Golden spider silk on display at UK’s V&A Museum

The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London will be showcasing the world’s largest pieces of cloth made from spider silk.

The display will include a brocaded shawl made from the silk of more than one million female golden orb-weaver spiders collected in the highlands of Madagascar, as well as a cape.

The public display of these items will be held for the first time from January 25 to June 5, 2012.

The two silk works that are to be on display have been created by Simon Peers, a textile artist who has lived in Madagascar for over two decades, and designer-entrepreneur Nicholas Godley.

When Godley set up a business in Madagascar, Peers came in touch with him, and the idea of reviving the extinct industry was born.

While the silk was extracted in Godley’s workshops, handloom weavers in Peers’ team weaved the two-metre shawl and a richly embroidered cape that has 1.5 kg of silk.

For more details please visit : Golden spider silk on display at UK’s V&A Museum @ Fibre2fashion

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EFC upgradation to boost J&K cotton fabrics export

With an aim to facilitate export of world renowned varieties of fine cotton fabrics from Samba region in India’s Jammu & Kashmir, the Export Facility Centre (EFC) in the region is being upgraded and modernized.

J&K Minister for Industries and Commerce, Surjit Singh Slathia, said the project having an outlay of Rs. 61 million is being funded by the Union Ministry of Commerce under Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development for Exports programme, and added that Rs. 43 million have already been spent by now.

Mr. Slathia said that modernization of EFC would increase exports of world renowned varieties of fine cotton fabrics like Crewal Dusuti, Majri, Dusuti and Khadder produced in Samba region.

He informed that around 5,000 metres of fine cotton and linen fabrics produced at the EFC in Samba have been shipped to the UK.

Post upgradation, the cotton fabric weavers will be able to avail all pre and post loom facilities at one place in the EFC.

For more details please visit : EFC upgradation to boost J&K cotton fabrics export @ Fibre2fashion

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FTA with EU to boost India’s textile, garment exports

The early implementation of India-EU free trade agreement (FTA), negotiations for which are currently in the final stage, will increase India’s textile and garment exports, according to experts.

The India-EU FTA, to be known as the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), proposes slashing and eventual removal of duties on about 90 percent of bilaterally traded goods during the next ten-year period.

The Indian textiles industry is in broad agreement with the Government over reduction and moving towards zero-duty on European imports as it is expected to enhance exports and thus benefit the domestic firms.

Mr. DK Nair, Secretary-General of the Confederation of Indian Textiles Industry (CITI) told fibre2fashion, “We have suggested the Government that we may not include any products from the textiles and clothing (T&C) sector in India's negative list in the BTIA, on condition that the EU also does not include any T&C products in their negative list.”

“We are also open to a zero-for-zero deal for T&C products from day one. As India exports more T&C products than it imports from West Europe, early trade liberalization with EU will help our exports,” Mr. Nair explains.

Elaborating further, he says, “There are countries that already have zero duty access for textile products in the EU through their GSP scheme and other bilateral agreements. This disadvantage that we are facing currently will be removed by getting zero duty access to EU for our T&C products.”

For more details please visit : FTA with EU to boost India’s textile, garment exports @ Fibre2fashion

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Council for Textile Recycling launches new website

For the first time ever clothing brands, retailers, consumers, municipalities, charitable organizations, academics and recyclers are joining forces to promote the recycling of clothing and textiles.

The Council for Textile Recycling (CTR) recently released its new website aimed at educating the public on the importance of recycling all clothing and textiles, not just those that are “gently worn.”

The Council’s news website: http://www.weardonaterecycle.org mirrors the organization’s slogan – Wear. Donate. Recycle.

“Our goal is to have zero post-consumer textile waste going into landfills by 2037,” says Eric Stubin, CTR Chairman of the Board. “In the United States the average person discards 70 pounds of their old clothing, shoes and household textiles in their local landfill each year. We’re educating people that clothing and textiles are among the most recyclable items in their home.”

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 25 billion pounds of clothing and textiles including clothing, linens, belts, and shoes are generated annually.

The agency also reports more than 21 billion pounds (70 lbs per person) of post-consumer textile waste ends up in landfills every year with only 15% of all post-consumer textiles enter the recycling stream.

For more details please visit : Council for Textile Recycling launches new website @ Fibre2fashion

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