Worldview: Africa’s Used Clothing Importers Dispute Waste Claims

🌍 Africa’s used clothing importers dispute campaigners’ waste claims. Speaking at the inaugural Textile Circularity Conference, organised by the Bureau of International Recycling, on Sep. 17 in Brussels, Belgium, African representatives refuted what they described as “unverified” claims made by sustainability campaigners and international media that 40 percent of secondhand clothing imports into the region are of such poor quality that they end up in landfill as textile waste. Marlvin Owusu, executive member of the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, and Teresiah Wairimu, chair of the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya, claimed that the real figure is in the single digits. “We are business people… we only import sorted clothes and we are leading the way on building a circular economy through textile use … It is very insulting to hear we are importing waste,” said Wairimu, who defended the sector as a major employer and provider of affordable clothing on the continent. [BoF Inbox, The Telegraph Uganda]

🇨🇳 Mytheresa launches new brand name in China and WeChat programme. The luxury e-tailer has rebranded as Meilinshi for the market and launched a mini programme for the super app, following the recent appointment of Dede Chan Brignoli as Greater China president. “When several Western retailers are abandoning their presence in the region, Mytheresa underlines its long-term commitment to China [with this move],” said Gareth Locke, the company’s chief growth officer & managing director. [Fashion United]

🇮🇳 Amazon appoints Samir Kumar as its new India country manager. The e-commerce major has announced that the company veteran will assume the role on Oct. 1, replacing Manish Tiwary who resigned in August. Kumar will effectively add the India market to the roster of other international markets he leads comprising the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey. Joining the firm in 1999, Kumar helped set up the India business in 2013, developing it in the intervening years alongside Amazon’s SVP for emerging markets Amit Agarwal. [Economic Times]

🇧🇷 Comme des Garçons to open first South America store in Brazil. The avant-garde luxury brand led by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo has partnered with Iguatemi to open a boutique in the Brazilian shopping mall giant’s São Paolo shopping centre. It follows a string of other directional brands entering the market through Iguatemi in recent years such as Balenciaga and Loewe. [Valor International]

🇮🇳 India’s ready-made garment exports increase 12% in August. Exports rose to $1.26 billion in the month, despite global headwinds such as the Red Sea shipping crisis and high logistics costs, said the country’s Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) chairman Sudhir Sekhri. “FTA (free trade agreement) partner countries like Japan and Korea have also started yielding positive results,” said AEPC secretary general Mithileshwar Thakur. [Economic Times]

🇯🇵 Levi’s brings trademark lawsuit against Japanese brand FullCount. The American apparel giant has filed a lawsuit in a California court accusing the Japanese denim brand and US retailers Franklin & Poe and Standard & Strange of counterfeiting and trademark infringement over its red ‘tab mark’ and embroidered ‘Arcuate mark’. Despite two prior injunctions in 2009 and 2018 requiring the defendants not manufacture, produce, source or sell Levi’s trademarks, the company claims that they continue to infringe on them. [Sourcing Journal]

🇮🇳 Indian accessories brand DailyObjects raises $10 million. The Gurugram-based brand has secured the investment in a series B funding round led by Mumbai-based wealth management firm 360 One Asset. Founded in 2012 by Pankaj Garg and Saurav Adlakha, DailyObjects is a DTC brand selling fashion and tech accessories. “We are geared up for a larger footprint,” said Adlakha. [Economic Times]

🇰🇷 David Kang opens a South Korean-focused consultancy in Paris. The former head of the shuttered Paris branch of Korean multi-brand store Tom Greyhound, a subsidiary of Hyundai Group affiliate Handsome Corp, is launching Paris Art Club, a consultancy that will broker deals for South Korean brands in Europe and vice versa, as first reported by WWD. [BoF Inbox]

🇨🇳 Michael Kors names Chinese actress Yang Zi as its brand ambassador. The American fashion brand has tapped the actress with over 62 million followers on Weibo, known for roles in film and TV series such as “Home With Kids” and “Lost You Forever,” to endorse its products. [Jing Daily]