This is not the first time that India has found itself with a heaven-sent opportunity. This time, however, all indicators are that the ground situation is different. Will India be able to upstage China in the global textiles and apparel trade? A ground report.

Re-strategise, re-set, upskill, go compliant, build in agility and resilience—these should be the mantras for the footwear industry as it gears up in the next 89 days for the final dictum from the White House. And yeah, US+1 will work here too. And that could well be here’s looking at you India!

The Big Bro vice-like squeeze of the sweeping tariff hikes will soon be felt far beyond edgy boardrooms and uneasy stock exchanges, and there are sporadic reports of this already starting to take effect. For hundreds of thousands of garment workers—many in the factories across South and Southeast Asia, and Africa to a lesser extent—the arbitrary spike in trade tariffs will be a matter of life and death.

The lesson of the current US tariffs crisis roiling the trade world is this: you cannot keep relying on one country as your export destination. From now on it has to be ‘US Plus One’.

Perspectives are varied, and it is not an open-and-shut case against US Prez Donald Trump as his political opponents would have us believe. The tariff calculations could be questionable and the unilateral announcement should be decried, but what’s amply clear is this: trade will never be the same again.

If you are looking for creativity that reeks of inspiration with out-of-the-box designs in some happy blues then the Denim Première Vision is where you must head to, and in the same direction again if you are a solo designer, a small label or looking to make MOQs.

The Gothenburg-based brand WeftSide is spanking new, founded only this year. A spokesperson tells texfash about the minimalist approach that the pursuit of endless growth entails, favouring simplicity and quality instead.

Gender division in fashion is more a factor of culture and aesthetics than one of practicality, and the oversized fit is very contemporary — in fact comfortable, cool with the possibility to use elastane-free fabrics. That’s the USP of Andrea Bonfini’s Fade Out Label which is also about patchwork, cuts, handcrafted quality and of course intensive work.

Here’s a weaver-designer deconstructing and redesigning everyday garments in a new way, pushing too for an equal division between the textile-making process and the fashion design process, as very often, the textile maker is rather invisible compared to the fashion designer. texfash in conversation with the Swedish Kelly Konings of the eponymous Kelly Konings Textiles.

The 8IGB Founder and Creative Head Ruben Bissoli feels fashion with its craving for what feels authentic will see a return to its roots: craftsmanship, artisanal techniques, and a greater emphasis on the human touch. So, says he to texfash, that he is exploring more of handmade elements in his bid to reconnect with the art of creating something truly unique and tangible.