Latest News - Textile - India

The world jeans market was worth US$49 bn in 2004. However, growth is slowing due to the popularity of alternative garments—such as combat trousers—and also, in part, to market saturation

With the abolition of quotas only a few months away, questions are being raised about the impact of quota elimination on the future of the textile and clothing industry.

Most authorities agree that China will be the biggest winner after quotas have been eliminated on December 31, 2004, followed by Turkey and India.

The speed of change sweeping through Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s took the world by surprise.

With a population of 1.3 bn, China’s consumer market offers huge potential. Spending power in the country is growing rapidly as the economic boom continues.

Six times a year, Textile Outlook International provides over 120 pages of expert comment and analysis, including

Published four times a year, Technical Textile Markets provides you with easily accessible information on the development of new fibres, their properties

The main European yarn fairs for the spring/summer 2006 season reflected the difficult state of the European spinning industry.

European spinners realise that they have to offer something special in order to survive the challenge of cheaper yarn production in Asia.

Reflecting the difficulties faced by the European textile industry, Europe’s yarn and fabric fairs have suffered years of uncertainty and rationalisation.

The fashion fabric fairs for the spring/summer 2006 season were overshadowed by uncertainty about the effect of the end of quotas.

Judging by this season’s fabric fairs, the European textile and fashion industry is gearing up for a colourful time in the spring/summer 2005 season.

The different products on view at Première Vision and Texworld—the two major fabric fairs held simultaneously in September 2004 at different venues in Paris, France

Most of the fabric fairs for the autumn/winter 2004/05 season were characterised by a relatively upbeat and optimistic mood.

Quota elimination at the end of 2004 will trigger a major restructuring of the global textile and clothing industry from which China will be the main beneficiary.

The textile and clothing industry is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. In addition to being the country’s largest industrial sector, it accounted for no less than 68% of export

India is the world’s second largest producer of textiles and garments after China. It is the world’s third largest producer of cotton—after China and the USA

The textile and clothing industry is a major contributor to the Thai economy. It is the largest manufacturing industry and, with more than 1 mn employees,

The textile and clothing industry is an important component of Guatemala’s economy. In 2004 it accounted for 37% of its total exports

In 2003 Colombia’s textile and clothing exports to the USA, the industry’s most important trading partner, were 51% higher than those recorded in the previous year.

Jiangsu Sunshine Group, established in 1986, has grown rapidly to become a leading international wool textile company producing yarn, fabric and finished garments.

Despite its small size, Singapore is home to several major apparel companies. But high costs have forced much of the industry offshore and exports from overseas operations are estimated to be three times the value of domestic exports.

Rising costs and quota shortages have forced the Hong Kong textile and clothing industry to relocate production to lower cost countries, especially China.

Textiles and apparel in Sri Lanka generate 53% of foreign earnings and employ one in six of the working population.

This report profiles six major textile and clothing companies in Thailand. The six have been chosen to show the range and versatility of the Thai industry.

Baoxiniao, a Chinese company which pioneered the use of franchising in men’s wear, has seen steady 80-90% growth since it was started in 1996.

Turkey’s textile and clothing industry has developed rapidly over the past 20 years, thanks to the availability of home grown cotton and a relatively cheap and skilled labour force.

Hampered by domestic political pressures and a lack of international confidence, Syria’s economy is expected to grow by only 1.5% during 2006-07.

Textiles and clothing represent Portugal’s largest industrial sector. In 2001 the industry accounted for 19.4% of total exports and employed 225,869 people, providing some 24.8% of total manufacturing employment in the country.

Brazil is the sixth largest textile and clothing producer in the world. Textiles and clothing are, in turn, important to Brazil’s economy.

USA-based Spyder specialises in high performance ski wear. Its highly respected products are designed for, and priced at, the top end of the market.

Radici Group, a family-owned firm, is a diversified group of manufacturing companies with activities in five separate divisions—fibres, chemicals, textiles, plastics and auxiliary products.

Nano-Tex develops nanotechnology-based treatments for textiles, licenses mills to use those treatments, and provides them with the chemistry which enables them to apply the treatments to fabrics.

Marks & Spencer is the UK’s leading clothing retailer. It has 375 UK stores selling clothing, food and household furnishings.

Manama Textile Mills, based in Bahrain, is the largest textile group in the Middle East. It was founded in 1995, initially as a weaving mill.

Marks & Spencer is the UK’s leading clothing retailer. It has 375 UK stores selling clothing, food and household furnishings.

Klopman International is the largest supplier and manufacturer of polyester/cotton blended fabric for the European workwear industry.

Gamma Holding develops, manufactures and sells textile-based products throughout the world. At the end of 2003 it had 163 subsidiary companies in 35 countries, 43 production facilities, and a total of 9,353 employees.

Fledgling textile and clothing industries in Sub-Saharan Africa are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the international textile and clothing marketplace.

On December 31, 2004, quotas were eliminated under the Agreement of Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and trade in textiles and clothing was thus reintegrated into the world trade system.

Manufacturers of conventional textiles and apparel in the USA and Western Europe fear that a flood of imports from China will engulf their markets following the abolition of quotas at the end of 2004.

Narrow fabrics are defined as those which are less than 52 cm in width. As such, they are employed in a wide range of end uses.

Quotas on international textile and clothing trade were finally eliminated at the end of 2004 in accordance with the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).

The future of the West European textile and clothing sector lies not in constant price cutting but in more intelligent products with additional functionality.

In fibres, the wider availability of Cargill Dow's polylactic acid (PLA) fibre offers the prospect of wider use of biodegradable synthetic fibres made from natural, renewable raw materials.

Innovations help firms to differentiate their products and gain a competitive advantage. DuPont has a new fire-resistant fibre blend and a water-blocking acrylic for optical cables.

India ranks among the top target countries for any company sourcing textiles and apparel. Indeed, apart from China, no other country can match the size, spread, depth

In November 2003 the US Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) announced that it had decided to impose quotas aimed at restricting imports of five categories of textile and clothing products from China

World man-made fibre production grew even faster in 2004 than in 2003. Output was up by 8.9% to 34.6 mn tons following a 5.2% rise in 2003.

World fibre production grew by 5.8% in 2004, spurred by a 7.8% increase in man-made fibre production.