In a webinar, Sakthivel, President of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said that India quickly emerged, due to the COVID-19 crisis, as the second biggest exporter of medical textiles. Medical textiles are sometimes referred to as healthcare textiles as part of scientific textiles. The global medical textile industry in 2018 is estimated to hit 23,752.66 million dollars by 2025, according to estimates.Sakthivel also said multinational corporations are interested in moving their investm

According to recent data from the Japan Department Stores Association (JDSA), apparel retail sales in Japan dropped by 40% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same time in 2019. The decline was noted both in the January-March 2020 first quarter as well as in the April-June quarter of the COVID-19 struck. A monthly surge can be seen from mid-May onwards, as the state of emergency has been lifted in stages across the country since May 14, 2020 before being finally ended on May 25 , 2020.As a

“Trade friction between the U.S. and China could help countries like Sri Lanka improve exports,” Wing Tak Bill Lam, Chairman, Teejak Lanka feels that. Lam says Sri Lankan’s textile and clothing exports are likely to decline in the near term, especially to key European and US export destinations.In the first six months of this year, Sri Lankan exports of apparel declined from $2.6 billion a year ago by 30 per cent to $1.8 billion. In the first six months of this year, clothing exports to the Euro

Kenyan export processing zone (EPZ) apparel company Nguo Yetu is planning to engage Kenyans working abroad, including the United States whose market offers preferential treatment to apparel and textile products from most African countries, in expanding its distribution footprint. The company with 300 employees also plans to get into partnerships with foreign companies in certain strategic markets.Pic: Shutterstock"You [the Kenyan diaspora] can take advantage of such trade agreements like AG

Global technical textile demand continues to touch historic lows, but technical textiles are showing resilience, raising hopes of a quick recovery in 2021. An updated edition of the study which also tracks the COVID-19 impact on the market offer insights on how demand will evolve during 2020-2030.Figure:Technical textiles have been among rapid growth areas of the textile industry that are commonplace, from gym gear and sportswear to car seats and in airbags.Technical textiles have been among rap

Huntsman Textile Effects, which is a leading global provider of high-quality dyes, chemicals and digital inks, has launched HIGH IQ® Lasting Black eco – thereby extending its industry-leading HIGH IQ® brand assurance programme.The new colour-retention programme, which is based on Huntsman’s award-winning AVITERA® SE Black reactive dye, will help mills, brands and retailers meet global demand for eco-friendly black shades that retain their intense colour even after repeated washing.Black shades h

The government’s directive to states and union territories not to impose lockdown outside containment zones without approval comes as a silver lining for the retail industry that has been battling local restrictions, according to the Retailers Association of India (RAI), which said retailers are depending a lot on the upcoming festive season for business recovery.Pic: ShutterstockWeekend and partial lockdowns were being implemented at the local levels earlier despite orders from the home ministr

The novel coronavirus pandemic has aggravated issues related to competitiveness in the Indonesian textile industry, as people are buying fewer clothes due to falling incomes. The textile and garment industry contracted by 14.23 per cent year on year (YoY) in the second quarter of this year as domestic and global demand slowed, compared to an annualised growth rate of 20.71 percent in the corresponding period in 2019, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).Pic: ShutterstockThe textile industry c

The US Trade Representative (USTR) recently sought a list of retailers that cancelled work orders with Bangladeshi firms due to the coronavirus pandemic. The US government is expected to urge the retailers to accept their shipments of work orders cancelled earlier. About 95 per cent of all exports from Bangladesh to the United States are garments.Pic: PR NewswireA senior USTR official expressed his organisation's willingness to carry out this initiative during a virtual meeting of the Trade

Indonesia’s textile industry is yet to be fully prepared to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers treating COVID-19 patients, according to Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s deputy chairman for trade Benny Soetrisno, who recently said the domestic textile industry's focus remains increasingly unwavering on apparel products, while the potential for non-apparel textile products is immense.Pic: Shutterstock"For non-apparel textile products, it is still