Italia Independent, the sunglasses and quirky apparel brand founded by Lapo Elkann, grandson of the late Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli, went public in Milan AIM platform for small cap on 28th of June. Near a week after the flotation, Elkann already thinks of taking over the larger Milan’s market. Italia Independent went public at 26 euros per share, valuing the company at 57.5 million euros. The stock, listed on Milan's AIM platform for smaller companies, has been trading at rise, in the region

According to the latest data published by the US Department of Commerce, imports of textiles and apparel rose during May by 9.3% from the previous month, to 4.797 billion square metre equivalents (SME). This was also 3.3% higher than the comparable figure in 2012. Cumulative imports during the first five months of 2013 increased to 22.136 billion SMEs, 3.78% higher than the year-earlier total (see accompanying table). The increase was mainly attributable to higher apparel shipments, which ros

The Cotlook A Index rose to 96.65 cents per pound around mid-June 2013 before receding to the low 90s cents level towards the end of the month. On June 12th, the USDA increased 2012/13 U.S. export estimate to 3 million tons due to continued strong sales to China, and lowered the estimate of 2013/14 U.S. production to 2.9 million tons due to drought in the southwest. The Cotlook A Index rose 2.90 cents per pound the following day. A week later, the Federal Reserve’s signal that it could s

After undertaking an in-depth programme of market research and interviews with stakeholders in various sectors, the organisers of the Intertextile Apparel Fabrics fairs have decided that Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics will now be held in Shanghai starting in 2014 and will take place from 3 – 5 March. The fair will be renamed to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition and will be relocated to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. The Intertextile Shangha

Messe Frankfurt is expanding its successful Techtextil brand. With the launch of the Techtextil Middle East Symposium and the associated Techtextil Pavilion, Techtextil will take its first steps into the growing technical-textile markets of the Near and Middle East. Both events will be held concurrently with Intersec 2014, the Leading International Trade Fair for Safety & Security. As in the past, over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 22,000 trade visitors are expected to take part in the

Chinese textile mills are lobbying for permission to import more cotton as they struggle to find high-grade fibre locally, a move that would boost prices from key exporters such as the United States and Australia if the government grants its approval. But traders in the world's largest cotton importer are sceptical Beijing will agree to larger import quotas while its reserves remain swollen with domestically grown cotton bought under an aggressive stockpiling programme. China strictly contro

At the outset, it may seem that a rebound of India's garment production as well as overall textile exports in April is somehow connected to a collapse of an eight-storey commercial building Rana Plaza in Bangladesh. The link seems obvious since India might become a dominant export player if preferential tariffs are not given to textile exports from Bangladesh by the United States and Europe. However, the relation may turn out to be too simplistic, if one analyses it deeply. Rather, inherent co

OC Oerlikon Corp. (OERL), a Swiss machinery producer, will get a 470 million-franc ($495 million) cash boost from the sale of its natural-fibers business to Jinsheng Group, cutting its reliance on the textile industry. The company said it will keep its artificial-fibers business, which makes spinning machinery for nylon and polyester, as those products are less sensitive to economic cycles. “The closing of this transaction marks an important milestone in the reshaping of our portfolio, a

China is the world's largest cotton textile consumer. Since 2011, the difference between international cotton price and domestic cotton price has remained steep, the difference being as high as RMB 6,800 Yuan/ton at one point and staying at around RMB 3,500 and 4,000 Yuan/ton at present. As the pressure of material cost has yet to be mitigated, the textile is still advancing bearing great pressure. Supply of raw material not satisfactory According to the CE Prosperity Index of Cloth

Exports of Bangladeshi products to the United States (US) rose 3.31 per cent to US$ 1.87 billion in the first four months of the calendar year 2013 compared to the same period of the previous year. Bangladesh's export-items to the US include ready-made garment (RMG), textile products, headgear, shrimp and prawn, tobacco and hundreds of other non-traditional merchandises. However, during the months from January to April Bangladesh has also imported goods worth $ 243.6 million from the US and