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)
Published
December 1, 2025
Modella Capital is fast becoming one of the most acquisitive businesses on the UK high street and the latest retailer in its sights is footwear chain Wynsors World of Shoes.
That’s according to Sky News, which said the investment firm is targeting a takeover of the privately owned footwear retailer and is currently in “advanced talks”.
Wynsors trades from around 50 standalone shops across the north of England and Modella is now “the likeliest buyer” of the business, with expectations of a deal before the end of the year.
Modella was recently in the news as the buyer of Claire’s UK business. It also recently bought the non-travel locations of WH Smith (now renamed TG Jones) and owns Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop too. It had earlier hoped to add Poundland to its portfolio but missed out on that one.
Wynsors has been looking to sell for around two months and accountancy firm RSM had been hired explore interest from prospective bidders, Sky News said.
The chain trades from around 50 standalone stores and 40 concessions. It sells brands including Adidas, Skechers, Hush Puppies, Clarks, Nike, kickers and more. And although its sells footwear for women, men and children, it focuses particularly on school shoes.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Published
December 1, 2025
US Black Friday retail sales rose 4.1%, Mastercard SpendingPulse has revealed. But while online surged, in-store visitor traffic was down a separate report from RetailNext showed. That said, both reports showed a better result for apparel than for other sectors.
First, the Mastercard numbers. They exclude autos and are based on the payment cards giant measuring in-store and online retail sales across all payment types.
The company said this year’s event “tells a story of comfort, connection, and savvy shopping” as consumers prepared for meaningful moments with family and friends.
Spending growth on apparel was particularly strong both online and in-store, “suggesting shoppers refreshed wardrobes while leaning into value-driven choices and convenience”.
In fact, apparel climbed 5.7% (online 6.1%, in-store 5.4%), as “chilly temperatures and seasonal deals encouraged spending on new fashions”. Jewelry also rose 2.75% (online 4.2%), “as consumers opted for gifts that shine”.
Overall, e-commerce retail sales excluding autos jumped 10.4%, “as shoppers increasingly value speed and convenience”. In-store sales grew more modestly (1.7%) but “remain essential to consumers for tactile experiences”.
Mastercard also said the surge in online shopping “showcases how technology is transforming the way consumers pay. Shoppers are enjoying seamless checkout experiences across devices, from smartphones to connected home assistants, making holiday shopping faster, safer, and more intuitive than ever before”.
Which leads us on the that drop for in-store shopping traffic. RetailNext said initial data reveals an average of a 5.3% year-over-year decrease for foot traffic across Black Friday and Saturday.
Visitor numbers dropped 3.6% on Friday itself and a massive 8.6% on Saturday. By store type, apparel stores saw traffic down 2.3% across the two days with just a 0.7% drop on Friday and 5.3% on Saturday.
For footwear, the weekend, Friday and Saturday falls were 6%, 6% and 5.9%, respectively. For healthy & beauty they were drops of 4.7%, 2.1% and 9.6%, and for jewelry they were 3.6%, 2% and 6.6%.
“Black Friday 2025 didn’t kill the holiday; it changed how shoppers approached it,” said Joe Shasteen, Global Head of Advanced Analytics at RetailNext. “Foot traffic was down on Friday and on Saturday, but that wasn’t disinterest, it was intention. Shoppers showed they’re done with the impulse-driven, one-day frenzy. Prices, tariffs, and tighter budgets pushed people to shop with discipline, not adrenaline, and they responded by turning Black Friday into a value calculation”.
RetailNext said one of the clearest signals is the 3.6% drop on Black Friday, which was meaningfully better than the 6.2% decline seen from Sunday through Wednesday (23 November to 26 November). It shows that even in a cautious year, “shoppers are still willing to attend major promotional events; they’re simply being more selective about when those events are worth the trip”.
“Despite the declines, Black Friday again delivered the highest in-store traffic of any day this year, reaffirming its role as the anchor of the holiday shopping season, but the weekend’s performance was shaped more by real-world factors than waning interest,” added Shasteen. “Consumers are still willing to shop, they’re just demanding proof it’s worth leaving the house. Retailers who treated November as a month-long build, rather than a single-day spectacle, saw the strongest in-store performance.”
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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)
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