Dun & Breadstreet (D & B), the world’s leading provider of business information, knowledge insight & Axis Bank, the third largest private sector bank in India have awarded M/S Gujarat Eco Textile Park Ltd (GETP) a Luthra Group Company, for delivering exemplary performance in the field of eco friendly infrastructure project.

GETP, set up a modern Textile Park under the Scheme of Integrated Textile Park, Ministry of Textile, Government of India on PPA model wherein GOI contributed Rs 40 Crores in the form of grant.

The park has 8.5 MW Group Captive Power Plant, 60 MLD Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), 10 Million Kcal/hr Incinerator Plant and other infrastructures like storm water drainage, rain water harvesting, CC roads, Centre of Excellence building to house training centre, bank, trauma centre, workers canteen etc.

There are 24 Textile units already in operations which consists of Dyeing & printing, technical textile, weaving etc.

While receiving this prestigious award, Mr Luthra emotionally conveyed that the winner of award are all its stake holders i.e. Central & State government authorities, banks, contractors, employees etc as their support and guidance during concept to commissioning is unforgettable.

Dhiren N Sheth, President of Cotton Association of India (CAI), said while the production is not expected to be below 34 million bales, the consumption may not cross 25 million bales, thus, there would be a huge carry-over stock left for next year.

He cited widespread rains in the cotton growing regions, increase in cotton acreage as farmers received good price last season, and higher usage of Bt cotton as the factors that have spurred the production of cotton in India this season.

He stated that the seasonal conditions that existed in 2010-11 were favourable for growth of cotton and it acted as a catalyst for farmers to increase the acreage of cultivation under cotton this year.

Farmers also cultivated cotton on additional area as cotton gives higher net returns compared to other crops that grow during the same season, he added.

In addition to higher yields, farmers also benefited owing to a decline in production costs after they started cultivating cotton with Bollgard II technology. Today, Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies together account for nearly 90 percent of India’s total area under cotton cultivation.

Actually, the surge in India’s cotton production in the last few years can be traced to the rapid increase in area under GM cotton. The uptrend continued in 2010-11, when the country produced 32.5 million bales of cotton, Mr. Sheth said.

The CAI President said the likely slowdown in global economic growth in 2012 will also affect the demand for textile items, and hence the demand for cotton is likely to decrease in global market.

The model call is an opportunity for aspiring models to have a chance to grace the runway at this premiere fashion event. “We are showcasing the next generation of designers and it only makes sense to support them with the next generation of models,” said Junda Morris-Kennedy, Executive Director of Dayton Fashion Week.

Kyle Haggerty, MTV Made Coach and owner of K-2 Studios had this to say about the upcoming casting call, “I know talent when I see it. “You either have it or you don’t. It’s that simple,” Haggerty, is the Executive Producer of Dayton Fashion Week. Haggerty will be bringing to this event his wisdom and knowledge as the runway coach for Dayton Fashion Week.

The casting call will be held on Saturday February 25 at Delish Cafe -139 N. Main Street Downtown Dayton, OH 45402 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m- models must arrive by 10am. Female model requirements include: (without shoes) minimum height of 5’8”, size 2-4, and mature models are welcome.

Women must bring 3” heels and dress runway ready including full hair and makeup. Male model requirements: must be attractive, slender muscular tone, and (without shoes) minimum of 5’10”. Men should also arrive fashionably dressed. All models must be a minimum of 15 years of age. Participants under 18yrs. of age must have a parent or legal guardian present.

All participants must bring with them, two photos, one full body and head shot along with their measurements and contact information attached to the back. Those who have previous modeling experience please bring a resume listing all experience and a portfolio. Professional pictures are not required.

Dayton Fashion Week mission is to bridge the gap between national and international designers, premier retailers and prestige fashion media. The goal is to gain global exposure for Dayton’s emerging Fashion industry.

The event will set a new standard in terms of high-quality, New York-style runway shows complete with VIP seating, credentialed media access, and upscale promotional and after-parties that will attract thousands. Dayton Fashion Week is also giving back to the community by donating some of the proceeds from the event to two local charities- Hospice of Dayton and Clothes That Work.

CCRI has applied for patent for the umbrella prepared from a blend of coir and cotton.

Director of CCRI, US Sharma, said the research undertaken at CCRI’s Kalavoor-based headquarters, in the vicinity of Alappuzha, has established that coir has a capacity to block UV rays.

Pursuant to the research, CCRI had made a house from coir and after over two years of tests and trials, it was discovered that the lignin in coir has an ability to stop UV rays, Mr. Sharma said.

He added that UV rays, which are responsible for causing skin cancer, are the main roadblock in the way of umbrella manufacturers as an umbrella made from cotton or polyester cannot block UV rays.

The Institute has prepared two kinds of umbrellas, one of a usual size and the other of a bigger size that is normally used at beaches and golf courses.

Big umbrellas, prepared from cotton or polyester, are usually meant for providing a cover against sun’s rays on the beaches, but these cannot provide protection against UV rays. Golf courses in western countries also make extensive use of these big umbrellas as a temporary shelter.

The design and material used for preparing the frames of the coir umbrella is the same as usual umbrellas. However, in spite of its distinguished ability to provide protection against UV rays, the coir umbrella is not meant for use in rain.

Coir Board Chairman VS Vijayaraghavan informed that on receiving the patent, the Board would sell the technical expertise rights for these umbrellas to public parties.

He informed that some entrepreneurs have shown interest in the product during the ongoing Trade Fair at New Delhi, where different types of umbrellas prepared by the CCRI have been put up for display.

The 2012 Wool4Skool competition for year 9 and 10 Design and Technology-Textile students has been planned to align with curriculum learning outcomes in every state.

The theme of Modern Australia has been chosen to allow students plenty of freedom to express their ideas. Inspiration can be whatever Modern Australia means to them – music, sport, school, family, the beach, the country, urban life – their choice is as wide as their Australia.

Students submit sketches of their designs and a written statement of the inspiration, textiles and innovation used within their creation. The project has been designed across an eight lesson plan for teachers to easily implement in the classroom.

With entries not closing until July, students have plenty of time to gain inspiration and understanding of wool, while teachers have plenty of time to implement the project.

The winning entry will be made into a garment by Jonathan Ward, one of Australia’s top fashion designers. The winning garment will be featured in a fashion shoot for Girlfriend magazine and the winning student will meet Jonathan in his studio for a mini-masterclass in design and receive a cash prize of $2,500.

This competition also recognises the critical role teachers play in inspiring and developing the skills and interests of budding designers. Wool4Skool 2012 will provide a cash prize of $2,500 to the teacher who best incorporates Wool4Skool into their day-to-day class activity.

All participating schools will receive a fabric pack of wool textiles and technical information to learn about innovations in modern knitted and woven wool fabrics. All students who complete an entry will be recognised with a certificate.

Woolgrowers who would like to promote Wool4Skool in their local school or area are welcome to contact AWI, their state farming organisation or woolgrower network for promotional posters and flyers.

Joining Mr Power on the Executive are Mr Geoff Fisken from Lal Lal, Victoria as Senior Vice-President and Jim McKenzie, Cunnamulla, Qld as Vice-President Treasurer.

Mr Power, a wool-grower from Orroroo, SA has served as a Director of WoolProducers Australia for seven years.

Power replaces long serving President and Director of WoolProducers Australia, Mr Don Hamblin.

“I acknowledge and pay tribute to Don for all his work for the wool industry over the last 14 years. We will miss his intimate knowledge, and we wish him well for the future”, Mr Power said.

Mr Power brings all-round industry experience, having worked in the shearing industry and now managing his own 2,000 strong Merino ewe flock.

He is committed to providing leadership on the issues facing the wool industry.

“I hope to maintain the best relationship possible with government, and those who represent us in the Parliament of Australia.”

Mr Power acknowledges the many challenges facing WoolProducers over the next 12 months and asserts that he will face these head-on.

These include
• Building the profile of WoolProducers Australia and ensuring a strong and viable peak industry body into the future.
• The roll-out of a new and improved National OJD* Management Program, and
• Ensuring a strong working relationship with Australian Wool Innovation.

When asked why he pursued the role of President for WoolProducers Australia, Mr Power said

“The wool industry has been good to me and my family and I intend to give something back. And this great industry remains an important contributor to our national economy.”

Prof. Andrew Mbwambo, Dean of Business School in Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam, said the Government needs to have a policy aimed at protecting local cotton industries.

Speaking at a workshop on African Clothing and Footwear Research Network (ACFRN), Prof. Mbwambo said the local industries must be directed to use domestically produced raw materials.

Prof. Mbwambo, along with researchers from seven countries of east and southern Africa, is about to complete a study under the ACFRN project. Since its inception in 2001, researchers at ACFRN maintain close contact with Government officials responsible for the clothing sector in their countries. Representatives of industry and Government officials are regularly invited to stakeholders’ workshops and dissemination events.

One of them – Mr Ajay Sardana, Asst VP (Global Customers & Market Intelligence) at Grasim, is of the firm opinion that viscose staple fibre (VSF) will come in to its own in the near future and find a place in the consumer mind, subject to branding of the fibre.

Elaborating on the same, he said, “The consumption of VSF is rising in India. However the consumer is not aware that he may be using a product containing VSF, which needs to be worked upon. The need of the hour is to introduce compulsory garment labeling.

“Once labeling on clothing is made mandatory, consumers will know the composition of the clothing they are wearing. In present times, consumers attribute the softness of fabrics using VSF to cotton, a misnomer which needs to be removed”.

Speaking about the plans for branding VSF made clothing, he informed, “We have started co-branding with textile mills like Mafatlal and SKumars. School uniforms which are washed atleast 300 times a month loose colour due to repeated washing. Fabric made from blended VSF dyed yarn retains its colour even after multiple washes.

“Secondly, for promotion of viscose fabrics we invite budding fashion designers to our Textiles Research & Development Centre (TRADC) in Kharach – Gujarat. We provide internship and training to textile engineering students and to those from fashion institutes. We are also hosting a fashion show in Jakarta in order to promote VSF made clothing”.

Regarding fabric related innovations in the VSF industry, he revealed, “There have been fabric dyeing and processing improvements in the recent past. The Gujarat Commando Force has preferred fabric made from ‘Excel’ for its strength and moisture absorption properties”.

According to Mr Sardana, properties of Modal and Excel, which are second and third generation cellulosic fibres, are superior to VSF. Moisture absorption in Modal and Excel is higher than cotton making it more suitable by themselves or in blends with synthetic for apparel wear on account of comfort factor.

Throwing light on the applications of VSF he said, “VSF based yarns have large number of applications ranging from nonwovens to knits, apparels, gum tapes, sewing threads, carpets, upholstery and so on. Viscose is the most preferred fibre for nonwoven fabrics in hygienic and moisture absorbent applications such as baby wipes, skin care wipes and hospital gowns”.

Mr Sardana is of the opinion that use of pigments at spinning stage in VSF spun dyed fibres eliminates the need for subsequent dyeing of grey fabric, while providing high colour fastness and perfect shade uniformity, which in turns makes it an environmentally safe fibre.

This is particularly true as Bay Area residents spruce up their homes for the holidays. And one of the easiest, and most affordable, ways to beautify a home is with the addition of decorative pillows.

Norman S. Bernie Co. is announcing the arrival of a beautiful selection of upholstery fabrics remnants, including designer prints, velvets, chenilles, flat-woven jacquards, tweeds, and more at incredibly discounted prices. These remnants range in size from one yard to over 4 yards in length, and are sold by the piece.

And, in addition, Norman S. Bernie Co. has just received a brand new shipment of imported lush down pillow forms, now stocking these sizes: 16″x16″, 18″x18″, 20″x20″, 22″x22″, 24″x24″, and 27″x27″. All these beautifully soft pillow forms are offered at remarkably discounted prices.

To simply and affordably beautify the interior of a home at any time, but particularly now as the holidays approach, there is no better way than to add color and style with decorative throw pillows. And there is no better place to find wonderfully lush pillow forms and the most exquisite and affordable selection of decorative fabrics, including their brand new shipment of upholstery fabric remnants, than the San Francisco Bay Area’s finest decorative fabric supplier, Norman S. Bernie Co.

The Special Handloom Expo 2011, organized by Sikkim Handloom and Handicrafts Corporation Ltd., under the aegis of Development Commissioner (Handloom), Ministry of Textiles Government of India, would run till December 10.

Handloom artisans from seven States including Bihar, Nagaland, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Sikkim and West Bengal are showcasing their products at 40 stalls set up at the expo.

Besides, there is also a theme pavilion exhibiting traditional wears of various ethnic communities of the State like Nepali, Bhutia and Lepcha. The pavilion also showcases the handloom, Lukuni and Angora weaves.

Several other useful and appealing handloom items are on display at the expo, which was inaugurated by Neeru Sewa, Sikkim’s Minister for Commerce and Industries Department in the presence of other dignitaries.