Polyester is not going away from India any time soon, especially in the context of it being the fibre that is seen as the one answer that the country has to overtake China in the textiles-apparel business. This was reinforced when Reliance Industries Limited, the country’s biggest textiles player, announced the company plans to invest ₹750 billion (roughly $9.41) in its oil-to-chemical (O2C) business over the next five years to expand capacities in polyester and vinyl verticals. A texfash.com analysis.

The fashion SME sector is agile and values driven—but despite the desire to do good and adopt technology—real solutions are hard to find.

The sixth mass extinction, the first such extinction caused by a single species – our own, may already be under way. Thankfully, to usher in a new era in fashion that doesn’t threaten our ecosystems and health, some players are coworking on ocean science, circular economy, and textile and materials innovation to evaluate innovations needed to prevent microfibre pollution.

Given that trade agreements cover a wide range of issues and can have a multidimensional impact, there's a need for detailed studies and industry consultations to understand their likely impact across the entire value chain of the textiles and apparel industry and how India can use the agreements to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities and value addition along with enhancing exports.

From the anvil of hope to sole-sinking despair to cobbling up a footwear brand, perhaps the only to be manufactured by jailbirds in a prison, Inmate, with the tagline ‘Bringing Humanity to Leather’, is a story that now braids success. A first person account from the Founder.

Planning to launch a footwear brand? How can you ensure a sustainable range of footwear? How could you go about sourcing the right environment-friendly raw materials? What approaches can you use to build sustainable products if you plan to start a footwear brand today? Answers to all these questions and more…

Among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country, the Indian leather, leather products and footwear industry has been identified as one among the 12 Focus Sectors by the Indian government to help the country emerge as a global supplier by tapping into its inherent strengths. However, leather players, mostly small or medium scale enterprises, continue to be besieged by a host of issues. A SWOT analysis.

As cotton costs touch historic highs, there seems to be no solution as the supply-demand imbalance is playing the pricing dynamics. But with India being one of the top-most cotton producing and cotton textile exporting countries, the government needs to take a serious view and seek a long-term solution.

The bane of the apparel industry is its highly fragmented and disjointed supply chain. There is an urgent need to integrate the entire supply chain to make it agile, responsive, robust and efficient. Is it doable?

If we listen to the advertising messages by brands and retailers, we could easily be led to believe that most of the products sold today are “green". Sadly, this is far from the truth. And though many efforts are being made, greenwashing still reigns.