India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently approved continuation of the Market Promotion and Development Assistance (MPDA) scheme, Khadi Grant, interest subsidy eligibility certificate (ISEC) and Village Industry Grant, all subsumed under Khadi and Gramodyog Vikas Yojana, at a cost of ₹2,800 crore till 2019-20. It also approved a new component of 'Rozgar Yukt Gaon' (RYG) scheme to introduce enterprise-based operation in the khadi se

Pic: ScoopContemporary womenswear trade show Scoop celebrated an exclusive AW19 showcase of the most sought-after collections and edits from emerging international designers. Carefully curating designer labels around outstanding works of contemporary art, Scoop offered visitors a unique and bespoke buying environment to discover a host of the new season collections. "I am extremely proud that a number of designers have selected Scoop as a platform to launch their collections this season. Scoo

Pic: Karl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld, the German fashion designer and creative director of Chanel, has died in Paris at the age of 85. He has been heading Chanel since 1983, but missed the French luxury fashion house’s haute couture shows in Paris last month. Lagerfeld has also been known as creative director of the Italian fashion house Fendi and his own eponymous fashion label. The iconic designer was well recognised due to his black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high starched collars.

Holiday retail sales during 2018 in US grew a lower-than-expected 2.9 per cent over the same period in 2017 to $707.5 billion, said the National Retail Federation (NRF). The numbers fell short of NRF’s forecast last fall that holiday sales from November 1 through December 31 would grow between 4.3-4.8 per cent to between $717.45-$720.89 billion. NRF’s numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau, which said that overall December sales – including auto dealers, gas stations and restaura

Pic: Artem Bali from PexelsIndia will soon have its first Centre for Textiles Trends Forecasting in New Delhi, according to textiles secretary Raghvendra Singh, who said the government had already approved the proposed centre that is expected to start operations within February in a prime property of the ministry in the heart of the city. The centre is aimed at boosting exports. The centre will include an incubation and innovation unit to aid design interventions and incubate textile start-u

Courtesy: Columbia Sportswear CompanyThe operating income of Columbia Sportswear has escalated 40 per cent to $152.8 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2018, representing 16.6 per cent of net sales. The sales increased 18 per cent to a record $917.6 million. Direct to consumer (DTC) net sales rose 23 per cent and the wholesale net sales jumped 14 per cent during the reported quarter. The net sales from United States rose 20 per cent, attributable to low-20 per cent growth in DTC and h

The Indian textiles ministry recently honoured 12 weavers and artisans for their outstanding work in handloom and handicrafts at a function in New Delhi, where 15 agreements were signed to facilitate foreign trade of such items. An exhibition showcasing achievements of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the textile sector was also organised. The ministry released a booklet on ease of doing business in ten languages at the National Conclave on Creating Synergy for MSMEs in Textile

The West Bengal government has urged jute mill owners and workers' trade unions in the state for a tripartite meeting to resolve the dispute between both sides, as the latter have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from March 1 over their unfulfilled demands. A notice by the labour department invited the unions to discuss their demands on February 18. The meeting was earlier scheduled to be held on February 14, according to a news agency report. All jute sector trade unions, barrin

With manmade fibre (MMF) having 70 per cent share in global fibre consumption, it has become important for India to focus on manmade textiles along with cotton textiles to achieve the growth target of $300 billion market by 2025, said CITI. Moreover, the growth of cotton is limited owing to insufficient agricultural land availability and price volatility. Expressing concern over rising imports of manmade textiles post implementation of GST, CITI chairman Sanjay K Jain has suggested that the g

India will soon announce World Trade Organisation (WTO)-compliant measures to boost export of apparels and textiles that will help exporters compete with Bangladesh and Vietnam, which get zero-duty access to the European Union, said textiles secretary Raghvendra Singh. Discussions have been held with the departments of commerce and revenue regarding that, he said. The textiles ministry is working on the recommendations of the committees set up to examine the WTO compatibility of the schemes,