6 WWD TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
textiles
Embossed faux leather from
Leathertex.
Tencel floral denim by Mazartex.
By ALEX WYNNE and
PAULINA SZMYDKE
PARIS — Corporate social responsibility
is fashion’s focus more than ever.
Amid discussions of business conditions
and trends, the talk of the recent round of
textile and sourcing shows here centered
on sustainability, as well as where goods
are manufactured. Première Vision and
fabric sustainability consultancy C.L.A.S.S.
cohosted a seminar with speakers including Rossella Ravagli, Gucci’s head of corporate social responsibility, and Max Mara
fashion director Laura Lusuardi, while at
Texworld, some of the busiest stands were
those offering eco-friendly fabrics.
At PV, Italian printing mill Miroglio
Textile was appealing to major players
with its eco-credentials that include reducing its water footprint and introducing environmentally friendly printing
techniques.
“In the past two years, we have reduced our water consumption by more
than half, from 800 million liters in 2011
to 350 million today,” said global commercial director Chiaretto Calo. “Big
players like H&M, with whom we are in
discussions, are very sensitive to this.
They have started a program to reduce
their water consumption and are looking
for suppliers to help them achieve this.
“We desperately need the drive of big
retailers” to help develop cost-effective
alternatives, including environmentally
sound inks, recycled polyesters and plasma technology, Calo added.
“I see a very good trend,” said
Mozart Tseng, president of Mozartex,
China’s largest supplier of fabric made
from Lenzing’s Tencel fiber, showing at
Texworld. “Twenty years ago, when one
meter of Tencel cost $12, no one would
buy. Now it’s one-third of the price,” adding that the financial crises have helped
raise awareness for doing business responsibly. “Now I sell one million meters
to H&M. Before 2010, it was zero.”
Miroglio’s Calo said one of the reasons
for the company’s digital output surpassing that of rotary printing for the first
time this year was that costs have come
down, making more-sustainable options
economically viable.
Tseng of Mozartex, which offers a
wide range of Tencel fabrics, including
denim, corduroy, silk and fake leather to
companies including Burberry, said the
technology has improved in recent years,
so that more middle to high-end brands
are hopping on board.
Max Mara chose the roundtable at
PV to reveal that it would introduce
Saluzzo Yarns’ Newlife yarn, made
Colored jacquard denim by
BZ Jacquard.
with recycled plastic, in its fall 2013
Weekend collection.
“Eco is the way we do business now at
Marks & Spencer,” said Mark Yates, the
U.K. retailer’s head of innovation and
quality for men’s wear, visiting Texworld.
“We are always looking for new innovative
things, and Tencel is quite impressive. I saw
a coating here that I have not seen before.”
At the luxury end of the market, a
marked return to all that is “Made in
Europe” was tangible.
“There’s this renewed interest in
Europe because soon brands will be selling the emperor’s new clothes — made
of nothing — because Chinese mills are
also closing down by the shed load,” said
Laurent Garigue, owner of the U.K. mill
of the same name. “This is all very worrying for a European or American fashion
company. Made in Europe is really important through necessity.”
Luis Izard, representing Spanish
wool producer Hijos de Rafael Diaz at
Texworld, said, “Design is the only way
to survive for a textile company located
in Europe because it’s impossible to compete with Pakistan and China.”
This creativity factor stood out, especially at PV.
“We’re seeing lots of innovation here,”
said Don O’Neill, creative director of U.S.
eveningwear line Theia. “I really like the
new perforated, punched and laser-cut
velvets, which make velvet lighter.”
Designer Andrew Gn, meanwhile, cited
Malhia Kent and Luigi Colombo, winner
of the Handle prize at the PV Awards, as
his favorite collections. “Luigi Colombo’s
luxurious backing is a great way of mixing
natural fabrics with tech,” he said.
Malhia Kent was showing off a patented process where hems, pockets and buttonholes are woven into the fabric itself,
cutting production costs, chief executive
officer Eve Corrigan explained.
“There is an increased recognition of
exceptional products,” Corrigan said. “It
is important that Made in Europe succeeds, so I thought about what I could
offer that is perhaps a little more expensive, but is compensated by reduced production and styling costs.”
Several exhibitors at PV cited the
increasing number of Chinese designers coming to Europe to buy, boosting
demand for European-made fabrics.
Chinese visitor numbers at the show increased 20 percent.
“We opened an office in China twoand-a-half years ago,” said Corrigan. “It
has become our fifth market in that time.
It’s a very creative market.”
Antonio Cerruti, president of Lanificio
F.Lli Cerruti, agreed, “A growing number
of Chinese companies are coming to Italy
A wood design lace from Solstiss.
to produce a portion of their products, to
get better quality.”
At the value end of the market, higher
labor costs and stricter pollution controls in
China have shifted the production focus to
other Asian countries such as Pakistan and
India, but also Bangladesh, where cheap
labor has spurred rapid sector growth, according to attendees at Texworld. The sector continues to grow in importance despite
the apparel factory tragedies that have
taken place there and claimed the lives of
more than 1,200 people.
Sajedur Rahman Talukder, general manager of Dhaka-based Zaber & Zubair, noted
that Bangladesh’s garment exports have
continued to grow, as have worker wages.
“We are investing in technology and
equipment to stay competitive,” he said.
Talukder said while the bulk of his
business is concentrated in Europe, he
expects volume with U.S. customers will
double between 2014 and 2020.
Mohsin Bokhari, director of Lahorebased Sapphire Finishing Mill, noted
that precarious conditions in Bangladesh
Top Trends at PV
Texture: Jakob Schlaepfer’s “teddy bear”
sequin fabric or its crumpled black and red
wool and lace combo with gold Lurex threads
were strong examples of this overriding
trend, while wool and mohair textures from
Laurent Garigue performed well.
Modern Tweed: Whether it was Malhia Kent’s
patented pre-shaped tweeds or a tweed
woven with bright ribbons and sequins from
Ratti Donna, contemporary updates on this
classic stood out.
Outsize Geometry: At Solstiss, new graphic
manifestations of lace, like a gnarly wood
design or outsize flowers, proved popular.
Leather: Developments included an
embossed leather with a different print
on each face or printed woven leather,
while Leathertex developed an embossed
geometric imitation leather.
Sportswear: “We are seeing new surfaces on
sportswear-inspired fabrics. They are more
sophisticated and a little more chic,” said
Rebekka Bay, creative director and executive
vice president for Gap Global Design.
Two-faced: Bonded and double-sided fabrics
were trending strongly. Miroglio Textile’s
latest development, called Twinfabs,
replaces lining with a customizable printed
layer bonded to the surface fabric.
Miroglio Textile’s laser-printed
bonded backing.
were one of the reasons for an uptick of
business in Pakistan.
“We don’t have many garment factories,
but there is a lot of talk now to expand and
take up that share,” Bokhari said. “People
have started to move to other destinations
because they feel very uncomfortable with
all that happened in Bangladesh.”
In terms of volume, Sapphire, which
supplies fabric to major retailers including Gap and C&A, saw an increase of 30
percent year-on-year, with 65 percent
coming out of the U.S. and the rest from
Europe. The weaver said fabrics with
more compact structure, such as dense
twills that can compete with denim, were
particularly in demand.
Turkey, which is now the second-largest exhibitor at Texworld after China, is
moving in quickly, with its geographical
advantage in Europe.
“You have to be very quick in fast
fashion,” said Fatih Korkmaz, ceo of
Bursa-based FBN Tekstil.
Korkmaz, whose clientele is 70 percent European, said he saw a 20 to 25
percent increase in sales last year, adding, “This year there will be more.”
China, meanwhile, has its sights set on
pushing domestic consumption.
“Eighty percent of our textile production has the domestic market as its destination,” said Lin Yun Feng, vice chairman of the Textile Industry Chamber of
Commerce. “This hopefully clears any
confusion that China lives off exports. On
the contrary, we are restructuring and
opening the market for imports.”
At the fairs, the ongoing weak market
in Europe was balanced by improved U.S.
business and an increasing number of
Chinese customers, driving an overall upbeat outlook among exhibitors and buyers.
“There is a little more optimism
around, and if there is more optimism,
there is more activity,” said Cerruti.
At PV, which ended its three-day run
Sept. 19 at the Villepinte exhibition center, visitor numbers grew by 14 percent
year-on-year to 52,800.
“It has been a long time since we
saw such strong growth,” said Première
Vision ceo Philippe Pasquet.
At the Texworld and Apparel Sourcing
events, which ran together from Sept. 16
to 19 at Le Bourget, visitor numbers were
flat. All events, however, saw a sharp
increase in attendance from the U.S. —
at PV, North American visitor numbers
climbed 16 percent, while 15 percent
more U.S. buyers came to Texworld and
Apparel Sourcing.
“In the U.S., we feel very strongly that
things are picking up again,” said Sandrine
Bernard, executive vice president of Solstiss
USA. “It has been an excellent year.”
PHOTOS BY DOMINIQUE MAÎTRE
Sourcing Standards Key Focus at Paris Fairs