The Changing Landscape of World Textile Trade
Top Sourcing Concerns in 2019 vs
Today
In 2019:
1. Increasing production or sourcing
cost
2. Managing supply chain risks
3. Protectionist trade policy agenda in
the U.S.
Today:
1. Trade restrictions and disruption to
business operations – 100%
Tied for #2 with 75%
•Managing supply chain risks
•Impact of the Coronavirus
What’s on the horizon?
Key issues for textile and apparel com-
panies:
– Global uncertainty from tariffs to
BREXIT to Covid-19
– Industry upheaval from corporate
bankruptcies and restructuring and
store closures
– Shifts in consumer demand affect-
ing apparel and footwear
– Sustainability initiatives and more
c-suite engagementHere is what Julia K. Hughes, President of the United States
Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), has to say about
USFIA and its activities:
USFIA is an association representing apparel brands, retailers and importers
who are based in the US but do business all around the world. We focus
mainly on trade policy and regulatory policy. That's why we're headquartered
in Washington DC. But we also provide a host of other opportunities for
members on issues. This year, we're on track to have about 35 web hours
where we reach out to members and help them understand. Maybe it's a
broad topic, but maybe it's one. So how do you fill out the form that you need
to submit to customs? Or how do you work on certifications that you have to
provide to Chinese customs? So we definitely dive into that kind of detailed
information, as well.
We also focus on advocacy, what are their major concerns, and translate
that and share that with government officials. So meeting with the members
of Congress, you have 100 senators, and 435 members of Congress, you
know, helping them understand what's really important to the industry. We
also have more initiatives that relate to sustainability.
So how can we help our members understand what they can do to be more
sustainable? What can be done if you do a lifecycle assessment from the
start, from growing to what the consumers do with the cotton product when
they take it home. All of that are parts of the education and networking that
we want to provide to our members so that they're prepared and that they
are good citizens going forward.
One of the really exciting aspects of the of working with the fashion industry
is that we're so global, there's huge opportunities for jobs in our industry,
jobs that people may not necessarily think about, but also that chance to be
global to work for our brand that maybe everyone in the world recognises the
name of. Or maybe it's the next up and coming brands that we haven't heard
about yet. There's tremendous opportunities in this industry.
Textile Sector: A Vision for the Future
Fibre and textile-based materials and products have always played a vital role in human life and there is no reason to believe
that their importance will shrink in the 21st century. On the contrary, while there are no serious substitutes for textiles in sight
in the conventional application fields of clothing and interior decoration, textiles or textile-based composites are predicted to
replace many of today’s metal and plastic materials used in the automotive industry, ship building or aeronautics, in the
machinery and machine tools industry, in the electronics, electro-technical and medical devices sector, in construction or
agriculture and to a lesser extent wooden or leather materials in furniture, sports goods and other smaller application areas.
With a growing world population, and rapid growth in textile consumption in developing countries, a whole range of new
application areas for textiles and constantly rising user requirements in terms of functionality, variety, precision, performance,
reliability, user and environmental friendliness of textile products, textile production in both volume and value is set to rise. This
will mean, on a global scale, that the industry that produces fibres, textiles and textile-based products will evolve and grow. A
significant part of this growth will take place in those regions of the world that experience the fastest growth rate in conventional
textile consumption i.e. Southern and Eastern Asia and Latin America.
However, the focus of industrialized nations is going to be on what are called "Technical Textiles" - a whole range of highly
effective or promising technologies for functionalisation of fibre and textile surfaces that are being developed which include
but are not limited to coatings, micro-encapsulations, enzyme, plasma, laser, ultrasound, ultraviolet treatments, spraying and
ink jet techniques and including processes on the nanometre scale (nano-technologies). Such products will be knowledge-
based, well-targeted to their exact onward processing and final use often oriented to attractive niches and market segments
and will thereby escape fierce commodity price competition.
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