Download - Garment Industry Analysis
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK…
The first few months of the year usually go in a whirl of activity with
so many events happening in India and abroad. Everyone wants to set
the tempo for the year, whether they are technology providers, textile
companies or garment manufacturers. Trends are declared, and concerns
are discussed.
Moving from one event to the other, one thing that is very obvious is that
the textile/apparel business is not what it was even five years ago…, the
dynamics are changing so fast that sometimes it becomes difficult to
keep track. Concepts that were seemingly well defined are taking on new
dimensions and fresh thoughts are taking shape.
Every player in the value chain is striving to be more competitive and to
add value. Being good at your job is no longer ‘good enough’. Everyone is
looking for that ‘something extra’ and this has become critical because it is
the only way to rise above the ‘price race’.
If technology providers are shifting focus to smaller players and domestic
market with automated options, textile companies are increasing their
attention on product development; the garment exporters too are juggling
between balancing price expectations and innovative offerings.
Ruling all these are the bigger concerns of sustainability, ethical practices
and trade alliances. With TPP practically gone, India is looking to
consolidate its position in South East Asia, and though each country has its
own strengths, no one can deny that competition does exist.
While the industry has in the past few years been pushing for an FTA
with the European Union, new directions suggest that India should start
negotiating with the UK, now outside the EU for trade alliances. But not
everyone is convinced that this is the right direction… Of course a lot of
debate is required before embarking on the route, but keeping options open
and being flexible to new ways is very important.
As India goes through the grind of a new dawn with changes happening on
all fronts, the industry also needs to think differently… Who would have
imagined that the demonetisation would not only be implemented, but
actually bring about a digital revolution!
I firmly believe that the only people who can bring in the change are
the Generation Next… AEPC has taken a good step with its ‘Progen’
initiative, but it is only a beginning. The give and take has to be mutual and
meaningful. More such initiatives are required to shake the industry out
of its slumber… I was a bit worried when I met a few exporters at some
events and found them demotivated and directionless.
There is still much depth in the garment industry to explore, but what is
needed is a determination to work around the challenges and constraints.
More forums need to be created and ideas have to move freely between
stakeholders. Sitting in our individual ‘wells’ is not going to help… We need
to come out and discuss the way forward… The time has come to treat our
fellow industry players as partners and colleagues, and not competitors.
We all have similar concerns, fears and challenges… Let us share, find
solutions and grow together as an industry andnation!
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deepak Mohindra
EDITOR Ila Saxena
COPY EDITOR Veereshwar Sobti
ASST. COPY EDITOR SahilSehgal
ASST. EDITOR-NEWS Dheeraj Tagra
ASST. EDITOR NehaChhetri
ASST. EDITOR - FASHION Anjori GroverVasesi
SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION Kalita Lamba
SR.EXECUTIVE-ADVERTISING D KChugh
CREATIVE TEAM Raj Kumar Chahal Peeush Jauhari Satyapal Bisht Deepak Panwar
PHOTO EDITOR Himanshu Kumar
OPERATION DIRECTOR Mayank Mohindra
PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Renu Mohindra
HEAD OFFICE
Apparel Resources Private Limited
B-32, South Extension-1, New Delhi-110 049 (India) Phone: 91-11-47390000,E-mail:[email protected] associate: www.apparelresources.com
PRINTING
TARA ART PRINTERS PVT. LTD. B-4, Hans Bhawan, B.S. Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 Tel: 23378626, 23379686
24 issues
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
Yes, I wish to subscribe to
Apparel Online INR 2400.00
*This rate is valid only for subscription in India
Subscription within India-Send Cheque/DD to Apparel Resources Pvt. Ltd.B-32, South Extn. Part-1, New Delhi-110049, INDIA
International subscription (in Dollar) -Credit Card using www.apparelresources.comTelegraphic transfer to Bank Account No. 03192320003806 (Swift No:HDFCINBB) with HDFC Bank, D-9, South Extn. Part-2, New Delhi-110049. INDIA
SUBSCRIPTION ADVERTISEMENT GENERAL ENQUIRY ENQUIRY ENQUIRY
82-62-880-880 +91-11-9811088666 +91-11-47390000subscribe@ rani@ contact@ apparelresources.com apparelresources.com apparelresources.com
The 59th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF) which was scheduled to take place from 17-19
July in New Delhi has now been shifted to Gandhinagar (Gujarat) under the ‘Textiles India 2017’ initiative.
Ministry of Textiles is doing this event simultaneously with the Textile India Conclave, and the AEPC has
assured that the best possible subsidy will be given to exhibitors.
Being an apparel exporter, how do you see this decision, especially when some years ago Tex-Trends
India event could not survive with the same vision and support of all EPCs.
Q-and-A
Satish Kumar Thukral,
Director, Kichwamaji
Exporters, New Delhi
I wish a great success to this
new event, Textiles India 2017,
as its success will directly benefit
the entire Indian garment and
textile industry. But I feel that
this event will affect the buyers
count decidedly, because for
most buyers, reaching Delhi is a
much easier option compared
to Gandhinagar,especially
for the buyers of Third World
countries like Uruguay, Brazil,
etc. and the same is for Indian
exporters (exhibitors). It will
indeed be a matter of concern
for them to reach Gandhinagar.
I think it will fascinate some
Indian exporters to participate in
Hong Kong Fashion Week which
is just a week after this Indian
event. However, we are going
to take part in this fair as we are
participating in India only.
I would like to add that we still
hope for the best, as we believe
that this event is Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s push. As of
now, we have only got formal
information by AEPC, but we
need a clear commitment from
them regarding the buyers’
footfall. The council should doan
analysis about the grants being
given to buyers and their further
results. Hence, this is totally a
matter of wait and watch. Time
will tell what is going tohappen.
Sandeep Bhojani,
Director, Krypthm Tradelink
Llp, Surat
As far as our organization is
concerned, this shift is beneficial
for us as we are based in
Gujarat. Therefore, this time,
we can perform far better in
terms of attending more buyers,
having sufficient amount of time
for preparations and further
displaying more product lines
with much ease. Earlier, we had
to move our collection and
team from Surat to Delhi which
was like a hurdle and time
taking too. I think the Textiles
India 2017, which is going to
happen in Gujarat for the first
time, is a very good decision
by the Government. The
state is a centre for everyone
who are reaching there for
the participation. Many new
companies may also venture
into the exports sector after
this mega event as they will
get insights about the export
industry.
Vivek Khandelwal,
Director, Patterns India,
Jaipur
This is the first time that the show
is happening in Gujarat, and
we are very hopeful about its
productive outcomes. We are in
Jaipur and so we have to move
either to Delhi or to Gujarat to
attend the event. So this is not
something which is bothering
us anyway. AEPC has assured
us about the buyers count in
a positive manner. They had
promised us more buyers in
comparison to previous years.
AEPC has also announced
subsidies for the exhibitors
that will make it more cost-
effective for us. Now, we are
just preparing ourselves with
an entirely new range and we
just hope that it will be a great
success.
K. Ravindran,
General Manager,
Saravana Garments,
Tirupur
We are very much surprised
with the decision of AEPC, and
this will be a huge setback for
the IIGF. Delhi is a central place
for the overseas buyers and
interstate exporters to reach.
Hence, overall footfall will be
affected definitely in terms of
buyers and also exhibitors. This
may be one of PM’s wish butthis
will impact negatively. It won’t
be possible for our company to
participate in Textile India 2017.
We must wait for next year’s
January edition which may
hopefully take place in Delhi.
Kapil Sadh,
Partner, SK Overseas,
Greater Noida
This decision is neither good
for us nor for the industry.
Shifting the fair from Delhi to
Gandhinagar is something
which I can say is directly
associated with politics, and
decision makers should also
think about industry’s profit
rather than thinking of only
about any specific state. As
exhibitors have to put extra
effort to manage things in
Gandhinagar this time, AEPC
has to provide more facilities
for better results. I must say
that for such an event, Delhi
is the best place in India be
it in terms of connectivity or
industry’s comfort. Despite this,
if the Government wants to
change the place for holding
the event, Mumbai will be a
good option in terms of better
accessibility.
Rajiv Bansal, MD,
Celestial Knits, Noida
I feel shifting the location of the
decade old established fair is a
very poor idea. We have rarely
or ever participated in IIGF and
I don’t think that with shifting
the fair to Gandhinagar,
Gujarat, we will participate in
Textiles India2017.
MIND TREE
N E X T M I N D T R E E Q U E S T I O N
There is talk that if the FTA with Europe is not coming through, India should negotiate with UK for a
similar agreement as most exporters in India are working majorly with UK buyers in the region. Do
you agree with this view…? Should India override EU to forge an alliance with the UK…? Do you think
such an arrangement could affect our relations with EU?
POST YOUR COMMENTS
www.apparelresources.com
TC Dewangan,
Director, Quilt India,
New Delhi
We prefer Delhi only as we think
it has several good and viable
places for any buyer. We had
words with few of our buyers
and they are quite uneasy
with this decision. So it may
also affect buyers’ footfall. We
were planning to participate
in this event as it is going to
happen first time over there
but after buyers’ conversations,
we are now rethinkingabout
it. Although AEPC assured to
provide subsidies too, we have
to see whether these subsidies
will be enough or not. No
doubt, this decision may also
lead to a chunk of exporters
moving towards Hong Kong
Fashion Week.
Kishan G Barvaliya,
Partner, Righteous Global
Exim, Surat
It is a quite appreciabledecision
of the Government; this step
will definitely give a boost
to the readymade garment
industry of the Gujarat. I’mvery
hopeful about the benefits
which we will get after this
major happening in our state;
companies that are indulged
in RMG sector will develop asa
cluster, where more and more
garment manufacturing plants
are expected to be set up just
like Ludhiana and Tirupur. For
example, as of now we arejust
merchant exporters and are not
having our own merchandising,
but if good opportunities like
this world-class sourcing fair in
Gandhinagar and such other
support come to us, we will
decidedly move towards
manufacturing too. One can
say that due to first such eventin
Gujarat on garmenting, this time
buyers’ footfall can be lessbut
it doesn’t mean thatorganizing
this event in Gandhinagar is a
wrong idea. Delhi already has
its own developed garment
industry, so this is aperfect
time to approach new places
which have potential, and I
think Gujarat is the best option
for that. We have to think and
work collectively and not asan
individual.
ccording to the news report published byAPwC, spending which accounts for more than
two-third of UK gross domestic product, will slow
further to 1.7 per cent in 2017 as income gains fail
to keep up with the inflation. It further forecasts
that the housing and utility spending could
account for just under 30 per cent of household
budgets by 2030, up from about 25 per cent last
year, forcing Britons to cut back on non-essentials.
“Increased borrowing may help fill the gap in
the short term, but there are limits to how far
UK consumers can continue to live beyond their
means with expenditure rising faster than
their disposable incomes. We, therefore, expect
consumer spending growth to moderate over the
next couple of years as higher inflation andBrexit-
related uncertainty start to bite,” reveals John
Hawksworth, Chief Economist,PwC.
After confusing most of the economic forecasters
last year, UK saw a solid GDP growth of 0.6 per
cent in the three months following Brexit and the
economy is expected to have grown 0.5 per cent in
the final quarter of last year as per Reuters’ poll
of economists. During this period, the consumer
spending provided the main momentum to UK’s
continued growth. But as inflation that is already
at a two-and-a-half-year high, is expected to rise
further, the support from consumer spending will
be harder to maintain. As per the Bank of England,
weak pound will lead to an increase in import
costs and for some that also will be passed on
to consumers, thereby impacting their spending
power. Currently, the retail sales figures are
already suggesting that the price rise is affecting
shoppers as sales volumes suffered their sharpest
drop for more than four years in December.
The recent surveys and reports suggest that
the growth in UK’s service sector was at a five-
month low in February 2017. As suggested by
the Markit/CIPS, purchasing managers’ index
(PMI) for services fell to 53.3, down from 54.5
in January, remaining above the 50-threshold
demarcating growth from reduction. Irrespective
of various surveys and reports, the UKeconomy
UK consumer’s spending to reduce in coming years
GDP growth expected to see a sharp slowdown in 2017
Though the initial growth figures for 2017 show signs of revival for the UK economy, a weaker sterling and
higher inflation are expected to dent it, claim economists. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP(PwC),
UK’s consumer spending growth will weaken in the years to come after slipping to about 2 per cent this
year from 3 per cent in 2016. The food and clothing sectors that are heavily reliant on exports are going
to be the most exposed to the pound’s 18 per cent drop against the dollar since Britain’s vote to leave the
European Union.
As suggested by the Markit/CIPS, purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for services fell to 53.3, down from54.5 in January, remaining above the50-thresholddemarcatinggrowth fromreduction.
WORLD WRAP
beat expectations in 2016 when
Brexit happened, thereby making
various companies and market
research firms continuously update
their figures regarding the growth
projection of the country’s economy.
Though International Monetary Fund
had previously predicted a sharper
slowdown, it revised its figures as per
UK seeing a growth at 1.5 per cent
thisyear.
Also, pushing this further is the weak
currency as pound fell dramatically
after the Brexit vote last year, and
since then, it has been trading around
15 per cent lower as compared to the
dollar and 12 per cent lower compared
to the euro than it was before the
decision. So retailers in general are
among the hardest hit from the falling
pound as a majority of them source
their products from Asia, for which
they pay in dollars. A few currency
strategists believe that sterling is
likely to remain volatile in the coming
months until there is greater clarity
about UK’s Brexit deal. This lays
further emphasis on the uncertainty
surrounding the retail industry,
the consumer spending,consumer
confidence, savings andhousehold’s
disposableincome.
Contrary to the above projections and
reports, February witnessed stronger
than expected retail sales data, which
further has helped push sterling
to a one month high against the
dollar. According to the figures from
the Office of National Statistics (ONS),
sales volume grew by 1.4 per cent in
February, pushing the sterling up by
0.2 per cent against the dollar at US
$ 1.25 and up 0.5 per cent against the
euro at € 1.16. According to new data
from the Centre for Retail Research
(CRR) and Rakuten Marketing, 61
per cent of shoppers say theywill
not be discouraged from purchasing
premium items if prices rise by up to
10 per cent, while only 6 per cent say
they would refuse to buy the item.
While political negotiations continue,
retailers need to be prepared
for inconsistency in sterling,
rising cost of credit andweak
consumer confidence affecting their
spending. Nonetheless, retail is
still integral to Britain’s economy as it
is responsible for 11 per cent of the
output and 4.5 million jobs in shops,
e-commerce and physical distribution,
but for retailers to smoothly see
transition post-Brexit, they need to
encapsulate strategies that make them
more agile, digital, capital-intensive
and responsive to change.
Retail is still integral to Britain’s economy.
16 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com
Fashion brand Guess has
announced to close 60 under-
performing stores in the USA
this fiscal year, with more than
100 stores on the chopping block
during the 2018 fiscal year to focus
on profitability improvements. The
closure announcement is made
as Guess’ fourth-quarter results
fell short of what the company
projected.
Victor Herrero, CEO, Guess
commented, “We are seeing
in the US market a significant
drop in traffic, which is leading
us on the fourth quarter to a
more promotional environment,”
adding, “And at the same time,
this is basically, as a consequence,
declining our margins.” Even
though Victor expressed his
optimism that Guess will improve
its operating income by US $ 16
million annually through the new
round of closures once they are
Inditex, the world’s biggest
clothing retailer and owner of
Zara, has posted the financial
results for the fiscal year 2016
ending on 31st January 2017.
The company’s net sales jumped
12 per cent to Euro 23.3 billion
compared to Euro 20.9 billion in
the corresponding period in 2015.
complete later this year. The brand
has acquired revenue up with a 3
per cent gain to US $ 679.3 million,
slightly less than the 4 per cent
growth rate that investors had
expected. In the USA and Canada,
Guess’ same-store sales (including
e-commerce) fell 7 per cent in US
dollars and 7.4 per cent in constant
currency terms.
In the reporting period, the
company witnessed a surge of
9 per cent in net profit to Euro
3.16 billion, up by 10 per cent as
against Euro 2.88 billion in FY
2015. Gross profit generated in
the review period stood at Euro
13.28 billion. In addition, same-
store sales climbed 10 per cent,
Herrero and Sandeep Reddy, CFO
of Guess outlined an aggressive
strategy to renovate profits
in the brand’s US operations
through a store rationalization
approach involving rent re-
negotiation and closures.
According to Reddy, it’s quite
different scenario for the brand’s
stores outside of North America,
up from 8.5 per cent in FY ’15,
with positive same-store sales
growth in all geographies and
across all brands. The group
opened 279 stores, ending the year
with 7,292 stores in 93 markets
across all five continents. Europe
saw 102 new stores, Asia and the
rest of the world saw 116 and the
however. This year, Guess will
open 60 stores in Europe, where
nearly half of its sales come
from wholesale, and another 35
locations in Asia following surge in
the revenue.
It’s worth mentioning here that
Guess operates 945 retail stores in
the America, Europe and Asia out
of which around 400 stores are
located in the USA.
“Basically what we are trying to
do is to become very profitable
in the US and trying to grow
anywhere else. For example: For
the last six quarters we’ve been
seeing positive trend in Europe,
while for the last two quarters
we’ve been seeing very positive
trend in Asia. So, what we are
trying to do is to rebalance a little
bit of our business between the
international and the domestic,”
concludes Herrero.
Americas saw 61 of them. Pablo
Isla, Chairman and CEO, Inditex
states, “These are a positive set
of results against a backdrop of
strong prior-year performance.
This is a direct result of the
commitment, spirit and ambition
of all the professionals comprising
the group, their dedication to the
company, passion for fashion and
focus on sustainability.”
In the financial outlook for
current fiscal, Inditex plans to
continue to expand its integrated
store and online model globally.
Zara’s online store will go live
in Thailand and Vietnam in the
coming weeks, while its launch in
India is scheduled for the second
half of the year.
Guess to close 60 stores in US; expandoverseas
Inditex notes 12% jump in net sales
RETAIL CURRENT
WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO APPAREL ONLINE?
Please call Customer Service at
82-62-880-880
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?
Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]
company intends to strongly
accelerate sales and earnings
growth until 2020.
In 2016, despite severe headwinds
from negative currency effects, the
company’s gross margin increased
0.3 percentage points to 48.6 per
cent (2015: 48.3 per cent), as a
result of the positive effects from
a significantly better pricing,
product and channel mix as well as
lower input costs.
Adidas plans to increase sales in NorthAmerica
German sportswear brand Adidas
is planning to increase its sales
in North America by almost half
by the year 2020. The retailer has
set a target of ¤ 5 billion (£ 4.37
billion) for 2020, after a 24 per
cent jump to ¤ 3.4 billion in 2016.
It noted an 18 per cent increase in
its revenue on a currency-neutral
basis in 2016. In Euro terms,
revenues grew 14 per cent to Euros
19.291 billion (US $ 20.391 billion).
The sportswear retailer has
recently decided to accelerate
strategy execution. Under its
long-term strategic business
plan, ‘Creating the New’, the
RETAIL CURRENT
American sportswear giant NIKE
has once again been named the
world’s ‘most valuable’ apparel
brand after a 13 per cent surge
in brand value to US $ 32 billion,
according to a report by Brand
Finance.
The retailer’s strength score
of 92, measured by marketing
investment, familiarity, loyalty,
staff satisfaction and corporate
reputation, and its AAA+ rating,
made the sportswear giant the
most powerful brand in the sector
and the third most powerful across
all sectors.
“NIKE’s strength can be attributed
to the apparel giant’s ability to
continuously innovate and deliver
state-of-the-art products to a range
of consumer demographics,” states
Brand Finance. Most recently,
Nike launched performance
hijab and a plus-size collection.
Alongside its products, the brand
also delivers powerful messages
through its marketing campaigns,
which Brand Finance states
“undoubtedly bolsters” its brand
value and strength.
H&M bagged the second place
with a brand value of US $ 19
billion, up by 24 per cent last
year, contributed by expansion
of its retail stores, opening 442
in 2016 alone. Not too far behind
in third spot is Zara, which saw
its brand valued at US $ 14.4
billion. It is the flexibility of
Zara’s fast fashion model that
allows it to adapt its clothing to
unpredictable circumstances such
as unusual changes in weather
and means that its brand’s value
“flourishes as a result of this
competitive advantage”, as per the
report.
The report also underlined that
Zara overtook Louis Vuitton,
valued at US $ 13 billion. However,
the French fashion house does still
remain the most valuable luxury
apparel brand on the list, followed
by Hermès (US $ 8.3 billion), Gucci
(US $ 6.8 billion), DonnaKaran
(US $ 6.6 billion), and Coach which
increased up the listings withUS
$ 4.6 billion, while Burberry (US
$ 4 billion) and Michael Kors (US
$ 3.7 billion) both have moveddown.
Marc Jacobs came out as the
fastest-growing brand of the 50
most valuable apparel brands.
The fashion label’s brand value
stood at US $ 1.4 billion due to the
company’s restructuring.
NIKE, the ‘most valuable' apparel brand:Report
mongst many instrumental toolsAof sustainability, Sustainable
Apparel Coalition (SAC), US, is quite
well-appreciated and a truly growing
one. SAC is a global alliance of all
stakeholders with an aim to create an
apparel, footwear and home textiles
industry that produces no unnecessary
environmental harm and has a positive
impact on people and communities
associated with its activities. Globally
connected with 70 brands/retailers, 66
manufacturers and in total over 195
members, there are four Indian giants
(Pratibha Syntex, Arvind Ltd., KG Denim
and Aditya Birla) closely working withit.
Apparel Online discussed the manifold
perspectives of SAC with its CEO Jason
Kibbey who was recently inIndia.
Higg Index, the core driver of SAC, is a
self-assessment standard for assessing
environmental and social sustainability
throughout the supply chain. The
result of unparalleled collaboration,
enabling transparency for the entire
industry, it has so far completed over
15,000 assessments. SAC brought forth
a uniform environmental sustainability
approach to the sector for both the
brands and the factories. Now it is
almost close to creating astandardized
social and labour assessment with
many other partners. “Many brands
have adopted Higg and we certainly
have many more who we wouldlike
to see adopting to Higg usage,” says
Jason who describes that after self-
assessment, the results are to beverified
through different means which will
create the ultimate impact. “Verification
is currently underway, thoughwe
expect to see a significant spread of
verification with the launch of our Higg
3.0 assessment (expected to come till
October 2017),” he shared. The morean
Transparency is one of SAC’s core values.Anybody can access Higg Index 2.0 content from its website and check where his/her factory stands.
As far asapparel manufacturers for Indian domestic markets are concerned, their buyers may not push them for sustainability.Nobody will come and tell them about it. They have to see for themselveshow their fellow exporters,top domestic brands or other manufacturers focusing on sustainability are getting benefited, beit in the formof more efficient and productive workers or something else.
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Standardized approach
with over 15,000 assessments
TILL DATE, HIGG INDEX HAS COMPLETED
OVER 15,000 ASSESSMENTS BY 6,977
COMPANIES. OUT OF THESE, 497 COMPANIES
ARE LOCATED IN INDIA.
Jason Kibbey, CEO,SAC
SUSTAINABILITY
HAVE YOUR SAY
Tell us your news by emailing at
BREAKING NEWS
To read the latest sustainability news, go to
http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/
www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 19
apparel factory scores in Higg Index,
higher are its chances of being the
priority of buyers, as buyers compare
this score of various factories. Besides,
various factories and retailers can
analyse their current standing with this
Index to see where they are lacking
compared to their fellow players and
how best they can improvethemselves.
After this assessment, the biggest
challenge that comes up for apparel
manufacturers is to find out ways
to improve their score and for this,
SAC endeavours to offer training.
It works with other providers to
conduct training on Higg and has
great partnerships with the Clothing
Industry Training Authority inHong
Kong, Reset Carbon in Bangkok, Li and
Fung and others. Jason further informs
that currently his team isworking
to develop several programmes for
inducing such training sessions, and
has also published a ‘How to Higg’
manual that guides the manufacturers
about the procedure to use Higg Index
in their facility.
Referring to its Indian members, Jason
proudly says that the Indiancompanies
are all great leaders in sustainability
and there is a lot to learn from them. In
his words, “Typically, manufacturers
that have staff and capacity in
sustainability join SAC. While this
is the case for all of the companies
mentioned, there are many Indian
manufacturers just getting started in
sustainability that do not have staff
solely dedicated for the purpose.”
Focusing more on India, SAC will have
a meeting in Bangalore on May 22-23,
2017, co-hosting the event of Planet
Textiles and Manufacturers Forumwith
ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous
Chemicals) on the 25th of May.
Apparel manufacturers, who are not
members of SAC, are also getting
benefited from SAC or Higg Index as
they can also use this assessment to
help them improve their sustainability
performance. High-performing
companies ideally will lower theircosts
through greater efficiency as well as
gain recognition from their customers.
Finally, non-member companies that
use the Higg Index will receive access
to basic benchmarking to understand
how they measure against their peers.
“Companies, that are members, benefit
from being able to create future
versions of the Higg Index,shape
how it is rolled out, and participate
in the best sustainability forum in the
apparel and footwear industry where
they work alongside their peers in
brands, retailers, manufacturers, raw
materials providers and even NGOs,
Governments and academics,” briefed
Jason.
SAC also recommends a holistic
management of social and
environmental issues as issues
relating to sustainability vary from
place to place and company to
company. “There is an unfortunate
history of making progress on only one
challenge at a time and then movingon
to the next challenge before the first is
solved. We believe that manufacturers
should work with the Higg Index and
improve their management onall
of these issues by first working to
achieve Higg Level 1 among the list
of challenges and then building the
capacity to improve and innovate,”
insistedJason.
SAC has typically grown by 15-20
per cent annually, but Jason doesnot
believe this aggressive growth to be
sustainable over thelong-term.
Being one of the pioneers of sustainability among
the Indian apparel exporters, Pratibha Syntex,
Indore has been associated with SAC since the
start and is extremely elated about working with
it. Jaya Pathak from sustainability department
of the company shared that Higg Index has
provided it a comprehensive platform to measure,
communicate and improve the environmental and
social performance of its apparel production and
benchmark these against industry peers. “There
are some main points in this regard: It carries out
the gap analysis between actualperformance
and industry standards; makes meaningful
improvements by incorporating the gaps in the
sustainability strategy and establishes targets to
reduce the impacts; and analyses and quantifies
the sustainability impacts that arise fromapparel
production and its delivery as a holistic overview
of our sustainability performance – abig-picture
perspective that is essential for progress to be
made,” informed Jaya.
Jaya further adds, “It not only helps us to generate
business but also provides us a great platform
for communication and collaboration that spans
across manufacturers, retailers and brands – which
bodes well for industry-wide transparency moving
forward. Moreover, it has also provided us an
ability to connect seamlessly with the supply chain
and industry peers, driving forward the much-
needed transparency.”
Pratibha Syntexhas gained withSAC
OWNERSHIP AT THE IMPLEMENTATION LEVEL
IS EMERGING AS A TREND AND I MUST
APPRECIATE THAT IT IS GROWING IN MOST
OF THE PLACES.
SUSTAINABILITY
According to the report ‘Do leather
workers matter – Violating labour
rights and environmental norms in
India’s leather production’ – around
2.5 million workers deployed in
Indian leather industry often face
unacceptable working conditions
that violate human rights and
seriously affect their health. Even
female homeworkers face insecure
and unprotected work, receive
poverty wages and work under
unsafe conditions in tanneries.
Moreover, children are often
involved in leather production in
India, mostly in the unorganized
To incentivize companies in terms
of human right performance, a new
Benchmark has been launched
through a 2 years consultation with
over 400 companies, supported
by 85 investors, accounting for
US $ 5.3 trillion in assets under
management. The Benchmark is
led by investors and non-profit
groups and analyses 98companies
from three high-risk industries –
agricultural products, apparel and
The Leather Working Group and MVO Nederland (CSR
Netherlands), and pledged to take serious action against
human rights violation in their leather supply chain.
extractives, but will grow year-
on-year to cover the world’s 500
largest listed enterprises. “This
first Benchmark is a baseline.
In the future, we want to see
companies move up as they respond
to increased publicscrutiny
and engagement from investors.
Inaction runs a high reputational
risk and low scoring companies
should act decisively, learn from
leading practices, and rapidly
part of the sector, working in
smaller tanneries and workshops.
Also, toxic chemicals used in
tanneries often impact the health
of the workers very negatively. Low
wages, exploitation of home based
workers, and discrimination have
also emerged as major issuesbeing
faced by the labourers employed in
theindustry.
In a joint statement, 12-member
companies of the Ethical Trading
Initiative (UK) said, “Taken
together, we recognize the
very concerning issues in the
leather supply chain.” They also
improve,” informs Vicky Dodman,
Chief Executive of the Corporate
Human Rights Benchmark.
The Benchmark will examine
companies’ policies, governance,
processes, practices and
transparency, as well as how they
respond to serious allegations
of human rights abuse. This is
done by scoring the companies
on 100 indicators across six
measurement themes. The
ranking also paves the way for
Governments to use a smart
mix of regulation and incentives
to enhance transparency and
minimum standards of corporate
behavior to make the business case
for the respect of human rights. “In
our company engagements, we have
noticed that public benchmarks
make sustainability topics
more concrete for companies
and create a ‘race to thetop’,”
tells Angélique Laskewitz,
Director, Dutch Association
for Sustainable Investing.
added: “We commit to working
with international and national
stakeholders to develop a strategic
response to the issues in our
leather supply chain.”
19 companies, including the 12 ETI
members, like C&A, H&M, Primark,
Inditex, Marks & Spencer, NEXT,
TESCO, Sainsbury and Pentland,
reacted to the report as well as the
two CSR initiatives: The Leather
Working Group and MVO Nederland
(CSR Netherlands), and pledged to
take serious action against human
rights violation in their leather
supply chain.
Violation of labour rights in the leather industry!
First ever human rights performance Benchmark launched
Eight advisors join ECAP
Eight special advisors have
joined the European Clothing
Action Plan (ECAP) recently, the
first EU-Life funded project to
drive sustainability throughout the
entire lifecycle of clothing. TheECAP
advisory group will offerguidance
to the partner organization’s
responsible for delivering several
action areas related tothe European
clothing sector, and will act as
ambassadors for ECAP inhelping
to forge new partnerships with
stakeholders and businesses within
participating countries. “We are
delighted to be working with suchan
experienced and influentialgroup
of advisors. We held our firstgroup
meeting recently, and it is obvious
that the advisors’ involvement
will be invaluable in expanding
ECAP’s reach and that their energy
and support will help towards
ECAP achieving itsambitious
goal of making European clothing
more sustainable, from point of
productionto endof life,” tells Leigh
Mapledoram, Head of Programme
TO ADVERTISE
Contact Rani Mahendru+91-11-47390000 (512)
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?
Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]
In terms of boosting denim
production, Chicago-based
Twin Dragon Marketing has
announced the launch of ecological
improvements in their Northern
Hemisphere Mexican mills and at
their Asian facilities by introducing
liquid indigo and eco-finishing.
“This has stabilized the shade of
indigo, increased the colorfastness
in both dry and wet crocking and
the final denim product has a 3D
appearance – it’s amazing! In
addition, this new eco-denim will
The Swedish multinationalclothing
retailer H&M has launched a new
sustainable clothing line for women
and children exclusively for 2017.
The new Conscious Exclusive
collection includes sustainable
material such as bionic-recycled
polyester made from plastic
shoreline water. It includes various
pieces, each one different from the
other portraying how sustainable
materials can create the best
style. Being one of the world’s
biggest users of recycled polyester
and one of the biggest buyers of
organic cotton, H&M’s Conscious
Exclusive is a driver in H&M’s
move towards a more sustainable
future for fashion. It is also an
effort towards the retailer’s plan of
meeting the goal of being 100 per
cent sustainably sourced in cotton
by2020.
“For the design team at H&M,
this year’s Conscious Exclusive
is a chance to dream and create
pieces that are both quirky and
beautiful. It’s great to be able to
show just what is possible with
dye process for black jeans. The
use of eco-finishing at the Mexico
mill for a whole year would save up
to 40 million gallons of water and
also by using liquid indigo, 700,000
help the denim laundry house save
water, minimize chemical usage
and speed up garment processing.
It’s the best scenario for both our
mills and garment manufacturers,”
reveals Dominic Poon, CEO of Twin
Dragon Marketing.
Over the last 10 years, Twin Dragon
has made significant investments
in eco-friendly fibres, such as
Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal, and
has also developed their own
trademarked Forever Black that
eliminates the environmental costly
sustainable materials like we have
done with the delicate plisse dress
made of Bionic,” reveals Pernilla
Wohlfahrt, H&M’s Head of Design
And Creative Director. This year’s
Conscious Exclusive stars Natalia
Vodianova, the Supermodel and
Philanthropist, her first ever
campaign with H&M. This will also
be the first time that the collection
will incorporate clothing line for
children which will be available in
around 160 stores worldwide and
in India as well.
lbs of sodium hydrosulphite would
be saved from contaminating the
environment in one year, a 57 per
cent conservation compared to the
current powder indigo standard.
‘Mediplus 365' @
Re. 1/day by TEA
A new medical insurance scheme
‘Mediplus 365’ with the payment of
Re. 1 per day has been launched
for labourers, informed Tirupur
Exporters Association(TEA)
of India. The insurance scheme
executed by Edelweiss Insurance
Brokers Ltd., Mumbaithrough New
India Insurance Company, will
provide insurance coverageof
Rs. 1,00,000 to labourers. The
insurance company apart from
taking care of the medicalexpenses
will also provide accident coverage
of Rs. 1,00,000 to those insured
under thescheme.
The association has empanelled
four insurance brokers, Edelweiss
Brokers Ltd., Zeal Insurance, Om
Maruthi Insurance and Indian
Insurance Broking to analyze the
existing general insurance policies,
in the context of fire accident,
flood, marine, stock and machinery
breakdown taken by the TEA
members and based on theadvice
of the concerned insurance brokers,
the members of the body will
restructure their premium amount
andcoverage.
Twin Dragon boosts sustainable denim production
H&M launches a new sustainable clothing line
22 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com
RSWM…Living a philosophy of product innovation
RSWM Ltd., a pioneer in textile
manufacturing with its two popular
collections, Mayur and Cannello sold
worldwide, also invests a lot of time and
energy in new product development. The
company’s ideology is to remain competitive
and relevant by continually investing in
formulation of new products and introducing
them in the market at the earliest. Raj Rishi,
Corporate Strategy, RSWM Ltd., referring
to its differential product strategy, elaborates,
“‘Diverse’ is what makes us a brand away
from the crowd. We not only produce cotton
and synthetic yarns but also offer eco-friendly
yarns, core spun yarns, hollow core yarns,
dyed yarns, fancy yarns and mélange yarns.
You speak of any yarn category and we have
it available with us.”
However, regarding India’s stance as a
basic/commodity yarn/fabric producer,
he feels that India is still perceived the
world over as an essential cotton producer.
But he claims that RSWM Ltd. has been
It is a well-known fact that cotton yarn
manufacturing constitutes the backbone of
the textile industry in India. Yet, many factors
in the past few years have unwittingly pushed
the spinning industry to a glut situation with
over-supply of cotton yarns, in particular. For
one, the industry has seen unprecedented
investments leading to huge capacity building.
Added to this has been unpredictable monsoon
which determines the arrival of cotton crops,
wavering cotton prices, reduction in demand
of cotton yarn from China and absence of a
strong policy intervention to ensure security
for cotton manufacturers.
Fighting to stay alive, progressive companies are
taking the R&D route with focus on innovation
and differentiation to stay relevant. The country
is no longer just a traditional cotton yarn
manufacturer of basic qualities, but now also
has in its portfolio diverse yarn types which
would help it capitalize on the emerging global
market for innovation. Interestingly, the demand
for differentiation is coming not only from
global textile and retail brands but also from
Indian customer base. A young, economically
empowered Indian population that has a rising
aspiration for a better life has created an
evolved Indian consumer that is more discerning
than ever, ready to place his money on brand
and quality, eager to explore the organized
retail market. Currently, there is nearly 40%
of merchandise at the 400+ Indian malls and
millions of retail stores belonging to apparel and
home textiles showing immense opportunities for
the Indian textile industry.
INDIAN SPINNING INDUSTRY
TAKES AN INNOVATIVE
SHIFT FROM BASIC YARN
TO SPECIALIZED YARN
PRODUCTION
Five Textile
companies with
thrust on PD
share their
journey…
YARN UPDATE
APPAREL RESOURCES NEWSLETTERS
To subscribe, send us an email at
FACEBOOK FRIENDS
Join more than 10,000 people who are already fans ofApparel Resources on facebook. Search for Apparel Resourcesat
https://www.facebook.com/apparelresources/
www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 23
at the forefront of creating a
transformation in the country’s
image by catering to a wide product
category in multi-fibre yarns using
exotic fibres like cupro, dyneema,
Kevlar to name just a few. Even there
are other spinners in India who are
diversifying their product range to
manufacture various kinds of fancy
yarns but India will have to go a long
way to break its traditional approach
and adorn a radical perspective, he
feels.
NSLTextiles…Making PD the root of growth
Being a regular and consistent
supplier of knitting yarns to selective
domestic markets like Kolkata and
overseas markets like Korea, NSL
Textiles has managed to maintain
high standard of yarn quality
providing 100% modal yarn, 100%
tencel yarn and yarn made of blends
with modal/tencel with cotton and
linen for both weaving and knitting
sectors. With an installed production
capacity of 2,80,000 ring spindles for
producing combed and compact ring
spun yarns, 3,744 Rotors for making
OE yarn and 18 tonnes/day of yarn
dyeing, the company also holds 1,800
bales/day ginning capacity. Though
Nagesh M, DGM – Yarn Marketing,
NSL Textiles, Hyderabad agrees
with the increasing plight of the
Indian cotton yarn manufacturers, he
is positive of growth as his company
has adopted a two-stepapproach
– unique product development and
specific target markets that have
resulted in huge success even in a
slowmarket.
Speaking about the importance of new
product development in the company,
Nagesh avers, “Feel and comfort, of
course, are very important aspects in
any garment these days and without
them, any product will only have a
limited life span. Similarly, yarns
made out of new fibre types are
gaining popularity over the past few
decades.” He strongly believes that
innovative new fibres will always be in
demand because of the requirement
of different applications such as
breathability, durability, temperature
control, water-repellent, moisture
absorbency etc. in different types
of wear like workwear, sportswear,
protective wear and functional wear.
Nagesh further adds that apart from
these factors, sustainability is the
new mantra in the field of textiles
which is sure to stay for a long time.
“The focus now is on the usage of
eco-friendly fibres, eco-friendly
manufacturing of textiles, eco-friendly
work practices and proper re-cycling
of textiles after their uses. Weall
have to be individually responsible
rather than being followers of any set
norms,” avers Nagesh
Adopting flexibility in the delivery
of order types, the company is now
offering a wide range of slub yarns
from Ne 20s to 60s, finer counts like
40s, 50s combed core-spun yarn and a
variety of blends of tencel with cotton
and linen and blends of cotton and
linen with counts ranging from 14s
to 40s. To add to their benchmark as
producers of finer counts and blends,
NSL Textiles are currently specialized
masters in selecting good quality
kappas and followingexclusive
work practices like contamination
sorting of cotton in their own
ginning factories.
Nimbark Fashions…Collaborative approach to innovation
Nimbark Fashions believes that
product development is the brain
behind any collection. Therefore, they
have an experienced team who have
worked and seen many seasons in the
textile domain and have a knack of
catching the latest market trends,
handling PD. The company runs on
a cycle of constant production with
5-6 products ready for new launches
at any particular time period. “India
is mainly an exporter of commodity
yarns and fabrics. But, considering
the ongoing scenario where more
value-added fabrics are in demand,
Indian manufacturing units are also
diversifying towards value addition
which will support a movement away
from the perception of India as a
basic yarn/fabric manufacturer,” says
Mahesh Maheshwari, Director,
Nimbark Fashions Pvt. Ltd. He adds
that a good collection of products is
their biggest strength along with
constant supply of
quality and quantity of yarn/fabric
manufactured. “Our products allow
our client to remain in front of their
The country is
no longer just
a traditional
cotton yarn
manufacturer of
basic qualities,
but now also has
in its portfolio
diverse yarn types
which would help
it capitalize on
the emerging
global market
for innovation.
Interestingly,
the demand for
differentiation
is coming not
only from global
textile and retail
brands but also
from Indian
customer base.
ESSENTIALS
Nagesh M, DGM –Yarn Marketing,
NSLTextiles
“Feel and comfort are very important aspects in any garment these days and
without them, any productwill only have a limited life span.”
Mahesh Maheshwari, Director,
Nimbark Fashions Pvt. Ltd.
“With morevalue-added fabrics in demand, Indian manufacturing units are
diversifying towards diversification.”
Shalendra Vasudeva, CMO,
Indorama IndustriesLimited
“We are also in the process to develop colouredspandex and specialty spandex, like antibacterial and anti-odour
spandex.”
YARN UPDATE
competitors and maintain their profit
margin,” he says.
Offering products such as filament
yarn, viscose, cotton-dyed fabric,
modal silk, dupont silk, variations of
linen, soft yarn with various colour
variations, the company provides the
industry with something new every
time in terms of product development.
“We rely on customer feedback for
product development and also we
have a few consultants with whom
we work regarding trends,” shares
Mahesh. Apart from our 2 spinning
mills, the company also outsources
work to a dedicated 2,000 spindle
as well. “Our production capacity
from one lakh spindles every month
is about 1,000-1,200 tonnes and the
understanding of fashion has given us
the flexibility to offer as less as 10 kgs
of yarn, if so required,” says Mahesh.
Indorama Industries…Riding high on Inviya
Indorama Corporation has managed
to become one of the most
geographically assorted producer of
spun yarns. This company ensures
that its product development team
encompasses human capital from
diverse domains like polymer science,
textile science and chemical process
engineering who have the capability
to work in sync with experts in the
same field from US, Korea and China.
Indeed, this organization goes a step
forward in supporting its product
development team with an in-house
developed “pilot polymerization
plant” located at its manufacturing
facility at Baddi for the development
of coloured spandex. This pilot line
is an excellent facility equipped with
ultra-modern technology having
the capacity to produce 1 MT of
polyurethane polymer per day.
Today their brand INVIYA® is the
only spandex manufactured in India
which is offering a new advanced and
improved spandex to its customers.
In fact, the company’s close
co-ordination with its customers
ensures that it helps them during all
types of developmental needs and
hence, is ahead of the competitive
industry. “We are also in the process
to develop coloured spandex and
specialty spandex, like antibacterial
and anti-odour spandex, provided
the demand from end customers’
supports required volumes to run
these products,” informs Shalendra
Vasudeva, Chief Marketing Offtcer,
Indorama Industries Limited. He
adds, “So far, India has been well
regarded as a strong supplier of
commodity yarns like cotton yarns
and polyester textured yarns, but
with initiatives by many other textile
companies, the world is beginning
to acknowledge our strengths in
speciality products too.”
Gimatex Industries…Taking PD down to ginning
Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd., a
completely integrated textile facility
with Ginning, Spinning, Weaving &
Processing units under its fold has the
vision to provide premium quality
textile products to its customers using
the latest in textile technology. Run by
SYNTHETIC YARNSTHE MOST PROMISING TEXTILE
DOMAIN
Synthetic fibres are the talk of the day amongst the
world leaders in textiles. Be it in the form of modal,
tencel, rayon, acrylic or viscose, there has been a
huge bend globally towards these functional based
fibres and yarns where fabric attributes carry the most
importance. Despite a fluctuating, transient world
economy, the aura of man-made textilescontinues to
spread in an unparalleled way due to the high-value,
high-quality and multifarious performance obtained
from these technologically developed apparels.
With the rise of a sophisticated and socially conscious
consumer with improved lifestyles and rapid
urbanization, man-made fibres are the most progressive
product segments that are here to stay for a very long
time. Besides, an increased awareness on sustainability,
IT integrated technical garments and R & D activity
conducted by various textile companies to survive in
this neck-and-neck close competitive environment,
ensures that new fibre blends are created with the
help of different finishes, looks and textures to meet
the sweeping demands of today’s forever inquisitive
consumers. At present, synthetic textiles occupy more
than 50% of the total textile output globally and are
projected to see even more crucial growth ahead
because of the need for the development of new
blends for production of diversified fabrics.
China is already at the forefront of this radicalchange
being the largest manufacturer of synthetic fibres.
With the Indian cotton spinning industry being the
second largest in the world after China, the alarm bell is
already ringing in our country to boost its performance
in this booming yarn sector at the earliest. The textile
companies in India are looking to strengthen their
capabilities in man-made yarns/textiles, but support
of Governmental measures, a reduction in import and
central excise duty and fresh investment is required to
achieve the desired level as a principal manufacturer on
the world stage.
Prashant Mohota, Managing Director,
Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd.
“India, as a primary producerof yarns/fabrics, has of coursemoved leaps but has still notreached the desired level.”
YARN UPDATE
WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO APPAREL ONLINE?
Please call Customer Service at
82-62-880-880
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?
Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]
a highly dynamic and experienced
management and supported by a
strong skilled workforce of 3,000
people the group has become a
strong player in the market and a
name to reckon with.
Gimatex has thrived using values
of innovation, quality, and ethical
practices as its pillars of growth.
Stakeholders dealing with the
company continue to maintain
the relationship on a long-term
basis. “This association flourishes
in the environment of mutual trust
that is present between
the company and its business
partners and other stakeholders.
Our ever-growing sales figure is a
testimony to our customer-centric
approach,” says Prashant Mohota,
Managing Director, Gimatex
Industries Pvt.Ltd.
The company has ventures into
the unknown theme of merging
the numerous procedures right
from ginning to processing to help
in the final product layout. It also
possesses highly sophisticated labs
with miniature lab machines where
small runs of different fibre blends,
with separate twists and feel can
be carried out for many trials,
from fibre stage to finished fabric
stage under the special supervision
of extremely skilled technicians.
Gimatex is one such textile name
which provides testing capacities
to its customers to assure them of
the premium quality products that
it is delivering. It has launched its
new mobile app G-force to raise its
standards of service quality for its
privileged customers.
Speaking about India’s altering role
as an inherent commodity producer
of yarns and fabrics, Prashant
encapsulates, “India, as a primary
producer of yarns/fabrics, has of
course moved leaps but has still not
reached the desired level. Our focus
on mass manufacturing along with
more stress on cotton fibre rather
than plenty of other synthetic fibres
with unique properties renders us
weak when it comes to delivering
high-value items and becoming one
of the superior manufacturers of
theworld.”
hile the garment export market is alwaysW looking for new product developments
along the value chain to create innovative
collections that would appeal to international
buyers, the domestic players are not far behind.
Today, India is home to the ‘world’s youngest
population’ and the textile industry is sure to
benefit from this fashion-oriented GenNext, as
the burgeoning domestic market for garments
is being fed by the abundant availability of all
types of fibres and yarns, such as cotton, viscose
and polyester within India and at a price “lower”
than the international markets. Rakesh Sharma,
Executive Director, Tecoya Infotech (the
organizers of Fibres & Yarns 2017 Expo) aptly
states, “Considering that the Indian GDP will
continue to remain upwards by 7% and India
having the world’s largest population below the
age of 40 years estimated at over 200 million
and having above-average purchasing power,
the business opportunities within the domestic
sector will touch a mammoth level. This lethal
combination of growth of our economy and the
rising desires and aspirations of young Indians
will ensure that the demand for textile and
clothing keeps on surging year after year.”
Fibres and yarns constitute the most important
raw materials for this domain as they lead to the
creation of final garments or home textilesoffered
to both the national and international market. To
make them available to the downstream fabric,
garment and home textiles value chain, leading
fibre and yarn producers from India and abroad
are unveiling their latest and innovative collections
at the 12th Edition of Fibres & Yarns in Mumbai.
It indicates the coming together of weavers,
knitters and garment brand managers on one
single platform to have a look at the latest yarn
collections for conversion into innovative fabrics
and garments. Some of the flourishing speciality
fibre and yarn manufacturers, from India and
abroad are displaying their yarn varieties here
which include silver yarn; soyabean, milk and
bamboo fibres (from China); nylon micro fibres;
modal and tencel fibres; fire retardantviscose;
hi-tech polyester fibres and filaments for functional
fabrics; pure silk, linen and juteyarns.
Amongst the huge number of companies who
are participating in this fair, some companies
are showcasing exclusive yarn collections that
will definitely catch the eye of the visitors.
Nimbark Fashions, which is a pioneer in fancy
yarns manufacturing since the past 30 years, is
revealing a range of diamond series yarns, twin
twist yarns and raw silk yarns. These yarns are
formulated to give different structural effects and
grindle effects to the fabrics apart from creating
blends which give the look and feel of Dupioni silk.
Similarly, Indorama Corporation, is demonstrating
a revolution in the field of spandex fibre, its
new product range called INVIYA® I-400 which
provides the customers with one-step solution to
all their queries. It provides specifications like
high elongation, better frictional properties, high
heat resistance properties, high stretch power
which make it the best fit for all end-uses.
RSWM Ltd. which is one of the largest textile
manufacturers in India built on sustainable
processes and technologies will also be displaying
its latest yarn made with coffee fibres which
act like anti-odour fabric. It is even exhibiting
a series of sustainable fabrics with blends in
recycled polyester and cotton. Meanwhile,
Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd., a completely
integrated textile facility, is showcasing viscose
compact yarns built on latest compacting
technology, synthetic core spun yarns in grey and
dyed, and multi-count, multi-twist yarns which
provide several value-added benefits to the fabric.
The 12th Edition of Fibres & Yarns
A rar e col l a b o r a t ion of f i b r e and yar n
m a n u f a c t u r ers for i n n o va t ive i n s p i r a t ions
Dr. Kavita Gupta, Textile Commissioner, at the FNY Expo at the last edition
26 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com
Apathetic behaviour in the initial
days and lukewarm response
from investors are reportedly
among major reasons which have
made India miss its investment
target worth Rs. 40,000 crore.
According to reports, the
sector has managed to receive
investments of just Rs. 16,371
crore, with the potential to
generate 2.50 lakh jobs by
March2017.
Despite series of steps such as
2015 textile policy, which makeUnion Minister of Heavy Industries
Anant Geete has laid the foundation
stone for Common Engineering
Facility Centre (CEFC) for textile
machinery and allied engineering
industry at Bardoli, Gujarat. This
will be south Gujarat’s first CEFC.
The CEFC will be constructed at
a cost of Rs. 50 crore by Science
Engineering and Technological
Upliftment (SETU) foundation
with the support of local
industry associations like Surat
Engineering Vikas Association
(SEVA), Textile Machinery
Manufacturers Association of India
(TMMAI) and Sardar Vallabhai
Patel Education Society, Bardoli.
The institution will come up on five
acres of land at Faculty of
Engineering Technology and
Research (FETR) at Bardoli.
Around 1,200 micro, small and
medium enterprises of domestic
textile and general engineer sector
in south Gujarat region will be
benefited with this project. It will
also fulfil the objective of ‘Make in
India’ and ‘Skill India’ campaigns
of the Government of India.
it mandatory to have textile
hubs concentrated in the cotton
growing belt of Vidarbha and
Marathwada to minimize the
cost of transporting raw cotton
and other expenses, could not
help realize India’s dream.
According to the State Economic
Survey 2016-17, “There are
16 textile parks functioning
with employment of 0.23 lakh.
Currently, there are 10.01 lakh
powerlooms in state with 19 lakh
employment.”
Minister, Energy and Guardian
Ministry. The park would ensure
large scale employment to theyouth
of the region besides providing
better avenues for the farmers to
garner maximum benefit. Basic
infrastructure including supply
of energy, water and provision for
sewerage water treatment plant at
the site will also be set up. A 132
KV electricity sub-station would
cater to the energy requirements of
the units in the textile park.
Maharashtra to get a new textile parkMaharashtra Government has
reserved 93 hectares of land in
Lohara MIDC of the Yavatmal
district for setting up a textile park.
The work on the park is expected to
startsoon.
“The setting up of a textile park
in Yavatmal MIDC area was
pending for a long time due to the
availability of adequate land. The
proposal was initiated by the then
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan
himself,” said MadanYerawar,
Textile industry fails to attract desired investment
Anant Geete lays foundation stone for CEFC
TEX-FILE
HAVE YOUR SAY
Tell us your news by emailing at
BREAKING NEWS
To read the latest sustainability news, go to
http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/
in states. Trade infrastructure
is one of the critical elements in
export trade to enhance efficiency
and competitiveness in global
market. He also mentioned that
inadequate infrastructure pushes
exporters transaction cost,
impacting competitiveness of Indian
goods in the global market. “The
logistics cost in India is one of the
highest in the world,” he added.
FIEO Chief further stated that the
new scheme will also help create
modern infrastructure like last
mile connectivity to ports, besides
testing labs and certification
centres. It will help in modernizing
infrastructure in states for
exporters besides addressing
various other challenges and
exportbottlenecks.
India’s Commerce and
Industry Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman recently launched
the Trade Infrastructure for
Export Scheme, which is focused
on addressing the needs of
theexporters.
TIES will cut exporters transaction cost,says FIEO PresidentSC Ralhan, President, Federation
of Indian Export Organizations
(FIEO), has welcomed the launch
of Trade Infrastructure for Export
Scheme (TIES) by the Indian
Government, and believes that
it will help reduce exporters
transaction cost.
Ralhan said that the Indian
exporters face huge challenges in
terms of infrastructure,particularly
TEX-FILE
ith a long journey encompassingW45 years (25 years for Manish
alone) and a strong confluence of
artisans from every corner of the
country being associated with them,
the company’s objective was, is and
will always remain to bring the best
out of India’s rich traditional heritage
and present it to the world in the form
of phenomenal designs representing
high quality collections in home
furnishings such as cushion covers,
bed linens, duvet covers, sheet sets,
comforters, and rugs and carpet.
The company’s buyers span from
small retailers within the country
to some of the top brands in the US
and Europe, which source from the
company because of their handwoven
fabrics and design coordination which
are the endowments of artisans from
small clusters in Rajasthan, Gujarat,
UP and West Bengal. “Brands look
forward to our collection and their
designers pick up our designs which
are indeed a matter of great pride for
us,” avers Manish.
It is also their strong product
development strategy that sets
them apart from other regular
home furnishing companies. Manish
himself travels around the world
for almost six months in a year
visiting retail outlets and buyers
EAST INDIA COMPANY: OFFERING QUALITATIVE
DESIGNS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Growing from a small cabin of 300 square feet area to having 3 factories and 1 administrative head office today, the success
story of East India Company, Mumbai is indeed a motivation in the business of home furnishings. A candid discussion
with Manish Shah, a second-generation Director of the company, makes us really believe that ‘fair’ business can be a
great amalgamation of multiple working centres, exclusive hand-crafted patterns and eco-friendly factories. “There are
tremendous possibilities in India and this is what gets me excited to be a part of this venture,” says Manish passionately.
H2F
“About 90% of
our buyersare
working with us for
last 15 to 20 years,
through thick and
thin, which is an
achievement for
us.”
Apart from
outsourcing
of fabric, the
company has 28
powerlooms and
equal number
of handlooms’
installations with an
overall staff of 200
people in all its units.
Having certificates
like GOTS and BSCI,
it follows AQL of 2
and 1.
ESSENTIALS
Manish Shah, Director, East India Company
in different countries to conduct
intensive research on their cultural
requirements and conceptualises
products envisioning meeting such
diverse customers’ demands. They
also do not depend on the services of
any permanent designers in-house as
it leads to a routine look after some
time. Rather they prefer working with
young designers from outside who can
always come up with fresh ideas.
Having separate weaving units at
Karur and Kannur and their primary
stitching unit at Mumbai, East India
Company presents a fine example of
adept networking of core strengths.
In fact, having weaving units at
Karur and Kannur gives them the
competitive edge over others. The
weaving unit at Karur is hardcore
commercial because of cheap labour
cost apart from the low rate of yarn
procurement. But Kannur, on the other
hand, is extremely high-end on quality
and is suitable for smaller buyers
demanding less quantity. Coordination
between the three units is maintained
tightly with the help of a structured
time and action plan formulated right
from the time the orders are placed
till the final execution of the fabric.
Manish further shares, “Among these
various processes, if we find some
loophole(s), they are immediately
addressed to, since rectifying them
after the order is done would be
increasingly difficult.”
However, amidst such spectacular
management, lies the challenge of
building a business on handlooms
for larger quantities, as handmade
items lack the speed of delivery
of huge orders that’s possible by
machines. Additionally, they are
loaded with several unforeseen snags
faced by weavers themselves, but
he claims that a capacity to foresee
such probable problems can reduce
the chances of unexpected crisis.
Moreover, their company targets a
niche market for tailor-made products
where quality rules over quantity
and hence, issues related to massive
production can beaverted.
Undeterred by the obstacles coming
their way, East India Company’s
forte has been natural textiles with a
target on sustainability. The company
uses 100% cotton, linen and silk but
no polyester. Their weaving units
are completely natural, including
dyeing processes with zero discharge
of water, waste management and
recycling of fertilizers. As Manish
proudly states, “About 25% of our
business is carbon without any
footprint. (The weaving unit of the
company is carbon-free; it uses a lot
of recycled material for various
purposes). We desire to make our
processes completely organic by
2020. At present, we implement
sustainability only in few of our
segments so that price is not
impacted and buyers are not
hesitant to buy our products.”
Their social comitments can
be seen through their practise
of donating a portion of their
turnover to charitable trust and
supply of interest-free loans to
their employees as and when
required. Besides sustainability,
they aspire to accomplish
their long-cherished dream of
launching project ‘NIMMIT’
(connecting point) to promote
their artisans on a global platform
and also expand in handicrafts
domain related to textiles such as
fabrication of lamps.
“We see that the
future is of tailor-
made products
as niche market is
growing very well
around the world.
They prefer very
good quality and
demand small
quantities of 100 to
200 pieces, which
suits us well.”
ESSENTIALS
East India Company offers variety of products with the touch of local crafts
Strength and tenacity come alive in this theme where
a focus from anti-tear and anti-stress materials to
body mapped aspects of reinforced engineered
zones, only the toughest, resilient and most durable
fibres will come to pass. The continual growth
in high-tenacity yarns has a direct effect on the
market. Fabrics that were previously tough andrigid,
are being introduced with a super soft hand and
enhanced flexibility.
Endurance paired with
an anti-tear function
will play a key role
in addressing the
growing ‘lifestyle’
sector, from urban
activities to leisure
and camping involving
extreme sports such
as cycling and rock
climbing, enhancing
the performance of the
wearer. The focus on
protection iscontinued
with engineered fabrics
that lock on impact for
cycling through high
compression fabrics
that embrace the
wearer anatomically in
crucial areas.
Not just confined
to wovens, knitsare
also taking up this
trend with protective
elements applied in
single and double-layer
sponge-like fabrics.
fibres, yarns &finishes
• Aramid yarns
• High tenacity yarns
• Natural, manmade and synthetics fibres all feature as
blending partners
• Classics including gabardine and twill are updated in
lighter weights with high tenacity yarns for enduring
products
• Tough membranes and coatings – for shell-like protection
• Glassy aspects through cooling technology
• Stretch laminates
• High power spandex/elastane for high compression
• A renewed look at lightweight plastic trims and
accessories with super strength through new
ingredients in
• Lighter weight performance fabrics
• Anti-rip and cut resistant singlejersey
• Nylon/polyamide warp knits with integrated compression
zones, selvedge finishes, clean cut function
• 360° stretch wovens
targetmarkets
• High impact sports
• Road cycling/mountain biking
• Rock climbing
• Lifestyle – athleisure/street sports
• Skateboarding
• Travel
• Outdoor equipment – tents, back packs, sleeping bags
HIGH TENACITY
PROTECTION
ROBUST
TOUGH
HARD CORE
SOFTTOUCH
core shield
DIRECTIONS BY
Technology has been focusing solely on function in
the past, but the concept is shifting towards lighter
variations with detailed surface effects for the
Spring/Summer 2018 season.
Enhanced performance, exceptional protection
and premium functionality is being delivered
through a turbocharged feel features owing to
the fabrics and trims used under this theme. High
compression materials featuring a four-way stretch,
take on a biomimetic approach on the structure of
the body, protecting and embracing the muscular
structures of the wearer. Reflective fabrics and trims
in feather light weights are presented alongside
high-tenacity
fabrics that
utilize micro
fine steel-
strength
aramid fibres.
Intelligent
interfaces
on the
technical or
face of fabric
improve
performance
and
protection for
activities such
as swimming,
running and
triathlons,
offering water
repellence,
UV protection
and quick
drying.
fibres, yarns &finishes
• Key functions include: cool touch,
moisture management, UV protection
• High performance polyester and nylonfeature
• Man-made fibres – lyocell, modal
• Silver, zinc and copper yarns and finishes for well-being
benefits
• Cool touch technology
• Coloured coatings
• Retro-inspired trims and accessories
• Spongey double knits
• Classic interlock
• Functional stretch membranes feature on second layers
for those summer showers
• Comfort and power stretch inwovens
targetmarkets
• Beach sport
• Yoga, pilates – natural touch technicity
• Golf, tennis
• Running – UV protection, cooling technology and
moisture management key to thissector
• Outdoors
• Travel
• Active intimate apparel andsocks
• Soft equipment –backpacks
RETRO
TRADITIONAL
NATURAL
MULTI FUNCTIONALITY
COMFORT
EASYWEAR
retro classic
Materials and trims feature renewed luminosity,
lustre and brightness of lustre. The brilliance
of yarns and the luxurious feel of the fabric,
scintillating materials and trims in this sector act like
a magnet, standing out among the crowd.
Compact fabrics with glossy substrates boast more
textured constructions and optical prints colliding
function with fashion.
While lacquered looks
and overall brilliance
emerge, functionality
is a must. Continue
with cool touch, UV
protection, high
compression, moisture
management and
thermal regulating
ingredients as the
basics.
fibres, yarns &finishes
• UVprotection
• High performance nylon
• Super chlorine resistant spandex/elastane
• Reflective yarns, prints and transfers
• Iridescent yarns
• Metallic coatings, transfers and prints
• Traditional foil prints
• Gleaming trims – new gold, titanium
• Transparent plastic trims
• High stretch jacquards
• Compact and textured surfaces
• Eye-catching optical prints
targetmarkets
• Athleisure –glamor
• Lifestyle/urban
• Hiking
• Beach sports apparel and swimwear surfers style
• Stylish workout wear with high levels of performance
• Aerobic classes – dry or aqua
• Spin classes – soul cycle
• Fitness swimming and aqua zumba, aqua fitness,
aqua spin
ATTRACTION
APPEAL
BRIGHT
ENTICING
ILLUSION
LUSTRE
SCINTILLATION
lustre allure
Sustainability, a key staple across the textile and
fashion industry, takes centre stage in this theme,
placing an emphasis on the partnership between
new generation synthetics, natural and man-
made fibres and how they can be mixedtogether
to create a win-win situation. Ingredients from
different sectors marry for a synergetic approach
giving rise to a certain level of hybridization
among fabrics.
A strong use of
natural fibres
from BCI cotton,
pima cotton, and
merino wool as
well as the luxury
application of
silk feature high
in this trend. The
application of
Lyocell and micro
modal deliver a
soft touch. Opting
for a selection of
these ingredients
in a blend, would
create new
variations with a
strong sustainable
stance for all
sectors of the
market.
fibres, yarns & finishes
• Hemp and linen in refined yarns for a grainyaspect
• The inherent function of merino wool in terms of thermal
regulation and comfort for the Spring/Summer season
• Micro modal, lyocell and silk for addedsoftness
• Moisture management and anti-bacterial
• Recycled nylon and polyester
• Nano membranes for DWR
• Bio-based spandex/elastane and eco-friendly spandex/
elastane
• Built-in performance yarns – moisture management,
UV protection, anti-bacterial, cooling
• Reduced water and energy consumption for asustainable
aspect in finishing and dyeing
• Lightweight Spring/Summer insulation
• High colour longevity and brilliance fromsynthetic and
spandex yarns when blended with natural yarns
• Double sided knits– natural/synthetic
• Waterproof, windproof, breathable laminatesand
membranes
• Texturized synthetic yarns with a cotton touch and built-in
performance
• Waterproof seamless transfers for added details
• Lightweight double-sided fabrics with contrasting
colour and texture
target markets
• Water sports – surfing, kite surfing, kayaking and windsurfing
• Athleisure/lifestyle, urban cycling, outdoors, yoga
• Soft sports, ZSoft equipment – tents, sleeping bags,
backpacks,shoes
HYBRIDIZE
FRESH
SYNERGY
TACTILE
HARMONY
TEAM EFFORT
hybrid synergy
Weightlessness come alive from micro fine hosiery-
inspired knits to micro light trims and accessories. A
pure techno sports trend, where the wearer doesn’t
feel the weight of the garment and/or equipment
accessories, yet the micro light, next-gen fabrics aid
in the achievement.
Cool touch, compression, UV protection and
anti-bacterial elements are key to this theme
which deliver barely ‘there’ fabrics improving
performance. Engineered fabrics that focus on body
mapping specific functions into key areas in the
fabric constriction
provides a
greater sense of
seamlessness and
protection to the
body, where micro-
encapsulated yarns
serve to create a
perfect workout
experience.
fibres, yarns & finishes
• Micro fibre synthetics with permanent performance –
moisture management, cool touch, UV protection, anti-
bacterial, quick dry
• High powered spandex/elastane for second skin
compression and core stability support
• Power stretch spandex/elastane – super chlorine resistant
• Dye-able polypropylene for micro light knits
• Iridescent yarns
• Metalloplastic yarns
• Trims and accessories take on a super smooth finish
• Thermochromatic yarns and transfer prints
• Reflective technology – yarns, prints and finishes
• Day-glo trims and yarns
• Day-glo silicone prints and trims
• Phosphorescent micro fine yarns
• Clean cut technology and laser cutting – perfect for heat
seam bonding or clean hem finishing
• Patina surfaces through yarn content or finish
target markets
• Track cycling, running
• Marathon & triathlon,athletics
• Fitness & gym apparel and softequipment
• Active intimate apparel andbodywear
• Cross training and cardio classes
• Wearable technology
CRISP
PERFECTION
PRECISION
FEATHERWEIGHT
AMBITIOUS
NEXT GENERATION
exactitude
LET’S CROCHET
Kitschy with a soupçon of DIY,
crocheted tops and dresses are
the core of music festival fashion,
inversely becoming a vacation
essential in the same pursuit.
While some brands like Alexander
McQueen played up the multi-
colour crafty grandma factor of
the style, there is an interesting
shift towards converting this
knitted wonder into a deceptively
serious fabric. While Balmain
and Moschino played the crochet
game in multicolour, Valentino and
Peter Pilotto offered great dresses
in solid colours with accented
detailing.
PYJAMA PLAYER
We always talk about hitting
that snooze button every
morning so to help us catch
the lost sleep that goes into
outfit planning, designers have
completely eliminated the
whole fiasco. From coats that
look exactly like bathrobesand
striped pyjama sets in soft sleepy
blues or blush pink, there is a
nightwear option for every sleepy
head. Therefore, whether you
prefer starched whites that can
go from bedroom to boardroom
as seen at Protagonist and Tibi
or Miu Miu’s lively printed styles,
there is a pyjama in store for
every party.
LUXE ON
TRACK
Health and fitness will be the
key drivers of luxury in the
coming years as personal well-
being takes centre stage. To
tap into experience economy’s
obsession with athleisure,
tracksuits are upgrading into
an almost bourgeoisie territory
with sleek cuts and technical
fabrics. Whether you want to
get drinks at the country club or
just need to look like an elegant
marathoner, cruise collections
have you covered. Fendi and
Off-White presented chic work
out appropriate sets but Maison
Margiela’s version could be easily
incorporated into a trendy work
wardrobe.
SUNNY SIDE UP!T O P 10 T R E N D S F R O M R E S O R T 2 0 1 7 C O L L E C T I O N S
FASHION BUSINESS
Pete
rP
ilotto
Mais
on
Marg
iela
Adam
-Lip
pes
PALE PINK
Pink is easily the new black, and
resort collections are in absolute
agreement, but how is cruise pink
different from Spring/Summer’s
haughty fuchsia? As is the case
with most of the resort wear
styles, the collections are dripping
in a more subdued, paler pink and
this proves that a colour does not
always have to be super ‘in your
face’ to be impactful. Say hey to
new age feminism in adolescent
pink pieces from Delpozo, Bally
and Roksanda celebrating
girlhood in all its glory.
PRAIRIE QUEEN
We are not sure if designers are
referencing Little House on the
Prairie or they are just shouting
out to the new cult favourite,
Stranger Things but the romantic
eeriness of prairie chic is back
in vogue. A strongly feminine
combination of ditzy florals,
tomboyish ginghams, conservative
hems and necklines is getting a
modern working girl update. From
Calvin Klein and Giambattista
If you think about it, resort wear is the best of both worlds because it is inherently summer clothing dotted abundantly with plentiful
cover up options in the same bag. While the resort wear shows are long over, the trends are only just ripening up for our perusal.
Thanks to the millennial approved globalization of wanderlust and a focus on wellness as the new form of luxury, resort clothing is now
more relevant than it has ever been.
Cruise wear this season is refreshingly clean and relaxed with a scent of sci-fi dropped in the mix. While most trends echo a common
sentiment of luxury loungewear, we can definitely spot influences from the more urbane streetwear scene like racer checks and stripes
or military jackets. The colours oscillated from glimmering disco night to pastel vitamins making the collections not just trans-seasonal
but an elemental fit for every occasion. The good life of Sunday picnics and sailing through the Caribbean blues is on everyone’s mind.
Here are the big trends going all the way from jingoistic sportswear to modern girl DIY picked up from the Resort Collections of 2017.
Valli’s more traditionalist garbs to
Sonia Rykiel and Coach’s modern
take on this free-spirited trend,
there are bountiful options for the
modern cowgirl.
RINGING BELLS
One of the more merciful
throwbacks to the ’70s is the bell
silhouette that starts outfitted,
but goes up ballooning into the
quintessentially summery bell-
bottom or the more dramatic
bell-sleeve. Fashion is always
obsessed with movement so it is
obvious that this style of flinging
wrists will keep returning to
inject some theatre into our
wardrobes. Flaring up this love for
the bells in full effect are trousers
from Versace, Rosetta Getty and
statement sleeves from Holly
Fulton, Temperly London amongst
a slew of others.
RACE COURSE
A trend that is perhaps a
combination of Americana loving
derby and lingering patriotism
or just the race of fashion taken
a bit too literally. Chessboard
checks as well as the combination
Rachel-
Zoe
Louis
Vuitto
n
Ball
yC
oach
1941
Industry take…
Tushar Sharma, Toska Labs – “Fitness apparel is our main focus
so we are doing plenty of constants like yoga or mélange pants
and track suits in classic dark colours. With that being said, lighter
shades of red and blue as well as paler pinks are also in demand.
Even in terms of silhouette, slouchy and lounge-friendly bottoms,
yoga pants with bright floral prints and heavy lycra is doing well.
A very interesting new demand I have observed is of loose wrap
around dresses that look very similar to bathrobes however, buyers
want these constructed in a more daytime appropriate way. Another
noticeable trend is of these extremely fitted tights for men which
shows a new outlook at sportswear in general and its relevance
beyond being just workout clothes.”
Rajiv Rathi, United Exports – “We are employing digital
printing techniques to create big floral prints as well as using a
lot of embroidery to achieve the textured look. Light fabrics like
polyester, chiffon and georgette are looking quite popular and
we are enhancing those using multicolour woollen or acrylic yarn
embroideries and tassels. Prints like florals are always popular for
summer collections and we are mostly doing bigger florals on white
or lighter, solid colour bases. In terms of trousers, we are doing
many wide, billowing harem pants. For colours, soft pastels in warm
tones such as orange and yellow are the biggest hits while baby
pink and blues are also going strong.”
Dhirendra Sharma, Prabal Sales – “I think with resort clients, the
general trends are more or less the same as every year with some
variations in prints. The silhouette is loose with wide leg pants and
long ballooning sleeves that come with elastic cuffs. Solid pastels
in lighter hues of yellow, orange and pinks are widespread as
always. In terms of prints, big old school florals are definitely a key
theme. In addition, we are using a lot of tie and dye technique in
multicolours to achieve interesting patterns organically.”
of red, blue and white striping
signals a fresh wave of clothing
inspired from the paraphernalia
of a F1 racer. An extension of the
sportswear trend going beyond
mere practice to dressing a luxe
market of spectators. Chequered
looks from Philipp Plein, Louis
Vuitton or Versace’s tricoloured
bomber are as suitable for a
racing carnival as they are for the
4th of July parade.
LIVE TO DYE
The overall wave of colours this
season oscillated between hot
monochromatic to soft pastels
and many designers peppered
their collections with tie and
dye patterns employing these
colours. A technique that looks
extremely light hearted because
of its Do It Yourself approach and
a history of gaining popularity
among the happy hippies, its
optimism is winning many hearts.
From lightweight separates at
Dsquared2 to the languid maxi
dresses at Tory Burch and
Zimmermann, this technique is on
its way to becoming a lounge wear
favourite.
TIERNOTTIRED
If a vacation in Spain or anywhere
on the Caribbean is on cards,
we know some frills and ruffles
cannot be foregone from the
packing list. The multi-layered
skirt is just the grown up take
on an overbearing ruffle mania
rage, while ruffles may not
work for everyone because of its
superfluous femininity but tiers
strike balance without getting
boring. For a serious urge to twirl,
head on to Prabal Gurung or
Normal Kamali’s colourful gowns
or go crazy in Chanel’s white lacy
layers of frolic.
BRIGHTLY TRENCHED
A timeless classic gets a cheerful
update; the trench coat is not
just getting lighter but is getting
unfurled in wildly bright colours
like sunny yellows and orange. A
cruise collection would make no
sense without some transitional
outerwear options but it does not
have to be lacklustre. Animated
trench coats are channelling the
overall youthful and sprightly
attitude of the season, and
indulging your need for pure
hedonism are pieces from Edun,
Fendi and Tibi in buttery yellow.
Tory
Burc
h
Herm
esP
rabal-
Guru
ng
www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 39
This season looks a
lot like everyone is in
the mood to party,
and with good reason
given how 2016 got it
all twisted. Designers
and high fashion
labels sent spangly,
glittery pieces clad
on petitesilhouettes
down their runwaysfor
Spring/Summer2017.
Seemingly taking
over athleisure, we
saw glitteringpalettes
and sparkling sequins
featuring over skirts,
dresses, jackets and
evenpantsuits.
Dolce & Gabbana
and Alessandro
Michele at Gucci,
presented statement-
making sequinedstyles
that shimmered like
disco balls reflectingunder the lights. Dion Lee’s sequined dresses took on
an athleisure vibe, while Monse offered an off-the-
shoulder design with over-the-knee side slits. Designers
paid tribute to an old-school flapper-style glamour,
whilst modernizing the trend with respect to everyday
ready-to-wear clothing for the approachingseason.
FASHIONFILE
ColourStory
Sh
iny
Dis
co
Ba
ll
pantone15-0533 TPX
pantone13-3801 TPX
pantone16-0237 TPX
pantone19-3864 TPX
pantone17-3923 TPX
pantone19-5408 TPX
A/W
20
17
-18
by
Fa
shio
nFo
rwa
rdTr
en
ds
Rebecca Minkoff increases focus on ‘see now, buy now' strategy
While Thakoon and Tom Ford have
bid farewell to ‘see now, buy now’,
the strategy seems to be working out
exceptionally well for the digitally
forward Rebecca Minkoff. The
company is laying off employees
working on wholesale operations
and hiring people that align better
with its current strategy of building
a seamless e-commerce base. The
restructure will support direct
retail in physical stores and online,
which accounts for 60 per cent of
the business. Rebecca cites a strong
customer loyalty as well as the
exciting experiences they provide via
gutsy marketing initiatives as a big
fuel to their growth. Staying ahead
of the curve, the company also plans
to add more production in Europe
and domestically to counter Trump’s
potential TPP tax code and be able to
design under shorter deadlines.
In an effort to marry social media’s curation features and e-commerce’s
instant shopping ability, Instagram is adding ‘tap to view’ tags with product
details that directly link you to the site to make your purchase. The feature
that made its test debut in November to just 20 brands is now poised to place
Instagram at the centre of retail marketing and will significantly boost brand
engagement. Retail insights gathered from the same will also help in
understanding popular product assortments. Instagram’s Director of Product
Marketing Jim Squires
said, “The more posts with
shopping tags in them, the
more likely someone is
to engage, so people are
looking for products and
this experience is helping
them to learn more and
hopefully make those
purchases.”
Instagram expands ‘tap to view' shopping tags
FASHION RESOURCE
AZZARO names MaximeSimoens as its Artistic Director
Celebrating their 50th anniversary,French fashion house Azzaro
has appointed designer Maxime
Simoens as its Artistic Director who will oversee
couture collections, ready-to-wear
and accessories.
With a meritorious education from
Chambre Syndicale de la Couture
and an experience of having worked
at Jean-Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab,
Dior and Balenciaga, he is famous
for bringing fluidity coupled with
perversely architectural silhouettes
as well as working on polarising
contrasts in his work. Simoens
succeeds Arnaud Maillard and
Alvaro Castejón who left in 2016
and will present his first collection
during the Paris Couture Week in
July. Alongside the new role, Simoens
will continue operating his personal
label called M.X Paris, which he just
relaunched as an accessible and
only-menswear brand.
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurating the Advanced Textiles Plant of Welspun India Ltd. at
Anjar, Kutch(Gujarat)
Namit Jain (R), Partner, Kay Jain Processors with Samir Jain, MD of Shraman Inter Knits, Ludhiana – the
company deals in knitting machines
INDUSTRY WIRE
Welspun India establishes its Advanced Textiles Plant
Kay Jain Processors focusing on open width knit fabric
extiles MinisterSmritiTIrani recently inaugurated
the Advanced Textiles Plant
of Welspun India Ltd.,
India’s
leading textile conglomerate at
Anjar, Kutch (Gujarat). With the
inauguration of the plant, Welspun
– placed amongst the largest
home textile manufacturers in
the world – has forayed into new
technologies in its technical
textile business. With an
investment of Rs. 150 crore, the
plant will have unique capabilities
of Spun Lace and Needle Punch
lines which can manufacture
multilayer composites for various
applications. It also invested
Rs. 100 crore in a fully
automated cut and sew unit in
the made-ups segment which has
a capacity of 10 million units per
annum.
This advanced and innovative
technology will provide non-
woven solutions for high-end
udhiana-based Kay JainLProcessors, part of BG Group,
which is solely committed to
quality services for its consumers,
is now venturing into the open
width knit fabric segment which
is gaining huge popularity in
Ludhiana. BG Group is into
knitted fabrics, value added
apparels (menswear) and bed
linens.
The company has almost
completed the process to
install open width compactor
and six chamberstenter
for knitting, dyeing and
finishing process with an
investment of US $ 1 million. The
new setup will be fully operational
in the next few months. Namit
Jain, Partner of thecompany
told Apparel Online, “Wealready
have a setup for the finishing of
tubular fabric, now our focus is
also on open width fabric as its
demand is growing multifold.
We have knitting and complete
processing of the same. I feel that
this is the best time to invest for
future as lean period is the best
time to expand further.”
industrial applications such as
filtration, acoustics, automotive,
fire safety, thermal insulation,
vibration control, noise control,
aerospace, defence and mass
transportation, informed the
company. The group is taking
a leap forward in medical and
advanced textiles.
BK Goenka, Chairman, Welspun
Group, said, “The new facility will
Currently the company has
production capacity of 5,000
kilograms per day (cotton and
polyester cotton fabric) and it will
be 8,000 kilograms per day after
the expansion. The organization
consumes 50 per cent of the total
production of fabrics. Around
60 per cent of its garment
production is for overseas market
enhance our product offerings
and provide cutting-edge
solutions in high-growth areas
such as industrial and defence
applications. They strengthen
Welspun’s position as a global
manufacturer and underline
our commitment to the ‘Make in
India’ initiative as well as the
economic development of the
region and the country at large.”
like US, South Africa, Germany
and Middle East nations such
as Kuwait and Dubai. Most of
its buyers are wholesalers and
importers.
“If things work according
to our planning, I am sure
our business will double in
the next two to three years,”
concludedNamit.
Dutch Blue Fashions adding a new factory
Tirupur-based 25 years old
company, Dutch Blue Fashions,
is moving forward under the
leadership of Seethar Babu, the
Owner. The company is in the
process of adding a newfactory
of 150 stitching machines.Majorly
manufacturing kidswear apart
from some amount of ladieswear,
the company currently has 100
machines and is exporting its
products to Germany and The
Netherlands.
Frank, GM – Production of the
company stated, “We have good
demand from our existing buyers
and we are also adding few new
clients. Construction for the new
factory, built in 2 acres of land, is
complete and has a productionarea
of 24,000 square feet. For this, we
are exploring new technologies/
advanced machines in stitching.”
Vella Sports looking for expansion
Meerut-based Vella Sports is
further expanding its production
capacity, adding in-house socks
manufacturing and also willing to
enter in export. Producing entire
range of sportswear like tees,track
suits and lowers etc., the company
has a strong reach in textilesas
it has its own powerlooms too.
“We are into this industry since
the last 9 years and are known for
our quality. As we areenthusiastic
about the market, we are coming up
with a new plant which will enhance
our capacity in a good way,” told
Ashish Dudeja, Partner of the
company.
The company, currently intothe
domestic market, will explore
overseas opportunitiestoo
as Ashish said that after the
expansion, his organization will
have huge capacities and export
market is full of opportunities. In
long term, it does have plans to
start manufacturing of accessories
like buttons and zippers. Talking
about UP, he added that lack
of electricity and high cost of
electricity are the main concerns for
manufacturers likehim.
Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director
of the Export Promotion Council
for Handicrafts (EPCH) has been
honoured as true champions of the
exhibition industry. Kumar was
honoured with the title ‘The Iron
Man’ of the Exhibition Industry for
2016 during Exhibition Excellence
Awards held on 18 March 2017 at
India Expo Centre & Mart. Many
organisers of the exhibitions and
events and leading service partners
were on the dais to celebrate the
achievements of the year 2016. In
a statement issued by the EPCH,
Kumar said, “Exhibitions and
conventions are the catalysts to an
economy’s growth.”
The Executive Director of
the Council has contributed
immensely towards promotion of
not only the handicrafts sector
but also the exhibition industry by
creating state-of-the art exhibition
infrastructure – India Expo
Centre & Mart at Greater Noida
the world’s largest congregation
of handicrafts exhibitors under
one roof.
EPCH was also declared winner
under the Largest Trade Show
Category and Grand Show Category.
It has been organizing IHGF-Delhi
Fair since its inception in 1994, and
has made significant contribution to
Expressway, that has witnessed
successful organization of Auto
Expo, an annual meeting of Asian
Development Bank, conferences
of CII and Renewable Energy,
apart from its own world’s largest
fair entitled IHGF-Delhi Fair
which has been recognized by
Limca Book of World Records as
the handicrafts trade from India. “It
(IHGF) has not only enabled Indian
exporters in large numbers to
participate in the show and secure
orders but also enabled foreign
buyers to source their requirement
from India at one place, and at
one time under one roof. One of
the most important roles played
by the IHGF has been the increase
in the foreign exchange earnings
beside employment generation for
the sector for the country,” stated
Kumar.
Exhibition Excellence Awards is
India’s only initiative to provide
visibility and recognition to the
Exhibition & MICE (Meetings,
Incentives, Conferences, and
Events) Industry. The event was
supported by the Ministry of
Skill Development & NSIC,
Indian Exhibition Industry
Association, Indian Exhibition
Services Association and Indian
Industries Association.
EPCH honoured with Exhibition Excellence Awards
INDIA CANVAS
Rakesh Kumar, ED –EPCH being declared ‘The Iron Man’ of Exhibition Industry for 2016
Commerce and Industry Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman has launched
the Trade Infrastructure for
Export Scheme (TIES) focused
on addressing the needs of the
exporters. “The focus is not just to
create infrastructure but to make
sure that it is professionally run
and sustained,” said the Minister
while launching the scheme.
There will be an Empowered
Committee to periodically review
the progress of the approved
projects in the scheme and it will
take necessary steps to ensure
achievement of the objectives
of the scheme. She said that the
proposals of the implementing
Textile and apparel industry of
Tamil Nadu is happy with the
State Budget as there is no new
tax, and reasonable amount is
given for infrastructure and
skill development. D Jayakumar,
Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu,
presented the 2017-18 budget in
the Assembly. Welcoming the
move, TEA President Raja M
Shanmugham said that people will
get benefit after implementation of
constituted for this scheme to
be chaired by the Commerce
Secretary. While appraising
the project, the justification,
including the intended benefits
in terms of addressing the
specific export bottlenecks would
be evaluated.
“The scheme would provide
assistance for setting up and the
upgradation of infrastructure
projects with overwhelming
export linkages, like the
border haats, land customs
stations, quality testing and
certification labs, cold chains,
trade promotion centres, dry
ports, export warehousing
agencies for funding will be
considered by an Inter-Ministerial
Empowered Committee especially
the schemes announced in the
budget. “The allocation of
Rs. 2,000 crore for the Tamil Nadu
Infrastructure Development Fund
(TNIDF) would be helpful for the
development of the infrastructure
which is the need of the hour for
the industry,” he added.
The President also welcomed the
allocation of Rs. 150 crore for
the Tamil Nadu Skill
Development Mission to train one
lakh youth
and also intends to seek
assistance from the Government
of India which helps the industry
to recruit the skilled workforce
and pave the way for increasing
the productivity and efficiency.
Besides, Shanmugham hailed
the proposal to strengthen the
single window system in the
Tamil Nadu Industries Guidance
and Export Promotion Bureau
further by making it online
so that investors can get all
approvals expeditiously in a
hassle-free manner at one place.
While noting down the allocation
of Rs. 532 crore for MSME sector
in the budget, Shanmugham
specifically lauded the doubling
of allocation of capital subsidy
to MSME units from Rs. 80
crore to Rs.160 crore which will
be helpful for MSME units in
Tirupur, as more than 80 per
cent of total units in the region
are under MSMEcategories.
If reports are to be believed, then
India’s apparel market is expected
to note a three-fold rise from US
$ 59 billion in 2015 to US $ 180
billion by 2025, while China is also
expected to lead the market atUS
$ 615 billion by 2025, growing at a
compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 10 per cent as compared
to US $ 237 billion in 2015. Indian
apparel market will emerge as the
fastest growing, expanding at a
CAGR of 11.8 per cent, besides the
consumption will also go up.
This has been stated in a global
textile report by Axis Direct – a
brand under which Axis Securities
Limited offers its retail broking
and investment services. Apparel
market in China is expected to
expand at a CAGR of 10 per cent
as compared to US $ 237 billion
in 2015. The report has also
predicted that India and China
may cross Europe and US in terms
of consumption by 2025. India and
China are jointly expected to use
apparel worth US $ 795 billion,
growing by a CAGR of 10 per cent.
NirmalaSitharaman,
Commerce and Industry Minister
and packaging, SEZs and ports/
airports cargo terminuses,” said
Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.
The Central and State agencies,
including Export Promotion
Councils, Commodities Boards,
SEZ Authorities and Apex Trade
Bodies, recognized under the
EXIM policy of Government of
India, are eligible for financial
support under this scheme. The
implementing agencies shall
provide details of the financing
tie-ups for the projects which will
be considered before approval
of the project. Disbursement of
funds shall be done after financial
closure is achieved.
Government launches Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme
TN Budget grants Rs. 2,000 cr. for infrastructure, Rs. 150 cr. for skill development
Indian apparel market to grow three-fold by 2025
D Jayakumar, Finance Minister, TamilNadu
cross India, many apparelAexporters have reasonable share
in the domestic market or are creating
their reach in the domestic arena. In
fact, since the last few years, it has
been a growing trend. On the other
hand, there are few companies who
were earlier into the domestic market
and were working with good brands,
but now they are focusing on overseas
market. Ludhiana based Khanna
Knitwears and Exports is a perfect
example in this regard. More than
4 decades old, this company, having
exposure of working with most of the
top Indian as well as international
brands selling in India, is now totally
into export. Apparel Online talked
about the reasons, difficulties and
achievements of this turnaround with
Sumit Khanna, Second Generation
Director of the company which is 100
per cent EOU as of now.
Taking the legacy of his father further,
Sumit joined business in 1995 and
contributed to the development of his
company by starting work with big
brands and retail chains such
as Wrangler, Benetton, Max, Lifestyle,
Shoppers Stop,Pantaloons,
Big Bazaar and many more. Apart
from this, some amount of export also
began but the core market share of
the company was in these brands.
Currently doing an annual business
of Rs. 19.5 crore, the company has
a production capacity of more than
70,000 and 40,000 pieces of T-shirts
and sweaters per month,respectively.
It started its export business with
Dubai, Muscat and Kuwait, but later
went on to add UK, US and Europe.
Gulf countries do have 50 per cent
share in the company’s export. In
the last three years, the company
has completely converted itself into
exports only. What were the reasons
that pushed Sumit to focus only on
exports? He informed, “We stopped
working in domestic market due
to various reasons like change in
weather, less demand of winterwear,
sourcing of products by brands at
cheaper rates from other countries
and lack of commitment from domestic
buyers. All these things were creating
difficulties for us at every step of our
business which made us change our
focus to export where we had a very
nominal share at that time.”
For Sumit, this shifting was not a
cakewalk, as assumed to be,especially
during 2009 when global recession
was forcing international buyers/
retailers to consolidate. “We had some
experience of export, despite that
things were difficult, especially to find
buyers who can feed us according
to our product specialization. We
approached buying agents/agencies
and supported them with our best
support. We were continuously
participating in sourcing fairs too,”
he added. The challenges were at the
internal level be it in case of timely
delivery, strong quality parameters,
and to overcome these, the company
used 70-80 per cent of its own capacity
and this really worked for them. The
organization also changed its ‘chalta
hai’ mindset to achieve a standard
quality level. Coating was another
issue which it tackled with lesser
margin. “I strongly feel that this is
the better way to work rather than
depending on job work and struggle to
complete big orders compared to one’s
own capacity,” says Sumit. In spite of
facing losses initially, hecontinued
in a strong, consistent way and once
he got the buyers’ ways, there was
nothing which could not be sorted out
anymore.
Now looking back, Sumit feels that
this move was completely in the
right decision and the company is
also moving in the right direction.
“From my experience, I have found
that working with international
clients is much easier than working
with domestic clients. There are
no payment issues and they are
strict to their commitments. Even
payment cycles are better in export.
Better order sizes and less style
experimentation are also something
that we enjoyed in export. Now I have
lesser involvement in my factory
just because of working for export
markets. I and my entire staff learnt
a lot while working for export but in
domestic market, we had earnings
only rather than learning. Most of the
domestic brands are still not working
on things like colour forecast,” he
concluded.
• It is not that we have
absolutely closed the
gates or will not work
for Indian brands/
domestic markets,
but we need strong
commitment and
good price.
• In the exports
domain, we work
with 15 to 18 buyers
and have better
understanding with
them.Even • countries like
Nepal are supplying
to top Indian brands
and Nepalese
workers have better
mindset that helps in
maintaining quality
production.
• Domestic or export
markets are always
buyer-driven but
there is a difference
at the planning level
in both the markets.
ESSENTIALS
K H A N N A K N I T W E A R S A N D E X P O R TS
A Turnaround from Domestic to 100% EOU
Sumit Khanna, Second Generation Director of the company
BEYOND INDIA
Bangladesh Government has
formed a tripartite consultative
council for the readymadegarment
(RMG) sector of the country.
Representatives from workers,
employers and the Government will
be members of the council, who will
be responsible for review of overall
labour situation of the RMG sector
and apprise the Government of the
situation.
This consultative council will
remain valid until further order
of the Government, and will also
advise the Government about
the laws, rules and regulations,
policies and plans relating to the
labour of the RMG sector. The
council, formed to review the labour
An MoU has been signed between
Archroma, a global leader in
colour and speciality chemicals,
and Ethical Affair, a knowledge-
based platform striving to provide
training, skills development and
technical assistance to women
the Commerce Ministry, Home
Ministry, Textile and Jute Ministry,
Foreign Ministry and Labour and
Employment Ministry will represent
the Government side while there
Affair. Women Entrepreneurs will
be provided a tool kit in areas
such as technical know-how
pertaining to textiles from initial
to final stage, international textile
market features, sustainability
development, or understanding cost
and value creation for local and
foreign markets.
situation and its development time
to time in the country’s RMG sector,
will hold meetings at least thrice
annually.
The council will suggest measures
to be implemented for developing
RMG employers-workers relations
and increasing productivity
considering the country’s existing
overall socio-economic situation.
State Minister for Labour and
Employment M Mujibul Haque
and the Ministry’s Deputy
Secretary (Labour) will act as
President and Member Secretary
of the Council. Secretary to the
Labour and EmploymentMinistry
and one representative (Joint
Secretary level and above) from
entrepreneurs in Pakistan textile
industry.
The MoU signed in the port city of
Karachi will allow Archroma to play
a pivotal role in imparting technical
know-how, training and re-training
through active platform of Ethical
will be six representatives each
from different organizations of the
employers and the workers from
the sides of the employers and the
workers.
“Empowering women
entrepreneurs to enter into the
mainstream will certainly add
value coupled with creativity
for the textile industry. Women
are already taking initiatives in
establishing their own businesses
especially in the last five years.
What they presently ask for is
technical training and hands on
experience,” said MujtabaRahim,
CEO of Archroma Pakistan,
in a statement issued by the
organization.
“At Archroma Center of Excellence
in Karachi, women will be able
to learn to apply textile dyes
and chemicals suited for their
purpose. Their innovation can
turn into success stories beyond
expectation,” added Shaheen
Khan, President of Ethical Affair.
Bangladesh Government forms council for RMG sector
Archroma to provide technical expertise to women entrepreneurs in Pakistan
“At Archroma Center of Excellence in Karachi, women will be able to learn to apply textile dyes and chemicals suited for their purpose.”Shaheen Khan, President of EthicalAffair
WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO APPAREL ONLINE?
Please call Customer Service at
82-62-880-880
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?
Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]
‘Human Rights' factor may hold back EU-Vietnam FTA
The European Union (EU) and Vietnam have signed
the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) inDecember
of 2015. However, the European Parliament and
the legislatures of all EU members have still not
approved the agreement for it to takeeffect.
The EU-Vietnam Partnership is based on the respect
of human rights and democratic principles, yet the
FTA is being fast-tracked with hardly any attention
on humanrights.
The Government in Vietnam faces pressure from
European lawmakers to improve its human rights
record, especially with regard to the conditions
existing in garment factories. The dismal working
conditions and low pay have been the cause of labour
agony in many industries – prominent being the
footwear and textile industry.
There are no independent trade unions in Vietnam
and the right to strike is severely restricted, even
prohibited, in many sectors. The majority of workers
in garment sector are women and their condition too
leaves a lot to be desired. The European Parliament
recently sent its Subcommittee on Human Rights on a
fact-finding trip to Vietnam. The committee called on
Vietnamese officials to allow more debate on political
rights and freedom of expression andreligion.
Nearly a year ago, the French group Worldwide
Movement for Human Rights accused the EU of
failing to study the impact that the trade agreement
would have on human rights. Fredrick Burke of
Baker & McKenzie says Vietnam’s FTA with the EU is
not as strong on human rights as theTPP.
The Vietnam Ministry of Industry
and Trade (MOIT) has drafted a new
national technical regulation on
limitation and inspection of content of
formaldehyde and of aromatic amines
derived from azo colourants in textile
products. The new regulation applies
to all textile manufacturers and
importers in the Vietnam market.
Textile products for children under 36
months of age must not contain more
than 30 mg/kg formaldehyde. Textile
products in direct skin contact should
not exceed 75 mg/kg formaldehyde.
The maximum limit of formaldehyde
in textile products without direct
skin contact is 300 mg/kg, while for
The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters
Association (SLAEA) has urged the Sri
Lankan Government to abolish the
Simplified Suspended Value Added Tax
(SVAT) scheme or exempt the apparel
industry from the tax.
According to SLAEA, recent figures
pertaining to FDI were not great
partly due to the fact that the ease of
doing business in the country was bad
as exporters indulged in more bank
borrowings in the short term. It may
be noted that the apparel exporters
were previously exempted from Value
AddedTax.
Though the country could no longer
depend on the apparel exports industry
as countries like Bangladesh which had
cheaper labour were more competitive
in the apparel export sector and
aromatic amines, it is 30 mg/kg. The
content of aromatic amines derived
from azo colourants on textile products
shall be determined in accordance
with ISO 24362-1:2014, Textiles –
Methods for determination of certain
aromatic amines derived from azo
colourants and ISO 24362-3:2014,
Textiles – Methods for determination of
certain aromatic amines derived from
azo colourants or; EN 14362-1:2012,
Textiles – Methods for determination of
certain aromatic amines derived from
azo colourants and EN 14362-3:2012,
Textiles – Methods for determination of
certain aromatic amines derived from
azo colourants.
market, it could on the other hand
capitalize on being internationally
recognized in terms of quality and
delivery, as per Felix Fernando,
Chairman, SLAEA. He emphasized that
the labour would have to be trimmed
down by 20 per cent.
“In terms of products and styles,
it is advisable for us to make more
and more value additions. Factories
may close, yet more revenue must be
earned from the limited number of
factory complexes. Hong Kong has the
hub concept. Sri Lanka too can be a
sourcing hub as buyers have recognized
the open market. Elsewhere, there
must be definite modernization and
industrialization in terms of technology
and machinery. Capital allowances can
be invested in it.
Vietnam Governmentdrafts new technicalregulation on textiles
Sri Lanka apparel industry needs to modernize technology: SLAEA
Regaining in December, will clothing imports by EU maintain the momentum in 2017?
J a n u a r y - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6
Continuing the rise from November, EU’s clothing imports have strongly consolidated in the month of December. The full year import
data is reflecting a rebound in the clothing demand from the EU buyers after the euro has stopped falling from a year earlier. Despite
ups and downs in EU economy throughout 2016 after ‘BREXIT’, Europe managed to continue to be an attractive market for exporters
from the developing countries driven by the reputation and global reach of the European clothing brands. Thus, the year 2017 is
projected to be a positive year as far as clothing imports are concerned which will gain momentum especially due to the rise of
e-commerce shopping.
5.53%
Total Increase in Quantity
0.22%
Total Increase in Value
[The information has been extracted from
EU custom site and further analyzed.]
Global apparel imports by the EU during
Jan.-Dec. 2016
EU’s imports record boost in ladies blouses categoryIn the year 2016, imports of ladies blouses by EU registered growth of
10.45% in volumes, while value was up by 1.87%. During the review period
India, Bangladesh and Vietnam also registered positive trend in the export of
ladies blouses to EU.
India and Vietnam keep on growing in legwear exports to EUYear-on-year, exports of legwear by Vietnam registered commendable growth
of 166.05% in volumes, while values were up by a massive 61.48%. India too
recorded gains of 29.09% in value and 36.51% in volume during period.
1
2
EXPORT STATISTICS
Quantity
6.56%
Value
0.26%
Quantity
4.22%
Value
0.18%
Change in Woven
Apparel imports of the EU: Selected Countries (Qty in mn Kg & Value in mn Euro)
Percentage Decrease in UVR
4.98%
Average UVR in 2016 was Euro
17.33 per kg of fabric equivalent
Change in Knitted
Country/Category
Jan.-Dec. 2015 Jan.-Dec. 2016
% increase /decrease
Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value
WORLD
Knitted 2474.89 40332.95 2637.26 40439.05 6.56 0.26
Woven 1952.67 40440.55 2035.08 40515.25 4.22 0.18
Total 4427.57 80773.50 4672.33 80954.29 5.53 0.22
CHINA
Knitted 899.89 13996.95 912.78 12861.64 1.43 -8.11
Woven 859.49 15966.01 860.59 14847.57 0.13 -7.01
Total 1759.38 29962.96 1773.37 27709.21 0.80 -7.52
INDIA
Knitted 148.71 2567.45 161.27 2598.63 8.45 1.21
Woven 98.20 2566.15 100.06 2529.08 1.89 -1.44
Total 246.91 5133.59 261.33 5127.71 5.84 -0.11
BANGLADESH
Knitted 623.64 8054.90 695.82 8612.19 11.58 6.92
Woven 352.16 5664.82 395.99 6256.93 12.45 10.45
Total 975.80 13719.72 1091.81 14869.12 11.89 8.38
SRILANKA
Knitted 47.81 932.75 54.35 881.08 13.69 -5.54
Woven 28.69 657.02 24.55 576.75 -14.43 -12.22
Total 76.50 1589.77 78.90 1457.84 3.14 -8.30
PAKISTAN
Knitted 88.13 964.36 99.76 1078.87 13.20 11.87
Woven 91.27 1317.19 99.26 1378.43 8.76 4.65
Total 179.40 2281.55 199.02 2457.30 10.94 7.70
VIETNAM
Knitted 38.59 791.69 42.59 915.42 10.36 15.63
Woven 86.20 2013.07 88.79 2079.92 3.01 3.32
Total 124.79 2804.76 131.38 2995.35 5.28 6.80
Men’s shirts export by China tumbles both in volume and valueChina registered downfall in exports in men’s shirts category to the
EU. Decrease in values was recorded by (-) 16.62% while volume
was down by (-) 11.24%. During the period, India too registered
downfall of (-) 4.08% in value while volume fell by (-) 1.28%.
EU registers rise in its import of trousersEU noted increase in trousers import in volume which witnessed a
rise of 5.23%, whereas values rose by 1.17% during the period
under review. India, Bangladesh and Vietnam contributed positive
data to EU, though China was down in its export of the same.
Ladies dresses: A surging export category for BangladeshContinuing the positive trend, ladies dresses export by Bangladesh to
EU witnessed yet another notable response. Values during the
review period were up by 35.11% while volumes saw an increase by
39.88%.
Vietnam sees growth in undergarments export to EUUndergarments export to EU heightened from Vietnam as the
country noted upswing in its value by a solid 64.28%, while the
volume too saw an increase by 56.72% year-on-year.
India’s babies wear export to EU strengthensIndia noted surge in its babies wear exports to EU as value-wise
India was up by 14.36%, while in volume, the rise was by 25.23%
during the review period.
Bangladesh rises in its jackets & blazers exports to EUBangladesh saw an increase in its jackets & blazers exports to EU in
both value and volume. The country registered 32.59% growth in
volume, whereas values were up by 33.10%.
3
4
5
6
7
8
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Dec. 2016 (Qty in mn kg)
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Dec. 2016 (Value in mnEuro)
APPAREL TYPE
Total Imports byEU
Exports toEU
China India Bangladesh Vietnam
2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change
BabiesWear 118.10 123.28 4.39 51.63 47.97 -7.10 15.19 19.02 25.23 28.45 29.82 4.79 1.14 1.16 1.17
Foundation Garments
52.66 53.35 1.31 33.81 33.02 -2.34 0.28 0.33 15.35 4.39 5.57 27.01 1.33 1.58 18.47
Jackets &Blazers 115.84 124.14 7.17 62.80 65.48 4.27 2.19 2.57 17.72 7.50 9.94 32.59 9.56 9.64 0.90
Ladies Blouses 103.86 114.71 10.45 31.44 34.66 10.24 20.40 22.80 11.77 13.31 15.99 20.17 4.80 5.12 6.57
Ladies Dresses 154.60 167.78 8.53 63.60 65.13 2.40 20.21 20.28 0.32 13.63 19.07 39.88 4.02 4.69 16.68
Ladies Skirts 46.96 45.97 -2.11 16.61 17.49 5.26 4.17 3.40 -18.37 6.96 7.03 1.09 1.52 1.53 0.39
Legwear 185.85 200.39 7.83 94.82 102.96 8.59 1.63 2.22 36.51 1.97 1.97 -0.05 0.26 0.69 166.05
Men's Shirts 271.44 270.09 -0.50 51.78 45.96 -11.24 24.83 24.51 -1.28 101.24 107.35 6.03 10.95 11.06 1.03
Nightwear 153.14 159.61 4.23 66.22 65.89 -0.49 25.27 27.20 7.62 22.28 25.47 14.30 3.10 2.59 -16.44
Suits /Ensembles 45.70 46.16 1.01 27.54 26.42 -4.09 1.88 1.83 -2.54 2.16 2.69 24.63 0.66 0.56 -14.90
Sweaters 558.56 596.01 6.71 230.15 232.59 1.06 12.64 12.79 1.21 150.49 172.01 14.30 7.58 7.46 -1.70
Trousers 1052.50 1107.51 5.23 302.96 288.19 -4.87 37.29 40.60 8.87 299.40 338.05 12.91 33.19 34.61 4.28
T-Shirts 571.35 591.44 3.52 73.83 68.71 -6.93 48.36 51.22 5.92 258.07 275.23 6.65 6.42 6.85 6.56
Undergarments 102.36 109.67 7.14 46.46 47.17 1.53 14.73 15.63 6.11 17.69 21.15 19.56 0.99 1.56 56.72
APPAREL TYPE
Total Imports byEU
Exports toEU
China India Bangladesh Vietnam
2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change
BabiesWear 2413.66 2444.13 1.26 1067.82 951.99 -10.85 348.39 398.42 14.36 497.38 518.49 4.24 28.14 26.77 -4.89
Foundation Garments
1882.60 1868.00 -0.78 985.14 921.53 -6.46 18.17 18.76 3.27 160.67 187.28 16.56 67.00 89.52 33.62
Jackets &Blazers 2740.49 2753.79 0.49 1278.21 1199.15 -6.19 57.88 62.01 7.14 121.46 161.66 33.10 207.89 215.90 3.86
Ladies Blouses 3208.69 3268.70 1.87 949.68 899.41 -5.29 679.04 692.52 1.99 300.35 342.04 13.88 105.99 109.00 2.84
Ladies Dresses 4256.63 4333.88 1.81 1790.73 1711.61 -4.42 565.65 544.61 -3.72 213.67 288.69 35.11 91.47 101.12 10.56
Ladies Skirts 1033.48 994.34 -3.79 370.79 350.91 -5.36 95.03 87.24 -8.20 101.57 104.05 2.44 29.30 30.56 4.32
Legwear 1952.09 1994.90 2.19 759.81 749.36 -1.38 21.31 27.51 29.09 21.47 21.36 -0.47 4.88 7.88 61.48
Men's Shirts 5580.14 5348.86 -4.14 1076.85 897.92 -16.62 553.67 531.05 -4.08 1564.68 1607.92 2.76 275.54 283.36 2.84
Nightwear 1797.77 1763.17 -1.92 693.23 618.15 -10.83 321.55 321.83 0.09 258.49 285.67 10.51 28.87 26.94 -6.70
Suits /Ensembles 766.48 716.96 -6.46 310.23 270.95 -12.66 34.30 33.68 -1.81 29.45 33.57 13.97 10.13 10.98 8.34
Sweaters 10417.92 10299.91 -1.13 4594.66 4191.66 -8.77 238.35 225.59 -5.35 2178.74 2357.60 8.21 144.55 144.29 -0.18
Trousers 17356.64 17560.24 1.17 4006.16 3467.57 -13.44 641.26 670.10 4.50 4200.12 4605.29 9.65 618.73 655.16 5.89
T-Shirts 9025.28 8964.99 -0.67 1339.79 1175.17 -12.29 835.92 833.41 -0.30 2954.67 3010.60 1.89 135.26 151.16 11.75
Undergarments 1356.67 1370.39 1.01 510.43 462.70 -9.35 194.26 188.34 -3.05 236.12 279.77 18.49 22.64 37.19 64.28
Quantity Value
0.99%
-12.88%
-11.43%-12.15%
0.49% 0.87%
Pe
rce
nta
ge
ch
an
ge
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-14
Knitted Woven Total
India recorded downfall in its apparel
exports to Japan. Values were down by
(-) 11.30% while volumes fell by
(-) 5.11%, during the review period.
IndiaExports
Continuing the positive trend, the country
witnessed surge in both value (6.03%)
and volume (29.15%) in apparel exports
to Japan. Though value-wise, woven
exports saw decline of (-) 5.17% during
the period under review.
BangladeshExports
During the review period, the country
tumbled by (-) 2.12% in its value-wise
apparel exports to Japan, though exports
in volume terms noted a commendable
surge of 8.07%.
Vietnam Exports
The country stayed on setback mode in
its apparel exports to Japan even at the
end of 2016. Values registered a drop
of (-) 16.48% while volumes were also
down by (-) 1.27% year-on-year.
ChinaExports
Japan Apparel Imports
J a n u a r y - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6
2017: Will Japan be able to beat sluggishness in apparel market…?
All through 2016 Japanese retail consumers weighed the balance
between the short-term stability in their income and the long-term
uncertainty in their economic outlook as the country witnessed
turmoil in global financial markets with the Yen’s recent strength
adding pressure on the market. This resulted in a drop in the value of
clothing imports by 12.15% in the month of December as compared to
the same period in 2015. Also, the sluggish 2016 is linked to
population ageing in the country with many older consumers having
little interest in keeping up with fashion trends and thus buying only as
needed. In addition, mild weather in the month hurt sales of winter
clothes but there are forecasts for an improvement in consumer
spending in the year 2017 with a gain in online clothing retail sales.
RESOURCE CENTRE
were the first
show organisers
to bring
awarenessabout
technical textiles
in Indiaand
also encourage
Indianexhibitors
to go to the
Frankfurt and
the US showsfor
exposure,” adds
Michael.
The company
hadestablished
Techtextil in
2007, with
great success.
Subsequently
the company
launched
Heimtextil India
and Ambiente
India together
and nowis
soon goingto
linktechnical
textiles with Texprocessthrough
the first Texprocess Pavillion@
Techtextil India. “The reasonbehind
launching Texprocess is that there
is a need for an international show
in technology. We are trying to get
international technology here.Our
shows are the right platform forthem
to be positioned in India because the
market is huge,” claimsPriyanka.
Endorsing the view, Veronika adds,
“There was a big demand for a platform
such as Texprocess in India from the
international manufacturers ofsewing
and garment machinery because they
see a rising demand for automation for
moreproductivity.”
With global connects, supported by a
local network, Messe Frankfurt gets
penetration into the markets alongwith
a credibility of getting international
companies to the exhibitingcountry.
This makes them stronger than any
local shows that are organised inIndia.
“Our corestrength is that we can bring
in a combination of local depth with
international network,” says Michael.
The last edition of Techtextil India in
2015 counted 158 exhibitors from 11
countries and over 5,000 trade visitors
from 35countries.
All Techtextil and Texprocess shows
happen after a two years’ cycle,except
in Russia where Techtextilhappens
on a yearly basis. “The big challenge
is how to continually showcase the
dynamic potential of the technical
textile industry and the surrounding
industry? So, we are always looking
for something that creates awareness
and also excites the mind,” reveals
Michael. The new theme for the
upcoming Techtextil at the Frankfurt
show (9-12 May 2017) is ‘Living in
Space,’ which is in cooperation with
the European Space Agency and the
German Aerospace Centre, illustrating
the broad spectrum of applications for
technical textiles with examples from
the aerospace sector. The company
has created an area of 500 sq. metres
dedicated to living in space in terms of
architecture, mobility and civilization.
Apart from this, the company isalso
“Thereasonbehind launchingTexprocess isthatthere isaneed foraninternationalshowin
technology andourcore strength is thatwe canbring inacombinationof localdepth with
international network. The last edition of Techtextil India in 2015 counted 158 exhibitors
from 11 countries and over 5,000 trade visitors from 35 countries.” – Michael Jänecke
eing successful in bringingpeopleBand markets together, Messe
Frankfurt – the leader in the business
of organizing trade shows – has shown
remarkable growth over the last two
decades in India and has come to be
known as the company that creates
platforms for new markets in the
country. With time, India has emerged
as one ofthe fastest growing exhibiting
nations among 139 countries at
Frankfurt fairs, with more than 2,500
Indian manufacturers and scores of
visitors, being present every year. In an
exclusive conversation with Apparel
Online, Michael Jänecke, Director,
Brand Management Technical
Textiles & Textile Processing,
Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH;
Priyanka Pawar, Group Exhibition
Head (Textile and Consumer
shows) Messe Frankfurt Trade
Fairs India Pvt. Ltd.; and Veronika
Maerz, Marketing Director, VDMA
Textile Care, Fabric and Leather
Technologies, share the strategy that
drives theexhibitions.
Globally, Messe Frankfurt conducts
over 50 events for apparel fabrics,
fashions, home textiles, technical
textiles, textile processing and care.
In India, the company currently holds
around 18 events, of which three are
related to the textile industry. It isnow
coming up with the first Texprocess
Pavillion @ Techtextil India (within
Techtextil India) from 13-15 September
2017. “India is a booming market and
the idea behind the show is to better
link the Indian technical textileindustry
to the global market,” reveals Michael.
Though, the Indian Government is
supporting investment in the technical
textilessegment
with reduction of import dutiesby
10 per cent on requiredtechnologies,
the marketing efforts have not been
proactive and need support as well.
“Sensing the gap, MesseFrankfurt
Veronika Maerz, Marketing Director,
VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather
Technologies and Michael Jänecke,
Director, Brand Management Technical
Textiles &Textile Processing, Messe
Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Creating global platforms for products and servicesMesse Frankfurt focuses on the growing Indian market fortechnical textiles
TO ADVERTISE
Contact Rani Mahendru+91-11-47390000 (512)
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?
Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]
focusing on complementary programmewith
focus on digital printing and international
innovative apparel shows. “There willbe
adigital textile micro-factory on the floor
at Texprocess in Frankfurt (parallel to
Techtextil) mainly dedicated to the garment
industry,” addsMichael.
The need of the premiere of the Texprocess
Pavilion @ Techtextil India is borne by
the fact that the technical textiles and
processing market in India isgrowing at an
average of 4-5 per cent and while a decade
ago there were hardly 10 companiesin
the segment, now there are 40-50 serious
contenders. “India is on the way of becoming
a major market for technical textiles. The
growth is driven by demand from the user
side and the dependency on technical
textiles for more and more applications,”
avers Michael. For a successful shift
towards technical textiles, the industry
requires technically soundmachineries
and this is where Messe Frankfurt is
trying tofill the gap by bringing in different
technologies on the same platform with the
Texprocess Pavilion. “There is a certain
benefit that all industries get through
Techtextil and Texprocess, being together,”
reasonsMichael.
This is where VDMA takes centre stage,
through its research and development in
Germany and Europe providing a platformto
industries and association to communicate
with each other and to discover new
markets. “You need to process textiles, live
in space or build a digital micro-factory for
which we need technology. This iswhere
the manufacturers of sewing andgarment
technology come in,” informsVeronika.
A major topic that continues to concern
the sector is that ofsustainable production
in the international garment industry,
whether as a resultof state regulation
or consumer and trade demand, leading
sustainability to develop into an important
and growing competitive factor. With the
Blue Competence sustainability initiative
launched by the VDMA, manufacturers of
sewing and garment machinery are showing
that they contribute towards using energy
more efficiently, protecting resources
and reducing costs through continuous
innovations and pioneeringtechnology.
India is a thrust market forMesse Frankfurt
and with support from its local office, the
company is looking at ways to explore the
vibrant market opportunities in the country
to grow… the first Texprocess Pavilion @
Techtextil India is an effort in thatdirection.
ne of the oldest names in industrialO sewing machines and accessories
industry, Hari Chand Anand & Co. (HCA)
has been catering to various industries
such as garment, technical textiles,
upholstery, home furnishings, etc.,
providing the latest and best affordable
automation. In conversation with Apparel
Online, Anil Anand, MD talks about the
changing Indian industry and concerns
surrounding it.
Continuously, the Indian garment and
textile industry is seeing changes, which
can be good for some and bad for others;
and these changes are withered with time
by some of the seasoned players in the
industry such as HCA. Anand is concerned
of how the industry is changing for the
worse, indicating a bleak future. “In India,
the biggest problem is that none of the big
exporters come for local exhibitions, but
they do attend all international exhibitions.
In Bangladesh, each and every boss comes
to see exhibitions and also knows about
the new technology. The big players here
believe it’s below their standard to attend a
domestic exhibition,” assertsAnand.
Dwelling on the reasons behind growing
apathy in the industry, Anil comprehends
it to be partly because of the second or
the third generation coming into business,
who no longer wants to dirty their hands
in labour matters, quality or productivity
issues. Also, there is a shift in focus for
many, who are going the real estate route.
“A majority of players have huge factories
or lands, where they have constructed
multi-storey buildings. When they are
getting similar rent as that of production
why would they want to do hard work?
You cannot run the industry with a remote
control. It requires 24X7 monitoring and apt
decision making. Look at Bangladesh!
It has become the 2nd largest market. When
they started, they were way behind, so if we
don’t think right now, we will be history,”
claimsAnil.
Nonetheless the growing focus towards
the domestic market is providing
a better outlook for India, as
Government initiatives are
encouraging expansions.
“Domestic market is growing and
it has potential to further grow
to the level of export market
today. We are a 1.2 billion people
country, 4 times bigger than
entire Europe and nearing China.
So yes, there is a potential. And
people are spending. Money isnot
an issue anymore. The domestic
market players are exposed to
a lot of foreign brands, so they
understand quality,” maintains
Anil.
As the domestic market is
continuously looking to provide quality
products to its customers it is giving a
rise to latest affordable automation, which
companies like the HCA is providing.
“Everybody is looking at automation; this
is how you can save on labour.Wages
are continuously rising; right now there
has been an increase of 35% in Delhi, but if
you calculate the entire cost, it stands at
52%,” reveals Anil. Though some may be
uncertain regarding the future of the Indian
industry in terms of exports, but for many,
it is surely making the domestic market
more viable for investment, and for many
companies to look beyond just automation
for the bigplayers.
Anil Anand (C), MD, HCA explaining technology to some visitors
HCA believes in domestic future
Concerned about the future of the Indian export industry
ontinuously providing high-endCtechnology and services to top players
in the apparel, home textiles, technical
textiles, arena, leading technology providers
IIGM have come a long way from being
mere suppliers to being partners of growth
to some of the biggest names in the Indian
industry. Having successfully established its
credibility, the company is now shifting its
focus to include also the domestic market, by
providing technological solutions to small-
and mid-levelplayers.
“Consciously we are now realizing and trying
to provide solutions bottom up. The way
things are going today, the domestic market is
appearing very strong in the horizon and ifwe
don’t address the concerns of the small guy
and give him the strength and tools to scale
up, we are missing out on a big opportunity,”
asserts Pavan Kapoor, MD, IIGM. Through
its business partners that range from Zuki,
Yamato, Jack, Gerber, Hashima, etc. the
company offers a range of technology and
solutions to its clients, whether their quantity
is 100 or 10,000 pieces so that the desired
product can be manufactured without
compromising on the quality, in the most
efficient and productiveway.
To communicate its new focus and growing
engagement with mid-level and small
players, the company has revamped its
e-commerce options. “Today you look at
information, it is everywhere; we are in
a Google era. Our new website is like a
repository to the entire industry in terms
of technology that has been beautifully
catalogued and is easy to navigate. Our
salesman cannot go and meetevery
user – both existing and prospective, and
engage with all of them, we want 80 per
cent engagement to be on thee-commerce
platform,” informs Kapoor.
IIGM believes that its knowledge-sharing
website will break its image from a big client
company to an all client one. This shift of
IIGM is linked to what India is witnessing
currently, with many exporters and the
Government as well looking to move inwards
within the country, rather than outwards to
different ones. “Five years ago, if you would
ask an exporter, who wanted to expand,
where was he going, he would say Africa
or Cambodia, etc., but it is not the case
anymore now, as the trend is drastically
coming down. This means he is looking
inwards. To make a categorical statement
that nobody would expand is a foolish thing!
Whoever wants to survive needs to expand,”
states Pavan.
A part of this changing environment is also
spurred by various State Governments’
reforms and initiatives, such as the one
initiated by Orissa, which is the biggest hub
for India in terms of labour. “Various State
Governments are vying for the big boys.
Places like Bhubaneswar saw companies
such as Shahi, Madura moving in, and I am
sure in the next couple of years, a few and
more big names will make some serious
commitments to invest in new regions. For
anything to succeed, an ecosystem needs
to be created, grown and matured. When
these big names move to places such as
Bhubaneswar, they create a little bit of
ecosystem, which benefits small players,
who do not have the resources to move,”
claims Kapoor. With various initiatives by
HRD and the skill development ministry,
places like Bhubaneswar and Jharkhand
are getting recognized, which were earlier
invisible on the map, proving to be a good
option for exporters against places such as
Bangladesh, etc. in terms of cost benefits
as well. “I see everything positive coming
up. Let’s also appreciate that we have a
rapidly growing middle-class. If you are
looking at retail 5 years ago to that of today,
the dynamics are completely different. So
you can see a lot of game changing things
happening in the domestic sector too,”
revealsKapoor.
The Indian industry growth trajectory is
always compared to China; when China
was growing and exporting huge quantities,
it was riding high on domestic as well.
But today the labour wages are so high,
becoming difficult for the export segment
in the country to sustain, thereby seeing
a shift in business to Vietnam,Cambodia,
etc. “Our minimum wages are also growing,
but it has not reached a level where it
will not be sustainable for our garment
industry, especially looking at the Indian
demographics,” believes Kapoor. The
company is upbeat about India’s growing
domestic market and is trying to feed
it with the best automation available at
affordable prices, so that it can compete
with the international market. “When I see
our portfolio today, there is something for
everyone. We realized in our business that
we cannot always aim for the top. That’s
why we are providing economical but best
solutions for the mid- and low-segment,
which are doing very good,” concludes
Kapoor.
Pavan Kapoor, MD, IIGM
IIGM LOOKING TO SERVICE
SMALL- AND MID-LEVELPLAYERS,
DOMESTIC MARKET
HAVE YOUR SAY
Tell us your news by emailing at
BREAKING NEWS
To read the latest sustainability news, go to
http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/
www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 53
n organization that stands forAreliability, quality and technology
in the field of fabric designing, cutting,
sewing, CAD/CAM and finishing,
Turel Group of companies have been
dedicatedly delivering automation
combined with the flexibility to meet
challenges not just in the international
market, but also in domestic arena.
Over the years, the company has
grown into a reliable one-stop shop
for garment engineering machineries
and solutions, while analysing the
customer’s specific needs and offering
them a comprehensive package.
With its deep-rooted strategy in
catering to both domestic and
international market for a very long
time, the company is witnessing a shift
from export market being sceptical in
making an investment in automation
to when the domestic market is
looking at upgrading its technology
and focusing on further investment.
“Local people want to invest money.
They are fed up with labour, that’s
why they are looking at optimization
at an affordable price. More than
just purchase of machines they are
looking not just at after-sales service
but services beyond that as well. If you
are giving them an automatic machine
and they don’t know how to use them,
the optimization has no meaning and
they will not get the desired results,”
reveals Viraf Turel, MD, EHTurel
& Co. The company goes one step
beyond from the usual installation
and is providing warranty for the
machine to train the operators and
also the people using the machinery to
optimize its full potential.
In order to know themselves fully
about the machine, the company sends
its technician so that he learns while
the machinery is getting prepared
and consequently passes on the
knowledge to others. “So, he knows
the inside of the machines and when
the machine comes over here, he is
ready to train the other technicians
and operators as well. We have a
lady garment engineer who trains the
operators primarily for the reason
that she can sit comfortably with all
the women operators and can teach
them how to use the machinery,”
informs Viraf. Being among the niche
companies and the first ones to bring
automation in India, it focuses on
imparting knowledge through talk
shows and various trainings. Apart
from this, the company works along
with its customers in terms of their
requirements, and recently one of the
company’s customer asked for a fully
automatic machine for making bullet
proof jackets.
The company’s complete range of
products include CAD systems, cutting
room, fusing, sewing, finishing, etc.,
from high-end European technology
and also Chinese technology, thereby
maintaining a balance between high-
end and mid-segment automation.
“We substitute between Chinese and
European counterpart as high-end
cannot provide you all the solutions.
Probably they don’t want to be
associated with a certain variety of
products, etc. That’s why we go into
mid-level machineries. We have to give
the customer what he wants and not
what I have. We have to judge which
would be the right technology that the
customer wants and what his pocket
allows,” asserts Viraf. The company
has new machineries from Chinese
innovation leaders Typical and is
focusing further on bonding and laser
through various testing where they
are analysing how laser can support
heavy duty products and garmenting,
aswell.
Continuously progressing in terms
of its products and services,the
company believes in the ‘Make in India’
movement, and is currently focusing on
manufacturing on a small scale which
it further wants to expand. “My niche is
automation. But I am quite capable of
doing something more than what I am
doing,” informsViraf.
Going forward as the Indian industry
moves further towards automation
and to compete in the international
market, Viraf concludes, “The industry
progression is such that we Indians
react very fast. If there is slight
disturbance, we get into our shell. But
with the younger generation coming,
the business views are changing and
also with various states providing
reforms and initiatives, it is a bighelp.”
Neville Turel (left), Sales & Marketing Head with his father Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group
Turel GroupAutomation the way forward for Indian Industry
RESOURCE CENTRE
We have to give the customer what he wants andnot what I have. We have to judge which would be the right technology that the customer wants and what his pocket allows.Viraf Turel, MD, EH Turel & Co.
oida-based Find AgenciesN Private Limited (FAPL),
an almost three-decade old
company, is eyeing market
expansion for which it
is exploring the US and
Scandinavian market. FAPL,
a sister concern of FrancisWacziarg Group of companies,
is currently working mostly
with France, which contributes
around 75 per cent of its total
business and rest of the 25 per
cent is from countries like Italy,
Finland, Spain, UK and Australia.
Aristide Samuel, Director of the
company informed, “Despite the
down sentiments in Europe, we
are doing well and have added
new clients in our buyers’ list.
Exploring US and Scandinavian
countries is good option to grow
further, as these two regions
are doing relatively well. We are
expecting growth of 20-25 per
cent for the next fiscal year.”
The company is currently sourcing
home and lifestyle products
including leather garments,
footwear and fashion accessories.
Having its foot prints in 11 major
production locations and 6 offices
across the country, adds an edge
to the company in comparison
of its competitors. It has niche
clientele, including hypermarkets
and supermarkets, department
stores, textile and giftware
importers, international designers,
well known brands and boutiques.
Aristide shared that apart from
international scenario, high
cotton price is also a concern. “To
fulfil the customer’s stringent
demands, we are trying to
consolidate business with
factories who are able to meet the
requirement in terms of quality,
pricing, social compliance,
organization’s collection and
pro-activeness,” He further
added that at the moment, most
of the customers have reduced
their quantities in general but
at the same time increased
the number of stock keeping
units (SKUs). “This is very
challenging for our teams who
needs to negotiate better with the
factory while understanding the
technical feasibility of the specific
product, since our job is all about
details, we have to be extremely
careful when the work load
increases as we cannot afford to
make any mistake. We have in
place ERP system to monitor each
and every order which have been
accepted by FAPL. This system
helps to a great extent and alerts
you with the pending activities,”
added Aristide Samuel.
The company keeps on adding
new vendors from time to time,
depending on their designs
and commercial abilities, but
currently, its major concern is
social compliance and they are
moving towards it judiciously.
“Compliance is a process wherein
we keep on looking for better ways
to protect the health, safety and
fundamental rights of employees,
and to enhance the community
and environment in which they
operate,” underlined Aristide.
‘Find Agencies’ looking for new and potential markets
Aristide Samuel, Director, Find Agencies
Private Limited(FAPL)
EYES & EARS