Fashion
Stop garments import: Nigeria’s Association of Women in Fashion Tech
WIFT president Bukola Yekini Ajayi said the association has developed solutions to safeguard members’ products against design theft and counterfeiting and traditional Kenyan designs and the African culture needs to be protected.
Nigeria’s Association of Women in Fashion Tech (WIFT) has called for an end to garment imports as that is stifling the domestic industry’s growth.
WIFT has developed solutions to safeguard members’ products against design theft and counterfeiting.
Funding policies for women entrepreneurs should be reviewed as many fashion business owners remain excluded from support schemes due to debt burdens, it said.
She was addressing the maiden Afro-EU Garment Innovation and Sustainability Summit in Lagos.
The association has over 5,000 registered members across 28 states.
Ajayi urged the government to review funding policies for women entrepreneurs, explaining that many fashion business owners remain excluded from existing support schemes due to debt burdens.
Loans received during the COVID-19 period, disbursed largely through online channels, have become a major stumbling block preventing women from accessing new funding opportunities, she was cited as saying by Kenyan media reports.
“Instead of helping them, the COVID-19 support became a trap. Many women cannot forge ahead because of debts they are unable to repay, and this blocks them from accessing fresh funds,” she lamented.
WIFT is building an ecosystem to address the value chain challenges in garment production, while pushing for policies that favour local designers, she added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion
Iran conflict and apparel sourcing: Nearshoring on the rise
Fashion
US’ Wolverine Worldwide 2025 revenue rises 6.8% on Active Group growth
The gross margin expanded to 47.3 per cent and diluted earnings per share more than doubled to $1.14 from $0.55.
Wolverine Worldwide has reported revenue of $1.874 billion in 2025, up 6.8 per cent, led by Active Group growth and strong Saucony performance.
Margins and earnings improved, while cash rose and debt declined.
Fourth-quarter revenue increased 4.6 per cent.
CEO Hufnagel highlighted brand momentum and transformation progress.
The company expects 2026 revenue growth with steady margins.
The company strengthened its balance sheet during the year, ending with cash of $206 million, up 35.6 per cent, and net debt reduced 16.2 per cent to $415 million. Inventory increased 10.7 per cent to $274 million, Wolverine Worldwide said in a press release.
The fourth quarter (Q4) revenue rose 4.6 per cent YoY to $517.5 million, supported by strong Active Group growth, particularly Saucony and Merrell. Active Group revenue increased 12.4 per cent to $372.7 million, while Work Group declined 11.3 per cent to $134 million. Gross margin improved to 47 per cent from 43.6 per cent, reflecting product cost savings, favourable mix and price increases, partly offset by higher US tariffs. Diluted earnings per share climbed to $0.38 from $0.28.
“We exceeded our expectations across all key metrics in the fourth quarter, finishing a solid year for the Company. Our biggest brands are growing around the world, direct-to-consumer (DTC) continues to improve, earnings per share increased meaningfully YoY, and I believe we’re finding our footing where we’ve underperformed,” said Chris Hufnagel, president and chief executive officer of Wolverine Worldwide. “I am pleased with our progress in transforming the company and encouraged by the momentum we have carried into 2026. We’re focused squarely on executing our brand-building model with pace and distinction—building awesome products, telling amazing stories, and driving the business each day.”
Looking ahead, Wolverine Worldwide expects fiscal 2026 revenue of $1.96-1.985 billion, representing growth of 4.6-5.9 per cent YoY. The company anticipates gross margin of about 46 per cent, operating margin of roughly 8.8 per cent and diluted earnings per share between $1.31 and $1.46, signalling continued but measured expansion as brand-driven strategy execution progresses, added the release.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
Extreme heat threatens health, jobs in Indian textile sector: Report
The report, ‘Breaking Point: Heat and the Garment Floor’, by Tata Institute of Social Sciences and HeatWatch, documents widespread heat stress and major gaps in workplace protections across factories in Tamil Nadu, Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. Based on surveys of 115 workers and 47 in-depth interviews, along with factory case studies, the study highlights how extreme heat combines with production pressure and gendered workplace dynamics to intensify risks.
Severe heat stress and weak protections plagued India’s garment factories, employing 45 million people, mostly women, a new report found.
It urged legal recognition of heat stress as an occupational risk, stronger labour rights, enforceable safety standards and infrastructure upgrades such as ventilation, cooling and medical access to protect workers’ health, productivity and incomes.
Survey findings reveal limited access to basic protections. Over 36 per cent of workers reported irregular or unclean drinking water, 78 per cent struggled to access toilets, and 80 per cent said their workstations lacked air movement. Nearly 88 per cent felt completely drained during peak summer months, while 87 per cent reported heat-related ailments such as headaches, dizziness and muscle cramps in the past year.
Women workers reported acute impacts, with 96.8 per cent experiencing burning sensations during urination and 92.6 per cent reporting menstrual disruptions linked to heat and production pressure.
Factory assessments across 15 surveyed units across different states showed 60 per cent lacked on-site medical facilities, 73.3 per cent had metal or asbestos roofs, and nearly half did not monitor temperature or humidity. In some cases, monitoring devices were installed only during buyer inspections.
The report warns that extreme heat is not merely seasonal discomfort but a structural labour and public health issue. It calls for legal recognition of heat stress as an occupational disease, expanded social protection, mandatory work-rest cycles, infrastructure upgrades and stronger worker participation in safety decisions.
With India projected to lose 35 million jobs and 4.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 due to heat stress, the study urges urgent structural reforms to protect one of the country’s largest employment sectors.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (CG)
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