It is a pleasure to present to you the latest edition of Apparel Online which brings a special and exclusive coverage on the city Ichalkaranji, India’s biggest cotton (greige) fabric producing hub, located in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, witnessing a turnover of more than US $ 170 million per day. The city, covered for the first time, has witnessed a significant growth during the last decade with an increased focus on export, whereas garmenting is also growing slowly but steadily. AO, by talking to various company heads, explores the city further to know more… Also covered in the magazine are the sustainability initiatives of Esprit, the international fashion brand which has been growing by undertaking new environmental and social responsibilities while creating high-quality fashion wears. Lary Brown, Vice President – Head of Global Sourcing Compliance, Esprit, shares with AO his company’s serious concern and respect for environmental issues. Recently, the company also partnered with animal rights organization, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), to introduce PETA approved vegan hang-tags to mark Esprit’s vegan shoe and apparel style. Excerpts from the interview… Continuing with our ‘Business Strategy’, the column draws attention to the difficulties being faced by the small- and medium-level buying houses. Though orders are on the rise and the business back on track, as they say, the ground reality is that their problems still remain. AO takes a deeper look… Besides the above, our regular columns of Mind Tree, H2F, Fashion Trends, Industry Wire, Resource Centre, Export Statistics, etc. make the issue worth reading.