Appparel Online India 16-31 May'17 by Apparel Resources

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK… Too much is happening at one time for the garment exporters today… Europe continues to be cautious in its buying, the US is giving out mixed signals, the rupee is getting stronger, GST is around the corner and no one really understands the full implication… For the exporter, there are too many variables to handle in one go; so what will the association do…, start giving list of demands to keep the industry competitive! Of late, we have seen practically every association sending letters to the ministry with a number of requests that they think are essential for the industry… Whether the association is of a national level or regional level, all have charted out their demands list… When I go through these demands, the first thing that hits me is the fact that they are too long… By the time I reach the end of the list, it seems as if the association has penned down every conceivable demand, unwittingly losing focus on the critical demands. Some years ago, the Textile Minister in office had said that the textile industry is always standing with a ‘beggar’s bowl’ asking for some incentive or the other without looking how to be competitive from within… At that time, the industry leaders were highly offended by the statement and many even agreed that we first needed to get our own house in order. But, it seems that no lessons have been learnt after so many years, and the associations are again bombarding the ministry with long demands… How do you think the industry will take the demands seriously if they are just a bunch of standard ‘requirements’ that have been presented time and again over the years? Would it not make much more sense to present a small but critical list of issues that need immediate attention? I feel all industry leaders, whether they are part of the associations or not, should sit together and define the five critical things that really matter to stay competitive. Of course each state/region has its own specific issues, and taking away the importance of those would not be fair. But at the national level looking at what is good for the Indian export industry from a global perspective is what is needed. We cannot afford to confuse the ministry with demands, but present a clear road map on how the industry can grow, provided some key issues/ incentives are addressed. Our current Textile Minister is on the verge of completing a year with the portfolio and now she cannot have the excuse of not knowing the industry. So it is the right time to get our act together…; the industry may not see such a dynamic minister again in a long time to come. We all need to debate and counter debate on what could be the game changers for the industry… Everyone around the world sees so much potential in the Indian garment industry, but we tend to overlook the power and integrate the strengths that we have, cribbing more about what we do not have. Let us all resolve to take India to its rightful position in the global picture by coming together and making our genuine needs matter!

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR-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

ASST. EDITOR - FASHION

Anjori Grover Vasesi

SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION

Kalita Lamba

SR. EXECUTIVE-ADVERTISING

D KChugh

CREATIVETEAM

Raj Kumar Chahal Peeush Jauhari Satyapal Bisht

PHOTO EDITOR

Himanshu Kumar

OPERATION DIRECTOR

Mayank Mohindra

PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Renu Mohindra

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MIND TREE

Q-and-A With rising summer temperature across the country, fire accidents are also increasing. An apparel factory is also a sensitive place from this point of view… Is your factory ‘fully safe’ and geared up to avoid any such situations? Are you organizing enough ‘awareness’ and ‘training initiatives’ with your staff/workers to create a safe working environment? Would you like to share any special measures to be taken to overcome such mishaps…?

J.S. Malik, General Manager (HR), Orient Fashion Exports, New Delhi We are now well-equipped with all sorts of basic and advanced devices for fire prevention, such as all types of fire extinguishers, fire hose boxes, fire hose reel drums, fire hydrant valves, fire hose coupling and branch pipes, fire hose reel shut off nozzles, sand bucket, etc. Besides, we have also hired a fire fighting agency to organize and train mock drill sessions regularly for our staff.

Ashok Ahuja, Compliance Manager, Fashion Maker International, Noida Yes, we have all the essentials, like modern fire safety devices in our units, no matter small or big. We also organize mock drill sessions internally every two months or so. Sanjay Mishra, Manager, HR and I take care of this entire process.

Satish Chand, President, Spring Overseas, New Delhi Yes, obviously, safety is our primary concern and we

seriously take care of all our workers and staff. Our manufacturing units are well prepared for any emergency situation. We believe in preventive steps and so we ensure that we have all systems in place in this regard. We are specially careful about the electrical system and never leave any open wire to avoid situation of short circuits. We also arrange mock drills in our factory on a regular basis to train our team and make them more active physically and mentally.

Ramesh Khatri, Owner, Khatritex, Jaipur We have all the required devices and also a tie-up with a local firefighting agency for regular mock drill sessions in every three months. The location of our factory is closer to the fire brigade office as the distance is approximately 2 km. So in any case of emergency, we can call them and get aid as soon as possible.

R. Alfred Danish Kumar, Head – Operations, Century Apparels, Kaniyampoondi (Tirupur) In our work place, we have 11 fire extinguishers. Our staff is fully trained and in every one

month, we organize firefighting sessions for the third-party only. Our factory is situated in the industrial complex which gives us the advantage of having a huge water gallon that can be used in case of emergency. Apart from this, the fire brigade office is quite close to our unit. We always make sure that we take all

staff in the next few months. We guide our workers to be attentive while working in the factory. Short circuits are the most common reason for such fire breakout. Therefore, one should not leave any switch or machinery on while leaving the room.

the needed steps to deflect such issues.

B.K. Kabra, Director, Kabra Exports, New Delhi

Nitanshu Jiani, Factory Manager, Afflatus International, New Delhi

We have all the safety devices in our unit and we are very serious about monthly mock drill sessions to make our staffs capable to face such situations. If you ask me for a suggestion, then I would like to say that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and so you need to be attentive in your work place. Never should any loopholes be left which can cause such fire emergency. Always train your staff so that they can protect themselves without any support.

We have a special fire officer in our factory who has huge experience and expertise in handling these sort of situations, and we possess the essential fire equipments to prevent and alert us as per the position of the fire. Our company also conducts firefighting sessions and mock drills. We tend to organize such programmes quite often with our staff. In every two months, a firefighting agency arranges such process.

Anupam Bhatnagar, Director, Sundram Hastkala, Ghaziabad Our manufacturing unit is fully equipped with fire safety devices and we are planning to have training sessions for our

Ramesh Verma, Director, Diamond Exports, Panipat We are well equipped with fire safety devices and we have compliance from Government for the same. Apart from the prevention methods, our workers are trained and aware about

handling any such situation calmly without creating any panic. The training sessions are organized by us as well as from the third-party on a regular basis.

Kafeel Ansari, Manager, Textico, Badohi (UP) With a well armoured factory, we have fire prevention systems which reduce heat, flame and smoke

NEXT MINDTREE

produced by fire. Along with this, we are well equipped with modern day electrical systems, no loose wires in factory, safety signs and emergency exits. Our staff is fully trained and believe in the saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. So they always make sure of every safety measure. In every two months, we conduct firefighting sessions with the help of experts of the concerned department.

Pawan Arya, VP- Operations, Orient Craft, Noida It is indeed a very serious issue and the good thing is that every stake holder is concerned about it. We are very much active on this front. Recently we participated in a knowledgeable seminar organized with one of our prestigious buyers. In fact, some new inputs were also

given by the buyer in this seminar. On a technical level, one of the most important things is to keep the distribution panels clean always as lint may be there. We are using thermal camera to know about the heat of these distribution panels. To be safer, we avoid multiple looping as single looping is the best. Another important point is to check earthing of every electronic equipment on a weekly basis.

QUESTION

Industry associations/bodies always have a long list of demands to present to the Government, be it State or Central Government, and most of the time they are disappointed. Will it not be better to present few select, urgent and specific demands only which will have wider impact than presenting plenty of small and big demands that get lost? What are your views…, please share with AO…

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WORLD WRAP

Lingerie market gears up for momentous changes Niche brands challenging the dominance of lingerie giants

Growing at a steady rate over the past few years, the dependency of lingerie for functional as well as fashion purposes has propelled its growth further resulting in the global lingerie market being valued at US $ 33.18 billion in 2015, which is expected to be worth US $ 55.83 billion by the end of 2024. The global market is estimated to rise at a CAGR of 6.4 per cent during the forecast period – 2016 to 2024, according to Transparency Market Research. With this growth, the lingerie market is seeing an overflow of niche brands, and Amazon is definitely not behind. The brand is preparing to launch its own private label, as the industry witnesses a major overhaul in the lingerie market, challenging leading international lingerie brands such as Victoria’s Secret.

n the basis of product types, the global lingerie market is segmented into bra, knickers and panties, loungewear, shapewear and others. Various research and reports indicate that the bra segment holds the biggest share in the global market due to its indispensable usage, while the knickers and panties segment too is expected to make a significant contribution to the overall market as these are considered essential itemsas well. As per market research company Just Style, the world lingerie retail market is now valued at US $ 28.75 billion, while Europe accounts for US $ 11.67 billion of the total figure, and North America for US $ 7.93 billion. Together they have a combined share of 66.3 per cent of the world’s total. The ‘Global Market Review of Lingerie – Forecasts to 2022’ also estimates that the world bra market for 2016 is worth US $ 16.42 billion, as bras account for 55.5 per cent of the world lingerie market. In unit terms, bra sales account for 1596 million units per year. While the world briefs’ market

is estimated to be at US $ 9.90 billion, representing 33.5 per cent of the total lingerie market, in unit terms, briefs sales constitute 5,260 million units per year. This notable progress is propelling niche lingerie brands to grow asagainst the existing giants such as Victoria’s Secret, making room in the market for other small players. One such brand is Aerie, the American Eagle Outfitter’s lingerie and activewear brand, which has been performing strongly for the past several quarters despite weakmall traffic and a soft macro-environment. The company’s game-changing campaign was in 2014, when the lingerie brand decided to feature only un-airbrushed models in its ads, which truly worked for the company! Its sales increased immensely thereafter (20 per cent growth in 2015), and is currently showing no signs of slowingdown. As an extension to its #AerieReal campaign, the company in April revealed its #AerieMan campaign. This marks its pledge to forego retouching even male models in their

COMPREHENSIVE RANGE IN ACCESSORIES

underwear and swimwear products, beginning Holiday 2016 (23 per cent growth in 2016). With growing internet penetration, a consistent customer shift from store to online shoppingand the increased usage of smartphones and tablets, the company is led to shrink its store count and focus more on e-commerce channel. Meanwhile, the market major Victoria’s Secret, which still dominates the lingerie segment, worth at least US$ 1 billion in US alone, is struggling to gain momentum. The retailer sales is seeing a slump, decreasing at 13 per cent in March, year-over-year, as the company continues to feel the impactof discontinuing its non-athletic apparel and swimwear ranges in 2016. Experts believe that while many retailers are catering to the millennials, Victoria’s Secret being one of them, millennials are against logos, which Victoria’s Secret resonates with. Also, Victoria’s Secret product images on the website are not a representation of an average woman, resulting in millennials opting for other lingerie brands. The brand has also received flak for its ‘Perfect Body’ campaign, whose impact was so negative that the retailer had to pull out the campaign. This gap in the market and a curiosity to tap the potential of millennials has provided room for niche brands to grow in the lingerie segment such as Lively, Naja, Negative Underwear and Third Love who are promoting their products by providing an inclusive, female-centric identity that’s more about the wearer and less about who might be looking at her. Also, these brands are offering a wider collection of nude shades, hoping to serve various ethnicities and aiming to undercut

competitors on pricing through direct to consumer distribution.While mass market brands such as Aerie and Madewell which had launched intimates in February are doing well, Phillips Van Heusen acquired True &Co., a vertically integrated online brand that’s known for its fit, which launched in March. Morerecently, Amazon’s announcement of entering the market with a private label brand, with its own line called Iris &Lilly, is creating a storm in the market. It has been already launched in the UK with limited assortment of sizes andcolours. With its widespread reach of supplier network, Amazon can negotiate for the lowest prices, which is rightfully evident as the company’s cost of abra is as low as US $ 8 in comparison to Targets US $ 15 and Victoria’s Secret average of US $40. In fact, online stores are continuing to dominate the global lingerie market, offering convenience, varieties and a wide range of offers, discounts and coupons to its consumers. Thegrowing penetration of internet, mobileinternet specifically among the millennials, is expected tofurther drive the e-commerce segment. With the help of accurate size charts and description, lingerie can be purchased through online shopping with an easy option of exchange or return. Hence, industry experts believe that all these factors enable the creation of a broad product range which suits every budget and lures a bigger consumer base in the global lingerie market. New entrants to the market offering products at low cost and the convenience of online shopping, are seen booming in the ongoing lingerie market, which was earlier dominated just by major players.

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American retailers welcome comprehensive tax reform NRF, the world’s largest retail trade association, has welcomed the proposal on comprehensive tax reform released by US President Donald Trump. American retailers were content with the decision of the much-needed comprehensive tax reform. “What matters most is that we enact pro-growth tax policy for both individuals and businesses. This puts money back in the pockets of hard working Americans, helping to grow businesses and industries in the communities where consumers live and work,” briefed Matthew Shay, President and CEO, NRF. US has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and retailers pay the highest effective tax rate compared to any industry, at or close to the

maximum 35 per cent. Lowering the rate for businesses would significantly improve American companies’ ability to compete in a global marketplace and will drive more investment to the United States.

NRF is optimistic that when tax reform crosses the finish line, it won’t include a border adjustment tax or any other scheme that shifts the financial burden to consumers. “Taxing imports would not only raise prices for consumers, it

would ultimately cost Americans their jobs and shut American businesses. We look forward to continued conversations with the administration and Congress to make pro-growth tax reform a reality,” added Shay.

VF's first quarter revenue tumbles VF Corporation has reported financial results for its first quarter which ended April 1, 2017. “The company’s largest brands and international and direct-toconsumer platforms performed well, delivering solid results

against a retail backdrop that continues to experience significant dislocation,” stated Steve Rendle, President and Chief Executive Officer. The company’s diversified value-creation model and focus on becoming a more agile and

consumer-centric organization positions it to accelerating growth through 2017 and executes against the recently announced 2021 strategic growth plan. During the first quarter, revenue from continuing operations decreased 2 per cent to US $ 2.6 billion (down 1 per cent currency neutral), while gross margin from continuing operations improved 150 basis points (up 190 basis points currency neutral) to 50.2 per cent. Its outdoor and action sports revenue increased 2 per cent (up 4 per cent currency neutral); The North Face brand revenue increased 6 per cent (up 8 per cent currency neutral); and Vans brand revenue increased 5 per cent (up 7 per cent currency neutral).

The company’s net loss from discontinued operations was US $ 5.5 million in the first quarter of 2017, which includes the estimated loss on the sale of the Licensing Business, net of the associated tax impact triggered by the disposition, and the after-tax operating results of the Licensing Business during the quarter, including restructuring and other charges related to the decision to discontinue the business. International revenue increased 2 per cent (up 5 per cent currency neutral), including 5 per cent growth (10 per cent currency neutral) in China while direct-toconsumer revenue increased by 6 per cent (up 7 per cent currency neutral) with digital revenue up 25 per cent (up 26 per cent currency neutral).

SUSTAINABILITY

FASHION TRANSPARENCY INDEX (FTI) 2017

BRANDSNEEDTO IMPROVEALOT… R

eviewing and ranking 100 of the biggest global fashion/apparel brands and retailers, Fashion Transparency Index 2017 by Fashion Revolution, UK is based on how much information the brands disclose about their suppliers, supply chain policies, practices and social and environmental impacts. Not a single brand scored above 50% in the overall result while only 8 brands scored higher than 40% (see list of final result on next page). Commentingon the index, Dr. Mark Anner, Director, Center for Global Workers’ Rights, Penn State University says, “The Index is an eloquent reminder of how much work remains to be done in the industry.” Fashion Revolution is a worldwide movement which wants to radically change the way fashion is made, sourced and consumed. Some of the observations in this index are really eye-openers as it says that 18 brands do not disclose a policy on freedom of association and the right to organize; 14 brands do not disclose a policy on health and safety; and 13 brands do not disclose a policy on child labour in the facilities where their apparels are made. Less than half of the brands disclose a policy on textile waste and just 33% of brands publish a policy on water use at the manufacturing level. The index further suggests that brands need not only be transparent about their policies and procedures but should also put more focus on the actual outcomes of their efforts to manage and improve human rights and environmental impact.

Ratings methodology was used to benchmark brands’ disclosure across five key areas, especially those who were having a total of 250 possible points. It included policy and commitments (50), governance (12), traceability (85), know, show and fix (75) and spotlight issues (28) covering the business model, living wages, unions and collective bargaining. Interestingly, it was awarded points only for information that had been publicly disclosed. An extensive questionnaire was prepared for brands/ retailers. Brands were chosen on the basis of their voluntary request to be included and also on the basis of the annual turnover of over US $ 1.2 billion representing a variety of sectors including high street, luxury, sportswear, accessories, footwear and denim from across Europe, North America, South America and Asia. 48% of brands completed and returned the questionnaire while 52% did not respond.

Sections of FTI and standing of brands/stores sourcing from India Policy and Commitments Average score in this segment was 49% which is maximum in all 5 categories. Marks & Spencer, Adidas,Reebok, H&Mwere on the top with a score of 91-100% while Zara, CalvinKlein, Tommy Hilfiger, each scored 86%.Esprit, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, C&A scored 71 to 80%. Walmart, Primark, Target, Macy’s and Tesco scored61-70%. The North Face 55, Next and TJ Maxx scored between 51-60%. JCPenney and Ralph Lauren fell in the score range between 31 to 40%, while Monsoon and Anthropologie remained in between 21-30%. “By and large, brands are disclosing the most about their policies and commitments on social and environmental issues,” it stated.

“The 2017research will serve as a baseline by which we can measure brand's increased transparency year-on-year.” – Sarah Ditty, Head of Policy, Fashion Revolution

Famous brands, ‘zero’ in Governance

“36 of the 100 brands do not publish an email address or phone number sothat people can contact the sustainability or CSR team directly.” – FTI

Though average score in this segment was 34%, zero was the score in governance for top brands like Amazon, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Lacoste , Macy’s, Mexx, Primark, Ralph Lauren, s.Oliver, Triumph, Victoria’s Secret. Interestingly M&S scored 100%. Adidas and Reebok were able to fetch 92% in the same segment.

Brands tend to update their supplier lists annually but Target says it updates its list quarterly and ASOS says it will do so every two months.

60% brands are ‘zero’ in Traceability Compared to all the parameters, 8% was the minimum average score in

INTERESTING FIGURES

brands report about their community engagement activities at home or in sourcing countries.

brands disclose a whistleblowing procedure for employees.

brands publish a materiality assessment for high risk supply chain issues.

brands disclose how many of their factories have Corrective Action Plans in place while addressing problem solving.

brands disclose incentives tied to improvements in human rights and environmental performance for staff beyond sustainability team.

traceability, and 44% was the maximum score achieved by Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy. Even H&Mgot only 29% while M&S remained at 22%. Zara, C&A, Pull&Bear scored 12%. There are 44 brands which scored between 0 and 20%; while some brands got only 1% in the same score range. “Good thing is that 32 brands are publishing suppliers lists (which covers at least tier 1) but none of the brands are publishing suppliers list of raw materials,” it elaborated.

Need to work on Know, Show & Fix With an average score of 16% in this parameter, none of the top brands could score even 40%. Nearly 37 brands scored only 11-20% in this segment while 31 were in the range of 0-10%. Adidas, Reebok, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Puma and C&A were on the top with scores between 31 to 40%. This aspect focused mainly on the decision-making process for taking on new suppliers and how frequently assessments can be conducted.

Spotlight With 9% average score, issues in Spotlight were selected to align with Fashion Revolution’s 2017 theme: Money, Fashion, Power. It shared that overall brands were disclosing little about their efforts to pay living wages or to support collective bargaining and unionization. Only 8 brands scored above 31% and no brand scored above 50%. M&S and New Look topped this segment with 50% while H&Mscored 46%. While five brands Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Zara and Puma scored 32%, C&A, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Gucci, Primark and Target scored 18% in this category.

‘Poor Fellow’ Abercrombie &Fitch did not score well in most of the parameters like in traceability, it was in the bracket of 0-10%, in policy and commitments, it scored 12%, in Know, Show & Fix, its score was 17% and in governance, its score was 33%.

THE FINAL SCORES OF FASHION TRANSPARENCY INDEX 2017 Score s (in %)

Brands

Adidas, Reebok

M&S, H&M

Puma, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy

Esprit

Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Zara, Converse, Jordan, Nike

Levi Strauss & Co

C&A

ASOS Target

Tesco

Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger

Bottega Veneta, Gucci, YSL

Gildan Activewear, Hugo Boss

Uniqlo, Lululemon

Topshop

The North Face, Timberland, Wrangler, Burberry, Primark

George at Asda

Hermès, Walmart

COACH, Hudson’s Bay, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, New Look

Next, Asics Corporation, Champion, Hanes

Benetton Russell Athletic, New Balance

LOFT, Macy’s, TJ Maxx

Zalando, Lands End

Jack & Jones, Columbia Sportswear, Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Renner

JCPenney Kohl’s, Mango, Costco

Guess

J.Crew, Victoria’s Secret, Under Armour

Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Dillard’s

Ralph Lauren, Amazon, Calzedonia, Triumph

Michael Kors, Monsoon, Giorgio Armani, Pernambucanas, Ross Stores, Burlington, Miu Miu, Prada

Aéropostale, Chico’s, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters

Mexx, Neiman Marcus

Ermenegildo Zegna, Lacoste

Express

Claire’s Accessories, Forever 21, LL Bean

Chanel, Matalan

Dior, Heilan Home, s.Oliver

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Euratex lauds EC's sustainable garment value chain paper The non-profit trade organization Euratex has appreciated the European Commission’s (EC) working document on ‘sustainable garment value chain’ through EU development action and the efforts of the European parliament for global sustainable garment value chain. The document outlines the European Union’s response for more sustainable textile and clothing value chain within development policy and further looks forward to support the achievement of concrete results. The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted a new report on the EU flagship initiative on the garment sector calling the EC to take action

across all aspects of sustainability– social, environmental and financial – while stressing on human-rights issues. This voting marks the conclusion of a long research for which the MEPs had invested efforts to know about the complexity of the global garment value chain and to investigate options to boost fair and responsible business practices globally. Going forward, Euratex believes that efforts shall focus on building upon the achievements of successful voluntary initiatives and refraining from creations of new mandatory due diligence ruling. It has also stressed on the need to seize the momentum

for institutions, industry and society to work on building upon the achievement from successful voluntary initiatives; refraining from creating new mandatory ruling; considering diversity along

the value chain, especially the features of the European industry and its SMEs; and facilitating transparency and information for the consumers, to ultimately help people choose sustainableproducts.

Yoox & Parsons School partnership promotes responsible fashion Recently, Yoox and the Parsons School of Design have announced a partnership, which will focus on Yooxygen, Yoox’s socially and environmentally responsible destination, to promote sustainable fashion practices through education and collaborations. The partnership emphasizes on Yoox’s growing commitment to encourage responsible choices in fashion. By collaborating with a leading educational institution that shares similar values, the partnership with Parsons will allow Yoox to strengthen and develop the Yooxygen area, which debuted online on Earth Day in 2009. This collaboration also establishes the Yooxygen Award, to be presented to a graduating BFA

Fashion Design student of Parsons School of Design during its 69th Annual Benefit on 22 May 2017. The award will consist of a six-month internship at the YOOX Headquarters in Milan, beginning in July 2017, and the creation of a sustainable Spring/

Summer womenswear collection under the graduate’s signature. “In 2009, when Yooxygen debuted online, we were amongst the first to acknowledge the importance of responsible choices in fashion. Today, we take a step further: Our partnership with Parsons combines our commitment towards education and our desire to encourage sustainable fashion choices. We are convinced that the next generations of talents will drive a more sustainable fashion agenda and we feel it is our responsibility to empower them,” states Federico Marchetti, Founder of Yoox and CEO of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group. This partnership encourages Parsons BFA Fashion Design students to consider fashion designing as a pedestrian who addresses urgent and current

societal problems, which include climate change and sustainability. The partnership with Yoox will be an important first step for the winning student in expanding the efforts of the fashion community to engage with sustainable design, creating meaningful change. An additional six-month internship will be awarded to a second student at Yoox’s offices in New York beginning September 2017. “We are excited to collaborate with Yoox on this important partnership for our students. Sustainability education is vital for our students, and Parsons is committed to training designers who are prepared to address urgent issues in the fashion industry,” informs Burak Cakmak, Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design.

Hanes partners with ‘Give Back Box' To celebrate Earth Day, America’s No.1 apparel brand, Hanes has recently announced its partnership with ‘Give Back Box’ to encourage consumers to ‘Give Back for Good’ by reducing waste, giving their old clothes new life and helping those in need. Hanes will donate a package of innerwear to the Salvation Army for every package its consumers ship via Give Back Box. An online service, Give Back Box coordinates the shipping of gently used outerwear and shoe donations, along with other household items, to local charities across the United States. The service encourages consumers to fill boxes from online purchases or any shippable box, with unwanted items, print a pre-paid label on the Give Back Box site and send to those in need. “We’re very proud to begin our partnership with Hanes. Knowing that the brand can be found in more than 80 per

cent of United States households help Give Back Box reach even more people in our ongoing effort to positively impact both the environment and charities,”

informs Monika Wiela, Founder and CEO, Give Back Box. Through this initiative, the consumers who make a donation will receive 20 per cent online

discount by Hanes which is supporting the Give Back for Good campaign through a robust influencer marketing and social media programme. All content generated by the brand and bloggers include the hashtag #UnderwearOnUs to drive awareness on Give Back Box and Hanes pledges to contribute to the cause by donating up to 1,000 packages of underwear. “We’re proud of our culture of environmental and social responsibility established at Hanes during the past decade. We believe in being good stewards of the environment we share and the communities in which we operate. This partnership with Give Back Box helps us to do both while promoting the importance of recycling and taking care of those who need it the most,” shares Sidney Falken, Hanes’ Chief Branding Officer.

Finch makes eco-swimwear from PET yarn Launched in 2014 with a vision to make luxury resortwear sustainable, Finch Swimwear has since then used resources wisely with reduced waste, exclusively by using recycled PET yarn by Repreve. In order to develop a swimwear range that is built to last and doesn’t fade away in chlorinated pools or salty oceans, the company has invested in years of research and development. Besides using eco-friendly material, Finch uses elastics that do not lose shape. “Our signature prints define us, set us apart, build our brand identity, keep our customers engaged, and are consistent with our mission of timeless, sustainable fashion. We

repeat our prints season after season, in a variety of products to maintain continuity, and the customer never has to worry about wearing something last season,” reveals Itee Soni, who

co-founded Finch along with Heather Kaye. Seeing the waste getting generated first-hand was the main motivation behind making the brand eco-friendly. Talking about

the challenges that the designers faced while creating their ecofriendly brand, Itee states, “One challenge unique to eco brands is that in China, the conversation is just getting started in the apparel sector. Shoppers don’t see the textile waste piling into landfill, or the rivers in faraway provinces turning the colour of the fashion season, but they are starting to read about it. The second challenge is not unique to being eco, but rather to raise the financial capital to scale any small business. As designers, we have had a steep learning curve since our founding, and gaining access to capital is absolutely essential to growth.”

KIDSWEAR KICKOFF HAVE YOUR SAY

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Products from Wear Well India

Products from Colorlines Clothing India

KIDSWEAR, THE ‘BIG BOY’ OF EXPORTS BUSINESS IS COMPLICATED, BUT WITH AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES IT IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENTS WITHIN FASHION WITH TECHNAVIO’S PREDICTION OF GROWTH AT A CAGR OF MORE THAN 8 PER CENT BY 2020.

IF YOU ARE GEARED UP, KIDSWEAR EXPORTS OFFERAMPLE OPPORTUNITIES Kidswear, an evergreen product category, is one of the most focused segment for many Indian exporters. Compared to all other clothing items, it is not only the least impacted in harsh market conditions, but it also has better business opportunities further. Apart from all major brands, retailers and wholesalers of US and EU, there is a large scale move to source kidswear products from markets such as Russia, Brazil, South Africa and Middle East. Indian exporters who are leading this segment or/are dedicated players of the same are fully geared up, while small and medium players areequally enthusiastic for infinite growth because of their target customers. But there are some exporters too who are doing this business just as a routine or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the requisite planning to enhance their efforts in this category. Apparel Online explored the various aspects and developments of kidswear export in India.

Leaders are leading and will continue to lead… There are few/selected top exporters in India doing kidswear purely and enjoying a good growth over the years. They are moving on very fast with their strategic plans to maintain this growth momentum ahead. It is not just adequate demand from their clients (who are top retailers or leading brands of the world) that is helping them to grow but also the continuously improving performance of these exporters on all fronts is equally contributing to their success. Completing 25 years of its establishment, Kitex Garment Ltd. (KGL), Kochi has a capacity of more than 2,70,000 units of infantwear per day and it works with clients like Carter’s, Gerber, Mothercare, Jockey and Toys“R”Us, etc. In the

last fiscal 2015-16, KGL had a total income of US $ 87 million (Rs. 566 crore) compared to US $ 81 million (Rs. 525 crore) of the previous fiscal. Growing by leaps and bounds, the company is increasing its footprints in multiple directions whether be it the launch of its own brand in US or the licensing business and so on. Its CMD, Sabu M. Jacob states, “We are in the process of increasing our manufacturing capacity and have plans to invest about US $ 1.53 million (Rs.10 crore) during this year to upgrade our manufacturing and information technology. Our aim is to become the number one infant apparel manufacturer in the world.” Dedicated to kidswear and export only, and working with prestigious brands like Zara, M&S, Next, Sainsbury’s, Debenhams etc., US $ 25 million (Rs. 163 crore) turnover company Wear Well India, Delhi, is witnessing growth in this segment from more than one decade and moving with a planned 50,000 square feet factory in Noida and a target growth of 30 per cent this year to reach a land mark figure of US $ 100 million (Rs. 652 crore) in the next four years. “Kidswear is a necessity not a product fashion or trend as parents have to buy new clothing for their kids. So kidswear is the least affected category during down sentiments too. But I would insist that it depends on company to company. How much can a factory perform in this category is very challenging and overall things are getting tough day by day,” shared Bharat Sahni, Director of the company. The organization is using most advanced processes for production planning; its designers as well as the technical team are both doing frequent overseas travel to follow the latest development to mention a few. The company is doing large variety in girlswear; believes in pick and choose as far as buyers are concerned and

prefers to work with the buyers who are consistently performing well rather to work with everyone. More than 25 years old, Colorlines Clothing India, Bangalore isanother such company dedicated to kidswear and it focuses especially on baby and toddler garments. With a capacity of half million pieces per month, the company is working with many major brands. Its growth year-on-year in both volume and value has been well over 30 per cent. The interesting aspect of its growth chart is that it is getting larger and larger volumes of business from emerging markets such as Africa and South America. Ayesha Katrak, ED & Head of Creative of the company informs, “The kidswear segment has both psychological and logical benefits that allow for its survival even when the rest of the apparel industry is suffering. The reason is that children grow periodically and there is a real need for new clothes which go beyond fashion. In addition, the kidswear segment tends to be the least affected in the apparel category since parents will generally spend more on their children rather than spending on themselves when the budgets are tight.” As far as current trends are concerned, she has noticed increase in mixed fabric garments such as twofer knit woven dresses and sets with knit and woven components.

Competitors too are now focusing on value addition Kidswear trends can be divided into fashion and basics. Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia have already cornered India’s share of basic kidswear but the concern now is their growing footprint in value addition too. Indian exporters are well aware that these competitors are following India’s steps in terms of product development and value

KIDSWEAR IS A NECESSITY NOT A PRODUCT FASHION OR TRENDAS PARENTS HAVE TO BUY NEW CLOTHING FOR THEIR KIDS. SO KIDSWEAR IS THE LEAST AFFECTED CATEGORY DURING DOWN SENTIMENTS TOO. Bharat Sahni, Director, WearWell India, Delhi

addition techniques. So the only solution to keep ahead is continuous improvement on all fronts. “The only thing where India still and will have edge is the fabric availability; so we need to be a step ahead of them in all possible ways and along with that timely delivery is something which can be a powerful weapon for India,” avers Bharat. Interestingly KPR Mills, Coimbatore doing purely basics kidswear doesn’t see much competition from any of the competitor countries. Doing total export of US $ 154 million (Rs. 1,000 crore) per annum, the company exports kidswear of US $ 46 million (Rs. 300 crore) per year to brands like M&S, George, C&A, Kmart, Decathlon and Carrefour. Dhanabalan S, VP, Marketing, Merchandising and Operations of the company says, “We offer sharp price to our clients and do have strength of vertical setup, huge capacity, high productivity and timely delivery, so it is not that challenging for us in comparison to Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia.” It works normally in order sizes of 50,000 to 1,00,000 apparels per style in this segment. Overall experts feel that the basic category does have some competition from Bangladesh, but Indian exporters’ have a strong control as well as a long history in the kidswear sector which preserves its piece of the sourcing pie chart. Ayesha claims, “Bangladesh specializes in high volume, high efficiency garments at very sharp price points. Thereby, any orders that fit into that category will be competing within the same sourcing matrix. I view Bangladesh as more of a challenge for the men’s and ladies basic garments. Counter measures to ensure that kidswear stays and grows in India, is an investment into design, safety and fitting technology that will allow for “first-time-right” high fashion garments with fast speed to the market.”

Safety aspects and technical details are must for exporters working in this category In Wear Well India, safety measures are given the foremost importance so much so that even staplers are banned in its factories and glue or thread are instead used for the same. Anything coming to the factory has to go through the metal detector at the entry gate. Finishing area of the factories is now in the metal zone. These are few examples through which the leaders in kidswear manufacturing are strongly following the rules of kidswear manufacturing. “Yes, rules are very stringent in this regard and we follow them completely. Safety is the top concern for the entire supply chain involved in kidswear manufacturing. Apart from such things, kidswear being smaller in size doesn’t have even measurement tolerance of one cm also. Therefore, one has to be very much precise in stitching,” reasons Bharat. Not only the technicalities, but coordination between technical and fashion elements also are a big challenge in value-added kidswear. Ayesha shares her experience on this, “Due to our heavy design input, often the buyers allow us the leeway of presenting our own technical specifications for garments designed by us for their collections. Wefind

Sabu M. Jacob, CMD, Kitex Garment Ltd. (KGL), Kochi

Top testing/norms in kidswear • Cords and drawstrings on children’s clothing – drawstring regulation must comply as per ASTM F1816 on children upper outerwear if used. • Formaldehyde content. • All RSLtests. • Small parts: to check potential choking hazards – applicable for kidswear up to age group of 3years. • Sharp edge and sharp point: To check potential hazards due to sharp trims used in a garment – applicable up to age group of 8years. • Lead in surface coating: Applicable on scrapable surface coatings on fabrics or trims/prints etc. – applicable up to age group of 12 years, requirement: 90 ppm. • Lead in substrate: Applicable on trims hardware/ prints etc. – applicable up to age group of 12 years, requirement: 100 ppm. • Wearing apparel flammability: Must pass as per 16CFR 1610 if not exempted by fabric weight/fibre composition criteria. This is for both children and adults. On children sleepwear, specific flammability test is applicable and must comply. This is the most stringent requirement to meet. • Phthalate is applicable on childcare article on plastisol print/soft plastic trims, up to age group of 3 years.

Recent Norm • SVHC – Frequent updating of substances.

Rajesh Kumar Bajoria, Proprietor, Stitch Line Apparels, Kolkata

Global online kids apparel market ‘surging’ business in kidswear, have reduced their focus in this particular segment or don’t have any extra thrust or want to enhance it further. And they all have different reasons for this. KPR Mills doesn’t want to increase its share in kidswear. Explaining the reason, Dhanabalan briefs, “We are doing basics in kidswear, so it is hard to increase turnover as well as profit compared to men’s or womenswear while kidswear manufacturing takes same time, effort or even more compared to other garments.”

Kidswear has become one of the fastest growing segments within fashion with Technavio’s prediction of growth at a CAGR of more than 8 per cent by 2020. Kids apparel market is highly competitive due to the presence of numerous online players and competition is even expected to intensify during the forecast period. In geographical segmentation, US, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) are competitive markets. Among them, the APAC will be the highest revenue contributor and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 10% by 2020. China and India are expected to be the major markets for online retail of kids’ apparel in terms of volume. Global vendors such as H&M, Burberry, Zara, Disney and Dolce&Gabbana offer children’s apparel to increase their presence in emerging economies where they get the advantage of high population of children. Disney online store allows customers to even personalize its range of children’s clothing. Online distribution channels are expanding gradually across the globe. Numerous retailers such as Mothercare, Walmart, GAP, Benetton, Disney etc. have registered growth in sales through their shopping websites apart from famous e-commerce players such as Alibaba and Amazon. The retail sector in China, India and Brazil is also undergoing speedy transition with the rise of organized retail. Some popular department stores selling kidswear are Macy’s in the US, Shoppers Stop in India and F&F in Korea.

Dhanabalan S, VP – Marketing, Merchandising and Operations, KPR Mills,Coimbatore

that the most difficult norm to adhere to is the balance between safety and fashion. Customers are constantly looking for the next new trend and often the interpretation of ‘mini me’ womenswear into kidswear can pose a challenge with regard to safety. It is prudent to understand in kidswear that fashion can never cross the safety line regardless of how ‘on trend’ it is.” In fact, these complications are one of the main reasons that this product category doesn’t have more players at this level as they prefer to do womenswear which is comparatively easy. Exporters working with top brands accept that this is an advantage for them and makes them niche within this product category.

Different view – Reasonable share but not much focus Some big players having share of nearly 30 to 40 per cent of their total

“I will rate Indian exporters as 6/10 on the key parameters of kidswear. To prepare them further, our lab will educate the vendors through periodical technical seminars, discussion about failure analysis of submissions, defect analysis etc.” –Manish Kumar, Global Executive Vice President, GeoChem

Earlier Strange Exports, Noida was doing 60 per cent of kidswear in its total production which has reduced in the last few years and now it is only 30 to 40 per cent. Not too much enthusiastic about the demand of kidswear, Anil Bountra, MD of the company shares, “We have work experience with Benetton, for last few years, they are focused more on teenage girlswear and our product development has got an edge on the same. This is one of the main reasons why kidswear share has reduced in our total production.” Almost threedecades old, Strange Exports is working with many top brands and it has capacity to produce more than two million garments per year.

Players entering and geared up for growth Apart from compliance certified top exporters working with popular brands, another segment of small or merchant exporters is also growing in this market. They do have same kind of bright future, huge growth opportunities along with all the existing and upcoming challenges. For example, Kolkata’s Stitch Line Apparels, a merchant exporter, just entered into kidswear export a year ago and had a business of just US $ 1,200 in the last fiscal, but currently it has orders of US $ 50,000. Rajesh Kumar Bajoria, Proprietor of the company claims, “We are expecting to

RACHEL RILEY, UK, IS ALSO EYEING GLOBAL EXPANSION AND IT HAS APPOINTED GLOBAL RETAILING, LONDON AS IT LOOKS TO GROW ITS GLOBAL BUSINESS THROUGH LICENSING AND WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION.

have orders of at least US $ 0.5 million this year.” The reason behind this strong hope is their wholesale buyers based in US, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Rajesh is ready with his future plans too and states, “Once we add 4 more buyers, we will start our own sampling unit as we wish to focus on product development.”

Is Kolkata emerging as a hub? Kolkata is one of the few Indian garmenting hubs which is witnessing more players in kidswear export as Rajesh confirms that three persons/ companies like him entered into kidswear export recently. How easy or difficult it is for newcomers when already there are enough established players in this product category? “I had experience of Indian ethnic and traditional wear and that too of domestic market. But since many companies as well as job-workers in Kolkata are doing kidswear, I have met them, discussed things and with the participation in IIGF, I have started this export business. For me this is very simple, rather than being any rocket science. Currently, I am moving with the crowd but with time, we will eventually develop our expertise also,” avers Rajesh, further adding that domestic kidswear is overall more challenging as compared to exports which might be one of the reasons that new players are coming to export. “In domestic market, there are endless players, so there is much more competition. Though competition is cut-throat in export, we are surviving on duty draw back,” he added. Many exporters of Jaipur who were purely into womenswear, also added some portion of kidswear in last few years. And the city will soon emerge as a kidswear hub in the next few years. Rajiv Agarwal, Director, RK Textiles, Jaipur,doing 50 per cent of kidswear of his total production shared, “Reasonably

ESSENTIALS • The value retailer Tofs, UK (formerly known as The Original Factory Shop) is expanding its fashion offer with the launch of kidswear range, ‘Hullabaloo’. The company traditionally selling homewares and general merchandise, has begun introducing the children’s clothing range at its 200 stores. • Luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and Marc Jacobs, are making a foray into children’s wear while Givenchy has just announced that it will be joining their ranks with a mini-me collection.

growing demand of this product category is like a support for us and it will take at least 2-3 years for Jaipur to be strong in kidswear also.” Zakir Hussain, Director, Cotfab (India) doing 15 per cent of kidswear also shares similar opinion.

100 per cent EOU or Domestic too India has seen large scale investments into private kidswear labels from already existing men’s and women’s apparel brands, which speaks of the needs of the consumers. As the Indian market opens up to newer brands, there will definitely be more demand for kidswear due to exposure. As many Indian exporters have dedicated some of their lines to domestic production too, in kidswear category, there are differences of opinion on this issue. Wear Well India too tried domestic once but didn’t continue as order size of organized retailers are from 700 to 1,000 pieces per style while the company prefers to work in order sizes of 5,000 to 6,000 pieces per style. “As Indian retailers will have more numbers of stores in future, their order size will naturally increase. In such a case, we will work with them but not as of now just because of order size,” says Bharat. ‘Baboosh’, a leading children’s wear retailer, is spearheaded by Colorlines Clothing India. It entered the domestic market about 3 years ago and currently operates 10 stores in south India with a target of 30 stores by the end of this fiscal. “We are a comfort/safety-driven, price-sensitive, high-fashion brand ranging from 0-10 years. All our products are proudly made in India and designed around the Indian consumer mindset. This, coupled with our 25-year history of manufacturing children’s wear of the highest standard for the best brands in the world, gives us the fashion and technological expertise needed to ensure and look forward to an

exceptionally aggressive growth in the kidswear sector,” concludes Ayesha.

Current trends call for a GLOCAL approach “It is important to preserve that skillsets as well as modernizing it by including the same specialities in audited factory. settings. Current trends call for a “GLOCAL” (global/ local) merger of cultures that amalgamate all artistic techniques the world over into simple easy-to-wear pieces. There is a lot of texturized cotton and poly blend fabrics with add on embroideries, pom-poms, sequins, tassels etc. which are very much part of the Indian fabric wheelhouse. This trend is also coupled with “Athleisure” which looks for sporty fabrics and trims in comfortable shapes. This trend is very jersey-and sweatbased with fabrics available both in Tirupur and Ludhiana. The width of the Indian fabric matrix today has provided many options further than merely importing China fabrics.” – Ayesha Katrak, ExecutiveDirector & Head ofCreative.

What testing experts say…? “Vendors must produce products in such a way that it complies with the law. Buyers can’t give any waiver for any regulatory failures. Nowadays, buyers are nominating trim suppliers for their products and all the trims are sourced from one source that ensures consistency in quality. SGS plays a vital role by educating vendors on new regulatory requirements and buyer-specific protocols – cause, effect and prevention. We are constantly developing the latest testing standards capability in our labs so that exporters can avail the services locally, and needn’t send to any overseas labs.” – Monika Sharma, Business Director, Consumer and Retail, SGS India.

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Aditya Birla Group launches Liva Crème Liva Crème, the new age fabric from the Aditya Birla Group, was launched recently by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group. Embedded in it is the core promise of Liva, Liva Crème fabric – a new variant of Liva fabric – which offers consumers a luxurious soft feel which is fluid and natural. “I recount that when we set out on this journey, our vision was to create value for the entire value chain of viscose-based fabrics. I am so pleased to say that the ecosystem of our LAPF partners has resulted in also placing India on the global map. We are now a preferred sourcing destination of viscose-based products. This is truly in the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ initiative of our Prime Minister,” stated Kumar Mangalam Birla. He also added, “One of the finest examples of customer centricity within the group has been our VSF business. From being just productfocused, the business has moved superbly to “providing solutions” to customers by working seamlessly

Designers like Nikhil Thampi,Shivanand Naresh have created collections for top brands and retailers by using Liva Crème fabric

within the value chain. LIVA’s endto-end ecosystem of a high-quality product, continuous innovation, the LAPF network and aspiration created by communication and brand engagement is a great case study in consumer focus.” He complimented the LAPF partners who he said have embellished the product with their experience and expertise. The event was launched amidst a lot of fanfare and glitterati with Bollywood actress and Liva Crème brand ambassador

Kangana Ranaut walking the ramp. The fashion show had modelled exclusive Spring/Summer ’17 collections of Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Shoppers Stop, Biba and Pantaloons made in Liva Crème fabric.

a research conducted in Mumbai and Delhi. The proposition of luxurious softness has been crafted on the basis of their feedback”, said Dilip Gaur, Business Director – Pulp &Fibre of thecompany.

“It is always our endeavour to offer something new to our customers. Liva Crème fabric has all the attributes of Liva fabric while offering the added benefit of luxurious soft feel. The fabric has found tremendous response from women consumers, as per

Some renowned fashion designers have worked together to design Liva Crème collection. Grasim Industries Limited achieved a major milestone marking the advent of a new era of Birla Cellulose with the launch of new age fabric brand – Liva in 2015.

Fire engulfs yarn factory in Ludhiana At least three people were killed and one injured when a fire broke out in a yarn factory in Ludhiana, Punjab. The incident took place around 12.30 a.m. reportedly due to a technical problem in a machine but was soon taken under control. It took several hours to douse the flame. Around 20 people were in the factory at the time of the incident. Fire fighters had a tough time evacuating people trapped inside the building. “Since 4 days, there was a technical problem

in the machine on which they make cotton from raw material for manufacturing yarn. They had asked the owner, Sunil Jain, to get it repaired,” informed a factory worker. He added that the motor of the machine was running even after it was switched off and the owner had assured that a mechanic would come the very next day to get it repaired. But due to short-circuit, the machine caught fire, which wrapped the entire building.

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Mercury Fabrics honoured by Aditya Birla Group Mercury Fabrics, a respected name in Delhi-NCR for quality knitted fabric production, was recently honoured by Aditya Birla Group with ‘Excellence Award 2017’ for the maximum consumption of (LIVA) viscose in knitted fabric. The manufacturer is one of the channel partners of LIVA, a new generation Birla Cellulose fibre by Grasim Industries Limited. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group presented the award to Rahul Sachdeva, the young Director of Mercury Fabrics. Content on getting the recognition, Rahul informed Apparel Online, “It’s a proud moment for us and

it to deliver unmatched quality and high-value products.

we are very happy with this achievement. It recognizes our efforts to produce quality knitted fabric innovatively.” He further added that meeting Kumar Mangalam as a person was indeed a motivational experience altogether. Mercury Fabrics is a key supplier to many leading fashion brands of the world, including H&M, C&A, M&S, etc. It’s fully furbished R&D lab, accredited and approved by leading international fashion labels together with the best of technology from around the world like Italy, Japan, Germany and Korea, and teamed up with lean manufacturing processes, enables

Talking about the current market scenario, Tajinder Sachdeva, Managing Director of Mercury Fabrics said that viscose is in good demand and will dominate in future. “We are geared up to cater to the need of Indian textile industry with lot of product developments taking place in our organization,” he stated.

Rahul Sachdeva, Director, Mercury Fabrics receiving award from Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya BirlaGroup

Rahul and his brother Pranav Sachdeva are quite optimistic about having got the privilege to carry forward the legacy of knitted fabric production which was initiated by their father Tajinder Sachdeva.

Textiles Minister visits Apparel Park in Tirupur Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani recently paid a visit to Netaji Apparel Park (NAP), New Tirupur and observed activities in one of the exporting units there. Thereafter, she participated in a meeting with select exporters and office bearers of Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA).

“After hearing the DNA of growth of Tirupur, the Minister was appreciative and said ‘Yesterday’s labour in Tirupur is today’s owner’ is the mantra and catch line, and it should be popularized everywhere in the country which would attract many people from various places to

In another event in Delhi, a two-day national workshop on ‘Promotion of Unique Textiles and Handicrafts GI and Post-GI Initiatives’ was organized under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles. The Geographical Indication (GI) tag helps not only weavers and artisans, but also the consumers. The Minister also launched a helpline for handicraft artisans; the helpline number is 1800-2084-800.

come, work and set up their own units,” said TEA President Raja MShanmugham in a statement issued by the association. When the investment made by Tirupur entrepreneurs on production of power through wind mill and solar energy and Zero Liquid Discharge initiative was mentioned to Irani, she lauded the efforts and said that she would ask the Environmental Ministry to set up an award to honour the sustainable clusters which are keen about the protection of the environment and production of green energy. Shanmugham further said the Minister hailed the development of Tirupur and expected that other clusters like Kanpur should also evolve like this city. She also advised for the visit of a delegation from Tirupur exporters to Kanpur to help them follow the similar practices prevailing in Tirupur.

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Merchant Export

A S U C C E S S F U L B U S I N E S S M O D E L FOR IDY LLIC CRE ATION S

Indian home furnishing segment is continuously growing despite various challenges, and accordingly some players are changing their existing strategies, whether small or big, to survive in this cut-throat competition. If required, they also modify their business model according to the market needs. Apparel Online met with one such dynamic person, D. Asirvatham, who entered into this business in 1996 with his company Expectation (a full-fledged manufacturing setup) which eventually closed in due course of time but he again made a comeback in 2009 with another organization named Idyllic Creations, a merchant export company which deals in home furnishing range.

sirvatham briefed us about the earlier days when he used to have his own production unit and managed most of the business on his own. At that point of time, he faced two major problems because of which he decided to step back from his own manufacturing unit. He shared, “Running a manufacturing unit is not an easy task and also not the most cost-effective way, until or unless you are making same designs and patterns in a bulk quantity, which restricts your creativity in a certain way.” He therefore stated that outsourcing is more advantageous as it provides people the liberty to extend the product variations in their range. The business head admitted that outsourcing also has its own set of challenges such as keeping a check on the quality, timely delivery, increased cost and better coordination. However, he believes that unlike manufacturing,

The company, offering wide range of home products, is going to add storage bags in its product basket and will focus more in the Australian market.

D. Asirvatham, Director, Idyllic Creations, Delhi

these hurdles are manageable and he is able to successfully conduct his business further in this domain. Discussing about the way his business functions, he elaborates, “In outsourcing we don’t have any capacity limit unlike our own manufacturing. We source our floor covering products from Badohi, some items from Panipat, Karur, and Delhi. We also have our strong team who works closely with them to check the quality and ensures phase-wise completion of the work. We are a socially audited company and always fulfil our social responsibilities; besides we prefer to work with certified manufacturers. Across India, we have decent places from where we source good quality and quantity in a comely price”. As far as costing is concerned, no matter what, it increases a little but its expertise in costing does help a lot. “We work with

those kinds of buyers who don’t argue much on costing as we are already giving them the best price,” he added. With over 30 years’ experience, Asirvatham is well aware about the designs, colours and market demands. He highlighted some of the basic differences between the market and their choices. “If I talk about Europe, it is more mature, more design-oriented and quite an elegant market in terms of colour choices, unlike the US market which tends to select something unusual in colours and they prefer more of shaggy products, heavy embroidery cushions/pillows,” reasons Asirvatham. Catering majorly to the US with 40 per cent of exports, the company is now looking to grab more opportunities in unfluctuating market like Australia. “We are doing Australia a little bit, and have some small orders in

Buying houses’ take on merchant exporters

Value-added products of the company mainly for the European and the US clients

our basket, and want to take on the possibilities furthermore, because as far as we can see, the Australian market is a stable one, in terms of volumes as well as prices,” underlined Asirvatham. He is also in talk with Aldi, one of the major brands in Australia, “Our samples are already with them, so the process is still going on,” he revealed. Apart from these markets, the company is also taking care of France, Holland, Germany, Norway, Austria, Brazil, New Zealand, Sweden and Scandinavian markets. With a turnover of Rs. 9 crore, Asirvatham feels Delhi is the best suited place to work for someone like him. On the question of how he maintains the cost-effectiveness as overall costings/ overheads in Delhi is much more compared to any other nearby hub, he answers, “Yes, Delhi is costly, but the types of benefits which we get here like enough electricity, better connectivity, easy availability of all kinds of materials and services is a big benefit. Being in the national capital, we can do sourcing from anywhere, which overshadows the other disadvantages. For making our products more competitive in the market, we do our costing quite minutely, before finalizing the price, which helps

us survive in the industry. At the end of the day, the customer will go for good quality and better services and on-time delivery, where we have an upper hand.” Discussing about the current scenario of home furnishing market, Asirvatham said, “As now market is totally buyers’ driven, pressure is more. We have to participate in more and more exhibitions with our product samples. There are very less chances to book any order in the exhibition while earlier we used to go with our invoice books and write down the orders.” The company is now participating in 4-5 sourcing events in a year in India as well as abroad. There are 24 clients in the niche client list of Idyllic Creations who are basically retailers and importers. The head of this organization believes in maintaining long-term relations with his customers, and communication is a key for that. His team always remains connected with the clients and responds promptly to their queries apart from taking care to send them new designs at regular intervals.

Alinez Buying House, Delhi is working with the buyers of Germany, Italy, Hungary, Macedonia, Armenia, USA, Australia, Cuba, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Yemen, and South Africa. I J Purthy, MD of the company states, “If we talk about their product quality, it is fine. I didn’t face any such significant issue till now because they make pressure on manufacturers to produce quality products, but what is really problematic for us is delayed shipments. They are not particular about delivery timings.”

Majestic Global Services, Ghaziabad also has client base in Australia and Germany. Jaspal Dehal, Director of the company shares, “Yes, when one works with merchandising exporters, quality is an issue because to ensure quality, our quality control department sends a person to the manufacturing units to check the quality, although they don’t want to share these details with us. Most of the time, they don’t deliver on time.”

DIRECTIONSBY

Through the eyes of a child Kidswear Trends Fall/Winter 2017-18 The kidswear market accounts for 12 per cent of the apparel sector but, in the last five years, its growth has outperformed both men’s and womenswear markets. This segment continues to experience a dynamic growth becoming the fastest growing category in apparel and footwear. It has been observed that little girls have a tendency to partake a larger and more varied wardrobe than their male counterparts making girls’ clothing the largest segment within the kidswear market. While taking an overall assessment into consideration, the following segments also demonstrate a strong potential across the childrenswear market which are gender neutral in character: • Sportswear/Athleisure • Licensed characters apparel (such as Barbie, Dora the Explorer, etc.) • Ethical/Eco-friendly labels for children • Product ties-ins to film, television and other digital media • Infantwear

Besides the basics, the luxury end of the boom ing kidswear market continues to see an upward spiral, amplified by older parents in Western markets who enjoy a higher level of disposable income due to being placed further along the career ladders. This has led to frequent purchases linked to aspirational consumption and birthed “m ini m e ” collections that imitate parentchild dressing. A massive group of designers, including Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Gucci, Fendi and Roksanda are already pioneers of this trend. After analyzing the recently concluded runways presentations and kidswear trade shows, including Pitti Bimbo and Playtime – where designers based in the US, Spain, Italy and the UK among other countries, showcased collections for the upcoming Fall/W inter 2017-18, we have charted out the key trends across product categories that will define the childrenswear segment.

BacktoBasics Practical and everyday basics which emphasize on warmth and comfort fashionably interpreted through lush and super soft fabrics and neat fits, were seen replacing flamboyant detailing such as the clichĂŠd frills, sparkly embellishments and tutu shapes for girls. For boys, functional puffer jackets are gradually replacing bomber jackets(which are majorly losing importance among teens). Inner linings under jackets and trousers for the kids aim for a cleaner aesthetic combined with added heat for the colder months.

RoseTinted While romanticism inspired designs are not necessarily groundbreakingly innovative and inventive in the kidswear segment any more, designers have found a way to turn the trend around to sit well with present day sensibilities. Less cutesy and more powerful, ruffles were seen flouncing along elegantly over simple silhouettes as details such as frills, filigree ruffles and boldly kitsch varieties of the same.

Ath-Kids Despite characteristics of comfort and practicality being the governing prerequisites of kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clothing, sportswear and athleisure inspired looks remain a particularly important part of the product mix under this sector. Soccer team jerseys and knit bottoms in drop crotch and harem silhouettes are a favourite in casual wear for little boys. Sports branding, using popular brand logos and names are seen as a common occurrence across product categories for both boys and girls.

PowerPuff Claiming much of the fashion spotlight last year, the iconic bomber jacket is slowly being replaced by its bigger, quilted counterparts which were all over the RTW runways for the coming season. So it comes as no surprise that they feature at Pitti Bimbo and Playtime, too. Padded warm feather jackets lined with contrasting inner prints and playful detailing provide equal parts warmth and style for our little fashionistas.

GenderBender The so-called ‘Colour Codes’ are taking on an entirely fresh meaning for the Fall/Winer season for both boys and girls. The industry is progressively abandoning the concept of associating candy pink with girls and blue with boys. Evolved palettes like teal, mint green, coral, ocher, aquamarine, mustard and natural tones like beige, taupe, green and various shades of gray are the major contenders for the approaching season in the kidswear segment. Enchanting reds and pumpkin oranges add the fantastical edge and animation to the collections.

WonderLust Floor-length metallic dresses combined with shimmery velvet blousons, photographic print rendered over dresses and surrealistic imagery lent an air of fantasism to the juniorcollections. From spaceships and astronauts appearing over dresses and patchworks of cosmic elements like stars over jackets, to bright silver outerwear for new-borns up to teenagers – designers conjured up heavy doses of mysticism in glitter, pastel, appliqué, printed and 3D renditions on clothing as well as accessories, including shoes.

MixDisco Fashion sans drama is plain dreary, and what spells drama better than copious amounts of prints,patterns and textures? This season, designers creatively juxtaposed proportions, materials, textures, colours and prints with varied placements of two or more of these amalgamated onto asingle piece of garment. Bright and contrasting colours are grounded by muted tones while materials and fabrics such as faux fur, feathers, neoprene and vinyl leave ample room for texture playin the coming season.

FurryFriends In keeping with the RTW trends again, designers and labels are experimenting with the luxe version of the fauxfur in the kidswear category this season. Crafting playful and quirky versionsby introducing multi-coloured patches, colour blocked details combined with shimmering materials over faux shearling and fur is bringing out the celebratory essence of winter in keeping with the latest techniques and applications running within the industry.

StreetChic Again, reflective of the Fall/Winter 2017 styles witnessed in the Menswear and Womenswear week, the urban look combined with a gangster element of street style saw hooded jackets, puffer coats adorned with opulent details that lent a power punch to the winter dreariness, come out to play. An introduction of pink for the boys overturns gender stereotypes, while for the girls, flirty tulle combined with rock elements which are harnessed through details such as leather, knits, and edgy patterns validate the trend. The camouflage print pattern is an important trend theme for the teens which was depicted in an abstracted and playful form in a myriad of colours.

MiniMe With the shift of parents’ consumption habits towards more frequent purchases and the rise of social media awareness, the desire for their children to be “on-trend” has dramatically increased. This has given rise to ‘Mini Me’ collections where children’s clothing imitates adult clothing. Up till now, the fashion scene was barraged with ‘mom and daughter’ combinations but this season, the attention has considerably shifted to ‘like father, like son’ renditions. Kids’ versions of sportswear jackets, graphic tees and coats imitating adult collections are a popular trend for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2017-18season.

NostalgicNotes Homage was paid aplenty to the classic retro look, which was individually interpreted by designers by prioritizing of well-crafted, timeless basics. This was brought about by merging winter essentials such as the tweed blazer with patterned wool leggings, seventiescentric psychedelic prints balanced alongside subtler coordinates, and berets in wool and velvet. The implementation of menswear inspired suiting material and details were central to many collections, and were translated through heritage checks with patterns such as the argyle, tartan, squared – woven or printed.

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Wellness Luxury’s Latest Destination

Value Addition for Fall/Winter 2017-18 Beginning from the early nineties to our current wardrobe, athleisure has essentially ridden on the magic carpet of fashion trends and with a few proclaiming its nearing end, we beg to disagree. When Neil Barrett collaborated with Puma on a fashionable sportswear line in 2003, the wall between functional/practical clothing and highend fashion was completely broken down. This was also the same year that Yohji Yamamoto launched a new label Y-3 with Adidas that paved way for similar collaborations which continue to sell like hot cakes; to name a few, there is Rihanna’s Fenty Puma, Alexander Wang for H&M or Beyoncé for Topshop.

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Each XOther

t is fair to ascertain that athleisure is not fading, it is merely on the threshold of an evolution that is emblematical of the loftier shift in global cultural trends. As health, fitness and personal well-being take centre stage in the modern shopper’s lifestyle, the new tone of luxury can be easily summed up as: “feeling good is the new looking good”. The trend that is a mixing bowl of style, sport and urban streetwear will burgeon into a very opulent and extraordinarily functional orientation this year. As the new generation’s interests deviate towards the message of self-love, and body positive activism becomes more omnipresent than ever, it becomes clear that athleisure is no longer a fashion trend but an overall cultural shift to a more comfortable way of living. Heavily driven by the millennials and their busy-bee work ethic, the new era of athleisure is a strange hybridization of business formals meets performance driven sportswear that transitions from office to evening seamlessly. An evident proof of this change is the return of suiting in a very relaxed and comfortable avatar this season for both women and menswear, which is indicative of the blurring boundaries between lounge dressing and workwear. From track pants and sport jackets to denims getting a stretch friendly upgrade, athletic wear’s foray into luxury offers some largely unisex and culture-bending trends for Fall/Winter 2017-18!

1 SPORT-CORE

Stella Mccartney Adidas

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An early 1990s revival is ripening up and references to the normcore sporty casuals of the era are popping up everywhere. The costumes seen on American sitcom Seinfeld that ran throughout this decade are really the core of this trend. A sense of dressing down with a relaxed aesthetic will resurrect the period’s centre-placed sportswear logos, old-school raw denims and of course the oversized pullover sweaters. The trend is going

As health, fitness and personal well-being take centre stage in the modern shopper’s lifestyle, the new status symbol of luxury can be easily summed up in the phrase: ‘Feeling good is the new looking good’. According to Euromonitor’s most recent research on the global apparel and footwear industry, performance sportswear is leading the market’s growth with a value of US $ 78 billion in 2016 and growing at the rate of 7 per cent for the 3rd year in a row.

very strong on the global street style scene and retailers like FILA, Tommy Hilfiger and Esprit are all jumping up on the opportunity to relaunch their iconic collections.

2 PERFORMANCE FIRST Comfort and utility are the key drivers of athleisure’s global appeal and these factors are only going to go up if the trend wants to survive the tough retail atmosphere. Customers want clothes that fit seamlessly into their fast-paced lifestyle and enhance their overall experience. To achieve this transitional function in garments, performance fabrics with qualities like quick drying, odour resistance, moisture wicking and just more durability on low maintenance materials will go strong this year. A less formal atmosphere also means that people will look at lighter and softer materials that can be crossworn in multiple settings.

3 PSYCHOTROPICS The athleisure collections may have stayed majorly in the solid colour category but as the demands for more variety comes into play, designers are looking at high contrast florals and tropical prints to save the day. Flora and fauna prints in a sharp-tasting and bright multi-colour palette as well as the inflow of softer shades of neon placed on dark backgrounds will be the perfect rendition of this psychedelics fumed floral trend. Especially seen on reworked sports bras, crop tops as well as on bottom wear, the ocean-loving tropical print will get bigger than ever.

4 BEATING BLUES From icy cobalt to deep navy, the blue army is getting explored in all its pigments, all the way from almost black to practically white shades. Call it the denim daze or a hint of Nautica dropped into winter’s cold lap but it is quite easy to see this duo of two neutrals as the perfect dollop of easy sophistication for this season.

wear option when teamed with the sleek sport jacket. From neutral colours to crisp fabrics, thehumble tracksuit will be the trend to beat this season.

6 YOGIC LOGIC

JeremyScott

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Blue and black may be connotative to something violent but this colour trend in fashion garments is nowhere close to that pin code. The effortless regalia of this pairing is tranquil and supremely flooded in elegance.

5 LUXE ON TRACK The infamous tracksuit gained superstardom in the ’90s with Paris Hilton as its principal ambassador but the style has come a long way from its velour pink avatar. The new track suit is constructed in lavish fabrics and does not just have sportswear details as an ironic add on but an actual value addition to its functionality. Designers have understood the allure and comfort of track pants and redefined to make it a work appropriate bottom

Athletic apparel forms a second skin and is normally void of too many details but the style has infiltrated the spheres of widely loved yoga circles and dancers’ wardrobes. This means that athleisure needs to be as fashionable as it is utilitarian so details like lace-up leggings and cutout crop tops are going to be massive hits. Relaxed and comfortable does not have to equate to lacklustre anymore as stirrup pants, leggings with invisible pockets and chic crop tops will replace the classic gym combo of plain tights and boring sports bras.

INDUSTRY INSPECTS “Athleisure is playing a big role in fashion at large this season and it is only going to get stronger. A lot of heavy knitwear with super stretch qualities for comfortable fits is looking good. The bend however is very much on technical fabrics – there is a lot of polyester and nylon combined with at least 10 per cent of lycra and all the fabrics have added finishes for utility. Finishes like bacteria resistance, odour resistance, you name it! In terms of colours, I am observing mostly basic colours with hints of dark pinks and plenty of reflective transfers and taping as a fun detailing. An interesting trend is that the fabrics, even though of very high performance, are very fine and light weight this season.”

7 STREET COVER

Anand Jain, Sarbi Apparels

This season the outerwear options have really gotten more innovative not just in terms of material but also in their overall silhouettes. While some designers tried to make deconstructed a normal thing, most followed the wagon to the comfortable sartorial land of oversized outerwear. The inspiration here seems to be directly uprooted from the street style mafias of South-East Asia like the anorak style bombers, reworked puffer jackets and retro gilets. There are some direct renditions of sportswear pieces also in place such as ski jackets and cable knit sweaters.

“I firmly believe that performance fabrics are overwriting on every other trend in sportswear. The big mantra is high performance materials with qualities like odour resistance, moisture wicking, bacteria resistance and even UV resistance for outerwear. The idea is to combine these with eclectic prints like florals, tribal motifs to create the perfect co-ordinates. Yoga apparel is also having a significant surge at the moment and yoga pants are slowly replacing jeans as your go to bottom wear.”

8 WHITE-WASHED Given that white is not really a colour; it definitely looks fabulous for one that is casted out from the colour family itself. Designers have embraced the serenely polished appeal of head-to-toe white looks and athletic apparel has never looked quite as chic as it does inthis shade’s simplistic mishmash. However, the impact of this trend is in the notion of going all-out in monochrome to create the perfect statement worthy outfit. From alabaster to cappuccino creams, the very many shades of our humble white was a show stopping look on every runway.

Tushar Sharma, Toska Labs “There is a definitive bend towards relaxed and comfortable clothing this season in ready-to-wear garments. Soft and easy-going fabrics like velvet, velour and washed denims are key to achieving this look. Transitional outerwear like light trench coats and basic colours like khaki, black and blue are very prominent. And I would say that the overall getup of the season is somewhat casual romance with minimal prints on neutral backgrounds and lot of embroidery.” Satish Jain, N TexInternational

FASHION RESOURCE

Stripe Tease

FASHION FILE

For S/S’17, designers warped and played with stripes, ranging from pinstripes to nautical to school and more. A medley of width and thicknesses in colours and prints came together to lend a certain character to the otherwise drab garments.

Femininity juxtaposed with menswear inspired suiting came alive through pinstripes at Mulberry and Self Portrait while an unconventional elegance loomed over drapes presented in luxe silk and satin with thigh-high slits at Giambattista Valli and Aquilano Rimondi. Flirtatiously sultry renditions over shoulder-baring silhouettes fared at Johanna Ortiz and Roberto Cavalli while Lanvin and Rosie Assouline mixed up different proportions to lend a quirky twist to the trend.

by Fashion Forward Trends

A/W 2017-18

Colour Story

Balenciaga goes on a hiring spree for top posts! In an effort to strengthen its top-level leadership and build a better core for the luxury house, Balenciaga taps in Daphné Cousineau as President of Europe. Beginning her luxury career at Céline in 2005, Cosineau is entering the Parisian fashion house from her position as Global Sales Director of Lanvin. Kering-ownedBalenciaga, is restructuring itsadministration by inducting four newmembers, namely Laura du Rusquec, as Director of Strategic Projects, who will be deploying priority projects linked with the brand’s retail performance; Caroline BonnetMaes, who will serveas Global Director of Human Resources; and finally, Alexia de Courcel, as Global Merchandising Director, to takecharge of women’s and men’s collections.

Diesel and Naomi join hands for a charity collection Italy’s Diesel teams up with supermodel Naomi Campbell to create a charitable collection, all the proceeds of which will go to refugee kids. The collection is called ‘Child at Heart’ and will support Campbell’s charity ‘Fashion For Relief’ dedicatedto the welfare of children all over the world and has raised over £ 4.5 million since its inception in 2005. The collection of T-shirt and hoodies features artwork designed by children who go to the Diesel HQ kindergarten in Italy. Nicola Formichetti, Creative Director of Diesel said that the children were very excited to contribute to a good cause.

Reformation forays into children's w ear

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Los Angeles-based fashion brand Reformation teases an upcoming children’s line of clothing dubbed “#reflittles”, on its Instagrampage. The post shows two girls in Reformationstyle tank dresses that feature a floral print and white eyelet smock detail replicating the same designs seen in the brand’s mainstream adult collection. Most of the fabrics used in the collection are sourced from vintage or deadstock, while the factory and stores use recycled materials and energy-efficient power. Widely known for its ecologically-friendly and sustainable womenswear targeting shoppers in their 20s and 30s, the brand recently started offering tours of its Downtown LA factory on Earth Day, to familiarize people with the sustainable practices used to produce the brand’s clothing.

INDUSTRY WIRE

Fusion Clothing to expand its capacity

here are very few dedicated Indian apparel exporters who are completely into organic, and one of them is Fusion Clothing Company, Mumbai. Out of its total manufacturing capacity, 95 per cent is organic clothing, and it is now further expanding its capacity by 50 per cent. Shishir Goenka, Founder of the company told Apparel Online, “Currently we are producing almost 50,000 pieces per month and after expansion (in about three months), it will be around 75,000 pieces per month. This increase in capacity is for existing as well as new buyers.” Once the added capacity will be functional, the company is expecting at least 35 per cent growth. Talking about the demand for organic clothing, Shishir said, “Demand is there in the overseas market but order sizes are getting smaller and smaller because big brands are shifting their bulk orders to Bangladesh. Despite this, demand of organic clothing will grow gradually.”

Labour shortage forces India Today Fashions to start factory in Gurgaon

Shishir Goenka, Founder, Fusion Clothing Company

Offering organic as well as design-based garments, the GOTS, Fair Trade and ISO:9001:2008 certified Fusion Clothing Company just completed 25 years of its inception. It offers complete range of knitted organic clothing and supports NGOs as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.

hough Jaipur is a cost-effective garment manufacturing hub, especially compared to Delhi-NCR, labour shortage is an issue which forced India Today Fashions, Jaipur to start a new unit in Gurgaon. The company is well aware about the extra cost of production in Gurgaon as well as coordination from Jaipur/ in terms of logistic cost, but it is facing acute labour shortage, so we are forced to take this initiative. “Already some of our job work is being done in Gurgaon, so we think that we should have our own factory here as it is hard to get new skilled workers in Jaipur but it’s easy to get the same in Gurgaon. Very soon our new factory will be operational,” shared Rajendra Bhatia, MD of thecompany.

Aaris Exim diversifies into market; shifts to a bigger unit

aipur-based apparel andhome furnishing house Aaris Exim is moving ahead on multiple fronts. The company has shifted its market and is now focusing more on in-house production by moving the factory into a bigger space. The company, from last few years, is focusing on USA, France and Spain markets, with 90 per cent export to these countries, whereas Japan

Rajendra Bhatia, MD, India Today Fashions

is just 10 per cent now. This was totally the reverse till few years ago when it was totally converging on Japan market for its business. Being in business since last three decades, Ajay Solanki, Owner of the company stated: “It was not very difficult for us as we were well aware of the market; besideshard work and consistent quality has always been our focus. Our new unit is built in 10,000 square yards, and since more space is now available, it will help us organize well. GenNext Rishabh (doing Business Management from Delhi University) and Aarika (pursuing Fashion Designer course from NIFT) are also involved in the business and adding value with their knowledge and initiatives.” The company, producing high-end apparel as well as home furnishing with expertise in hand block, vegetable dyes andexquisite hand embroidered garments, is expecting exponential growth in the current fiscal. Its product’s FOB starts from US $ 7.5 and goes up to US $60.

Ajay Solanki, Owner, Aaris Exim, with his son Rishabh

Despite having training centres like ATDC and initiatives of ILFS for skill development and training in apparel manufacturing, Jaipur is facing labour shortage from many years. As minimum wage is high in Gurgaon and expenditure for operators is the same in Gurgaon as well as in Jaipur, a big chunk of migratory workers who belong to UP and Bihar, prefer to work in Delhi-NCR rather than Jaipur. More than 25 years old, India Today Fashions manufactures womenswear and kidswear. Having exposure of working with K-Mart US, Target US, Lindex AB Sweden, Landmark Group, Dubai, Tree of Life, Australia and Itochu Corporation Japan, the export house recently started to work with few top buying houses too. “I am proud to say that in Jaipur, our production system as well as working culture was well appreciated by the senior teams of top buying houses,” he added. The company is also entering into domestic market with its own brand of womenswear and kidswear. “We are actively working on our project of domestic market and things will finalize soon,” shared Rajendra hopefully. The company is also upgrading its CAD system.

BURNING ISSUE

Closing stores & bankruptcies in US An alarming situation for Indian exporters!

n the last few months, more than 18 fashion brands/stores, based in US, have shown very negative trends as some of them have announced closure of stores and filing for Chapter 11. Western media has presented a news report named, ‘America’s retailers are closing stores faster than ever’, where it has been predicted that there could be closure of more than 8,000 stores in 2017, which could surpass 2008s peak of around 6,200. As EU is already not doing well and now US too is forecasting negative news, Indian exporters are very much concerned as both EU and US are its traditional core markets for apparel exports.

Stores Closing 250

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Bankrupt • Rue21 Inc • Vanity and Agent Provocateur Inc. • Gymboree • Agent provocateur

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Apparel Online discussed withthe industry about the impact that this closure will have on their business, and how they can gear up and handle the situation. Indian exporters are largely dependent on US market retailers. Even Indian suppliers exist primarily due to maximum demand from these players. Therefore, exporters agree that this down sentiment will be harmful to all, irrespective of the market. Exporters claim to have also noticed many wholesalers/ importers reducing their business or even shutting down as they too supply to these stores. They are feeling the heat on price and demand every moment due to this crisis. R Sabhari Girish, CEO, Award Associates, Tirupur shared, “We were working with some of these mentioned till last year, and seeing the developments, we have decided to keep away. We are creating alternative client base to compensate.” Stating that Chapter 11 is a nightmare for the exporters, he added, “I would request our export fraternity to know about the basic law, where liquidation attorney will be giving preference

May close stores 15%

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11%

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10%

Kohl’s

(Based on Cowen Group Inc., a diversified financial services firm input. It also provides input that some 20 per cent of malls will need to close or be repurposed over the next decade.)

According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics report, the retail sector collectively cut 30,000 jobs in March. Employment in general merchandise stores declined by 35,000 in the same month and 89,000 since October 2016.

R Sabhari Girish, CEO, Award Associates, Tirupur

to the debtors in the province, then to the one within US, and the rest to the overseas clients. We need to cover our risks and analyse any buyer before we do a business, as most of the insurance covers only post-shipment and not the work in progress. Export associations should come up with a proposal of hiring financial experts, who can forecast any market and give proper guidance to their members.” These negative developments are not only going to affect the apparel exporters, but the entire supply chain as well. Akshay Agrawal, Director, Amod Exports, Mumbai states, “The entire eco system will get affected; especially the fabric suppliers will focus more on domestic business and less on export-oriented business which has fabric compliance that has to be met.” Arvind Arora of Taurus Tex, Delhi shares, “It will indirectly impact our business of setting up raw material supply chain for our customers as overall demand will slow down.” Whenever there are troubles in US and EU, emerging markets seem to be the only option, but now even these markets don’t have so much lucrative options and instead have lot of challenges. It is equally hard to enter and set up business there. Some such

“We need to give more focus on EU for being competitive and assuring the customers of best products at affordable prices which can help us sail through this tough situation. We have lots of opportunities still untapped, but we need to come out of our ‘comfort zone’ to make it happen.” -R Sabhari Girish, CEO, Award Associates, Tirupur

“This (large scale store openings in malls) has created a bubble, and like housing, this bubble hasnow burst. We are seeing the results: doors shuttering and rents retreating. This trend will continue for the foreseeable future and may even accelerate.” -Richard Hayne, CEO, Urban Outfitters

Akshay Agrawal, Director, Amod Exports, Mumbai

emerging markets are China, Middle East and the African Continent, besides India. Latin America which is another alternative market is also in great trouble as the respective currencies are getting weaker against the US dollar. Arvind believes that exploring emerging markets is still an ongoing process, and Indian garment industry is mature enough to understand the changes in the declining retail market segment of USA and EU. Akshay adds his perspective about focusing more on BRIC countries and the African market, but even these countries go through their own economic problems which make the business risky. The stability comes from having clients in the US, EU and UK. But observing the decline in these markets, some exporters are relying on the Indian domestic market as the only solution. Ravi Poddar, MD of Cheer Sagar, Jaipur says, “Yes there is no other choice and it is not so easy. Many exporters of Jaipur are doing quite good in domestic; so domestic is an option in such a situation.” He too feels that these developments will not have much impact on boutique buyers but will affect importers definitely. What more can the Indian exporters do at their own level since they are

Ravi Poddar, MD of Cheer Sagar, Jaipur

already using most of the cost cutting tools to be competitive! “This cost cutting needs to be optimum and should not be the only focus of the company to being competitive, as it sometimes diverts the focus of being in the business. Product development (PD) in areas related to new fibres, yarns and materials together with designing in garments, styling, usage of accessories, etc. are some of the innovations that we Indians are highly capable of doing at middle management levels. Key is to drive this initiative from top management to invest and keep a sizeable portion of their returns in PD, that would remain the future of the industry,” reasons Arvind. Akshay shares, “Most of the efforts for cost control practices can be done on volume basic products. The volume products are being shifted to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc. The only way an exporter can sustain is to balance the incoming business with its current costs of administration/overheads which are fixed.” R Sabhari Girish suggests that there are lots of small buyers (operators) who are evolving, that too in the basics and underwear and they are doing really well. He emphasizes that one needs to identify and catch hold of such buyers.

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New Governments in Punjab and UP: High hopes for the industry, but… Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (UP), two of the biggest textile/garmenting hubs in India, recently formed new State Governments. Both the Governments have since started working aggressively on the industry’s front including textiles. Punjab is in the process to form new textile policy and its officials have also started conducting meetings with the industry representatives. In UP, Minister of State Suresh Rana met Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and requested her to initiate the process to restart the closed textile mills in the state. Apparel Online approached various companies, officials of both the states to know about the impending demands, their hopes to get these demands fulfilled and the ground realities. Punjab Government has decided to prepare its new textile policy with special focus on aligning it with Central Government’s textile policy. Recently more than 50 textile/apparel manufacturers in Ludhiana had an extensive meeting with Mahesh Khanna, G M of District Industries Centre, (DIC) Ludhiana. Ajit Lakra, President of the Ludhiana Knitters Association; Tarun Jain Bawa, President of Federation of Ludhiana Trade and Industrial Associations; DL Sharma, MD, Vardhman Group, and many other textile players also participated in the meeting. Ajit shared that things are not easy for the new Government, especially looking at the revenue position of the state, but still industry is feeling positive. “Regular communication, feedback on our demands and appointment of a nodal officer by the State Government to coordinate and follow up with the Central Government on our issues is the need of the hour for us. We expect that before finalizing and publishing draft of the policy, it should come to industry representatives so that we can suggest the necessary changes at that stage,” stated Ajit.

The 10 main demands of the Punjab s industry: 1 State Government should have corpus

4 Incentives for modernization

Industry insisted that the State Government should have a corpus for the textile industry like the Government of India so that the manufacturers can take maximum advantage.

Still a major chunk of Punjab’s textile industry needs to go for automation; thus incentives for modernization/ upgradation are the need of the hour. SMEs should get relaxation in some norms. TUFs should continue for another five years.

2 Rework on pollution norms It was highlighted that some of the pollution laws of the State Government are more stringent compared to the international level. Similarly, symmetry in State and Central Government’s pollution laws is an urgent requirement. An adequate number of CETPs should be constructed wherever required and the total cost should be borne by the State/ Centre and the industry should only pay the monthly charges as per the outflow of the effluent industries. The completion of CETP should be done on an urgent basis.

3 Reform labour laws Punjab’s textile and apparel industry is mainly dependent on migratory workers and participants strongly recommended reformation of labour laws for this purpose. Any unit which is able to construct hostels for labour should be given outright subsidy.

5 Skill development Facing severe shortage of skilled labour, the industry asked for increase in funding and focus on skill development. The existing ITI buildings should be converted into skill development centres with modern machinery and equipment to train the operator level workers to compensate for the labour shortage.

6 New focal point The city needs more land for new factories, making it a new focal point.

7 Fire stations in every industrial pocket In summer, fire incidents in factories rise suddenly. The industry therefore requested for fire stations in every industrial pocket. Industry players are ready to offer land for fire stations so

UP wants full electricity, transparent administration first…

MAHARASHTRA WORKING ON SECOND TEXTILES POLICY Maharashtra is working on the second textiles policy. In a workshop organized by The Textile Association India – Vidarbha (TAI) and Indian Textile Accessories and Machinery Manufactures Association (ITAMMA) in Nagpur, Ujjwal Uke, Principal Secretary, Textiles, Maharashtra said that the industries and the Government should have a broader vision. He further added that the textile industry can also try to connect with universities and other educational institutes to promote innovations and help the sector.

EXPERTS’OPINION Industry experts feel that rather than having plenty of small and big demands, industry should restrict itself to few selected and specific demands which have wider impact. They should not be guided by the thought process to ask for 100 things and in return get 50 out of them.

that they do not have to depend on fire tenders of nearby districts in case of an emergency.

8 R&D centre As individual R&D centres need lots of resources, industry demanded for a common R&D centre where collective efforts can be made for the support of the industry.

9 Exhibition centre Ludhiana is the biggest industrial city of Punjab where apart from textiles, manufacturing of bicycles and tractor parts also take place on a large scale. Despite this, there is no world-class exhibition centre in the city where buyerseller meets (BSMs), and industrial events can be organized. Industry was very much keen about this long pending demand.

10 Various issues Elimination of corruption, relaxation in taxes, simplicity of state compliance, online and regular communication between the Government and the industry, and improvement of basic infrastructure facilities like enough electricity supply that too of Rs. 5 per unit, were also underlined by the industry.

Uttar Pradesh is yet to prepare its textile policy while most of the other Indian states are very aggressive on the same. There are almost 10 major cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad and Varanasi in UP that are important hubs for Indian textile and apparel industry with their local specialization. Most of these cities are facing problems such as infrastructure, law and order, corruption, etc. Newly appointed Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has completed one-and-a-half months of being in action and most of his planning is now clear. Though so far, nothing major has been announced for the overall industry of the state but apparel exporters are quite hopeful about the new Government. Change in the working environment, especially in case of the functioning of Government officials, is something which will make the industry happy.

Anand Gupta, Director, True Home Décor, Noida shared, “I feel electricity supply should be improved and corruption also needs to be eliminated in administrative processes.” He also added that along with the Government, exporters need to changeand improve their working style as far as rules and regulations are concerned. Karan Manchanda, Director, The Kam Company, Moradabad stressed that along with electricity supply, all major industrial cities of UP also need to improve connectivity and logistic services.

Lucknow, which is known for its chikan embroidery, also houses numerous apparel exporters and one of them is Dilip Khairajani, Director, Nazrana Chikan Industry. He shared that improvement in law and order situation is of top priority for businessmen like him. “Improvements are there as local administration is now more disciplined and more cooperative. Lucknow can see good growth in apparel export business if Government can eradicate glitches like traffic and encroachments, as overseas buyers don’t want to come here frequently due to suchhurdles.”

Meanwhile, news agency IANS, reported that discussion is on between UP and other State Governments to reopen textile mills in the state. “Our Government is alive to the needs and problems of the industrialists and will extend all possible cooperation in activating the closed textiles mills,” said Satish Mahana, Industrial Development Minister of the state.

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More opportunities for Indian manufacturers/exporters in Gulf countries

Amity University holds conference on apparel and textile industry Amity University, Noida, recently organized a national conference on “Fashion Apparel and Textile” – an annual event, which witnessed participation of leading players from the industry and faculty members from reputed institutes across the world.

H.E. Butti Saeed Al Ghandi, Second Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre (2nd from left) inaugurating the International Apparel and Textile Fair. Also seen is Dilip Nihalani, IATF Show Director (4th from right)

ubai hosted the 6th edition of International Apparel and Textile Fair (IATF) from 8th to 10th April 2017. Organized by Nihalani Events Management, IATF 2017 showcased Spring/Summer 2018 pre-collections and Autumn/Winter 2018 highlights. There were more than 100 exhibitors from various countries of the world participating in the fair, out of which 17 were Indian apparel/textiles manufacturers/exporters. As per the organizers of the show, 2,980 buyers visited the fair and were mainly from GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council), including the buyers for different brands of Apparel Group and Landmark Group which are two of the biggest companies dealing with garments in the UAE. Other buyers came all the way from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, India, China, other Asian countries, African countries, Europe, the US and Australia.

The 7th edition of the event is set to take place from 1st to 3rd November 2017 for Autumn/Winter collection. “We are proud to continuously bring in and introduce prominent manufacturers from all across the globe to the clothing and textile buyers and retailers not only here in Dubai or the UAE or the GCC, but the whole of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa region). We are glad with the support that we are getting ever since we started this show in 2014,” said Dilip Nihalani, IATF’s Show Director. Apparel Online had a candid discussion with some of the Indian apparel exporters present there and most of them were not satisfied with the fair. Deep Agarwal, Director ofKishorilal Shyamsunder, Kolkata said,

“Neither basic amenities nor buyers were there. It was basically like a B2C fair, while we participated as organizers because they assured us of visit of wholesalers and brands.” It was the first attempt of the company to explore Dubai market and Deep believed that heavy embroidery stuff will be a hit product there. Another Indian textile company, Divyam Embroideries, Surat displayed its embroidered fabric which was appreciated by the visitors. “The fair was (just) okay as we were expecting more promising buyers there,” shared Yash Jain, Director of the company, with Apparel Online. UAE is world’s 11th biggest apparel importer with more than US $ 4 billion import value. Next to London, Dubai is the second global city having the highest percentage (55%) of international retailers, and according to a report, by 2018 Dubai will replace Paris as the third most popular and must-visit tourist destination in the world.

The conference majorly focused on: Sustainable to Innovative Fashion and Textile: Road to Success; Innovation in Marketing &Merchandising; Skill Development in Textile & Apparel Sector, Innovative Technologies in Textile and Garment Sector; and Sustainable Textiles. Prof. Pradeep Joshi, DG, Amity – Directorate of Applied Arts, Fine Arts, Performing Arts & Visual Arts, highlighted the importance of fashion, apparel and textile sectors in the Indianeconomy. Dr. Joshi also stressed on the need for sustainability and innovation in all areas, including material, fashion, design, technology and management of the industry. The event witnessed the presence of KamalKapur, Owner, Achievers Consulting; Shalini Gupta and Neha Dimri from Pearl Academy; Shweta Saini from FDDI; Manpreet Chahal, Delhi University; Prof. (Dr.) V.K. Kothari and Prof. Anu Mishra from IICT, Bhadoi; Amal Chowdhary from TIT&S, Bhiwani; Monika Panghal from NGF College, Palwal; Kusum Chopra, Chairperson (FD), NIFT, Delhi; and Md. Ariful Islam from BGMEA University of Fashion &Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

EXPORT STATISTICS

Q1 2017, sees gains in volume-wise apparel imports by the US, at last! January-March

2017

US apparel imports have rebounded in March this year from a low level last year. Shipments have been relatively stable in volume terms over the first quarter of 2017 though the value of the imports has fallen in the period. Seeing the fluctuating import trends in Q1, year 2017 is still under uncertainty for the country. Moreover, President Trump’s administration might work on reforming tax policies in the year ahead to keep retail consumers least affected by the rising costs.

‘Facts and Forecast’ for US Apparel Industry

Global Apparel Imports by the US: Jan.-Mar. 2017

80%

41.5% of apparel sold in the US in 2016 were imported from China.

Total Increase in Quantity

1.51 %

60% of US women who shop clothes online are from 25 to 45 years of age.

decline in US apparel manufacturing in 2decades.

Total Decrease in Value

1.96 %

USD 20 mn Fashion Week in NY contributes in USeconomy.

3000 Clothing stores to close in US this year.

Percentage Decrease in UVR

3.29 % (Average UVR in the review period was US $ 2.94 as against US $ 3.04 in the same period last year)

USD

385bn Projected size of US apparel industry by 2025.

Total global apparel imports by the US - Jan.-Mar. 2017 (Qty in mn SME & Value in US mn $) Jan.-Mar.2016

Jan.-Mar.2017

%Change

Type ofApparel

Change in Value Cotton

4.22 % MMF

1.39%

Wool

7.29 % Silk & Veg

Qty

Value

Qty

Value

Qty

Value

2895.348

9579.80

2831.234

9175.892

-2.21

-4.22

Wool

24.981

454.17

23.56

421.069

-5.69

-7.29

MMF

3315.801

8746.02

3482.637

8867.722

5.03

1.39

Silk & Veg

107.588

521.73

102.072

458.586

-5.13

-12.10

Total

6343.72

19301.72

6439.50

18923.27

1.51

-1.96

Cotton

12.10 % Total apparel exports to the US by 6 major manufacturing destinations - Jan.-Mar. 2017

Change in Quantity

(Qty in mn SME & Value in US mn $)

Jan.-Mar.2016

Cotton

2.21 % MMF

5.03 %

Wool

5.69 % Silk & Veg

5.13 %

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

Jan.-Mar.2017

%Change

Countries

India Bangladesh China Pakistan

SriLanka Vietnam

Qty

Value

Qty

Value

Qty

Value

299.77

1076.86

302.341

1044.358

0.86

-3.02

517.63

1454.93

512.21

1368.513

-1.05

-5.94

2357.317

6090.22

2396.599

5753.459

1.67

-5.53

135.85

307.17

130.918

309.442

-3.63

0.74

126.73

534.74

124.744

527.058

-1.57

-1.44

814.82

2579.21

898.124

2765.211

10.22

7.21

Unit Value Realization (UVR) Trend from Top Apparel Exporters to US (January to March 2017)

Top 3 Apparel Exporters to US in 2017 3500

Rest of the world US $ 3191.41 million; 54.85% share

Value in US million $

3000

4.50 4.00

3.50

2500

2% 3.00

2000

2.50

No. 1 is China US $ 1377 million; 23.67% share

1500

2.00 No. 2 is Vietnam US $ 810.14 million; 13.92% share

1000

No. 3 is Bangladesh US $441.39 million; 7.58% share

500

-2%

1.50

-4%

1.00 -6% 0.50

0 Jan-17

Feb-17 China

Vietnam

Bangladesh

-8%

0.00

Mar-17 Rest of the world

India

Bangladesh

China

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Vietnam

UVR 16

3.59

2.81

2.58

2.26

4.22

3.17

UVR 17

3.45

2.67

2.40

2.36

4.23

3.08

-3.90%

-4.98%

6.98%

4.42%

0.24%

-2.84%

% Change

US Apparel Imports

US General Imports of Cotton (March 2017)

General Customs Value and Y-o-Y Percentage Change

General Customs Quantity and Y-o-Y Percentage Change

8.00

10%

12%

910.00 7.00

10%

810.00

710.00

6.00

610.00

510.00

5.00

410.00

-5%

4.00

310.00 210.00

-10%

3.00

110.00

2.00

Values (in US billion$)

10.00

-15%

Feb-17

Jan-17

Yarns

Fabrics

Made-ups

Apparels

Mar-17 Y-o-Y% change

Quantity (in millionSME)

Y-o-Y% change

Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Mar. 2017 (Qty in doz, legwear in dpr, babieswear in kg) Exportsto USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE

China

India

2016

2017

%Change

2016

2017

Babieswear

24,394,120

24,977,643

2.39

10,621,304

Foundation Garments

15,067,612

15,752,589

4.55

8,632,448

Jackets &Blazers

Bangladesh

%Change

2016

2017

%Change

2016

2017

10,856,777

2.22

2,084,154

1,784,832

-14.36

2,956,742

8,186,190

-5.17

477,957

416,840

-12.79

914,210

Vietnam %Change

2016

2017

%Change

2,702,077

-8.61

1,866,759

2,411,606

29.19

1,413,665

54.63

485,005

1,133,036

133.61

6,081,540

6,506,427

6.99

2,797,874

3,106,988

11.05

97,937

144,799

47.85

330,343

424,287

28.44

1,104,508

1,159,394

4.97

Ladies Blouses

15,734,195

15,595,653

-0.88

6,437,108

6,026,241

-6.38

2,412,523

2,347,477

-2.70

848,830

867,688

2.22

2,142,226

2,363,064

10.31

Ladies Dresses

17,658,549

18,043,654

2.18

7,899,197

8,168,216

3.41

1,499,908

1,590,746

6.06

611,249

548,940

-10.19

3,233,089

3,415,203

5.63

4,952,113

4,039,302

-18.43

1,851,019

1,586,013

-14.32

284,088

214,118

-24.63

324,427

251,554

-22.46

910,670

790,639

-13.18

Legwear

75,653,270

75,562,844

-0.12

45,095,405

48,425,501

7.38

576,459

691,133

19.89

61,554

8,840

-85.64

622,929

599,881

-3.70

Men's Shirts

10,734,151

10,618,608

-1.08

2,177,521

2,132,540

-2.07

790,998

996,623

26.00

3,213,668

2,822,580

-12.17

1,251,634

1,268,652

1.36

Nightwear

10,323,575

10,352,712

0.28

5,983,303

5,684,845

-4.99

754,644

777,286

3.00

389,597

542,728

39.30

962,520

1,042,222

8.28

Suits /Ensembles

3,634,468

3,364,183

-7.44

1,745,976

1,630,382

-6.62

201,402

191,431

-4.95

105,447

41,038

-61.08

662,600

667,451

0.73

Sweaters

1,750,315

1,389,397

-20.62

1,332,396

983,600

-26.18

9,498

9,266

-2.44

111,136

81,132

-27.00

61,595

43,491

-29.39

Ladies Skirts

Trousers

77,570,583

79,689,220

2.73

21,393,474

21,584,802

0.89

1,726,943

1,524,485

-11.72

13,555,434

13,831,724

2.04

11,671,846

14,468,761

23.96

T-Shirts

139,611,469

138,775,828

-0.60

22,768,088

22,077,644

-3.03

6,681,392

6,848,062

2.49

5,560,943

5,266,314

-5.30

19,855,452

19,701,536

-0.78

59,423,289

59,726,546

0.51

11,677,843

11,868,355

1.63

4,717,123

4,633,588

-1.77

6,446,349

6,874,467

6.64

9,684,462

10,004,166

3.30

Undergarments

Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Mar. 2017 (Value in US mn $) Exports to USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE

China

India

2016

2017

%Change

2016

2017

Babieswear

527.58

536.83

1.75

216.81

Foundation Garments

667.29

698.75

4.71

322.69

Jackets &Blazers

Bangladesh

%Change

2016

2017

218.64

0.84

54.65

288.84

-10.49

34.33

Vietnam

%Change

2016

2017

%Change

2016

2017

%Change

50.30

-7.95

47.65

58.97

23.77

47.55

59.17

24.43

27.24

-20.65

19.74

34.75

76.07

22.57

74.69

230.90 -1.95

928.87

945.40

1.78

362.01

384.58

6.23

15.85

18.89

19.17

45.00

53.63

19.17

190.34

186.63

Ladies Blouses

1,052.17

1,041.43

-1.02

401.52

369.15

-8.06

179.91

179.34

-0.32

49.29

47.58

-3.46

118.24

129.02

9.12

Ladies Dresses

1,485.33

1,444.20

-2.77

663.13

613.19

-7.53

134.93

140.60

4.20

23.34

20.79

-10.91

228.44

225.22

-1.41

Ladies Skirts

304.60

243.36

-20.11

105.10

83.89

-20.18

22.16

16.00

-27.80

14.09

11.11

-21.13

56.05

43.31

-22.73

Legwear

426.86

417.28

-2.24

235.29

236.37

0.46

3.79

4.17

10.17

0.67

0.05

-92.86

3.85

3.38

-12.19

Men's Shirts

892.37

834.88

-6.44

198.11

179.75

-9.27

63.08

66.85

5.98

183.89

154.54

-15.96

101.39

100.67

-0.71

Nightwear

436.23

411.62

-5.64

247.83

222.97

-10.03

24.54

26.97

9.94

11.74

13.79

17.43

44.31

42.19

-4.78

Suits /Ensembles

348.71

320.61

-8.06

87.97

74.76

-15.01

19.50

22.47

15.27

5.36

3.40

-36.49

48.07

44.93

-6.54

Sweaters

178.24

150.88

-15.35

129.05

100.77

-21.91

0.74

0.65

-12.57

6.71

4.67

-30.34

1.61

3.19

98.01

Trousers

4,782.71

4,667.37

-2.41

1,200.78

1,128.46

-6.02

123.98

100.49

-18.94

737.07

699.98

-5.03

689.58

779.40

13.03

T-Shirts

4,850.28

4,797.52

-1.09

975.79

900

-7.77

268.73

265.006

-1.39

142.26

130.23

-8.46

754.12

775.14

2.79

864.50

837.33

-3.14

179.55

188.69

5.09

77.61

75.57

-2.63

72.04

70.54

-2.08

122.12

117.99

-3.39

Undergarments

Canada Apparel Imports January-M arch 2017

Clothing imports by Canada do not see a sigh of relief Continuing the lowering trend, Canadian apparel imports have fallen in value terms in Q1 of 2 0 1 7 if compared with the same period last year. However, the country has predicted to see value growth in the rest of the year mainly due to the price competition among leading clothing brands. Additionally, increase in e-commerce shopping; popularity for athleisure within the country might play a crucial role in increasing the domestic clothing demand.

CanadaImports

Indian Exports

1.25% While the knitted segment fell by (-) 0.71%, the woven segment registered negative growth of (-) 1.77% in value terms.

B’Desh Exports

5.15% The country registered downfall in its apparel exports to Canada during the review period. While value of exports was down by (-) 2.42% in knitted segment, woven apparel exports also fell by (-) 6.94%.

Trade Update

Vietnam Exports

12.68%

9.85%

The country saw notable surge in its knitted garment exports to Canada by 21.39%, whereas woven segment recorded boost of 2.86% during the review period.

Pakistan Exports

ChinaExports

14.18%

3.94%

6.62% Bangladesh did not see any positive trend in its apparel exports to Canada. During the review period, knitted garment exports fell by (-) 6.69%, whereas woven segment was down by (-) 6.57%.

Sri Lanka Exports

In woven category, there was a commendable rise of 15.88% in value, while knitted segment exports to Canada during review period registered growth of 12.18%.

Vietnam witnessed surge in its apparel exports to Canada during the review period. Knitted segment rose by 4.75%, while woven exports saw stellar surge of 15.28%.

In the knitted garments exports to Canada, the country fell by (-) 3.44%, while the woven garments recorded decrement by (-) 4.39% during the period under review.

CMP garment exports make US $ 1.8 billion for Myanmar in FY ’17 The cutting, making and packaging (CMP) garment industry which includes manufacturing of shoes, garment and bags in Myanmar, managed to earn around US $ 1.836 billion in 2016-17 financial year, ended this March. This has reportedly been disclosed by the Commerce Ministry of the country. Myanmar exports 33 per cent of CMP products to Japan, followed by the EU with 25 per cent. The country also supplies clothing items to South Korea, the US and Chinese markets. CMP export contributed 16 per cent to total export earnings of Myanmar during the year. Last fiscal, the country had earned US $ 627 million from its CMP garment exports. It may be noted here that the garment and textile industry is a major contributor to the country’s economy and this industry is an increasingly popular ‘trade of choice’ for many low-income families, especially those from rural areas there. Over 400 apparel manufacturing units are there in Myanmar, employing over 3,00,000 people including a large number of uneducated women. Sweden’s H&M and US’ GAP are among the major foreign fashion brands that have invested in garment manufacturing in Myanmar.

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Second edition of Gartex promises to be bigger with more sections The inaugural issue of Gartex organized last year at Pragati Maidan, Delhi by Mex Exhibitions was appreciated by both the participants and the visitors. The USP of the first ever Gartex India show was the presence of all big companies of digital printing with their latest models with some exhibitors from other segments like machinery for stitching, machines for value addition, fabric manufacturers and accessories. The biggest achievement of this well managed show was the good quality visitation from across India and the Delhi-NCR in particular, believes Gaurav Juneja, Director, Mex Exhibitions. He is very enthusiastic about the upcoming edition (the second) which is scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 July, 2017 at the same venue. Giving a glimpse of what to expect, Gaurav shared vivid details about the preparation for the upcoming show.

AO: Any new feature to look forward to at Gartex from the inaugural edition? Gaurav: Apart from digital printing and embroidery section, this year we are also concentrating on allied industry products like accessories and fabrics and other value-added products. There will also be good technical seminar this year for technical professionals to get more insight on the technology attached to garment and textile manufacturing. Digital printing technology players have already shown their interest and have got their space reserved. Some of

the names who have booked their respective spaces for Gartex 2017 include Mimaki, ColorJet, Epson, Negi, J. N. Arora, Roland Jaysynth, Dhaval, VeeKay, Cherian, Astrojet, Tanya Enterprises, Britomatics, Prime Overseas, Wenli and many more. The embroidery section has got unparalleled attention from the industry stakeholders as we have got all the top brass registered for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show. The major players under the segments who have confirmed their participation are Twin Star Machines, Aura Machines, Tajima, Unix, Peayush Machinery, Baba Textiles, Textile Technologies,

GauravJuneja, Director, Mex Exhibitions

Gartex 2016 witnessed visitors from top management to production managers to technical heads etc. adding to the importance of the show among the fraternities. Noting the response, Gartex this year is bigger as the exhibit area has been increased to 65,000 sq. ft.

Dolphin Jingwei Texmac, etc. Till date, over 70 brands have confirmed their participation representing different spheres of the industry ranging from embroidery machine to software to digital printing equipment to fabrics, to accessories and to value-added chains.

AO: With some well-established names in technology fairs already existing, what do you think is the USP of Gartex that will create an edge? Gaurav: It is true that in the garment and textile domain, there are a number of small exhibitions happening

every now and then in small cities, but most participants and visitors agree that they are disorganized. No proper facilities are there as the exhibitions take place in hangers and tents, giving an impression of ‘Melas’ rather than trade shows. As far as Gartex is concerned, from the very first edition, it has been established as a comprehensive exhibitionon garment and textile machinery, fabrics, accessories and allied industries. The visitors’ profile that we noted last year was very niche where decision makers were having the upper hand rather than the tailors and masters who visit other shows during their lunch hours to see what is there in theMela.

AO: Does the fact that you have experience in organizing international events help in the Indian context, where expectations from fairs are pretty ordinary? Gaurav: Yes! We have brought in a lot of technology to the show in terms of content. We have tried bringing in digital textile printing which is the talk of the town as the latest technology in the sector, which many textile fairs across the world have started adding as a part. We have made it our flagship since the very first edition of the exhibition. We have now enhanced our focus on this particular segment of the show.

Gartex 2016 witnessed good visitation from across India, and exhibitors were happy with the response

Gartex is being hosted at the Pragati Maidan to offer proper facilities to exhibitors and visitors alike. This is considering the fact that the venue always plays an important role as the exhibitors’ convenience, visitors’ footfall and business activities depend on the facilities offered by the selected venue. Located in the heart of the country’s capital city, it provides easy connectivity within the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi with multiple commutation options including the Metro (City Railways). In fact the Pragati Maidan Metro Station is located right inside the exhibition premises.

For visitors attending the show – right from the pre-registration to entering to locating exhibitors inside the venue to closing the deals, they will be surrounded by plenty of learning experiences and captivating innovations. In short, we have created Gartex as a brand from the very first year in terms of visibility not only in India but also in the neighbouring countries. The testimony of the very fact is that the showwelcomed visitors not only from all over India, but also from overseas markets, which is not a usual feature of the Indianexhibitions.

Eyes & Ears Multi-dimensional growth for TQM Global Buying Services TQM Global Buying Services, a Noida-based sourcing agency, sourcing efficiently in India as well as Bangladesh for almost 10 years, has recently ventured into the garments and accessories section to achieve high growth. Earlier it dealt in home furnishings only. The sourcing agency, which has a strong client base in South Africa and lines almost every retailer over there, is now exploring US and EU as its new markets. Sanjeev Jain, President of the company shared with Apparel Online, “We need to expand our reach throughout the world and this step is also one of them. We believe that one should always fill one’s bucket with opportunities and never rely on any one market only.” South Africa is a low-profit market, in spite of volumes being quite high because they are more concerned about prices, whereas US is doing rather well as an average profit market. The sourcing house which started its operations in 2007-08, has now expanded into ladies, gents, kidswear segments and sweaters also. It is now associated with more than 12 clients like Foschini, Mr. Price, Truworths. Right now, TQM is working with more than 100 vendors. “We are quite selective in terms of choosing vendors. Commitment and communication are the main aspects for us to work Sanjeev Jain, President, TQMGlobal Buying Services with any vendor. Delayed shipments and lack of communication are not our cup of tea,” highlighted Sanjeev. He further added that his firm’s swift MIS helps to cut down on process time and errors. He stated: “We understand the importance of the basic fabric, and have complete control of the loom centres, knitting machines, process houses well-equipped with the latest technology.” The company has its strong hold on the markets of South Africa, Australia, Canada and Europe. With a turnover of US $ 5 million, the sourcing house has its office in Bangladesh too. Talking about Bangladesh sourcing perspective, he shared that Australia is more inclined towards Bangladesh and always wants to buy from there only. With regard to the current market situation, Sanjeev revealed that market is little slow in comparison to the last two years but he is doing quite well and looking for further growth in future. “We are more focused towards the European market and are trying to explore it as it is a market of high profit, people are more inclined to buy high-end fashion products and willing to pay higher prices. In European market, one can make profits as far as 100 per cent,” shared Sanjeev optimistically.