Representatives of Nirapon, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters association (BKMEA) met recently in Dhaka. All parties committed to continue the conversation on their shared goal to protect the safety of readymade garment (RMG) factory workers in Bangladesh.To ensure continued partnership, all parties committed to engage in an ongoing, constructive dialogue. The target is to support a unified and sustainable approach to safety at the national level in order to sustain the significant progress made so far, a BGMEA-Nirapon joint communique said.In the meantime, Nirapon will continue operations while it simultaneously explores how best to support collaboration with the national safety initiative.Nirapon is a self-regulating model providing factory building and fire safety monitoring, oversight and reporting services in Bangladesh for its member brands.Nirapon focuses on building capacity amongst Bangladesh’s assessment and training service providers. It tries to accomplish this by identifying service providers capable of supporting assessments, remediation, capacity building and training. Factories manufacturing for Nirapon member brands engage assessment and training service providers from the qualified pool, while Nirapon validates the quality of services provided and alert members to any potential risk and issues.

The low reliance of Pakistani textile and apparel exporters on imported artificial fibres is because of exorbitant tariffs and regulatory duties on essential raw materials, according to the World Bank, which said Pakistan’s tariffs on intermediates average 8 per cent—four times the average in East Asia—and its regulatory and additional duties are also high. The World Bank Group, in its recent flagship report on global value chain (GVC), said a very small number of textile exporters in the country are presently availing duty suspension schemes like duty and tax remission on exports for their imported intermediates as remission takes much longer time for them. “In practice, approvals for remission take on average 60 days—twice the time specified by law—and clearing customs after approval takes an extra 5-10 days,” the agency said. “Thus, Pakistani exporters of textiles and apparel—the country’s major export sector—rely mostly on domestic cotton rather than on imported artificial fibres, such as polyester (the leading input to the fast growing global imports of apparel),” the bank said in the report, titled ‘Trading for Development: In the age of global value chains’. “For that reason, a mere 3 percent of textile and apparel exporters use the scheme. In Bangladesh, by contrast, obtaining approval for duty suspension on intermediates takes on average 24 hours, and about 90 per cent of textile and apparel firms use the scheme,” according to the report. The bank enlisted Pakistan among the countries where participation in global value chain paces up slowly in a market environment when the sectoral composition of global value chain flows is increasing globally. The World Bank, however, sees strength in the country’s agriculture and livestock sector that could help it improve its participation in the global value chain.

Polartec, provider of sustainable textile solutions, has unveiled the iconic, American-made, military-issue fabric technologies and finished garments, for Americans. Available directly from the source, the authentic Polartec fabrics and designs are shipped directly from the same US cut and sew manufacturers that have been creating these garments since 2007. The foundation of today’s Gen III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS)––the standard issue cold weather apparel system in the US Army––is the Polartec Military Issue Collection. This system provides soldiers with a multi-layered, performance driven clothing system that’s designed to be versatile and adaptable to varying operational and environmental conditions. For more than a decade there have been Gen III ECWCS labelled military garment designs for sale online and from select military retail stores. While some of these items are authentic surplus garments, it remains an unregulated grey area. Foreign imitations continue to pop up in their various forms, and even outdoor sporting and hunting brands have adopted military issue garment nomenclature into product descriptions. Now available directly from the source, these authentic Polartec fabrics and designs are made in America and shipped directly from the same US cut and sew manufacturers that have been creating these garments since 2007. Polartec Gen III ECWCS products and the Polartec Military Issue Collection includes ECWCS Level I Silkweight Shirt and Pants, the foundation of the modern Gen III ECWCS layering system, made of a soft and comfortable Polartec Silkweight fabric for versatile next-to-skin performance that includes fast wicking action and dry times, high durability and compressibility. The collection also includes ECWCS Level II Grid Knit Shirt and Pants, the legendary “waffle” shirt, made of iconic (and patented) Polartec Power Grid bi-component knit fabric, which maximises warmth, breathability, wicking action, compressibility and versatility, while minimising dry-times and weight. ECWCS Level III High Loft Jacket, the “smoking jacket,” made primarily of Polartec High Loft, the ultra soft and compressible fleece for warmth without weight, with Polartec Power Grid panels, and Micro Fleece Cap, small enough to stash anywhere for critical warmth, made of warm, highly compressible and lightweight Polartec Micro series fleece in a durable three-panel construction, are also part of the special collection. “We have long noticed veterans, active military, or even just the tactically-inclined reaching out to us directly, in search of these authentic military grade products,” says Polartec president Steve Layton. “No one should have to roll the dice on a blurry eBay photo or questionable shopping link to get a new pair of their favourite long underwear, “waffle” grid mid-weight top, or favourite “smoking jacket” design.”

Separate land areas are being planned in Myanmar’s Yangon and Mandalay regions to set up special zones for textile and garments, according to the country’s ministry of industry. The ministry is collaborating with the private sector to implement pilot projects for industry complexes and clusters, according to industry minister Khin Maung Cho. The minister said plans are under way to launch a national level textile policy with the help of German global development organisation GIZ to develop the country’s textile industry, boost investment by inviting foreign trade partners, set up the necessary infrastructure and reduce imports. He said the proposed national textile policy is part of the National Export Strategy (NES), according to a report in an English-language news website in the country. The commerce ministry is taking charge of implementing the NES with 11 sectors.

Tradeshows Apparel Sourcing Paris and Shawls&Scarves, organised by Messe Frankfurt, were held from September 16-19 at Le Bourget, Paris. Nearly 648 exhibitors with 17 different nationalities took part in this season’s shows. Apparel Sourcing Paris assembles international clothing producers, where as Shawls&Scarves Paris hosts designers of accessories that cover shoulders and heads. Apparel Sourcing Paris and Shawls&Scarves Paris showcase a very diverse range of skills and expertise, making it an indispensable event for buyers of finished products. The atmosphere remains unwaveringly oriented towards business; yet there are nevertheless more creative areas to be found, as designed by the artistic directors of the tradefairs, who highlighted a selection of outfits and accessories. In order to make the visitors’ itinerary easier, this year the organisers also reviewed how the exhibition space was segmented. The categories used to classify the areas of expertise for fashion clothing were welcomed by visitors. They covered knitwear, dressmaking, bespoke tailoring, sportswear, evening wear, outerwear, made-to-measure, lingerie and swimwear, workwear and textile accessories. This year, visitors also showed a considerable interest in women’s clothing, knits and sportswear, a segment that is very much on trend. “We met up with a wide range of customers and plenty of opportunities arose,” said Yung, an assistant at Meisiya Garment (Dalian), a manufacturer of clothing made of technical textiles. “Many firms that are regular attendees at our shows for clothing production achieved excellent results and made some high-calibre contacts among our visitors. This is what I was told by representatives from Myanmar, Ethiopia and China, who I am following closely. I am also observing the development of the small quantities circuit, in particular on behalf of our Chinese associates, over one hundred of whom are now offering this. I am glad to see that our exhibitors are just as capable of responding to demands from the industry as well as from couture,” said Michael Scherpe, president of Messe Frankfurt France. Contractors are always searching for fresh ideas for their ever increasing numbers of collections and they have less and less time to find suppliers, whatever volumes they require. “The market changes very rapidly. As a designer, I find it interesting to be able to go to a trade fair where I see a very, very varied offer in such a short time. I’m looking for manufacturers, for materials and so on. There’s a huge variety here. I don’t always go to the same suppliers; that’s what I find interesting, having so much choice! I’ve found lots of new suppliers too, with very specific techniques. I’ve also noticed that there are more and more exhibitors who will accept orders for small quantities requiring slightly more unusual work, products that are a little bit more special. Exactly what I’m looking for!” said Christophe Guillarmé, a fashion designer based in Paris. Like last year, China demonstrated its growing interest in the European market with displays by 15 Chinese fashion labels in a dedicated exhibition space. Something else that aroused interest at this season’s show was the collaboration between the Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin and Chinese clothing manufacturers in a presentation of French creative skills and sophisticated design from traditional Chinese firms. Finally, the new hall 2 agora, which is situated between Apparel Sourcing Paris and Leatherworld Paris, was the backdrop for demonstrating the immense clothing expertise of professionals from the sector, focussing on two main themes: ‘Vast potential for corporate clothing and workwear’ and ‘Funding, support and development for fashion labels’, which  can be seen on Messe Frankfurt France’s Vimeo showcase. In addition, the catwalk area once again served to present international design with many catwalk shows from individual countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Sri Lanka. Apparel Sourcing Paris, complemented by Shawls&Scarves Paris, remains the epicentre of the European fashion industry. The next Apparel Sourcing Paris and Shawls&Scarves Paris will be held from February 10-13, 2020 in Paris, Le Bourget.

Power loom weavers and textile workers from Surat in Gujarat and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra have started sending postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to keep the textile sector out of the ambit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The postcards say RCEP will harshly affect the power loom sector and render thousands jobless. RCEP is being negotiated currently in Bangkok by 16 nations. The Federation of Gujarat Weavers’ Welfare Association (FOGWA) said more than 50,000 weavers and workers from Bhiwandi and Surat have started sending such postcards, according to a report in a top English-language daily. Cheap fabrics from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh would be dumped in the country, resulting in closure of small and medium weaving units. India has proposed inclusion of the textile industry under RCEP, allowing free import of polyester fabrics from China, Bangladesh and Vietnam along with other South East Asian nations. FOGWA and the Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry (FIASWI) had made a representation to the commerce ministry last month demanding imposition of import duty on Chinese fabrics to protect small and medium enterprises in Surat.  FOGWA stated that import of heavily under-invoiced fabrics from China has crossed ₹5,500 crore mark in the last one year. The imported fabrics are heavily under-invoiced and could be worth ₹10,000 crore.

The Karnataka Textile Policy 2013-18 failed to achieve its target on investment and employment, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The policy had aimed at attracting investments worth ₹10,000 crore and creating jobs for five lakh over five years. But the shortfall was around 63 per cent for investments and 76 per cent in job creation. The CAG report on economic sector for the year ending March 2018 was tabled in the state legislature recently. The targets had been fixed without proper assessment of the potential and that it was ‘Utopian’, the report noted. Imparting of skill development training to unemployed youth was reduced from 2.96 lakh to 1.09 lakh citing inadequate budgetary support, according to media reports from the state. Six textile parks with integrated facilities planned in different areas of the state with the involvement of private sector had either remained non-starters or were far behind the schedule, the CAG document said. But ₹6.35 crore had been released to a special purpose vehicle in Kalaburagi, though it had not fulfilled the prescribed conditions. An amount of ₹84.53 crore released for implementation of various schemes had remained in the bank for period ranging from two to five years without utilisation. In another case, the department paid ₹51.89 crore to Bescom as penal interest for not clearing the bills in full, the report added.