Fashion
Indian apparel industry urges urgent govt support
The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said the industry had reconciled to a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff but the further burden would make Indian exports uncompetitive. “The additional 25 per cent will close the US market for Indian apparel. Exporters will now face a tariff differential of 30–31 per cent against major competing nations,” AEPC Secretary General Mithileshwar Thakur told Fibre2Fashion. He urged immediate fiscal support until a bilateral trade agreement can be reached.
India’s apparel industry warns of an existential crisis as US tariffs on exports will soar to above 50 per cent from August 27, 2025.
Exporters face a tariff gap of over 30 per cent against competitors, risking three million jobs and 20,000 factories.
Industry leaders urge urgent fiscal support and stronger diplomatic engagement until a bilateral trade pact is secured.
Jasveen Kaur, Senior Director of Merchandising at New Times Group, described the tariff shock as “seismic,” saying nearly 25 per cent of Tiruppur’s US-bound knitwear orders have already been paused or cancelled. “This is not about two per cent of GDP—it is about millions of jobs and the survival of entire communities,” she said, adding that exporters are slashing prices to keep shipments moving as US buyers renegotiate or withdraw.
Industry estimates suggest around three million jobs and 20,000 factories are at risk. While some exporters are exploring joint ventures in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, Kaur noted that diversifying markets and securing new buyers could take more than a year. “We need decisive government action and stronger diplomatic engagement with the US,” she appealed.
Sanjay K Jain, Chairman of the ICC National Textiles Committee and MD of TT Ltd, echoed these concerns. “The industry is at a standstill, and 50 per cent of orders (for export to the US) will likely be cancelled. The rest can only be retained if exporters absorb losses. The impact of such super-high tariffs will be terrible and felt across the entire value chain,” he warned.
While the government’s recent move to waive the 11 per cent cotton import duty was welcomed, industry players said it offers little relief against the tariff shock. Exporters are focusing on cost optimisation, targeting a 15–20 per cent reset, but say sustained government support is vital to prevent large-scale disruption in India’s apparel sector.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
By
Bloomberg
Published
January 15, 2026
Xreal Inc., a Chinese pioneer in smart glasses, is suing Viture Inc. for patent infringement in the US, arguing its rival has unfairly capitalized on Xreal’s extensive research and investment in the segment.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in eastern Texas, accuses San Francisco-founded Viture of unlawfully incorporating Xreal’s patented inventions into smart glasses such as the Luma Pro, Luma Ultra, and a high-end pair called The Beast.
Both Xreal and Viture manufacture augmented reality, or AR, glasses that plug into devices like smartphones and laptops, offering viewers a large virtual display for watching movies or handling productivity tasks. Technical specifications like display resolution and field of view- the size of the augmented world you can see at any given time- are often very similar between the two brands.
Their US legal battle comes ahead of what is expected to be a pivotal moment for the segment, with Apple Inc. expected to make its category debut as soon as this year, Bloomberg has reported.
Xreal holds over 800 patent and patent applications worldwide, including dozens in the US and Europe, it said in a statement Thursday announcing the lawsuit. “By comparison, Viture owns approximately or fewer than 70 patent and patent applications globally, with none in the United States or Europe,” it added.
“The lawsuit is not merely about enforcing a single patent,” Xreal said in the statement. “It is about stopping a pattern of intellectual property infringement that undermines the integrity of innovation and endangers continued technological development in this industry.”
Xreal holds more global market share than Viture in the AR eyewear category, according to research firm IDC. But both companies lag far behind Meta Platforms Inc., which has come the closest to mainstream success with its Ray-Ban line of smart glasses.
At the CES technology trade show earlier this month, Xreal unveiled a new entry-level pair of glasses and a co-branded set of glasses developed with Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. It also announced that it’s extending a partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
Xreal said in the statement that these and other collaborators are “owed confidence that their co-developed products will not also be threatened by infringers attempting to benefit from infringement or undermined by unauthorized usage of IP.”
Published
January 15, 2026
Designer Soshi Otsuki won himself a huge ovation at the key gala show of Pitti Uomo on Thursday after presenting a brilliant collection that celebrated classic western tailoring, even as it subverted its codes.
A tour de force of draping, cutting, and silhouette, this fall 2026 collection from his brand Soshiotsuki was definitely a major fashion statement.
In a moment of volume in menswear, Otsuki opened the action with a perfectly judged trio of to-die-for double-breasted suits with peak lapels in crepe and fine wool in various shades of grey- cement, mud, or dove.
He cut his jackets to end well below the hip and his trousers were something else. Made with a half-dozen front pleats, they were elephantine but never outrageous. Otsuki is such a great natural tailor, the exaggeration merely added to the elegance.
Soshi is no slouch when it comes to leather either. From his copper-hued leather rock god suit to his cocoon style leather bomber jacket. And, just when you thought he was playing a little too safe, he sent out some fab jeans, so degraded they almost looked moth-eaten. Tokyo street style meets sartorial Italian.
Playing on couture techniques, the designer also whipped up several bias-cut green corduroy blazers and suits marrying Japanese eccentricity and British aplomb.
The show was the latest Italian/Japanese marriage at this edition of Pitti that began with a Sebiro Sanpo tailoring association Japanese suit march inside the Fortezza da Basso, the giant fortress where the salon is staged. Remarkably, Otsuki has never actually studied suiting formally, but he somehow understands it instinctively.
The soundtrack, culled from composer Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack to Takeshi Kitano’s 2000 gangster movie Brother, featured a beautifully yearning saxophone solo. It would have felt just right for one of Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas starring Rock Hudson. One almost expected Rock to take the final passage.
Presented inside the beautiful Refetterio Santa Maria della Novella, a looming Gothic refectory at the back of the legendary Renaissance Basilica, this was a bravura display.
Altogether, a bases loaded, home run, smash hit collection. One could say it felt like a star is born moment in menswear, except that Soshi Otsuki was already acclaimed. He is the latest winner of the LVMH Prize.
Talk about backing up winning an award with a great fashion statement.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Published
January 15, 2026
Luxury skincare brand Genaura has promoted Nicola Young to managing director, moving up from chief marketing officer following the brand’s product launch to market in September.
Young’s promotion is underscored by “an impressive career”, which has included senior positions at Carlton Screen Advertising, marketing director at Jazz FM and Magic 105.4FM, and group director of Marketing at radio conglomerate Global Player.
Most notably, her beauty industry involvement included director of Media UK at Estée Lauder Co.
Young said the launch of Genaura “has the potential to revolutionise the beauty and wellness sector… my experience in this field has helped drive the marketing vision so far, and I look forward to progressing even further”.
She added: “Looking to… the growth of Genaura, I am excited to scale and innovate whilst remaining authentic to the scientific background of the product, planning global recognition of this revolutionary ingredient exclusive to Genaura.”
Available in the UK currently, the business has “aspirations for 2026 and beyond… extending skincare products within the range.”
Genaura claims to be a “world first in skincare”, with its Genaura Levagen + Smart Face serum “boasting a powerhouse formula alongside patented technology… creating an ‘age-proofing’ approach to the skin and supporting the skin’s natural barrier function”.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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