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This study aims to address the aspects of product and process innovation strategies and their determining factors to understand their characteristics in clothing manufacturing and contribution for a successful and competitive clothing industry.

This general review is based on literature data of previous studies on innovation that transcend and cover the aspects of innovation applicable in the clothing industry. Although the scope of discussion is theoretically broad, it focusses on the context of innovation strategies in clothing manufacturing and the determinant factors indicating the acquisition and implementation of product and process-related innovation activities, simultaneously exploring and linking their implications for adopting, managing and integrating enterprise activities to the values of desired innovation novel models.

Based on theoretical background and pragmatic generalizations, product and process innovation strategies in clothing manufacturing firms tend to incline more towards computer-integrated technologies and concepts meant to promote product development, process optimization and organizational integration. Industry, technological and R&D factors tend to significantly determine innovation capability of a clothing firm.

This review generates integrated conceptual frameworks for product and process innovation strategies applicable in clothing firms and their determinant factors as prelude to empirical validation.

This paper aims to determine the best conventional degumming technique for use by rural farmers practicing Eri silk fiber production in Kenya.

Three conventional silk degumming methods (water, soap and alkali) were analyzed under the factors, namely, time, pressure and degumming media, following the multilevel factorial design of experiments. The effect of variables on degumming weight loss was determined. The effects of the conventional degumming methods that produced complete sericin removal on chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal properties, crystallinity and fiber strength on Eri silk fibers produced in Kenya were then determined. The optimal degumming condition was then evaluated.

Soap and water degumming led to incomplete sericin removal. Alkali degumming media had the most effect, especially when pressure cooked at 103 kPa. Increasing time during alkali degumming beyond 30 min did not to have any major difference on degumming loss (at p 0.05). There were no major changes in chemical and thermal properties after degumming. However, the tensile strength and elongation deteriorated especially on alkali medium. Decreasing degumming time in alkali medium from 120 min to 30 min reduced the strength loss from 45% to 33%. Optimal degumming was found to be in an alkali media at 103 kPa for 30 min.

There is very little information available on Eri silk fibers produced in Kenya. Results of this study provide an optimized conventional degumming procedure suitable for small scale farmers in rural areas practicing Eri silk fiber production.