Denim group Kontoor Brands, owner of Wrangler and Lee, has published its first forest-derived materials (FDM) policy, which sets standards for the company’s purchasing and use of sustainable forest materials and products.
Until May, the group was part of VF Corp, which published its FDM policy in 2017.
A major U.S. consumer of RPET enjoyed higher sales figures but suffered significantly lower net income last fiscal year. One reason was cheap polyester imports from China and India.
Unifi, which recycles PET into REPREVE brand fiber, reported sales of $708.8 million during the 2019 fiscal year (the year that ended June 30, 2019). When adjusting for foreign currency translation impacts, that was up 7.6% over the prior year, according to a press release.
Getting consumers to take a leap of faith on a direct-to-consumer product is no small feat. Without that hands-on retail experience, how do you convince a shopper that your seams are as strong and your fabric as soft as you’re promising?
Throw in the challenge new brands face building a reputation from scratch, and DTC aren’t left with a wide margin of error. Because of this, some are turning to premium branded fibers as a way to assure consumers that they’re indeed getting what they pay for, every time.
Even as trade war jitters and changes in sourcing have shaken the footwear industry in the United States and abroad, a new report claims the sector should still expect solid growth in demand over the next four years.
In its most recent batch of “Focus Reports,” The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, said the current footwear market will grow 4 percent in value, from $26.8 billion in 2018 to $32.6 billion in 2023. However, the growth will not be equally spread across categories.
