Analyses

A groundbreaking study by the International Cotton Advisory Committee challenges the long-held perception of cotton as excessively water-intensive, revealing that focusing on total water use—including natural rainwater—distorts understanding of the crop's environmental impact. The research emphasises optimising irrigation practices for genuine water conservation.

The Victoria’s Secret cyberattack during Memorial Day weekend was more than a business disruption—it was a wake-up call for retail cybersecurity. The incident revealed systemic digital weaknesses, disrupted key operations, and joined a growing pattern of attacks on major retailers. The implications for 2025’s retail infrastructure are both immediate and long-term.

The lesson of the current US tariffs crisis roiling the trade world is this: you cannot keep relying on one country as your export destination. From now on it has to be ‘US Plus One’.

If leather needs to counter the fiction of the activist brigades, it needs to tell stories. Better stories. After all, leather is not fashion; it is heritage. A texfash rant on the push against leather and why in this age of social media, of reels, of influencers, it needs to go hammer and tongs, and move with the times.

The cotton misinformation problem needs to be seen in the light of today’s society where fake news thrives and wreaks havoc. It’s not difficult to find out how the cotton myths came into being. It’s also not difficult to find out who have been flinging and slinging these falsehoods. Cotton needs to be more assertive, and possibly a bit aggressive too. texfash tries to join some dots.

As of now brands and retailers that source from Bangladesh—and that have witnessed the industry’s sizeable safety and environmental investments—remain patient and committed. The long-term scenario, however, could be anyone's guess. texfash.com rounds up voices from across the globe.

The subject of cotton farmers keeps raising its head time and again, though in the context of broader discussions about cotton, but invariably the disconcerting issues facing them often languish on the periphery. An analysis of a Solidaridad paper that spotlights on the plight of farmers.

The Red Sea crisis is far from over, and the fashion world is having a trying time grappling with it. What is now needed is a West Plus One policy—a sellers’ strategy. Keep supplying to the West, but build alternatives too so that you can export to others when routes to the West are disrupted.

Swedish textile recycling pioneer Renewcell has decided to file for bankruptcy. The reason for the company going bust has nothing to do with either its product or facilities, but a global fashion  industry that is still unwilling to increase its uptake of recycled fibres.

The textiles-fashion industry is living in a bubble where nature does not exist and all that babble about sustainability is just that. That's the impression one gets after reading between the lines of the annual Materials Benchmark of nonprofit Textile Exchange. Like always, there’s been a lot of progress, but a lot also remains to be done.