GREENFIELD - Organic cotton growers increased plantings by 26% in 2009 compared to the previous year, according to the preliminary data collected by the Organic Trade Association (OTA). However, those surveyed also highlighted the problems of securing a reliable market for their cotton. An analysis of available data collected by the Cotton Incorporated-funded survey of US organic cotton producers and preliminary data from the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) put the planted

Bad spelling, cheap prices and poor quality are all telltale signs of fake garments, according to a UK clothing retailer. Online retailer Styles UK Designer Clothing has warned shoppers about potential pitfalls with its "Top ten tips on how to spot counterfeit designer clothing". Also among the tips are buying from a US or EU based website and company when online and taking a good look at the stitching. Spokesperson Andy May said: "Another simple means to identify a fake garment is to loo

BANGKOK,(TNA) – The Thai leather industry is very likely to recover next year as exporters manage to shift their markets from the United States to Europe and Japan, according to an industry executive. Sakul Sikkasamat, president of the Thai Leather Association, said both new markets have begun to accept Thai leather products although their prices are higher than those of China and Vietnam because the Thai products are of higher quality. Thailand has annually exported US$900 million of le

At least 93 garment and shoe factories were closed in the first 11 months of 2009 at the cost of 38,190 jobs, figures released Monday by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training show. A further 60 factories temporarily suspended operations, affecting 35,337 more jobs, but 55 new factories were also opened, creating 15,173 new positions, show the figures, which were released at the fourth National Conference on Industrial Relations. Labour Ministry Secretary of State Oum Mean said t

Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association Chairman Mohsin Ayub Mirza has requested the government to impose a ban on export of yarn for two to three months to compensate for the additional quantity exported during the last five months. In a statement on Tuesday, Mirza criticised lack of decision on devising a mechanism for availability of yarn to the value added textile sector and no restriction on export of yarn. He said the government, which came to power on p

11 December 2009, The Australian wool market finished 0.1% lower, on average, at sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle this week when the exchange rate against the US$ fell by 1.6%. The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) fell by 1? (-0.1%), ending the week at 872?/kg. This reflected an unchanged Indicator in the North and a decrease of 2? (-0.2%) in the South, with their corresponding Regional Indicators finishing the week at 901? and 847? clean, respectively. The Western Indicator fell b

2009 was a very difficult year for the large majority of textile and apparel producers and as a result, sales for their suppliers of production machinery likewise suffered. For Bierrebi, the well known producer of automated die cutting equipment to the tubular knit industry, it was no different. In addition to bad market conditions other forces acted in unison to create the perfect storm for the Italian company which has been in business for 35 years in the Bologna region. All major p

ASIAN textiles, once considered a fading industry, are now showing strong growth prospects mainly due to demand from expanding middle classes, according to a recent AFP news agency report from Singapore. Development of 'latest technology' in this regard is also attributed for the growing success of the Asian textiles sector. Known in the past as back-alley shops churning out cheap material, many Asian firms are shedding their sweatshop image as they move to compete in the global market.

Three years ago, Plimoth Plantation approached Tricia Wilson Nguyen, an MIT-trained engineer specializing in, of all things, historic needlework, to see if she would help lead an ambitious project. The museum wanted to re-create a lavishly embroidered 17th-century woman's waistcoat as the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibition on how America’s founders dressed themselves. "I told them they were totally crazy," said Nguyen, who lives in Arlington. She knew it could take hundreds of people th

14 December 2009 - Cotton prices stopped rising everywhere in the world, as speculation showed less interest in commodity markets. Demand from spinners remains however strong at current prices on the international market, in anticipation of higher prices in the first months of 2010. The fall of the stock-to-use ratio by the end of the season was last week confirmed. Source: Emerging Textiles