Trade

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.

A joint initiative by leading textile associations and export promotion councils, the Indian textile-apparel sector has come up with a five-point agenda that outlines immediate policy interventions needed to drive the industry toward a collective goal of US$ 100 billion in exports by 2030.

Uganda is the fifth largest importer of second-hand clothing in Africa, and the Owino Market in capital Kampala is key to the trade in the country. A recent report looked at Owino and its impact on business and livelihoods. Study author Jennifer Wang talks about the fine print in the report.

Amidst ongoing fears that the European Union could severely curb or ban SHC exports, a report from Mozambique warns that if this ecosystem is jeopardised, the repercussions on the millions already living in poverty will be quite damaging.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is one of the leading destinations for sourcing fabrics and accessories. The Spring Edition, to be held from 11-13 March, will turn the spotlight on a diverse range of products and services. Wendy Wen, Managing Director of fair organiser Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, talks about trends in the business of fabrics.

EURATEX has published its trade policy priorities for 2024–29, outlining the key steps needed to secure a resilient and competitive future for the European textile and clothing industry. The ‘position paper’ addresses critical challenges such as market access, regulatory compliance, and the alignment of trade, industrial, and energy policies.