fashion brand analysis

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4 Apparel Online India | JULY 16-31, 2016 | www.apparelresources.com

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World Wrap

Fashion Business

Value Addition

Tex-file

Sustainability

CONTENT Vol. XIX ISSUE 8 JULY 16-31, 2016

US retail sales soar; backed by strong domestic demand Despite a slowdown in job creation and rising gasoline prices, US retail sales are constantly on an increase as Americans are spending more money, spurring economic growth.... p12 Dress-over-pants: Fashion

or Faux Pas! Dress-over-pants…, seems like a complete out of the box concept, but is gaining immense popularity with designers lately... p32

Fabulous Fasteners! Traditional garment fasteners become trendy value additions in S/S ’17…! p36

KG Fabriks soaring through the sustainable way... p22

AIDER NGO: Pro-industry with the vision of overall welfare of workers In the past year, NGOs related to the textile and garment industry have been attacking the industry on several fronts without actually adding any value to a worker’s life… p14

Hot TopicDoes ‘Make in India’ have the punch to attract investments in apparel manufacturing?

FFT TRENDSResort 2017: Moving away from athleisure Look ahead not that far into the distance and you’ll see that next Summer’s fashion trends are already breaking. Designers have presented their Resort collections, telling us what clothes we would want to wear when this Winter’s over, but next Spring hasn’t quite started... p29

H2FAfter ‘special package’ for apparels, home textiles segment hopes for same After the recent announcement of a ‘special package’ for the apparel export industry by the Ministry of Textiles, stakeholders in made-ups and home textiles segment are also lobbying for a similar package... p26

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www.apparelresources.com | JULY 16-31, 2016 | Apparel Online India 7

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The appointment of Smriti Irani as the Textiles Minister makes me very happy. I just hope that she will be the same fiery Smriti Irani we all know from her eventful tenure as the HRD Minister.

Coming very close on the heels of the ‘special package’ announced by the Union Cabinet for the apparel industry, I sincerely wish that the industry will finally get its due recognition through a combination of firebrand leadership and timely policy interventions including some relaxations in labour laws.

The announcement indicates that finally two things have been clearly understood by the Government – first, the enormous capability of the garment sector to generate employment; and the other is that the apparel export sector is not to be clubbed together with handloom or seen as separate from spinning and weaving.

I am sure that many delegations visiting her must be giving her their perspectives on ‘priorities’… I too would like to put down some very basic ground realities that can determine the future of this industry and the entire textile supply chain under her tenure.

It is important that garmenting remains the focus for development and incentives, only because it is at the end of the value chain, and true realization of the textile industry can come only through garmenting…, both in domestic and export segments, which has a transcending effect of value to all the links in the value chain. This is the first time the Commerce Ministry has understood the industry in totality.

Too much emphasis is being put on supporting the handloom sector in terms of both financial and bureaucratic focus. There is nothing wrong in it; we need to support the huge number of artisans to retain the craft and its popularity as much as possible, but it is never going to be an export focus and therefore never an employment generation tool… All incentives given to this sector are used to sustain workers upholding traditional crafts, which I think should continue but the ground reality is that the next generation of artisans is not keen to continue as it is not profitable; the focus has to shift to garmenting for more employment generation.

Man-made fibre is today the preferred choice in garmenting world over, mostly because of ‘comfort’ quotient, and cotton too is now being seen in the same way… Handlooms do not fit into the mass demand pattern of international buyers and there is only so much we can do to encourage them to look at handlooms...

Another important point that the new Minister needs to consider is that small incentives are good for sustenance but if we want the industry to really grow in leaps and bounds, then India has to seek trade agreements with core countries, losing competitiveness by 19 to 20% just because import duties are too big a gap to fill with small incentives.

And the last point I would like to make is a reiteration of my last editorial that the industry has to look out for ways to relocate to smaller cities and regions that could be developed for garmenting. ‘Skill India’ is a fantastic idea, but if the management and its managers don’t want to move to the interiors where the labour resides, then what have we achieved… No one in this industry is big enough to create a township to support its staff like the Tatas, and Modis did…, it has to come from the Government. Once the infrastructure is in place…, industry will follow!

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK… EDITORIAL TEAMEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deepak Mohindra

EDITOR Ila Saxena

COPY EDITOR Veereshwar Sobti

ASST. COPY EDITOR Sahil Sehgal

ASST. EDITOR-NEWS Dheeraj Tagra

ASST. EDITOR Neha Chhetri

SR. CORRESPONDENT-TEXTILES Sanjogeeta Ojha

SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION Kalita Lamba

SR. EXECUTIVE-ADVERTISING D K Chugh

CREATIVE TEAM Raj Kumar Chahal Peeush Jauhari Satyapal Bisht Deepak Panwar

PHOTO EDITOR Himanshu Kumar

OPERATION DIRECTOR Mayank Mohindra

PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Renu Mohindra

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It is being claimed that the recently announced ‘Special Package’ of Rs. 6,000 crore has changed the sentiments of Indian apparel export industry. Though the fine print is yet to come out of the same, what is your first take on it…? Will this ‘package’ make you cost-competitive…; do you have any apprehension about it? Do you feel that home furnishing should have been included in the package? Kindly elaborate your view on it.

MIND TREE

Most of the time apparel export fraternity claims that there is no proper flow of information from Government side, be it regarding policies, notification or any other such information, as a result several exporters are unable to take advantage of many of the schemes announced time-to-time. The condition is almost the same in every manufacturing hub, be it about the Central Government or any State Government. Why there is a communication gap between Government and industry…, and what is the solution for the same?

N E X T M I N D T R E E Q U E S T I O NP O S T Y O U R C O M M E N T S

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Q-and-A

PMS Uppal, MD, Pee Empro, Faridabad

This step of the Government is in the right direction. I must say that India needs some strong support in terms of fabric import as still Indian exporters depend on imported fabric which is almost 80 per cent of our use. India’s fabric basket is limited and we can’t explore only in cotton or some blends. As market is becoming more and more price-sensitive, this is the area where we are lacking.

Ratnesh Malhotra, Director, BLM Clothing, Gurgaon

This is a very positive step and I really appreciate it. Especially support in regard to bearing the 12 per cent of the employee’s contribution for new employees for first 3 years, is impressive. I must say that fine print of this package will clear the complete picture, particularly on the issue of duty drawback which will be interesting to see.

Zahir Sait, Director, International Trading Company, Tirupur

One must acknowledge that labour cost is high in India and recent cotton crop has failed. In recent days price of one candy of cotton has increased by Rs. 2,500, and there is 30 per cent hike in yarn price so this package is like the need of the hour. It will make us cost-effective to some extent.

Shiv Bhargava, MD, Viraj Exports, Noida

It is a welcome move. I have no apprehension about the package but definitely know about its execution and its reach to smaller exporters. All the stakeholders of our industry have to make sure that the advantages of this package should not be fetched only by big or selected exporters as they have better reach within the Government and councils.

Rakesh Kumar, ED, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

The package really deserves appreciation and is quite good; I don’t think there is any reason for apprehension about it. TEXPROCIL is working actively on the issue of home furnishing industry. Whereas our handicraft industry is concerned, we are quite satisfied as it is doing well and Government too supports it from time to time.

K.N. Viswanathan, VP., Indian Cotton Federation/Director, C. Jayantilal & Co, Coimbatore

The package is a welcome move and everybody must be happy with it. Despite being for cotton/textile segment only, we are as happy as any garment exporter will be from this package. As garment exporters will be cost-competitive, they will grow and more fabric will be consumed. In this way

the entire supply chain will be strengthened. It will have positive impact on textile segment too; vertical mills will also be benefited. In fact this package will fill those gaps which were hurting the industry.

Fiona, Founder, Kayef Stitching Project, Pushkar

We are a small company and have not heard much about it. Once we get the complete information or official details, we will be able to comment on it. Meanwhile, it is good that the Government is concerned about the industry and giving some benefits.

M. Shankaran, DGM – Garments, Gainup, Tirupur

Due to this package, Tirupur will grow more as a cluster and will generate more and more employment. We are expecting at least one million more jobs in our cluster in next 3 years.


US Retail Sales Soar Backed by strong domestic demand

In contrast to various markets such as China, Japan or Europe that are

showing stagnant growth, the US is re-emerging from the global financial crisis it faced a few years ago and getting on its feet faster and stronger. This positive change is being seen in retail sales and in April 2016 the sales at most retailers jumped more than anticipated, clearly indicating that the US economy is on its road to recovery. As per Commerce Department figures, purchases climbed 1.3 per cent, the biggest gain since March 2015, whereas the median forecast of 82

economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a 0.8 per cent gain. Data further hints at steady build-up inflation pressures, with import prices recording their largest increase in just over four years in May as a push from a strong dollar and lower oil prices fades. Also, another report by the Labour Department reveals that the import prices have increased 1.4 per cent, the largest rise since March 2012, after advancing 0.7 per cent in April. Michael Feroli, an Economist at JP Morgan reveals, “As has been the case in the prior

two years, the modest first quarter disappointment in consumer spending now appears to be a short-lived soft patch.”

This increase is led by healthier household finances that reflect reduced borrowing and increased saving which in turn is helping consumers to withstand rising gas prices and moderate job growth. The positive growth is showcased as 11 out of 13 major retail categories showed increase, including automobile, grocery stores, online merchant, etc. whose sale rose most in almost two

Despite a slowdown in job creation and rising gasoline prices, US retail sales are constantly on an increase as Americans are spending more money, spurring economic growth. As growth

in various other markets continue to remain slow, all eyes are back on the US as it rises to the top of the fashion industry’s list of happening markets.

R E TA I L E R S E Y E U S D U E T O E C O N O M I C R E C O V E R Y

US economy is on its road to recovery. As per Commerce Department’s figures, purchases climbed 1.3 per cent, the biggest gain since March 2015.

WORLD WRAP


build up their network of stores in Asia, where there is no more need to expand aggressively, and moving part of that investment to the US.

Nonetheless in terms of luxury, US is still an under-penetrated market as it has 30 per cent of the world’s high net worth individuals, people having more than US $ 1 million in liquid assets and nearly a quarter of global GDP but consumes less than a fifth of the world’s personal luxury goods. Also, due to its appeal as a tourist destination with hubs such as New York, Las Vegas, Miami, LA, etc. the US has a strong impact around the world. Though a strong US dollar is helping to boost domestic consumption of imported luxury goods but this may on the contrary have a negative impact on

tourist sales. Still, last year’s 1.8 million Chinese tourists alone spent US $ 21.2 billion while in the US, a lot of which was from shopping. Many brands are either opening more stores or are establishing a stronger presence in US, such as Uniqlo that now operates an e-Commerce platform and nearly 40 stores in the US and plans to open more, while Inditex owned Zara has invested in a 4,400 sq. ft. flagship store in New York’s Soho, and plans to open more stores in Las Vegas, San Diego, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and the US territory of Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, even as US sales soar, riding on economic recovery, consumers are still looking at value for money and brands that they can connect with. As US retail sales rise more than the forecast, focusing on consumer spending that is helping the economic growth, brands and retailers are seeing US as the land of the best opportunities for growth, but it still remains to be seen who will be able to tap it to its full potential.

THIS INCREASE IN DOMESTIC SALES IS LED BY HEALTHIER

HOUSEHOLD FINANCES THAT REFLECT REDUCED

BORROWING AND INCREASED SAVING WHICH IN TURN IS

HELPING CONSUMERS TO WITHSTAND RISING GAS PRICES

AND MODERATE JOB GROWTH.

years. Also core sales, i.e. the figures that are used to calculate gross domestic product and which exclude categories such as autos, gasoline and building materials, advanced to 0.9 per cent, the most since March 2014 after a revised 0.2 per cent increase in March. The household spending that makes up 70 per cent of the economy is projected to advance at a 2.6 per cent annualized pace in the three years ending in June after a 1.9 per cent gain in the first quarter. The economists further reveal that based on May’s broad increase in retail sales, consumer spending in the second quarter was growing between 3-4 per cent annualized rate.

As a result, the Atlanta Fed raised its second quarter GDP growth estimate by three-tenths of a percentage point

to a 2.8 per cent rate as the economy was growing at a 0.8 per cent rate in the first quarter. Strong domestic demand and sales is helping businesses reduce an inventory projection, which though is a deterrent to GDP growth in the short-term but nonetheless would give businesses room to order more goods from factories in the future, leading to a boost in production. In May, the retail sales buoyed by 0.5 per cent increase in auto sales, even as Americans also bought clothing and spent on online purchases.

Increasingly as the economic growth in China continues to slow, a resurgent America is expected to grow by 6 per cent in the five-year period from 2013 to 2018, finding favour amongst many retailers. According to industry experts a strong US dollar will allow European luxury goods companies to export more into America and the translation effect will create a positive boost for revenues, domestic demand and margins. Many brands are reacting to this strong US market by reallocating some of the investment that they made in the past years to

WORLD WRAP


Unlike many NGOs, AIDER is pro-industry from day one

because Virender has closely seen the industry and knows the importance of positive attitude. Completely against unionism and negativity, he wants to solve the issues of the industry by coming forward positively rather than having strikes and lockouts. “We don’t want that business should suffer. It is sad that some NGOs are causing loss to the industry as they are coming up with few sensational news/reports,” he says. He emphasizes that all suffer by targeting exporters, including the workers and that should deter any

NGO from taking the route of conflict rather than discussion and negotiation.

The urge to support workers’ welfare was ignited within Virender when as a Country Head of Crown Group in Bangladesh, in the year 2000, he witnessed the pathetic conditions of workers there due to low wages. He pushed all his 49 vendors to enhance CSR efforts for the workers and started focusing on medical camps so that the workers could be more aware about their health; similarly he insisted on the proper education of their children. After returning to India, Virender worked with Weavetex Overseas, Baghpat (in Uttar Pradesh) and

SUSTAINABILITY

AIDER NGOPro-industry with

the vis ion of overall welfare of workers

In the past year, NGOs related to the textile and garment industry have been attacking the industry on several fronts without actually adding any value to a worker’s life… In this scenario, it is hard to find NGOs having ʻpositiveʼ attitude towards the industry and working on the ground level to improve the life of workers and their families too. AIDER (All India Development for Education and Rehabilitation) is one such NGO which is active in many ways from the last 7 years with the vision of overall welfare of the workers and growth of the industry. Brain child of Virender Kumar Jha, who has experience of almost two decades in garment exports in India as well as Bangladesh, AIDER is supported by few apparel exporters of Delhi-NCR. Having a total team of 25 members, Virender is running three centres in Delhi-NCR and moving forward in the endless journey of welfare, improvement and growth.

Playschool/Day care centre in Molarband (Delhi) with all facilities is being run by AIDER with the support from NEXT Sourcing Inc. Slum schools is another way to help workers educate their children

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successfully tackled labour union problems in the company. These things pushed him to do more for the workers and he started full-fledged as an NGO in 2009 with his own savings. He remembers, “At that time due to worldwide recession there was retrenchment and many units were shut down, so we managed to provide employment to the workers in some other segments in other states as at that time domestic apparel industry was not so much impacted. Initially, funding was also a problem but I managed with my own will power. After two years when the industry saw the positive work that was happening on the ground level, some exporters and industry friends came forward to support the initiative. Now after 7 years, almost 10,000 workers and their family members have benefited with our collective efforts.”

Running support centres in Udyog Vihar, Phase 3, Kapashera and Molarband (Delhi), the AIDER also has a setup of 100+ modern stitching machines where training is being provided. It has trained

almost 4,000 people at the training centre in Kapashera in various programmes and most of them are working in garment factories like Richa Global, Modelama Exports, Birbal International, and few others. AIDER also organizes seminars in various factories, provides self-defence training, legal help and worker engagement programmes, and even does counselling whenever it is called upon to maintain peace and good environment. “We believe in the overall welfare and upliftment of worker’s life so we have focus on the education of their children, be it basic schooling or computer education, employment opportunities for the wives of garment workers and that too as per their convenience and interest like if they want to become tailors like their husbands or want to do handwork sitting at home, simultaneously the focus is also on the worker’s health and we regularly organize health check-up camps. Some of the workers were facing deadly diseases; TB is

a very common problem found in workers. To support all these things we also created SHG (Self Help Group) for women,” he adds.

For further improvement and to face challenges, Virender is very clear as he looks at things in two perspectives, industry as a whole and some selected area-based issues. He strongly feels, “Different layers of management, be it top level or middle level, still require professionalism and education. One has to understand and accept that there is no place for abusive language, no matter who is interacting with whom, and whatever the conditions are. Even the lowest person in the hierarchy rank too deserves respect, and is concerned for the same. The management has to also restrain and control its temperament as there is no other way to take the relations forward; small incidents in factories do create huge problems. Workers just need reasonable amount and respect. On the other hand, areas like Kapashera requires a lot of attention as unhygienic conditions prevail there and which is one of their main concerns. This particular place doesn’t even have a proper toilet system and those available are very few…, so workers are forced to live there in very difficult conditions.” The NGO runs several programmes for cleanliness and awareness in such areas.

SUSTAINABILITY

“The HR cost has soared but the people are very efficient and effective. Once people realize that they belong to a sustainable profession where no one is faking and cheating, the engagement will be even more.” – Sri Hari Balakrishanan, Founder Director, KG Fabriks p22

“Yes…, most of the NGOs work in the apparel export sector rather than domestic as they target the international buyers and get funds. But our initiatives are not limited only to the workers of export units; we don’t accept foreign funding, nor will we do in future. Rather than having cash, we prefer working as their CSR partner. Some of the big companies do support us in apparel and other industries.”

– Virender Kumar Jha

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Stitching training centre of AIDER has more than 100 machines where many local workers are trained to be employed in the garment industry

Virender Kumar Jha (third from left) with his team, who together support workers to make their life more meaningful

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SUSTAINABILITY

The Better Work Vietnam, a partnership programme between the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has launched a new Labor Law application for smartphone, to improve labour standards in the Vietnamese apparel industry. Currently available in both English and Vietnamese, the app gives users’ access to the 4th edition of the Labor Law Guide, together with a range of other interesting features both for factory personnel and industry partners.

Apart from this the app also contains an interactive quiz to test a person’s knowledge of the law,

not only help factories to better understand the law and ensure compliance, but also educate outside users on the situation of factories and the compliance challenges faced in the industry.

“We hope the app will be a valuable reference for factory managers, HR officers and compliance staff, as well as buyers and vendors with sourcing interests in Vietnam,” informs Better Work Vietnam.

as well as a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section featuring some of the most common legal questions asked by factories. By bringing Vietnamese law to employers and workers’ fingertips, the app will

Since last year the Swedish apparel retailer KappAhl has increased the proportion of its sustainable fashion range to 38 per cent from 24 per cent, which is up by 60 per cent. According to the retailer’s sustainability commitments all its cotton garments will be sustainably produced by 2020. Currently, all its cotton clothing in its men’s shirts and children’s collection Kaxs and the whole baby collection, Newbie is sustainably manufactured.

“Our ambitious sustainability work has produced results. The goal is for our share of sustainable fashion to continue increasing every year. More sustainable garments in the customers’ closet, is a priority for KappAhl and is the only possible way forward to create a sustainable business as sustainability and profitability are two sides of the same coin,” reveals Danny Feltmann, CEO, KappAhl.

‘Better Work' launches Labor Law app in Vietnam

Levi's and Evrnu partner for breakthrough environment-friendly jeans

KappAhl increases its range of sustainable fashion

of cotton and eliminating waste by breathing new life into used clothing. The first prototype, in the form of a pair of iconic Levi’s 511 jeans, represents a future where textile waste would be reduced considerably and cotton garments could be continually regenerated to create a more sustainable world.

“As a company, we still drive for profitable growth; but it is

Recently, the textile technology start-up Evrnu and global jeanswear brand Levi’s Strauss & Co. have announced the creation of the world’s first jeans made from regenerated post-consumer cotton waste. Using a patent-pending recycling technology, discarded consumer waste has been converted into a renewable fibre resulting in the extended life

responsible, not negligent growth. By encouraging better garment care practices and long-term ownership, along sustainable technologies like Evrnu, we hope to resolve some of the tension that obviously exists between growth and sustainability, confirms Paul Dillinger, Vice-President of product innovation, Levi Strauss & Co. Further Stacy Flynn, CEO of Evrnu, adds, “In addition to 100 per cent post-consumer cotton, we can also breakdown pre-consumer garment waste, cut waste and shoddy/short staple cotton as well. We have tremendous amounts of feedstock from various cotton waste sources across the globe. Our technology has been designed with the goal of breaking down the most difficult fibres and blends, so we can make sure everything else can be broken down as well.”

Currently available in both English and Vietnamese, the app gives users’ access to the 4th edition of the Labor Law Guide, together with a range of other interesting features.

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With global apparel retail sales touted to cross US $ 1.4 trillion

by the end of 2016, the sourcing options for apparel retailers have never been so diverse. Even as the fraternity makes peace with China’s mounting wages, the pace at which Bangladesh has developed and Vietnam is being developed is enthralling. India has been struggling to stay competitive and though small run, design-oriented programmes are coming to the country; it is not enough to sustain the industry and its growth path. Meanwhile, the wage bomb is ticking for all destinations and even in both Bangladesh and Vietnam, where the economy is improving, the opportunities in other sectors will soon start weaning away the workforce from apparel

factories to other emerging sectors. Simultaneously, Ethiopia has emerged as the hot and actively pursued manufacturing destination.

ETHIOPIA, AN ATTRACTIVE INVESTMENT…

Ethiopia is said to be a place where one can go for fibre to factory, and cheap plentiful labour at US $ 21 a month, inexpensive power, and a Free Trade Agreement with US augment the country’s business case; top it up with vast land, ripe for cultivation of cotton which will serve as a source of raw material. The biggest challenges that remain, however, are the production inefficiencies and lack of a competent local sourcing network rather than the widespread perception of being a corrupt nation and not being as dexterous as Asians.

Though the export is a mere US $ 60 million at present, the companies that have established their presence in Ethiopia are building capacities which will translate to exponential growth. Despite the fact that there is no comparison between Ethiopia and Myanmar, Ethiopia is considered the first choice destination to set up a factory.

In spite of some striking flaws in Ethiopia’s politics, economy and infrastructure, as far as the production of garments for the Western markets is concerned, there’s a feeling that the country has a great future. Many sourcing specialists who have explored the global opportunities agree that today Ethiopia is the place

The campaign for ‘Make in India’ is only getting louder, but does it in anyway impact or influence the garment industry, and more importantly, is there anything in the recent ‘special package’ for the garment industry that could encourage fresh investments in this industry that too in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where the labour is located…, not many have an answer to that! While many feel that the spirit and intent of the policy is really good and it is now up to the industry to derive the value. As it stands today, fresh investments have to be seen in the context of options available to manufacturers on a global basis, and since the apparel trade is no longer centric to one manufacturing base, companies are setting up factories in different places, both within and outside the country, to get mileage from location strengths.

Foundation stone was laid by Santosh Kumar Gangwar, former Union Textiles Minister, for Apparel and Garment Making Centres in each of the seven states in the North Eastern Region. Work on the centres has commenced and is nearing completion in some states

Does ‘Make in India’ have the punch to attract investments in apparel manufacturing?

• North-East, the focus for Government • Industry feels the region is not ready for garment manufacturing

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to be. “Ethiopia is currently the No. 1 sourcing location”, according to the apparel sourcing company Duty Free Sourcing Inc. Also the Indian entrepreneur Sidarth Sinha, the Founder and Owner of Vogue and Velocity Group, who is in process to create a ‘garment township’ in Ethiopia, believes that no other country can presently beat Ethiopia. His company, Velocity, intends to keep its existing 5 factories in Egypt at work, with around 4,000 employees, it will expand forcefully in Ethiopia. A new garment factory in Mekele with 3,000 workers will mainly manufacture knits and denim articles. Velocity plans to ultimately employ some 10,000 people in Ethiopia. Customers of Velocity include brands like Levi’s, Vanity Fair, Target, Zara, H&M.

In October 2015, the Indorama Group, the world’s largest integrated manufacturer of polyester, was said to be discussing with the Ethiopian Government the setting up of a polyester plant in the country. This rumour has not yet been confirmed. In March 2015, the Indian denim giant Arvind started manufacturing denim bottoms, 12,000 pcs./day, in the textile industrial zone of Bole Lemi (near the airport of Addis Ababa). Exports were initially destined to US, but at the end of 2015 negotiations were underway with potential European customers like H&M and Benetton. Arvind was said to be working on an integrated supply chain in Ethiopia, starting from cotton cultivation to spinning and weaving.

However, beating Arvind to the pole, Kanoria Africa Textiles, a subsidiary of the Indian group Kanoria Chemicals & Industries, on 24 October 2015 inaugurated a brand new denim fabric factory – the first in Ethiopia – with an annual capacity of 12 million metres in Bishoftu, 37 kms from Addis. The factory that started with less than 500 workers has plans to extend activities to jeans manufacturing. Kanoria will ultimately employ some 2,000 people in Ethiopia. According to Ethiopian media, India’s Raymond Ltd. company,

the world’s largest integrated manufacturer of worsted fabric, has concluded an agreement with the Ethiopian Investment Commission to invest US $ 100 million in Ethiopia. The East African country hopes that Raymond’s engagement in Ethiopia will attract other investors.

THE INDIA ALTERNATIVE… IS NORTH-EAST AN OPTION?

The ‘Make in India’ campaign is symbolic of the opportunities and benefits that come with sourcing from India. The Prime Minister has travelled extensively to communicate the Indian capability which has elicited confidence in investors and the manufacturing community back home. Most importantly, even the documentation regulations have been relaxed to the satisfaction of many foreign investors. Further, the schemes for setting up garment manufacturing factories in North-Eastern states of India are an exciting proposition and the hub can be cultivated for the future as the issues of labour shortage are bound to haunt the existing hubs. For now, the Government can begin with hand holding a few model projects to communicate the opportunity that lies. “The two major problems in the North-east as of today is shortage of skilled labour and logistics, since there is no access to harbour for shipments. Some small units for domestic market are coming up, but looking at a huge garment export unit in the region is not very viable,” says Angel Hazarika who runs a small knitting unit for T-shirts in the region. If goods are to be transported from Mumbai or Bangalore to North-east, it could well take 12 to 15 days. Business today cannot afford these kinds of time lines.

Despite these hurdles, the development of North-eastern region of the country is a relevant step in the light of the industry’s search for

• A landmark initiative under NERTPS for construction of Apparel and Garment Manufacturing Centres in the N-E states was launched in 2014, with the announcement made by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 1st December 2014 in Nagaland. The objective of the scheme is to promote employment in the N-E states and encourage entrepreneurship especially amongst women, in the area of garmenting which has a huge potential both within the country and abroad.

• Each Apparel and Garment Making Centre set up under the initiative is estimated to generate direct employment for 1,200 people. Each state will have one centre with three units, each having 100 machines. For local entrepreneurs with requisite background, required facilities to start a unit will be provided in ‘plug and play’ mode. Once such entrepreneurs get established, they can set up their own units, allowing the facility to be provided to new entrepreneurs.

• The project will be fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles, with an estimated expense of Rs. 18.18 crore for each state. The initiative comes under the North-East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the Ministry of Textiles. NERTPS is an umbrella scheme for the development of various segments of textiles, i.e. silk, handlooms, handicrafts and apparels & garments.

• The scheme has a total outlay of Rs. 1,038.10 crore in the 12th Five Year Plan. Besides this, a scheme to promote Geotechnical Textiles in North-East Region was launched by the Textiles Minister in Imphal on 24th March 2015. Two sericulture schemes – Phase II of Sericulture Project for Valley Districts of Manipur and Integrated Sericulture Development Project for Hill Districts of Manipur – were also launched by the Textiles Minister on the same day in Imphal. The Minister also laid the foundation stone for a powerloom estate in Imphal West on the occasion.

North-Eastern Region Textiles Promotion Scheme (NERTPS)

HOT TOPIC


competitively priced labour force. The area has ample labour which can be skilled to match the requirements of the industry. Besides, the area is naturally blessed with handicraft acumen which must have honed the labour’s attention to detail. Scaling up in these regions however will be an issue and the challenge will be to achieve as timely match between demand and supply. HKL Magu, Managing Partner, Jyoti Apparels, is sceptical of the proposition of apparel manufacturing in North-east. “I am not too confident of it yet, especially for the export market. There are several issues which are infallible. The connectivity to ports is poor – whether it is for receiving raw materials or sending out finished goods. Moreover, all the buying offices are based out of metro cities. The region might turn out to be a valuable area for the domestic market. Various locations, such as Bihar, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh, are popping up and are inviting the interest of apparel manufacturers, but for now, only large-scale manufacturers with high volume of orders can work out of the off-beat hubs,” he says. Madhya Pradesh no doubt has the potential to become an apparel manufacturing hub because of the abundance of labour – a key requirement that a hub must have, everything else can be developed. Names like Pratibha Syntex are already there which indicates the virility of the region for apparel manufacturing.

Many industry watchers believe that better capacities can be unlocked if the Government takes up a cluster-specific approach. Not every cluster will need subsidies. A blueprint of initiatives can be chalked out to enhance the potential of each cluster. The potential for success of this approach is reflected in the trade volumes from the Tirupur cluster, where the trade has been growing at the rate of 15 per cent for the past couple of years. “It is also noteworthy that the Ministry of Textiles has 4 Joint Secretaries, and all of them are based out of Delhi, away from hubs such as Tamil Nadu. It is about time that the Ministry also reaches out to the industry and its people,” points out Prabhu Dhamodharan, Secretary, Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), Coimbatore. He adds that ITF has requested for and presented the idea of “global textile fair” where

manufacturers from the entire Indian apparel manufacturing fraternity can put up a show of their product development prowess. The Ministry is in the process of finalising it.

Unlike other sectors, the apparel manufacturing sector does not have any big billion dollar groups, which could encourage new entrants. “To be honest, the ‘Make in India’ initiative has not made any impact on the garment sector. Unfortunately, the initiative seems to be more investment-driven rather than employment creation-led. As a result, mega investment projects, which perhaps make for more headline grabbing photo-ops, are the focus rather than multiple small- and medium-sized projects which actually create huge number of employment generating opportunities,” says Rahul Mehta, President and Trustee, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India. He adds, “Decisions which can give tremendous boost to the industry – and therefore job creation – such as FTA with EU, are kept in abeyance because some high ticket but low employment generating industries, oppose it. Thus, unless the whole philosophy of ‘Make in India’ is redesigned to be employment-driven, I do not see it making any significant impact on the Garment Industry.”

‘Make in India’ is a call for ushering in investments in the Indian manufacturing sector. For the apparel manufacturing sector, the most pertinent development in this sense have been investments from Uniqlo and IKEA. Other than that no big ticket investments have been made. The industry did grow, that too when EU one of our biggest markets declined, but this is barely correlated with the ‘Make in India’ initiative. This is merely indicative of how diversified our target markets are. Today, we need more investments to make supply chain and logistics more efficient, besides product and design development. The PPP model of investment can be tried out for the Indian market. “We were awaiting developments on the lines of Brandix City, but due to procedural issues and lack of level playing opportunities, the projects have not matured yet. The Indian Government can work on improving the port infrastructure,” concludes Chandrima Chatterjee, Advisor, AEPC, Delhi-NCR.

To promote industrialization and overall growth in the states of North-East region, the Government announced a package of fiscal incentives, namely the North-East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2007, w.e.f. 01.04.2007 for a period of 10 years, salient features of which are grant of:

• Central Capital Investment Subsidy @ 30% of investment in Plant and Machinery;

• Central Interest Subsidy @ 3% of working capital loan availed for a period of 10 years from the date of commencement of commercial production (DOCP);

• Reimbursement of insurance premium paid towards insurance of fixed capital assets for a period of 10 years from DOCP;

• Excise Duty exemptions for a period of 10 years from DOCP; and

• Income Tax exemption for a period of 10 years from DOCP;

• NEIIPP was an extension of the previous North-East Investment Policy (NEIP) which was announced in 1997 by the Central Government with a ten-year term period. NEIIPP was announced in 2007 and is due to end on March 31, 2017. As per the provisions of NEIIPP, industrial units in the region are eligible for 100% income tax exemption, 30% capital investment subsidy, excise duty benefits varying from goods to goods, interest subsidy, among others.

North-East region of India is known for its unique weaving techniques which make it a strong textile centre

HOT TOPIC

www.apparelresources.com | JULY 16-31, 2016 | Apparel Online India 21Apparel Online India 21


With a growing market for denim, which doesn’t look seem

slowing down in the near future, as the craze of denim penetrates deeper into consumer segments, continuously adding many new loyalists across the world, denim manufacturers are investing in the product with renewed interest. When KG Fabriks took the decision to go for a sustainable factory about two years ago the inspiration was to build a green business and Sri Hari is happy that today he has created one of the most efficiently successful companies in the country with only 2% wastage. Yet, Sri Hari is candid when he admits that buyers only talk about sustainability, but don’t consider it a priority when

TEX-FILE

‘Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.’ – E.E. Cummings

KG Fabriks soaring through the sustainable way...

The quote aptly describes the sustainable efforts at KG Fabriks, led by Founder Director, Sri Hari Balakrishanan, who believes that sustainability is about one’s own commitment to the society and does not necessarily have to translate proportionately into business gains. With the dawn of the 21st century jeans has outgrown its tag as a fad of pop culture and become a fashion statement for all age groups and social strata. Manufacturers of denim, both fabric and garments, optimized the opportunities with innovative designs, new colours, crazy washes, value adds and what not. The next challenge is to do everything to be innovative, but in a sustainable way… Taking the challenge head-on, KG Fabriks is fast emerging as a market leader in sustainable denims.

SRI HARI BALAKRISHANAN, Founder Director, KG Fabriks

placing orders. “Though all buyers are vocal in the need to be sustainable, when it comes to business – price is still the final deciding factor. We did not go for sustainability because of the buyers, so we are not really bothered, but companies who invest with expectations of more business are in for a rude surprise,” says Sri Hari.

What the company has achieved in measurable terms is savings on




energy, dyes, chemical and even yarns. “The HR cost has soared but the people are very efficient and effective. Once people realize that they belong to a sustainable profession where no one is faking and cheating, the engagement will be even more,” avers Sri Hari. Undeterred by routine challenges, Sri Hari feels that for any company “ideas” are the biggest challenge in the era of innovation and competition, but for KG Fabriks ‘team spirit’ is a catalyst and the driving force, he maintains. Taking everything into consideration, by implementing sustainable process, KG Fabriks has ‘upcycled’ its production capabilities to reap tangible profits by saving 10% on overall cost. Racking up the benefits of upcycling, the company is now adding more capacity this October. Current production of the company is 10 million metres of denim fabric annually, but the additions of new machines will double the capacity to 20 million annually.

In fact, though, there is blatant growth of players in the denim business creating competition both within and outside the country, for KG Fabriks ‘Sustainability’ is the big differentiator between good and bad denim. Sri Hari objectively accesses that quality of Indian denim is slightly better than Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam, while China has been better in terms of quantity than quality. For the KG Group, what matters most are the ingredients that go into the making of the denim fabric, rather than the innovation that happen at a later stage. According to Sri Hari, use of good raw materials (yarn) and following sustainable practices are the determinants that differentiate most south Indian mills from north Indian and Bangladeshi mills in denim. “There are a lot of mills that are coming up in the north of India, many without provision of effluent treatment plants or good quality yarn, these new mills are literally ‘killing’ the environment, and ironically are availing the incentive of ‘cheating’ which comes with no investment on treatment plants,” argues Sri Hari critically.

TEX-FILE

FACTFILE

94%Conversion average of fibre to yarn that KG Fabriks is maintaining

2%The wastage that KG Fabriks genarates from its operations

10%Tangible profits by saving on overall cost

A truly sustainable company, the process of manufacturing at KG Fabriks is divided in five stages, where on every stage there is a reduction of waste to a level which is utilized in an effective manner; by feeding the cows and soil reclamation process locally, thereby saving on transportation cost. The process of creating yarn from fibre is very effective, and while industry conversion average is around 80%, KG Fabriks is maintaining conversation ratio of 93.57%. The trick of achieving such high conversion ratio is that after the first grade yarn is produced, the remaining waste is made into second grade yarn and from the waste created at this stage, 3rd grade yarn is produced. This way they

can feed three market segments with varied graded yarn, produced in their own factory. The final waste which is not usable in yarn production is sold as cow feed!

Though companies like KG Fabriks are very committed to being sustainable, many other companies are using the ‘sustainable’ word as a marketing tool, which is a contention point. Sri Hari emphasizes on the need for a resolute and honest auditing mechanism, setting parameters on the usage of natural resource, for instance water. “Sustainability should not just be a marketing technique, but it should be the part of the whole process,” he concludes.

Denim weaving is done on latest technology supported by best raw material for high-end fabric

The ETP plant at the unit ensures zero liquid discharge and reuse of water resources


Tex-Find

Fabric made out of beer is now a reality, but converting beer filter cloth into a new product, now that’s new. ‘Rewilder’, a cruelty-free label based in Los Angeles, has taken the “craft” in “craft beer” pretty seriously, and is reclaiming polypropylene filters, used to strain barley and hops during beer manufacturing, to transform them into effortlessly sleek totes, bags, clutches, and aprons. Large breweries throw these filters away only after weeks of use. They are lightweight, strong, durable, breathable, and very beautiful, with a unique patina from manufacturing.

Stout produces a heavier grey patina, while wheat and other light beers create a pale copper tone. For greater variety, ‘Rewilder’ overdyes some of its bags while embellishing others with splashes of reclaimed house paint. No two are completely alike. Each carries all features of American-made grommets and zippers, double-stitched French seams, and depending on the style, extras such as key-chain tethers, detachable interior pouches, and additional cross-body straps.

VEGAN BAGS FROM UPCYCLED BEER FILTER CLOTH BY ‘REWILDER’

TEX-FILE

The latest bi-annual Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has unveiled some interesting data about the Indian textiles industry. As per the report, annual slippages of major sectors/sub-sectors in December 2015 show that the textiles industry in particular had the highest number of standard accounts slipping into the NPA (non-performing assets) category at 8.8 per cent, and followed by the cement industry at 8.0 per cent. Stressed advances ratios of the textile industry are 6.9 per cent which is the third most contributors to the stressed loans. The percentage of weak companies that were leveraged was also higher for textiles sector. In terms of outstanding amounts, textiles industry is at second spot with 6.4 per cent companies having outstanding amounts. In the January to December 2015 period, on the number of accounts, it is more than 8 per cent. Risk profiles of textiles industry (March 2016), in regards to leverage (debt to equity) ratio and interest burden are however much lower than most of the other industries; be it iron and steel, construction, power or telecommunication. Among the major sub-sectors within the industrial sector that have high

incentives and hence despite surplus production, more capacity is being built unmindful of where they will sell. Therefore old units are unable to compete with new units and are sinking every day.”

Sanjay also added that the Central Government has understood the problem partly and withdrawn all incentives for new capacities but simultaneously they withdrew export incentives also, which is making life more difficult for existing units. The high interest subsidies given by the State and Central Governments to the spinning industry has led to high leveraging by companies and under capitalization which has further accelerated the downfall of old units. China Government had kept cotton rates high in their domestic market till 2014; however they realized their folly and started correcting rates and realigning them with international markets. Hence our yarn exports got more difficult. “There is going to be more NPAs in this industry in the next six months for sure, unless the Government understands the state of the industry and takes some corrective action. Currently Government is ignoring the industry totally from almost the past two years,” concludes Sanjay.

risk profiles, textiles seconds basic metal and metal products, and construction.

Commenting on the report, Sanjay Jain, MD, T T Ltd., who is also Deputy Chairman of NITRA and Vice President of associations like NITMA/FOHMA/WBHA said, “The report clearly shows the poor state of textile companies and more importantly the deterioration which has happened in last one year. Besides, it also mentions possibility of worst time to come in the future (evident from the quality of assets and fragility of the industry). Majority of loans in this industry are picked up by the capital intensive portion, i.e. spinning which reflects the state of spinning industry. The reason for the same is less rainfall in last two years, which has impacted rural consumption, and hence volume growth in domestic market has been muted. Further changes in weather pattern with winters getting delayed and shorter, have also impacted the consumption. This has led to huge inventory pile-ups. Moreover, spinning has been growing despite fundamentals being weak, thereby leading to surplus capacity in the system and hence poor or no profits for spinning companies. Besides, new units are coming up due to very high State

RBI's Financial Stability Report: Concern over Indian textiles industry

NGNF ‘weak’ companies: Select Industries: 2014-15

Source: MCA database (Select NGNF companies)




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After the recent announcement of a ‘special package’ for the apparel

export industry by the Ministry of Textiles, stakeholders in made-ups and home textiles segment are also lobbying for a similar package. The move was clearly noticed at a recent event of Texprocil (The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council) in Mumbai, where a study report “Textile Industry as a vehicle of job creation for inclusive growth” by Texprocil and Ernst & Young was released.

According to the report, India has already lost market share in EU in 37 items including home textiles to Pakistan in the year 2015-16. With a tariff disadvantage of 9.6% to 12% on home textiles, several importers in EU opt to import from Pakistan and Bangladesh rather than from India, thereby causing a huge loss of business to Indian exporters in this high-volume market. In this scenario, home textiles segment really needs support, argued the officials of Texprocil. The report further

says that home textiles is also equally labour-intensive as garments. The process is the same, adding value after cutting the fabric and using trims in the manufacturing of finished products. On the other hand, SIMA (The Southern India Textile Mills’ Association) too demanded for the same. The industry can expect some positive outcome as Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, assured the gathering during the event that a special package for employment generation & promotion of made-ups & home textiles will be included in the forthcoming Textile Policy.

The study says that home textiles industry equally suffers the tariff disadvantage of 9.6 per cent to 16 per cent in countries like EU and Canada, thereby losing business to other competing countries and hence the home textiles segment should be treated at par with apparel segment of the value chain. R K Dalmia, Chairman, Texprocil, who is also Senior President of Century Textiles, (Division at Century Textiles &

Industries Ltd.) stated that this study was done by conducting primary research in various production centres and also by one-on-one meetings with manufacturers and exporters of fabric and home textiles in small, medium and large scale sectors. He emphasized that the present apparel special package benefit should be extended to home textiles sector immediately so that the two packages are implemented simultaneously. This will not only lead to substantial increase in employment in rural India but also augment export of home textiles products.

Anurag Malik, Partner EY (Skill Development) adds that in reality, manufacture of products such as bed linen is more labour-intensive than garments because of requirement of twice the manpower per piece for handling the large size of the products. Pending the finalization of EU-India FTA, to check the sliding business volumes with EU, in particular home textiles, it is appropriate to treat all the ‘cut and sew’ products (including

AFTER ‘SPECIAL PACKAGE’ FOR APPARELS, HOME TEXTILES SEGMENT HOPES FOR SAME

H2F

‘SPECIAL PACKAGE’ FOR APPAREL INDUSTRY HAS CREATED A POSITIVE SENTIMENT IN THE ENTIRE

SUPPLY CHAIN AND HOME TEXTILES COMPANIES TOO ARE POSITIVE.

(L-R) Anurag Malik, Partner EY (Skill Development); Ujwal Lahoti, Vice Chairman – Texprocil; R K Dalmia, Chairman, Texprocil; Rashmi Verma, Textiles Secretary; Kavita Gupta, Textiles Commissioner; and Manikam Ramaswami, immediate past Chairman, Texprocil during the event




home textiles and made-ups) for granting additional export incentives at par with apparel products. “Home textiles is one of the very important product group in the export basket of India, with a total export of US $ 7,818 million in the year 2015-16, of which export to EU account for US $ 2,061 million (26% of home textiles export). EU as a combined market is the single largest destination for export of home textiles from India,” he added.

Does the home textiles industry require the same kind of package or it has some different needs is a question many are asking. M. Senthilkumar, Chairman, SIMA adding his perspective says, “We are in favour of covering home textiles segment also under the same ‘special package’. Processes and technologies required for made-ups/home textiles fabric manufacturing are capital-intensive, and therefore, only limited facilities are available and the made-ups/home textiles manufacturers pay much higher conversion charges for the fabric when compared to the apparel manufacturers. Home textiles segment generate 20 per cent higher employment and yield better value addition when compared to garmenting. We are asking to increase the capital subsidy under A-TUFS from 10 to 25 per cent for weaving and processing segment which is predominantly in the decentralized sector and completely connected to home textiles. “SIMA had earlier sent representation to the ex-Textiles Minister, Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

Panipat, is another big hub for home textiles that thinks on the same line as Ramesh Verma, President of various home textiles-related associations in the city says, “This package is good enough and we just want that the home furnishing industry should be included in this. As we are similar to garment manufacturers in most ways, we too deserve same treatment.”

H2F

Home textiles lobby claims that if one stitching machine in garmenting generates 2 to 2.5 jobs, made-ups/home textiles machine generates 2.5 to 3 jobs. A bulk volume of made-ups/home textiles items are produced out of cotton waste generated by spinning mills with very high value addition.

ESSENTIALS

“The made-ups sector is also as important as the garment sector as it is both labour-intensive and also creates many jobs, especially for women. The home textiles segment is significant as it not only creates jobs but also fosters demand for downstream products like yarns and fabrics. The draft Textile Policy will soon be placed before the cabinet and the home textiles sector can also look forward to a package similar to what is extended to the apparel sector.”

– Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of TextilesOrganized by Texzone Information Services, the 5th edition of HGH India, the annual trade show for Home Textiles, Home Décor, Gifts & Houseware held recently concluded on a successful note in Mumbai. More than 450 brands, manufacturers and importers in the home segment presented their range and innovations at the fair. The show also witnessed the unveiling of the ‘Trend Book 2016-17’. Though the show was dominated by Indian companies, some international participants too exhibited their products. Most of the exhibitors were happy with the response at the fair, as more than 20,000 visitors visited the show. Top brands/companies like Trident, Masper and many others were present at the show.

During the show, the Home Textile Association of India organized a Symposium on “Home Textile Visions 2022” at which experts like Ajay Arora, D’Decor; Rajinder Gupta, Trident Group, Gurvinder Singh, GM Fabrics Karan Saigal, Beekalane discussed the various aspects of the home textiles industry. The event also witnessed the launch of the collection of ELLE by Trident. Trident Limited and France-based Lagardère Active Group have collaborated in a licensing agreement to launch an exclusive range of home textiles under the French brand, ELLE DECOR in the Indian market.

HGH India witnesses good visitation


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Whether it’s a delicate blush or a bright fuchsia or

something in-between – designers are all about pink, this Resort season. Salmon pink is the sweetest colour for Resort 2017, best paired with a more sour side shade like mustard, Roksanda Illincic’s choice. Gucci, too, gave their sugary hues some edge with a smattering of bold accessories. This quintessentially feminine colour was incorporated in outfits, unapologetically, from head to toe at Boss and Lela Rose, using pleats and frills, respectively. Valentino went for a brighter pink when the pants, polo neck knit and embellished coat were concocted. Bottega Veneta chose a shiny fabric and dusty rose for their skirt suits and it was Altuzarra who put the pink knit dress on the map.

Look ahead not that far into the distance and you’ll see that next Summer’s fashion trends are already breaking. Designers have presented their Resort collections, telling us what clothes we would want to wear when this Winter’s over, but next Spring hasn’t quite started. Over the years, Resort collections have become more and more important to consumers, as they stay on a retailer’s shelves the longest. What they may be seeing a lot less is of, however, athleisure – a trend that has had massive popularity for the past few cycles. Meanwhile, trends like bomber jackets, slip dresses, cold shoulders and wide-leg pants are still going strong. From sporty jackets to logos, here are the standout fashion trends from the Resort 2017 collections.

Resort 2017Moving

away from athleisure

Everything pink

BOTTEGA VENETA >> LELA ROSE >>

<< ALTUZARRA<< ALTUZARRA << VALENTINO

DIRECTIONS BY


The 1980s logo revival was carried out with pride with one clear

statement displayed on the front of a T-shirt or sweater or dress. Marc Jacobs drew on the loudest parts of the era for his Resort collection – crimped hair, neon colours and MTV logos. Marc’s disco-ready sweatshirts were the in-between-season hero pieces. Many designers made sure to stamp their signatures and logos on clothes, rendering the simplest of garments, ultra-cool. MSGM used it on panelled sporty T-shirts; Gucci and Chanel did the same but with a more vacation vibe to the looks. Moschino infused their brand name logo in the midst of colourful prints on dresses, whereas, Givenchy kept things monochrome and clean so the logo is in complete focus.

Logo mania

GIVENCHY >> MSGM >>

<< CHANEL << MOSCHINO

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN >> DIOR >>

<< ANNA SUI << CALVIN KLEIN

This Resort season, everything’s revolving around roses and

other flowers, too. Florals were small but graphic interpretations were the biggest hit for most collections where it was less chintz and more flower power. Designers covered dresses, skirts, jumpsuits and tops in tiny floral motifs, prints and patterns, giving a gardenlike aura to the garments. Prada not only put micro florals on their midi-length dresses but also the shower caps that complimented the clothes perfectly. Dior and Calvin Klein also used tiny flowers on 1920s style midi dresses in flowing fabrics. Anna Sui opted for a sheer floral dress with a Victorian neckline but the most intriguing piece was by Alexander McQueen who created a panelled dress with frills and more.

Micro florals

DIRECTIONS BY


Bombers, macs, parkas – take your pick from the most practical of

outerwear options for 2017. Louis Vuitton’s sport-themed Rio show was packed with full of posh bombers, while Givenchy, Coach, Sacai and more presented decorative takes on the same. While it certainly isn’t a new trend, we couldn’t go without name-checking the bomber. Embellished versions have been going strong for a few seasons, and at this point every designer and their sister labels are offering their own versions. According to this Resort season, the bomber is here to stay, and it’s ready for the eveningwear – embroidered, sequined at Gucci, laced up at Giamba, metallic at Marc Jacobs or otherwise armed with a feminine, elegant touch when paired with skirts and dresses.

Evening bomber

GUCCI >> VALENTINO >>

<< GIAMBA << MARC JACOBS

DELPOZO >> MONSE >>

<< CAROLINA HERRERA << ADEAM

There’s never been a better time to play with proportion than now.

From oversized sleeves to extremely flared pants, these are the most balanced, yet out-of-order looks of the season. Bell sleeves, flared trousers and huge peplums distorted the silhouettes for the designers. Delpoo and Carolina Herrera went for oversized trousers, cropped and wide-legged, respectively while cinching the waist for an exaggerated effect, giving a peplum look to the tops. Ellery opted for a pair of extra wide-legged trousers too, but went a step ahead by choosing bell sleeves. Monse’s version included a supersized cargo pants and Adeam redefined relaxed silhouettes with a sweatshirt on top of a loose grey dress.

Out of proportion

DIRECTIONS BY


Taking inspiration from previous Spring/Summer fashion trends of

long on long silhouettes, designers have transferred the same into their Resort 2017 seasonal collections as well. Ensuring that the dress is matched with distinct pant styles, the makers keep an eye on every single detailing. The emergence of this ‘dress-over-pants’ fashion also proves that the ’90s mania from the summers has not yet died; making us witness runways full of layered separates. The layered look has been a popular trend in recent years, and this season, trendsetters are taking it a bold step further with the dress-over-pants.

Speaking of dresses, the interpretation of a dress-over-pants isn’t just for mini dresses. Midi dress with skinny jeans, or slim-fitting trousers, a knee-length dress with cropped denim, etc. are major versions as well. As what is trending now, designers are choosing longer hems that sit just above the knee or midi lengths for a street style edge. Neutral shades like black, white, camel, khaki, navy, or grey are the most utilized colours for this trend. Long shirt-dress in solid neutral worn over skinnies is extra-sophisticated with an even longer coat.

Opting for the dress-over-pants fashion means you have to think of the proportion. Designers and

exporters put a major concentration on this point while working on this trend. A mini or short dress that hits around mid-thigh is paired with slim-cut trousers to create a balanced silhouette. Another silhouette catching maximum popularity is the maxi dress with streamlined pants. Vijay Sanon, Proprietor, A.P. Handicrafts says, “A maxi with very high slit that extends above the waistline is the best choice for creating flow and lighter effect.”

Jil Sander, Peter Som, and Chanel championed the skirts-over-pants trend on the Spring runways, and now designers like ALC, Cedric Charlier, Ellery and Osmantook the look to the Resort collections as well. The dresses of varied lengths are paired with jeans, culottes, leggings, pyjama pants, etc. Some designers are also making conscious efforts to make matching sets out of this trend to continue with the head-to-toe fashion trend from previous seasons.

Dress-over-jeansSpeaking of proportion, skinny jeans or jeggings make the best match for most dresses. Other slim-fit trousers such as linen pants, cigarette pants, crop pants, even yoga pants look neat with mini-dresses, midis or dresses with asymmetrical hemlines.

Dress-over-pants

Dress & Trouser Combo receives a fun and bolder-than-ever avatar for Spring ’17…

Fashion or Faux Pas!

Dress-over-pants…, seems like a complete out of the box concept, but is gaining immense popularity with designers lately. The recently concluded Resort 2017 runways shed light over this trend as being one of the top fashion styles. As an ideal transitional piece, long and lean silhouettes have continued being major fashion influencers since the last few seasons, and dress-over-pants is the next level of this long on long silhouette trend. Tunics, midis, maxis, long dresses with slits were always the unrecognized heroes of traditional dressing, but with extended overlapping between summer and winter, these styles have paired with varied types of trousers giving out an experimental look which is popular with the buyers as well. Aware of the trend, exporters in India are also running parallel and are developing dresses with pants in distinct ways…

FASHION BUSINESS

Edun


Tunics teamed with straight pants, jeggings, and funky tights have turned into all-in-ones. Christopher Kane and Alexander Wang opted for elegant maxi versions in silk with a slit with denims underneath. Shalini Singh, Assistant Merchandiser, Joyline, a buying house dealing with brands across US and Europe, avers, “High-low asymmetric hems gave a new twist to the dresses and were later more accentuated by slim fit trousers.” Rebecca Taylor layered her printed body-con dress with a patched denim version keeping the look casual, whereas, Suno went for cropped denim culottes with an off-shoulder checked dress.

Dress-over-culottesCulottes in different lengths and varied guises are entering the industry to suit the sartorial styles of women…, and if the trend is demanding getting layered with dresses, then why not? Cendric Charlier showcased denim adaptations of wide-legged calf length pants with flowy sheer tunics, whereas, BCBG Max Azria and Carven presented formal looking wide hem cropped culottes in heavy weight taffeta and pinstriped fabrics with ruffled dress. Culottes are officially termed as the ‘must-have’ pants for incorporating with dresses. Aditi Talwar, Assistant Merchandiser, Orient Craft India, discussing the variations in their collections said, “Culottes are being developed for the season with matching dresses. The fit has loosened a little bit to come in line with dress hem.

Dress-over-pyjama pantsDress-over-trousers variant, seen at Hermès in cool cream, as frayed

fatigues at Chanel, and in silky guise at Dries Van Noten. Kenzo’s oversized coat was almost swamped by mega-wide palazzos – an oversized sweater would be a worthy substitute. Team a long dress with loose trousers and an even lengthier vest, seems to be the message. Following suite, this summer, most of the casual wear collections are inspired by nightwear, making the complete look very cosy and comfortable. Alberta Ferretti featured linen trenches and pyjama-like pants with long dresses, and Calvin Klein’s loose pyjama pants in black and white have paved the way for teaming softer versions with maxi gowns. While Alexander Wang cashed in on the innocent look with flowing pyjamas and asymmetric slip dress, Karen Walker added prints and drawstrings to give a college feel in their designs tapping a younger teen market.

Dress-trouser setUsing prints as a medium to define their matching tops and bottoms, Antonio Marras garnished his dress and a pair of flared trousers with pleated floral print. On the other hand, Emilio Pucci prepared an array of stripes in assorted colours to showcase the popular patchwork-effect. The collection mesmerized us in a kaleidoscope of colours that moved in vertical bands from shoulders to feet. Taking calligraphy art too seriously, Kenzo adorned his dress and trousers with white on black African inspired elements. Rupa Dutt, Vice-President, Lady London elaborated on the trend, “Dress-trousers sets are in demand, continuing from the summer season with matching pants. The upper could be a long T-shirt, mini dress or a maxi with a slit.”

FASHION BUSINESS

Apiece Apart

Altuzarra Apiece Apart

Cushnie et Ochs


Maria Grazia Chiuri has been confirmed as the new Artistic Director at Christian Dior, replacing Raf Simons who departed the label in October 2015. Chiuri, who is Dior’s first female Artistic Director, previously headed up the women’s wear collections at Valentino alongside her co-designer Pierpaolo Piccioli since 2008. Chiuri is to start next week as Artistic Director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessory collections with her first show slated for September 30. “It is a great honour to be joining the house of Dior,” said Chiuri in a statement.

Burberry has appointed Marco Gobbetti as CEO, and who joins the house from Céline where he is currently working as Chairman and CEO, a position he has held since 2008. Christopher Bailey, who has been CEO – in addition to being Chief Creative Officer – since Angela Ahrendts left in 2014, has been appointed to the role of President. “I am very excited that Marco Gobbetti is joining us as Chief Executive Officer and as a partner to me,” said Bailey in a statement, adding, “Marco brings incredible experience and skills in luxury and retail with him that will be invaluable to us...”

Maria Grazia Chiuri now with Dior

Burberry appoints new CEO

Kanye West has embarked on a new project with Adidas in what the sportswear label is calling “the most significant partnership ever created between an athletic brand and a non-athlete”. The collaborators have created Adidas + Kanye West, “a Yeezy-branded entity creating footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders across street and sport”. Created by the in-house team with West’s direction, the new line will have a focus on performance-related designs. “In the past two years Adidas and Yeezy have given a glimpse into our future. This partnership illustrates that anyone with a dream can dream without limitations,” said West.

Kanye's new partnership with Adidas

This season is all about the peasant blouse, which is a must-have, especially for the young contemporary market. With a strong bearing on bohemian looks, design details include full sleeves, keyhole or high necks and tie or ruffle front details. Joie and Tommy Hilfiger made their case-in-point with the tie front detail in shades

of white, where one went for a simple version; the other chose a romantic print, diaphanous fabric and a plunging neckline. Sleeves were the focal point for others like Temperley London who played around with soft ruffles and Gucci left no stone unturned when it came to colours and embellishment on their tops.

FASHION FILE

Colour Story

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FASHION RESOURCE


The fusing of categories has become something of a prevailing fashion trend in the decade that we’re in. The amalgamation of men’s wear and women’s wear is dominating the catwalks; the rise of athleisure and sportswear has resulted in luxe interpretations becoming widely deemed as acceptable attire; and loungewear and nightwear have been introduced and adopted as suitable daywear options. The latter is where Three Graces London comes in. Inspired by thick, cotton vintage gowns, the brand now has a bona fide ready-to-wear offering to meet demand. “We are told that customers, in addition to buying our pieces as nightwear, are also purchasing many of our dresses to wear on holidays as eveningwear and as beach cover-ups,” said Catherine Johnson, Founder of the label..

Tiffany & Co has appointed Reed Krakoff to collaborate on a new accessories and homewares collection. The American designer, who suspended his eponymous label last March, will work alongside the famous jeweller’s Design Director, Francesca Amfitheatrof, in creating his new designs. “I grew up with Tiffany; it’s a brand that has a lot of strong emotional attachments and has an emotional attachment. To be able to contribute to the heritage and history of a global brand that combines design, quality and craftsmanship is really rare today and I think Tiffany is a leader in that. To be part of that is really exciting to me,” Reed said.

Tiffany & Co confirms Reed Krakoff

Three Graces London: New nightwear label

FASHION RESOURCE


Starting off as just a functional viability in a garment, the regular ribbons, laces, cords, buttons and zippers can now be seen as surface ornamentation in assortment of designs and patterns. Driven by innovation, these value-added accessories are ruling the fashion shows and are predicted to continue impressing the world by their innovative design concepts and applications in the upcoming seasons as well. Dheeraj Pajni, Senior Merchandiser, Kimo Clothing Design Concept Pvt. Ltd. says, “Laces, ribbons, drawstrings, cords – dangling loosely along sleeves, at the neck or up the back, are the design detail of choice this season. As a result, clothes look a little undone, with dangling cords and have plenty of subversive attitudes.”

Delpozo showcased garments with simple pragmatic touches like cuffs and collars, embellished to the hilt with couture-level beading, snapped off so that blouses could be more easily cleaned, and crop tops came knitted out with built-in boning and concealed hook-and-eye closures for ease of wear. On the other hand, Hervé Léger by Max Azria used zippers to control dress silhouettes creating conceal-and-reveal apertures (zip down for a fitted skirt, zip up for flare) and ruffles within the

dress. The recently concluded Resort 2017 runways showcased a wide variety of ways, fasteners were shown retaining their functionality but at the same time when high on aesthetics.

Button ClosuresEdun, emphasizing the continuation of ideas from previous seasons that worked well, presented knits with fringed hems, artisan-carved buttons. Edun added a touch of tradition in its collection by adding organic cotton canvas from South Africa, the striped pullovers from Madagascar, and hand-carved mother-of-pearl buttons by a Kenyan artisan. Vaguely ’80s blouses with funnel necks straddled the runway with buttons running from chin to wrist, allowing a window onto the shoulders for cocktail hour at Theory. Meanwhile, Ohlin rounded out his line-up with denim, rendered in a superlight wash, and silk separates, including a pastel pink bell-sleeve blouse and an asymmetrical sleeveless top with a ruffled hemline and iridescent buttons. Anima Singh, Assistant Designer, Sult Exports, discussing about buttons used as closures but still being fashionable says, “We box pleat the fabric and

Traditional garment fasteners become trendy value additions in S/S ’17…

Fabulous Fasteners!

Fasteners have always been a major part of garmenting. Buttons, zippers, lace ups, ribbons are some of the fasteners which have helped in putting a garment together since the very beginning. With fasteners getting more and more attention and being visible on the surface, designers each season try and induce something new to these trims. A garment is incomplete till the time it is not finished with fasteners or closures; interestingly in the quest of being creative, trims have become a crucial design element as well. We have talked about, how trims are used involving aesthetic placements to be used as value addition, but now the fasteners are gaining popularity by being used vividly while continuing to being used as a closure only. Moving ahead from the simple ribbons, laces, cords, buttons and zippers from last year, the Summer and Fall of 2017 will bring with it fasteners which will impress fashion enthusiasts in the upcoming seasons…

Rebecca Taylor

VALUE ADDITION

Tibi


place the buttons within the in-fold, so that the design is only partially visible, but is appealing. Now studded and shank buttons are being used as a replacement to normal buttons. We use iridescent buttons for pocket closures and sometimes get 3-D buttons or placate closures. The Russian market that we work in does not experiment so much, but they require very fancy trims, therefore we mostly work on shapes and textures of buttons.”

Lace Up Ties Lace up ties is basically a lacing technique where the fabric ends are decorated with grommets and then the lacing are passed through to create interlaced closures. Apiece Apart’s latest collection reiterated most of the signatures that they have worked so hard to establish in the past few years – versatile knitwear, denim and tailoring, and relaxed separates and dresses infused with a southwestern aesthetic and a sense of romance, complete with lace up ties. Cushnieet Ochs’s strongest looks were the high-waisted flares and palazzo pants paired with taut tops, which despite their simplicity, vis-à-vis silhouette, didn’t lack compelling detail

and were complete with lace up ties on the neckline and sleeves. Put together in a line, to join at the ends and create a peek-a-boo effect, lace up tie shave entered spring collections as well. “We are putting together lace up ties on a lot of blouses and top styles. Here lace up ties are not only being used as fasteners but are put together as necklines and back detailing as well,” said Niraj Pugalia, CEO, Silver Apparels, talking about his latest collections.

Toggle FastenersToggle fastenings are often made of wood, buffalo horn, metal or plastic. In contrast to the disc-shaped button, the toggle is usually long and narrow. The duffel coat features four toggle fastenings, sometimes known as “walrus teeth”. The toggle fastenings insert through loops of rope or leather to help fasten the front of the coat. A person wearing gloves is able to fasten and unfasten these toggle fasteners. Designers like Apiece Apart utilized toggle fasteners in places where they were used as fasteners and also aesthetic elements. Goonjan Kumar, Designer, JJ Expo Impo, discussing about toggle fasteners said, “Toggle closures are garnished on the seams,

where the slit is created by unfastening the closures. The hoops and loops are used in decorating the hem of the tops and blouses as well whereas the button is placed on the top hem of the bottom wear, so that the fastening makes the top and bottom into one garment and the unfastening makes those separates.”

Frog ClosuresInspired from military clothing articles, a frog closure is an ornamental braiding for fastening the front of a garment that consists of a button and a loop through which it passes. The purpose of frogs is to provide a closure for a garment while decorating it at the same time. Tops with a mandarin collar often use frogs at the shoulder and down the front to keep the two sections of the front closed. Frogs are usually meant to be a design detail that “stands out”. The same frog closures were seen in collections of varied designers in the Resort 2017. Jenny Peckham showcased a range of garments taking inspiration from India. She mixed classic sequins with flower-shaped palettes and paisley motifs that added a playful feel. A perfect closure was put to these garments by inclusion of frog closures.

Jill Stuart Suno No. 21

VALUE ADDITION


Global Mode and Accessories coming up with new factory

Global Mode and Accessories is in the process to start a

new factory in the southern part of the country. As of now, the apparel exporter has units in Noida and its new unit will be in Hiriyur, in Apparel Park, 160 kilometres from Bangalore.

Promod Mehra, MD of the company told Apparel Online, “Wages are less here compared to north; even labour is more skilled and disciplined as 70 per cent of the workers are women. These factors will help us to be more competitive. Hopefully by January 2017 production will commence there. The expansion is mainly for existing buyers which are largely from the European market. We are planning to start with 750 machines but there is space for 1,000 machines.”

As of now, the company has 1,600 machines and workforce of about 4,000 in Noida. Promod further added that as the European buyers of the company are world over, it has not seen any impact of low sentiments particularly in Europe. Currently, the company is doing annual business of Rs. 170 crore (US $ 26.15 million) and expecting 20 per cent growth with this expansion. “Price is the biggest concern and now hopefully we will be little competitive with the help of ‘Special Package’,” Promod mentioned.

On sustainability front, the focus of the company, which is also associated with STWI (Sweden Textile Water Initiative), is on water and energy saving. Besides, it aims to provide all the medical facilities to its workers which are not available normally, like ESI hospitals.

“The focus of the company, which is also associated with STWI (Sweden Textile Water Initiative), is on water and energy saving.”– Promod Mehra, MD, Global Mode and Accessories

Sahu Exports targeting Rs. 500 crore apparel exports in next two years

Noida-based Sahu Exports is aiming to achieve a turnover of Rs. 500

crore (US $ 77 million) in apparel exports over the next two years and offer employment opportunity to 1,000 workers in the coming year as it is expanding the production capacity. Currently doing the business of Rs. 260 crore (US $ 40 million), the company has noticed growth of around 30 to 40 per cent in recent years. The company, founded by RK Sahu and now taken forward by his two sons Manoj Sahu and Sanjeev Sahu, paid tax worth Rs. 7.5 crore (US $ 1.15 million) in the last fiscal.

RK Sahu, who currently employs around 4,000 people said, “I never feel that I am the owner of the company, like others I am also a worker, and member of the team. I started my business in 1968 with

a single embroidery machine without any support after passing Higher Secondary. At that time machine parts were not available easily, so I myself repaired the machines. In 1975, I started fabrication, and in 1979 we entered into exports. This is how I have grown and learned things. Still our focus is on creativity and to do maximum new stuff. We concentrate on a particular thing to get best results.”

“We have so much of orders that we refuse some orders; so currently we are not exploring newer markets,” he added.

The company, catering to the US as well as Europe, recently won the Best Quality Award at an event of Lucky Brand, a US-based buyer. Almost 100 exporters and three exporters were awarded in various categories.

“We have so much of orders that we have to refuse some of them, so currently we are not exploring newer markets.” – RK Sahu, Founder, Sahu Exports

INDUSTRY WIRE


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LIVE NEWS

Ministry of Textiles (MoT) will soon be coming up with the second version of Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS). The Ministry recently had a meeting with the industry stakeholders to understand the things required to be updated in the ISDS and combining it up with other skill development programmes, so that the country has a common system.

During an event of ATDC Faridabad, Anu Garg, Joint Secretary, (Skill Development), MoT said “MoT is looking for ideas about what can be done to make the system stronger… And ISDS is one of the finest programmes in the garment industry today; we are trying to improve it further.” It is

industry to directly take up training as machines are already there, which enables on-the-job training option. The only thing is, very often

being said that in the next ISDS, the Textiles Ministry is planning to give incentives to the industry or agency involved in it. It is backing the

(L-R) Vijay Jindal, LMC Member, ATDC; Darlie O. Koshy, DG, ATDC; Anu Garg, Joint Secretary, (Skill Development), MoT; and GS Madan, MD, Madan Trading Company releasing a booklet on apparel product – Quality Assurance

an existing worker is shown as a new trainee, and that shouldn’t be done.

As per the recently announced ‘Special Package’ for apparel industry, 1 crore more jobs will be created in next 3 years. “If these jobs are coming, it means that we need to skill people, and if we need to skill them, we need institutions like ATDC (Apparel Training & Design Centre). We also need to start planning our training in a way that it is more advanced. We need to enthuse the youth on why one should come into this sector; it is certainly not the best payment wise, then why should one come to this sector and continue to stay in the sector,” asked Anu.

Textiles Ministry coming soon with 2nd version of ISDS

World Bank's LPI: India, Bangladesh move up; Vietnam falls

21 spots to be at 87th place in the latest report while it was on 108th in the same report of 2014. India too has significantly improved its ranking by 19 places, from 54th in 2014 to 35th in 2016. On a strike contrast, Vietnam is on 64th, slipping by 16 places. Germany is again on top while China is on 27th spot in the 2016 report. In terms of lower middle-income economies, India emerged as the top performer while Vietnam is on 5th place. The Logistics Performance Index within

Garment exporting hubs like Bangladesh and India have improved their standing in World Bank Group’s bi-annual “Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016”. However, Vietnam has seen downfall, the report states.

The World Bank Group’s Bi-Annual Report – ‘Connecting to Compete 2016: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy’ captures critical information about the complexity of international trade. It further mentions that Bangladesh climbed

the report scores 160 countries on key criteria of logistics performance. Global trade depends on logistics and how efficiently countries import and export goods, and determines how they grow and compete in the global economy. It is based on surveys conducted from more than 1,200 logistics professionals.

The report also ranks the countries in terms of Customs and Infrastructure, International Shipments, Logistics Quality and Competence, Tracking and Tracing, and Timeliness.

Meanwhile an official press release of Indian Government says that Among the six sub-indices of the Logistics Performance Index, India improved its position the most on “the efficiency of customs and border management clearance”,

jumping from 65th in 2014 to 38th in 2016. Recent reforms at customs, such as the introduction of a Single Window Interface for Trade (SWIFT) and electronic messaging system between shipping lines and custodians for electronic delivery order, filing of import and export declarations and manifests online with digital signature, extension of customs’ risk management system to other regulatory agencies to ensure risk-based inspection, reduction of documents required for export and import, extension of 24x7 customs clearance facilities to 19 seaports and 17 air cargo complexes, removal of limit on the number of consignments released under direct delivery, etc., have resulted in improvement in the indicator.

Country Customs Infrastructure International shipments

Logistics quality and competence

Timeliness

India 38 36 39 32 42

Bangladesh 82 87 84 80 109

Vietnam 64 70 50 62 56

THE LATEST NEWS HAVE YOUR SAYFor the latest news on apparel and textile, make sure that you visit http://news.apparelresources.com

Write to Apparel Resources, B-32, South Extension-1, New Delhi (110049), India, or email: [email protected]


In a significant, but surprising turn of events, high profile and vocal

Smriti Irani has replaced Santosh Kumar Gangwar as the Union Textiles Minister. While the industry rejoices, the media has branded the move as a demotion, underplaying the importance of the Ministry and the need for having a strong Minister at the helm. One of India’s leading dailies, the Hindustan Times writes, “Smriti Irani’s shift from the high-profile HRD Ministry to the distinctly unglamorous Textiles Ministry came as a clear indication that PM Modi wanted his ministers to keep a low profile.” The newspaper’s headline reads, ‘Smriti Irani moved to low-profile Textiles Ministry’. Another daily, the Times of India, reacting on the news writes, ‘Stunning rise and a sudden demotion’; its lead news too reads, ‘Shocker: Smriti shunted from HRD to textiles’, and so stated other newspapers too…

Smriti Irani, known for her aggressiveness and quick actions, is just what the industry needed after

Santosh Kumar Gangwar, who was soft spoken and submissive in public domain. Ashok Rajani, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council expressing his delight at the appointment, told to Apparel Online, “The mainstream media projected the Textiles Ministry in a very wrong way, which is indeed sad and only shows their ‘ignorance’. We are pleased with the appointment as she is intelligent, young and will surely be able to help the Textiles Industry which is one of the most important pillars of the economy. Moreover, the recently announced package of Rs. 6,000 crore (US $ 923 million) for the apparel export industry shows that Prime Minister is concerned for the Textiles and Apparel Industry.”

Smriti Irani is also trending on Twitter. Deepak Mohindra, Editor-in-Chief, Apparel Online tweeted, “Whoever says that Tex Ind is trivial and insignificant, is naive. It only needed Ministers like #Smriti Irani, expect max jobs and revenue. With #Smriti Irani now the textiles lead,

Smriti Irani and Ajay Tamta greeting each other in the former’s chamber, on the joining of MoT

I am sure something good is in for the #textiles sector…”

Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, FICCI Textiles Committee tweeted, “As the industry is undergoing a tough phase, we believe that Smriti Irani’s leadership will help overcome the challenges.” Even Dr. A. Sakthivel, President, TEA, congratulated the new Minister; he also requested her to announce the guidelines and procedures to be followed under the recently announced ‘Special Package’ for garment sector.

After taking the charge, the Minister while addressing the industry and media said, “The textiles sector has a lot of unrealized potential in terms of skilling and employment, and that it can play a very important role in scaling up the ‘Make in India’ vision of the Prime Minister. Besides improving the skills of the people already engaged in the sector, I would also take steps to bring more youngsters into the field.” She also added that the much-awaited new National Textile Policy “will soon see the light of the day”.

INDIA CANVAS

India’s Textiles Minister ‘changed’ Sadly the mindset of media and politicians ‘unchanged’

Ajay Tamta, a Lok Sabha MP from Almora constituency, Uttarakhand, also took charge as Minister of State (Ministry of Textiles). He has also served as a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttarakhand.

ESSENTIALS

“Everyone talks of ‘Make in India’, but no one knows what benefits they are going to get. It has to be taken to the people; you need to highlight the benefits.” – R Selvan, Executive Director, Mehala p48


INDIA CANVAS

Showing solidarity with the country, Panipat-based home furnishing exporters and other industries decided to boycott China for not supporting India’s entry to NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group). Handloom Exports Manufacturers’ Association (HEMA) and the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Panipat chapter are leading the boycott. HEMA claims to have more than 1,000 members in Panipat, the city with an annual turnover of US $ 4,615 million (Rs. 30,000 crore) per annum in domestic and international markets of textile industry, has become a major textile hub. Not only that the exporters have also decided that they will not attend the “ITMA ASIA + CITME 2016” to be held in Shanghai in October 2016. Talking to Apparel Online, Ramesh Verma, President, HEMA said, “Our step is very significant as it will motivate other industries across the nation to avoid Chinese product be it machinery or any kind of raw material. We are sure that boycott of China will not impact any of our fellow industrialists. As far as this particular ITMA ASIA + CITME 2016 is concerned, we have the option of European machines rather than to go for Chinese.”

Prestigious Pearl Academy, a Delhi-based fashion institute with centres in Noida, Mumbai and Jaipur, refused to get ‘notice of closure’ from the UGC. According to a report by a leading Indian daily Hindustan Times, in a notice to Pearl Academy, the UGC says that Pearl Academy is not authorized to grant any degree either in a standalone mode or in collaboration with any foreign university. The Commission’s order follows mounting complaints against private institutes tying up with foreign universities to offer degrees, which is not legally allowed in India. It said the

Academy is not a “university”, according to a 1956 Law that governs India’s higher education system. The Academy is awarding joint degrees with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) of Britain. However, the Academy states that it is not doing anything wrong. When Apparel Online asked Sharad Mehra, CEO of Pearl Academy on how the Academy is issuing degrees when it is not ‘approved’ from UGC, he said, “We are not issuing degrees; degrees are of Nottingham Trent University.”

Later in a statement, the Academy said, “Pearl Academy has not

received any ‘notice of closure’ from the UGC and is working with the relevant authorities on the misleading report which has caused immense grief to our students, staff and faculty. As an institution with over 20 years of experience and a strong track-record of quality and strong student outcomes, Pearl Academy stands committed to its students, staff and faculty. As stated repeatedly – the institution does not award degrees. Any degree awarded is directly by the Nottingham Trent University which is one of the institution’s partners.”

‘Boycott of China will not impact Panipat

Pearl Academy refuses to get ‘notice of closure' from the UGC

If all goes well and according to plan of SGCCI (Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and SGPTA (South Gujarat Textile Processors’ Association) promoted Pinjrat project – 25 kilometers from Surat – can fetch huge investments. Counting it as a dream project, B. S. Agarwal, President, SGCCI told, “As all units will be new here, per unit investment will be at least Rs. 500 crore, so total investment will be really huge. It is an ideal place for all kinds of units, be it weaving, processing or even garmenting, because it is near to sea. So there will be no issue of water scarcity; besides it is a Government land, and there will be no issue of acquisition also.”

He further added that the development of this area will add value to nearby villages, and so he doesn’t foresee any

with top industrialists of Surat,” he added. Jitendra P. Vakharia, President of SGTPA added that it is too early to say anything about Chinese companies. “We are more concerned about environment clearance as our process house will invest heavily in infrastructure.”

kind of opposition by locals. “Though there is no time-frame or deadline for the project, since it is planned as most important step for the region; the Government’s permission for land is already in discussion stage. Soon we will meet the Textiles Minister along

Pinjrat, dream project of SGCCI can fetch huge investments

Ramesh Verma, President, HEMA

B. S. Agarwal, President, SGCCI




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Apparel imports by the US see downturn in first five monthsJ a n u a r y - M a y 2 0 1 6The US import of apparel has been slow since the starting of the year, but post-March the imports have moved into the negative zone. This downward movement has impact on exports from all major centres, and India could register only 2.57% growth in volumes and 1.97% gains in value in the period Jan.-May 2016. The average UVR for India was US $ 3.52, which was higher than US average of US $ 3.02, during the review period.

EXPORT STATISTICS

Global Apparel Imports by the US: Jan.-May 2016

Value Decrease

2.13%

Volume Increase

0.49%

[The information has been extracted from US custom site and further analyzed.]

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Countries Jan.-May ’15 Jan.-May ’16 % Change

Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

India 479.45 1698.28 491.774 1731.764 2.57 1.97

Bangladesh 771.87 2222.65 804.167 2264.161 4.18 1.87

China 3734.39 9967.86 3761.067 9575.184 0.71 -3.94

Pakistan 243.53 568.59 222.421 499.887 -8.67 -12.08

Sri Lanka 205.08 849.45 205.289 861.994 0.10 1.48

Vietnam 1264.37 4024.28 1327.541 4188.045 5.00 4.07Qty & value in mn M2 & US $

Type of Apparel Jan.-May ’15 Jan.-May ’16 % Change

Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

Cotton 4847.01 16262.30 4712.231 15342.914 -2.78 -5.65

Wool 42.75 835.94 42.392 792.097 -0.84 -5.25

MMF 5181.39 13879.49 5358.927 14134.109 3.43 1.83

Silk & Veg 165.99 780.36 173.534 812.092 4.54 4.07

Total 10237.14 31758.09 10287.08 31081.21 0.49 -2.13

Qty & value in mn M2 & US $

Total global apparel imports by the US — Jan.-May ’16

Percentage decrease in UVR

2.58%

Cotton 5.65%

Wool 5.25%

MMF 1.83%

Silk & Veg4.07%

Change in Values

Cotton 2.78%

Wool 0.84%

MMF 3.43%

Silk & Veg4.54%

Change in Volumes


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EXPORT STATISTICS

APPAREL TYPETotal Imports by US

Exports to USIndia Bangladesh Vietnam

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Babies Wear -6.82 -9.33 3,532,615 80.11 23.98 15.91 4,325,237 75.26 -9.93 -7.16 3,041,011 75.17 -11.90 -6.96Foundation Garments 1.96 7.37 752,579 54.97 24.46 30.99 1,624,488 33.40 -0.23 -9.57 870,026 44.69 111.55 114.34Jackets & Blazers -4.70 -7.09 175,796 28.73 -5.90 -9.13 560,938 82.80 -10.32 -8.85 1,723,954 301.59 -6.20 -1.94Ladies Blouses 8.23 5.03 4,046,000 301.00 5.53 4.81 1,411,230 78.71 31.18 31.48 3,472,336 186.79 3.95 7.00Ladies Dresses 4.84 0.58 2,510,950 222.17 3.22 5.08 1,000,979 36.04 61.87 56.87 5,066,378 362.11 4.42 1.27Ladies Skirts -17.19 -16.54 440,055 35.56 -22.32 -21.19 623,873 27.09 8.34 15.07 1,608,372 92.68 -1.69 -6.89Legwear -7.59 -10.10 1,069,193 7.02 -9.71 1.27 61622 0.674 – – 1120425 6.318 42.31 20.11Men's Shirts -0.41 -2.64 1,278,978 100.09 18.63 7.63 4,554,391 262.06 -5.44 -7.15 1,939,411 155.77 20.11 16.95Nightwear 0.95 -0.88 1,284,240 40.68 -7.49 -1.00 558,990 16.15 -11.28 -7.54 1,622,232 74.57 20.95 9.27Suits/Ensembles 2.85 -16.63 296,117 28.92 28.41 -10.98 148,174 9.15 -27.53 -32.69 1,006,720 77.14 11.60 29.42Sweaters -13.94 -22.29 11,104 0.86 -48.27 -51.00 209,823 10.86 6.88 21.63 66,387 1.96 15.99 -55.57Trousers 1.03 -0.59 2,648,558 190.96 0.46 0.85 20,421,521 1,144.02 4.04 2.79 18,867,889 1,117.12 8.66 12.20T-Shirts 2.18 -2.35 10,746,014 423.534 0.72 133.56 9,115,584 230.16 2.68 119.47 32,673,013 1,235.91 3.20 -0.84Undergarments -4.60 -4.00 7,609,580 126.36 3.03 1.43 11,277,710 125.43 -1.80 2.25 16,362,549 208.14 -7.96 -7.12

Value in mn Euro and qty. in mn kg

Item wise percentage increase in total apparel imports by US from India, Bangladesh and Vietnam: Jan.-May. 2016 as against Jan.-May. 2015

Vietnam registers growth in exports of trousers to US in first five monthsA strong product category from Vietnam, trousers witnessed 8.66% increase in quantities and 12.20% gains in value. In the same period Bangladesh noticed gains of 4.04% in quantities and 2.79% in value of trousers.

Undergarments, growth category for IndiaEven as the import of undergarment, considered a very basic category saw a downfall in the total imports by the US in the first five months of the year with values declining (-) 4.00% and volumes falling (-) 4.60%, India’s export of undergarments to the US noticed increase in quantity of 3.03% and value increase of 1.43%. In foundation garments, India grew substantially by 24.46% in quantity and 30.99% in value term.

Ladies dresses from Bangladesh show growth in first five months In the first five months of 2016, while the US witnessed growth of 0.58% in value and 4.84% gains in quantity in the import of ladies dresses, Bangladesh registered massive increase of 56.87% in terms of value, and 61.87% gains in volumes.

MMF products preferred in US importsMMF seems to be a favoured material, as cotton-based apparel imports to the US witnessed decrease of (-) 2.78% in quantity terms with decline of(-) 5.65% in value terms in the first five months of 2016. MMF-based apparel on the other hand registered 3.43% increase in quantities and 1.83% gains in value terms during the same period.

India records decline in exports of ladies skirts to US In the first five months of 2016, import of ladies skirts by the US witnessed a big fall of (-) 17.19% in quantity and (-) 16.54% in value. India too registered negative growth in value as well as in quantity terms. While there was decline of (-) 22.32% in regards to quantity, the values fell (-) 21.19% during the period.

Suits/ensembles show good growth from Vietnam In suits/ensembles, export to the US by Vietnam saw positive growth of 29.42% in value terms while quantity growth was 11.60%. While Bangladesh saw decline of (-) 27.53% in quantity, the value of exports decreased (-) 32.69%.

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Canada Apparel imports: J a n u a r y - M a y 2 0 1 6

Positive outlook for Canadian economy encouraging for trade

A larger percentage of Canadians have more internet access than residents in countries like the United States, France, and Japan. Yet online shopping is underdeveloped in Canada compared to other countries, especially the United States. The lack of Canadian retailer online presence may also contribute to the amount Canadians are spending online. The NPD Group’s e-Commerce Channel Report reveals that Canadian online buyers accounted for only 8 per cent of shopping dollars. However, reports also suggested that the next big growth in retail in Canada is going to come from online shopping…

While the knitted segment saw decline of (-) 1.48%, the woven segment registered marginal growth of 0.77% in value terms.

Canada Imports

0.36%While it saw 14.19% growth in woven category, in knitted segment the country registered growth of 6.81%.

Sri Lanka Exports

9.98%

Though its woven exports increased by 7.03% in value, exports in knitted garments increased by 9.53%.

B’Desh Exports

8.03%In the woven category there was growth of 18.96%, while in knitted segment value of exports registered decline of (-) 8.38%.

Pakistan Exports

In knitted segment there was dip in value of exports of (-) 1.02% and in woven the growth was of 9.68%.

Indian Exports

3.99%

5.43%In woven category there was growth of 2.51%, while in knitted segment it registered decrease of (-) 1.31% in value of exports.

Vietnam Exports

0.46%

The country lost in knitted as well as woven segment. In knitted segment the loss was of (-) 6.95% and the fall was of (-) 4.97% in woven garments.

China Exports

5.93%

Global apparel market starts to recoverAs per the recent study conducted by Sino Interactive, a Chinese e-Commerce and digital marketing agency, the global apparel market, which has been witnessing slow growth rate since past many years, has started to recover. The study disclosed that the purchasing habits of young women, the most important contributors to overall sales, are changing as they are becoming more and more sensitive to the price. According to the research, 54.6% of women in the 18 to 35 age bracket in the US buy their clothes online, and the price-performance ratio is the most important factor which influences their decision to purchase. The report also mentions that women’s wear sales are on track to reach 40% of total apparel sales worldwide. Sales across the global apparel market in 2016 are expected to exceed US $ 1.4 trillion mark. The US market is projected to represent one-fifth of the total, accounting for more than US $ 300 billion.

Vietnamese textile exports up 5.1% in H1 ’16Vietnam’s textile and garment exports witnessed a surge of 5.1% to US $ 10.7 billion in the first half of 2016, the slowest pace since the year 2010. The industry experts attribute this to the rise of new suppliers in the global market. Although there hasn’t been a cut back on purchases from the buyers, there has been a shift towards other manufacturing destinations like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar due to lower import tariffs which result in lower prices of products. The downshift suggests that the industry, which accounted for nearly 14% of the country’s total exports last year, is likely to miss the annual shipment target of US $ 31 billion this year, according to Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), who added that Vietnam will have to wait for at least two years before its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU and the Pacific-Rim trade pact TPP come into effect. At present, Vietnam’s textile shipment is subject to an average tariff of 17% in the US and nearly 10% in the EU.

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A ‘total solution provider’ to the Indian apparel industry,

Mehala is amongst the largest suppliers of industrial sewing machines in India, with its products range covering almost every aspect of garment production from CAD/CAM systems, cutting machines, sewing machines, unit production systems, embroidery machines, complete range of finishing equipment, packing machines, material handling systems, factory ventilation/cooling system and so on… Not just believing in selling products, but also building long-term relationships by ensuring complete customer satisfaction, Mehala abides by its reputation in the market of being one of the oldest and the strongest technology providing companies catering to the garment industry. Speaking exclusively to Apparel Online, R Selvan, Executive Director, Mehala shares the company’s focus in the year 2016.

Even after a slow start to the year, the company is positive of its growth prospects by strategizing operations and focusing on strong product offerings. “Months of April, May for us were slow. We have stocks worth more than Rs. 18 crore (US $ 2.77 million),” informs Selvan. Despite various policies introduced by the Modi Government still there are not many new players coming into the market due to lack of exposure to the industry and this is perhaps one of the reason that the industry has never really got its due. “Everyone talks of ‘Make in India’, but no one knows what benefits they are going to get. It has to be taken to the people; you need to highlight the benefits,” adds Selvan. Currently the company’s, and in fact the industry’s, investment is more steered towards upgradation of machines rather than buying new technology, as the big players continuously keep on upgrading their machines while the older ones are sold off to the smaller players, resulting in upgradation at both ends.

MEHALA ENHANCES SERVICES THROUGH STOCK SALES AND UPGRADATION

R. SELVAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEHALA

RESOURCE CENTRE


Being responsive to customers’ demands, is the primary factor for Mehala’s success and now the company is putting renewed focus on stock sales which has always been amongst the strongholds for the company. “We cannot service customers immediately if we don’t have stocks. With our huge ready inventory we can deliver 200-300 machines immediately. We are importing advanced technology machines without having order sheets, so that our customers do not have to wait for 2-3 months for the machines to be delivered when they decide to buy,” informs Selvan. Such is the case that the company has more than 10,000 sewing machines in stock at its various branches of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Tirupur, etc.

Through vertical integration and by technical specialization in its core products, the company is not just importing machines, but also producing some of them. The company’s own brand Orbito is targeting at the domestic market and currently the company sells around 15,000 machines every year due to the growing domestic demand. Apart from this, the company has a separate cutting division headed by S Bharath, an IT Engineer with Bullmer (Germany) as the core brand. The division sold 10 cutters last year, and considering the increased interest, the target is to sell at least 20 cutters and 40 spreaders this year. “For sewing machines we have Duerkopp Adler (Germany), PFAFF (Germany) and SIRUBA (Taiwan) and for those customers who cannot afford these high-end brands, we offer Orbito,” maintains Selvan.

Having a technically equipped and well trained team is also one of the reasons behind Mehala’s success, as it enables them to offer a complete solution of services to its customer. “We are equipped to handle technical queries and guide our customers through the selection process.

We provide responsive after-sales support, so that even after our customers have bought the machines they don’t face any problem. Our sales & technical personnel are periodically trained at the manufacturer’s location, to make sure that the company and our customers get the optimal benefit from the machines we sell,” adds Selvan. The company also provides various technical trainings, supports and equips many ITIs, and is in the process of having its own technical institute soon.

Through its experience of working with the best in the industry such as Eastman Exports, Shahi, etc., Mehala feels that there is still a long way ahead for the Indian industry to be fully automated. “There are only two segments wherein people currently opt for completely automatic machines – suits and jeans, while for suits all customers opt for automation, in jeans, though it’s a very big market but only 10 per cent people invest in automatic machines. Because of this huge need gap, India is the biggest market for auto machines in jeans,” reveals Selvan. Apart from this, there are opportunities and areas of growth for the industry as well-established hubs such as Tirupur, Ludhiana, Delhi, etc. are giving way to remote areas of north-east, outskirts of Bangalore and even Gujarat, where many new factories are being set up.

With its primary vision, focusing on customers and their needs, and keeping abreast with new developments in technology, Mehala Machines is concentrating on upgradation and strengthening its current internal systems to be more proactive. As there is still a huge scope for expansion in the market, Mehala is hopeful of filling a part of this gap. “There is still a technology gap to fill, and with the Government coming forward with schemes to encourage expansion and upgradation, it will become easier to expand our business, too,” concludes Selvan.

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Japanese computerized knitting machines manufacturer SHIMA SEIKI MFG. LTD. is all set to take part at the upcoming edition of Première Vision New York, scheduled to be held on 19th and 20th July, 2016. The manufacturer will participate in the new ‘Manufacturing Area’ dedicated to technical and logistical manufacturing solutions as sole machine technologist with a machine exhibit at the show. On display will be the SWG091N2, the largest in the SWG-N2 line of compact WHOLEGARMENT knitting machines. The SWG-N2 series offers great flexibility with the capability to produce a variety of accessory items such as gloves, socks, leggings, hats and mufflers as well as children’s wear and even technical textiles.

At Première Vision New York, the company will also exhibit its latest version of SDS-ONE APEX3 3D design system, which

Enthusiastic with special package for the industry, but little signs of improvement from global economy, AEPC is set for the 57th IIGF (India International Garment Fair) scheduled to take

Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT), a private non-profit body which promotes the Italian textile machinery sector, recently hosted its annual meeting, where sustainable technologies emerged as the main point of discussion, with mentions of innovations and the recovering textile machinery market. Owing to the new sustainable technologies developed by Italian manufacturers, 221,000 less tonnes of CO2 eq. were emitted into the environment in 2014, that’s equivalent to reducing CO2 eq. emissions generated by 38,000 cars. Sustainable innovation is among the primary goals promoted by ACIMIT

supports design and simulation in a variety of other industries such as circular knitting, weaving, pile weaving and printing. At the core of SHIMA SEIKI’s “Total Fashion System” concept, APEX3 offers comprehensive support of the entire process of knitwear production from planning and design to production and sales promotion, as well as its capability for Virtual Sampling. The company press release states that ultra-realistic simulation capability allows Virtual Sampling to minimize the costly time- and resource-consuming sample-making process while improving presentation quality. SHIMA SEIKI will present knitwear produced on its latest line of computerized knitting machines, including revolutionary seam-free WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear that features superior fit, comfort and draping characteristics at the show.

place from 18-20th July, 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. With the focus on Spring/Summer 2017, all preparation for the show are complete, and as Smriti Irani, the new Union Textiles Minister takes charge, AEPC is gearing up to show her the strength of Indian exporters. After the recent visit of the AEPC Chairman and his team to Iran, few good buyers from Iran are also expected to visit the show.There will be almost 400 exhibitors from across India covering the entire range of products but dominated by women’s wear. As usual, the show will have most of the Jaipur-based exporters.

– a goal that can be achieved only through a strict collaboration with the recipients of innovative research, the textile producers, according to the association.

Innovation, which goes hand-in-hand with being sustainable, was also discussed at length. “Innovation is a discriminating element between those who have managed to overcome the long period of recession in production, and those who on the other hand struggled on the sidelines,” explained Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT adding, “In future, innovation will play an even larger part in making a difference in the textile sector.

Première Vision New York '16: SHIMA SEIKI to exhibit

All set for 57th IIGF

ACIMIT Annual Meet talks ‘Sustainable Technologies'



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EMBROIDERY FABRIC / LACES BUTTONS / BUCKLES

ELASTICS / TAPES / BUTTONELASTICS / TAPES

KNITTING / WEAVING YARNHANGERS / PACKAGING ACCESSORIES

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Mothercare increas ing sourc ing from India

Mothercare, the global retailer for parents and young children, is constantly increasing its sourcing from India as its vendors happily report witnessing increased orders year after year. Recently a senior team of Mothercare visited its sourcing offices and its top vendors in India. The team including Mark Newton-Jones, CEO; Karl Doyle, Executive Group Product Director; and Mary Love, Global Product Director visited 10 exporters in Delhi, Bangalore and Tirupur which are among the top Indian suppliers of the company.

“We had an eventful and exciting week when Mark Newton-Jones, Karl Doyle, and Mary Love visited the top 10 clothing suppliers here. They covered suppliers across Delhi, Bangalore and Tirupur during the trip to see what the suppliers were up to. Our proud partners welcomed them in traditional Indian ways, took

selfies, had a tree plantation and Mark even tested out his skills at the factory training centre,” said a communication released by the company. R. Rajkumar, Managing Director, Best Corporation, Tirupur one of the leading suppliers of the company told Apparel Online, “It was a pleasure to welcome them. Every year we are noticing 20 per cent increase of sourcing, so they are important

Team Mothercare at the unit of Best Corporation

buyers for us and the country.” Best Corporation is working with Mothercare from the last 17 years. In another development, its head office building is undergoing a huge refurbishment programme making it more lightfull and airy.

Mothercare sources from approximately 500 factories around the world. China, India, Turkey, Bangladesh and the UK account for 89 per cent of its production sites.

EYES & EARS

Sanjeev Mohanty now with Levi Strauss & Co.!Ever since Sanjay Purohit quit Levi Strauss & Co., the company has been searching for a worthy successor. The latest buzz is that Sanjeev Mohanty, Chief Executive of online fashion retailer Jabong, has been identified for the post and the hiring process is underway.

Sanjeev is a veteran of the apparel industry. According to media reports, Jabong was in talks with Snapdeal and Aditya Birla Group’s Abof.com for a potential sale, but there is no clear indication of the outcome. Mohanty joined Jabong in December 2015 and has been leading the efforts of turning around the company.


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fashion brand analysis

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