Textiles Intelligence Ltd: Market Research Reports

One of the consequences of the global economic downturn is a boost in the fortunes of discount retailers at the expense of others as consumers have traded down. This trend is certainly evident in the...

The textile and garment industry is Pakistan’s most important industrial activity by far and is a crucial part of the country’s economy. In the 2007/08 financial year (July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008) the...

US consumer expenditure on clothing and footwear fell by 1.1% in 2008 and continued to decline in the first half of 2009 as the recession took hold. Reflecting the downturn, there was a 10.6% fall in...

Editorial: The 2010 Polyolefin Gold Rush Could Benefit Technical Textile Producers published in Issue 77, 2nd quarter 2009 The global structure of polypropylene and polyethylene production is poised...

Many Czech textile firms have enjoyed success in recent years by focusing on technical textile production, where the amount of manual labour required is lower, pressure on prices is less intense, and...

Coated fabrics are employed in a wide variety of applications, ranging from protective clothing to architectural materials. Established technologies involve the application of elastomers and silicones...

Recent acquisitions in the global technical textiles sector include the purchase of Jackson Products by Kimberly-Clark and the takeover of JKT by M?lnlycke Health Care. Also, ConvaTec has sold its Uno...

Mill fibre consumption in Asia fell in 2008 for the first time in several years by 4.5%, or 5,444 mn lb (2.5 mn tons), to 114,225 mn lb. The fall stemmed from declines in all three main fibre types, n...

Any textile or apparel supplier who is heavily reliant on the US market can not be finding business easy at present. According to “Trends in US Textile and Clothing Imports”, starting on page 122 of t...

Product life cycle management (PLM) is a set of business processes and supporting tools which help firms to improve the way they manage their product development. It is particularly useful for textile...

World clothing exports were worth US$345 bn in 2007, the latest year for which global data are available. Of this total, the world’s top 15 clothing exporters accounted for 86%, or US$298 bn. In terms...

Improving the sustainability of manufacturing operations has become a key strategy for many big players in the global apparel industry. To date, the term has commonly been associated with corporate re...

Iconix Brand Group has grown rapidly since it began a transformation from a traditional clothing manufacturing firm to a brand management business. Speedy growth has come thanks to an aggressive strat...

The global apparel market has been characterised by a number of developments in recent months. In design, Asda a UK-based supermarket chain which is owned by the US retail giant Wal-Mart has introduce...

Consumption of fibres in South American mills fell by 1.7% in 2008, following a 1.3% increase in 2007. As a result, usage fell below the level seen in 2006 although it was still higher than in previou...

Rayonier has developed a highly absorbent cross-linked cellulose fibre for use in incontinence garments, Weyerhaeuser has patented an economical biodegradable superabsorbent fibre, and SRI Internation...

Global fibre consumption plummeted by 6.7% to 67.3 mn tons in 2008 after reaching a record high of 72.2 mn tons in 2007, according to a new report by the Swiss textile machinery company Oerlikon. This...

The first quarter of 2009 was a busy period for the global technical textile sector. 3M completed its acquisition of the Futuro product line from Beiersdorf. Adidas acquired Textronics, a leader in th...

Worldwide sales of nonwoven roll goods continued to increase at a mid-single digit growth rate in 2007 the latest year for which comprehensive data are available reaching nearly US$17 bn. Of this tota...

China’s textile and garment industry has expanded at a breathtaking pace in recent decades. Overall, the industry employs around 20 mn people directly plus a large number in support activities and the...

The cost of producing yarns and fabrics using most of the main processing technologies increased between 2006 and 2008 in Brazil, China, India, Italy, South Korea, Turkey and the USA, according to the...

World trade in socks totalled US$5.6 bn in 2007, the latest year for which global data are available. Over half was accounted for by imports into the EU and North America alone. The EU import market w...

There were record numbers of exhibitors and visitors at the 13th edition of Techtextil, a leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens organised by Messe Frankfurt and held ev...

USA-based Coolibar operates in a niche market of the performance apparel industry by supplying products which are designed to protect consumers from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation....

The principal role of ultraviolet (UV) protective clothing is to protect the skin against the harmful effects of the sun, notably skin cancer. This is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer but, fo...

Medical clothing plays a major role in human well-being by protecting individuals against infection, by monitoring physiological signs and by promoting health. The protective properties of medical clo...

Although recession has been uppermost in the minds of most people in the performance apparel industry, there was little sign of it at ISPO Winter 20091, held in Munich, Germany, in February 2009. Ther...

Brazil has been seen as something of a success story in recent years. At a time when other countries were suffering, the Brazilian economy was growing at a fairly healthy pace. Admittedly, the economy...

World imports of clothing grew by a robust 11%, or US$33.9 bn, in 2007 the latest year for which data are available to reach a total of US$357.8 bn. Almost a third of this increase was generated by fi...

Premium fashion brands represent an important segment of the global apparel industry. They are characterised by high prices and a strong reputation for quality and modernity in terms of design. Exampl...

US clothing demand contracted in 2008 for the first time since the late 1940s. Sales via clothing and clothing accessory stores, and department stores were down although sales via warehouse clubs and...

World textile and clothing trade grew by 10.6% to US$583 bn in 2007. The rise was the fourth double digit increase in five years and followed growth of 13.5% in 2003, 12.0% in 2004, 5.2% in 2005, and...

The economic crisis which has engulfed developed countries and threatens to undermine much of the developing world is leading to a new wave of protectionist sentiment. This wave comes at a time when...

Hong Kong is the world’s third largest exporter of garments, behind China and the EU, and a major exporter of textiles reflecting its favoured position as one of Asia’s most prominent trading hubs. Te...

Innovations allow companies to differentiate their products and become more competitive. Recent developments in fibres and yarns include a novel biodegradable linear polylactic acid fibre from Toray w...

2007 was a mixed year for the international textile finishing machinery market. There was an increase in global deliveries of mercerising equipment. However, shipments of machinery for continuous blea...