I have a lot to say in this issue because of my recent visit to the USA to attend the Texprocess Americas at Atlanta. It is always exciting to meet friends and colleagues from around the world and catch up on latest trends in market and technology.
This time I met many interesting people in the e-commerce and bespoke segment. These are the two areas that are growing and many retailers/brands are aggressively looking at these options to attract customers who are increasingly becoming difficult to please. Technology providers are also making efforts to keep pace with new challenges in the segment.
Another segment that was under debate and direction for constant innovation is Robotics in apparel manufacturing. I met many technology suppliers with their take on advancements in this area. While there are many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in how successful the direction could be and also on the extent to which the sewn industry, fashion in particular, could be automated so as to completely remove human intervention through the use of robots in various operations; there is consensus on the fact that revolution in the industry can now come only from Robotics… how much and which operations is still debatable.
Yet, more exciting than all this is the new look of the magazine…
Yes…, this time I would rather talk about the new designed magazine and for the first time since I started my magazines, I would say that I had nothing to do with it. My inputs have not been taken and neither given. And the final outcome is in front of you…, it’s more youngish and ‘today’, designed by the young team. The content is crispy, and more info-graphics are used since younger generation believes in getting to the essence quickly and moving on.
However, the emphasis remains on the importance of ‘responsible reporting’ to ensure that the positive developments and pro-active approach of the industry remains on the forefront of our coverage.
I eagerly wait for your reaction…
Among the many stories we have this time, the live report on the CPD Meet gives me great pleasure as it clearly underlines the fact that the industry is moving beyond the Rana Plaza incidence with lessons learnt. The pro-activeness of the industry is indeed reflected in each article with both exporters and buyers admitting that the industry is on a growth path. Even the US import data from Bangladesh reconfirms growth with 8.38% rise in quantities and 4.30% increase in value.
