Apparels

Surat’s diamond units are moving into jewellery manufacturing as global demand for natural diamonds drops. Rising demand for gold jewellery in India and abroad is pushing this shift. About 10% of these units have added jewellery making to their operations. They aim to maintain traditional diamond activities while adapting to changing market needs.

Quartz watches, once scorned by purists, are now being embraced by collectors due to advancements in design and technology. Brands like Grand Seiko, Citizen, and TAG Heuer are leading the way. Despite a past stigma from the quartz crisis, more enthusiasts appreciate their accuracy, affordability, and reliability. This shift highlights the evolving appreciation of quartz in the watch community.

The UK imported $675.455 million worth of garments from Cambodia in January-September 2024, with unisex garments dominating at 40.30 per cent ($272.241 million).
Knitwear accounted for 74.10 per cent ($500.491 million) of imports, and trousers & shorts led product types at 31.41 per cent.
Man-made fibre garments made up 49.41 per cent of imports, followed by cotton at 32.04 per cent.

Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) exports surged 12.34 per cent to $16.117 billion in July-November 2024, compared to $14.346 billion in the same period of 2023.
Woven apparel exports grew 12.48 per cent, outpacing knitwear’s 12.23 per cent rise.
Home textiles increased by 5.03 per cent, with RMG, accessories, and home textiles comprising 82.60 per cent of total exports.

Powerlook has inaugurated five new stores in Mumbai, Vadodara, Surat, and Bengaluru, aiming to increase its offline retail network to 15 stores and boost revenue by 50% to Rs 150 crore by March next year. With a total retail area of 30,000 sq ft, the expansion underscores the brand’s growth strategy and significant rise in sales.

Luxury brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton are witnessing increased sales in India’s non-metro cities due to e-commerce and travel retail expansion. High-end consumption patterns are emerging in tier 2 and 3 locations like Ajmer, Surat, and Kochi, demonstrating rising affluence and spending capacity among consumers.

Automation in Bangladesh’s RMG sector has led to a 30.58-per cent reduction in workforce across production processes, with helpers being the most hit, a study revealed.
Automation has particularly hit women, older workers, those with lower literacy and unskilled labourers.
Sweater factories saw a 37.03-per cent drop per production line.
Woven factories followed, with a 27.23-per cent decline.

Return on 6-year-old investment is over 50%higher than 2nd-most profitable deal in India, little short of Tiger Global’s blockbuster Flipkart bet

Reliance Retail is testing sales of Shein’s casual women’s westernwear on its Ajio platform. Despite Shein’s ban in 2020, a partnership allows sales to resume domestically, abiding by government regulations. Shein will rival brands like Zudio and Myntra in the lucrative, growing Indian fast fashion market.

In November 2024, South Korea’s apparel imports rose to $907.518 million, marking a 5.22 per cent increase year-on-year, despite a sharp 32.16 per cent decline from October.
Over the year, total imports amounted to $11.430 billion, with significant contributions from both knitted and non-knitted apparel.
The country also maintained robust exports of textile materials.