Apparel brand Indian Terrain has launched a line of T-shirts, eight each in men’s and boy’s wear, which will carry the Fairtrade stamp, a first for a high-street clothes retailer. Fairtrade is a seal of sustainability in the end-to-end production process of a product, ranging from agri goods to crafts.

To get this seal, companies are required to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price). Fairtrade believes this addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which tends to discriminate against the poorest, weakest producers.

For a burgeoning group of consumers who now shop their values, the seal is an easy way to identify a brand’s production practices. In the T-shirts launched by Indian Terrain, its provenance is known from the cotton fields in Surendar Nagar in Gujarat to the mills that spin the yarn, to the fabric-maker as well.

By March next, Indian Terrain expects to launch a range of shirts with the Fairtrade stamp, says Joint MD, Vidyuth Rajagopal. The products stamped such will be at a 10 per cent premium to other products, a small price to pay to follow sustainable practices, he says. In two to three years’ time, the brand expects at least 50 per cent of apparel in its stores to come from sustainable sources.

In its second quarter, luxury watchmaker Titan reported a net profit of Rs 199 crore but it’s a 37.81 per cent YoY decline. The company’s total income dropped 1.72 per cent to Rs 4,389 crore. Revenues improved 55 per cent for watches and wearables division, 98 per cent for the jewellery division and 61 per cent for the eyewear division. Its income from jewelry division declined 2 per cent to Rs 3,446 crore for the quarter as compared to Rs 3,528 crore last year

In watches and wearables division, income declined by 44 per cent to Rs 400 crore against Rs 719 crore in the previous year. Revenues in the eyewear segment declined by 39 per cent in the quarter, recording an income of Rs 94 crore as against Rs 154 crore last year. The Indian dress wear segment and accessories recorded an income of Rs 23 crore compared to Rs 44 crore in the previous year, a decline of 48 per cent.

The principal subsidiaries of the company continued to do well, Titan Engineering and Automation (TEAL) recorded revenues of Rs 167 crore and profit before tax of Rs 25 crore for H1FY21. Revenues of CaratLane grew by 10 per cent in the quarter and a positive EBIT. It generated revenues of Rs 194 crore (decline of 28 per cent) during H1 and a net loss of Rs 24 crore.

Traders' body CAIT has objected to Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail's (ABFRL) plans of raising Rs 1,500 crore by issuing 7.8 per cent stake to Walmart-owned Flipkart Group, alleging that the proposed deal violates the government's FDI policy.

CAIT has written to commerce minister urging him to stop ABFRL from directly or indirectly selling inventory on the marketplace platforms owned/controlled by the Flipkart Group.

It also requested the minister not to allow the proposed FDI unless they undertake that ABFRL will not be selling its inventory through any of the marketplace platforms owned/controlled by Walmart owned Flipkart Group. ABFRL board had approved the sale last week. Proceeds from the sale will be used to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and accelerate its growth trajectory.

The company has also entered into a commercial agreement in relation to the sale and distribution of its various brands. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Fashion retailer H&M has launched a festive clothing line for men, women, and children exclusive to India and collaborated with six Bollywood celebrities on a campaign film, showing its commitment to the country.

H&M’s India festive line looks to cater to shoppers preparing for low key celebrations at home. The collection is accompanied by a festive campaign featuring celebrities Vikrant Massey, Tamannah Bhatia, Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Mathur, Radhika Madan, and Karan Tacker who show festive cheer with an intimate gathering, how most people will be celebrating the festive season this year. The collection is designed specifically for such small-scale family get togethers, in reaction to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and is more relaxed in its silhouettes but classically festive in its use of sparkle.

Notable items from the Indian festive collection include fully sequinned dresses, matching sets and golden hued garments for women and more casual yet equally sparkly tops for children. Season fluid items also featured such as floral dresses with sequin details as shoppers look to purchase more versatile items in the wake of lockdown.

Grado, a brand from the house of GBTL and OCM, has launched its festive and winter collection 2020. The collection is available under several ranges for classic and contemporary styles. It analyses international and local trends with region-specific colors across the country. With pop colors of orange/yellow/purple it also has nuances and tones for staple shades like blue/brown/black/navy/grey.

The fabrics have been perfectly tailored into Indian ensembles such as bandhgala, bundi, Nehru jacket, sherwani, kurta-pajama and, suits, tuxedos, waistcoats, trousers, shirts, overcoats, etc. The collection is available in three ranges: Neo Tech antiviral fabrics; Grado by GBTL’s Streeza Collection; Grado by OCM pure wool tweeds and flannels made with extra care and available in various plains, checks and tartans.

KPR Mill is establishing a new garment factory with a capacity of 42 million garments per annum at an estimated project cost of Rs 250 crore. This expansion would drive the revenue going ahead as the garment segment is the highest revenue contributor to the company’s total revenue with a share of 42 per cent.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2020, KPR registered a 16.6 per cent YoY decline in consolidated revenue. Its EBITDA for the quarter grew by 10.7 per cent YoY to Rs 189.4 crore as against Rs 171.03 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, with a corresponding margin contraction of 106 bps while EBITDA margin for the quarter stood at 20.1 per cent.

The company has a capacity to produce 1,00,000 MT of yam per annum; 40,000 MT fabrics per annum; 115 million of ready-made knitted apparel per annum, 66 windmills with the total green power generation capacity of 61.92 MW; co-gen cum sugar plant with a capacity of 30 MW & 5,000 TCD and ethanol plant with 90 KLPD capacity.

Brands by Bestseller including Jack &Jones, Vero Moda, Only and Selected have launched their first campaign around safety. Titled ‘Seal of Safety’, the campaign represents the highest level of safety protocols in these brand stores. The campaign highlights, all brand stores are equipped with coronaguard that attacks and disables COVID-19 by 99.9 per cent keeping the store environment secure. Powered by Shycocan, Coronaguard has been notified by US FDA under Enforcement Discretion Policy.

Additionally, Bestseller has installed UV-C wardrobes in stores and all garments are sterilized before and after every trial for a safe shopping experience. Store personnel maintain strict prevention protocols to ensure personal safety and safety of the customers.

Bestseller is an international, family-owned fashion company with a strong foundation. With a range of more than 20 individual fashion brands, the company provides fashion clothing and accessories for women, men, teenagers and children.

Ciceroni, the premier fashion and lifestyle hyperlocal discovery platform from Gujarat has launched its first curated online pop-up store ‘Pari Sangam.’ The store features a carefully selected mélange of over eleven labels in clothing, accessories and décor categories from across India, says an Economic Times report.

The participating labels include Daniel Syiem’s Ethnic Fashion House from Shillong, Studio Beej from Mumbai, The Pigment Edit from Bengalurur, Veena Chandran Ceramics from Pune, Kilchu from Rajasthan, Morii from Ahmedabad, Radicals By Radhika Sanghvi from Ahmedabad, Label Nimbus from Surat, Safary Bombay from Mumbai, Miko Lolo from Mumbai and Kalpana Traditional Sarees from Ahmedabad.

The store enables Ciceroni to reach out to like-minded audiences across the country and help emerging ethnic brands in the fashion and lifestyle space gain exposure to newer markets.

Union MSME minister Nitin Gadkari has urged retail giant Walmart to work with khadi and village industries to promote their products, including khadi denim, in global markets. He said the MSME sector is the backbone of the country's economy, employing over 11 crore people and is an engine to economic growth. He said the government has taken a number of steps to help the MSME sector that has seen significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gadkari advised Walmart to engage with sectors like handloom, handicrafts, and other village industries. The retailer is already expanding the footprint of India's MSME industry globally, by sourcing from these enterprises and also helping the sector enhance quality standards.

In December last year, Walmart announced plans to open 25 institute hubs in India over the next five years, which would train 50,000 entrepreneurs from the MSME sector. The institutes are to be opened under the Walmart Vriddhi Supplier Development Program and would be strategically located near manufacturing clusters.

Walmart also plans to add interactive online training experiences and personalized mentoring to the program, with access to resources and experts to support growth for MSMEs. Walmart Vriddhi's first all-digital e-institute will initially be open to MSMEs in Panipat, Sonipat, and Kundli, an area that is a hub of textile, steel and kitchenware production with a strong entrepreneurial heritage and a skilled workforce.