Australia's textile, clothing and footwear industry faces a shakeup as radical as that imposed on the car industry in the 1980s, the federal government says. The industry needed to forget about competing with low-cost producers at the bottom of the market and follow the example of other developed countries, Industry Minister Kim Carr said.

A nonwoven acoustic material, developed by Polymer Group International Inc (PGI), is claimed to be capable of reducing noise from home appliances, commercial buildings, offices and vehicles by up to 40%.

European polyester producer Advansa has launched a new range of 'Biophyl' branded fibres and yarns made with DuPont’s Bio-PDO polymer which is derived from corn sugar.

Welspun India Ltd, part of US$ 3 billion Welspun Group, has announced the demerger of its Distribution & Marketing and Investment Divisions into two separate companies. It says this will allow strategic focus on specific tiers of the businesses and thus offer better control and flexibility.

The widespread use of nano-scale silver, which is often used in textiles, underwear and next-to-skin garment, is coming under increasing scrutiny from US regulatory authorities, according to a newly published report.

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has unveiled its new corporate identity and brand stable marking a milestone in the innovation and marketing of Australian wool. It was accompanied by an announcement that AWI will spend more than US$ 120 million over the next three years relaunching Australian Merino back onto the international marketplace as the world’s best luxury fibre.

Dow Corning Corporation, a leader in innovative silicone technology for the textile industry, and the China Textile Industry Association offered a joint seminar on new greener ways to wash denim that consume less water, energy, chemicals, and resources.

The powerloom sector in India is in the forefront contributing towards its economic progress, its share of production of fabrics is about 65% and it employs 6 million workers directly. This sector contributes more than 75% of blended fabrics and more than 91% of 100% non-cotton fabrics produced in the country

Exports of Indian man-made fibre textiles touched an all-time high of Rs 12,624 crore during 2007 - 08; Showing a growth of over 16% compared to the previous financial year.

Cherokee, the world's mega family lifestyle brand which has made an indelible impression on casual wear segment, has at last arrived in India thanks to the Megamart venture of Arvind Limited.

Decks are cleared, and the stage is set at the new venue for INDIA-ITME 2008, in which about 750 exhibitors from 24 countries will be participating in their respective stalls. The INDIA-ITME Exhibition which is to be held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, November 15 to 22, 2008, has attracted the world wide attention from participants and business visitors alike.

EU clothing imports stagnated over the first half this year, according to just released official data from Eurostat. The rise in the euro however resulted in a double-digit jump in US$ terms.

The lean season for textile exports entered its second month of July. Export of yarns declined 10% to 42 million kg. Major decline was seen in polyester yarn exports wherein the volume fell 41% to mere 1.7 million kgs.

The Bombay Textile Research Association [BTRA] has announced an “Indo-Australian Joint Workshop on Textiles” to be held at BTRA Premises in Mumbai between 14th & 15th October, 2008 under the auspices of Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) and Department of Science and Technology (DST), India.

Over 350 delegates attended the recent two-day conference ‘Colour Technology for Best Practice and Sustainability in the Textile Supply Chain’ organised jointly by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) and China Textile Information Centre (CTIC).

Pearl Academy of Fashion's (PAF) another initiative is its venture into distance learning, something new in the field of fashion learning.

The Conference & Exhibition Management Services Ltd (CEMS), with its corporate headoffice in the USA, has already opened an India office in New Delhi and plans to launch its first mega textile event - asia+TEX 2009 from October 22 to 25, 2009 – an international exhibition on textile & garment technology & machinery.

An international exhibition "Bellegmash - 2009" which will be organised in Minsk, Belarus by JSC “Minskexpo” from the 24th to 27th of February, 2009. It is specialised for equipment and technological processes in light industry.

AAMA-TEX Vietnam 2008, the Vietnam Apparel Machinery and Accessories Exhibition incorporating Textile Machinery & Accessories has received strong support from the regional textile and garment industry.

While the apparel sector currently laments declining sales across most of Western Europe due to low consumption rates, Eastern Europe’s markets continue to enjoy an upswing. The eleventh CPM – Collection Première Moscow (10 to 13 September) drew to a close with record attendance of 18,500 buyers representing a 8% rise on previous year’s figures of 17,200.

Kind + Jugend, the world's largest fair for children's outfitting, closed after four days on Sunday, 14th September, in Cologne with positive results throughout. Over 16,000 trade visitors from 90 countries seized the opportunity to obtain information about trends and new products presented by 773 suppliers from 41 countries.

The recent announcement of Government, reducing duty drawback rates across the board for all synthetic textile products has sent shock waves among exporters.