1.Has the apparel sourcing bubble burst?For Ranjan Mahtani, chairman and CEO atEpic Group, one of the world's largest clothing manufacturers, the global Covid-19 pandemic is the final straw. He believes the time has finally come for brands, retailers and their suppliers to take stock, re-evaluate current practices and redefine their roles for the future.

2.Quiz latest to offload Leicester supplier amid "modern slavery" allegationsQuiz has launched an investigation into one of its Leicester-based suppliers, the second UK fast-fashion retailer to do so in under a week, after allegations of non-compliance with living wage requirements at itsfactories surfaced.

3.US clothing retail sales jump 105% in JuneSales at US clothing retailers more than doubled in Junefrom the monthbefore as businesses continued to reopen followingcoronavirus-enforcedlockdowns althoughcontinued Covid-19 outbreaks remain a threat to recovery.

4.Nine new innovative South Asia fashion start-upsInnovations ranging from sustainable dyeing solutions to bamboo and agri-waste alternatives to plasticare among the innovations from the nine new start-upsjoining the second batch of Fashion for Good'sSouth Asia Innovation Programme.

5.India manufacturers see coronavirus as catalyst for goodSustainability, innovation and digitalisation are all seen as key to helping the Indian textile and clothing industrybuild back betterfrom the Covid-19 pandemic. TheSouth Asian manufacturing hub could also benefit from itsindigenous environmentally friendly processes and models of textile production, executives believe.

6.Brooks Brothers latest to filefor bankruptcyUS men's wear retailer Brooks Brothers has become the latest company to file for bankruptcy protection after being hit by falling sales and declining demand for its business attire.

7.Technology key to navigating post-Covid fashion systemTechnology is at the heart of the apparel and textile industry's emergence from post-Covid lockdown, with digitalisation now key to helping brands navigate the fragile system the pandemic has exposed.

8.Ascena latest to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionAscena Retail Group, owner of the Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant chains, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest retail group to do so during the coronavirus pandemic.

9.Boohoo backs call for factory 'fit to trade' licenseOnline fast fashion retailer Boohoo saysit has written to the Home Secretary and offered its supportfor a licensing scheme that ensures all garment factories are meeting their legal obligations to their employees.

10.From Field to Shelf How the apparel industry can become exceptionalAs disheartened members of this supply chain, and as optimistic consumers, we commit to being part of the 20% the minority demanding anddeveloping, launching, and implementing new and sustainable innovations and standards up and down the supply chain.By Robert Antoshak, managing director of Olah Inc, and April Kappler, consultant to the cotton and textile supply chain.

11.Does the clothing supply chain need to push the reset button?The global apparel and textile industry supply chain is in need of a complete reset if it is to survive beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, and this could mean changing to a demand driven calendar, embracing 'smartification', and distributing margin differently, industry experts have said.

12.Retail forecasting helps planners to navigate pandemicRetail planners need an agile approach to see them through a pandemic, withartificial intelligenceand machine learning techniques among the tools to helpmake the best decisions at every stage from initial response to recovery.

13.Apparel suppliers face new cost pressures as orders resumeHigh pressure tactics used by apparel and footwear brands and retailers during cost negotiations are not only impacting suppliers' profitability but also threaten their social and environmental sustainability too, a new survey has found.

14.Edinburgh Woollen Mill leaves apparel workers "in lurch"The owner of Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is claimed to have left workers at a supplier in Hungary in the lurch after it closed five months ago, leaving workers unpaid.

15.Nike to streamline organisation and corporate leadership teamNikeInc is to streamline its organisation including its corporate leadership team as the sporting goods firm looks to become a nimbler, flatter organisation.

16.Mexico makers relish better times as USMCA kicks inYesterday (1 July) should have been a day to celebrate in Mexico as its newly revamped trade deal with the US and Canada the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) swung into effect.But instead of hosting a fiesta over the extension of a pact to export textiles and apparel duty-free to the world's biggest market, the Aztec nation is counting its losses amid tumbling shipments to its key northern neighbour.

17.G-Star Raw files for bankruptcy protection in USDenim fashion brand G-Star Raw has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US after the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic weighed on business.

18.Elcatex secures $100m loan to bolster Honduras productionThe Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has loaned US$96m to Honduran textiles and apparel manufacturer Grupo Elcatex to help it bolster production and exports.

19.Clean wastewater pilot shows scaling-up potentialA pilot project toassess the feasibility of a new wastewater treatmentsystem at scale is said to haveprovided encouraging results forfuture implementation of the technology in the apparel supply chain.

20.Covid-19 pandemic accelerates existing sourcing trendsRather than redrawing global sourcing maps, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated and deepened a number of pre-existing trends including a diversification of supplier portfolios new research suggests.

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