The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
China will soon launch its own version of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) standard, according to state media reports.
A Beijing-based cotton service provider, Zhongnong Guoji, which is also responsible for the Xinjiang Digital Cotton Research Centre, is leading the initiative, in co-operation with the China Fashion Association and the Ministry of Finance-backed Modern Seed Industry Development Fund.
“After years of living with pressure under BCI standards, we just want to build our own cotton brand to have a far greater say in the cotton and textile industry,” said Luo Yan, secretary-general of the Xinjiang Digital Cotton Research Centre.
According to Luo, the cotton programme will mainly focus on “improving production efficiency through digitalisation, a fully traceable cotton production process, low-carbon production and high-quality cotton farming.”
BCI withdrew from China’s Xinjiang region in 2020, citing persistent allegations of forced labour, and BCI affiliation has led a number of international fashion brands to be the target of boycotts in China over the past month.
The French beauty giant’s two latest deals are part of a wider M&A push by global players to capture a larger slice of the China market, targeting buzzy high-end brands that offer products with distinctive Chinese elements.
Post-Covid spend by US tourists in Europe has surged past 2019 levels. Chinese travellers, by contrast, have largely favoured domestic and regional destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.
While travel to Europe remains muted, Chinese shoppers are flocking to Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian destinations where fashion retailers are hoping Lunar New Year marketing investments will pay off.
Local fashion designers experimenting with puffers and other down clothing have scored collaborations with outerwear companies like Moncler and attracted the attention of prominent international retailers like H.Lorenzo.