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Page 1: Garment Industry Analysis
Page 2: Garment Industry Analysis

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK…

The first few months of the year usually go in a whirl of activity with

so many events happening in India and abroad. Everyone wants to set

the tempo for the year, whether they are technology providers, textile

companies or garment manufacturers. Trends are declared, and concerns

are discussed.

Moving from one event to the other, one thing that is very obvious is that

the textile/apparel business is not what it was even five years ago…, the

dynamics are changing so fast that sometimes it becomes difficult to

keep track. Concepts that were seemingly well defined are taking on new

dimensions and fresh thoughts are taking shape.

Every player in the value chain is striving to be more competitive and to

add value. Being good at your job is no longer ‘good enough’. Everyone is

looking for that ‘something extra’ and this has become critical because it is

the only way to rise above the ‘price race’.

If technology providers are shifting focus to smaller players and domestic

market with automated options, textile companies are increasing their

attention on product development; the garment exporters too are juggling

between balancing price expectations and innovative offerings.

Ruling all these are the bigger concerns of sustainability, ethical practices

and trade alliances. With TPP practically gone, India is looking to

consolidate its position in South East Asia, and though each country has its

own strengths, no one can deny that competition does exist.

While the industry has in the past few years been pushing for an FTA

with the European Union, new directions suggest that India should start

negotiating with the UK, now outside the EU for trade alliances. But not

everyone is convinced that this is the right direction… Of course a lot of

debate is required before embarking on the route, but keeping options open

and being flexible to new ways is very important.

As India goes through the grind of a new dawn with changes happening on

all fronts, the industry also needs to think differently… Who would have

imagined that the demonetisation would not only be implemented, but

actually bring about a digital revolution!

I firmly believe that the only people who can bring in the change are

the Generation Next… AEPC has taken a good step with its ‘Progen’

initiative, but it is only a beginning. The give and take has to be mutual and

meaningful. More such initiatives are required to shake the industry out

of its slumber… I was a bit worried when I met a few exporters at some

events and found them demotivated and directionless.

There is still much depth in the garment industry to explore, but what is

needed is a determination to work around the challenges and constraints.

More forums need to be created and ideas have to move freely between

stakeholders. Sitting in our individual ‘wells’ is not going to help… We need

to come out and discuss the way forward… The time has come to treat our

fellow industry players as partners and colleagues, and not competitors.

We all have similar concerns, fears and challenges… Let us share, find

solutions and grow together as an industry andnation!

EDITORIAL TEAM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deepak Mohindra

EDITOR Ila Saxena

COPY EDITOR Veereshwar Sobti

ASST. COPY EDITOR SahilSehgal

ASST. EDITOR-NEWS Dheeraj Tagra

ASST. EDITOR NehaChhetri

ASST. EDITOR - FASHION Anjori GroverVasesi

SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION Kalita Lamba

SR.EXECUTIVE-ADVERTISING D KChugh

CREATIVE TEAM Raj Kumar Chahal Peeush Jauhari Satyapal Bisht Deepak Panwar

PHOTO EDITOR Himanshu Kumar

OPERATION DIRECTOR Mayank Mohindra

PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Renu Mohindra

HEAD OFFICE

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Page 3: Garment Industry Analysis

The 59th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF) which was scheduled to take place from 17-19

July in New Delhi has now been shifted to Gandhinagar (Gujarat) under the ‘Textiles India 2017’ initiative.

Ministry of Textiles is doing this event simultaneously with the Textile India Conclave, and the AEPC has

assured that the best possible subsidy will be given to exhibitors.

Being an apparel exporter, how do you see this decision, especially when some years ago Tex-Trends

India event could not survive with the same vision and support of all EPCs.

Q-and-A

Satish Kumar Thukral,

Director, Kichwamaji

Exporters, New Delhi

I wish a great success to this

new event, Textiles India 2017,

as its success will directly benefit

the entire Indian garment and

textile industry. But I feel that

this event will affect the buyers

count decidedly, because for

most buyers, reaching Delhi is a

much easier option compared

to Gandhinagar,especially

for the buyers of Third World

countries like Uruguay, Brazil,

etc. and the same is for Indian

exporters (exhibitors). It will

indeed be a matter of concern

for them to reach Gandhinagar.

I think it will fascinate some

Indian exporters to participate in

Hong Kong Fashion Week which

is just a week after this Indian

event. However, we are going

to take part in this fair as we are

participating in India only.

I would like to add that we still

hope for the best, as we believe

that this event is Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s push. As of

now, we have only got formal

information by AEPC, but we

need a clear commitment from

them regarding the buyers’

footfall. The council should doan

analysis about the grants being

given to buyers and their further

results. Hence, this is totally a

matter of wait and watch. Time

will tell what is going tohappen.

Sandeep Bhojani,

Director, Krypthm Tradelink

Llp, Surat

As far as our organization is

concerned, this shift is beneficial

for us as we are based in

Gujarat. Therefore, this time,

we can perform far better in

terms of attending more buyers,

having sufficient amount of time

for preparations and further

displaying more product lines

with much ease. Earlier, we had

to move our collection and

team from Surat to Delhi which

was like a hurdle and time

taking too. I think the Textiles

India 2017, which is going to

happen in Gujarat for the first

time, is a very good decision

by the Government. The

state is a centre for everyone

who are reaching there for

the participation. Many new

companies may also venture

into the exports sector after

this mega event as they will

get insights about the export

industry.

Vivek Khandelwal,

Director, Patterns India,

Jaipur

This is the first time that the show

is happening in Gujarat, and

we are very hopeful about its

productive outcomes. We are in

Jaipur and so we have to move

either to Delhi or to Gujarat to

attend the event. So this is not

something which is bothering

us anyway. AEPC has assured

us about the buyers count in

a positive manner. They had

promised us more buyers in

comparison to previous years.

AEPC has also announced

subsidies for the exhibitors

that will make it more cost-

effective for us. Now, we are

just preparing ourselves with

an entirely new range and we

just hope that it will be a great

success.

K. Ravindran,

General Manager,

Saravana Garments,

Tirupur

We are very much surprised

with the decision of AEPC, and

this will be a huge setback for

the IIGF. Delhi is a central place

for the overseas buyers and

interstate exporters to reach.

Hence, overall footfall will be

affected definitely in terms of

buyers and also exhibitors. This

may be one of PM’s wish butthis

will impact negatively. It won’t

be possible for our company to

participate in Textile India 2017.

We must wait for next year’s

January edition which may

hopefully take place in Delhi.

Kapil Sadh,

Partner, SK Overseas,

Greater Noida

This decision is neither good

for us nor for the industry.

Shifting the fair from Delhi to

Gandhinagar is something

which I can say is directly

associated with politics, and

decision makers should also

think about industry’s profit

rather than thinking of only

about any specific state. As

exhibitors have to put extra

effort to manage things in

Gandhinagar this time, AEPC

has to provide more facilities

for better results. I must say

that for such an event, Delhi

is the best place in India be

it in terms of connectivity or

industry’s comfort. Despite this,

if the Government wants to

change the place for holding

the event, Mumbai will be a

good option in terms of better

accessibility.

Rajiv Bansal, MD,

Celestial Knits, Noida

I feel shifting the location of the

decade old established fair is a

very poor idea. We have rarely

or ever participated in IIGF and

I don’t think that with shifting

the fair to Gandhinagar,

Gujarat, we will participate in

Textiles India2017.

MIND TREE

Page 4: Garment Industry Analysis

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

There is talk that if the FTA with Europe is not coming through, India should negotiate with UK for a

similar agreement as most exporters in India are working majorly with UK buyers in the region. Do

you agree with this view…? Should India override EU to forge an alliance with the UK…? Do you think

such an arrangement could affect our relations with EU?

POST YOUR COMMENTS

www.apparelresources.com

[email protected]

TC Dewangan,

Director, Quilt India,

New Delhi

We prefer Delhi only as we think

it has several good and viable

places for any buyer. We had

words with few of our buyers

and they are quite uneasy

with this decision. So it may

also affect buyers’ footfall. We

were planning to participate

in this event as it is going to

happen first time over there

but after buyers’ conversations,

we are now rethinkingabout

it. Although AEPC assured to

provide subsidies too, we have

to see whether these subsidies

will be enough or not. No

doubt, this decision may also

lead to a chunk of exporters

moving towards Hong Kong

Fashion Week.

Kishan G Barvaliya,

Partner, Righteous Global

Exim, Surat

It is a quite appreciabledecision

of the Government; this step

will definitely give a boost

to the readymade garment

industry of the Gujarat. I’mvery

hopeful about the benefits

which we will get after this

major happening in our state;

companies that are indulged

in RMG sector will develop asa

cluster, where more and more

garment manufacturing plants

are expected to be set up just

like Ludhiana and Tirupur. For

example, as of now we arejust

merchant exporters and are not

having our own merchandising,

but if good opportunities like

this world-class sourcing fair in

Gandhinagar and such other

support come to us, we will

decidedly move towards

manufacturing too. One can

say that due to first such eventin

Gujarat on garmenting, this time

buyers’ footfall can be lessbut

it doesn’t mean thatorganizing

this event in Gandhinagar is a

wrong idea. Delhi already has

its own developed garment

industry, so this is aperfect

time to approach new places

which have potential, and I

think Gujarat is the best option

for that. We have to think and

work collectively and not asan

individual.

Page 5: Garment Industry Analysis

ccording to the news report published byAPwC, spending which accounts for more than

two-third of UK gross domestic product, will slow

further to 1.7 per cent in 2017 as income gains fail

to keep up with the inflation. It further forecasts

that the housing and utility spending could

account for just under 30 per cent of household

budgets by 2030, up from about 25 per cent last

year, forcing Britons to cut back on non-essentials.

“Increased borrowing may help fill the gap in

the short term, but there are limits to how far

UK consumers can continue to live beyond their

means with expenditure rising faster than

their disposable incomes. We, therefore, expect

consumer spending growth to moderate over the

next couple of years as higher inflation andBrexit-

related uncertainty start to bite,” reveals John

Hawksworth, Chief Economist,PwC.

After confusing most of the economic forecasters

last year, UK saw a solid GDP growth of 0.6 per

cent in the three months following Brexit and the

economy is expected to have grown 0.5 per cent in

the final quarter of last year as per Reuters’ poll

of economists. During this period, the consumer

spending provided the main momentum to UK’s

continued growth. But as inflation that is already

at a two-and-a-half-year high, is expected to rise

further, the support from consumer spending will

be harder to maintain. As per the Bank of England,

weak pound will lead to an increase in import

costs and for some that also will be passed on

to consumers, thereby impacting their spending

power. Currently, the retail sales figures are

already suggesting that the price rise is affecting

shoppers as sales volumes suffered their sharpest

drop for more than four years in December.

The recent surveys and reports suggest that

the growth in UK’s service sector was at a five-

month low in February 2017. As suggested by

the Markit/CIPS, purchasing managers’ index

(PMI) for services fell to 53.3, down from 54.5

in January, remaining above the 50-threshold

demarcating growth from reduction. Irrespective

of various surveys and reports, the UKeconomy

UK consumer’s spending to reduce in coming years

GDP growth expected to see a sharp slowdown in 2017

Though the initial growth figures for 2017 show signs of revival for the UK economy, a weaker sterling and

higher inflation are expected to dent it, claim economists. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP(PwC),

UK’s consumer spending growth will weaken in the years to come after slipping to about 2 per cent this

year from 3 per cent in 2016. The food and clothing sectors that are heavily reliant on exports are going

to be the most exposed to the pound’s 18 per cent drop against the dollar since Britain’s vote to leave the

European Union.

As suggested by the Markit/CIPS, purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for services fell to 53.3, down from54.5 in January, remaining above the50-thresholddemarcatinggrowth fromreduction.

WORLD WRAP

Page 6: Garment Industry Analysis

beat expectations in 2016 when

Brexit happened, thereby making

various companies and market

research firms continuously update

their figures regarding the growth

projection of the country’s economy.

Though International Monetary Fund

had previously predicted a sharper

slowdown, it revised its figures as per

UK seeing a growth at 1.5 per cent

thisyear.

Also, pushing this further is the weak

currency as pound fell dramatically

after the Brexit vote last year, and

since then, it has been trading around

15 per cent lower as compared to the

dollar and 12 per cent lower compared

to the euro than it was before the

decision. So retailers in general are

among the hardest hit from the falling

pound as a majority of them source

their products from Asia, for which

they pay in dollars. A few currency

strategists believe that sterling is

likely to remain volatile in the coming

months until there is greater clarity

about UK’s Brexit deal. This lays

further emphasis on the uncertainty

surrounding the retail industry,

the consumer spending,consumer

confidence, savings andhousehold’s

disposableincome.

Contrary to the above projections and

reports, February witnessed stronger

than expected retail sales data, which

further has helped push sterling

to a one month high against the

dollar. According to the figures from

the Office of National Statistics (ONS),

sales volume grew by 1.4 per cent in

February, pushing the sterling up by

0.2 per cent against the dollar at US

$ 1.25 and up 0.5 per cent against the

euro at € 1.16. According to new data

from the Centre for Retail Research

(CRR) and Rakuten Marketing, 61

per cent of shoppers say theywill

not be discouraged from purchasing

premium items if prices rise by up to

10 per cent, while only 6 per cent say

they would refuse to buy the item.

While political negotiations continue,

retailers need to be prepared

for inconsistency in sterling,

rising cost of credit andweak

consumer confidence affecting their

spending. Nonetheless, retail is

still integral to Britain’s economy as it

is responsible for 11 per cent of the

output and 4.5 million jobs in shops,

e-commerce and physical distribution,

but for retailers to smoothly see

transition post-Brexit, they need to

encapsulate strategies that make them

more agile, digital, capital-intensive

and responsive to change.

Retail is still integral to Britain’s economy.

Page 7: Garment Industry Analysis

16 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com

Fashion brand Guess has

announced to close 60 under-

performing stores in the USA

this fiscal year, with more than

100 stores on the chopping block

during the 2018 fiscal year to focus

on profitability improvements. The

closure announcement is made

as Guess’ fourth-quarter results

fell short of what the company

projected.

Victor Herrero, CEO, Guess

commented, “We are seeing

in the US market a significant

drop in traffic, which is leading

us on the fourth quarter to a

more promotional environment,”

adding, “And at the same time,

this is basically, as a consequence,

declining our margins.” Even

though Victor expressed his

optimism that Guess will improve

its operating income by US $ 16

million annually through the new

round of closures once they are

Inditex, the world’s biggest

clothing retailer and owner of

Zara, has posted the financial

results for the fiscal year 2016

ending on 31st January 2017.

The company’s net sales jumped

12 per cent to Euro 23.3 billion

compared to Euro 20.9 billion in

the corresponding period in 2015.

complete later this year. The brand

has acquired revenue up with a 3

per cent gain to US $ 679.3 million,

slightly less than the 4 per cent

growth rate that investors had

expected. In the USA and Canada,

Guess’ same-store sales (including

e-commerce) fell 7 per cent in US

dollars and 7.4 per cent in constant

currency terms.

In the reporting period, the

company witnessed a surge of

9 per cent in net profit to Euro

3.16 billion, up by 10 per cent as

against Euro 2.88 billion in FY

2015. Gross profit generated in

the review period stood at Euro

13.28 billion. In addition, same-

store sales climbed 10 per cent,

Herrero and Sandeep Reddy, CFO

of Guess outlined an aggressive

strategy to renovate profits

in the brand’s US operations

through a store rationalization

approach involving rent re-

negotiation and closures.

According to Reddy, it’s quite

different scenario for the brand’s

stores outside of North America,

up from 8.5 per cent in FY ’15,

with positive same-store sales

growth in all geographies and

across all brands. The group

opened 279 stores, ending the year

with 7,292 stores in 93 markets

across all five continents. Europe

saw 102 new stores, Asia and the

rest of the world saw 116 and the

however. This year, Guess will

open 60 stores in Europe, where

nearly half of its sales come

from wholesale, and another 35

locations in Asia following surge in

the revenue.

It’s worth mentioning here that

Guess operates 945 retail stores in

the America, Europe and Asia out

of which around 400 stores are

located in the USA.

“Basically what we are trying to

do is to become very profitable

in the US and trying to grow

anywhere else. For example: For

the last six quarters we’ve been

seeing positive trend in Europe,

while for the last two quarters

we’ve been seeing very positive

trend in Asia. So, what we are

trying to do is to rebalance a little

bit of our business between the

international and the domestic,”

concludes Herrero.

Americas saw 61 of them. Pablo

Isla, Chairman and CEO, Inditex

states, “These are a positive set

of results against a backdrop of

strong prior-year performance.

This is a direct result of the

commitment, spirit and ambition

of all the professionals comprising

the group, their dedication to the

company, passion for fashion and

focus on sustainability.”

In the financial outlook for

current fiscal, Inditex plans to

continue to expand its integrated

store and online model globally.

Zara’s online store will go live

in Thailand and Vietnam in the

coming weeks, while its launch in

India is scheduled for the second

half of the year.

Guess to close 60 stores in US; expandoverseas

Inditex notes 12% jump in net sales

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Page 8: Garment Industry Analysis

company intends to strongly

accelerate sales and earnings

growth until 2020.

In 2016, despite severe headwinds

from negative currency effects, the

company’s gross margin increased

0.3 percentage points to 48.6 per

cent (2015: 48.3 per cent), as a

result of the positive effects from

a significantly better pricing,

product and channel mix as well as

lower input costs.

Adidas plans to increase sales in NorthAmerica

German sportswear brand Adidas

is planning to increase its sales

in North America by almost half

by the year 2020. The retailer has

set a target of ¤ 5 billion (£ 4.37

billion) for 2020, after a 24 per

cent jump to ¤ 3.4 billion in 2016.

It noted an 18 per cent increase in

its revenue on a currency-neutral

basis in 2016. In Euro terms,

revenues grew 14 per cent to Euros

19.291 billion (US $ 20.391 billion).

The sportswear retailer has

recently decided to accelerate

strategy execution. Under its

long-term strategic business

plan, ‘Creating the New’, the

RETAIL CURRENT

American sportswear giant NIKE

has once again been named the

world’s ‘most valuable’ apparel

brand after a 13 per cent surge

in brand value to US $ 32 billion,

according to a report by Brand

Finance.

The retailer’s strength score

of 92, measured by marketing

investment, familiarity, loyalty,

staff satisfaction and corporate

reputation, and its AAA+ rating,

made the sportswear giant the

most powerful brand in the sector

and the third most powerful across

all sectors.

“NIKE’s strength can be attributed

to the apparel giant’s ability to

continuously innovate and deliver

state-of-the-art products to a range

of consumer demographics,” states

Brand Finance. Most recently,

Nike launched performance

hijab and a plus-size collection.

Alongside its products, the brand

also delivers powerful messages

through its marketing campaigns,

which Brand Finance states

“undoubtedly bolsters” its brand

value and strength.

H&M bagged the second place

with a brand value of US $ 19

billion, up by 24 per cent last

year, contributed by expansion

of its retail stores, opening 442

in 2016 alone. Not too far behind

in third spot is Zara, which saw

its brand valued at US $ 14.4

billion. It is the flexibility of

Zara’s fast fashion model that

allows it to adapt its clothing to

unpredictable circumstances such

as unusual changes in weather

and means that its brand’s value

“flourishes as a result of this

competitive advantage”, as per the

report.

The report also underlined that

Zara overtook Louis Vuitton,

valued at US $ 13 billion. However,

the French fashion house does still

remain the most valuable luxury

apparel brand on the list, followed

by Hermès (US $ 8.3 billion), Gucci

(US $ 6.8 billion), DonnaKaran

(US $ 6.6 billion), and Coach which

increased up the listings withUS

$ 4.6 billion, while Burberry (US

$ 4 billion) and Michael Kors (US

$ 3.7 billion) both have moveddown.

Marc Jacobs came out as the

fastest-growing brand of the 50

most valuable apparel brands.

The fashion label’s brand value

stood at US $ 1.4 billion due to the

company’s restructuring.

NIKE, the ‘most valuable' apparel brand:Report

Page 9: Garment Industry Analysis

mongst many instrumental toolsAof sustainability, Sustainable

Apparel Coalition (SAC), US, is quite

well-appreciated and a truly growing

one. SAC is a global alliance of all

stakeholders with an aim to create an

apparel, footwear and home textiles

industry that produces no unnecessary

environmental harm and has a positive

impact on people and communities

associated with its activities. Globally

connected with 70 brands/retailers, 66

manufacturers and in total over 195

members, there are four Indian giants

(Pratibha Syntex, Arvind Ltd., KG Denim

and Aditya Birla) closely working withit.

Apparel Online discussed the manifold

perspectives of SAC with its CEO Jason

Kibbey who was recently inIndia.

Higg Index, the core driver of SAC, is a

self-assessment standard for assessing

environmental and social sustainability

throughout the supply chain. The

result of unparalleled collaboration,

enabling transparency for the entire

industry, it has so far completed over

15,000 assessments. SAC brought forth

a uniform environmental sustainability

approach to the sector for both the

brands and the factories. Now it is

almost close to creating astandardized

social and labour assessment with

many other partners. “Many brands

have adopted Higg and we certainly

have many more who we wouldlike

to see adopting to Higg usage,” says

Jason who describes that after self-

assessment, the results are to beverified

through different means which will

create the ultimate impact. “Verification

is currently underway, thoughwe

expect to see a significant spread of

verification with the launch of our Higg

3.0 assessment (expected to come till

October 2017),” he shared. The morean

Transparency is one of SAC’s core values.Anybody can access Higg Index 2.0 content from its website and check where his/her factory stands.

As far asapparel manufacturers for Indian domestic markets are concerned, their buyers may not push them for sustainability.Nobody will come and tell them about it. They have to see for themselveshow their fellow exporters,top domestic brands or other manufacturers focusing on sustainability are getting benefited, beit in the formof more efficient and productive workers or something else.

Sustainable Apparel Coalition

Standardized approach

with over 15,000 assessments

TILL DATE, HIGG INDEX HAS COMPLETED

OVER 15,000 ASSESSMENTS BY 6,977

COMPANIES. OUT OF THESE, 497 COMPANIES

ARE LOCATED IN INDIA.

Jason Kibbey, CEO,SAC

SUSTAINABILITY

HAVE YOUR SAY

Tell us your news by emailing at

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To read the latest sustainability news, go to

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Page 10: Garment Industry Analysis

www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 19

apparel factory scores in Higg Index,

higher are its chances of being the

priority of buyers, as buyers compare

this score of various factories. Besides,

various factories and retailers can

analyse their current standing with this

Index to see where they are lacking

compared to their fellow players and

how best they can improvethemselves.

After this assessment, the biggest

challenge that comes up for apparel

manufacturers is to find out ways

to improve their score and for this,

SAC endeavours to offer training.

It works with other providers to

conduct training on Higg and has

great partnerships with the Clothing

Industry Training Authority inHong

Kong, Reset Carbon in Bangkok, Li and

Fung and others. Jason further informs

that currently his team isworking

to develop several programmes for

inducing such training sessions, and

has also published a ‘How to Higg’

manual that guides the manufacturers

about the procedure to use Higg Index

in their facility.

Referring to its Indian members, Jason

proudly says that the Indiancompanies

are all great leaders in sustainability

and there is a lot to learn from them. In

his words, “Typically, manufacturers

that have staff and capacity in

sustainability join SAC. While this

is the case for all of the companies

mentioned, there are many Indian

manufacturers just getting started in

sustainability that do not have staff

solely dedicated for the purpose.”

Focusing more on India, SAC will have

a meeting in Bangalore on May 22-23,

2017, co-hosting the event of Planet

Textiles and Manufacturers Forumwith

ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous

Chemicals) on the 25th of May.

Apparel manufacturers, who are not

members of SAC, are also getting

benefited from SAC or Higg Index as

they can also use this assessment to

help them improve their sustainability

performance. High-performing

companies ideally will lower theircosts

through greater efficiency as well as

gain recognition from their customers.

Finally, non-member companies that

use the Higg Index will receive access

to basic benchmarking to understand

how they measure against their peers.

“Companies, that are members, benefit

from being able to create future

versions of the Higg Index,shape

how it is rolled out, and participate

in the best sustainability forum in the

apparel and footwear industry where

they work alongside their peers in

brands, retailers, manufacturers, raw

materials providers and even NGOs,

Governments and academics,” briefed

Jason.

SAC also recommends a holistic

management of social and

environmental issues as issues

relating to sustainability vary from

place to place and company to

company. “There is an unfortunate

history of making progress on only one

challenge at a time and then movingon

to the next challenge before the first is

solved. We believe that manufacturers

should work with the Higg Index and

improve their management onall

of these issues by first working to

achieve Higg Level 1 among the list

of challenges and then building the

capacity to improve and innovate,”

insistedJason.

SAC has typically grown by 15-20

per cent annually, but Jason doesnot

believe this aggressive growth to be

sustainable over thelong-term.

Being one of the pioneers of sustainability among

the Indian apparel exporters, Pratibha Syntex,

Indore has been associated with SAC since the

start and is extremely elated about working with

it. Jaya Pathak from sustainability department

of the company shared that Higg Index has

provided it a comprehensive platform to measure,

communicate and improve the environmental and

social performance of its apparel production and

benchmark these against industry peers. “There

are some main points in this regard: It carries out

the gap analysis between actualperformance

and industry standards; makes meaningful

improvements by incorporating the gaps in the

sustainability strategy and establishes targets to

reduce the impacts; and analyses and quantifies

the sustainability impacts that arise fromapparel

production and its delivery as a holistic overview

of our sustainability performance – abig-picture

perspective that is essential for progress to be

made,” informed Jaya.

Jaya further adds, “It not only helps us to generate

business but also provides us a great platform

for communication and collaboration that spans

across manufacturers, retailers and brands – which

bodes well for industry-wide transparency moving

forward. Moreover, it has also provided us an

ability to connect seamlessly with the supply chain

and industry peers, driving forward the much-

needed transparency.”

Pratibha Syntexhas gained withSAC

OWNERSHIP AT THE IMPLEMENTATION LEVEL

IS EMERGING AS A TREND AND I MUST

APPRECIATE THAT IT IS GROWING IN MOST

OF THE PLACES.

SUSTAINABILITY

Page 11: Garment Industry Analysis

According to the report ‘Do leather

workers matter – Violating labour

rights and environmental norms in

India’s leather production’ – around

2.5 million workers deployed in

Indian leather industry often face

unacceptable working conditions

that violate human rights and

seriously affect their health. Even

female homeworkers face insecure

and unprotected work, receive

poverty wages and work under

unsafe conditions in tanneries.

Moreover, children are often

involved in leather production in

India, mostly in the unorganized

To incentivize companies in terms

of human right performance, a new

Benchmark has been launched

through a 2 years consultation with

over 400 companies, supported

by 85 investors, accounting for

US $ 5.3 trillion in assets under

management. The Benchmark is

led by investors and non-profit

groups and analyses 98companies

from three high-risk industries –

agricultural products, apparel and

The Leather Working Group and MVO Nederland (CSR

Netherlands), and pledged to take serious action against

human rights violation in their leather supply chain.

extractives, but will grow year-

on-year to cover the world’s 500

largest listed enterprises. “This

first Benchmark is a baseline.

In the future, we want to see

companies move up as they respond

to increased publicscrutiny

and engagement from investors.

Inaction runs a high reputational

risk and low scoring companies

should act decisively, learn from

leading practices, and rapidly

part of the sector, working in

smaller tanneries and workshops.

Also, toxic chemicals used in

tanneries often impact the health

of the workers very negatively. Low

wages, exploitation of home based

workers, and discrimination have

also emerged as major issuesbeing

faced by the labourers employed in

theindustry.

In a joint statement, 12-member

companies of the Ethical Trading

Initiative (UK) said, “Taken

together, we recognize the

very concerning issues in the

leather supply chain.” They also

improve,” informs Vicky Dodman,

Chief Executive of the Corporate

Human Rights Benchmark.

The Benchmark will examine

companies’ policies, governance,

processes, practices and

transparency, as well as how they

respond to serious allegations

of human rights abuse. This is

done by scoring the companies

on 100 indicators across six

measurement themes. The

ranking also paves the way for

Governments to use a smart

mix of regulation and incentives

to enhance transparency and

minimum standards of corporate

behavior to make the business case

for the respect of human rights. “In

our company engagements, we have

noticed that public benchmarks

make sustainability topics

more concrete for companies

and create a ‘race to thetop’,”

tells Angélique Laskewitz,

Director, Dutch Association

for Sustainable Investing.

added: “We commit to working

with international and national

stakeholders to develop a strategic

response to the issues in our

leather supply chain.”

19 companies, including the 12 ETI

members, like C&A, H&M, Primark,

Inditex, Marks & Spencer, NEXT,

TESCO, Sainsbury and Pentland,

reacted to the report as well as the

two CSR initiatives: The Leather

Working Group and MVO Nederland

(CSR Netherlands), and pledged to

take serious action against human

rights violation in their leather

supply chain.

Violation of labour rights in the leather industry!

First ever human rights performance Benchmark launched

Eight advisors join ECAP

Eight special advisors have

joined the European Clothing

Action Plan (ECAP) recently, the

first EU-Life funded project to

drive sustainability throughout the

entire lifecycle of clothing. TheECAP

advisory group will offerguidance

to the partner organization’s

responsible for delivering several

action areas related tothe European

clothing sector, and will act as

ambassadors for ECAP inhelping

to forge new partnerships with

stakeholders and businesses within

participating countries. “We are

delighted to be working with suchan

experienced and influentialgroup

of advisors. We held our firstgroup

meeting recently, and it is obvious

that the advisors’ involvement

will be invaluable in expanding

ECAP’s reach and that their energy

and support will help towards

ECAP achieving itsambitious

goal of making European clothing

more sustainable, from point of

productionto endof life,” tells Leigh

Mapledoram, Head of Programme

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Page 12: Garment Industry Analysis

In terms of boosting denim

production, Chicago-based

Twin Dragon Marketing has

announced the launch of ecological

improvements in their Northern

Hemisphere Mexican mills and at

their Asian facilities by introducing

liquid indigo and eco-finishing.

“This has stabilized the shade of

indigo, increased the colorfastness

in both dry and wet crocking and

the final denim product has a 3D

appearance – it’s amazing! In

addition, this new eco-denim will

The Swedish multinationalclothing

retailer H&M has launched a new

sustainable clothing line for women

and children exclusively for 2017.

The new Conscious Exclusive

collection includes sustainable

material such as bionic-recycled

polyester made from plastic

shoreline water. It includes various

pieces, each one different from the

other portraying how sustainable

materials can create the best

style. Being one of the world’s

biggest users of recycled polyester

and one of the biggest buyers of

organic cotton, H&M’s Conscious

Exclusive is a driver in H&M’s

move towards a more sustainable

future for fashion. It is also an

effort towards the retailer’s plan of

meeting the goal of being 100 per

cent sustainably sourced in cotton

by2020.

“For the design team at H&M,

this year’s Conscious Exclusive

is a chance to dream and create

pieces that are both quirky and

beautiful. It’s great to be able to

show just what is possible with

dye process for black jeans. The

use of eco-finishing at the Mexico

mill for a whole year would save up

to 40 million gallons of water and

also by using liquid indigo, 700,000

help the denim laundry house save

water, minimize chemical usage

and speed up garment processing.

It’s the best scenario for both our

mills and garment manufacturers,”

reveals Dominic Poon, CEO of Twin

Dragon Marketing.

Over the last 10 years, Twin Dragon

has made significant investments

in eco-friendly fibres, such as

Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal, and

has also developed their own

trademarked Forever Black that

eliminates the environmental costly

sustainable materials like we have

done with the delicate plisse dress

made of Bionic,” reveals Pernilla

Wohlfahrt, H&M’s Head of Design

And Creative Director. This year’s

Conscious Exclusive stars Natalia

Vodianova, the Supermodel and

Philanthropist, her first ever

campaign with H&M. This will also

be the first time that the collection

will incorporate clothing line for

children which will be available in

around 160 stores worldwide and

in India as well.

lbs of sodium hydrosulphite would

be saved from contaminating the

environment in one year, a 57 per

cent conservation compared to the

current powder indigo standard.

‘Mediplus 365' @

Re. 1/day by TEA

A new medical insurance scheme

‘Mediplus 365’ with the payment of

Re. 1 per day has been launched

for labourers, informed Tirupur

Exporters Association(TEA)

of India. The insurance scheme

executed by Edelweiss Insurance

Brokers Ltd., Mumbaithrough New

India Insurance Company, will

provide insurance coverageof

Rs. 1,00,000 to labourers. The

insurance company apart from

taking care of the medicalexpenses

will also provide accident coverage

of Rs. 1,00,000 to those insured

under thescheme.

The association has empanelled

four insurance brokers, Edelweiss

Brokers Ltd., Zeal Insurance, Om

Maruthi Insurance and Indian

Insurance Broking to analyze the

existing general insurance policies,

in the context of fire accident,

flood, marine, stock and machinery

breakdown taken by the TEA

members and based on theadvice

of the concerned insurance brokers,

the members of the body will

restructure their premium amount

andcoverage.

Twin Dragon boosts sustainable denim production

H&M launches a new sustainable clothing line

Page 13: Garment Industry Analysis

22 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com

RSWM…Living a philosophy of product innovation

RSWM Ltd., a pioneer in textile

manufacturing with its two popular

collections, Mayur and Cannello sold

worldwide, also invests a lot of time and

energy in new product development. The

company’s ideology is to remain competitive

and relevant by continually investing in

formulation of new products and introducing

them in the market at the earliest. Raj Rishi,

Corporate Strategy, RSWM Ltd., referring

to its differential product strategy, elaborates,

“‘Diverse’ is what makes us a brand away

from the crowd. We not only produce cotton

and synthetic yarns but also offer eco-friendly

yarns, core spun yarns, hollow core yarns,

dyed yarns, fancy yarns and mélange yarns.

You speak of any yarn category and we have

it available with us.”

However, regarding India’s stance as a

basic/commodity yarn/fabric producer,

he feels that India is still perceived the

world over as an essential cotton producer.

But he claims that RSWM Ltd. has been

It is a well-known fact that cotton yarn

manufacturing constitutes the backbone of

the textile industry in India. Yet, many factors

in the past few years have unwittingly pushed

the spinning industry to a glut situation with

over-supply of cotton yarns, in particular. For

one, the industry has seen unprecedented

investments leading to huge capacity building.

Added to this has been unpredictable monsoon

which determines the arrival of cotton crops,

wavering cotton prices, reduction in demand

of cotton yarn from China and absence of a

strong policy intervention to ensure security

for cotton manufacturers.

Fighting to stay alive, progressive companies are

taking the R&D route with focus on innovation

and differentiation to stay relevant. The country

is no longer just a traditional cotton yarn

manufacturer of basic qualities, but now also

has in its portfolio diverse yarn types which

would help it capitalize on the emerging global

market for innovation. Interestingly, the demand

for differentiation is coming not only from

global textile and retail brands but also from

Indian customer base. A young, economically

empowered Indian population that has a rising

aspiration for a better life has created an

evolved Indian consumer that is more discerning

than ever, ready to place his money on brand

and quality, eager to explore the organized

retail market. Currently, there is nearly 40%

of merchandise at the 400+ Indian malls and

millions of retail stores belonging to apparel and

home textiles showing immense opportunities for

the Indian textile industry.

INDIAN SPINNING INDUSTRY

TAKES AN INNOVATIVE

SHIFT FROM BASIC YARN

TO SPECIALIZED YARN

PRODUCTION

Five Textile

companies with

thrust on PD

share their

journey…

YARN UPDATE

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Page 14: Garment Industry Analysis

www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 23

at the forefront of creating a

transformation in the country’s

image by catering to a wide product

category in multi-fibre yarns using

exotic fibres like cupro, dyneema,

Kevlar to name just a few. Even there

are other spinners in India who are

diversifying their product range to

manufacture various kinds of fancy

yarns but India will have to go a long

way to break its traditional approach

and adorn a radical perspective, he

feels.

NSLTextiles…Making PD the root of growth

Being a regular and consistent

supplier of knitting yarns to selective

domestic markets like Kolkata and

overseas markets like Korea, NSL

Textiles has managed to maintain

high standard of yarn quality

providing 100% modal yarn, 100%

tencel yarn and yarn made of blends

with modal/tencel with cotton and

linen for both weaving and knitting

sectors. With an installed production

capacity of 2,80,000 ring spindles for

producing combed and compact ring

spun yarns, 3,744 Rotors for making

OE yarn and 18 tonnes/day of yarn

dyeing, the company also holds 1,800

bales/day ginning capacity. Though

Nagesh M, DGM – Yarn Marketing,

NSL Textiles, Hyderabad agrees

with the increasing plight of the

Indian cotton yarn manufacturers, he

is positive of growth as his company

has adopted a two-stepapproach

– unique product development and

specific target markets that have

resulted in huge success even in a

slowmarket.

Speaking about the importance of new

product development in the company,

Nagesh avers, “Feel and comfort, of

course, are very important aspects in

any garment these days and without

them, any product will only have a

limited life span. Similarly, yarns

made out of new fibre types are

gaining popularity over the past few

decades.” He strongly believes that

innovative new fibres will always be in

demand because of the requirement

of different applications such as

breathability, durability, temperature

control, water-repellent, moisture

absorbency etc. in different types

of wear like workwear, sportswear,

protective wear and functional wear.

Nagesh further adds that apart from

these factors, sustainability is the

new mantra in the field of textiles

which is sure to stay for a long time.

“The focus now is on the usage of

eco-friendly fibres, eco-friendly

manufacturing of textiles, eco-friendly

work practices and proper re-cycling

of textiles after their uses. Weall

have to be individually responsible

rather than being followers of any set

norms,” avers Nagesh

Adopting flexibility in the delivery

of order types, the company is now

offering a wide range of slub yarns

from Ne 20s to 60s, finer counts like

40s, 50s combed core-spun yarn and a

variety of blends of tencel with cotton

and linen and blends of cotton and

linen with counts ranging from 14s

to 40s. To add to their benchmark as

producers of finer counts and blends,

NSL Textiles are currently specialized

masters in selecting good quality

kappas and followingexclusive

work practices like contamination

sorting of cotton in their own

ginning factories.

Nimbark Fashions…Collaborative approach to innovation

Nimbark Fashions believes that

product development is the brain

behind any collection. Therefore, they

have an experienced team who have

worked and seen many seasons in the

textile domain and have a knack of

catching the latest market trends,

handling PD. The company runs on

a cycle of constant production with

5-6 products ready for new launches

at any particular time period. “India

is mainly an exporter of commodity

yarns and fabrics. But, considering

the ongoing scenario where more

value-added fabrics are in demand,

Indian manufacturing units are also

diversifying towards value addition

which will support a movement away

from the perception of India as a

basic yarn/fabric manufacturer,” says

Mahesh Maheshwari, Director,

Nimbark Fashions Pvt. Ltd. He adds

that a good collection of products is

their biggest strength along with

constant supply of

quality and quantity of yarn/fabric

manufactured. “Our products allow

our client to remain in front of their

The country is

no longer just

a traditional

cotton yarn

manufacturer of

basic qualities,

but now also has

in its portfolio

diverse yarn types

which would help

it capitalize on

the emerging

global market

for innovation.

Interestingly,

the demand for

differentiation

is coming not

only from global

textile and retail

brands but also

from Indian

customer base.

ESSENTIALS

Nagesh M, DGM –Yarn Marketing,

NSLTextiles

“Feel and comfort are very important aspects in any garment these days and

without them, any productwill only have a limited life span.”

Mahesh Maheshwari, Director,

Nimbark Fashions Pvt. Ltd.

“With morevalue-added fabrics in demand, Indian manufacturing units are

diversifying towards diversification.”

Shalendra Vasudeva, CMO,

Indorama IndustriesLimited

“We are also in the process to develop colouredspandex and specialty spandex, like antibacterial and anti-odour

spandex.”

YARN UPDATE

Page 15: Garment Industry Analysis

competitors and maintain their profit

margin,” he says.

Offering products such as filament

yarn, viscose, cotton-dyed fabric,

modal silk, dupont silk, variations of

linen, soft yarn with various colour

variations, the company provides the

industry with something new every

time in terms of product development.

“We rely on customer feedback for

product development and also we

have a few consultants with whom

we work regarding trends,” shares

Mahesh. Apart from our 2 spinning

mills, the company also outsources

work to a dedicated 2,000 spindle

as well. “Our production capacity

from one lakh spindles every month

is about 1,000-1,200 tonnes and the

understanding of fashion has given us

the flexibility to offer as less as 10 kgs

of yarn, if so required,” says Mahesh.

Indorama Industries…Riding high on Inviya

Indorama Corporation has managed

to become one of the most

geographically assorted producer of

spun yarns. This company ensures

that its product development team

encompasses human capital from

diverse domains like polymer science,

textile science and chemical process

engineering who have the capability

to work in sync with experts in the

same field from US, Korea and China.

Indeed, this organization goes a step

forward in supporting its product

development team with an in-house

developed “pilot polymerization

plant” located at its manufacturing

facility at Baddi for the development

of coloured spandex. This pilot line

is an excellent facility equipped with

ultra-modern technology having

the capacity to produce 1 MT of

polyurethane polymer per day.

Today their brand INVIYA® is the

only spandex manufactured in India

which is offering a new advanced and

improved spandex to its customers.

In fact, the company’s close

co-ordination with its customers

ensures that it helps them during all

types of developmental needs and

hence, is ahead of the competitive

industry. “We are also in the process

to develop coloured spandex and

specialty spandex, like antibacterial

and anti-odour spandex, provided

the demand from end customers’

supports required volumes to run

these products,” informs Shalendra

Vasudeva, Chief Marketing Offtcer,

Indorama Industries Limited. He

adds, “So far, India has been well

regarded as a strong supplier of

commodity yarns like cotton yarns

and polyester textured yarns, but

with initiatives by many other textile

companies, the world is beginning

to acknowledge our strengths in

speciality products too.”

Gimatex Industries…Taking PD down to ginning

Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd., a

completely integrated textile facility

with Ginning, Spinning, Weaving &

Processing units under its fold has the

vision to provide premium quality

textile products to its customers using

the latest in textile technology. Run by

SYNTHETIC YARNSTHE MOST PROMISING TEXTILE

DOMAIN

Synthetic fibres are the talk of the day amongst the

world leaders in textiles. Be it in the form of modal,

tencel, rayon, acrylic or viscose, there has been a

huge bend globally towards these functional based

fibres and yarns where fabric attributes carry the most

importance. Despite a fluctuating, transient world

economy, the aura of man-made textilescontinues to

spread in an unparalleled way due to the high-value,

high-quality and multifarious performance obtained

from these technologically developed apparels.

With the rise of a sophisticated and socially conscious

consumer with improved lifestyles and rapid

urbanization, man-made fibres are the most progressive

product segments that are here to stay for a very long

time. Besides, an increased awareness on sustainability,

IT integrated technical garments and R & D activity

conducted by various textile companies to survive in

this neck-and-neck close competitive environment,

ensures that new fibre blends are created with the

help of different finishes, looks and textures to meet

the sweeping demands of today’s forever inquisitive

consumers. At present, synthetic textiles occupy more

than 50% of the total textile output globally and are

projected to see even more crucial growth ahead

because of the need for the development of new

blends for production of diversified fabrics.

China is already at the forefront of this radicalchange

being the largest manufacturer of synthetic fibres.

With the Indian cotton spinning industry being the

second largest in the world after China, the alarm bell is

already ringing in our country to boost its performance

in this booming yarn sector at the earliest. The textile

companies in India are looking to strengthen their

capabilities in man-made yarns/textiles, but support

of Governmental measures, a reduction in import and

central excise duty and fresh investment is required to

achieve the desired level as a principal manufacturer on

the world stage.

Prashant Mohota, Managing Director,

Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd.

“India, as a primary producerof yarns/fabrics, has of coursemoved leaps but has still notreached the desired level.”

YARN UPDATE

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Page 16: Garment Industry Analysis

a highly dynamic and experienced

management and supported by a

strong skilled workforce of 3,000

people the group has become a

strong player in the market and a

name to reckon with.

Gimatex has thrived using values

of innovation, quality, and ethical

practices as its pillars of growth.

Stakeholders dealing with the

company continue to maintain

the relationship on a long-term

basis. “This association flourishes

in the environment of mutual trust

that is present between

the company and its business

partners and other stakeholders.

Our ever-growing sales figure is a

testimony to our customer-centric

approach,” says Prashant Mohota,

Managing Director, Gimatex

Industries Pvt.Ltd.

The company has ventures into

the unknown theme of merging

the numerous procedures right

from ginning to processing to help

in the final product layout. It also

possesses highly sophisticated labs

with miniature lab machines where

small runs of different fibre blends,

with separate twists and feel can

be carried out for many trials,

from fibre stage to finished fabric

stage under the special supervision

of extremely skilled technicians.

Gimatex is one such textile name

which provides testing capacities

to its customers to assure them of

the premium quality products that

it is delivering. It has launched its

new mobile app G-force to raise its

standards of service quality for its

privileged customers.

Speaking about India’s altering role

as an inherent commodity producer

of yarns and fabrics, Prashant

encapsulates, “India, as a primary

producer of yarns/fabrics, has of

course moved leaps but has still not

reached the desired level. Our focus

on mass manufacturing along with

more stress on cotton fibre rather

than plenty of other synthetic fibres

with unique properties renders us

weak when it comes to delivering

high-value items and becoming one

of the superior manufacturers of

theworld.”

hile the garment export market is alwaysW looking for new product developments

along the value chain to create innovative

collections that would appeal to international

buyers, the domestic players are not far behind.

Today, India is home to the ‘world’s youngest

population’ and the textile industry is sure to

benefit from this fashion-oriented GenNext, as

the burgeoning domestic market for garments

is being fed by the abundant availability of all

types of fibres and yarns, such as cotton, viscose

and polyester within India and at a price “lower”

than the international markets. Rakesh Sharma,

Executive Director, Tecoya Infotech (the

organizers of Fibres & Yarns 2017 Expo) aptly

states, “Considering that the Indian GDP will

continue to remain upwards by 7% and India

having the world’s largest population below the

age of 40 years estimated at over 200 million

and having above-average purchasing power,

the business opportunities within the domestic

sector will touch a mammoth level. This lethal

combination of growth of our economy and the

rising desires and aspirations of young Indians

will ensure that the demand for textile and

clothing keeps on surging year after year.”

Fibres and yarns constitute the most important

raw materials for this domain as they lead to the

creation of final garments or home textilesoffered

to both the national and international market. To

make them available to the downstream fabric,

garment and home textiles value chain, leading

fibre and yarn producers from India and abroad

are unveiling their latest and innovative collections

at the 12th Edition of Fibres & Yarns in Mumbai.

It indicates the coming together of weavers,

knitters and garment brand managers on one

single platform to have a look at the latest yarn

collections for conversion into innovative fabrics

and garments. Some of the flourishing speciality

fibre and yarn manufacturers, from India and

abroad are displaying their yarn varieties here

which include silver yarn; soyabean, milk and

bamboo fibres (from China); nylon micro fibres;

modal and tencel fibres; fire retardantviscose;

hi-tech polyester fibres and filaments for functional

fabrics; pure silk, linen and juteyarns.

Amongst the huge number of companies who

are participating in this fair, some companies

are showcasing exclusive yarn collections that

will definitely catch the eye of the visitors.

Nimbark Fashions, which is a pioneer in fancy

yarns manufacturing since the past 30 years, is

revealing a range of diamond series yarns, twin

twist yarns and raw silk yarns. These yarns are

formulated to give different structural effects and

grindle effects to the fabrics apart from creating

blends which give the look and feel of Dupioni silk.

Similarly, Indorama Corporation, is demonstrating

a revolution in the field of spandex fibre, its

new product range called INVIYA® I-400 which

provides the customers with one-step solution to

all their queries. It provides specifications like

high elongation, better frictional properties, high

heat resistance properties, high stretch power

which make it the best fit for all end-uses.

RSWM Ltd. which is one of the largest textile

manufacturers in India built on sustainable

processes and technologies will also be displaying

its latest yarn made with coffee fibres which

act like anti-odour fabric. It is even exhibiting

a series of sustainable fabrics with blends in

recycled polyester and cotton. Meanwhile,

Gimatex Industries Pvt. Ltd., a completely

integrated textile facility, is showcasing viscose

compact yarns built on latest compacting

technology, synthetic core spun yarns in grey and

dyed, and multi-count, multi-twist yarns which

provide several value-added benefits to the fabric.

The 12th Edition of Fibres & Yarns

A rar e col l a b o r a t ion of f i b r e and yar n

m a n u f a c t u r ers for i n n o va t ive i n s p i r a t ions

Dr. Kavita Gupta, Textile Commissioner, at the FNY Expo at the last edition

Page 17: Garment Industry Analysis

26 Apparel Online India | APRIL 1-15, 2017 |www.apparelresources.com

Apathetic behaviour in the initial

days and lukewarm response

from investors are reportedly

among major reasons which have

made India miss its investment

target worth Rs. 40,000 crore.

According to reports, the

sector has managed to receive

investments of just Rs. 16,371

crore, with the potential to

generate 2.50 lakh jobs by

March2017.

Despite series of steps such as

2015 textile policy, which makeUnion Minister of Heavy Industries

Anant Geete has laid the foundation

stone for Common Engineering

Facility Centre (CEFC) for textile

machinery and allied engineering

industry at Bardoli, Gujarat. This

will be south Gujarat’s first CEFC.

The CEFC will be constructed at

a cost of Rs. 50 crore by Science

Engineering and Technological

Upliftment (SETU) foundation

with the support of local

industry associations like Surat

Engineering Vikas Association

(SEVA), Textile Machinery

Manufacturers Association of India

(TMMAI) and Sardar Vallabhai

Patel Education Society, Bardoli.

The institution will come up on five

acres of land at Faculty of

Engineering Technology and

Research (FETR) at Bardoli.

Around 1,200 micro, small and

medium enterprises of domestic

textile and general engineer sector

in south Gujarat region will be

benefited with this project. It will

also fulfil the objective of ‘Make in

India’ and ‘Skill India’ campaigns

of the Government of India.

it mandatory to have textile

hubs concentrated in the cotton

growing belt of Vidarbha and

Marathwada to minimize the

cost of transporting raw cotton

and other expenses, could not

help realize India’s dream.

According to the State Economic

Survey 2016-17, “There are

16 textile parks functioning

with employment of 0.23 lakh.

Currently, there are 10.01 lakh

powerlooms in state with 19 lakh

employment.”

Minister, Energy and Guardian

Ministry. The park would ensure

large scale employment to theyouth

of the region besides providing

better avenues for the farmers to

garner maximum benefit. Basic

infrastructure including supply

of energy, water and provision for

sewerage water treatment plant at

the site will also be set up. A 132

KV electricity sub-station would

cater to the energy requirements of

the units in the textile park.

Maharashtra to get a new textile parkMaharashtra Government has

reserved 93 hectares of land in

Lohara MIDC of the Yavatmal

district for setting up a textile park.

The work on the park is expected to

startsoon.

“The setting up of a textile park

in Yavatmal MIDC area was

pending for a long time due to the

availability of adequate land. The

proposal was initiated by the then

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan

himself,” said MadanYerawar,

Textile industry fails to attract desired investment

Anant Geete lays foundation stone for CEFC

TEX-FILE

HAVE YOUR SAY

Tell us your news by emailing at

[email protected]

BREAKING NEWS

To read the latest sustainability news, go to

http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/

Page 18: Garment Industry Analysis

in states. Trade infrastructure

is one of the critical elements in

export trade to enhance efficiency

and competitiveness in global

market. He also mentioned that

inadequate infrastructure pushes

exporters transaction cost,

impacting competitiveness of Indian

goods in the global market. “The

logistics cost in India is one of the

highest in the world,” he added.

FIEO Chief further stated that the

new scheme will also help create

modern infrastructure like last

mile connectivity to ports, besides

testing labs and certification

centres. It will help in modernizing

infrastructure in states for

exporters besides addressing

various other challenges and

exportbottlenecks.

India’s Commerce and

Industry Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman recently launched

the Trade Infrastructure for

Export Scheme, which is focused

on addressing the needs of

theexporters.

TIES will cut exporters transaction cost,says FIEO PresidentSC Ralhan, President, Federation

of Indian Export Organizations

(FIEO), has welcomed the launch

of Trade Infrastructure for Export

Scheme (TIES) by the Indian

Government, and believes that

it will help reduce exporters

transaction cost.

Ralhan said that the Indian

exporters face huge challenges in

terms of infrastructure,particularly

TEX-FILE

Page 19: Garment Industry Analysis

ith a long journey encompassingW45 years (25 years for Manish

alone) and a strong confluence of

artisans from every corner of the

country being associated with them,

the company’s objective was, is and

will always remain to bring the best

out of India’s rich traditional heritage

and present it to the world in the form

of phenomenal designs representing

high quality collections in home

furnishings such as cushion covers,

bed linens, duvet covers, sheet sets,

comforters, and rugs and carpet.

The company’s buyers span from

small retailers within the country

to some of the top brands in the US

and Europe, which source from the

company because of their handwoven

fabrics and design coordination which

are the endowments of artisans from

small clusters in Rajasthan, Gujarat,

UP and West Bengal. “Brands look

forward to our collection and their

designers pick up our designs which

are indeed a matter of great pride for

us,” avers Manish.

It is also their strong product

development strategy that sets

them apart from other regular

home furnishing companies. Manish

himself travels around the world

for almost six months in a year

visiting retail outlets and buyers

EAST INDIA COMPANY: OFFERING QUALITATIVE

DESIGNS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Growing from a small cabin of 300 square feet area to having 3 factories and 1 administrative head office today, the success

story of East India Company, Mumbai is indeed a motivation in the business of home furnishings. A candid discussion

with Manish Shah, a second-generation Director of the company, makes us really believe that ‘fair’ business can be a

great amalgamation of multiple working centres, exclusive hand-crafted patterns and eco-friendly factories. “There are

tremendous possibilities in India and this is what gets me excited to be a part of this venture,” says Manish passionately.

H2F

“About 90% of

our buyersare

working with us for

last 15 to 20 years,

through thick and

thin, which is an

achievement for

us.”

Apart from

outsourcing

of fabric, the

company has 28

powerlooms and

equal number

of handlooms’

installations with an

overall staff of 200

people in all its units.

Having certificates

like GOTS and BSCI,

it follows AQL of 2

and 1.

ESSENTIALS

Manish Shah, Director, East India Company

Page 20: Garment Industry Analysis

in different countries to conduct

intensive research on their cultural

requirements and conceptualises

products envisioning meeting such

diverse customers’ demands. They

also do not depend on the services of

any permanent designers in-house as

it leads to a routine look after some

time. Rather they prefer working with

young designers from outside who can

always come up with fresh ideas.

Having separate weaving units at

Karur and Kannur and their primary

stitching unit at Mumbai, East India

Company presents a fine example of

adept networking of core strengths.

In fact, having weaving units at

Karur and Kannur gives them the

competitive edge over others. The

weaving unit at Karur is hardcore

commercial because of cheap labour

cost apart from the low rate of yarn

procurement. But Kannur, on the other

hand, is extremely high-end on quality

and is suitable for smaller buyers

demanding less quantity. Coordination

between the three units is maintained

tightly with the help of a structured

time and action plan formulated right

from the time the orders are placed

till the final execution of the fabric.

Manish further shares, “Among these

various processes, if we find some

loophole(s), they are immediately

addressed to, since rectifying them

after the order is done would be

increasingly difficult.”

However, amidst such spectacular

management, lies the challenge of

building a business on handlooms

for larger quantities, as handmade

items lack the speed of delivery

of huge orders that’s possible by

machines. Additionally, they are

loaded with several unforeseen snags

faced by weavers themselves, but

he claims that a capacity to foresee

such probable problems can reduce

the chances of unexpected crisis.

Moreover, their company targets a

niche market for tailor-made products

where quality rules over quantity

and hence, issues related to massive

production can beaverted.

Undeterred by the obstacles coming

their way, East India Company’s

forte has been natural textiles with a

target on sustainability. The company

uses 100% cotton, linen and silk but

no polyester. Their weaving units

are completely natural, including

dyeing processes with zero discharge

of water, waste management and

recycling of fertilizers. As Manish

proudly states, “About 25% of our

business is carbon without any

footprint. (The weaving unit of the

company is carbon-free; it uses a lot

of recycled material for various

purposes). We desire to make our

processes completely organic by

2020. At present, we implement

sustainability only in few of our

segments so that price is not

impacted and buyers are not

hesitant to buy our products.”

Their social comitments can

be seen through their practise

of donating a portion of their

turnover to charitable trust and

supply of interest-free loans to

their employees as and when

required. Besides sustainability,

they aspire to accomplish

their long-cherished dream of

launching project ‘NIMMIT’

(connecting point) to promote

their artisans on a global platform

and also expand in handicrafts

domain related to textiles such as

fabrication of lamps.

“We see that the

future is of tailor-

made products

as niche market is

growing very well

around the world.

They prefer very

good quality and

demand small

quantities of 100 to

200 pieces, which

suits us well.”

ESSENTIALS

East India Company offers variety of products with the touch of local crafts

Page 21: Garment Industry Analysis

Strength and tenacity come alive in this theme where

a focus from anti-tear and anti-stress materials to

body mapped aspects of reinforced engineered

zones, only the toughest, resilient and most durable

fibres will come to pass. The continual growth

in high-tenacity yarns has a direct effect on the

market. Fabrics that were previously tough andrigid,

are being introduced with a super soft hand and

enhanced flexibility.

Endurance paired with

an anti-tear function

will play a key role

in addressing the

growing ‘lifestyle’

sector, from urban

activities to leisure

and camping involving

extreme sports such

as cycling and rock

climbing, enhancing

the performance of the

wearer. The focus on

protection iscontinued

with engineered fabrics

that lock on impact for

cycling through high

compression fabrics

that embrace the

wearer anatomically in

crucial areas.

Not just confined

to wovens, knitsare

also taking up this

trend with protective

elements applied in

single and double-layer

sponge-like fabrics.

fibres, yarns &finishes

• Aramid yarns

• High tenacity yarns

• Natural, manmade and synthetics fibres all feature as

blending partners

• Classics including gabardine and twill are updated in

lighter weights with high tenacity yarns for enduring

products

• Tough membranes and coatings – for shell-like protection

• Glassy aspects through cooling technology

• Stretch laminates

• High power spandex/elastane for high compression

• A renewed look at lightweight plastic trims and

accessories with super strength through new

ingredients in

• Lighter weight performance fabrics

• Anti-rip and cut resistant singlejersey

• Nylon/polyamide warp knits with integrated compression

zones, selvedge finishes, clean cut function

• 360° stretch wovens

targetmarkets

• High impact sports

• Road cycling/mountain biking

• Rock climbing

• Lifestyle – athleisure/street sports

• Skateboarding

• Travel

• Outdoor equipment – tents, back packs, sleeping bags

HIGH TENACITY

PROTECTION

ROBUST

TOUGH

HARD CORE

SOFTTOUCH

core shield

DIRECTIONS BY

Page 22: Garment Industry Analysis

Technology has been focusing solely on function in

the past, but the concept is shifting towards lighter

variations with detailed surface effects for the

Spring/Summer 2018 season.

Enhanced performance, exceptional protection

and premium functionality is being delivered

through a turbocharged feel features owing to

the fabrics and trims used under this theme. High

compression materials featuring a four-way stretch,

take on a biomimetic approach on the structure of

the body, protecting and embracing the muscular

structures of the wearer. Reflective fabrics and trims

in feather light weights are presented alongside

high-tenacity

fabrics that

utilize micro

fine steel-

strength

aramid fibres.

Intelligent

interfaces

on the

technical or

face of fabric

improve

performance

and

protection for

activities such

as swimming,

running and

triathlons,

offering water

repellence,

UV protection

and quick

drying.

fibres, yarns &finishes

• Key functions include: cool touch,

moisture management, UV protection

• High performance polyester and nylonfeature

• Man-made fibres – lyocell, modal

• Silver, zinc and copper yarns and finishes for well-being

benefits

• Cool touch technology

• Coloured coatings

• Retro-inspired trims and accessories

• Spongey double knits

• Classic interlock

• Functional stretch membranes feature on second layers

for those summer showers

• Comfort and power stretch inwovens

targetmarkets

• Beach sport

• Yoga, pilates – natural touch technicity

• Golf, tennis

• Running – UV protection, cooling technology and

moisture management key to thissector

• Outdoors

• Travel

• Active intimate apparel andsocks

• Soft equipment –backpacks

RETRO

TRADITIONAL

NATURAL

MULTI FUNCTIONALITY

COMFORT

EASYWEAR

retro classic

Page 23: Garment Industry Analysis

Materials and trims feature renewed luminosity,

lustre and brightness of lustre. The brilliance

of yarns and the luxurious feel of the fabric,

scintillating materials and trims in this sector act like

a magnet, standing out among the crowd.

Compact fabrics with glossy substrates boast more

textured constructions and optical prints colliding

function with fashion.

While lacquered looks

and overall brilliance

emerge, functionality

is a must. Continue

with cool touch, UV

protection, high

compression, moisture

management and

thermal regulating

ingredients as the

basics.

fibres, yarns &finishes

• UVprotection

• High performance nylon

• Super chlorine resistant spandex/elastane

• Reflective yarns, prints and transfers

• Iridescent yarns

• Metallic coatings, transfers and prints

• Traditional foil prints

• Gleaming trims – new gold, titanium

• Transparent plastic trims

• High stretch jacquards

• Compact and textured surfaces

• Eye-catching optical prints

targetmarkets

• Athleisure –glamor

• Lifestyle/urban

• Hiking

• Beach sports apparel and swimwear surfers style

• Stylish workout wear with high levels of performance

• Aerobic classes – dry or aqua

• Spin classes – soul cycle

• Fitness swimming and aqua zumba, aqua fitness,

aqua spin

ATTRACTION

APPEAL

BRIGHT

ENTICING

ILLUSION

LUSTRE

SCINTILLATION

lustre allure

Page 24: Garment Industry Analysis

Sustainability, a key staple across the textile and

fashion industry, takes centre stage in this theme,

placing an emphasis on the partnership between

new generation synthetics, natural and man-

made fibres and how they can be mixedtogether

to create a win-win situation. Ingredients from

different sectors marry for a synergetic approach

giving rise to a certain level of hybridization

among fabrics.

A strong use of

natural fibres

from BCI cotton,

pima cotton, and

merino wool as

well as the luxury

application of

silk feature high

in this trend. The

application of

Lyocell and micro

modal deliver a

soft touch. Opting

for a selection of

these ingredients

in a blend, would

create new

variations with a

strong sustainable

stance for all

sectors of the

market.

fibres, yarns & finishes

• Hemp and linen in refined yarns for a grainyaspect

• The inherent function of merino wool in terms of thermal

regulation and comfort for the Spring/Summer season

• Micro modal, lyocell and silk for addedsoftness

• Moisture management and anti-bacterial

• Recycled nylon and polyester

• Nano membranes for DWR

• Bio-based spandex/elastane and eco-friendly spandex/

elastane

• Built-in performance yarns – moisture management,

UV protection, anti-bacterial, cooling

• Reduced water and energy consumption for asustainable

aspect in finishing and dyeing

• Lightweight Spring/Summer insulation

• High colour longevity and brilliance fromsynthetic and

spandex yarns when blended with natural yarns

• Double sided knits– natural/synthetic

• Waterproof, windproof, breathable laminatesand

membranes

• Texturized synthetic yarns with a cotton touch and built-in

performance

• Waterproof seamless transfers for added details

• Lightweight double-sided fabrics with contrasting

colour and texture

target markets

• Water sports – surfing, kite surfing, kayaking and windsurfing

• Athleisure/lifestyle, urban cycling, outdoors, yoga

• Soft sports, ZSoft equipment – tents, sleeping bags,

backpacks,shoes

HYBRIDIZE

FRESH

SYNERGY

TACTILE

HARMONY

TEAM EFFORT

hybrid synergy

Page 25: Garment Industry Analysis

Weightlessness come alive from micro fine hosiery-

inspired knits to micro light trims and accessories. A

pure techno sports trend, where the wearer doesn’t

feel the weight of the garment and/or equipment

accessories, yet the micro light, next-gen fabrics aid

in the achievement.

Cool touch, compression, UV protection and

anti-bacterial elements are key to this theme

which deliver barely ‘there’ fabrics improving

performance. Engineered fabrics that focus on body

mapping specific functions into key areas in the

fabric constriction

provides a

greater sense of

seamlessness and

protection to the

body, where micro-

encapsulated yarns

serve to create a

perfect workout

experience.

fibres, yarns & finishes

• Micro fibre synthetics with permanent performance –

moisture management, cool touch, UV protection, anti-

bacterial, quick dry

• High powered spandex/elastane for second skin

compression and core stability support

• Power stretch spandex/elastane – super chlorine resistant

• Dye-able polypropylene for micro light knits

• Iridescent yarns

• Metalloplastic yarns

• Trims and accessories take on a super smooth finish

• Thermochromatic yarns and transfer prints

• Reflective technology – yarns, prints and finishes

• Day-glo trims and yarns

• Day-glo silicone prints and trims

• Phosphorescent micro fine yarns

• Clean cut technology and laser cutting – perfect for heat

seam bonding or clean hem finishing

• Patina surfaces through yarn content or finish

target markets

• Track cycling, running

• Marathon & triathlon,athletics

• Fitness & gym apparel and softequipment

• Active intimate apparel andbodywear

• Cross training and cardio classes

• Wearable technology

CRISP

PERFECTION

PRECISION

FEATHERWEIGHT

AMBITIOUS

NEXT GENERATION

exactitude

Page 26: Garment Industry Analysis

LET’S CROCHET

Kitschy with a soupçon of DIY,

crocheted tops and dresses are

the core of music festival fashion,

inversely becoming a vacation

essential in the same pursuit.

While some brands like Alexander

McQueen played up the multi-

colour crafty grandma factor of

the style, there is an interesting

shift towards converting this

knitted wonder into a deceptively

serious fabric. While Balmain

and Moschino played the crochet

game in multicolour, Valentino and

Peter Pilotto offered great dresses

in solid colours with accented

detailing.

PYJAMA PLAYER

We always talk about hitting

that snooze button every

morning so to help us catch

the lost sleep that goes into

outfit planning, designers have

completely eliminated the

whole fiasco. From coats that

look exactly like bathrobesand

striped pyjama sets in soft sleepy

blues or blush pink, there is a

nightwear option for every sleepy

head. Therefore, whether you

prefer starched whites that can

go from bedroom to boardroom

as seen at Protagonist and Tibi

or Miu Miu’s lively printed styles,

there is a pyjama in store for

every party.

LUXE ON

TRACK

Health and fitness will be the

key drivers of luxury in the

coming years as personal well-

being takes centre stage. To

tap into experience economy’s

obsession with athleisure,

tracksuits are upgrading into

an almost bourgeoisie territory

with sleek cuts and technical

fabrics. Whether you want to

get drinks at the country club or

just need to look like an elegant

marathoner, cruise collections

have you covered. Fendi and

Off-White presented chic work

out appropriate sets but Maison

Margiela’s version could be easily

incorporated into a trendy work

wardrobe.

SUNNY SIDE UP!T O P 10 T R E N D S F R O M R E S O R T 2 0 1 7 C O L L E C T I O N S

FASHION BUSINESS

Pete

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Marg

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Adam

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Page 27: Garment Industry Analysis

PALE PINK

Pink is easily the new black, and

resort collections are in absolute

agreement, but how is cruise pink

different from Spring/Summer’s

haughty fuchsia? As is the case

with most of the resort wear

styles, the collections are dripping

in a more subdued, paler pink and

this proves that a colour does not

always have to be super ‘in your

face’ to be impactful. Say hey to

new age feminism in adolescent

pink pieces from Delpozo, Bally

and Roksanda celebrating

girlhood in all its glory.

PRAIRIE QUEEN

We are not sure if designers are

referencing Little House on the

Prairie or they are just shouting

out to the new cult favourite,

Stranger Things but the romantic

eeriness of prairie chic is back

in vogue. A strongly feminine

combination of ditzy florals,

tomboyish ginghams, conservative

hems and necklines is getting a

modern working girl update. From

Calvin Klein and Giambattista

If you think about it, resort wear is the best of both worlds because it is inherently summer clothing dotted abundantly with plentiful

cover up options in the same bag. While the resort wear shows are long over, the trends are only just ripening up for our perusal.

Thanks to the millennial approved globalization of wanderlust and a focus on wellness as the new form of luxury, resort clothing is now

more relevant than it has ever been.

Cruise wear this season is refreshingly clean and relaxed with a scent of sci-fi dropped in the mix. While most trends echo a common

sentiment of luxury loungewear, we can definitely spot influences from the more urbane streetwear scene like racer checks and stripes

or military jackets. The colours oscillated from glimmering disco night to pastel vitamins making the collections not just trans-seasonal

but an elemental fit for every occasion. The good life of Sunday picnics and sailing through the Caribbean blues is on everyone’s mind.

Here are the big trends going all the way from jingoistic sportswear to modern girl DIY picked up from the Resort Collections of 2017.

Valli’s more traditionalist garbs to

Sonia Rykiel and Coach’s modern

take on this free-spirited trend,

there are bountiful options for the

modern cowgirl.

RINGING BELLS

One of the more merciful

throwbacks to the ’70s is the bell

silhouette that starts outfitted,

but goes up ballooning into the

quintessentially summery bell-

bottom or the more dramatic

bell-sleeve. Fashion is always

obsessed with movement so it is

obvious that this style of flinging

wrists will keep returning to

inject some theatre into our

wardrobes. Flaring up this love for

the bells in full effect are trousers

from Versace, Rosetta Getty and

statement sleeves from Holly

Fulton, Temperly London amongst

a slew of others.

RACE COURSE

A trend that is perhaps a

combination of Americana loving

derby and lingering patriotism

or just the race of fashion taken

a bit too literally. Chessboard

checks as well as the combination

Rachel-

Zoe

Louis

Vuitto

n

Ball

yC

oach

1941

Page 28: Garment Industry Analysis

Industry take…

Tushar Sharma, Toska Labs – “Fitness apparel is our main focus

so we are doing plenty of constants like yoga or mélange pants

and track suits in classic dark colours. With that being said, lighter

shades of red and blue as well as paler pinks are also in demand.

Even in terms of silhouette, slouchy and lounge-friendly bottoms,

yoga pants with bright floral prints and heavy lycra is doing well.

A very interesting new demand I have observed is of loose wrap

around dresses that look very similar to bathrobes however, buyers

want these constructed in a more daytime appropriate way. Another

noticeable trend is of these extremely fitted tights for men which

shows a new outlook at sportswear in general and its relevance

beyond being just workout clothes.”

Rajiv Rathi, United Exports – “We are employing digital

printing techniques to create big floral prints as well as using a

lot of embroidery to achieve the textured look. Light fabrics like

polyester, chiffon and georgette are looking quite popular and

we are enhancing those using multicolour woollen or acrylic yarn

embroideries and tassels. Prints like florals are always popular for

summer collections and we are mostly doing bigger florals on white

or lighter, solid colour bases. In terms of trousers, we are doing

many wide, billowing harem pants. For colours, soft pastels in warm

tones such as orange and yellow are the biggest hits while baby

pink and blues are also going strong.”

Dhirendra Sharma, Prabal Sales – “I think with resort clients, the

general trends are more or less the same as every year with some

variations in prints. The silhouette is loose with wide leg pants and

long ballooning sleeves that come with elastic cuffs. Solid pastels

in lighter hues of yellow, orange and pinks are widespread as

always. In terms of prints, big old school florals are definitely a key

theme. In addition, we are using a lot of tie and dye technique in

multicolours to achieve interesting patterns organically.”

of red, blue and white striping

signals a fresh wave of clothing

inspired from the paraphernalia

of a F1 racer. An extension of the

sportswear trend going beyond

mere practice to dressing a luxe

market of spectators. Chequered

looks from Philipp Plein, Louis

Vuitton or Versace’s tricoloured

bomber are as suitable for a

racing carnival as they are for the

4th of July parade.

LIVE TO DYE

The overall wave of colours this

season oscillated between hot

monochromatic to soft pastels

and many designers peppered

their collections with tie and

dye patterns employing these

colours. A technique that looks

extremely light hearted because

of its Do It Yourself approach and

a history of gaining popularity

among the happy hippies, its

optimism is winning many hearts.

From lightweight separates at

Dsquared2 to the languid maxi

dresses at Tory Burch and

Zimmermann, this technique is on

its way to becoming a lounge wear

favourite.

TIERNOTTIRED

If a vacation in Spain or anywhere

on the Caribbean is on cards,

we know some frills and ruffles

cannot be foregone from the

packing list. The multi-layered

skirt is just the grown up take

on an overbearing ruffle mania

rage, while ruffles may not

work for everyone because of its

superfluous femininity but tiers

strike balance without getting

boring. For a serious urge to twirl,

head on to Prabal Gurung or

Normal Kamali’s colourful gowns

or go crazy in Chanel’s white lacy

layers of frolic.

BRIGHTLY TRENCHED

A timeless classic gets a cheerful

update; the trench coat is not

just getting lighter but is getting

unfurled in wildly bright colours

like sunny yellows and orange. A

cruise collection would make no

sense without some transitional

outerwear options but it does not

have to be lacklustre. Animated

trench coats are channelling the

overall youthful and sprightly

attitude of the season, and

indulging your need for pure

hedonism are pieces from Edun,

Fendi and Tibi in buttery yellow.

Tory

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Page 29: Garment Industry Analysis

www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 39

This season looks a

lot like everyone is in

the mood to party,

and with good reason

given how 2016 got it

all twisted. Designers

and high fashion

labels sent spangly,

glittery pieces clad

on petitesilhouettes

down their runwaysfor

Spring/Summer2017.

Seemingly taking

over athleisure, we

saw glitteringpalettes

and sparkling sequins

featuring over skirts,

dresses, jackets and

evenpantsuits.

Dolce & Gabbana

and Alessandro

Michele at Gucci,

presented statement-

making sequinedstyles

that shimmered like

disco balls reflectingunder the lights. Dion Lee’s sequined dresses took on

an athleisure vibe, while Monse offered an off-the-

shoulder design with over-the-knee side slits. Designers

paid tribute to an old-school flapper-style glamour,

whilst modernizing the trend with respect to everyday

ready-to-wear clothing for the approachingseason.

FASHIONFILE

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Rebecca Minkoff increases focus on ‘see now, buy now' strategy

While Thakoon and Tom Ford have

bid farewell to ‘see now, buy now’,

the strategy seems to be working out

exceptionally well for the digitally

forward Rebecca Minkoff. The

company is laying off employees

working on wholesale operations

and hiring people that align better

with its current strategy of building

a seamless e-commerce base. The

restructure will support direct

retail in physical stores and online,

which accounts for 60 per cent of

the business. Rebecca cites a strong

customer loyalty as well as the

exciting experiences they provide via

gutsy marketing initiatives as a big

fuel to their growth. Staying ahead

of the curve, the company also plans

to add more production in Europe

and domestically to counter Trump’s

potential TPP tax code and be able to

design under shorter deadlines.

In an effort to marry social media’s curation features and e-commerce’s

instant shopping ability, Instagram is adding ‘tap to view’ tags with product

details that directly link you to the site to make your purchase. The feature

that made its test debut in November to just 20 brands is now poised to place

Instagram at the centre of retail marketing and will significantly boost brand

engagement. Retail insights gathered from the same will also help in

understanding popular product assortments. Instagram’s Director of Product

Marketing Jim Squires

said, “The more posts with

shopping tags in them, the

more likely someone is

to engage, so people are

looking for products and

this experience is helping

them to learn more and

hopefully make those

purchases.”

Instagram expands ‘tap to view' shopping tags

FASHION RESOURCE

AZZARO names MaximeSimoens as its Artistic Director

Celebrating their 50th anniversary,French fashion house Azzaro

has appointed designer Maxime

Simoens as its Artistic Director who will oversee

couture collections, ready-to-wear

and accessories.

With a meritorious education from

Chambre Syndicale de la Couture

and an experience of having worked

at Jean-Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab,

Dior and Balenciaga, he is famous

for bringing fluidity coupled with

perversely architectural silhouettes

as well as working on polarising

contrasts in his work. Simoens

succeeds Arnaud Maillard and

Alvaro Castejón who left in 2016

and will present his first collection

during the Paris Couture Week in

July. Alongside the new role, Simoens

will continue operating his personal

label called M.X Paris, which he just

relaunched as an accessible and

only-menswear brand.

Page 30: Garment Industry Analysis

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurating the Advanced Textiles Plant of Welspun India Ltd. at

Anjar, Kutch(Gujarat)

Namit Jain (R), Partner, Kay Jain Processors with Samir Jain, MD of Shraman Inter Knits, Ludhiana – the

company deals in knitting machines

INDUSTRY WIRE

Welspun India establishes its Advanced Textiles Plant

Kay Jain Processors focusing on open width knit fabric

extiles MinisterSmritiTIrani recently inaugurated

the Advanced Textiles Plant

of Welspun India Ltd.,

India’s

leading textile conglomerate at

Anjar, Kutch (Gujarat). With the

inauguration of the plant, Welspun

– placed amongst the largest

home textile manufacturers in

the world – has forayed into new

technologies in its technical

textile business. With an

investment of Rs. 150 crore, the

plant will have unique capabilities

of Spun Lace and Needle Punch

lines which can manufacture

multilayer composites for various

applications. It also invested

Rs. 100 crore in a fully

automated cut and sew unit in

the made-ups segment which has

a capacity of 10 million units per

annum.

This advanced and innovative

technology will provide non-

woven solutions for high-end

udhiana-based Kay JainLProcessors, part of BG Group,

which is solely committed to

quality services for its consumers,

is now venturing into the open

width knit fabric segment which

is gaining huge popularity in

Ludhiana. BG Group is into

knitted fabrics, value added

apparels (menswear) and bed

linens.

The company has almost

completed the process to

install open width compactor

and six chamberstenter

for knitting, dyeing and

finishing process with an

investment of US $ 1 million. The

new setup will be fully operational

in the next few months. Namit

Jain, Partner of thecompany

told Apparel Online, “Wealready

have a setup for the finishing of

tubular fabric, now our focus is

also on open width fabric as its

demand is growing multifold.

We have knitting and complete

processing of the same. I feel that

this is the best time to invest for

future as lean period is the best

time to expand further.”

industrial applications such as

filtration, acoustics, automotive,

fire safety, thermal insulation,

vibration control, noise control,

aerospace, defence and mass

transportation, informed the

company. The group is taking

a leap forward in medical and

advanced textiles.

BK Goenka, Chairman, Welspun

Group, said, “The new facility will

Currently the company has

production capacity of 5,000

kilograms per day (cotton and

polyester cotton fabric) and it will

be 8,000 kilograms per day after

the expansion. The organization

consumes 50 per cent of the total

production of fabrics. Around

60 per cent of its garment

production is for overseas market

enhance our product offerings

and provide cutting-edge

solutions in high-growth areas

such as industrial and defence

applications. They strengthen

Welspun’s position as a global

manufacturer and underline

our commitment to the ‘Make in

India’ initiative as well as the

economic development of the

region and the country at large.”

like US, South Africa, Germany

and Middle East nations such

as Kuwait and Dubai. Most of

its buyers are wholesalers and

importers.

“If things work according

to our planning, I am sure

our business will double in

the next two to three years,”

concludedNamit.

Dutch Blue Fashions adding a new factory

Tirupur-based 25 years old

company, Dutch Blue Fashions,

is moving forward under the

leadership of Seethar Babu, the

Owner. The company is in the

process of adding a newfactory

of 150 stitching machines.Majorly

manufacturing kidswear apart

from some amount of ladieswear,

the company currently has 100

machines and is exporting its

products to Germany and The

Netherlands.

Frank, GM – Production of the

company stated, “We have good

demand from our existing buyers

and we are also adding few new

clients. Construction for the new

factory, built in 2 acres of land, is

complete and has a productionarea

of 24,000 square feet. For this, we

are exploring new technologies/

advanced machines in stitching.”

Vella Sports looking for expansion

Meerut-based Vella Sports is

further expanding its production

capacity, adding in-house socks

manufacturing and also willing to

enter in export. Producing entire

range of sportswear like tees,track

suits and lowers etc., the company

has a strong reach in textilesas

it has its own powerlooms too.

“We are into this industry since

the last 9 years and are known for

our quality. As we areenthusiastic

about the market, we are coming up

with a new plant which will enhance

our capacity in a good way,” told

Ashish Dudeja, Partner of the

company.

The company, currently intothe

domestic market, will explore

overseas opportunitiestoo

as Ashish said that after the

expansion, his organization will

have huge capacities and export

market is full of opportunities. In

long term, it does have plans to

start manufacturing of accessories

like buttons and zippers. Talking

about UP, he added that lack

of electricity and high cost of

electricity are the main concerns for

manufacturers likehim.

Page 31: Garment Industry Analysis

Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director

of the Export Promotion Council

for Handicrafts (EPCH) has been

honoured as true champions of the

exhibition industry. Kumar was

honoured with the title ‘The Iron

Man’ of the Exhibition Industry for

2016 during Exhibition Excellence

Awards held on 18 March 2017 at

India Expo Centre & Mart. Many

organisers of the exhibitions and

events and leading service partners

were on the dais to celebrate the

achievements of the year 2016. In

a statement issued by the EPCH,

Kumar said, “Exhibitions and

conventions are the catalysts to an

economy’s growth.”

The Executive Director of

the Council has contributed

immensely towards promotion of

not only the handicrafts sector

but also the exhibition industry by

creating state-of-the art exhibition

infrastructure – India Expo

Centre & Mart at Greater Noida

the world’s largest congregation

of handicrafts exhibitors under

one roof.

EPCH was also declared winner

under the Largest Trade Show

Category and Grand Show Category.

It has been organizing IHGF-Delhi

Fair since its inception in 1994, and

has made significant contribution to

Expressway, that has witnessed

successful organization of Auto

Expo, an annual meeting of Asian

Development Bank, conferences

of CII and Renewable Energy,

apart from its own world’s largest

fair entitled IHGF-Delhi Fair

which has been recognized by

Limca Book of World Records as

the handicrafts trade from India. “It

(IHGF) has not only enabled Indian

exporters in large numbers to

participate in the show and secure

orders but also enabled foreign

buyers to source their requirement

from India at one place, and at

one time under one roof. One of

the most important roles played

by the IHGF has been the increase

in the foreign exchange earnings

beside employment generation for

the sector for the country,” stated

Kumar.

Exhibition Excellence Awards is

India’s only initiative to provide

visibility and recognition to the

Exhibition & MICE (Meetings,

Incentives, Conferences, and

Events) Industry. The event was

supported by the Ministry of

Skill Development & NSIC,

Indian Exhibition Industry

Association, Indian Exhibition

Services Association and Indian

Industries Association.

EPCH honoured with Exhibition Excellence Awards

INDIA CANVAS

Rakesh Kumar, ED –EPCH being declared ‘The Iron Man’ of Exhibition Industry for 2016

Page 32: Garment Industry Analysis

Commerce and Industry Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman has launched

the Trade Infrastructure for

Export Scheme (TIES) focused

on addressing the needs of the

exporters. “The focus is not just to

create infrastructure but to make

sure that it is professionally run

and sustained,” said the Minister

while launching the scheme.

There will be an Empowered

Committee to periodically review

the progress of the approved

projects in the scheme and it will

take necessary steps to ensure

achievement of the objectives

of the scheme. She said that the

proposals of the implementing

Textile and apparel industry of

Tamil Nadu is happy with the

State Budget as there is no new

tax, and reasonable amount is

given for infrastructure and

skill development. D Jayakumar,

Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu,

presented the 2017-18 budget in

the Assembly. Welcoming the

move, TEA President Raja M

Shanmugham said that people will

get benefit after implementation of

constituted for this scheme to

be chaired by the Commerce

Secretary. While appraising

the project, the justification,

including the intended benefits

in terms of addressing the

specific export bottlenecks would

be evaluated.

“The scheme would provide

assistance for setting up and the

upgradation of infrastructure

projects with overwhelming

export linkages, like the

border haats, land customs

stations, quality testing and

certification labs, cold chains,

trade promotion centres, dry

ports, export warehousing

agencies for funding will be

considered by an Inter-Ministerial

Empowered Committee especially

the schemes announced in the

budget. “The allocation of

Rs. 2,000 crore for the Tamil Nadu

Infrastructure Development Fund

(TNIDF) would be helpful for the

development of the infrastructure

which is the need of the hour for

the industry,” he added.

The President also welcomed the

allocation of Rs. 150 crore for

the Tamil Nadu Skill

Development Mission to train one

lakh youth

and also intends to seek

assistance from the Government

of India which helps the industry

to recruit the skilled workforce

and pave the way for increasing

the productivity and efficiency.

Besides, Shanmugham hailed

the proposal to strengthen the

single window system in the

Tamil Nadu Industries Guidance

and Export Promotion Bureau

further by making it online

so that investors can get all

approvals expeditiously in a

hassle-free manner at one place.

While noting down the allocation

of Rs. 532 crore for MSME sector

in the budget, Shanmugham

specifically lauded the doubling

of allocation of capital subsidy

to MSME units from Rs. 80

crore to Rs.160 crore which will

be helpful for MSME units in

Tirupur, as more than 80 per

cent of total units in the region

are under MSMEcategories.

If reports are to be believed, then

India’s apparel market is expected

to note a three-fold rise from US

$ 59 billion in 2015 to US $ 180

billion by 2025, while China is also

expected to lead the market atUS

$ 615 billion by 2025, growing at a

compounded annual growth rate

(CAGR) of 10 per cent as compared

to US $ 237 billion in 2015. Indian

apparel market will emerge as the

fastest growing, expanding at a

CAGR of 11.8 per cent, besides the

consumption will also go up.

This has been stated in a global

textile report by Axis Direct – a

brand under which Axis Securities

Limited offers its retail broking

and investment services. Apparel

market in China is expected to

expand at a CAGR of 10 per cent

as compared to US $ 237 billion

in 2015. The report has also

predicted that India and China

may cross Europe and US in terms

of consumption by 2025. India and

China are jointly expected to use

apparel worth US $ 795 billion,

growing by a CAGR of 10 per cent.

NirmalaSitharaman,

Commerce and Industry Minister

and packaging, SEZs and ports/

airports cargo terminuses,” said

Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.

The Central and State agencies,

including Export Promotion

Councils, Commodities Boards,

SEZ Authorities and Apex Trade

Bodies, recognized under the

EXIM policy of Government of

India, are eligible for financial

support under this scheme. The

implementing agencies shall

provide details of the financing

tie-ups for the projects which will

be considered before approval

of the project. Disbursement of

funds shall be done after financial

closure is achieved.

Government launches Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme

TN Budget grants Rs. 2,000 cr. for infrastructure, Rs. 150 cr. for skill development

Indian apparel market to grow three-fold by 2025

D Jayakumar, Finance Minister, TamilNadu

Page 33: Garment Industry Analysis

cross India, many apparelAexporters have reasonable share

in the domestic market or are creating

their reach in the domestic arena. In

fact, since the last few years, it has

been a growing trend. On the other

hand, there are few companies who

were earlier into the domestic market

and were working with good brands,

but now they are focusing on overseas

market. Ludhiana based Khanna

Knitwears and Exports is a perfect

example in this regard. More than

4 decades old, this company, having

exposure of working with most of the

top Indian as well as international

brands selling in India, is now totally

into export. Apparel Online talked

about the reasons, difficulties and

achievements of this turnaround with

Sumit Khanna, Second Generation

Director of the company which is 100

per cent EOU as of now.

Taking the legacy of his father further,

Sumit joined business in 1995 and

contributed to the development of his

company by starting work with big

brands and retail chains such

as Wrangler, Benetton, Max, Lifestyle,

Shoppers Stop,Pantaloons,

Big Bazaar and many more. Apart

from this, some amount of export also

began but the core market share of

the company was in these brands.

Currently doing an annual business

of Rs. 19.5 crore, the company has

a production capacity of more than

70,000 and 40,000 pieces of T-shirts

and sweaters per month,respectively.

It started its export business with

Dubai, Muscat and Kuwait, but later

went on to add UK, US and Europe.

Gulf countries do have 50 per cent

share in the company’s export. In

the last three years, the company

has completely converted itself into

exports only. What were the reasons

that pushed Sumit to focus only on

exports? He informed, “We stopped

working in domestic market due

to various reasons like change in

weather, less demand of winterwear,

sourcing of products by brands at

cheaper rates from other countries

and lack of commitment from domestic

buyers. All these things were creating

difficulties for us at every step of our

business which made us change our

focus to export where we had a very

nominal share at that time.”

For Sumit, this shifting was not a

cakewalk, as assumed to be,especially

during 2009 when global recession

was forcing international buyers/

retailers to consolidate. “We had some

experience of export, despite that

things were difficult, especially to find

buyers who can feed us according

to our product specialization. We

approached buying agents/agencies

and supported them with our best

support. We were continuously

participating in sourcing fairs too,”

he added. The challenges were at the

internal level be it in case of timely

delivery, strong quality parameters,

and to overcome these, the company

used 70-80 per cent of its own capacity

and this really worked for them. The

organization also changed its ‘chalta

hai’ mindset to achieve a standard

quality level. Coating was another

issue which it tackled with lesser

margin. “I strongly feel that this is

the better way to work rather than

depending on job work and struggle to

complete big orders compared to one’s

own capacity,” says Sumit. In spite of

facing losses initially, hecontinued

in a strong, consistent way and once

he got the buyers’ ways, there was

nothing which could not be sorted out

anymore.

Now looking back, Sumit feels that

this move was completely in the

right decision and the company is

also moving in the right direction.

“From my experience, I have found

that working with international

clients is much easier than working

with domestic clients. There are

no payment issues and they are

strict to their commitments. Even

payment cycles are better in export.

Better order sizes and less style

experimentation are also something

that we enjoyed in export. Now I have

lesser involvement in my factory

just because of working for export

markets. I and my entire staff learnt

a lot while working for export but in

domestic market, we had earnings

only rather than learning. Most of the

domestic brands are still not working

on things like colour forecast,” he

concluded.

• It is not that we have

absolutely closed the

gates or will not work

for Indian brands/

domestic markets,

but we need strong

commitment and

good price.

• In the exports

domain, we work

with 15 to 18 buyers

and have better

understanding with

them.Even • countries like

Nepal are supplying

to top Indian brands

and Nepalese

workers have better

mindset that helps in

maintaining quality

production.

• Domestic or export

markets are always

buyer-driven but

there is a difference

at the planning level

in both the markets.

ESSENTIALS

K H A N N A K N I T W E A R S A N D E X P O R TS

A Turnaround from Domestic to 100% EOU

Sumit Khanna, Second Generation Director of the company

Page 34: Garment Industry Analysis

BEYOND INDIA

Bangladesh Government has

formed a tripartite consultative

council for the readymadegarment

(RMG) sector of the country.

Representatives from workers,

employers and the Government will

be members of the council, who will

be responsible for review of overall

labour situation of the RMG sector

and apprise the Government of the

situation.

This consultative council will

remain valid until further order

of the Government, and will also

advise the Government about

the laws, rules and regulations,

policies and plans relating to the

labour of the RMG sector. The

council, formed to review the labour

An MoU has been signed between

Archroma, a global leader in

colour and speciality chemicals,

and Ethical Affair, a knowledge-

based platform striving to provide

training, skills development and

technical assistance to women

the Commerce Ministry, Home

Ministry, Textile and Jute Ministry,

Foreign Ministry and Labour and

Employment Ministry will represent

the Government side while there

Affair. Women Entrepreneurs will

be provided a tool kit in areas

such as technical know-how

pertaining to textiles from initial

to final stage, international textile

market features, sustainability

development, or understanding cost

and value creation for local and

foreign markets.

situation and its development time

to time in the country’s RMG sector,

will hold meetings at least thrice

annually.

The council will suggest measures

to be implemented for developing

RMG employers-workers relations

and increasing productivity

considering the country’s existing

overall socio-economic situation.

State Minister for Labour and

Employment M Mujibul Haque

and the Ministry’s Deputy

Secretary (Labour) will act as

President and Member Secretary

of the Council. Secretary to the

Labour and EmploymentMinistry

and one representative (Joint

Secretary level and above) from

entrepreneurs in Pakistan textile

industry.

The MoU signed in the port city of

Karachi will allow Archroma to play

a pivotal role in imparting technical

know-how, training and re-training

through active platform of Ethical

will be six representatives each

from different organizations of the

employers and the workers from

the sides of the employers and the

workers.

“Empowering women

entrepreneurs to enter into the

mainstream will certainly add

value coupled with creativity

for the textile industry. Women

are already taking initiatives in

establishing their own businesses

especially in the last five years.

What they presently ask for is

technical training and hands on

experience,” said MujtabaRahim,

CEO of Archroma Pakistan,

in a statement issued by the

organization.

“At Archroma Center of Excellence

in Karachi, women will be able

to learn to apply textile dyes

and chemicals suited for their

purpose. Their innovation can

turn into success stories beyond

expectation,” added Shaheen

Khan, President of Ethical Affair.

Bangladesh Government forms council for RMG sector

Archroma to provide technical expertise to women entrepreneurs in Pakistan

“At Archroma Center of Excellence in Karachi, women will be able to learn to apply textile dyes and chemicals suited for their purpose.”Shaheen Khan, President of EthicalAffair

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Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]

Page 35: Garment Industry Analysis

‘Human Rights' factor may hold back EU-Vietnam FTA

The European Union (EU) and Vietnam have signed

the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) inDecember

of 2015. However, the European Parliament and

the legislatures of all EU members have still not

approved the agreement for it to takeeffect.

The EU-Vietnam Partnership is based on the respect

of human rights and democratic principles, yet the

FTA is being fast-tracked with hardly any attention

on humanrights.

The Government in Vietnam faces pressure from

European lawmakers to improve its human rights

record, especially with regard to the conditions

existing in garment factories. The dismal working

conditions and low pay have been the cause of labour

agony in many industries – prominent being the

footwear and textile industry.

There are no independent trade unions in Vietnam

and the right to strike is severely restricted, even

prohibited, in many sectors. The majority of workers

in garment sector are women and their condition too

leaves a lot to be desired. The European Parliament

recently sent its Subcommittee on Human Rights on a

fact-finding trip to Vietnam. The committee called on

Vietnamese officials to allow more debate on political

rights and freedom of expression andreligion.

Nearly a year ago, the French group Worldwide

Movement for Human Rights accused the EU of

failing to study the impact that the trade agreement

would have on human rights. Fredrick Burke of

Baker & McKenzie says Vietnam’s FTA with the EU is

not as strong on human rights as theTPP.

The Vietnam Ministry of Industry

and Trade (MOIT) has drafted a new

national technical regulation on

limitation and inspection of content of

formaldehyde and of aromatic amines

derived from azo colourants in textile

products. The new regulation applies

to all textile manufacturers and

importers in the Vietnam market.

Textile products for children under 36

months of age must not contain more

than 30 mg/kg formaldehyde. Textile

products in direct skin contact should

not exceed 75 mg/kg formaldehyde.

The maximum limit of formaldehyde

in textile products without direct

skin contact is 300 mg/kg, while for

The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters

Association (SLAEA) has urged the Sri

Lankan Government to abolish the

Simplified Suspended Value Added Tax

(SVAT) scheme or exempt the apparel

industry from the tax.

According to SLAEA, recent figures

pertaining to FDI were not great

partly due to the fact that the ease of

doing business in the country was bad

as exporters indulged in more bank

borrowings in the short term. It may

be noted that the apparel exporters

were previously exempted from Value

AddedTax.

Though the country could no longer

depend on the apparel exports industry

as countries like Bangladesh which had

cheaper labour were more competitive

in the apparel export sector and

aromatic amines, it is 30 mg/kg. The

content of aromatic amines derived

from azo colourants on textile products

shall be determined in accordance

with ISO 24362-1:2014, Textiles –

Methods for determination of certain

aromatic amines derived from azo

colourants and ISO 24362-3:2014,

Textiles – Methods for determination of

certain aromatic amines derived from

azo colourants or; EN 14362-1:2012,

Textiles – Methods for determination of

certain aromatic amines derived from

azo colourants and EN 14362-3:2012,

Textiles – Methods for determination of

certain aromatic amines derived from

azo colourants.

market, it could on the other hand

capitalize on being internationally

recognized in terms of quality and

delivery, as per Felix Fernando,

Chairman, SLAEA. He emphasized that

the labour would have to be trimmed

down by 20 per cent.

“In terms of products and styles,

it is advisable for us to make more

and more value additions. Factories

may close, yet more revenue must be

earned from the limited number of

factory complexes. Hong Kong has the

hub concept. Sri Lanka too can be a

sourcing hub as buyers have recognized

the open market. Elsewhere, there

must be definite modernization and

industrialization in terms of technology

and machinery. Capital allowances can

be invested in it.

Vietnam Governmentdrafts new technicalregulation on textiles

Sri Lanka apparel industry needs to modernize technology: SLAEA

Page 36: Garment Industry Analysis

Regaining in December, will clothing imports by EU maintain the momentum in 2017?

J a n u a r y - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6

Continuing the rise from November, EU’s clothing imports have strongly consolidated in the month of December. The full year import

data is reflecting a rebound in the clothing demand from the EU buyers after the euro has stopped falling from a year earlier. Despite

ups and downs in EU economy throughout 2016 after ‘BREXIT’, Europe managed to continue to be an attractive market for exporters

from the developing countries driven by the reputation and global reach of the European clothing brands. Thus, the year 2017 is

projected to be a positive year as far as clothing imports are concerned which will gain momentum especially due to the rise of

e-commerce shopping.

5.53%

Total Increase in Quantity

0.22%

Total Increase in Value

[The information has been extracted from

EU custom site and further analyzed.]

Global apparel imports by the EU during

Jan.-Dec. 2016

EU’s imports record boost in ladies blouses categoryIn the year 2016, imports of ladies blouses by EU registered growth of

10.45% in volumes, while value was up by 1.87%. During the review period

India, Bangladesh and Vietnam also registered positive trend in the export of

ladies blouses to EU.

India and Vietnam keep on growing in legwear exports to EUYear-on-year, exports of legwear by Vietnam registered commendable growth

of 166.05% in volumes, while values were up by a massive 61.48%. India too

recorded gains of 29.09% in value and 36.51% in volume during period.

1

2

EXPORT STATISTICS

Quantity

6.56%

Value

0.26%

Quantity

4.22%

Value

0.18%

Change in Woven

Apparel imports of the EU: Selected Countries (Qty in mn Kg & Value in mn Euro)

Percentage Decrease in UVR

4.98%

Average UVR in 2016 was Euro

17.33 per kg of fabric equivalent

Change in Knitted

Country/Category

Jan.-Dec. 2015 Jan.-Dec. 2016

% increase /decrease

Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

WORLD

Knitted 2474.89 40332.95 2637.26 40439.05 6.56 0.26

Woven 1952.67 40440.55 2035.08 40515.25 4.22 0.18

Total 4427.57 80773.50 4672.33 80954.29 5.53 0.22

CHINA

Knitted 899.89 13996.95 912.78 12861.64 1.43 -8.11

Woven 859.49 15966.01 860.59 14847.57 0.13 -7.01

Total 1759.38 29962.96 1773.37 27709.21 0.80 -7.52

INDIA

Knitted 148.71 2567.45 161.27 2598.63 8.45 1.21

Woven 98.20 2566.15 100.06 2529.08 1.89 -1.44

Total 246.91 5133.59 261.33 5127.71 5.84 -0.11

BANGLADESH

Knitted 623.64 8054.90 695.82 8612.19 11.58 6.92

Woven 352.16 5664.82 395.99 6256.93 12.45 10.45

Total 975.80 13719.72 1091.81 14869.12 11.89 8.38

SRILANKA

Knitted 47.81 932.75 54.35 881.08 13.69 -5.54

Woven 28.69 657.02 24.55 576.75 -14.43 -12.22

Total 76.50 1589.77 78.90 1457.84 3.14 -8.30

PAKISTAN

Knitted 88.13 964.36 99.76 1078.87 13.20 11.87

Woven 91.27 1317.19 99.26 1378.43 8.76 4.65

Total 179.40 2281.55 199.02 2457.30 10.94 7.70

VIETNAM

Knitted 38.59 791.69 42.59 915.42 10.36 15.63

Woven 86.20 2013.07 88.79 2079.92 3.01 3.32

Total 124.79 2804.76 131.38 2995.35 5.28 6.80

Page 37: Garment Industry Analysis

Men’s shirts export by China tumbles both in volume and valueChina registered downfall in exports in men’s shirts category to the

EU. Decrease in values was recorded by (-) 16.62% while volume

was down by (-) 11.24%. During the period, India too registered

downfall of (-) 4.08% in value while volume fell by (-) 1.28%.

EU registers rise in its import of trousersEU noted increase in trousers import in volume which witnessed a

rise of 5.23%, whereas values rose by 1.17% during the period

under review. India, Bangladesh and Vietnam contributed positive

data to EU, though China was down in its export of the same.

Ladies dresses: A surging export category for BangladeshContinuing the positive trend, ladies dresses export by Bangladesh to

EU witnessed yet another notable response. Values during the

review period were up by 35.11% while volumes saw an increase by

39.88%.

Vietnam sees growth in undergarments export to EUUndergarments export to EU heightened from Vietnam as the

country noted upswing in its value by a solid 64.28%, while the

volume too saw an increase by 56.72% year-on-year.

India’s babies wear export to EU strengthensIndia noted surge in its babies wear exports to EU as value-wise

India was up by 14.36%, while in volume, the rise was by 25.23%

during the review period.

Bangladesh rises in its jackets & blazers exports to EUBangladesh saw an increase in its jackets & blazers exports to EU in

both value and volume. The country registered 32.59% growth in

volume, whereas values were up by 33.10%.

3

4

5

6

7

8

Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Dec. 2016 (Qty in mn kg)

Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Dec. 2016 (Value in mnEuro)

APPAREL TYPE

Total Imports byEU

Exports toEU

China India Bangladesh Vietnam

2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change

BabiesWear 118.10 123.28 4.39 51.63 47.97 -7.10 15.19 19.02 25.23 28.45 29.82 4.79 1.14 1.16 1.17

Foundation Garments

52.66 53.35 1.31 33.81 33.02 -2.34 0.28 0.33 15.35 4.39 5.57 27.01 1.33 1.58 18.47

Jackets &Blazers 115.84 124.14 7.17 62.80 65.48 4.27 2.19 2.57 17.72 7.50 9.94 32.59 9.56 9.64 0.90

Ladies Blouses 103.86 114.71 10.45 31.44 34.66 10.24 20.40 22.80 11.77 13.31 15.99 20.17 4.80 5.12 6.57

Ladies Dresses 154.60 167.78 8.53 63.60 65.13 2.40 20.21 20.28 0.32 13.63 19.07 39.88 4.02 4.69 16.68

Ladies Skirts 46.96 45.97 -2.11 16.61 17.49 5.26 4.17 3.40 -18.37 6.96 7.03 1.09 1.52 1.53 0.39

Legwear 185.85 200.39 7.83 94.82 102.96 8.59 1.63 2.22 36.51 1.97 1.97 -0.05 0.26 0.69 166.05

Men's Shirts 271.44 270.09 -0.50 51.78 45.96 -11.24 24.83 24.51 -1.28 101.24 107.35 6.03 10.95 11.06 1.03

Nightwear 153.14 159.61 4.23 66.22 65.89 -0.49 25.27 27.20 7.62 22.28 25.47 14.30 3.10 2.59 -16.44

Suits /Ensembles 45.70 46.16 1.01 27.54 26.42 -4.09 1.88 1.83 -2.54 2.16 2.69 24.63 0.66 0.56 -14.90

Sweaters 558.56 596.01 6.71 230.15 232.59 1.06 12.64 12.79 1.21 150.49 172.01 14.30 7.58 7.46 -1.70

Trousers 1052.50 1107.51 5.23 302.96 288.19 -4.87 37.29 40.60 8.87 299.40 338.05 12.91 33.19 34.61 4.28

T-Shirts 571.35 591.44 3.52 73.83 68.71 -6.93 48.36 51.22 5.92 258.07 275.23 6.65 6.42 6.85 6.56

Undergarments 102.36 109.67 7.14 46.46 47.17 1.53 14.73 15.63 6.11 17.69 21.15 19.56 0.99 1.56 56.72

APPAREL TYPE

Total Imports byEU

Exports toEU

China India Bangladesh Vietnam

2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change 2015 2016 %Change

BabiesWear 2413.66 2444.13 1.26 1067.82 951.99 -10.85 348.39 398.42 14.36 497.38 518.49 4.24 28.14 26.77 -4.89

Foundation Garments

1882.60 1868.00 -0.78 985.14 921.53 -6.46 18.17 18.76 3.27 160.67 187.28 16.56 67.00 89.52 33.62

Jackets &Blazers 2740.49 2753.79 0.49 1278.21 1199.15 -6.19 57.88 62.01 7.14 121.46 161.66 33.10 207.89 215.90 3.86

Ladies Blouses 3208.69 3268.70 1.87 949.68 899.41 -5.29 679.04 692.52 1.99 300.35 342.04 13.88 105.99 109.00 2.84

Ladies Dresses 4256.63 4333.88 1.81 1790.73 1711.61 -4.42 565.65 544.61 -3.72 213.67 288.69 35.11 91.47 101.12 10.56

Ladies Skirts 1033.48 994.34 -3.79 370.79 350.91 -5.36 95.03 87.24 -8.20 101.57 104.05 2.44 29.30 30.56 4.32

Legwear 1952.09 1994.90 2.19 759.81 749.36 -1.38 21.31 27.51 29.09 21.47 21.36 -0.47 4.88 7.88 61.48

Men's Shirts 5580.14 5348.86 -4.14 1076.85 897.92 -16.62 553.67 531.05 -4.08 1564.68 1607.92 2.76 275.54 283.36 2.84

Nightwear 1797.77 1763.17 -1.92 693.23 618.15 -10.83 321.55 321.83 0.09 258.49 285.67 10.51 28.87 26.94 -6.70

Suits /Ensembles 766.48 716.96 -6.46 310.23 270.95 -12.66 34.30 33.68 -1.81 29.45 33.57 13.97 10.13 10.98 8.34

Sweaters 10417.92 10299.91 -1.13 4594.66 4191.66 -8.77 238.35 225.59 -5.35 2178.74 2357.60 8.21 144.55 144.29 -0.18

Trousers 17356.64 17560.24 1.17 4006.16 3467.57 -13.44 641.26 670.10 4.50 4200.12 4605.29 9.65 618.73 655.16 5.89

T-Shirts 9025.28 8964.99 -0.67 1339.79 1175.17 -12.29 835.92 833.41 -0.30 2954.67 3010.60 1.89 135.26 151.16 11.75

Undergarments 1356.67 1370.39 1.01 510.43 462.70 -9.35 194.26 188.34 -3.05 236.12 279.77 18.49 22.64 37.19 64.28

Page 38: Garment Industry Analysis

Quantity Value

0.99%

-12.88%

-11.43%-12.15%

0.49% 0.87%

Pe

rce

nta

ge

ch

an

ge

2

0

-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12

-14

Knitted Woven Total

India recorded downfall in its apparel

exports to Japan. Values were down by

(-) 11.30% while volumes fell by

(-) 5.11%, during the review period.

IndiaExports

Continuing the positive trend, the country

witnessed surge in both value (6.03%)

and volume (29.15%) in apparel exports

to Japan. Though value-wise, woven

exports saw decline of (-) 5.17% during

the period under review.

BangladeshExports

During the review period, the country

tumbled by (-) 2.12% in its value-wise

apparel exports to Japan, though exports

in volume terms noted a commendable

surge of 8.07%.

Vietnam Exports

The country stayed on setback mode in

its apparel exports to Japan even at the

end of 2016. Values registered a drop

of (-) 16.48% while volumes were also

down by (-) 1.27% year-on-year.

ChinaExports

Japan Apparel Imports

J a n u a r y - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6

2017: Will Japan be able to beat sluggishness in apparel market…?

All through 2016 Japanese retail consumers weighed the balance

between the short-term stability in their income and the long-term

uncertainty in their economic outlook as the country witnessed

turmoil in global financial markets with the Yen’s recent strength

adding pressure on the market. This resulted in a drop in the value of

clothing imports by 12.15% in the month of December as compared to

the same period in 2015. Also, the sluggish 2016 is linked to

population ageing in the country with many older consumers having

little interest in keeping up with fashion trends and thus buying only as

needed. In addition, mild weather in the month hurt sales of winter

clothes but there are forecasts for an improvement in consumer

spending in the year 2017 with a gain in online clothing retail sales.

Page 39: Garment Industry Analysis

RESOURCE CENTRE

were the first

show organisers

to bring

awarenessabout

technical textiles

in Indiaand

also encourage

Indianexhibitors

to go to the

Frankfurt and

the US showsfor

exposure,” adds

Michael.

The company

hadestablished

Techtextil in

2007, with

great success.

Subsequently

the company

launched

Heimtextil India

and Ambiente

India together

and nowis

soon goingto

linktechnical

textiles with Texprocessthrough

the first Texprocess Pavillion@

Techtextil India. “The reasonbehind

launching Texprocess is that there

is a need for an international show

in technology. We are trying to get

international technology here.Our

shows are the right platform forthem

to be positioned in India because the

market is huge,” claimsPriyanka.

Endorsing the view, Veronika adds,

“There was a big demand for a platform

such as Texprocess in India from the

international manufacturers ofsewing

and garment machinery because they

see a rising demand for automation for

moreproductivity.”

With global connects, supported by a

local network, Messe Frankfurt gets

penetration into the markets alongwith

a credibility of getting international

companies to the exhibitingcountry.

This makes them stronger than any

local shows that are organised inIndia.

“Our corestrength is that we can bring

in a combination of local depth with

international network,” says Michael.

The last edition of Techtextil India in

2015 counted 158 exhibitors from 11

countries and over 5,000 trade visitors

from 35countries.

All Techtextil and Texprocess shows

happen after a two years’ cycle,except

in Russia where Techtextilhappens

on a yearly basis. “The big challenge

is how to continually showcase the

dynamic potential of the technical

textile industry and the surrounding

industry? So, we are always looking

for something that creates awareness

and also excites the mind,” reveals

Michael. The new theme for the

upcoming Techtextil at the Frankfurt

show (9-12 May 2017) is ‘Living in

Space,’ which is in cooperation with

the European Space Agency and the

German Aerospace Centre, illustrating

the broad spectrum of applications for

technical textiles with examples from

the aerospace sector. The company

has created an area of 500 sq. metres

dedicated to living in space in terms of

architecture, mobility and civilization.

Apart from this, the company isalso

“Thereasonbehind launchingTexprocess isthatthere isaneed foraninternationalshowin

technology andourcore strength is thatwe canbring inacombinationof localdepth with

international network. The last edition of Techtextil India in 2015 counted 158 exhibitors

from 11 countries and over 5,000 trade visitors from 35 countries.” – Michael Jänecke

eing successful in bringingpeopleBand markets together, Messe

Frankfurt – the leader in the business

of organizing trade shows – has shown

remarkable growth over the last two

decades in India and has come to be

known as the company that creates

platforms for new markets in the

country. With time, India has emerged

as one ofthe fastest growing exhibiting

nations among 139 countries at

Frankfurt fairs, with more than 2,500

Indian manufacturers and scores of

visitors, being present every year. In an

exclusive conversation with Apparel

Online, Michael Jänecke, Director,

Brand Management Technical

Textiles & Textile Processing,

Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH;

Priyanka Pawar, Group Exhibition

Head (Textile and Consumer

shows) Messe Frankfurt Trade

Fairs India Pvt. Ltd.; and Veronika

Maerz, Marketing Director, VDMA

Textile Care, Fabric and Leather

Technologies, share the strategy that

drives theexhibitions.

Globally, Messe Frankfurt conducts

over 50 events for apparel fabrics,

fashions, home textiles, technical

textiles, textile processing and care.

In India, the company currently holds

around 18 events, of which three are

related to the textile industry. It isnow

coming up with the first Texprocess

Pavillion @ Techtextil India (within

Techtextil India) from 13-15 September

2017. “India is a booming market and

the idea behind the show is to better

link the Indian technical textileindustry

to the global market,” reveals Michael.

Though, the Indian Government is

supporting investment in the technical

textilessegment

with reduction of import dutiesby

10 per cent on requiredtechnologies,

the marketing efforts have not been

proactive and need support as well.

“Sensing the gap, MesseFrankfurt

Veronika Maerz, Marketing Director,

VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather

Technologies and Michael Jänecke,

Director, Brand Management Technical

Textiles &Textile Processing, Messe

Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Creating global platforms for products and servicesMesse Frankfurt focuses on the growing Indian market fortechnical textiles

TO ADVERTISE

Contact Rani Mahendru+91-11-47390000 (512)

[email protected]

GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?

Send your industry gossip, photos and news [email protected]

Page 40: Garment Industry Analysis

focusing on complementary programmewith

focus on digital printing and international

innovative apparel shows. “There willbe

adigital textile micro-factory on the floor

at Texprocess in Frankfurt (parallel to

Techtextil) mainly dedicated to the garment

industry,” addsMichael.

The need of the premiere of the Texprocess

Pavilion @ Techtextil India is borne by

the fact that the technical textiles and

processing market in India isgrowing at an

average of 4-5 per cent and while a decade

ago there were hardly 10 companiesin

the segment, now there are 40-50 serious

contenders. “India is on the way of becoming

a major market for technical textiles. The

growth is driven by demand from the user

side and the dependency on technical

textiles for more and more applications,”

avers Michael. For a successful shift

towards technical textiles, the industry

requires technically soundmachineries

and this is where Messe Frankfurt is

trying tofill the gap by bringing in different

technologies on the same platform with the

Texprocess Pavilion. “There is a certain

benefit that all industries get through

Techtextil and Texprocess, being together,”

reasonsMichael.

This is where VDMA takes centre stage,

through its research and development in

Germany and Europe providing a platformto

industries and association to communicate

with each other and to discover new

markets. “You need to process textiles, live

in space or build a digital micro-factory for

which we need technology. This iswhere

the manufacturers of sewing andgarment

technology come in,” informsVeronika.

A major topic that continues to concern

the sector is that ofsustainable production

in the international garment industry,

whether as a resultof state regulation

or consumer and trade demand, leading

sustainability to develop into an important

and growing competitive factor. With the

Blue Competence sustainability initiative

launched by the VDMA, manufacturers of

sewing and garment machinery are showing

that they contribute towards using energy

more efficiently, protecting resources

and reducing costs through continuous

innovations and pioneeringtechnology.

India is a thrust market forMesse Frankfurt

and with support from its local office, the

company is looking at ways to explore the

vibrant market opportunities in the country

to grow… the first Texprocess Pavilion @

Techtextil India is an effort in thatdirection.

ne of the oldest names in industrialO sewing machines and accessories

industry, Hari Chand Anand & Co. (HCA)

has been catering to various industries

such as garment, technical textiles,

upholstery, home furnishings, etc.,

providing the latest and best affordable

automation. In conversation with Apparel

Online, Anil Anand, MD talks about the

changing Indian industry and concerns

surrounding it.

Continuously, the Indian garment and

textile industry is seeing changes, which

can be good for some and bad for others;

and these changes are withered with time

by some of the seasoned players in the

industry such as HCA. Anand is concerned

of how the industry is changing for the

worse, indicating a bleak future. “In India,

the biggest problem is that none of the big

exporters come for local exhibitions, but

they do attend all international exhibitions.

In Bangladesh, each and every boss comes

to see exhibitions and also knows about

the new technology. The big players here

believe it’s below their standard to attend a

domestic exhibition,” assertsAnand.

Dwelling on the reasons behind growing

apathy in the industry, Anil comprehends

it to be partly because of the second or

the third generation coming into business,

who no longer wants to dirty their hands

in labour matters, quality or productivity

issues. Also, there is a shift in focus for

many, who are going the real estate route.

“A majority of players have huge factories

or lands, where they have constructed

multi-storey buildings. When they are

getting similar rent as that of production

why would they want to do hard work?

You cannot run the industry with a remote

control. It requires 24X7 monitoring and apt

decision making. Look at Bangladesh!

It has become the 2nd largest market. When

they started, they were way behind, so if we

don’t think right now, we will be history,”

claimsAnil.

Nonetheless the growing focus towards

the domestic market is providing

a better outlook for India, as

Government initiatives are

encouraging expansions.

“Domestic market is growing and

it has potential to further grow

to the level of export market

today. We are a 1.2 billion people

country, 4 times bigger than

entire Europe and nearing China.

So yes, there is a potential. And

people are spending. Money isnot

an issue anymore. The domestic

market players are exposed to

a lot of foreign brands, so they

understand quality,” maintains

Anil.

As the domestic market is

continuously looking to provide quality

products to its customers it is giving a

rise to latest affordable automation, which

companies like the HCA is providing.

“Everybody is looking at automation; this

is how you can save on labour.Wages

are continuously rising; right now there

has been an increase of 35% in Delhi, but if

you calculate the entire cost, it stands at

52%,” reveals Anil. Though some may be

uncertain regarding the future of the Indian

industry in terms of exports, but for many,

it is surely making the domestic market

more viable for investment, and for many

companies to look beyond just automation

for the bigplayers.

Anil Anand (C), MD, HCA explaining technology to some visitors

HCA believes in domestic future

Concerned about the future of the Indian export industry

Page 41: Garment Industry Analysis

ontinuously providing high-endCtechnology and services to top players

in the apparel, home textiles, technical

textiles, arena, leading technology providers

IIGM have come a long way from being

mere suppliers to being partners of growth

to some of the biggest names in the Indian

industry. Having successfully established its

credibility, the company is now shifting its

focus to include also the domestic market, by

providing technological solutions to small-

and mid-levelplayers.

“Consciously we are now realizing and trying

to provide solutions bottom up. The way

things are going today, the domestic market is

appearing very strong in the horizon and ifwe

don’t address the concerns of the small guy

and give him the strength and tools to scale

up, we are missing out on a big opportunity,”

asserts Pavan Kapoor, MD, IIGM. Through

its business partners that range from Zuki,

Yamato, Jack, Gerber, Hashima, etc. the

company offers a range of technology and

solutions to its clients, whether their quantity

is 100 or 10,000 pieces so that the desired

product can be manufactured without

compromising on the quality, in the most

efficient and productiveway.

To communicate its new focus and growing

engagement with mid-level and small

players, the company has revamped its

e-commerce options. “Today you look at

information, it is everywhere; we are in

a Google era. Our new website is like a

repository to the entire industry in terms

of technology that has been beautifully

catalogued and is easy to navigate. Our

salesman cannot go and meetevery

user – both existing and prospective, and

engage with all of them, we want 80 per

cent engagement to be on thee-commerce

platform,” informs Kapoor.

IIGM believes that its knowledge-sharing

website will break its image from a big client

company to an all client one. This shift of

IIGM is linked to what India is witnessing

currently, with many exporters and the

Government as well looking to move inwards

within the country, rather than outwards to

different ones. “Five years ago, if you would

ask an exporter, who wanted to expand,

where was he going, he would say Africa

or Cambodia, etc., but it is not the case

anymore now, as the trend is drastically

coming down. This means he is looking

inwards. To make a categorical statement

that nobody would expand is a foolish thing!

Whoever wants to survive needs to expand,”

states Pavan.

A part of this changing environment is also

spurred by various State Governments’

reforms and initiatives, such as the one

initiated by Orissa, which is the biggest hub

for India in terms of labour. “Various State

Governments are vying for the big boys.

Places like Bhubaneswar saw companies

such as Shahi, Madura moving in, and I am

sure in the next couple of years, a few and

more big names will make some serious

commitments to invest in new regions. For

anything to succeed, an ecosystem needs

to be created, grown and matured. When

these big names move to places such as

Bhubaneswar, they create a little bit of

ecosystem, which benefits small players,

who do not have the resources to move,”

claims Kapoor. With various initiatives by

HRD and the skill development ministry,

places like Bhubaneswar and Jharkhand

are getting recognized, which were earlier

invisible on the map, proving to be a good

option for exporters against places such as

Bangladesh, etc. in terms of cost benefits

as well. “I see everything positive coming

up. Let’s also appreciate that we have a

rapidly growing middle-class. If you are

looking at retail 5 years ago to that of today,

the dynamics are completely different. So

you can see a lot of game changing things

happening in the domestic sector too,”

revealsKapoor.

The Indian industry growth trajectory is

always compared to China; when China

was growing and exporting huge quantities,

it was riding high on domestic as well.

But today the labour wages are so high,

becoming difficult for the export segment

in the country to sustain, thereby seeing

a shift in business to Vietnam,Cambodia,

etc. “Our minimum wages are also growing,

but it has not reached a level where it

will not be sustainable for our garment

industry, especially looking at the Indian

demographics,” believes Kapoor. The

company is upbeat about India’s growing

domestic market and is trying to feed

it with the best automation available at

affordable prices, so that it can compete

with the international market. “When I see

our portfolio today, there is something for

everyone. We realized in our business that

we cannot always aim for the top. That’s

why we are providing economical but best

solutions for the mid- and low-segment,

which are doing very good,” concludes

Kapoor.

Pavan Kapoor, MD, IIGM

IIGM LOOKING TO SERVICE

SMALL- AND MID-LEVELPLAYERS,

DOMESTIC MARKET

HAVE YOUR SAY

Tell us your news by emailing at

[email protected]

BREAKING NEWS

To read the latest sustainability news, go to

http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/

Page 42: Garment Industry Analysis

www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India 53

n organization that stands forAreliability, quality and technology

in the field of fabric designing, cutting,

sewing, CAD/CAM and finishing,

Turel Group of companies have been

dedicatedly delivering automation

combined with the flexibility to meet

challenges not just in the international

market, but also in domestic arena.

Over the years, the company has

grown into a reliable one-stop shop

for garment engineering machineries

and solutions, while analysing the

customer’s specific needs and offering

them a comprehensive package.

With its deep-rooted strategy in

catering to both domestic and

international market for a very long

time, the company is witnessing a shift

from export market being sceptical in

making an investment in automation

to when the domestic market is

looking at upgrading its technology

and focusing on further investment.

“Local people want to invest money.

They are fed up with labour, that’s

why they are looking at optimization

at an affordable price. More than

just purchase of machines they are

looking not just at after-sales service

but services beyond that as well. If you

are giving them an automatic machine

and they don’t know how to use them,

the optimization has no meaning and

they will not get the desired results,”

reveals Viraf Turel, MD, EHTurel

& Co. The company goes one step

beyond from the usual installation

and is providing warranty for the

machine to train the operators and

also the people using the machinery to

optimize its full potential.

In order to know themselves fully

about the machine, the company sends

its technician so that he learns while

the machinery is getting prepared

and consequently passes on the

knowledge to others. “So, he knows

the inside of the machines and when

the machine comes over here, he is

ready to train the other technicians

and operators as well. We have a

lady garment engineer who trains the

operators primarily for the reason

that she can sit comfortably with all

the women operators and can teach

them how to use the machinery,”

informs Viraf. Being among the niche

companies and the first ones to bring

automation in India, it focuses on

imparting knowledge through talk

shows and various trainings. Apart

from this, the company works along

with its customers in terms of their

requirements, and recently one of the

company’s customer asked for a fully

automatic machine for making bullet

proof jackets.

The company’s complete range of

products include CAD systems, cutting

room, fusing, sewing, finishing, etc.,

from high-end European technology

and also Chinese technology, thereby

maintaining a balance between high-

end and mid-segment automation.

“We substitute between Chinese and

European counterpart as high-end

cannot provide you all the solutions.

Probably they don’t want to be

associated with a certain variety of

products, etc. That’s why we go into

mid-level machineries. We have to give

the customer what he wants and not

what I have. We have to judge which

would be the right technology that the

customer wants and what his pocket

allows,” asserts Viraf. The company

has new machineries from Chinese

innovation leaders Typical and is

focusing further on bonding and laser

through various testing where they

are analysing how laser can support

heavy duty products and garmenting,

aswell.

Continuously progressing in terms

of its products and services,the

company believes in the ‘Make in India’

movement, and is currently focusing on

manufacturing on a small scale which

it further wants to expand. “My niche is

automation. But I am quite capable of

doing something more than what I am

doing,” informsViraf.

Going forward as the Indian industry

moves further towards automation

and to compete in the international

market, Viraf concludes, “The industry

progression is such that we Indians

react very fast. If there is slight

disturbance, we get into our shell. But

with the younger generation coming,

the business views are changing and

also with various states providing

reforms and initiatives, it is a bighelp.”

Neville Turel (left), Sales & Marketing Head with his father Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group

Turel GroupAutomation the way forward for Indian Industry

RESOURCE CENTRE

We have to give the customer what he wants andnot what I have. We have to judge which would be the right technology that the customer wants and what his pocket allows.Viraf Turel, MD, EH Turel & Co.

Page 43: Garment Industry Analysis

oida-based Find AgenciesN Private Limited (FAPL),

an almost three-decade old

company, is eyeing market

expansion for which it

is exploring the US and

Scandinavian market. FAPL,

a sister concern of FrancisWacziarg Group of companies,

is currently working mostly

with France, which contributes

around 75 per cent of its total

business and rest of the 25 per

cent is from countries like Italy,

Finland, Spain, UK and Australia.

Aristide Samuel, Director of the

company informed, “Despite the

down sentiments in Europe, we

are doing well and have added

new clients in our buyers’ list.

Exploring US and Scandinavian

countries is good option to grow

further, as these two regions

are doing relatively well. We are

expecting growth of 20-25 per

cent for the next fiscal year.”

The company is currently sourcing

home and lifestyle products

including leather garments,

footwear and fashion accessories.

Having its foot prints in 11 major

production locations and 6 offices

across the country, adds an edge

to the company in comparison

of its competitors. It has niche

clientele, including hypermarkets

and supermarkets, department

stores, textile and giftware

importers, international designers,

well known brands and boutiques.

Aristide shared that apart from

international scenario, high

cotton price is also a concern. “To

fulfil the customer’s stringent

demands, we are trying to

consolidate business with

factories who are able to meet the

requirement in terms of quality,

pricing, social compliance,

organization’s collection and

pro-activeness,” He further

added that at the moment, most

of the customers have reduced

their quantities in general but

at the same time increased

the number of stock keeping

units (SKUs). “This is very

challenging for our teams who

needs to negotiate better with the

factory while understanding the

technical feasibility of the specific

product, since our job is all about

details, we have to be extremely

careful when the work load

increases as we cannot afford to

make any mistake. We have in

place ERP system to monitor each

and every order which have been

accepted by FAPL. This system

helps to a great extent and alerts

you with the pending activities,”

added Aristide Samuel.

The company keeps on adding

new vendors from time to time,

depending on their designs

and commercial abilities, but

currently, its major concern is

social compliance and they are

moving towards it judiciously.

“Compliance is a process wherein

we keep on looking for better ways

to protect the health, safety and

fundamental rights of employees,

and to enhance the community

and environment in which they

operate,” underlined Aristide.

‘Find Agencies’ looking for new and potential markets

Aristide Samuel, Director, Find Agencies

Private Limited(FAPL)

EYES & EARS