As global operations in the fashion, apparel and textile sector—badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic—slowly resume, 15 major companies, brands and organisations recently published an open letter stressing the need for the sector to build back better and more sustainably from this crisis and to ensure that the pandemic helps speed up the sector’s transformation.Pic: WWF-UKLaunched during 2020’s virtual World Water Week, the letter’s signatories include multinationals like H&M, Tchibo, Burberry,

Flipkart recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Assam government to promote the state’s art, craft and handloom sectors by bringing them into the e-commerce fold. The partnership with the Assam industries and commerce department under the Flipkart Samarth scheme will enable national market access for Assam’s artisans, weavers, and craftsmen, allowing them to showcase their hallmark products on Flipkart’s marketplace.Pic: ShutterstockBoth sides will focus on creating avenues

Two African-American millennials have set up a new company - Kassa Trade Organisation, or Kassa Trade - in the apparel manufacturing sector. The company works directly with factories in South America, helping them minimise costs and provide lower prices to retailers and designers who need inventory. Retailers can refill their orders via text message.Pic: ShutterstockKassa Trade was founded in early 2020 with the goal of bringing apparel manufacturing into the 21st century. Kassa Trade works dire

The depreciation of price slowed down at the Australian wool auctions this week assisted by far less volume put up for sale. The eastern market indicator (EMI) fell by 1.7 per cent to 929ac cln/kg and the USD EMI lost more by falling to 669usc cln/kg, a 2.5 per cent decline. However, clearance rate lifted and 89 per cent of the offering was sold.Pic: Shutterstock"Prices spent the week trying to establish a firmer footing of trade where local and overseas buyers could gain some semblance of

STOCKHOLM - Swedish sustainable fashion startup A Good Company, which recycles its clothing through a closed loop process, has launched a Kickstart appeal to scale up production.The B-Corp company, which makes clothing with QR tracking codes so consumers can see where their products are in its 'Good Loop' circular system, has already raised more than a quarter of its US$45,230 target in just a few days.A Good Company has designed a range of t-shirts, long sleeved tops, underwear and sock

OAKLAND - The Fashion Positive initiative has launched its first ever Circular Materials Guidelines which are designed to help manufacturers and brands build a more resilient fashion industry.The non-profit's Circular Materials Guidelines 1.0 promotes the use of circular fibres and yarns to create clothes and footwear that are cleaner, safer and designed for the longest-lasting use.Fashion Positive, whose members include Athleta, Banana Republic, Eileen Fisher, G-Star Raw, Gap Inc, Kering, O

For Huntsman Textile Effects – a leading global provider of high-quality dyes, chemicals and digital inks – sustainability, innovation and collaboration have always been an integral part of their every process.And therefore it’s not a surprise whenever the firm comes up with anything sustainable!This time it is LANASOL® CE dyes, which will give the industry a sustainable alternative to after-chrome dyes for wool. After all every brand and retailer finally want an optimum wool dyeing solution tha

J. Crew, the American fashion retailer, announced on Tuesday (25 August) that it will be exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy by early September.Image Courtesy: This came in the wake of the Virginia federal court approving the retailer’s restructuring plan.The restructuring plan will equitise more than US $ 1.6 billion of secured debt and provide US $ 400 million in asset-based loans. Additionally, the plan will provide a fresh financial funding of US $ 400 million.The Chapter 11 restructuring plan wil

Gujarat chief minister (CM) Vijay Rupani yesterday inaugurated FABEXA 2020, a virtual exhibition organised by Ahmedabad’s Maskati Cloth Mahajan, one of the oldest bodies of textile traders in the country. More than 100 exhibitors are participating in this event that will run for 90 days. The annual exhibition is generally organised in an exhibition centre.Pic: Shutterstock3D and 4D images of products like denims, cotton wear, silk, dress materials and other prints are displayed in the virtual st

Salaried jobs in India, which were estimated at 86.1 million in fiscal 2019-20, fell to 68.4 million in April this year and their count by July had fallen further to 67.2 million, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which recently said that within manufacturing, textiles has seen the biggest hit as its wage bill fell by 29 per cent.Pic: ShutterstockAs textiles is a labour-intensive industry, this sharp fall in the wage bill implies a very sharp fall in employment in the