green strategies 24 Jun 2020

Hannah Abdulla

The denim industry must move toward realising the long term impact of smaller changes that have sustainable intentions over ones that are "sexy" in the moment, in order to effect real change, experts have suggested.

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Morocco resumes production as fashion markets re-open 24 Jun 2020

Elizia Volkmann

Morocco's clothing manufacturing sector has pivoted to making personal protective equipment to cope with the flood of cancelled orders that marked the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – and in doing so is developing textile backward linkages that could strengthen the industry for the future.

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Tunisia garment sector explores post-Covid recovery plan 23 Jun 2020

Elizia Volkmann

Tunisia's garment industry is exploring a post-Covid near-shoring strategy as part of a recovery plan to rethink the country’s positioning as a sourcing centre.

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Kenya's sourcing sector reels from Covid-19 pandemic 19 Jun 2020

Wachira Kigotho

Kenya's clothing manufacturing industry has been punched hard by Covid-19's devastation of its main export market, the United States.

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Covid-19 has taken its toll on Sri Lanka clothing sector 18 Jun 2020

Poorna Rodrigo

Covid-19 has taken its toll on Sri Lanka's textile and clothing sector, with exports forecast to plummet 30% in fiscal 2021.

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Boohoo bags Oasis and Warehouse in latest buying spree 17 Jun 2020

Beth Wright

Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has acquired the online businesses and all associated intellectual property of British women's wear brands Oasis and Warehouse from investment firm Hilco Capital Limited in a GBP5.25m (US$6.6m) cash deal. 

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H&M Group signs circular economy pledge to "build back better" 17 Jun 2020

Beth Wright

Swedish fashion giant H&M Group has signed a new pledge committing to accelerate the transition to a circular economy – which environmental sustainability manager Cecilia Brannsten tells just-style will be key to enabling a more resilient future for fashion.

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Indonesia clothing hub will take time to recover from pandemic 17 Jun 2020

Ahmad Pathoni

Indonesia's clothing industry is another sourcing hub that has been struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic, with overseas buyers cancelling orders and the domestic market in the doldrums

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How will EU trade curb affect Cambodia's apparel industry? 16 Jun 2020

Abby Edge and Dr Sheng Lu

Cambodia's garment industry, already buffeted by the coronavirus pandemic, is set for a further hit after the European Union decided to suspend duty-free access for some products from 12 August over "systematic" human rights violations. Here, Abby Edge and Sheng Lu from the University of Delaware, analyse the potential impact and possible shift in trade patterns.

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India apparel exporters face worker shortages as orders resume 15 Jun 2020

Raghavendra Verma

Export-oriented Indian garment manufacturers emerging from lockdown are struggling to fulfil new orders due to severe labour shortages caused by the continuing migration of workers to their traditional village homes. 

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Will policy change affect US apparel trade with Hong Kong? 11 Jun 2020

Wang Fangqing

Textile and apparel industry leaders are playing down concerns that US trade with Hong Kong could be affected by a policy change threatened by President Trump.

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US apparel imports from Central America fall off a cliff in April 9 Jun 2020

Beth Wright

As the global garment industry continued to collapse under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic throughout April, US apparel imports tumbled by more than a quarter on the previous month – with Central American suppliers Honduras and El Salvador recording the sharpest declines in shipments at more than 90% each.

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Gap Inc focused on refashioning for growth 5 Jun 2020

Beth Wright

US specialty apparel retailer Gap Inc says it is using the coronavirus pandemic to right-size the business and build it for the future – acknowledging there is plenty of work needed at the eponymous Gap brand.

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Egypt's clothing sector suffers but expects post-pandemic uplift 5 Jun 2020

Paul Cochrane

Egypt's garment and textile manufacturing sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, even though factories have largely remained open.

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Apparel supply chain financing is vital to aid recovery 4 Jun 2020

Keith Nuthall

When a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic hits a supply chain as complex as that of clothing, financing problems can gum up commercial relationships – meaning governments, regional and international organisations all need to step in.

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Guatemala garment workers on the frontline of the pandemic 4 Jun 2020

Ivan Castano Freeman

Reports of a Covid-19 outbreak in a Guatemalan garment factory last week have sent shockwaves across the region, fuelling calls for tougher action to ensure garment workers are provided with sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).