Happy New Year. 2026 is here and Andrew starts the year with a reset on where real power lives in the textile world.

He talks about the four major cotton traders: Louis Dreyfus, Cargill, Olam, and Ecom. Governments and sovereign wealth funds now control much of what the world consumes. Abu Dhabi owns 45% of Louis Dreyfus. Singapore and Saudi Arabia control Olam. Trading what we need is as powerful as trading oil, and most people in denim don't think about it.

Then Andrew shifts to Egypt. The Denim and Jeans organization is holding its second show in Cairo this month, and it's worth paying attention to. Egypt's textile industry is growing. New mills, Turkish IP, Chinese investment. Unlike so much of the industry hanging on or going backwards, Egypt is building forward.

A five minute reset on commodity power and why Egypt's rise matters. A hopeful way to start the year.

Thank you to our sponsor Inside Denim.

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