Textile manufacturers india

2 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia

4 Apparel Online India

5 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia

6 Apparel Online India | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | www.apparelresources.comApparel Online India 6

www.apparelresources.com | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | Apparel Online India 7

7 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia

8 Apparel Online India | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | www.apparelresources.com

World Wrap

FFT Trends

Fashion Business

Value Addition

Exporter Strategy

Sustainability

CONTENT Vol. XIX ISSUE 5 JUNE 1-15, 2016

‘Made in China’ from cheap to luxury! Though China’s growing appetite and demand for international luxury is known globally, but what is often overlooked is the fact that many Chinese brands are taking advantage of the country’s advanced manufacturing sector by balancing high production standards with… p14 Silhouettes Fall 2016:

Acing the Relaxed Trend The overall silhouette shape of the season was relaxed yet not baggy. Collections featured outerwear and sweater offerings that were heavy, oversized or elongated....

Tweed Jacket: The perfect transitional piece for spring Is tweed only suited for winters…? Well, it would seem not as this season’s summer collections are talking a lot about ‘lightweight tweed’. Tweed has, over... p34

Exporters’ ‘Top 4’ fabric choices for S/S ’17 collections! Spring/Summer collections are always on a lookout for new fabrics to develop new styles. Cottons, Viscose and Rayons... p38

A Roadmap to Battle Fierce Global Competition Since the emergence of the Global Market, competition has always brought in tough situations. Subsequently, these situations have pressurized us to look inward to be competitive, yet anomalies such as semi-skilled personnel... p23

ZLD issue again crops up… Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) is again in discussion… almost five months ago the Ministry of Textiles had urged the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) to review the proposed standards that seek implementation... p16

Lead Interview“Export promotion is my passion as well as ‘only’ agenda“: Ashok Rajani, the new AEPC Chairman AEPC has been in news for all the wrong reasons in the last one year, from corruption charges to elitist agenda…, besides its executive members being at the receiving end. As Ashok Rajani takes over the coveted position of AEPC Chairman, it becomes imperative to understand...

Tex-fileThe new age fibre viscose aiding ‘Fashion’ in exports… Even as the global demand for fibres swells with a 3% increase in 2015, and projections indicate continued growth in the next several years, it is the man-made segment which is driving the growth. In fact, while the demand for man-made fibre (MMF) has increased substantially... p24

H2FEstablished exporters in Home Furnishing enjoying growth in domestic market Noida-based, GOTS, Organic Exchange, ISO9001:2000 and BSCI-certified export house Mariko recently started its portal www.tarinionline.com and is simultaneously increasing its footprint through brick & mortar stores in the Indian retail market... p28

28

31

20

www.apparelresources.com | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | Apparel Online India 99 Apparel Online India


What do the NGOs want to prove… and to what advantage?The NGOs are at it again… one report after the other are being thrown at the industry claiming non-compliance on various grounds based on interaction with workers at different garment factories. Almost all big exporters have ‘featured’ in these reports…

In the last two weeks itself, three reports by Asia Floor Wage Alliance on Precarious Work Conditions in the Global Value Chain covering H&M, Gap and Walmart have mentioned a large number of exporters from India. These reports claim violations of international labour standards in various forms...

No one seems to know or understand why a few organizations are determined to project the ‘negative’; and in many cases exporters have come back to us claiming that they do not even work for the buyer that the report was related to. N Chandran, CMD, Eastman Exports, Tirupur, and one of India’s top apparel export companies, has time and again expressed with proof in public and even through our magazine that the charges of Sumangali on his company and many others in the region are false, but no one is listening and even before the din quietens down, a new report comes up!

The industry is really worried not so much about losing business as they feel that their buyers know the truth, but on the sustained effort by internationally funded NGOs to tarnish the reputation of the industry which could have long-term implications. Exporters, associations and even some buyers are very unhappy with the developments… I have already been approached by the AEPC to suggest a solution!

I really feel that the industry needs to come together strongly on this issue and until we create a combined front to counter these reports, they will continue to keep pricking us… Bangladesh is a great example of how collective action by industries, associations and Government bodies has garnered support and not criticism from the world, even after the biggest industrial tragedy that the global garment supply chain has seen.

For me and my team, it has been a long journey of nearly two decades watching and writing on all issues that need to be said fearlessly, and during this period we have constantly strived to reinvent Apparel Online to remain relevant to the times, both in content and presentation… I am sure picking up the magazine you must have noticed the new look.

For the first time since I started my magazines, I would say that I had nothing to do with the design change. My inputs have not been taken and neither given. And the final outcome is in front of you… It’s more youngish and ‘today’, designed by a young team that believes in being ‘glocal’. The content is crispy, and more info-graphics are used since younger generation believes in getting to the essence quickly and moving on.

I wait for your reaction…! In the meanwhile, enjoy the new look magazine!

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

EDITOR Ila Saxena

COPY EDITOR Veereshwar Sobti

ASST. COPY EDITOR Sahil Sehgal

ASST. EDITOR-NEWS Dheeraj Tagra

ASST. EDITOR Neha Chhetri

SR. CORRESPONDENT-TEXTILES Sanjogeeta Ojha

SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION Kalita Lamba

SR. EXECUTIVE-ADVERTISING D K Chugh

CREATIVE TEAM Raj Kumar Chahal Peeush Jauhari Satyapal Bisht Deepak Panwar

PHOTO EDITOR Himanshu Kumar

OPERATION DIRECTOR Mayank Mohindra

PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Renu Mohindra

HEAD OFFICE

Apparel Resources Private Limited B-32, South Extension-1, New Delhi-110 049 (India) Phone: 91-11-47390000 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Web associate: www.apparelresources.com

PRINTING

TARA ART PRINTERS PVT. LTD. B-4, Hans Bhawan, B.S. Zafar Marg,New Delhi-110002 Tel: 23378626, 23379686

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRY+91-11-47390000 subscribe@ apparelresources.com

ADVERTISEMENT ENQUIRY+91-11-9811088666 rani@ apparelresources.com

GENERAL ENQUIRY+91-11-47390000 contact@ apparelresources.com


11 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia


Competition is getting fiercer, and exporters are finding it difficult to survive… In this scenario we hear people talking about some exporters undercutting and lowering prices to get the orders, ‘killing’ the market for all. Have you ever faced such a situation; and what do you feel is the best solution to keep prices at a reasonable level and yet getting orders?

Q-a

nd-A

Pradeep Nahata, MD, Karni Exports, JaipurWe have not seen this type of S/S season ever in our life since we are in this business since 1988. Though the country’s exports have increased both in volumes and values, but the profits, security and peace in the business have totally been lost after 1998. The exporters’ condition is such that they are neither able to close down business, nor keep it running. All the facilities which attracted people to do exports is now over, and domestic players are doing better with their mass demand and competitive price supply.

In this scenario when exporters are struggling to survive, if anyone is cutting

their prices and lowering it to keep the factories running, then what is wrong in that? It is their decision on what they need to do to get bread & butter for the family and give salaries to the staff. Cutting the price is not killing the market for all… It is a fight to keep oneself alive and to face a situation which is harsh. An exporter doing this kind of practice is in part a target of sympathy and respect, that he is fighting for his business to keep the exporters tag. Do you think anyone will be happy to do business when in loss? Undercutting is a strategy to continue and to wait for the right situation. It is not affecting anyone, because it’s an individual’s choice to do or not to do the business.

Business is always about individual choices, we can’t say that my business is

being affected due to others’ undercutting prices. Others will also do anything so that they can sell their products. You can also do if you want. No one is going to stop you. We never faced any situation like this because we never thought that any other exporter can impact our business.

Bhavya Lodaya, Partner, Sri Mahaveer Garment Industry, Kagal (Kohlapur)As far as my experience is concerned, I have not noticed these practices. I am not sure about the reasons but I can say that there are limited garment exporters in our area (Kohlapur). In case buyers want to source from this particular area or a product with local strength, he might

MIND TREE


have fewer options. We are comparatively new into exports, so we are away from lowering prices or undercutting.

Kalyansundaram S, Director, Trigger Apparels, Coimbatore Undercutting and lowering price or other such things were always there and with the increasing competition these things are also growing. We do face all these and try to save ourselves by our strengths. In regards to our company, our strength is value for money, whatever a buyer asks us, we satisfy him. Any exporter, who believes in such things, will see your weak point so we try to cover all aspects and don’t leave any weak area exposed.

Sunita Bali, Director, S&S Enterprises, GurgaonI never heared such things and never faced the same in my own business. My buyers never asked me that ‘x’ company is offering the same thing in such amount. The reason behind the same is our

strong hold in design development as we have developed a niche for ourself by focusing more on product development (PD). Though the buyers ask us to reduce the price as a routine but we never experienced pressure due to undercutting or lowering of price to get the orders. The solution to keep price at a reasonable level and yet getting orders is just to be different from others. Design/PD, which is our core strength, is able to give us new buyers from Europe even in this difficult scenario.

Kashyap Sadh, Director, Grace India, DelhiAll this is a part of business and one has to be prepared for the same. Whenever there is such kind of a situation, we have to reduce our margins as there is no other way. Yes margins are already squeezed but it is better to run one's own company with low margins rather than do job anywhere else. I too feel that if a buyer wants quality and service, he will not move because of undercutting, he may go once but will be back later, definitely.

In the last few weeks a number of reports from various NGOs and other agencies claiming to be working for the benefit of the industry have been released. These reports indicate that there are still violations of international labour standards in the Indian apparel industry. Many exporters have been named and they all claim that the reports are untrue and present a negative picture... Do you think that such reports are ‘unfair’ to the industry, what should be the course of action to counter these reports?

NEXT MINDTREE QUESTION

POST YOUR [email protected]

MIND TREE


‘Made in China’C h i n a n o t l o s i n g i t s g l o b a l m a r k e t s h a r e a n y t i m e s o o n

from cheap to luxury!

Though China’s growing appetite and demand for international

luxury is known globally, but what is often overlooked is the fact that many Chinese brands are taking advantage of the country’s advanced manufacturing sector by balancing high production standards with relatively low costs. According to the data released by The Economist, over the past 25 years, China’s share of global manufacturing output has risen from 3 per cent to nearly 25 per cent by value, and if the supply chains that Chinese firms drive across other parts of Asia are taken into account, then the figure rises to nearly 50 per cent. But when it comes to the global fashion manufacturing output, China’s share is even greater. Currently, producing 60 per cent of the world’s shoes and exporting 43 per cent of the world’s clothing, China is indispensable for designers, brands and retailers across the globe from fast fashion to luxury.

Currently, there is a wealth of local talent whose design labels are being offered by e-tailers such as Shangpin.com, which is the largest luxury and fast-fashion online shopping platform in China, offering collections from almost 80 Chinese brands and is also the first fashion retailer selling authorized in-season designer collection of partner brands in China. The success of the e-tailer is mostly because the designers selling on the site have travelled, explored and studied globally, which has enabled them to evolve at a phenomenally fast pace. Also, it

helps to have easy access to the top-quality manufacturers locally meeting international standards and delivering under tight deadlines at affordable prices. Moreover, these designers incorporate subtle or distinctive Chinese elements into their prints, something that the Chinese consumers can identify as a cultural reference.

When local culture is entwined with international standards, the results are powerful, especially when the quality and the right pricing are attractive to local consumers, in comparison to the likes of Gucci or Prada. The local production is an added advantage, not only on price, but on delivery also. Pricing for a special dress or suit, by high-end local designers on Shangpin.com, would typically be anywhere between US $ 300-600, a few having the options of next day delivery as well. Increasingly ‘Made in China’

designers are becoming popular with Chinese fashion-conscious consumers who often look out for standout fashion and with limited number of pieces among these local brands, it leave little room for it being ‘mass’ rather than ‘class’, assuring exclusivity.

Apart from this local thrust, the ‘Made in China’ label can be found in every American and European’s closet giving impetus to China’s growing wealth. However much the world may want to move away from the country in manufacturing, there are very few options available where the same

According to CEIC Analysts, apart from the shock caused by the financial crisis in 2007-08, one reason behind the decline is that after years of the economy sky-rocketing, the wages of Chinese garment workers have doubled, resulting in higher costs of production.

ESSENTIALS

APPAREL RESOURCES NEWSLETTERSTo subscribe, send us an email at [email protected]

FACEBOOK FRIENDSJoin more than 10,000 people who are already fans of Apparel Resources on facebook. Search for Apparel Resources at www.facebook.com/pages

WORLD WRAP


standards in quality and quantity can be offered. The GDP per capita of China in 2015 was more than 16 times of that in 1980 as China has been producing labour-intensive products and selling them to the rest of the world since the 1970s, and increasingly so in successive decades, gaining market share. Today, luxury brands such as Burberry, Armani, and Prada manufacture in China not just because it is cheap but also because they are still able to get good workmanship for the price. In fact, a lot of international brands still continue to source from China despite increasing prices due to their experiential labour force.

global coverage have shifted a portion of their production to Bangladesh and have gradually reduced their use of Chinese factories. In some cases, it is the Chinese contractor who is taking their know-how and partnering with firms elsewhere in order to retain the business of the big international clothing brands. In other cases, international retailers are finding the Bangladesh firms themselves and building new relationships; relationships that for decades united American clothing companies with the Chinese.

Meanwhile, even as the Chinese labour force has stepped up on productivity and skill level to compete in other industries, there is a growing push towards other areas apart from fashion manufacturing. This means that better productivity gains and automation in Chinese factories is leading to China gradually shifting its focus from making Nikes and Ralph Lauren polo shirts, to making iPhones and laptops. But nonetheless with a new breed of well-informed designers that are making their foray in the local arena and also the already well-trained labour workforce, it is surely making it irresistible for many retailers to produce in China despite challenges such as increasing manufacturing costs.

Nevertheless, like other manufacturing sectors, China’s apparel, footwear and textile industry is currently facing challenges such as higher production costs and rising wages as competition from cheaper sourcing hubs in Asia and Africa and a global economic crisis loom over. At a time when the Chinese Government is introducing policies to tilt the economy, from manufacturing to services and creating a tougher regulatory environment, there is no doubt that China’s fashion manufacturing sector is under pressure. According to CEIC Data, some large clothing retailers with

Today, luxury brands such as Burberry, Armani, and Prada manufacture in China not just because it is cheap but also because they are still able to get good workmanship for the price. In fact, a lot of international brands still continue to source from China despite increasing prices due to their experiential labour force.

ESSENTIALS

“Currently, we are not into the exports of top 10 product categories just because we don’t have the fabrics.” – Ashok Rajani, the new AEPC Chairman

p20

WORLD WRAP

Gap closing all Old Navy stores in Japan; going to file for bankruptcy! Gap is closing all of its Old Navy stores in Japan. Overall, it will close 75 outlets outside of North America, including some of its banana republic stores. This closing will also help the company save US $ 275 million. The decision came after the company reported a 47 per cent drop in first-quarter profits, with revenue falling almost 6 per cent. Now Old Navy will focus on the US market as well as China and Mexico. On the other hand, there are reports in western media that Gap is going to file for bankruptcy, despite sounding a reckless prediction, report says that looking to downward spiral Gap will not survive without a radical restructuring only made possible by US Bankruptcy Court.

JCPenney may decrease dependency on apparelGetting 57 per cent of its revenue from apparel, JCPenney feels that weak apparel sales are a big problem, and changing apparel will involve a major re-thinking for a retailer with billion-dollar clothing brands like St. John’s Bay. Total sales in the first quarter fell 1.6 per cent to US $ 2.8 billion and net loss fell 54.7 per cent to US $ 68 million. “Candidly, our over-reliance on apparel hurt us at times in the first quarter,” said JCPenney CEO Marvin Ellison. He further added, “We know we must continue to pivot our merchandise assortment toward less weather-sensitive categories while providing customers with more reasons to shop in our stores. We’re taking square footage away from apparel.”


Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) is again in discussion… almost

five months ago the Ministry of Textiles had urged the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) to review the proposed standards that seek implementation of ZLD for textile processing units, in which the waste water discharge is greater than 25 KLD. Now, a Parliamentary panel has termed as “unrealistic” the deadlines set for converting polluting industries located along the Ganga into ZLD units and has also asked the two central ministries to jointly ‘revisit’ their targets and ensure they are achieved by March 2017. MoEF & CC had set a target of textile

issue again crops up…

ZLD units emptying untreated effluents in Ganga to convert into ZLD by December 2016. On the other side, the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation had set “different” deadline of March 2017 for converting textile units into ZLD facilities. In the entire issue, cluster approach is becoming more important as Government is extending support/subsidies for joint efforts.

In response to the draft notification issued by the MoEF & CC, South Gujarat Textile Processors Association (SGTPA), on behalf of Federation of All India Textile Processors Association (FAITPA), appointed Industrial Pollution Prevention (IPP) Group of Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad to study and prepare a technical report on the different aspects of implementation of ZLD concept in textile processing industries. SGTPA is an association of Textile Processing units of South Gujarat – mainly in and around Surat Area. IPP, CEE has come up with the concept note for ‘Challenges against implementation of ZLD in textile processing Industries and clusters in India’. It reiterates the industries’ concerns with own observations.

The concept note compares Indian scenario with global context, since biggest competitors of India like China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Pakistan are yet to implement ZLD; only Bangladesh has expressed its willingness to implement the system so far. It also talks about the upcoming investment in textile sector,

“An approval to 24 Textile Parks was granted in the last one year, taking the total number of Textile Parks to 74, under which US $ 4615.38 million (Rs. 30,000 crore) investment is expected and implementation of mandatory ZLD would be a big obstacle to attract investments, shifting the entire system out of gear, critically affecting the overall economy of our country.” Like most processes, ZLD is also related to skilled manpower as the entire ZLD system is highly sophisticated and needs skilled and experienced manpower for its efficient operation which again increases the overall cost, be it treatment, operation or even maintenance.

The note attracts attention toward solid waste management which will be another tough task, “ZLD results in generation of huge amount of hazardous solid wastes (particularly waste mixed salt), causing disposal challenges, which is being stored in storage yards within the CETPs. ZLD is generating thousands of tonnes of sludge as solid waste. This sludge has to be disposed of in a secured landfill. The unrecovered common salt or Glauber’s salt and the contaminants are either sent to solar evaporation ponds for natural evaporation or to final Forced Circulation Multiple Evaporators for converting into solid waste. If we assume that all the dyeing factories totally use about 600 tonnes of salt daily, then the rejected salt will be about 100-150 tonnes every day. Imagine this for a whole year and for several years.

“Surat is not thinking about ZLD as it is not viable... If the Government does not backtrack, the industry will be forced to shutdown.” Jitendra P. Vakharia, President, South Gujarat Textile Processors Association

SUSTAINABILITY

‘Sustainability Outlook’ (an initiative incubated by cKinetics, Delhi) has released its latest report ‘March to Sustainability: Zero Liquid Discharge’, which estimates the investment opportunity at US $ 3 billion (Rs. 210,000 crore) for ZLD in textile, paper and pulp, and distillery industries in India


We do not know what we are going to do with this in the future. It is a sleeping monster.”

High carbon footprint of a ZLD facility is another major concern. The typical power consumption ranges from 8 to 10 Kw/m3. The thermal evaporators alone consume about 20-40 Kw/m3 in addition to several tonnes of firewood for the boilers. Implementation of ZLD requires a host of advanced waste water treatment technologies. Implementation of ZLD in Tamil Nadu has highlighted several technology shortcomings such as in thermal evaporation and brine concentration, salt separation and crystallization, colour removal, etc.

SOLUTIONS Similar to what the industry is demanding, this concept note also insists on Sea Discharge, especially in a state like Gujarat which is blessed with the largest coastline. It also insists on Inland Surface Water Discharge by saying that there is one possibility of mixing 1-2 times normal raw water with the treated effluent till the TDS reaches less than 2,100 PPM and then discharge the same. This is to be done with special permission from the Government. Even this is possible only after doing primary, secondary and tertiary effluent treatments. If one assumes a total effluent generation from Tirupur dyeing factories to be around 10 crore litres per day, then we need another 10-20 crore litres of normal water per day to be mixed with it. This will be against the principle of worldwide philosophy of “Water Conservation”.

A majority of small or even medium-level exporters are

still not executing sustainability activities in their facilities, even as the importance of sustainability is continuously growing. Recently, top brands like H&M, Lindex and Adidas released their sustainability reports with some concerns. Below are extracts of the reports in regards to observations in context to India. Many exporters argue that they do not work with bigger retailers, hence sustainability is not as important, but the ground reality is that even if one is working with boutique buyers or wholesalers; sooner or later sustainability has to become a part of the manufacturers’ culture.

H&M: WORKERS' WELFARE IS THE FOCUS

Overall the report by H&M focuses on initiatives taken for workers' welfare. Launched in July 2015, H&M’s social dialogue project in India includes a film-based training module. Currently 6,800 employees from 9 Indian factories have undergone training under the project and the goal is to have democratically-elected functional committees for all strategic supplier production units in India by 2018.

With regards to average wages at H&M supplier factories in Bangalore vs. applicable minimum wages, in 2015 though minimum wage was US $ 114, the average wage was US $ 129 per month. While average wage increased 25.3 per cent minimum wage increased by 29 per cent. The report gives interesting figures, “Another

example illustrating our work with water issues is a local initiative in India. From workers interviews we know that many of the employees at our supplier factories live in areas without access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services and practices. To address this problem, we teamed up with WaterAid to demonstrate and train about the importance of clean water and hygiene (WASH). The project runs over three years and includes 14 supplier factories and 15 schools where children of garment workers study, and will offer improved infrastructure in the wider communities in which the workers live. So far, we have reached over 12,000 workers with training and 3,000 students with improved water and toilet facilities. Over 2,000 households in the communities are

Workers' initiatives, the focus in India

Sustainabil ity Reports

FACTS“About 84% of water consumed is in cotton growing, measuring both direct and indirect water consumption. We will create a strategy that complements C&A Foundation’s strategy to support water efficiency and conservation in the important basins that support cotton production for C&A collections, such as India and China.”‘Material Impacts’, Global Sustainability Report 2015 by C&A

SUSTAINABILITY


now also practicing sustainable solid waste management, thanks to the project,” says the report.

The report also talks about challenges, and says: “Other specific local challenges in some of our key sourcing markets include so-called ‘Sumangali’ schemes at Indian spinning mills.” It has the timeline of 2017 for the same and status is on track. For 2016, it will continue scaling up by adding 78 more factories in Indonesia, India and Turkey.

LINDEX: HERHEALTH PROJECT CONTINUES; TARGETS BOTH MEN AND WOMEN

The Lindex sustainability report says India is one of its most important production countries and for eight years, the company has been involved in sustainable projects to reduce water consumption and other environmental impacts in India. HERhealth project (based on peer education trainings) at one of its Indian suppliers has been extended to also include men, and in 2015 Lindex saw very positive results from this project. In 2015-2016 the company continued with yet another HERhealth project in India targeting both men and women. The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is one of the main programmes in India for H&M. The company last year also supported its Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI) project in few Indian fabric mills. STWI projects (2014 – 2017) aim to develop textile suppliers’ water use and water management in production.

ADIDAS: DECREASING SUPPLIERS WORLDWIDE; AND IN INDIA TOO

As a result of local sourcing integration, Adidas is continuously reducing its supplier base worldwide; India too has seen reduction, and whereas it was working with 55 supplier factories in 2013, in 2015 the same has reduced to 34. Similarly at its Gurgaon office it had 388 employees in 2014 but in 2015 it reduced to 320.

Adidas has fully achieved its target of 50 per cent disclosure across its

global supply chain on IPE (Institute of Public & Environment Affairs) platform, which means that 50 per cent of its global wet processes by volume across footwear, apparel and accessories and gear are disclosed on the IPE platform. The suppliers disclosed on IPE are also located in India along with many other countries. In India, Adidas is working with mainly Goyal Knitfab, Jeans Knit, Knitwell Apparels, Paragon Apparel, Triangle Apparels and High Street Fashion Creative Clothex, Arnit Creations, Aryan Apparels, etc.

SUSTAINABILITY

BSCI and Sedex collaborate to enhance sustainability effortsSedex – the non-profit organization working with buyers, suppliers and auditors to improve global supply chains – and BSCI – the business-driven initiative supporting retailers, importers and brands to improve working conditions in supplying factories and farms worldwide – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop projects and programmes that enhance the sustainability efforts of their memberships. The partnership will see the two organizations working together, leveraging their joint strengths to drive scale within the responsible sourcing industry, and creating numerous benefits for the memberships of both. Within the overall aims of reducing duplication of efforts, driving scale and setting the grounds for an active collaboration, the MoU outlines a number of focus areas for immediate attention, which includes human trafficking, shared capacity building, continuous improvement of labour relations, audit quality metrics, data collaboration, and working group collaboration.

“After months of discussion, it is with great excitement that we announce the collaboration between Sedex and BSCI,” commented Jonathan Ivelaw-Chapman, Sedex CEO, adding, “While the two organisations have historically been competitors, both recognize that simplification and collaboration – core values of Sedex and BSCI – are absolutely crucial to the development of the responsible supply chain industry as a whole.”

H&M’s report talks about Shakuntala (54) working with Radnik Exports, Delhi-NCR. She started her profession in handwork 38 years ago. Today, she is Quality Manager for Handwork & Worker Guidance. “I like the atmosphere at my workplace and enjoy seeing the creativity. That’s also why I’ve been in the business for so long.”


19 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia


“Export promotion is my passion as well as ‘only’ agenda”

AEPC has been in news for all the wrong reasons in the last one year, from corruption charges to elitist agenda…, besides its executive members being at the receiving end. As Ashok Rajani takes over the coveted position of AEPC Chairman, it becomes imperative to understand his line of action to not only undo some of the damages, but also change the image of the council from a self-centered organization, working in the interest of the bigger exporters and a ‘privileged’ few, to a vibrant export promotion council in the true sense. In an exclusive interaction with Apparel Online, the new Chairman expressed confidence of a productive tenure, though he is carrying forward an old game plan that has not reaped success in the past, and he challenges those who question his sincerity of intent to offer an alternative action plan!

LEAD INTERVIEW

Ashok Rajani, the new AEPC Chairman


Right at the beginning of the interaction, Rajani sets the record

straight… “Export Promotion is my passion as well as top priority,” he says vehemently. This is one of the reasons that besides holding the post of Chairman, Rajani has also retained the portfolio of export promotion for direct action and deliberation. He accepts that the perception of AEPC needs to change and having served many top positions in AEPC for over a decade, he has the knowledge and confidence to take upfront measures to ensure that exports from India not only grow, but that the small and medium level exporters also get better opportunities for wider market access. A glimpse of his passion and efforts find reflection in the outcome of his recent visit of Iran, an unexplored market for Indian exporters. Though Rajani agrees that Iran is a small market as of now and may not really add to the export figures, he feels that the retailers there are looking for collaborations post removal of sanctions and a first entry advantage could mean a head start to a fruitful relationship.

In the meanwhile, the Ministry of Textiles has proposed a target of US $ 20 billion for the financial year 2016-17 to the AEPC, which was looking to achieve around US $ 18 billion during the period, considering the global conditions. This proposed growth of 18.34 per cent is admittedly a difficult task as 14 of India’s top 20 export destinations this year have shown decline, with the EU; India’s largest destination showing a decline of 7.6 per cent. The most worrying part is that even the last quarter has shown a decline, in spite of being a traditionally good season. “Our export last year has not grown as per our expectations, 1 per cent or 0.9 per cent growth is nothing. However, we are not giving up and there are many things, which AEPC is planning on doing in the coming days, which I believe will benefit the medium-level exporters and accelerate growth,” says Rajani with full conviction. Now that Rajani is at the helm of both the AEPC and export promotion, it has to

be seen if he can get the growth story rolling on with already established agendas of product, market and capacity building.

Identifying potential product categories… Emphasis has been laid on improving export performance in top 20 garment products in the world trade basket. In addition, the strategy is to specially focus on exports in those products wherein India’s share is low, for which the council has identified six products, 3 of which – men’s and boys’ shirts of MMF, underpants & briefs of cotton, and babies garments of cotton are products where China has offloaded its exports in 2015 over 2014, creating opportunities. To increase presence in these categories, buyers of above products will be strategically invited to the IIGF and other BSM events. Exporters shall be advised to prepare dedicated collection for the same and B2B meetings of the buyers and exhibitors who are well prepared to deal in the category will be arranged at the event.

Alongside, the AEPC will continue to push for 2 per cent duty-free import of fabrics, which are not being manufactured in India. “Currently, we are not into the exports of top 10 product categories just because we don’t have the fabrics. If we want to increase our apparel export by US $ 1 billion, fabric requirement will be of around 36 crore metres to produce 21 crore additional pieces and create millions of job opportunities. For this we don’t need anything else like drawback or any other facility, just the 2 per cent concession is enough,” stresses Rajani passionately. Though past Chairmen have also been emphasizing on the same, Rajani feels that the changed market scenario could do the trick this time, as Government is now keen to see growth in this sector.

Development of new markets…Developing new markets is also on the radar and Rajani shares that

the focus will be on the Middle East, CIS and Latin America, Argentina, Cuba, and also to reinforce garment exports to Denmark. “Though these are very small markets, but market diversification process has to go on, and it has to include interest of smaller exporters also,” he says. AEPC will hold workshops on utilizing market access of RMG in countries that India has FTA arrangements like Japan. The council is also planning workshops in clusters to understand the existing status/utilization and the problems in availing the FTA benefits if any, and advise on how to utilize them better in terms of product advisories. There will also be targeted seminars on potential for doing business in Latin America, Africa and Russia. The industry has already heard these initiatives, what is required, is market studies with clearly defined strategies to get into these markets. Holding a few seminars or even organizing BSMs is not going to help, some fresh perspective needs to be built on just how India could conquer newer markets; it needs lot of deliberations and image-building exercises.

Capacity building to strengthen the internal systems…Capacity building in garment factories is another area which Rajani is concentrating on. “We are planning more workshops on lean management, preparatory support for the development of fabrics, styles, shapes and colour for next fashion season through forecast seminars,” he shares. To motivate exporters to do better, AEPC will recognize exporters under many new categories, beyond just turnovers. Some interesting categories are: Award for women empowerment for those having women workforce of more than 60 per cent of total employed in a year; award for skill India on the basis of highest number of workers trained and absorbed through planned training; award for “Rurbanisation’ on the basis of setting up of garment manufacturing

The council has identified six products, 3 of which – men’s and boys’ shirts of MMF, underpants & briefs of cotton, and babies garments of cotton are products where China has offloaded its exports in 2015 over 2014, creating opportunities.

The council is also planning workshops in clusters to understand the existing status/utilization and the problems in availing the FTA benefits, if any, and advise on how to utilize them better in terms of product advisories.

ESSENTIALS

LEAD INTERVIEW


units in Rural/New Areas, which are away from traditional garment clusters and also an award for sustainability initiatives. How the AEPC will strategically support exporters that take up these challenges is something the industry would certainly like to know.

Synergy between handcraft and exports…Handwork, which is the strength of India will also be focused by projects that will connect Indian artisans with the international brands and designers, directly or through some NGO’s who are working for the betterment of such artisans manufacturing Indian art and craft textiles and embroideries. The emphasis will be on pushing Indian artisans to work on Indian art work and to upgrade the standard of living of artisans through direct self-employment. Further, they will be provided the new age designs and motifs through innovative textiles besides the traditional motifs used. Creating such synergies is good for craftsmen, but AEPC is about export promotion and such initiatives, as

HS Code Description World Export (In US $ Mn)

India Exports (In US $ Mn)

(a) 620520Men’s/Boy’s shirts of cotton, not knitted

13328 943

(b) 620443

Women’s/Girl’s dresses of synthetic fibres, not knitted

7979 484

(c) 620640

Women’s/Girl’s blouses and shirts of man-made fibres, not knitted

6438 729

(d) 610510Men’s/Boy’s shirts of cotton, knitted

6103 355

(e) 611120 Babies garments, cotton, knitted 6062 584

(f) 620630

Women’s/Girl’s blouses and shirts of cotton, not knitted

5378 742

Six products identified for improvement of export performance where India has very little share

There will be a total of 13 main events over the year for export promotion activities under various strategies, and India Market Days – bringing buyers for direct marketing.

ESSENTIALS

seen in the past do not really support export growth, though funding in this area is worth the effort!

Ground realities from AEPC's perspective…On the anomalies for which the AEPC has been on the receiving end, Rajani strongly clarifies: “AEPC is not working for a selected people or group. Whatever BSMs or fairs we do is mainly for small and medium level exporters. All our recent BSMs, whether it is the one in Dubai, Uruguay or Chile – have been very successful. I immediately notice and instruct my team to look into the details of all the emails I get from exporters sitting anywhere or from any foreign buyer, and reply accordingly.” He however added that most of the participants exhibiting at the various BSMs/fairs do not take to product and design advice positively and insist on showcasing their best selling products rather than focusing on new ones, suggested by fashion forecasting agencies or even experts invited by AEPC to guide the exporters. “There are many repeat companies at various BSMs and events like Magic, because they have created a small buyer list from these events that they follow-up on each visit, the focus is rarely on finding new buyers with differential products.” Highlighting an irony in contradiction, Rajani adds, “There are always some complaints about IIGF, but already 293 stalls have been sold for the upcoming event and as there is a long waiting list, we have decided to add 60 more booths. Maybe creating a dedicated cell to work throughout the year with exporters would be more impactful than just talking to them before an event.”

On the objections raised by the Apparel House Exporters Association, Rajani is vocal in the defence of AEPC’s line of action. “When I was elected Chairman, I asked the Group to work with us to find an amicable solution, but they did not support me. They should make up their minds on how to move forward with Apparel

House showrooms. Many of them have not paid their maintenance charges, and some even want to open their retail store or use the same for office purpose. Rajani also claims that he approved Rs. 25 lakh fund to promote Apparel House showrooms and asked the AHEA to do as they want with this fund to get desired results, but they did not come back with any plan and the amount remained unutilized. It must be remembered that policy making is an art and people who are not experts in the same cannot come up with feasible ideas, it is for the AEPC to take everyone along and create a proposal for the inclusive benefit of all, expecting laymen to chalk out and execute a long-term strategy is unreasonable.

There have been voices against the IAM located at the Apparel House, but Rajani stresses that one has to understand that the institute is an extension of export promotion as whoever is getting training is going back to the industry, so that is part of our efforts to create new talent. “PM is insisting on skill India and we are doing the same while the group wants to shut it down. I don’t understand how and why it has become ‘illegal’ today when all the past and present secretaries and various ministers have come, attended events like convocations here. It was not as if the ministry is unaware of the activity!” he says.

On the recent case filed with the Company Law Board (CLB), Rajani feels that a matter getting a hearing at CLB is not as big a thing as the group is making out to be. “We have already replied to all the points raised at the CLB, there is nothing to hide. Those who are blaming us for inactivity and malpractices should fight elections, now that the EVS system is in place, and become a part of the council. The Commerce Ministry has expressed happiness with the way e-voting was conducted in the recent elections at AEPC; there is no scope for manipulation. I request exporters not to damage the image of the institute which has taken so much time, energy and resources of the industry,” concludes Rajani.

LEAD INTERVIEW

APPAREL RESOURCES NEWSLETTERSTo subscribe, send us an email at [email protected]

FACEBOOK FRIENDSJoin more than 10,000 people who are already fans of Apparel Resources on facebook. Search for Apparel Resources at www.facebook.com/pages


Since the emergence of the Global Market, competition has

always brought in tough situations. Subsequently, these situations have pressurized us to look inward to be competitive, yet anomalies such as semi-skilled personnel, lack of monetary strength to streamline processes at the beginning itself, and inadequate R&D facilities still exist.

Skilling the workforceMostly, operators learn by themselves and then get accommodated into the industrial practices. Thus the skill gap continues to loom since there is no proper scientific training being imparted to the labour force. The gap causes a variety of damages in the form of wastages on the production lines, inconsistent output quality, and excess time consumption to manufacture the said products. To address this, first and foremost an ‘Upskilling Exercise’ must be undertaken by the Government as a one-time intervention to cull out the anomaly.

The Tirupur knitwear industry is one such example where 6 lakh operators have been identified to be directly employed and among them at least 2 lakh operators need to be trained, to be at par with the average skill requirements of the industry. Now, this would require some 2-3 weeks of ‘on the spot’ training. For this training, we have designed a ‘Train the Trainers’ programme for 500 trainers by taking the help from machinery suppliers across the globe. Unsurprisingly enough, the suppliers are readily wanting to come forward for this cause as for them it has a strong business case in the form of promotions. Once, we have trained these 500 trainers they can be fanned

out to 500 factories at once where they would accomplish the training task in an allotted time period of 2-3 weeks. Then they can be shifted to the next 500 factories likewise and it will be a ripple effect to cover at least 3,000-odd factories in a time span of 6-8 months.

The returns on this programme are highly rewarding. The operators who would have undergone the training would definitely gain self-confidence and thereby he or she would stick on to the trade for good. Other direct benefits would be that the productivity would automatically rise and mistakes will significantly get reduced as the output quality will become consistent. Thereby, the industry in general would cultivate a brand value for its products in the global markets. The benefits will also trickle down to individual enterprises as they would begin to earn profits. Any profit making unit would definitely plan for the expansion, which paves way for generating employment opportunities for fresh workforce.

The recourse creates a win-win situation for all the stakeholders equally. The Government should come forward to adopt this exercise at once and manifest the “Skill India” concept. Being a one-time intervention, we have estimated a one-time financial support of US $ 19.4 million (Rs. 130 crore) from the Government. The ROIs on this plan are even more encouraging with a payback period of just six months. To elaborate, Tirupur is currently clocking an annual turnover of US $ 4.5 billion (Rs. 30,000 crore) and as per the current production standards, wastages alone account for around 5-7%. By this intervention, if we are able to save even 4 per cent, then the annual export earnings will rise by US $ 180 million (Rs. 1,200 crore), that

too without any incremental exports. This also translates into an annual additional profit of US $ 60 million (Rs. 400 crore) to the Government’s coffer in the form of additional revenue through Income Tax alone. Likewise, if the same model is replicated for other industries, it would generate more revenue to all the stakeholders at once.

Money matters for streamlining operations The apparel manufacturing industry is an SME and that implies the lack of monetary strength of the industrialists, which act as a strong barrier in many ways including industrial expansion. This can be addressed by disseminating knowledge about how a line operates and how a factory fulfilling all the basic requirements should be established. In the same vein, banks have to come forward to lend funds to the manufacturers at reasonable rates of interest.

Assisting R&D A lot has been discussed on this but little has been done to bring in new products with quality benchmarks. It mostly begins with identifying the prosperous industries. The initiative must be taken up with the objective to enhance the brand image of Indian product in the Global Market and help the industry to diversify the product range to maximize the prospects.

By addressing the above said issues scientifically, we can find a way to be competitive in the global market. If even few players adopt this and others do not, then unhealthy and unethical measures of undercut quotes and the related blame game will continue for good. Those who blame would perish by themselves.

Raja M Shanmugham, MD, Warsaw International

More often than not, Apparel Online reportage has struck a chord with the industry’s entrepreneurs. Plausibly, it elicits inputs and recommendations on the topics that concern them sincerely. In one such letter, Raja M Shanmugham, MD, Warsaw International – a Tirupur-based SA8000, ISO9000, and GOTS-approved apparel export house, and Chief Mentor of NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion, speaks up about holistic measures that will help the industry brace up collectively for competition, which seems to grow fiercer with each passing day. Reproduced here are Raja’s considerations and counsel…

A Roadmap to Battle Fierce Global Competition

EXPORTER STRATEGY


Cellulosics have been a surprising success story over the past 10

years, primarily through gains in usage of viscose staple fibre as both spinning fibre for apparel and in non-woven end uses. Following a steady decline in market share and volume from 1980 to 2000, cellulosics made a remarkable recovery doubling consumption in the last 10 years to 5.2 million tonnes. Much of this increased demand has come from China where cellulosic staple mill consumption in 2000 totalled only 0.6 million tonnes, and by 2014 totalled 3.0 million

tonnes. In global fibre output covering all fibres from 2009-2015, VSF has seen highest growth of 10.4% while globally total fibre consumption has grown at a CAGR of 4.6% during the period 2009-2015. VSF received a significant boost in demand in 2010-11 as a result of the high price of cotton, as it provided a lower cost substitute for higher-priced cotton and the fibre has since held on to its market share gain, even increased it steadily.

In India, Aditya Birla Group, considered a leader in the VSF segment, has been registering

Even as the global demand for fibres swells with a 3% increase in 2015, and projections indicate continued growth in the next several years, it is the man-made segment which is driving the growth. In fact, while the demand for man-made fibre (MMF) has increased substantially, the demand for cotton has continued to decline. Among the most used MMFs, the demand for viscose staple fibre (VSF) is anticipated to grow 5 to 6% per year for the next five years according to the report – The Fiber Year 2016. In keeping with the report, VSF market is projected to reach 5.91 million tonnes by 2020, with consumption in Asia-Pacific to dominate the market. Some other market reports claim that the demand of the same is expected to increase at a CAGR of 7.0%, in terms of volume between 2015 and 2020… Apparel Online decodes the trends that are propelling growth in the viscose segment.

The new age fibre viscose aiding ‘Fashion’ in exports…

Panellists at the recently held LAPF Forum discussing growing demand of viscose

TEX-FILE

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIESContact Rani Mahendru +91-11-47390000 (512) [email protected]

DATA ANALYTICSFor Latest Apparel Export/Import Data, please visit dataanalytics.apparelresources.com


exceptional growth over the last few years. Rajeev Gopal, Global Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, (Pulp & Fibre Business) Aditya Birla Group says, “The increasing demand for viscose has resulted in a phenomenal growth of nearly 15% in VSF consumption in the country as against low single digit growth in other major fibres. Not only this, the exports of VSF-based garments from India has seen a stupendous growth of nearly 37% CAGR in the last two years, putting India firmly on the map as a choice sourcing destination of viscose based products for major global brands.” Substantiating his claim, Sunil Arora, CEO, Impulse – one of the biggest sourcing offices in India says, “The percentage mix of MMF in India’s RMG exports is increasing for the past few years while the percentage of cotton is declining. Even with stagnant RMG exports from India in FY 2015-16 (1% increase), there is a fall in the percentage of cotton based garments – and after decades it has come below 50%, and the increase has gone to MMF based garments.”

Globally, man-made fibres have grown faster than cotton, with viscose-based fibre growing at 27% CAGR while normal textiles have grown at 5% CAGR over the past few years. The demand for VSF is driven by two major factors – decreasing production of cotton and increasing awareness about eco-friendly products. Apart from textiles and clothing applications, VSF is also being used for non-woven applications and industrial applications which have further jacked up its demand. Drawing comparison between cotton and viscose, Rajeev Tulshyan, Chairman, Mumbai-based Kennington Industries who has access to 100,000 spindles for viscose in Indonesia for import into India believes in its viability against cotton. “Viscose is a natural fibre, which is environmental friendly. People don’t use much of this in India because it has a 12% duty making it expensive, while cotton, which is grown in the country, is directly and easily available. But viscose is actually a much better product than cotton,” believes Rajeev.

Though China is presently the largest supplier of MMF by far – with business moving out of China – the basic cotton core products are moving to low-cost/high productivity origins such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Cambodia. “Viscose and other blended fabrics – largely used for ladies fashion products, are moving to India as well,” shares Arora.

Yet, India still has to go a long way to go in for viscose consumption, and while the per capita consumption of viscose fibre in India is only 0.2 kg, globally it is 0.75 kg and the same is twice in China at 1.5 kg. Supporting growth, Birla Cellulose has been working on specialty fibre within the viscose segment that accounted for 36% of the total portfolio in the just concluded year compared to 28% in the previous year. “I believe we have only scratched the surface as yet. There is a huge opportunity awaiting us as we scale up collaboratively across all formats and marketing channels,” says Dilip Gaur, MD of Grasim Industries and Business Director (pulp and fibre division), Aditya Birla Group. As of today, the key players in the VSF market are Lenzing AG (Austria), Grasim Industries Limited (Aditya Birla Group, India), Kelheim Fibers (Germany), Fulida Group (China), Sateri (China), Formosa Plastics Group (Taiwan), Shandong Helon Textile Sci. & Tech. Co. Ltd. (China) and Tangshan Sanyou Group Xingda Chemical Fibre Co. Ltd. (China).

Another factor that is driving growth in viscose is the evolving demands of fashion. Constantly changing fashion trends with requirement of quick deliveries is a definite global trend and requirement – and this is the main business from India now. This trend gets reflected mainly in women’s clothing – which is where viscose is used the maximum. Technically, the Indian knitting, weaving and processing industry has learnt “how to manage” viscose better, so more and more buyers and factories are open to use of viscose in sourcing products from India. “The multitude problems faced by buyers on viscose products (uneven and high shrinkage and de-shaping, high pillings etc.) are now largely overcome by the industry. There has been a lot of technical support given to the industry by companies such as Grasim. We are now able to manage the material better, hence the confidence in using it is much higher,” adds Arora.

Even in the domestic market with increase in organised retail and ladies clothing emerging as the fastest growing segment, use of viscose and blended fabrics is on the rise. “This is a huge opportunity because ladies fashion requires high drape materials such as viscose in woven and knitted form. Viscose is also used in many areas as replacement for silks – it is a hugely cheaper alternative while maintaining the drape – so now it is used in sarees as well in addition to scarves, dresses, skirts, blouses etc.,” shares Gaur. The Liva Accredited Partner Forum (LAPF) which was launched last year, has played a big role in increasing visibility of viscose which has also led to a trickledown effect with many category and unbranded players also adopting Liva-based garments, resulting in a phenomenal growth of VSF consumption in the country last year. Even the scope of use has increased, and while initially viscose was used in India only in woven fabrics – whether for exports or domestic – now there is a substantial consumption in knitted segment as well, both for exports and domestic.

Viscose is a type of rayon, which is a synthetic fibre, used to make clothing items such as shirts, skirts and light jackets. It’s a lightweight fabric, which means that the clothes made from it generally drape well and are suited to warmer temperatures. Viscose is easy to dye, so it comes in many colours and patterns. The only downfall of viscose is that it requires careful maintenance. The VSF market by type can be segmented into three major types namely, Standard Viscose, Modal Fibers and Lyocell Fibers.

VISCOSE DOSSIER…

Knitted fabric using viscose is the latest addition to the product basket of fashion garments

TEX-FILE

“We do not have fear of our products getting copied; buyers know that ABN aspires to do a better job than the last; more beautifully and perfectly, that too in low price, and on time. No one can copy your passion!” – Nupur Batra, MD, Accessories By Nupur (ABN) p44


Leading terry towel manufacturer, Trident has recorded highest ever surge in EBITDA in FY 2016. The company’s EBITDA zoomed 8 per cent in the reporting fiscal year to US $ 115.38 million (Rs. 750.90 crore) as compared to US $ 107 million (Rs. 695.10 crore) last fiscal. Its profit after tax (PAT) was US $ 35 million (Rs. 228.40 crore), up 93.90 per cent compared with US $ 18.15 million (Rs. 117.80 crore) in 2015 fiscal.

In the home textile segment, Trident’s EBITDA increased by 6 per cent in the period under review to US $ 82.61 million (Rs. 537 crore) as against US $ 77.69 million (Rs. 505 crore) in the prior fiscal. Commenting on the results, Rajinder Gupta, Chairman of Trident Group averred, “The exceptional

gains are a result of our focus on expanding margins by improving operational efficiencies and other strategic initiatives. During the year, our effort was on improving the penetration of our home textile products in international as well as domestic markets through emphasis on marketing.”

Trident's profit after tax up 94%

TEX-FILE

Don’t be deceived by the prickly appearance of the cactus. What looks prickly doesn’t always give out harsh

products! Cactus silk is super-soft and is making a name as the new vegan silk. A cruelty-free textile composed of filaments derived from the crushed leaves of the Saharan aloe vera cactus, part of the agave family of plants, is also being dubbed as the ‘vegetable silk’ or ‘sabra silk’. Known for its strength and quality, the silk is derived by crushing cactus leaves and then washing and hammering the fibres, which are then woven into thread and dyed.

With high elasticity, and wrinkle resistance, the silk is used to make carpets, rugs, linens, cushions, and clothing. This plant derived silk cuts down the cruel process in which silkworms are steamed or gassed alive

in their cocoons. Approximately 3,000 caterpillars are killed to make just 1 pound of raw silk. Cactus silk is yet another indication that the vegan fashion revolution is here to stay.

TEX-FIND

Cru

elty

-free

Aga

ve S

ilk m

ad

e fro

m C

act

us


Sutlej Textiles has registered a rise of 78.01 per cent in its net profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, ended March 31, to US $ 7.53 million (Rs. 48.81 crore) as against US $ 4.15 million (Rs. 27.42 crore) in the corresponding period last year.

In the period under review, Sutlej Textiles’ total income was US $ 85.84 million (Rs. 558.27

Textile traders in Surat have sought implementation of anti-dumping duty on fabrics, which are imported from China and other countries, to counter the challenges faced by the man-made fabric (MMF) sector in the country. Office-bearers of the Federation of Surat Textiles Traders Association (FOSTTA) earlier wrote to the Union Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar, stating that almost 50 per cent of the MMF sector in Surat (around 6.5 lakh powerloom machines), have shutdown their powerlooms for the past one month due to weak demand for polyester fabric, the onslaught of cheap imported fabrics from China, and increase in yarn prices by the spinners, hence bringing manufacturing to a complete halt. “We have urged the Central Government to impose anti-

crore) as against US $ 73.53 million (Rs. 477.91) crore in the previous quarter. C S Nopany, Chairman of the company said, “The financial year 2016 has been a challenging year due to global economic slowdown and stressed rural economy in the country. Despite these challenging times, I am pleased that Sutlej due to its strategy of focusing on operational efficiency, organic and inorganic growth through capacity expansion – both in spinning and home textiles has reported increased revenues and profits during the year.” Sutlej Textiles is an ISO 9001:2008 certified and has a strong position in the Indian textile sector in the manufacturing of value-added synthetic, natural and blended yarns, all types of spun yarns, processing of fabrics and home textile furnishing.

dumping duty on imported fabrics. Compared to the fabrics produced indigenously, the imported fabrics are almost 100 per cent cheaper. In the past one year, several million metres of fabric have been imported into the country, thereby paralysing the MMF sector,” said FOSTTA President Manoj Agarwal.

Agarwal, in the letter, also sought the extension of benefits under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to the textile processors and the traders. At present, only the powerloom sector is covered under these benefits. “We have also demanded cargo service from Surat airport at the earliest. This will help our textile exporters to directly export the fabrics to various destinations, instead of diverting them from Mumbai and Delhi,” Agarwal added.

Sutlej Textiles' profit takes a giant leap

Impose anti-dumping duty on Chinese fabrics, urges FOSTTA

TEX-FILE


Having more than 30 years’ of experience in the home

furnishing industry, Ram Prakash, Director, Miyan Bazaz Exim enthusiastically says, “From last 5 years we have focused again on domestic market and achieved satisfactory growth. Especially compared to export, domestic is more comfortable as there are fewer issues, be it testing or even payments. Domestic market is our first priority now as overseas markets are quite low.” He accepts that competition is almost equal in both the markets and margins are also squeezed, still there are more orders and fewer overheads in domestic. The company has almost 50 per cent of its business in the domestic market. “To the best of my knowledge, most of the Jaipur-based companies are associated with domestic buyers,” he adds.

‘Tarini’ is all set to enjoy its new innings as Uday Sehgal, Director of the company feels that there is still value for money in domestic market; products are priced either extremely low or extremely high, there is no focus on middle-level segment with

Noida-based, GOTS, Organic Exchange, ISO9001:2000 and BSCI-certified export house Mariko recently started its portal www.tarinionline.com and is simultaneously increasing its footprint through brick & mortar stores in the Indian retail market. ‘Tarini’, the brand of the company has an exclusive presence at Westside (TATA Group) for over 20 years and is still going strong. Miyan Bazaz Exim, another export house in Jaipur, enjoying working with prestigious retailers like Big Bazar and Westside, is in the process to start supplying to Reliance also. Both the companies are happy with their domestic initiatives that are ensuring reasonable growth too. There are many more such companies enjoying growth in the domestic market through various venues. Today, domestic is not just a lucrative option for established exporters, but it is continuously attracting even smaller exporters also.

Established exporters in HOME

FURNISHING enjoying growth

in domestic market

good quality, and it is here that he is putting focus and getting success. “Whatever we do for Westside or for our brand, it is exactly the same as our export orders have similar parameters, be it design, order size, quality, deadline, team engagement... But in domestics we have growth of almost 15 per cent while in exports, it is falling day by day,” he says. The company is working exclusively for Westside from beginning and now is planning to work for other such retailers also. The brand having three stores (2 in Delhi-NCR and 1 in Goa) will be opening 3 more stores in metro cities. “Online initiative is mainly for brand recognition pan-India,” says Uday, who specializes in design-based products.

Confirming more opportunities in the domestic sector, some in the industry players feel that domestic is still an untapped market, especially in made-ups segment, as still a majority of Indian customers are not in the habit of changing curtains very often. Shashank Sachdeva, VP, Sachdeva Fabric World, Delhi says, “Made-ups are a product category which is both

H2F

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

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


a challenge as well as an opportunity for manufacturers as it still has abundance scope, as customers are just awakening to home decor and are now looking for options.” He further adds that some of the exporters who have strong and direct retail presence are enjoying 300 per cent margins. With a capacity of 7 lakh metres of linen and linen blend fabric, the company caters fabrics mostly to exporters. “Most of our clients are basically exporters that are now doing domestic in a good way. We have experienced a vast change in the demand of fabric accordingly, as now they ask about regular fabrics too, which was not there earlier,” says Shashank.

There is, as such, no big challenge as of now for these exporters, especially those who are not doing direct retailing. As far as a particular growth segment is concerned, high-end segment seems to be growing more and is beneficial due to growing awareness of customers and their keenness to adopt branded products. Manufacturers who are doing mainly

Shashi Sehgal, committed to design sensibility, quality and work ethics, is the force behind Mariko and www.tarinionline.com

basics are still facing challenges from China. Confirming these facts, Shweta Singh, Director, Dhanush International, Delhi adds that the growing online segment is one of the biggest challenges for offline retailers. Having in-house facility of fabric production and digital printing, the company is also in the process to start work with some well-established portals. “We have enough inventories, so online will be a support to clear this stock. Having export-oriented products, it will surely attract the customers and will give reasonable price to us,” she concludes.

Shashank Sachdeva, VP, Sachdeva Fabric World

H2F

Irrespective of the unhappy export market, some companies are further expanding in a good way. Based in Gujarat, Chiripal Group – India’s leading textile player – is going to set up a terry towel unit with an investment of around US $ 77 million (Rs. 500 crore) in Ahmedabad, where it has acquired 30 acres of land at Dholi Integrated Textile Park. The company will market its terry towels in markets like US, Germany, UK, Italy, France, Romania, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, among others.

“Almost 70 per cent of our investment will be debt portion. The financial closure has been achieved and we expect commercial production to start from December this year. About 95 per cent of the production will be exported. Once commissioned, we expect to achieve a turnover of US $ 62 million (Rs. 400 crore) from this plant in the first year of operations,” says Vishal Chiripal, Director, Chiripal Industries.

Named Nandan Terry Pvt. Ltd. – the wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiripal Group – will commence production at the facility by the end of this year with 80 Airjet looms to manufacture 10,969 tonnes of terry towels per annum, and with room to double the capacity in the future. The unit will also have a spinning capacity of 24,408 spindles and 960 rotors. In another development, Chiripal Industries, which has an annual turnover of US $ 131 million (Rs. 850 crore), is setting up 48,960 spindles for the manufacturing of cotton yarn at Dholi Integrated Spinning Park with an investment of around US $ 47 million (Rs. 306 crore). The facility is expected to increase company’s turnover to US $ 733 million (Rs. 1,100 crore) by the end of fiscal 2016-17.

India’s Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), a Government body for global promotion of the country’s exports of handicrafts, has invited applications for Handicrafts Export Awards for the year 2014-2015. More than 25 awards under various categories will be distributed. The categories include – Award for Textiles-based Handicrafts; Award for Women Entrepreneur (Regional) for Seven Regions, Export Awards (Regional) – Seven Merit Awards and more. While the main awards will be distributed on the basis of export performance during the year 2014-15, Merit Awards will be given for excellent growth in exports in last three years (2012-13, 2013-2014 and 2014-15). Last date to apply for these awards, which are only for the members of EPCH is 30th June.

Chiripal Group to set up terry towel unit

A chance to win EPCH Award


App

arel

Onl

ine

Indi

a 3

0

The overall silhouette shape of the season

was relaxed yet not baggy. Collections

featured outerwear and sweater offerings

that were heavy, oversized or elongated.

Dresses and skirts indicate a clear shift

in silhouette with the midi – whether

fuller or fitted. Woven tops favour new

turtlenecks or bow blouses where peasant

blouses were quite prominent in dreamy

fabrics, the pants continue to embrace

volume with culottes, and wide-legged

pants topping the charts. Explore the five

most important silhouettes that will shape

the coming fall season…

Silhouettes Fall 2016

Duster Coat

Katie Ermilio

Balmain

A great fall collection must consist of the most popular coat style of the season, and dusters are relevant to

both outerwear and sweater dressing. The most influential ones seen on the runway were floor duster coats, which featured extra-long lengths and sometimes oversized shapes. Others featured blanket styling with features like asymmetric hems, belts and shawl collars. Balmain and Public School’s styles were ankle-length where the former used pastel shades and the latter went for bright fuchsia to make a bold impact. Katie Ermilio used oversized fur trimmings on the collar, whereas Calvin Klein’s interpretation stayed true to their identity, purely minimal.

AcingRelaxedthe

Trend

DIRECTIONS BY



This season is all about the peasant blouse, which is a must-have especially for the young contemporary market. With a strong bearing on Bohemian looks,

design details include full sleeves, keyhole or high necks and tie or ruffle front details. Joie and Tommy Hilfiger made their case-in-point with the tie front detail in shades of white, where one went for a simple version the other chose a romantic print, diaphanous fabric and a plunging neckline. Sleeves were the focal point for others like Temperley London who played around with soft ruffles and Gucci left no stone unturned when it came to colours and embellishment on their tops.

Peasant Blouse

Tommy Hilfiger

Gucci

The Turtleneck

Bluemarine

Creatures of Comfort

For quite some time now, high necks have been reigning the runways at every major fashion show, so it is of no surprise that the turtleneck, a classic style is

dominating the sweater and knits classification, this season. Appealing to both womenswear and young contemporary looks, turtlenecks are either slim-fitted or more relaxed with oversized shapes and extra-long sleeves. Bluemarine and Creatures of Comfort presented fitted versions that can be easily layered and paired with anything, while Jonathan Simkhai chose to go with a thick knit dress in white hat which drew focus to the snug turtleneck. TSE showed us a perfect example of the standing turtleneck, which is more rigid in structure; other design details included rounded shoulders and slits on the sides of the knit.


Owing to the romantic and Bohemian references so prevalent in the fall collections, the boho maxi makes a triumphant return to the dress category.

Diaphanous materials were a must on flowing silhouettes, while new updates to consider included peasant sleeves, high necklines and dramatic side slits. Gucci picked floral fabric and layers and layers of chiffon, and to infuse a bit of edge, added belts to the looks. Temperley London’s looks were dreamier with a palette of pastels and thigh-high slits with ruffled peasant sleeves, completely in contrast were Roberto Cavalli’s designs that featured dark romantic shades, the dresses more fitted and the necklines, plunging. Valentino’s maxis stood out for their simplicity in silhouette and complexity in embellishment.

Boho Maxi

Temperley London

Gucci

Midi-skirtEmbrace the ’50s trend as mid-calf shapes are a

defining silhouette of the season, with the midi-skirt as the most popular bottomwear. It branches out

into two directions – fuller dirndl styles, as well as slim midi ones. Widespread applications in womenswear are featured, as well as options for the young contemporary market. Fuller styles favour high waists, and pleats, while slim shapes are a match for slits and wrap construction. Dion Lee and Lela Rose presented perfect examples for the fuller-skirt styles, whereas the former made use of pleats, the latter’s was more in A-line. Monique Lhuillier’s version was more risqué, skin-tight and boasting of a thigh-high open slit and Victoria Beckham’s was wrapped.

Dion Lee

Lela Rose


t h e p e r fe c t t ra n s i t i o n a l p i e c e fo r s p r i n gIs tweed only suited for winters…? Well, it would seem not as this season’s summer collections are talking a lot about ‘lightweight tweed’. Tweed has, over the years, continued to be a winter wardrobe staple for everyone, irrespective of gender or age. However, of late this versatile fabric, used for making jackets, trench coats and skirts, is exceedingly being used to manufacture dignified attire for spring. Breaking away from the tag of a quintessential fabric for winters, tweed is being reinvented with innovative interlacing and weaving techniques to create edgy jackets, flirty dresses, and curve-hugging shorts for summer collections. In their quest to impart newness to tweed, exporters too are attempting to translate ideas into spring collections…

FASHION BUSINESS

Alexander Wang

TWEED JACKET


Despite the increasingly temperate climate, dressing for spring

– a season that bridges the gap between two extreme temperatures – comes with its own set of sartorial challenges. Nowhere is this truer than when it comes to outerwear. Spring in Europe and parts of the US requires light outerwear, as the art of layering which peaks in the winters starts toning down in spring, before the heat hits fashion. The reality is that even spring weather can remain, at best, unpredictable, and this is why you need a tweed jacket. A wardrobe staple that instantly pulls together any look with a bit of polish and scholastic sophistication, tweed may be a fabric traditionally associated with the cooler months, but a tweed jacket will serve you well into the spring

and beyond – as a very welcome and quite ladylike palette refresher after the prevalence of the very many streetwear-infused collections seen off and on the runways.

Adorned with a flexible texture, similar to cheviot or homespun, made in plain, twill or herringbone weave, tweed is no longer seen as a conservative winter fabric; rather, it is becoming bolder, brighter and better, season after season, so as to suit spring requirements. It is being created in a variety of patterns and is not restrained by subdued colour effects achieved through two- or three-ply yarns. Samir Jain, Partner, Devanshi Exports Pvt. Ltd. discussing the tweed trend for spring said, “For our S/S ’17 collection, we have a mix of tweed jacquard designs and striped designs which gives our collection this year a competitive edge. Spring tweeds cannot be on the heavier side, therefore, the choice of yarns are on the lighter note. We have done an unusual combination of organic paisleys and geometric twills that has never been seen before. In my opinion, with prints and embellishments getting over-used and exhausted, self-woven fabrics are the segment to watch out for.”

Current iterations in kaleidoscopic colours, with occasional outré details, new proportions, and silhouettes, be it cropped or extra-long, boxy or fitted, a subdued palette or topped off with ornate embellishments, these offer a fresh take on the heritage classic that’s anything but stuffy. Arvind Falor, Managing Director, Ethnic World Enterprises, who is creating fringed tweed clothing articles informs, “As usual, tweeds were high on demand last Fall. For our A/W ’15-16 collection, we developed tweed kaftans and jackets, but with tweed being popular amongst buyers and customers, spring translations are quite in need. We are creating diamonds with block drafting, and have loops in-between for making a fringe, which brings an unusual edge to the design for the spring tweeds. Weaving techniques open up a huge scope for experimentation, and in tweeds they facilitate newer, exciting versions every season.”

Adding fringes in their tweed styles in distinctive ways, Saraf Textile Mills

has been creating tweeds in their individual styles. S.M. Saraf, Managing Director of the company explains, “We are making loops out of the loose ends and leaving the middle weaving. A lot of yarn fringes when folded together to create loops, give a chalk and cheese kind of extreme contrast effect!” Incorporating fringes on the body and hems, and the fabric manipulated in a variety of ways, is one of the popular tweed variations. The runways of A/W ’17-18 saw numerous adaptations of the fabric with fringes. Thakoon showcased a rich and textural affair where oversized tweeds came with rows of yarn fringes, which were sparsely scattered across the body of the tweed jackets creating an interesting 3D surface.

Also, now the concept of ‘season-less’ tweed is getting popular. Tweeds are being developed in lighter colours, prepared in much higher cotton content in comparison to wool content; some of them are blended with even lighter fabrics like linen as well. Owing to their property of moisture-resistance, durability and ability to withstand harsh climates, tweeds have become a desirable fabric for informal outerwear. Working upon this, Chanel, Maiyet, MSGM and other fashion giants took up tweed as the main fabric in their A/W ’16-17 collections. Promod Rathore, Partner, Indus Valley Exports, manufacturer, exporter and supplier of jackets and knitwear shares, “An amalgamation of conventionality and comfortability is making tweed a must-have ensemble for all seasons. We are creating tweeds in a variety of fibres and giving it a mélange effect, which from a distance looks very painting-like.”

No doubt, genderless and season-less fashions are huge big trend drivers in the fashion industry right now. Drawing inspiration from men’s wardrobes, especially nicely tailored tweed jackets and trousers, and overflowing into womenswear, many exporters are developing transitional pieces to suit these requirements. “Tweed is and will be a Fall favourite till as long as I can imagine! But with its versatility of being made in different fibre compositions, tweed has also become a spring favourite and can be created in bright colours to the neutrals, in a plethora of ways,” concluded, Abhishek Khanna, Partner, K. A. International.

FASHION BUSINESS

Drawing inspiration from men’s wardrobes, especially nicely tailored tweed jackets and trousers, and overflowing into womenswear, many exporters are developing transitional piece to suit these requirements.

Chanel

Prada

Joseph


Alexandra Shulman, Vogue Editor-in-Chief, will receive the Outstanding Achievement Hall of Fame accolade at the annual WGSN Futures Awards this month. The event celebrates the fashion industry’s most innovative talents. Shulman was chosen “for her inspirational story and contribution to fashion publishing,” said Lauretta Roberts, WGSN’s Director of Brand & Propositions, adding that the organization “would like to recognize Alexandra as a magazine legend and for her success in creating the future of a world-renowned brand that continues to grow and inspire,” and added, “Alexandra’s editorship is the longest in British Vogue’s history, and has seen her steer and maintain its status as the definitive monthly fashion bible,” Roberts continued.

Rihanna is collaborating with Dior on a new sunglasses collection, simply called ‘Rihanna’. The singer, who is already a brand ambassador for the French fashion house, has already been spotted sporting a pair from the futuristic-inspired collection. “The process was pretty seamless,” said Rihanna of the collaboration, revealing that La Forge from Star Trek was her design inspiration. “We picked materials and colours that same day, and after that it was a matter of weeks before I saw the first prototype. We are very pleased to partner for the second time with Rihanna,” said Dior’s CEO Sidney Toledano. “She is an artist, an entertainer, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a style icon for today’s generation.”

WGSN awards Alexandra Shulman

Rihanna joins hands with Dior

H&M has announced that its next designer collaboration will be with Kenzo. The collaboration is slated to launch in store on November 3 this year. “We can’t wait to share with everyone the world of KENZO x H&M, with all of its creativity, fun and love of fashion,” said Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M, who revealed that the collaboration would entail menswear, womenswear and a selection of accessories. “With this collaboration with H&M we want to think big, push the boundaries and bring the new energy of KENZO to everyone around the world,” said Lim and Leon, who also design for Opening Ceremony.

H&M's next collaboration: Kenzo

London and Paris are known for their youthful approach to fashion, so it comes as no surprise that for fall, designers played with light-hearted embellishments – ranging from fruit-motif badges to pretty floral appliqués that reminded us of the novelty print trend surfacing in the past seasons. Alexander Lewis used patchwork embellishments over a sheer base to make them stand out and be noticed as the star of the ensemble while Anya Hindmarch decorated a knee-length coat with pixelated embellishments

that ranged from cherries to jelly fish.

Another designer in close proximity to the jellyfish element was House of Holland which incorporated jellyfish that were big, filled with colour and positioned on either side of black dresses. Even Paul Smith used a black base for his half-eaten apples while Emilia Wickstead went for a fully covered short dress.

FASHION FILE

Colour Story

Pla

yful

Pa

tchw

ork

A/W

201

6-17

pantone18-5725 TPX

pantone17-1312 TPX

pantone19-1012 TPX

pantone17-3628 TPX

pantone14-1116 TPX

pantone18-1336 TPX

by

Fash

ion

Forw

ard

Tre

nds

FASHION RESOURCE


Danielle Sherman has exited as the Creative Director of fashion house, Edun. Ali Hewson and her husband, Bono in 2005 with the aim to increase the clothing trade in Africa, founded the brand. “What Edun has achieved over the past three years represents an important step, with a new vocabulary and a real dynamic for the future,” Hewson said in a statement.

“I am very grateful to Danielle for her valuable contribution, and for elevating the conversation about ethical fashion,” added Hewson. She has been credited with raising the percentage of the collection produced in Africa increase to over 95 per cent, as well as evolving the brand with a cleaner, more modern aesthetic – successfully aligning high-fashion values to sustainable ones.

Jonathan Akeroyd, former CEO at Alexander McQueen, has been appointed as CEO at Gianni Versace SpA, replacing Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who has worked at Versace since 2009. Akeroyd’s departed from McQueen after working there for 12 years. “We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Akeroyd as our new CEO,” said Donatella Versace, Vice President and Artistic Director, adding, “Akeroyd brings a proven track record in building global brands, steering growth and driving strategic development. Jonathan Akeroyd’s industry expertise and vision will be key to advancing the next phase of Versace’s development.” Akeroyd’s new position is said to be effective immediately, although he is slated to start in mid-June.

Former McQueen CEO hired by Versace

Danielle Sherman leaves Edun

FASHION RESOURCE


Spring/Summer collections are always on a lookout for new fabrics to develop new styles. Cottons, Viscose and Rayons have been summer staples since years and exporters have now started putting pressure on choosing new fabric options. With runways pitching in new fabric ideas and designers experimenting with new fabric mixes, four types of fabrics have appeared to be in the front line. These fabrics are being used in variety of applications.Be it a dress, blouse, trousers, skirts or shorts, these fabrics are the most important part of this season’s collections it seems. In the quest of being creative, this season’s fabric choices have become a crucial design element as well. Moving ahead from the simple cottons and poly mixes, the summer of 2017 will bring with it 4 fabric options which will impress the world in the upcoming seasons as well…Becoming huge favourites with designers and now picked up by export product development teams, the following four fabric choices are becoming the talk of the industry.

‘TOP 4’Exporters’

VALUE ADDITION

fabric choices for S/S ’17 collections!

ICB M.i.h Jeans Monica Ihuillier


KNITTED DENIM

Amid varied technological advances, fabric manufacturing has also touched new heights, and with customer’s growing need to wear something new season after season, fabric manufacturers have tried and developed many new versions. One such version is the knitted adaptation of our own archetypical denim. Indigo knit denims are made in more or less the same way as denim. Being a knit, knitted denims have more elasticity, comfortability and flexibility in comparison to normal woven versions.

Knitted denim also has the desirable knit properties of air permeability and wicking. One of the cons of this fabric is its tendency to fade with repeated use, but in one way the garment will gain character with wearing, washing and more washing. Ganesh Ram, GM – Marketing, Bhaskar Denim says, “Knitted denims are constructed in many different structures like, single jersey, interlock, pique, honey-comb, fleece, plated, cross-strings and all possible design structures. Knitted denim has certain special characteristics that make it suitable for creating a wide range of garments and accessories like tights, glues, underwear and other close fitting garments.”

THE BURNOUT FABRIC

Being almost negligible in the last few seasons, suddenly exports and buying houses have been noticing the growth of burnout fabric, a.k.a. brasso in the upcoming season. Joyline Pvt. Ltd., a buying house dealing with brands like Dunnes, River Island, Zero, M&Co, Penneys and Primark, has been receiving enquiring about using brasso fabrics in the S/S ’17 collections. “We are in the process of sampling for S/S ’17 season, and till now, all the mood boards we have come across, have one thing in common in terms of fabric options – brasso. As the season is moving away from laces to find a better replacement in terms of cost, brasso is the fabric type to look out for, along with brilliant aesthetics,” says Shalini Singh, Assistant Merchandiser of the company.

Tweaking the basic brasso technique to suit their collections, designers surfaced a wide range of garments in magnificent interpretations. In the S/S ’16 collections, Lela Rose, showcased a variety of polka dots and ikat striped motifs in brasso on floor-length dresses and skirts. Michael Kors presented a range of skits in brasso which created the trompe-l’oil effect of embroidery.

DOUBLE-SIDED JERSEY

Regarded as the most preferred knits in summers, due to its airy structure and construction, Jersey is used predominantly for summer clothing manufacture. Named after the island of Jersey, the fabric was originally made of wool, but is now created with cotton and synthetic fibres as well. Jerseys are very stretchy, made using single knitting process and are usually light-weight. The most popular application of this lightweight fabric can be seen in regular T-shirts. Ankit Nair, MD, Kanchan International, adding further says, “Other than single knitted, jerseys can be double knitted as well which have less stretch and is heavy as two single jerseys are knitted together to form a double jersey, which is the most popular amongst other varieties of jersey fabrics. Jersey is considered to be an excellent fabric for draped garments, such as dresses, and women’s tops. “Some common uses for jersey fabric include T-shirts and leggings. The fabric is cool, flexible, stretchy, and very insulating, making it a popular choice for the layer worn closest to the body. Jersey also tends to be soft, making it very comfortable.

CROCHET

With sudden revival of crochet on the runways, and exporters incorporating them in their collection in every possible way, crochet seems to have a very bright future ahead. Devang Seth, Head Designer, Intime Knits Pvt. Ltd. talking on the similar lines, mentioned, “From last few years, there was a comparatively low demand of crochet products, but now a better future seems to be around the corner. Buyers are getting

exhausted by seeing the repeated use of nets and laces on garments, and are now ready to pay more for the crochet products even if they are expensive than other mediums. And these products are also into entirely made-ups of crochet, some are hemmed, some the ruffled and some are panels with crochets.”

Scattering the beauty of its handmade nature, crochet is still being carried out by hand, even after the launch of varied machineries in the industry. Anil Sehgal, Proprietor, Suneeta Knitwears, praising the uniqueness of this technique shared, “Crochet is our forte and today the products are selling fine owing to the technique’s exclusivity. It takes about two months for completing 6-7,000 pieces by hand. Though similar work can be replicated by machines, but the difference is quite noticeable.” With an experience of more than three decades, and working with top retailers under the brand ‘Apsley’, Anil has observed an amazing growth in demand of crochet-based apparels.

Indigo knit denims are made in more or less the same way as denim. Being a knit, knitted denims have more elasticity, comfortability and flexibility in comparison to normal woven versions.

VALUE ADDITION

Tommy Hilfiger

Trina Turk


From next year (2017), India International Garment Fair

(IIGF), India’s biggest apparel sourcing event, will be held in Apparel House – headquarters of AEPC in Gurgaon!

A few days ago, a meeting was held between representatives of Apparel House Exporters Associations (AHEA) and the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) on this issue, following which AHEA informed that the MoT has agreed to the former’s proposal for holding IIGF in the Apparel House from next year. Since the minutes of the meetings are still awaited, this cannot be officially confirmed. However, Apparel Online had the privilege of taking a look at a mail

regarding this, circulated by the AHEA in the industry.

Some of the exporters, especially participants of IIGF, are of the opinion that this is a very big move for the Indian export community. AHEA members had been striving towards this goal for the past several years now, and have hence thanked the MoT profusely for this latest decision. Now participants will be able to save a lot of money at the IIGF, since Apparel House will be much cheaper to rent and this centre will also eventually become the hub for Buyer-Sellers Meet (BSM) throughout the year. Many small and medium level exporters will also be able to participate in these exhibitions now.

Meanwhile, exporters are concerned about their showrooms at Apparel House, as these have been lying vacant for years. They have, hence, sought a waiver on the maintenance charges for the past period since their allotment till December 2016. They have also asked for renewal of the lease period ‘free of cost’ for the next 10 years, starting 2017. Their other demands include allotment of a stall/booth on the ground floor during fairs and exhibitions at nominal charges to all showroom holders who have their showrooms on or above the 2nd floor. This is because the buyers often do not visit the 2nd floor, and finish of with all their requirements on the ground and first floors only.

Exporters at Apparel House have sought a waiver on the maintenance charges for the past period since their allotment till December 2016.

IIGF ‘to be held’ in Apparel House from coming year!

INDUSTRY WIRE

TO ADVERTISEContact Rani Mahendru +91-11-47390000 (512) [email protected]

GOING TO A GOOD EVENT?Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected]


Vardhman Textiles Limited, one of the

reckoned names in the Indian textile domain has been given the FIEO’s (The Federation of Indian Exporters Organizations) ‘Niryat Shree’ award by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. The event was organized by the FIEO to commemorate its Golden Jubilee. The prestigious award was collected by Neeraj Jain, JMD of the company. The company received the award under the textile sector category, including RMGs, made-ups, yarn, handicrafts & carpets (Non-MSME). Vardhman is big time into the production of yarns, fabrics, threads, fibres and garments.

Under the yarn segment, it has over 1.1 million spindles and a capacity to manufacture over 580 MT of yarn per day and has the weaving capacity of about 180 million metres per annum, and processing capacity of over

114 million metres per annum across a wide specialty fabrics’ range. In garments domain, Vardhman Nisshinbo Garments Co. Ltd., a joint venture between Vardhman Group and Japan-based Nisshinbo Textiles Inc., is

capable of manufacturing over 1.8 million shirts per annum. Besides, Reliance Industries Limited was given the Golden Exporter of the year award for claiming the position of the highest foreign exchange earner. It also received the award in the category of chemicals, drugs, pharma and allied sector (Non-MSME). In the MSME category, the textiles-based companies like CL Gupta Exports Ltd., Surya Carpet and Umed Sizers also won awards.

Under leather and leather sector (MSME), Rama Overseas Ltd., Supreme Overseas Exports India, were the winners while the non-MSME category for the similar products saw Superhouse Limited and Industrial Safety Products receive awards.

Vardhman Textiles Limited gets Niryat Shree Award

Neeraj Jain, JMD, Vardhman Textiles Limited receiving the award from President of India Pranab Mukherjee

INDUSTRY WIRE




INDUSTRY LIVE

Prabhu Dhamodharan, Secretary, Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), Coimbatore suggests that MoT should break the target numbers cluster-wise and work closely with industry to overcome these challenges to achieve this target. Overall, the trend is positive among apparel manufacturing clusters. He, too, seems positive and says that for the past 2 years,

Sources have revealed to Apparel Online that Ministry of Textiles (MoT) has given a target of US $ 20 billion to the AEPC for the financial year 2016-17, while AEPC had already set target of US $ 18.75 billion for same fiscal against the probable performance of US $ 17 billion in the financial year 2015-16. To achieve the proposed target, a growth of 18.34 per cent

is required, which is a difficult task considering that in the last fiscal export from India grew only 1 per cent in US Dollar value and by 8 per cent in Rupee term. Not only that, there are many more challenges like 14 of India’s top 20 destinations has shown a decline in export this year. The EU, which is the largest destination for Indian apparel exporters, has shown a decline of 7.6

per cent; and even the last quarter has shown a decline. Moreover, it is believed that after signing of TPP, Vietnam has become one of the signatories India may lose its competitiveness in the US market.

Despite all these challenges, industry experts feel that India could reach this ambitious target, thanks to the hopes of trade agreements.

MoT sets US $ 20 billion apparel export target for AEPC for 2016-17 fiscal

Infrastructural issues have been hurting apparel exporters, even in a hub like Delhi-NCR, where the big exporters of this country are thriving. The latest example is of a Noida-based apparel and home furnishing export house that has suffered a loss of more than Rs. 4 lakh due to sewage water overflowing into the factories basement. Adding to the woes, a Spanish buyer, who was recently on a factory visit, cancelled further orders with the company after seeing the condition.

Inderjit Singh, Proprietor of an apparel firm in the area, which exports kidswear to the US, European and Malaysian markets, informed Apparel Online, “The

Lakhs of garment workers in Bangalore may get benefit of special buses with 50 per cent discount in fare. As a response to the long pending demand of garment workers, the Bus Bhagya Scheme of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will be a big support and convenient for them. Currently, majority of workers are forced to use illegal transport to ferry them at discounted fares.

According to media reports, the BMTC has plans to introduce around 100 buses at points in the city from where garment workers and other labourers could travel to their workplaces. It has already chosen a few areas like Madiwala, Silk Board junction, Peenya, Bommanahalli, Tumakur Road and Mysore Road. These areas have many garment factories. A detailed proposal has already been prepared, including purchase of new buses for the scheme.

ongoing construction work of the Metro rail project has led to the damage of some of the sewage lines here, causing overflow of water in the area.” He added, “I had recently delivered an order for this particular buyer, but now, under these circumstances, it is very difficult to convince him that all this is due to negligence on the part of Government officials. On top of that…, such things create a negative image not only about the hub, but the industry as a whole, which is the most critical issue here.”

In order to combat the issue, the local association – Noida Industrial Welfare Association (NIWA) held several meetings with factory

owners and raised the matter before the Noida Development Authority, in response to which the Authority assured exporters that maintenance work of sewage lines will commence on immediate basis.

In Delhi, the condition of infrastructure is almost similar to what they were years ago. Sudhir Sekhri, MD, Trend Setters International having factory in Mangolpuri Industrial Area, Delhi says, “Improper drainage system still creates problems in rainy season while poor road conditions are another problem.” In Panipat, Ramesh Verma of Diamond Exports (a home furnishing export unit), has also been facing drainage issues from the past many years.

Infrastructural issues hurting apparel export

Bangalore: Bus Bhagya Scheme will benefit garment workers

Noida-based apparel export houses are suffering losses due to poor civic amenities… The sorry state of affairs near a Noida factory premises (L) and inside of a factory tells it all


INDUSTRY LIVE

many apparel companies are growing at the rate of 15 per cent in the south region.

“Orders are flowing now in large volumes, thus, many corporates in Tamil Nadu textile cluster are confident about repeating the same growth pattern in current year,” he says and adds that long prevailing problems like shortage of human resource and infrastructure bottlenecks, reduced margins due to competition from others, very low numbers of new entrants in the business and expansion of only existing companies are major concerns. “Despite all the

challenges, we are confident that early signing of FTA with EU, CECA with Australia, and CEPA with Canada, will help increase our export growth by 30 per cent and in such case, we would reach the Textiles Ministry’s target of US $ 20 billion in 2016-17,” opines A. Sakthivel, President

Furthermore, Dhamodharan adds that they are receiving more queries about the blended garments and they are not able to capitalize the fastest growing segment due to less competitiveness in man-made fibres sector and lack of effective processing facilities in this segment.

Graduating students of Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT), the Ludhiana College of Design, Management and Technology, showcased their creative talent through – ‘ANU KAMA 16’ an Annual Design Collection Show. Versatile outfits designed especially for theme-based sequences by students were portrayed by professional models. Students created mesmerizing collections following various themes. Best design collection award was won by

Sonali Narula for LAMBANI; the most creative collection awards were fetched by Vishal Kumar for “COMBATANT” and Upasana Sharma for “INCREDIBLE ENGINEER”. While the most art and skill implementation collection award went to Prabhjot Kaur for “LOKDHARA”.

‘ANU KAMA 16’, a design collection show where 2.5 years of thorough training and six months of diligent preparation were presented, had each student working on a theme to present five ensembles related

to that theme. The students were specially trained to solve problems and undertake explorations relating to latest technology, raw materials and processes to develop creative collections. The show presented a rich blend of 19 collections designed by talented and creative Fashion Graduates from Ludhiana centre. These young students came up with fabulous collections, high on style quotient, ranging from very wearable to ultra experimental ones. The students had creatively used woven’s, knits,

rib, woollen blends, silk, cotton, appliqué work, digital printing, traditional embroideries, laser cutting to enhance the creativity of their themes and collections.

Madan Mohan Mittal, Minister of Industries and Commerce, Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab; Anirudh Tewari, Chairman and Tanu Kashyap, DG, NIIFT; Ravi Bhagat, DC, Ludhiana; Inderjit Singh, Director; Mahesh Khanna, Centre In-charge, NIIFT and other dignitary appreciated the efforts of students.

NIIFT, Ludhiana organizes ‘ANU KAMA 16' show

“We are trying to create a win-win situation for exporters as owners mainly remain involved in day-to-day activities and they skip most of the time few important tasks.” – Amit Kumar Prasad, Director – Operations, Petexx India p55


Accessories By Nupur (ABN), as the name suggests, is

owned and run by Nupur (Batra), a young and educated entrepreneur which is rare in the apparel and textile manufacturing and export business; but what is even more interesting is the positive attitude, total grit and compassion with which Nupur is running the export house for the last four years. This commitment has resulted in her recently shifting to a bigger factory located in Noida (Delhi-NCR). She even got SA8000, an environmental compliance certification, so as to handle 30 buyers from matured markets like the US, Japan, Australia and Spain. And her next

target is Dubai. Quality is her aptitude and designs are in her DNA.

Experimenting with a variety of raw material, ABN exports shawls/scarves in pashmina with tie & dye, ikat weaving, cut work with crystal applications, different motifs (more European motifs) in their weaving. “Such developments are difficult to

achieve regularly but we manage by exploring remote areas for new techniques, like Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir where some of our fabric-related developments take place. It is a process of hit-and-trial but finally something does come out which motivates buyers to work with us and fetches us better price in

YOUNG AND PROFITABLE COMPANY WITH CRYSTAL CLEAR STRATEGY

ABN

> Running two stores in Hong Kong and one in Bangkok by its own brand name ‘ANANAYA’, Nupur also has the Indian retail market on her radar. Currently, her products are being sold [email protected]

> Being industry-informed and having an aptitude to design, Nupur handles design development herself, and has support from two design interns. US-based buyers accept most of her designs, while Japanese buyers do suggest some changes.

> “We do not have fear of our products getting copied; buyers know that ABN aspires to do a better job than the last; more beautifully and perfectly, that too in low price, and on time. No one can copy your passion!,” says Nupur

Bead work is strength of the company Products mainly for Japanese market

INDIA CANVAS


return,” says Nupur. Nupur knows and prefers to get the job done from particular hubs which are specialized for one particular craft and for this her education in textiles helps to explore best solutions which are unique. ABN focuses majorly on high-value business and refuses to entertain low-price, volume orders. This allows Nupur to work with lesser number of workers and concentrate on quality output for higher price points. She also connects it with the overall higher profitability which fetches her 20 to 30 per cent margin.

Nupur has achieved 40 per cent growth year-on-year in her last three years and same is expected in coming years as well, as she strongly believes that only two things – mass/very basic and luxury items will survive in the market. “In fact, luxury market has consistently seen growth even in the peak of recessionary downturns. Our increased experience of working with the world’s best luxury brands and newer markets like Dubai will help us to grow further,” she averred. Focus on quality and having an attitude to serve its buyers better, also helped Nupur to earn the confidence of the buyers to continue with her and at times agree to give better price without any fuss. “We count every bead to give perfect design, and stitch every bead to ensure quality. We even prepare cartons accordingly to the shipment size for perfect packaging,” she shares.

ABN has its own work centre in Agra, offering regular employment to almost 80 people (expert in hand work) rather than allowing the work to be done at home which she thinks helps in maintaining the production target and also the quality. Nupur, sitting at her Noida office, herself monitors the work in progress through webcam. While Agra is the main hub, the company also has an arrangement for the same in Govindpuri (Delhi) when work is urgent or critical.

A shawl for F/W ’17

INDIA CANVAS

Ganesh Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Aakash Textiles Exports, Mumbai has won the elections for the post of Vice President at FIEO (Federation of Indian Exporters Associations). He defeated Amit Goyal, MD, Sarju International Limited, Mumbai, by 16 votes, and will become the President of FIEO after 7 months (once the tenure of current President is over). As many top textile and apparel export houses had the voting rights, the contest was a closely-watched one. While Gupta got 293 votes, Amit managed to get 277 only. A total of 1,012 companies had the voting right but only 570 casted their votes.

Ganesh has earlier served as President of FIEO; Chairman – Textile Committee; Chairman SRTEPC; and was associated with many such trade bodies. It is also being said that he had support from S C Ralhan, the current President of FIEO; M Rafique Ahmed, Ex-President – FIEO; and many such dignitaries, while Amit Goyal, who is closely associated with AEPC, had support of almost 10 Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), including AEPC itself, PDEXCIL, ISEPC, CAPEXIL, Wool Industry Export Promotion Council, and EPC for EOU & SEZ. Both the candidates went digital for this contest as they were campaigning through their websites.

Talking to Apparel Online, Ganesh said, “I was confident about my win but was expecting a bigger margin,” and added, “As our overall export is falling from past 18 months, export

The month of August is going to be a busy one as there are 6 trade shows lined up in the month. The 2016 edition of Garmek will be held from August 6-8 in Ahmedabad… Garment, embroidery, finishing machinery and accessories players will take part in the show. At around the same time, Galleria Intima 2016 will also be organized on August 5-6 in the national capital of India,

fraternity was aware about selecting an experienced person who is more vocal when it comes to interacting with the Government on critical issues.”

On the hurdles being faced by apparel exporters of the country, Ganesh averred, “We have to make sure that interest of fabric exporters should not get affected in the name of apparel export or vice-versa.” He further opined that both – Indian exporters and the Government need to be more aggressive on this front. “Lot of work needs to be done…, like setting up centres in overseas markets to help increase export from the country,” he underlines.

Congratulating Ganesh on his victory, Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC said, “We were expecting that if Amit would win, garment export will be on priority, nonetheless we have same expectations from Ganesh as well.” Apparel Online also tried reaching Amit for his comments, but he was not available.

where exhibitors of fabric, accessories, machinery, software and finished products will present innovations.

On the same lines, city of Tirupur will host Knit Show 2016, organized by Knit Show Trade Exposition, from August 7-9; Surat will be the venue for the 2nd Source India Expo – a show organized by Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) – on August 13-14, with special focus on man-made fabrics.

Adding more to the long list of fairs, Bangalore will see the garment technology in all its glory at GTE, to be held from 26 to 28 August. Besides these, MEX Exhibitions is organizing yet another show Gartex, from August 27 to 29 in New Delhi.

Ganesh Kumar Gupta – New VP of FIEO

August will witness 6 trade shows

Ganesh Kumar Gupta


Apparel imports by EU in 2015 see decline in quantitiesJ a n u a r y – D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5Since Europe is a major market for India, exporters are bearing the brunt as volumes of exports in the calendar year 2015 dipped by (-) 6.03% in volumes, though the weakening of the Euro did support value increase by 10.85%. The average UVR for India was high at Euro 20.80 (per kg of fabric equivalent) for the year.

Percentage increase in UVR

16.63%

15.6318.23

20

15

10

02014 2015

Year

Ave

rage

UVR

(E

uro

per k

g of

fa

bric

equ

ival

ent)

EXPORT STATISTICS

Global Apparel Imports by the European Union during Jan. – Dec. 2015

Volume Decrease

5.27%

Value Increase

10.51%

Quantity 4.34%

Quantity 6.41%

Value10.12%

Value10.91%

Change in Knitted

Change in Woven

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

Apparel imports of the EU: selected countries

Country/Category

Jan.-Dec. 2014 Jan.-Dec. 2015 % Increase/ DecreaseQty Value Qty Value Qty Value

WORLDKnitted 2590.25 36631.55 2477.81 40339.80 -4.34 10.12Woven 2086.77 36462.02 1952.94 40438.30 -6.41 10.91Total 4677.02 73093.57 4430.75 80778.10 -5.27 10.51CHINAKnitted 1033.60 13323.20 900.87 13998.09 -12.84 5.07Woven 1001.61 15019.53 860.07 15975.83 -14.13 6.37Total 2035.21 28342.73 1760.94 29973.92 -13.48 5.76INDIAKnitted 147.03 2305.83 148.84 2570.07 1.23 11.46Woven 115.90 2329.74 98.23 2568.58 -15.25 10.25Total 262.94 4635.56 247.08 5138.65 -6.03 10.85BANGLADESHKnitted 594.83 6584.62 624.00 8053.68 4.90 22.31Woven 333.64 4450.17 352.41 5663.80 5.63 27.27Total 928.47 11034.79 976.41 13717.48 5.16 24.31

SRI LANKA

Knitted 49.85 863.67 49.05 932.61 -1.61 7.98Woven 29.64 600.01 28.74 658.71 -3.03 9.78Total 79.49 1463.68 77.79 1591.32 -2.14 8.72PAKISTANKnitted 82.07 770.34 88.61 964.01 7.97 25.14Woven 85.96 1055.40 91.27 1317.02 6.17 24.79Total 168.03 1825.74 179.89 2281.03 7.05 24.94VIETNAMKnitted 38.58 596.17 38.56 791.43 -0.05 32.75Woven 84.28 1634.35 86.21 2013.16 2.30 23.18Total 122.85 2230.52 124.77 2804.59 1.56 25.74

Qty. & Value in mn Kg & Euro

www.apparelresources.com | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | Apparel Online India 47Apparel Online India 47


APPAREL TYPETotal Imports by EU

Exports to EUIndia Bangladesh Vietnam

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Qty Actual

Value Actual

Qty % Change

Value % Change

Babies Wear -9.23 12.91 15.23 349.32 -2.96 19.03 28.45 497.26 2.85 33.39 1.14 28.15 2.12 24.26Foundation Garments -5.34 12.66 0.28 18.17 -14.48 2.60 4.39 160.65 20.70 43.80 1.33 66.93 35.35 54.33Jackets & Blazers -11.51 8.89 2.20 57.99 2.92 13.59 7.50 121.37 15.46 40.69 9.55 208.07 10.71 33.06Ladies Blouses -2.55 17.89 20.40 678.63 -1.74 13.22 13.31 300.53 25.39 45.18 4.80 106.08 -10.72 33.73Ladies Dresses -2.51 11.30 20.23 565.60 -4.51 8.49 13.65 213.87 13.43 29.31 4.01 91.35 -0.74 23.56Ladies Skirts -15.74 0.53 4.18 95.12 -20.58 -1.49 6.98 101.44 -5.84 22.92 1.52 29.43 -14.65 11.90Legwear -5.28 6.96 1.63 21.31 1.42 6.57 1.97 21.47 4.27 43.64 0.26 4.88 13.52 36.23Men's Shirts -5.52 10.44 24.84 553.74 -24.58 4.88 101.29 1564.49 3.28 22.08 10.95 275.56 2.11 21.93Nightwear -4.30 7.16 25.26 321.49 0.39 6.69 22.32 258.48 23.29 37.61 3.11 28.86 -18.74 48.50Suits/Ensembles -14.85 5.05 1.89 34.30 34.53 32.05 2.18 29.45 19.11 46.18 0.66 10.13 18.92 74.81Sweaters -8.26 7.08 12.67 238.69 -11.66 3.14 150.62 2178.33 -0.52 14.97 7.58 144.51 -2.96 19.89Trousers -1.24 13.94 37.35 641.49 -9.96 16.95 299.58 4199.38 10.04 28.69 33.20 618.76 3.84 28.69T-Shirts -5.40 7.95 48.35 835.99 -1.38 9.92 258.02 2953.95 0.47 18.20 6.41 135.02 -2.13 37.69Undergarments -6.23 11.34 9.27 161.28 9.50 19.84 17.91 321.72 14.71 37.52 1.50 47.25 -10.48 23.27

Value in mn Euro and qty. in mn kg

Item wise percentage increase in total apparel imports by EU from India, Bangladesh and Vietnam: Jan.-Dec. 2015 as against Jan.-Dec. 2014

Trousers growth category for VietnamIn 2015, exports of trousers by Vietnam registered growth of 28.69% in value, while the growth in volumes was 3.84%. The EU registered 13.94% surge in value of imports in trousers, while there was decline in volumes of (-) 1.24% during the period under review.

Jackets & blazers growth segment for Bangladesh Exporters in Bangladesh are moving towards more structured garments and this is evident with the increase in exports of jackets & blazers, which saw 15.46% growth in quantities, while value of exports increased by a whopping 40.69%.

Vietnam registers growth in exports of suits Vietnam has many good suit factories and even as other destinations suffered, the country in the year 2015 saw 18.92% growth in quantities, while the growth in value of exports was of 74.81%. Bangladesh too saw growth in the category of 46.18% in value and 19.11% in volumes.

Ladies dresses see growth in value in exports from India A leading category for India, export of ladies dresses to the EU registered growth of 8.49% in value, even as the quantities during the year declined by (-) 4.51%. The EU too registered gains in the value of imports by 11.30%, while volumes decreased by (-) 2.51%.

Babies wear registers setback in quantities for IndiaDecline of imports in the babies wear category by the EU in 2015 was (-) 9.23% in volumes while values did increase by 12.91%. During the same period, India registered gains of 19.03% in value with decline of (-) 2.96% in volumes.

Export of legwear from Bangladesh registers growth in value and volume Both India and Bangladesh saw growth in the category. While India saw value of exports increasing in the category by 6.57%, volumes were up by 1.42%. Bangladesh, however, registered tremendous growth of 43.64% in value of exports to the EU, while volumes increased by 4.27% in the legwear category.

135

246

EXPORT STATISTICS


EXPORT STATISTICS

Import of apparel by Japan shows positive growth in volumes while values decline

Japanese import of apparel is still on shaky ground as the economy continues to be slow. Major gainer to the country has been Bangladesh which is today a good sourcing destination for Uniqlo, the biggest retail format in the country.

Japan Apparel ImportsJ a n u a r y - M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Value of exports declined (-) 10.22%, as volumes were also down by (-) 4.23%. There was an increase in volumes of exports of knitted garments by 11.87%, while woven garments decreased in volumes by (-) 11.02%.

India ExportsVolume of exports in the first three months increased 33.50%, while values increased by 59.76%. Volumes in knitted and woven garments increased 40.30% and 20.34%, respectively.

Bangladesh Exports The value of exports to the Japanese market increased 1.37%, while volumes were up 7.88%. Knitted garments registered increase in volumes of 6.60%, while woven garments saw 10.37% growth.

Vietnam ExportsThe country saw a setback with decline of (-) 8.29% in value of exports, though volumes increased 2.75%. Knitted garments registered increase in volumes of 4.10%, while woven garments saw decline of (-) 1.58%.

China Exports

Ethiopia’s textile export down despite major drive for expansion Ethiopia has been touted as the growth region for apparel manufacturing in the near future and experts believe that the country will play a critical role in global garment trade, as many retailers/brands aggressively support manufacturers/exporters from other established destinations to set-up base with promises of orders. Currently, a lot of textile and apparel investments are underway in Ethiopia, mainly in Addis Ababa and Mekele. However, things are not as rosy as they are being made out, as in the past nine months Ethiopia’s textile export has shown a significant decline, generating only US $ 65 million against the set target of US $ 110 million for the period. As per the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute, income generated in the 9 months has dropped by US $ 18 million when compared to the same period last year. Presently there are 60 major textile and apparel companies operating in the country, 32 of which are foreign companies. The sector has the advantage of high quality cotton that is grown in the country, as well as duty-free access to the US through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and also the EU market under GSP arrangements. Taddese Haile, State Minister for Industry, Ethiopia said that the slip in exports was because of low performance, failure to expand market and business administrative issues of larger companies. “Low quality and quantity along with investment projects’ failing to commence production as planned, are also other reasons for the decline in performance,” he said. Tr

ade

Upda

te…

Quantity Value

4.08%3.67%

3.87%

4.80%

1.97%

4.07%54321012345

Perc

enta

ge c

hang

e

Knitted Woven Total


QnF expands in market and customer’s reach for interliningsSoon to double its capacities through its new factory

“The last one year has been very strong for us. Now

people are coming to us, they know us! We are making specialized products such as polyester and nylon interlinings,” claims Parvinder. Such is the case that the company has found a strong clientele and supporters for its products through many big export houses. This interlining has been especially tailor-made for export houses in order to retain the softness of the garments while having PA coating and being enzyme washed. What makes their products different from the competition is its quality, the main thing being the coating that makes it last longer. “The stiffness of the product is not there, it is durable and it will last for 20 washes,” adds Parvinder.

Many garment exporters and traders are showing preference to buy interlinings from QnF rather than importing it due to their approach to allow customers to experiment with their orders. Also due to ready stocks, the company can do minimum orders which are not possible in import. “To import, people used to order 7 lakh metres for a whole container, for which they had to dump in their money for 2 months and face late deliveries. Also, if the order was for 100 metres, only 95 or 96 metres would come in the shipment with a variance of 4-5 metres. This is under check with QnF. For us we are a brand and we have to maintain our image as we are not thinking for short-term, we are thinking for a longer run,” asserts Parvinder.

The company claims to provide better quality products at the right pricing coupled with a prompt after-sales service based in Delhi, which is an advantage over a lot of companies that have opened their plants in

India. Also, with ready stock, the company maintains timely delivery of products to its customers. Apart from north, the southern India is also a very good market for QnF through dedicated clients, where the company delivers a weekly order of 7-8 lakh metres. The company is also into non-woven PP Spunbond through its Panipat-based plant, for products such as bags, garments, etc. With competitive pricing in the market for fabric, the company is finding loyal customers all around India.

Such is its popularity that QnF was approached by international manufacturers to be its India arm in interlinings, reiterating its quality and reputation in the market. “They just wanted to bind us and limit us in terms of business space. Right now we don’t want to be bound, as we will lose our image. For us, initially it was a learning stage and we have learned and learned and learned! That’s why we are at this stage,” believes Parvinder. Despite not being nominated, the company is still getting orders from renowned exporters as the exporter is taking permission from buyers to use QnF products. “They are taking small quantities which are slowly increasing.

With dedicated customer base, the company is looking towards 2016 with a positive growth outlook despite the market conditions not being favourable as compared to earlier. “The property prices are increasing, sentiments are down, the Government scenario and erratic dollar rates are clinging in the market. But for us it is good as being manufacturers!” tells Parvinder. Currently, the company has two factories in Noida and Panipat, but within the next 8 months the company is going to expand by opening its 3rd factory, that too in Noida, which will double its production capacities. Apart from this, going forward the company will focus on nominations to expand its further hold in the market. “We are happy with what’s happening. Everyone knows me for interlinings and 2016 is going to be good for us,” concludes Parvinder.

Though Quality non-woven Fabrics (QnF) was started a year back, nonetheless it has managed to make its presence felt through quality interlinings that are at par with any import quality ones. The company in the past year has made its mark in the nylon and polyester interlinings which are exclusively being manufactured for renowned export houses by the company, said Parvinder Singh from QnF, sharing the company’s progress so far and the growth areas, in conversation with Apparel Online.



RESOURCE CENTRE

Parvinder Singh


Resil Chemicals, an innovation-driven chemical

and performance materials manufacturer, has recently won the prestigious National Award for successfully commercializing an indigenous technology, N9 Pure Silver™, from the Technology Development Board (Department of Science and Technology). The award was handed over by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee to Resil Chemicals Joint Managing Director M S Vijayan at New Delhi. The award includes a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh and a trophy.

N9 Pure Silver™, which has been featured on BBC’s flagship programme on science and technology, BBC Horizons, is a particulate silver-based technology, whose antibacterial

Resil Chemicals bags National Award for commercialization of N9 Pure Silver™

American & Efird (A&E) – world’s second-largest

manufacturer and distributor of premium quality industrial and consumer sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles – recently unveiled a mobile app named ‘Colorlink’, with a focus on thread colour.

Available for both Android and Apple phones and tablets, Colorlink is created to serve as an end-to-end tool to connect designers and production managers in thread colour selection process.

Opportunity to easily specify thread colour and manage ideas on the-go, create personal

and hygiene finish is used on fabrics or garments, which on contact, neutralizes the odour-causing bacteria, keeping textiles fresher for a longer period. This globally patented technology consists of pure metallic silver in

ultra-pure de-ionised water. While, the level of actual silver loading in each gram of the product is in fact very low, the configuration of an individual N9 Pure Silver™ particle makes the product highly effective at neutralising bacteria

and other microbes, and provides an enhanced odour control mechanism.

The technology has several benefits, apart from being an odour controller. It is a stable product and easy to apply, with no fear of causing any damage to the fabric or skin of the user. It also provides long-lasting freshness even after over 30 washes, can be used with multiple fabric types, i.e. cotton, synthetics and blends, its non-leaching chemistry ensures it remains intact on the treated textile with minimal loss of silver into the environment or onto the skin. Other company representatives present at the ceremony included company’s MD MS Mohan and ED (Innovation) Ganesh Srinivasan.

A&E announces Mobile App and thread colour identification tool

“Thread colour selection is a foundational element of garment design and production, but too often this decision is left to the end of the process,” stated Chris Alt, Senior Vice President – Sales, A&E, adding, “Our goal for Colorlink is to give designers and manufacturers an easy-to-use, go-to thread colour collaboration tool that not only provides colour inspiration, but also streamlines access to our expansive global colour platform and Colorlink palette.”

thread colour collections, locate complementary thread colours, place selected colours on sample stitches and fabric types, ability to organize and share project and thread colour details with colleagues and supply chain, request physical thread colour samples for confirmation, besides offering the opportunity to connect with A&E global representatives, are the features offered by Colorlink.

In addition, Colorlink also supports a companion device called COLORCATCH NANO, an advanced hand-held colour tool to identify colours on a variety of smooth, structured or patterned surfaces with touch of a button.

Available on

RESOURCE CENTRE

The award was handed over by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee to Resil Chemicals Joint Managing Director M S Vijayan at New Delhi


METALLIC MULTI COLOUR FOILSHANGERS / PACKAGING ACCESSORIES

LABELS / TAGS / BARCODES

ELASTICS / TAPESHANGERS / SIZERINGS

www.nileshimpexindia.com

Nilesh Impex India (P) Ltd.

8/88, Laxmi Nager, 50 Feet Road, Tirupur - 641 602, Tamil Nadu, INDIAContact Person: R. Vijay Yadav - 94433 4238, Phone: 0421-4336765, 4336364

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

(Manufacturers of Plastic Seal Tags)

Tagging the BEST

From the basic to the inspirational...

We make it all...Manufacturers of : Plastic Hangers, Metal Hangers, Sizerings, Household Articles

H.K. ACCESSORIES PVT. LTD.Plot No. 2040, MIE Part-B, Bahadurgarh-124507 Haryana, Ph.: 01276-268640, Mob.: +91-9811168018, +91-9416211810 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.hkaccessories.com

From the basic to the inspirational...

WE MAKE IT ALL...Manufacturers of : Plastic Hangers, Metal Hangers, Sizerings, Household Articles

H.K. Accessories Pvt. Ltd. Plot No. 2040, MIE Part-B, Bahadurgarh-124507 Haryana, Ph.: 01276-268640, Mob.: +91-9811168018, +91-9416211810 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

HK

FANCY EMBROIDERY LACES

RESOURCE CENTRE


KNITTING / WEAVING YARNBUTTONS / BUCKLES

THREADS / YARN EMBROIDERY FABRIC / LACES

EMBROIDERY FABRIC / LACES LABELS / TAGS / BARCODES

RESOURCE CENTRE

54 Apparel Online India | JUNE 1-15, 2016 | www.apparelresources.com54 A

ppar

el O

nlin

e In

dia


EYES & EARS

Expo India is looking for vendors of UV-protected product

Expo India, Mumbai – a buying agency specially dealing in

home furnishing items, is looking for suppliers that have expertise in UV-protected products. The company has enquiries for the same from South America-based buyers. Mitesh Shah, Partner of the buying house informed, “We have enquiries of such products from retailers as well as departmental stores, so order’s size will not be too big but sufficiently reasonable. Vendors across India are welcome to contact us with their offerings.” He further added that the demand is not for a particular product and it can be anything in home textiles. Expo India works mainly with European buyers and has six regular buyers. Mitesh, a CA by education, is hopeful that the European market will improve soon.

Petexx India, a Tirupur-based buying house is moving in

multi-directions to come out of the slump. Completing 1½ decades of its establishment, the company having main market in Europe, is now trying to enter the US and few more countries of Europe. Poland is on the top of its priority list, informs Amit Kumar Prasad, Director – Operations of the company. “We have increased our participation at international sourcing events to get new buyers. Till now Germany is our main market where we are working primarily with brands. Along with that now the US and Poland is our major concern and I am hopeful that very soon our first ever shipment to Poland will be finalized as things are under discussion. Poland has a strong economy and there is great

potential for us,” shared Amit. He further added that in Tirupur he is giving services to the exporters to help them improve operations in various departments. The company is expecting 15 per cent growth in the current fiscal. “We are trying to create a win-win situation for exporters as owners mainly remain involved in day-to-day activities and they skip most of the time few important tasks," he concludes.

exploring new markets and supporting exportersPETEXX INDIA

“We are creating a win-win situation for exporters. Our expert team suggests and implements improvements where they are lacking. For us it is another way to add revenue.”

Textile manufacturers india

Business

Transcript of Textile manufacturers india