textiles - Texworld Paris

6
WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015
textiles
Singing an American Tune
NEW YORK — America’s ears
were ringing at the recent
Première Vision New York and
Texworld USA trade shows here.
The talk was heard at two levels — how the U.S. market was
proving a lifesaver to European
fabric firms and those that serve
the downtrodden European
market, and how the Made in
America resurgence has taken
hold and become a viable sourcing strategy for many firms, even
with some limitations.
Exhibitors at PV at Pier 92
and at Texworld at the Jacob K.
Javits Convention Center said
the favorable exchange rate that
has developed with the dollar
versus the euro has made the
U.S. market more attractive. The
exchange rate is about 1.14 euro
to the dollar compared to about
1.37 euro to the dollar a year ago.
“The interest of our exhibitors is very high because they
feel the U.S. market is solid
and booming and taking risks
again, so they are coming,” said
Guglielmo Olearo, international show manager at Première
Vision. “The appeal is strong.”
Olearo said the second season
at Pier 92 “was working well,”
noting, “We have the largest
spring edition and exhibition in
our history, with 297 exhibitors.”
PV launched its New York
edition 14 years ago, and
after calling the Metropolitan
Pavilion in Midtown home for
the first 13 years, moved to
Pier 92 on the Hudson River
in July, offering a more expansive, open-air environment for its mostly European
fabrics firms to exhibit,
and allowing for a growing
accessories and trimmings area
to be established.
He said there was a more
contemporary feel among the
exhibitors, what he called “a mix
of activewear and city wear.” He
said, “The exhibitors feel the
American brands are looking for
something different, something
that adds value and creativity.”
Sandrine Bernard, executive
vice president at Solstiss USA,
said, “Business has been good.
The American market is doing
well. The timing is good for the
show, and I think some improvements have been made in this
second time here. People have
returned and we’ve seen many
important clients.”
For the spring 2016 season,
Solstiss was featuring a colorful
array of its signature lace, with
a focus on open knits, richer
tones, big flower motifs and metallic finishes.
Also at PV, Liberty Art Fabrics
was presenting its first collection
from new designer Tess Burch
at PV. The collection features
illustrative florals, surreal conversational, fresh abstracts and
textures, and oversize paisleys.
Examples include “The
Painters Meadow,” full of richly
colored florals and expressive
textures, mixed with thick paint
and freehand expressions. The
“Fornasetti Forest” concentrates on detailed line work
and crosshatching capturing
the shaded canopy and unseals
plant life of a deep tropical forest. “Modern Tea Leaves” is a
contemporary interpretation
of classic blue ceramic designs as inky tones connote a
subtle Batik feel and echo the
Japanese origins of the subject.
Bob Friedman, sales manager
for Dongheng Printing & Dyeing
Co., based in Changzhou, China,
said the company sells viscosebased fibers, including Lenzing’s
Proviscose, a blend of viscose
and Tencel, to fast-fashion
chains such as Zara, H&M and
Uniqlo. Showing at Texworld for
the first time, Friedman said the
company was looking to expand
beyond its mostly European customer base to sell to more U.S.
companies, especially given the
difficult European market and
the strengthening U.S. economy
and manufacturing base.
The company has its own yarndye facility, and specializes in offering special treatments such as
over-dyed fabrics and indigo dyes,
along with bottom-weight fabrics
utilizing spandex and cupro.
At a Texworld seminar called
“Made in America: A New
Reality,” speakers said the reshoring of U.S. textile and apparel production is gaining momentum, but is not without its
problems and limitations.
PV Trends
Sabine Le Chatelier, deputy fashion
director at Première Vision, hosted
a new seminar called “Trend
Vision: Season Highlights” that
focused on the key influences,
fabrics, accessories and silhouettes
for spring 2016.
Overall, Le Chatelier said
it would be a “fruity, sparkling
season,” featuring pastel colors
accented with offsetting hues,
and where “we welcome the
unexpected out of the ordinary.”
Among the highlights were
three themes:
■ IN MOTION: A sporty spirit with
an intimate side. This includes
volume-oriented styles with
multiple layers, as well as fabrics
and pieces with rich textures and
opulent decorations.
“I think every season is chipping away at the question a little
bit more in trying to understand
how companies can embrace
working in the U.S. or in the
Americas,” said Tricia Carey,
business development manager
for Lenzing USA. “One of the biggest obstacles I find is that there
isn’t always the infrastructure in
companies to handle the sourcing here. So often they rely on
the systems they have in place
and it’s much easier to keep
working in Asia or within their
existing sourcing channels. For
right now, there continues to be
interest in sourcing in America.”
Carey noted that Lenzing’s
Tencel plant in Mobile, Ala., manufactures 50,000 tons of fiber annually for the apparel, home and
nonwovens market. This helps
provide just-in-time deliveries of
Tencel and shows the corporate
commitment to its U.S. spinners.
Tom Aubrey, senior vice president at Burlington Worldwide,
said, “I think the Made in America
resurgence is still in its infancy.
In small-town America, in the
Carolinas where we’re at, we
see a lot of the infrastructure
is there and many people realize that by not buying U.S. their
neighbors don’t have jobs. I think
the economy has a lot to do with
the resurgence. I also think the
younger buyer is interested in the
ecological impact and the fact that
buying in the U.S. can lower the
carbon footprint of everything you
consume. Also, made in the U.S.
offers the quick response that is
more important to our customer.
So we are seeing a slow, gradual
resurgence of people coming back
to our U.S. platform.”
Michael Penner, chief executive officer of Peds Legwear,
formerly the Richelieu Group,
explained how he purchased
a factory in Hildebran, N.C., in
2011 and has rehired more than
60 of the 200 employees that
had been laid off, and has reengineered the facility to make
Peds legwear and other socks
and hosiery products, installing
100 new knitting machines from
Italy, with space for another 350.
“We reopened that factory
with a lot of help from the local
■ INFLUENCES: Hyper expressive
fabrics and styles that mix
fabrics and fibers, and strong
graphic elements, as well as
witty references such as selfies
and unusual twinned looks.
■ ENHANCED FASHION:
Substantial and sensory fabrics
and fashions, with voluptuous
motifs, contrasting looks such as
smooth with rough textures, and
pieces with a luminous coldness.
As for specific fabric choices,
key areas are raw sophistication
such as a rough silk jacquard,
fantasy novelty yarns and home
decor fabrics like geometric
jacquards and striped yarn-dyed
goods. Transparencies are also
important, with lightweight
knits over colored wovens,
opaque transparent patterns and
enhanced volume. — A.F.
and state government, and the
federal government,” Penner
said. “We were even invited to
meet at the White House with the
President to talk about why we
invested in the United States.”
Penner was referring to the
SelectUSA summit held last may
in Washington put together by the
Commerce Department to encourage foreign direct investment
in the U.S. The company has also
benefitted from Wal-Mart Stores’
multibillion-dollar investment in
Made in the USA products.
Aubrey noted that Burlington
has seven manufacturing platforms
in the U.S., in addition to facilities
in Mexico, China, El Salvador and
India, which gives its customers
and Burlington flexibility.
He said, “In the past year or so,
as we have seen this resurgence,
we’ve gone into our worsted wool
Looks from Solstiss Lace.
Fresh prints from Liberty Art Fabrics.
factory and brought in a new line
of made in the U.S. wool suit fabrics that we call Just US, or Just
U.S. “In our activewear business,
we have been promoting a made
in America line of technical fabrics for the outdoor, hiking, running and sportswear markets.”
Penner said his company’s
story can be repeated by others
“because there was not one reason, but 100 reasons,” for its success, ranging from “increased
automation — we invested in
state-of-the-art machinery — it’s
not just duties, it’s not just energy costs, it’s not just currency…
You have to have advantages
— different fibers, different innovations. So I think the revival
can be seen by different companies and different industries.”
He added that in North
Carolina “there still remains a
fertile ground for the textile and
hosiery industry where people
understand the process, understand the product, understand
how to manufacture it.”
Joann Kimm, director of
Johnny’s Fashion Studio, said
in New York a revival of local
manufacturing could lie in moving the industry to Brooklyn,
“which could take five to 10
years.” Johnny’s is involved in
Manufacture New York, which is
spearheading the Manufacturing
Innovation Hub for Apparel,
Textiles & Wearable Tech in
Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
David Sasso, vice president
of international sales at Buhler
Quality Yarns, said it’s a time of
“adapting” to issues and situations. For instance, Buhler, with
U.S. headquarters in Jefferson,
Ga., uses a lot of pima cotton
in its yarns and has seen prices rise significantly due to the
draught in California this year
and Texas last year.
“We’re doing a lot of business
in the Western Hemisphere,”
Sasso said. “Having the ability to
deliver with speed helps our business and our CAFTA programs
with a 30 percent duty-free benefit
is a big plus. Once people do the
math, it’s a big selling point.”
Buhler has also done well
participating in Wal-Mart’s
Made in USA program, notably
providing materials for towels,
sheets and men’s shirtings.
PHOTOS BY JOHN AQUINO
By ARTHUR FRIEDMAN
“Seeing business come back
in men’s shirtings is exciting
because it had basically disappeared,” Sasso added. “I think
Made in USA is real because
once you make an investment
you’re going to stick with it. The
way the global and U.S. economy are today, it has forced companies to use speed to market as
a strategy. It’s being proven that
consumers want to buy local, so
then it’s a matter of providing a
quality product at a good price.”
Kelly Wilson, a sales executive for Los Angeles-based
Laguna Fabrics, exhibiting at
Texworld, said, “A lot more people are getting involved in Made
in USA. There’s definitely less
talk and more action.”
Wilson said this includes
many new accounts looking to
diversify their sourcing and
bring at least some of it back to
the U.S. Laguna, a fabric converter working with Los Angeles
fabric makers, has been doing
well with sweater knits, ribbed
knits and jacquards.
Ronald Sheridan, president of
STC Textile, who was representing
Turkish fabric firm Aker Tekstil at
PV, said, “Business is more spread
out today. Maybe for the first time
in a long time, new ventures, startups, have an advantage.”
He said they can approach
their business differently, buy
better fabrics, spread out their
sources and not be pigeon-holed
like an established brand can be.
“The need for faster turns
has become more important,
so in many cases the smaller
brands and retailers are eating
the larger company’s lunches
because they have more flexibility and are more nimble,
and in many cases are manufacturing more in the Western
Hemisphere and foregoing
Asian sourcing,” Sheridan said.
Penner, summing up the
Made in America situation, said,
“There’s a critical mass we need
to reach. I think there are other
opportunities, such as sheer
hosiery that we manufacture
offshore. The real Holy Grail is
cut-and-sew that we haven’t been
able to crack in North America.
But if somebody is able to figure
that out, they’re going to be richer than Bill Gates.”
WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 7
WWD.COM
PV, Texworld Boost Brand Roster
By PAULINA SZMYDKE
PARIS — Looking to strengthen their position, textile fairs
Première Vision Fabrics and
Texworld — set to take place
here next week — are ramping
up the number of exhibiting
companies, along with their creativity factor.
The Première Vision Paris
spring edition, slated for Feb. 10
to 12 at the Parc des Expositions
in Paris Nord Villepinte, will
add 127 new brands to its international roster of 1,772 exhibitors, 57 of which will show at
Première Vision Fabrics, plus
20 more at the Première Vision
Leather show, which is moving
its offer upmarket.
Among the newcomers are
Linen Club by Aditya Birla
Creativity is trading high
at Première Vision Fabrics.
Nuvo Ltd., billed as the largest
manufacturer of linen fabrics in
India, and Kurkku Alternative,
which will unveil a collection
of organic fabrics produced by
Japanese craftspeople.
Along with its exhibitor numbers, the fair is looking to bolster
its creative strength. The Maison
d’Exceptions section that was
set up in 2011 to promote craftsmanship from around the world,
this season will feature 13 new
ateliers and artists from Italy,
France, Japan, South Korea,
India, the U.K., Senegal and
Kyrgyzstan to help designers
scout novel techniques.
Meanwhile, 32 exhibitors are
scheduled to make a comeback
after years of absence, including denim specialist Tavex and
Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd., a supplier of engineered textiles,
which the fair’s organizers see
as a reflection of the show’s
growing relevance in the international textile arena.
Gilles Lasbordes, executive
director of Première Vision,
said he was optimistic about
business in 2015, but noted that
the upcoming season would be
marked by contrasts.
“Business differs a lot for our
companies, depending on where
you look in Europe,” Lasbordes
said. “While the U.K. market is
doing very well, in Italy, Spain
and Germany figures indicating
the consumption of apparel is
pointing down. This is difficult
for the mills. Overall, Europe
remains challenging.”
On the other hand, Lasbordes
said, “the luxury and the creative
markets are overperforming.”
“Although China has slowed
down, the U.S. is seeing a stark
companies, with knits and cotton among the liveliest segments. Silkland Trading from
the UAE is debuting its Orientinspired collection of prints
and embroidery, and Dong Il
Textile Co., a South Korean
maker, will display eco-friendly fabrics that feature additional properties such as anti-odor
and quick-drying.
China, Turkey and South
Korea still lead the list of exhibiting countries.
Michael Scherpe, director of Texworld and Apparel
Sourcing, said he does not expect any major fluctuations in
visitor figures, though he would
not be surprised if there were
fewer buyers from Russia at
the fair, following the country’s
economic downturn, tightening
sanctions and the weak ruble.
The euro’s dramatic depreciation, meanwhile, is likely to
work in exhibitors’ favor, or have
no impact at all on those who are
trading in U.S. dollars anyway,
said Scherpe, warning companies not to put all their eggs in
one basket and rely solely on the
current strength of the U.S. market, which is seen by many mills
as a new Promised Land.
“The U.S. gross domestic product is growing nicely, true, but the
imports are not,” Scherpe said.
“Don’t forget, the U.S. is a very
capable country. They can do a
lot of things on their own.”
Sustainability is likely to remain in the focal point of discussions between producers and
buyers, he noted.
“It’s a battle,” Scherpe
added. “Everybody wants ecofriendly products, but nobody is
willing to pay for it.”
Overall, he said, “The
textile industry is experiencing
economy works in cycles, and
a boost from the growing men’s
2015 and 2016 should be the
wear sector, which finds a specialyears where business is catchized offering at Première Vision.
ing up despite a few remain“It’s not just the access to
ing obstacles ahead. I think
fabric weavers, but also leather,
a lot of demand has been
that appeals to men’s wear
accumulated.”
makers,” he said. “Leather
This is particularly true
goods, bags especially, are
for Apparel Sourcing,
a very dynamic category
which unlike Texworld, is
here.”
not yet “a mature show,”
A sign of the sector’s inScherpe pointed out.
creasing internationaliza“We
have
been
tion is also Première
very pleased with
Vision’s new brand
its growth in the
policy that has simplipast year and this
fied the names of the
February it will
six shows, renamregister a 30-pering them Première
cent-plus [growth]
Vision Yarns (forversus the same
merly Expofil),
period last year,”
Première Vision
he said.
Fabrics (formerly
A p p a r e l
Première Vision),
S o u r c i n g ,
Première Vision
dedicated to finLeather (formerished product
ly Cuir à Paris),
manufacturPremière Vision
ing, will add
Designs (formerly
Tunisia to its
Indigo), Première
roster, a country
Vision Accessories
the executive praised
(formerly
Modamont)
for its logistic advanand Première Vision
tages with Europe,
Manufacturing (formerly
as well as its quality.
Zoom). They will from now
Scherpe also pointed
on run under the Première
to a growing emancipaVision Paris banner.
tion of Vietnamese and
Texworld, set for
Cambodian exhibitors,
Feb. 9 to 12 at Le
which traditionally have
Bourget exhibition cenbeen subcontractors
ter, expects its number
of Chinese companies.
of exhibitors to remain
“Their respective governstable with 630, though
ments are really pushing
new countries will join
for an independent textile
their ranks, includindustry and are investing the United Arab
Emirates and Malaysia. A runway show ing into development,”
which encourages diverIn addition, the fair
at Texworld’s
sity, he added.
will welcome 70 new
fall edition.
upswing,” he added. “Having
a weaker euro means U.S. and
U.S.-dollar-driven countries
offer huge opportunities to
European weavers, allowing
them to be more competitive and
export larger quantities. We expect a lot of dynamism from the
U.S. as foreign fashion brands
buy more within the euro zone.”
Consequently, the executive
expects visitor numbers to be
up at this month’s session.
By contrast, the fair’s Swiss
exhibitors are likely to face
tougher times ahead, he predicted. Trading with a currency
that soared following the Swiss
National Bank’s decision to
de-peg the franc from the euro
rate, those companies will forfeit competitiveness.
On a more positive note,
Lasbordes confirmed that the
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