Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) president Van Sou Ieng and secretary general Ken Loo met members of the European Parliament’s Committee of International Trade (INTA) in Brussels last week to discuss and lobby for retaining Cambodia’s ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) benefit. Sou Ieng said he met 27 INTA members, including its chairman.GMAC requested the INTA members to retain Cambodia’s EBA status based on the country’s high compliance on labour and International Labour Organisat

The Tamil Nadu department of handloom and textile has convened a meeting of entrepreneurs and the district collector on October 15 to discuss setting up mini textile parks in Karur. V Vijayalakshmi, assistant director of handlooms and textiles, said the state government had issued a fresh order to provide subsidy worth ₹2.5 crore for each such park.Pic: ShutterstockThe state government would either bear half of the cost for building basic infrastructure in the park, such as laying of roads, sett

Canadian bag and accessories brand Herschel Supply has launched its first-ever watch, the Herschel G-Lide, in partnership with Japanese electronics supply company, Casio G-SHOCK.According to an announcement from the brand, Herschel reimagined G-SHOCK’s classic GLX5600 model, using “elements from the traditional colors and utility through a military-inspired design.”In the announcement, Herschel Supply shares that the digital watch is made using a durable matte green resin case and band, along wi

Denim has become the ultimate engine of self-expression worldwide. Denim trends have evolved a lot over time, but its popularity never waning. And globally the denim consumers are on the lookout for perfect fitting denim jeans.Figure 1: Perfectly fitted jeans with zero-waste. Courtesy: Unspun, a venture-backed robotics and apparel company, based in San Francisco and an office in Hong Kong as well, making custom jeans for each consumer on-demand.As customer choices are in the super-fast mode, kee

The Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF), an organisation coordinating an industry of multiple markets and end uses, has highlighted the latest developments and collections by Taiwanese companies at last month’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, held in Shanghai from 25-27 September.The booth featured 91 companies. © TTFThe booth, organised by TTF, featured 91 companies, exhibiting their innovations in functional and fashion textiles. “Taiwan’s textiles industry is renowned for its integral supp

A trend of increasing import of metallised yarn by developing nations like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Turkey is being observed, according to data of last two years. Global metallised yarn import increased from $197.39 million in 2017 to $203.58 million in 2018 with a CAGR of 3.13 per cent, and is anticipated to reach $219.55 million in 2021.Pic: ShutterstockIn terms of volume, the global metallised yarn import was 20.65 thousand tonnes in 2017 and increased to 21.60 thousand tonnes in 2018 w

Amidst concerns over use of toxic chemicals to make textiles waterproof, scientists from Aalto University have used an ecological method to make garments water-resistant with wax obtained from Brazilian palm tree leaves. The treatment is non-toxic and doesn't impair breathability. There is demand for sustainable ways to give water resistance to clothes.Pic: Aalto UniversityThere is a growing concern over the environmental impact of textile production and many waterproof products on the marke

Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT) is helping to promote sustainable purchasing practices in collaboration with the German Textile Partnership and ACT on Living Wage. The AGT gives value to purchasing practices of signatory companies. Sustainable purchasing practices should enable suppliers work towards pay workers a living wage.Pic: Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile/ShutterstockIn contrast, conventional purchasing practices, including aggressive price ne

A five-year intervention campaign backed by UK-based Freedom Fund to protect workers in India was effective in reducing debt bondage and other forms of exploitation, cutting the percentage of families in bondage from 56 per cent to 11 per cent in focus areas, says a new report. The interventions were reviewed by five reputed external evaluators.Pic: Freedom FundThe review found that the interventions helped stop labour abuses, protect workers and change the structural conditions that enable forc

Luxury apparels are the symbol of class and only people with a good financial background can afford luxury apparels. The global market for luxury apparel is growing due to the increase in disposable incomes. The global luxury apparel market is expanding by 13.2 per cent. Brands are offering numerous growth opportunities, be it in branding of products or investing huge sums of money on research and development strategies.Luxury apparels are in demand among the young generation. Another factor env