Fashion
‘Cotton 2040’ unveiled at 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi
The Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi on October 7. Margherita also released a White Paper on Cotton titled ‘Cotton 2040: Shaping the Future Through Technology, Climate Resilience and Global Competitiveness’ jointly developed by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) on the occasion.
Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi on October 7, releasing a White Paper titled ‘Cotton 2040.’
Organised by CITI, the Ministry of Textiles, and CCI, the event highlighted India’s leadership potential in cotton, focusing on technology, sustainability, and competitiveness.
The 4th Global Conference is being jointly organised by CITI, the Union Ministry of Textiles, and the Cotton Corporation of India as part of the World Cotton Day 2025 celebrations. The theme of the Conference is ‘Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness’.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), and CITI-CDRA are supporting the program. The Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture is the Knowledge Partner.
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognised October 7 as World Cotton Day in recognition of the vital role played by cotton in society.
In his address, Margherita said India must strive to attain leadership position in quality, sustainability, and ethical production. The Kasturi Cotton initiative has the potential to contribute immensely to the ‘5F’ (farm-fibre-factory-fashion-foreign) vision of the Government, he pointed out.
The Minister said India and Russia could forge deeper ties in the textiles and apparel arena. He added that the government was committed to the welfare of farmers.
CITI chairman Ashwin Chandran said India has the potential to dominate the global cotton economy. Cotton Corporation of India CMD Lalit Kumar Gupta stressed on the need for improving the yield of the Indian cotton sector. He added that there was a need to accord more focus on innovation, improved farm practices, and the use of technology.
TEXPROCIL vice chairman Ravi Sam said cotton remains a pillar of India’s textile sector. He said that 63 per cent of India’s apparel exports are cotton-based.
Textile Commissioner Dr M Beena reiterated that a focus on technology and innovation is the need of the hour. Federation of Seed Industry of India vice chairman Dr Rajvir Singh Rathi highlighted the role of the seeds ecosystem in the development of India’s textile sector.
Cotton Analytics global consultant Dr Terry Townsend underlined the importance of the cotton sector in the global economy and how greater use of technology could mitigate the impact of climate change.
CITI deputy chairman Dinesh Nolkha delivered the Vote of Thanks at the session.
Cotton is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated in India, lies at the heart of the country’s textile ecosystem, and is a source of livelihood for millions of farmers and those engaged in related activities. However, the cotton sector in India lags in productivity compared to many of its peers, CITI said in a release.
For the benefit of lakhs of cotton growing farmers, India’s FY26 Budget had announced a ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’. “This 5-year mission will facilitate significant improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming and promote extra-long staple cotton varieties. The best of science & technology support will be provided to farmers. Aligned with our integrated 5F vision for the textile sector, this will help in increasing incomes of the farmers and ensure a steady supply of quality cotton for rejuvenating India’s traditional textile sector,” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
A review of the trade and sustainable development provisions of the ITA is under way.
EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas recently met Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren. Both co-chaired the first EU-Chile Joint Council under the Advanced Framework Agreement in Brussels.
The EU and Chile are committed to deepening their trade and investment relations under the Interim Trade Agreement, which came into force on February 1 and will remain in force until the new Advanced Framework Agreement has been fully ratified.
Both sides will continue to cooperate on ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains, including through diversification and support to strategic investments.
The first EU-Chile Trade Council meeting was held under the new ITA, according to an EU release.
The EU is Chile’s third-largest trade partner and the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI).
Both sides will continue to cooperate on ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains, including through diversification and support to strategic investments, a joint statement issued said.
Chile welcomed the interest of the EU in establishing a dialogue with the member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Both parties affirm their ambition to translate this dialogue into a shared agenda.
Both sides remain committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the Advanced Framework Agreement, and to achieving its full ratification.
The provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement began on June 1, 2025.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Published
November 30, 2025
Chanel has appointed A$AP Rocky as a new brand ambassador and debuted his tenure with a teaser video shot in New York co-starring Margaret Qualley.
The video appeared Sunday just 48 hours before Chanel’s couturier Michel Blazy will stage his debut collection of Métiers d’Art also in New York. It’s a unique line first created by Karl Lagerfeld that highlights the unique stable of artisans Chanel has assembled in such skills as embroidery, pleating, glove-making and costume jewelry.
Directed by Michel Gondry, the 2.49-minute short opens with the stars waking up in the bed of a walkup apartment in Williamsburg. Where, after a quick peck on her lover’s forehead, Qualley disappears into a tiny bathroom, before magically changing out of her blue nightie and reappearing in a red, white and blue houndstooth Chanel jacket, paired with pale blue pants, her hair in a chignon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=live
No sooner than she has disappeared, than A$AP leaps out of bed and descends the tenement building’s outside steel stairs and sets off on a mad dash after Qualley. This leads to him swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge, and running north through the Lower East Side, before finally catching up with Qualley at Astor Place station. All the action backed up my moody ambient music courtesy of Le Motel.
In between, the rapper and husband of Rihanna, manages to find time to stop in two discount stores to acquire pants and a blazer. Arriving just in time, to genuflect onto one knee, and hold out a small white Chanel box, containing one assumes a diamond engagement ring, at the station entrance. The sight of which leads the actress to leap into the air in paroxysm of joy, before the happy couple march arm and arm back into the subway.
And off one assumes to attend the Métiers d’Art show, which will be revealed on Tuesday, 8 p.m. NYC time.
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Ms. Burgoyne joined lululemon in 2006 and became the company’s first President in 2020. Throughout her tenure, she has assumed roles of increasing responsibility and led the North America business through periods of rapid growth and expansion.
Lululemon Athletica has announced that Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation, will leave at the end of December 2025 after 19 years with the brand.
The company will consolidate regional leadership and has appointed André Maestrini as president and chief commercial officer, giving him global oversight of stores, regions, digital channels and commercial strategy.
“We are grateful for Celeste’s leadership and significant contributions to lululemon’s business and culture over the past 19 years. She has been instrumental in growing our footprint in the Americas, creating high-quality guest experiences, and mentoring our teams across the organization,” said Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, lululemon. “I deeply appreciate her partnership and friendship, and we wish her all the best in the future.”
“My time at lululemon has been both inspiring and rewarding beyond belief,” said Ms. Burgoyne. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished as an organization since I joined in 2006 and know the team will take the company to even greater heights in the years to come. I look forward to continuing to support the brand as a lifelong fan.”
In conjunction with this announcement, lululemon has made the decision to consolidate regional leadership across the company and appoint André Maestrini as President and Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Maestrini will continue to report directly to Mr. McDonald.
In this newly created role, Mr. Maestrini will provide integrated oversight of all of lululemon’s regions, stores, and digital channels globally. He will also oversee lululemon’s global commercial strategy with a focus on continued market expansion, revenue generation, and accelerating best practice sharing, across all regions including North America.
Mr. Maestrini joined lululemon in 2021 as Executive Vice President of International. In his current role, he has overseen lululemon’s operations in EMEA, APAC, and China Mainland, and has helped to more than quadruple lululemon’s international revenues.
“André has demonstrated a proven ability to unlock opportunities, advance our global expansion, and deliver growth across multiple markets,” said Mr. McDonald. “Leveraging operational discipline, deep guest insights, and extensive brand-building experience, André is the ideal person to lead our business across all markets, including North America, as we remain focused on delivering value for our guests, employees, and shareholders.”
Before joining lululemon, Mr. Maestrini spent 14 years at adidas in various senior roles across the globe. During this time, he served in a number of General Manager positions where he helped grow the company’s global sports categories and regional markets. Prior to adidas, Mr. Maestrini held marketing roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, and Kraft Jacobs Suchard.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
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