Newsletter No. 02                                                                                       16 January 2018

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Home Textiles: Fast Emerging in World of Textiles

Dream homes remain in dreams majority of the times. They hardly become reality. This is because one need to work hard in order to get their dream homes. This is true not just in terms of money, but also in terms of ‘sense’! It is not easy to put our imaginations into reality. Even if one has a lot of money, one may not achieve their dream home. Dream homes are perfect homes; desired by many but attained by only a few. Choosing the right home textiles can help in this case.

Textiles can be used to cover body. It can also be used to cover furniture, home appliances, and other materials. Any piece of textile that is used to decorate houses can be called home textiles. It can include curtains, bed sheets, aprons, and even wallpapers. They come in various colours, designs, and sizes. Using them adds glamour to a house. If chosen with care, it can change the entire look of the house. Home textiles have a considerable role to play in a dream home.

Nowadays, many designers indulge in designing home textiles. People are ready to pay any price in order to make their houses look beautiful and serene. Designers are cashing on the demand. Today, exquisite designer home textiles can be found in the market or home textiles can also be custom designed. French fashion designer John Paul Gaultier recently announced his plans of designing home furnishing. He took it up owing to its demand in the market.

It creates an altogether different aura inside the room. One especially needs to be careful with the colour of the textiles. Choosing the right colour may not be an easy decision. But it certainly has its benefits. It affects the psychology of the resident as well as the visitor. It can change moods. For example, many people have purple home furnishing because purple stands for royalty. Some prefer green because it is soothing to the eyes. Choosing of colours also depend on the location.

There are designers who focus solely on designing home textiles. Sabin Fay Braxton, Kaffe Fassett, and many other renowned names have made their career in this field. Then, there are many fashion designers who also indulge in designing home textiles. John Paul Gaultier is one such designer. There are many companies that specialize in home textiles. MEDIATEX SRL in Italy is one such world-famous name! But the home textile industry is largely dominated by Asia.

Awareness about home textiles is increasing day by day. People who aim at a better standard of living have home textiles in their list of wants without fail. Retailers understand this demand of the market. The number of retailers supplying home textiles has increased considerably. Countries like Germany, USA, UK, France, and Netherlands import a large quantity of home textiles every year. Many retailers from developing countries involve in their exports.

Home textiles were earlier taken care of by the handloom sector in developing countries. In the countries like India, China, South Africa, and others, it still forms an integral part of the handloom industry. Textile manufacturing companies also indulge in the production of home textiles. Huja Textile Co. Ltd. In Iran, Ulysal Textile Company Ltd. In Turkey, Zhejiang Efront Digital Textile Co. Ltd. in China, and Texart Exports Inc in India are some of the big names.

Owing to the growing demand for home textiles in USA and Europe, emerging economies are witnessing an incredible growth in their export volumes. The demand for curtains, bed linens, bath towels, mats, etc. grew by 15 to 20 percent in the year 2009. India and China were major exporters. Almost 80 percent of the total production of home textiles in India was exported that year. The global home textiles industry is above $20 billion, at present. It is growing continuously.

Developed economies like USA and Europe experience huge demand in home textiles. The recent recession in these countries led to the closure of many industries for home textiles. But the demand for home textiles is still high! It mostly imports from developing economies. Other than India and China, these countries also import from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia. The demand for home textiles is expected to increase further in future.

Home textiles can be called a volatile industry. It can experience a sudden rise in demand at one time. At another point of time, it may see an all-time low in demand. But this is unlikely in a few more years to come. It is because the standard of living is increasing in all parts of the world. People require good homes that are comfortable and spacious. They also require high quality home textiles to decorate their homes. Their income levels are also rising.

In fact, the concept of designer home textiles is picking up pace in this industry. People prefer to opt for this category of home textiles in order to maintain a certain standard of living. Many textile designers and fashion designers are indulging in its design and creation. Various natural and synthetic materials are also used in the creation of home textiles. Silk, cotton, rayon, nylon, polyester, and even wool and leather are used to make them.

Home textiles include many different types of home furnishing fabrics like bed spreads, blankets, pillow covers, cushion covers, carpets, rugs, wall hangings, towels, table clothes, mats, kitchen linens, etc. The fabrics used in making them can be plain, printed, embroidered, dyed, woven, or non woven. Many more categories are likely to be added to this list. As the industry flourishes further, more and more varieties in terms of fabric and patterns will be seen.

A number of trade fairs have been organized that has helped in the flourishing of this industry. Almost every country organized trade fairs for home textiles, irrespective of whether it is developed or developing! Heimtextil is a major trade fair organized every year in the month of January. It is held internationally. Many home textile retailers and manufacturers participate in this event. There are many more names to this list. Trade fairs have played an important role in popularizing home textiles.

Home textiles are enjoying a special position in the world of textiles. The immense growth in its sale stands evidence to this statement. Its sale is expected to increase further in the coming years. This area remained largely unnoticed for many decades. But now, it is making its presence felt. It is most likely to see growth, unless recession hits all the countries. May be then, the demand for home textiles will decrease. As for now, emerging countries are meeting the increasing demands of the world for home textiles! F2F

It’s the start of an exciting new year and season and Lorenzini Clothing is looking forward to great things! After launching their new website, social media accounts and new brand presence the group hopes to take its stable of brands Lorenzini, Aero, Cable and Oakman to the next level!  Catering to all fashion tastes, with decades of expertise and a commitment to South African culture and business, Lorenzini Clothing shirts the nation! Visit our website at LORENZINI CLOTHING

Christmas sales leap nearly a third for TFG, boosting its share price

By Robert Laing

Retail group TFG – whose brands include Foschini, Markham and @home – enjoyed Christmas sales in 2017 that were 31% higher than the previous year’s.

Doug Murray – CEO TFG

In contrast with Woolworths on Monday and Shoprite on Tuesday morning, TFG’s sales update spurred its share price 7% higher to R183.97, on the news that its December sales were “above management’s expectation” following “very strong Black Friday trade on November 24”.

TFG said cash sales from its stores in SA and the rest of Africa grew 11.9% while credit sales grew 0.6%.

November’s acquisition of Hobbs, described as a “contemporary British womenswear brand” with 140 outlets, helped TFG London’s turnover grow 63.9% in December from the same month in 2016.

The group expanded into Australia in May by acquiring Retail Apparel Group (RAG). Tuesday’s sales update did not give a comparative figure between December 2017 and the prior year, but said: “TFG consolidated December trade also includes TFG Australia for the first time, which traded above management’s expectation.” TFG Africa grew turnover 6.6%, much of this from opening additional stores since same-store turnover growth was 1.7%.

The sales update provided a breakdown of turnover for various categories in TFG’s home market. Clothing sales grew 11.4% while homeware sales declined 1.5% and cosmetic sales declined 4.6%. The group’s jewellery division, which includes American Swiss, suffered a 0.8% decline in sales while revenue from cellphones fell 10.8%. December marked the ninth month of TFG’s financial year.

The group said its overall turnover measured in rand grew 17.1% during the nine months from the matching period in 2016. If not for the rand’s strengthening against the pound and many African currencies, turnover growth would have been 19.1%.

“Merchandise deflation for the nine-month period in TFG Africa remained at similar levels to the number reported at interim, averaging approximately 0.7%,” the company said in the sales update.

BD pro

Kenya AGOA aims doubling 2016 exports value to US by 2025

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Hub in east Africa and the Kenyan ministry of industry, trade  and cooperatives recently joined Kenya’s private sector to review and validate a new Kenya National African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) strategy that aims to double its 2016 figure of exports to the United States by 2025.

Kenya nearly doubled its exports to the United States under AGOA from $225 million in 2010 to $389 million in 2016. Apparel is mainly exported under AGOA.

The new national AGOA strategy outlines updated priority actions for Kenya to diversify its export portfolio, according to an USAID press release.

The new strategy is the result of a supply-side and end-market analysis provided by the USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub at the invitation of the Kenyan Government.

The apparel sector under AGOA is the largest contributor to job creation in Kenya currently credited with supporting over 200,000 full-time jobs. It is also Kenya’s highest earning sector, accounting for 85 per cent of its $389 million in 2016 AGOA exports.

The USAID Hub is also working with the Kenyan ministry on a ‘East Africa Cotton, Textile and Apparel Workforce Development Initiative’, a collaborative effort with the private sector based on a partnership agreement between the Hub and the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

The partnership ensures US brands and retailers’ goods are manufactured in accordance with best business practices and operations in East Africa, producing a win-win for trading partners

Did you know……..

A person’s social rank and profession in the Medieval Ages was represented by the color of their clothing.  The nobility wore red, peasants wore brown and gray, and merchants, bankers, and gentry wore green.

In Rome, purple clothing was exclusively reserved for emperors and magistrates.