Fashion
OECD GDP growth rebounds to 0.4% in Q2 2025
Gross domestic product (GDP) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rose by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, up from 0.2 per cent in Q1, according to provisional estimates. This reflects a return to the stable growth levels of 0.4–0.5 per cent seen in earlier quarters. A similar rebound was recorded in the G7 economies, where GDP accelerated from 0.1 per cent to 0.4 per cent, though contributions varied widely across member nations.
The United States made the largest contribution to OECD growth, with GDP rebounding by 0.7 per cent in Q2 after a 0.1 per cent contraction in Q1. This recovery was mainly driven by a sharp 10.3 per cent drop in goods imports, following an 11 per cent surge in Q1 linked to anticipated tariff changes, OECD said in a release.
However, liquidation of inventories built up earlier weighed on growth. France and Japan also posted modest improvements, each rising from 0.1 per cent to 0.3 per cent.
By contrast, momentum faltered elsewhere in the G7. Canada’s GDP stalled after 0.5 per cent growth in Q1, while the United Kingdom slowed to 0.3 per cent from 0.7 per cent, dragged down by a 1.1 per cent contraction in investment. Germany and Italy slipped into negative territory, with GDP shrinking by 0.3 per cent and 0.1 per cent, respectively. Germany’s contraction was largely driven by a decline in goods exports, which fell 0.6 per cent after surging 3 per cent in Q1.
Across the broader OECD, results were mixed. Of the 23 countries with available data, 13 posted higher growth compared with Q1. Ireland recorded the steepest slowdown, contracting by 1 per cent after a remarkable 7.4 per cent surge in Q1 on strong exports to the US. Denmark, meanwhile, saw a sharp turnaround, shifting from a 1.3 per cent contraction to 1.3 per cent growth.
On a year-on-year basis, OECD GDP growth remained steady at 1.7 per cent. Among the G7, the US recorded the strongest annual expansion at 2 per cent, while Germany posted the weakest at just 0.2 per cent.
OECD GDP grew 0.4 per cent in Q2 2025, up from 0.2 per cent in Q1, returning to stable growth.
The US led with a 0.7 per cent rebound, driven by lower imports after tariff-linked surges.
France and Japan improved slightly, while the UK, Germany, Italy, and Canada slowed or contracted.
Across the OECD, growth was mixed; Ireland slumped, Denmark rebounded.
Year-on-year, growth stayed at 1.7 per cent.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Cheap, quick and dependable, Indian yarn, many feel, contributed significantly in turning Bangladesh into a sourcing hub for the world’s biggest fashion brands. But what once looked like a win-win arrangement is now threatening to unravel and at the heart of the current storm is a proposal to slap a ** per cent safeguard duty on yarn imports from India, ostensibly to protect Bangladesh’s domestic spinning mills, which seem to has snowballed into a major bone of contention between the stakeholders, if recent media reports are to be believed, which claimed the garment manufacturers and the textile mill owners took a contrary position on the issue.
Spinning mill owners argue that they are being squeezed to the wall by Indian competitors who, they claim, enjoy generous government incentives at home and therefore export yarn into Bangladesh at prices local producers simply cannot match. The result, they say, is declining sales, mounting losses and, in some cases, shuttered mills. From their perspective, the safeguard duty is not protectionism but survival. Without some kind of barrier, they argue, Bangladesh risks hollowing out a key segment of its industrial base.
Burberry has unveiled its new Gabardine Capsule, celebrating 170 years of the British luxury house. The capsule honours the revolutionary fabric, Gabardine, invented in 1879 by Thomas Burberry, whose weather-resistant properties have defined the brand’s outerwear heritage for nearly 150 years. Worn by explorers and everyday adventurers alike, gabardine remains central to Burberry’s identity.
Burberry has launched its Gabardine Capsule to mark 170 years, celebrating its iconic weather-resistant fabric invented by Thomas Burberry in 1879.
The range reworks parkas, bombers and quilted jackets in brushed cotton nylon gabardine, alongside knitwear and jersey layering pieces.
A heritage label inspired by a 1993 campaign highlights the brand’s countryside roots.
Reimagining signature outerwear styles, the collection features parkas, down-filled jackets, quilted silhouettes, Harringtons and bombers crafted in brushed cotton nylon gabardine. These pieces are dyed in a capsule palette of hamper beige and juniper green.
Layering pieces include chunky ribbed wool-cashmere knitwear and soft cotton melange hoodies, jogging pants and T-shirts. Many styles are detailed with gabardine panels and trench-inspired elements, such as the brand’s signature epaulettes, Burberry said in a release.
Reflecting Burberry’s enduring connection to the countryside and outdoor pursuits, the capsule introduces a specially designed label inspired by an archival 1993 campaign reading: ‘Burberrys grew out of country life.’ The label appears stitched inside coats and jackets, appliqued on jersey styles and rendered as an intarsia motif on knitwear.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Are Bangladesh RMG stakeholders divided on the Indian yarn duty issue?
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