FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK… My team came back disappointed from the Textiles India mega event in Gandhinagar, and I knew it from my experience that this would happen. In fact, I had been warning against it right from the start. It was a disappointment not only because of the way the fair was handled, right from the infrastructure to buyer management, but also due to the fact that the whole concept of the fair was conceptually flawed! How can any one event do justice to all segments of the Indian textileindustry in just three days? The buyers for each segment are different, and even within the segments, the buyers for each product are different… So while a designer may look at everything from yarn to final product, the actual sourcing happens individually by a buyer specialized in that category/sub-category like fabric, shirts, blouses, denim, lingerie, etc. and he requires time to see, analyse and conduct business. Three days is too short a time for serious players. Exhibitions around the world are held category-wise, as it is a practical approach to attract the right kind of visitors. That besides, the chaos on the first day on all fronts including infrastructure, particularly lack of hygiene and people management, was a pathetic sight…, the detailed report follows in the edition. But beyond the mess, what was also truly disappointing was the overtly emphasis on handlooms and crafts, and while we are all proud of our heritage, just displaying them is not going to bring in business. Buyers are looking for garments to suit western taste – comfort and fit are the two most important criteria that they look for in a garment. Our unique techniques can add value, but no one travels the world just to see techniques… They need to see garments that appeal to their sensibility andcomfort. Was the fair a showcase of Indian textiles or a business platform forthe value chain? If it was just a showcase, then the projections and promotions should have been different. But if a business model was the intent, then the buyers should have been the focal point and everything should have revolved around giving them a world-class sourcing experience. Instead, we now have a bunch of angry and disillusioned buyers, many of whom had come in for the first time. India already has a ‘reliability’ issue and if the Government also treats the buyers with a casual approach, things can only get worst. Bigger buyers already sideline Indian fairs, now even the small ones will bewary. If events have to be organized at such huge scales, they should be handledby a professional team that understands the nuances of an exhibition and the parameters which differentiate a successful fair from a shoddily put together effort.… and not by a Government agency with no idea of what buyers or anyone in the value chain requires. The event became a trade fair and no effort was made in checking the authenticity of the person seeking admission to the venue. The same cannot be said of the first day, when even genuine buyers were made to wait hours in the rain for clearance, not because of credibility issues, but because of security reasons!
EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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EDITOR
Ila Saxena
COPY EDITOR
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Sahil Sehgal
ASST. EDITOR-NEWS
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ASST. EDITOR - FASHION
Anjori Grover Vasesi
SUB EDITOR
Priyanka Mishra
SR. CORRESPONDENT-FASHION
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So engrossed was the Textile Minister and her team in the hype of PM’s visit that they did not even bother to walk through all the halls, which would have been a great moral booster for the exhibitors, who had come withcertain expectations based on the magnitude of theevent.
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Many of you may recall my editorial after her joining the Textiles Ministry… It was an over- enthusiastic piece, hoping for a dynamicleadership…, but Smriti Irani has proved me wrong… Through the three days, she was busy with CEO meetings and making arrangements for VIP visits, neglecting those who represent the majority of the industry and without whose support, the show would have been impossible.
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Many believe, and I am one of them, that the event gained nothing from the PM’s visit. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that the real focus of the event was lost in the hype of his coming for the inauguration. It would have been more meaningful if he had at least given an inaugural address at the venue and assured the textile value chain that the Government is not unmindful of their potential and contribution to the economy.
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MIND TREE
Q-and-A Buyers claim that in today’s business environment, it is important to have transparent collaborations and partnerships between buying offices and suppliers to grow… Do you agree with this view, and have you seen such upfront approach from your buyers?
Nishant Aggarwal, Director, Shivalik Prints, Faridabad
Vijay Agarwal, MD, Creative Garments, Mumbai
It is 100 per cent true that buyers are more receptive today and like to work with factories in collaboration. In today’s difficult situation, we have to be transparent with each one of them and also guide each other for consistent growth. Any information that is not shared could be an indication of a major problem or loss in the long run, which both the suppliers
In today’s world, no business partnership can be successful without total transparency. Days are gone when you could lie about your deliveries, or your capacities, or exaggerate about your capabilities. Buyers/agents expect total transparency from us. Business can no longer prevail behind the curtains, and buyers are involved throughout the process.
and the buyers cannot afford.
Naseer Humayun, MD, Indian Designs Exports, Bangalore The partnership between buyers and suppliers is getting deeper today. There is more clarity from both sides regarding the product and operational aspects. The relationship is less transactional… However, the prices have become more competitive. So, while the buyer tries to support our operations, the ultimate goal of acceptable price is not negotiable and the effort is to be as competitive as possible within the defined parameters of price.
Ravi Poddar, MD, Cheer Sagar, Jaipur Yes, I agree fully to the claims of the buyers that in today’s business environment it is important to have transparent collaborations and partnerships between buying offices and suppliers to grow. But in reality, it is very hard to find such things happening. Buying offices in the overseas still keep a relation of partnership with their suppliers and help the suppliers to achieve the goals, but if they have office in India, things get really bad, as the people sitting in the offices are not as much interactive and concerned with the issues faced by the supplier.
Sudhir Dhingra, CMD, Orient Craft, Gurgaon It was always very important to have close association with buying offices and to understand their needs on a daily basis. Companies which have done that have always grown. As our business continues to go through new challenges every day, we have to be joined at the hip with our buyers to continuously succeed. Any difference in approach to business or product can lead to a mess. So always be connected with them, interchange information continuously, and keep them completely updated, which is a priority in business today.
Raman Dutta, Director, Taads Apparel, Delhi Yes, the buyers’ claim for transparent collaborations and partnerships between buying offices and suppliers is growing and having positive impact on overall business. Even being associated with my buying house, buyers and suppliers know each other very well; they often talk/discuss things directly, and I don’t have any problem with this. At the end of the day, everybody has to perform at his/her own
end. Buyers have to sell, while suppliers have to produce on time, cost-effectively and with quality. It is good if these things take place with transparency, collaborations and partnerships.
Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC, Gurgaon There are changes in dynamics as finding a new buyer, buying house or working initially with them is not easy. I must say that now buying houses are treating suppliers as partners and if there are any issues, they sit down with suppliers and work out. It is not like the earlier times when they had a certain attitude. Each stakeholder expects transparency and partnership and this is how it should be. If one is hiding something, how can he expect from another not to hide. Mutual co-operation should always be there from every aspect and every side. So, I totally agree with the upfront approach of the buyers.
HKL Magu, MD, Jyoti Apparels, Delhi I feel that transparent collaborations and
partnerships are already there and the industry is moving in the right direction in this regard. Buying offices are doing their job well as mediators, and they are cordial enough. I must say, if someone is not doing something wrong, why and what will he hide. We respect each other and things should move in this way only if proper cooperation is there from each side. Buyers’ claim for transparent collaborations
NEXT MINDTREE
and growing partnerships between buying offices and suppliers is natural and should increase if there is some scope for improvement.
Pranab Mahajan, Director, Mahajan Overseas, Panipat Things were already in the open from the stake holders’ side earlier also, but now the scenario is improving all the
more. One can’t work if things are not in open. With the changing conditions globally, buyers compare each and every aspect in global perspective, no matter how small or how big is that particular aspect. It will naturally have its impact on which demand has more transparent collaborations and partnerships, not only between buying offices and suppliers, even all other processes of the business.
Without generalizing the issue, I will say that some companies do have their different working strategies, so it depends on company to company as to how open and how collaborative they are. At the end of the day, buying offices have to justify their sourcing and for that, they will go to the best factories who will serve their purpose. One can’t be the best without being open or fully transparent.
QUESTION
It’s more than 20 days since the implementation of GST in India. The Government is doing its best to create awareness about all the aspects of GST. Most from the apparels and textiles industry had earlier stated that things will become clearer with its implementation. Based on what you have noticed so far, have your doubts been cleared till now? Have you seen positive impact, like less logistic time or smooth movement of goods due to the abolishment of various check posts? Is there any other thing that, in your opinion, is positive about GST? Please share…
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WORLD WRAP
After the Millennials, Generation Z challenges retail with a mix of ‘new and old world’ values
W
hile every industry has been busy keeping an eye on the millennials and their behavioural patterns as business opportunities, a whole new generation with a fresh mind-set is fast emerging, ready to push the millennials into the background. Welcome to the world of Generation Z – a brigade of youngsters born post-1990 and now entering the workforce, exerting their preferences and beliefs. So even as the retail industry is still trying to figure out how to capture and retain the attention of the millennials, a new challenge that is different and complex has already reared its head! Many retail analysts believe that the ‘Millennial’ cohort is really two generations – Generation Y (born between 1978-1989) and Generation Z (born between 1990-1999;some even prefer to include only those born post-1995). According to estimates, Gen Z represents about 60 million people in the US and about 2.6 billion people worldwide. As of today, this group makes up a quarter of the US population and by 2020, will account for 40% of all consumers. Understanding them will be critical for companies wanting to succeed in the next decade and beyond. In
the meanwhile, media and market research companies have already labelled them as “screen addicts” with the attention span of a gnat (a recent study suggests that Gen Z attention spans have shrunk to eight seconds). No wonder, many analysts also refer to them as ‘Net Gen’. On a personal level, Gen Z seeks immediate validation and acceptance through social media, since that’s where all their peers are and where many of the important conversations happen. “Never before has there been a generation incapable of remembering the world without the internet,” said Goldman Sachs analyst, Christopher Wolf, in a presentation recently. However, ironically, these are the same people who are also looking to differentiate themselves professionally. Research suggests that Gen Z is also the ‘entrepreneurial generation’ who like the idea of working for themselves, the majority of them being riskaverse, practical and pragmatic. Significantly, these youngsters are also very cautious about their privacy and are less inclined to share information without understanding the consequences. According to Goldman Sachs researchers, this bunch of highly
According to estimates, Generation Z represents about 60 million people in the US and about 2.6 billion people worldwide. As of today, this group makes up a quarter of the US population and by 2020, will account for 40% of all consumers.
informed, but restless consumers will be the biggest influencers for retail trends in the future. “That’s because (their) diversity, fluency with technology and conservative attitude toward money will have profound social and economic implications,” reasons Wolf. In fact, the diversity of this generation is the most dynamic in the history of the US. Research provided by Frank N. Magid Associates suggest that Gen Z comprises a mix of 55% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 24% Hispanic, 14% African-American, 4% Asian and 4% multiracial people. This interesting mix of cultures and influences will also be reflected in their retail choices. Having seen how their elders struggled through the recession, Gen Z is very conservative in its financial approach, a major difference from the millennials. It is a group that will rely on debit payment systems, and not credit cards. According to a market research by The Center for Generational Kinetics, 29% believe personal debt should be reserved for a few select items and 23% believe it should be avoided at all costs. The focus is on getting maximum value
SINCETHISGENERATION(GENZ) ISALWAYSPOSTING PHOTOGRAPHS,THEYPREFERTOBESEENINCLOTHESTHATDO NOTHAVEPROMINENTBRANDLOGOS.THEYDONOTWANTTOBE WALKINGADVERTISEMENT BILLBOARDS.
www.kailashribbon.com stores, but in fact the pressure is more, as these youngsters are well aware of what other retailers are offering and the best ‘buys’ available online, putting pressure on the retailers to deliver. So, to win with Gen Z, retailers must be sharp with both the in-store and online shopping experiences. Some favourite Gen Z retailers of today include Urban Outfitters, UGG, Gamestop, The North Face, Sunglass Hut, American Eagle, Forever 21 and H&M. As a genderspecific observation, while guys spend more on products, girls spend more on experiences.
for money. While Gen Z is realistic about the challenges ahead, 89% of them remain optimistic about their futures, which is higher than any other generation on record. Vision Critical, in partnership with research firm MARU/VCR&C, recently ran a study exploring the attitudes, behaviour and values of this generation. In an interesting find, it was discovered that the number one thing that Gen Z shoppers look for in the products is ‘aesthetics’ and admittedly, fashionable design matters for 67% of them – more than that mattered to any other generation. Since this generation is always posting photographs, they prefer to be seen in clothes that do not have prominent brand logos. They do not want to be walking advertisement billboards. Retailers are already sensing this opportunity, and recently Target introduced a clothing line called Art Class, designed with the help of 10 trendy ‘Gen Zers’, with collections that refresh every four to eight weeks. Contrary to their social persona and love for the net, these Gen Zers love shopping in-stores for their personal styles. One may assume that this is good news for brick and mortar
It is widely accepted that Gen Z is even more attuned than millennials to issues like sustainability, and believes in its own power to make a difference. A major change being predicted is that fast fashion is going to turn to slow fashion, because this generation is not going to see the need to spend money. According to an IBM/NRF study, these young consumers have access to US $ 44 billion in buying power, with 75% saying they spend more than half of the money available to them each month. They’re very much willing to switch brands, and they’re demanding too. They’re also less swayed by traditional marketing techniques, like harnessing celebrity power, and they have gone from blockbuster celebrities to unlikely role models they see and connect with on YouTube. Another noteworthy characteristic of these young Gen Zs is that though they see the workplace as a battlefield where getting a good job is a priority, they are inclusive and tolerant of difference. They have grown up in a world where a black man was leading the country, women were in positions of power in the workplace and gay celebrities were role models in the open. Hence, they are not judgemental. Retailers are using these features to grab attention, as Gen Z is creating their own personal brand and not getting impressed by big names.
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Yet another US teen retailer ‘Papaya' files for Bankruptcy Papaya Clothing, owned by Cornerstone Apparel Inc., has become the latest teen fashion retailer to file for bankruptcy protection in the US. It has now joined the list of the other 11 mall-based chain stores such as American Apparel, Wet Seal, Sports Authority and PacSun that went bankrupt in the first half of 2017. The company, which expanded rapidly and opened around 50 of its 80 stores in the last six years, found itself with inadequate funds to address all of its financial obligations. “The expansion efforts took a heavy financial toll on the retail business operations of Papaya as it racked up construction and operating costs,” reportedly said Tae Yi, President and Chief Financial Officer of the company.
In addition, the dwindling store sales, as an outcome of a general industry-wide switch in consumer buying preferences – from ‘instore’ to ‘online shopping’ and the increased competition from the e-commerce sector – forced the fashion company to file for bankruptcy. It is pertinent to mention here that Papaya fetched more than US $ 134 million in sales last year and is eager to operate as a retail company instead of using bankruptcy (protection) to become a wholesale apparel company or an intellectual property licensor, the media reports claim. It has already closed 22 of its operational stores and further seeks support from the court to exit tenancies for 8 more stores. The shutting of stores will also lead to job loss of around 1,300 employees, who are currently employed at Papaya.
H&M to go ‘online' in India next year H&M, the Swedish multinational fast fashion brand, has decided to start its online operations in India by next year. The move is aimed at competing with Spanish rival Zara which will start selling online in the Indian market by the end of 2017. It is important to note that the Swedish fashion brand has outshined its Spanish rival Zara in India and managed to grab a huge market in just one financial year. Zara noted sales of around Rs. 842 crore for the year ending March 2016, while Indian arm of H&Mposted sales of Rs. 435 crore in six months from December 2016 to May 2017. After getting the prodigious response from Indian customers since its venture in India in 2015, H&Mhas also declared to open 50 more stores by 2020 with an investment of around Rs. 700 crore.
US Bankruptcy Court approves bids for BCBG The US Bankruptcy Court in New York has approved bids from Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group Holding to buy out struggling fashion label BCBG Max Azria for a total of US $ 165 million. The court order states that both the labels’ intellectual property rights as well as operational privileges for the 22 brick and mortal retail locations in Los Angeles will now be jointly succeeded by Global Brands and Marquee. The winning bid was placed on June 9, far before the June 20 deadline imposed by the court and a final approval to confirm the reorganization plan
for the brand is likely to be made by July 31. As is customary with bankruptcy procedures, several bodies offered bids to the court to gain financial interest in BCBG. However, the winning bid came from a group of four parties – Marquee tendered US $ 106 million for BCBG’s Intellectual Property Rights and Global Brands offered US $ 23 million for BCBG’s retail operations, e-commerce site and inventory. The outstanding US $ 36 million was covered by Hilco Global, an Illinois-based financial services business and Boston-based investment firm Gordon Brothers.
BCBG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 28, with more than US $ 460 million in debt and has closed 120 US stores that afflicted a loss of US $ 10 million in 2016. Now, BCBG operates around 71 standalone locations as well as 276 instore shops at retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Lord &Taylor and Macy’s – all of which have been operating profitably. The brand also has stores in Japan, France and Canada that may face closures if no corresponding deals are made in those countries.
KappAhl rolls out Q3 financial report Sweden-based KappAhl, one of the leading Nordicfashion chains with nearly 380 stores in Europe, has rolled out its financial report for the March-May 2016 quarter, announcing yet another commendable period for the company. During the period, sales of the fashion retailer increased by 1.8% to SEK 1,217 million as against SEK 1,195 million in the corresponding quarter last year and the operating profit was SEK 119 million up by 15.53% when compared to the same quarter of FY 2015-16. On the other hand, total sales zoomed 5.5% in the 9 months of the current financial year and over the rolling 12 months have contributed to sales growth of 6.3% with an operating margin of 8.3%. Meanwhile, the gross margin of the company was 63.7% as against
64.9% Y-o-Y and was negatively impacted by a higher percentage of clearance sales, changes in the range mix and a continued weak krona compared to the previous year. Danny Feltmann, President &CEO, KappAhl, commented, “The quarter started cautiously but picked up
In Q3. the gross margin of KappAhl was 63.7% as against 64.9% Y-o-Y and was negatively impacted.
towards the end. An aggressive market contributed to a higher percentage of discounted sales, which had a negative impact on the margin. Despite this, determined work on our new range strategy and pricing, and campaign strategy has led to yet another good quarter.”
NIKE clocks US $ 1 billion net income in Q4 and the Emerging Markets and strong growth in Sportswear and Running. Revenues from the Converse brand stood at US $ 554 million, up 10% on a currencyneutral basis, primarily driven by the market transition in Italy and growth in DTC, the company said.
American sportswear company NIKE Inc. has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending May 31, 2017. During the period under review, international geographies and the Direct-toConsumer (DTC) businesses globally led strong revenue growth for the retailer.
Net income for the quarter increased by 19% to US $ 1.0 billion due to global revenue growth, lower selling and administrative expenses and a lower tax rate which were slightly offset by a gross margin decline.
The retailer noted 5% increase in fourth quarter revenue to US $ 8.7 billion, up 7% on a currencyneutral basis. “NIKE continues to create both near-term wins in today’s dynamic environment and a lasting foundation for future growth. Through our Consumer Direct Offense, we’re putting even more firepower behind our
greatest opportunities in Fiscal 2018. It will be a big year for NIKE innovation and we’ll bring those stories to life through deeper consumer connections in our key cities around the world,” said
Mark Parker, Chairman, President and CEO, NIKE Inc. During the period, revenues for the NIKE brand were US $ 8.1 billion, driven by double-digit growth in Western Europe, Greater China
Revenues for NIKE Inc. in fiscal 2017 zoomed 6% to US $ 34.4 billion, up 8% on a currencyneutral basis, while net income during the year increased by 13% to US $ 4.2 billion.
SUSTAINABILITY HAVE YOUR SAY
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SAC geared up for 2020 vision W
we need to make a stronger global commitment to this.”
ith the aim of improving the social and environmental impacts of apparel manufacturing around the world, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) hosted its annual full-member meeting in Bangalore, which included 2017 SAC Manufacturing Forum and representatives (over 40 per cent) from the global apparel industry market. SAC is an industry wide group of more than 200 leading apparels, footwear and home textiles, brands, retailers, suppliers, and service providers, working to reduce the environmental and social influences of products around the world. The meeting expanded opportunities for dialogue among attendees against the backdrop of a nation that leads the globe in the sourcing of apparel and textiles. “For sustainability professionals, our work has become more urgent,” said Jason Kibbey, CEO, SAC, in response to the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, adding, “I’m more committed than ever towards SAC’s work.” The meeting highlighted that India as a producing country faces incredible resource constraints but at the same time, it also has a rapidly emerging middle-class which dictates the consumption patterns of tomorrow. The future is coming very fast for India and what happens here will be a strong indicator of this future for both people and the country. Talking about The Higg Index, the core driver of the SAC, Kibbey shared, “Through The Higg Index, we’re trying to make sustainability easier and much more scalable for the apparel and footwear supply chain. Our goal is to make tools that add value and make companies better for the manufacturers.” He
Jason Kibbey, CEO, SAC
Members of SAC in Indian Textile & Apparel Industry • Aditya Birla Group • Pratibha Syntex • Arvind Limited • KG Denim • Eastman Exports Global Clothing
further stated that implementing The Higg Index grants transparency to brands, retailers and manufacturers. Mutual benefits, including fewer audits, emerge for the entire supply chain. At SAC, striving toward increased transparency is a priority. Kibbey also urged the industry, during the meeting, to align on standardization through the use of The Higg Index. “In future, I envision that instead of focus on assessments, there will be focus on impact,” he emphasized, and added, “There will be support for Higg as a common language and the framework we use today. Instead of noise around transparency, we will have clarity. Now, more than ever,
Referring to SAC’s futuristic vision for 2020, it was specified in the meeting that SAC’s next three years will be spent on shaping the application of sustainability for the entire apparel and footwear industry by 2020 and beyond. Its goals include creating unprecedented business value and sustainability impact, letting consumers choose products based on trusted sustainability information, developing Higg as a harmonized industry standard, achieving transparency in the value chain and having SAC as a leading platform for change. Nevertheless, it was also highlighted that reaching this goal is like climbing a mountain. However, Kibbey optimistically shared, “We’ve now been climbing to this ‘future’ for a few years, and while it may seem like we’re still getting started at the top of the mountain, our 2020 vision is within reach. If we stop climbing, we risk being stuck in a perennial CSR purgatory, always making a good effort but with insufficient tangible positive environmental and social impact.” Kibbey also envisioned that in future, while there will be more and more apps, labelling programmes and Government transparency requirements, there will not be any common language. Transparency will be everywhere, yet clarity and reliability will be nowhere. Therefore, he believed that instead of approving new versions of The Higg, efforts to achieve perfection would lead to unnecessary delays and a loss of confidence. A worried Kibbey stated, “The Industry and its stakeholders would not come together with a common point of view towards the Government. We would not stand up for one
NGOsWILLCONTINUETOPRESSURECOMPANIESTOGETBETTER,BUTTHEYWON’THAVETO CAMPAIGNONNEWISSUESEVERYYEAR.THEYCANEASILYASKFORIMPACTIMPROVEMENT USING THEHIGGANDHOLD THEVALUE CHAINACCOUNTABLE. standard, i.e. The Higg, but instead we would see a mushrooming of country-specific assessments with a global cost and little impact. For Transparency, we would not align around a common standard, timeline or method. The market would fill in the void with confusing apps, new certifications, logos and regulations. As for Equal Partnership, we would fail to recognize the shortcomings of auditing, which alone cannot solve the problem. We would not create a culture of respect, and neither let great improvement opportunities go in waste.” On the other hand, adopting the latest versions of the Higg would let the overall industry see meaningful improvements by 2020. There will be several advantages that will follow, such as instead of focusing on ‘assessments’, there will be a focus on ‘impact’. There will be standardization and demonstration of impact improvements to give legitimacy to Governments to support The Higg as a common language and align country-specific assessments around common frameworks such as the OECD’s due diligence guidance. NGOs will continue to pressure companies to get better, but they won’t have to campaign on new issues every year. They can easily ask for impact improvement using The Higg and hold the value chain accountable. Manufacturers and brands will work closely in equal partnership to scale innovation and better performance. Success in equal partnership will be demonstrated by the fact that the financial benefits will be spread throughout the value chain to incentivize more sustainability investment. Consumers and other stakeholders will compare products and companies against one another using a common transparency language.
Eastman Exports joins SAC
Well-managed factory of Eastman Exports
Tirupur-based leading apparel export house, Eastman Exports, has recently joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and will use its sustainability measurement tool, ‘The Higg Index’, to drive environmental and social responsibility throughout its supply chain. This initiative of Eastman Exports is really important as with SAC’s membership, it is now a part of over 200 global brands, retailers and manufacturers, as well as Government, nonprofit environmental organizations, which are collectively committed to improve the supply chain sustainability in the apparel, footwear and textile industries. “We are pleased to be joining the SAC. This will have a positive impact on product sustainability over time, which will fuel our organization’s strategy and leadership in sustainability. Also, it will become a model for how industries can collaborate to share best practices and technologies globally to make a positive impact on value chain performance,” shared S. Alagesan, VP, Quality Assurance, Sustainability and CSR of Eastman Exports. Being in relationship with the SAC, Eastman Exports will contribute both data and resources to support The Higg Index, which measures the sustainabilityperformance
and drives the supply chain transparency and decision-making for better efficiency and sustainability impact. (The Higg Index is an open sourced, indicator-based tool that allows suppliers, manufacturers, brands and retailers to evaluate materials, products, facilities and processes based on environmental and product design choices). “We welcome the addition of Eastman Exports to the SAC, and look forward to their participation in this industrywide effort towards sustainability,” said SAC’s CEO Jason Kibbey, adding, “Having Eastman Exports as part of the Coalition, widens the scope of our impact within the industry and accelerates the change we’re making towardsresponsible industry actions.” Eastman Exports with its continuous rapid transformations keeps sustainabilityat the core of its business. All their programmes and processes revolve around the 3Ps (People, Planet and Profit). The company also has a sustainability leadership team and strategy, focusing on individual elements of environment. Additionally, it has a very strong chemical management system with integrated in-house capability to test a wide range of chemicals.
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AMSilk gets TÜV SÜD certification AMSilk GmbH, the world’s first industrial supplier of synthetic silk biopolymers for use in textile products and medical devices, has received certification according to DIN EN ISO 13485:2016 by TÜV SÜD, a leading testing, certification and training company, for its quality management system.
Moreover, TÜV SÜD re-certified AMSilk regarding conformity with the international standard ISO9001:2015. Jens Klein, CEO, AMSilk said, “We are very pleased that our high standards regarding safety and product quality have been reconfirmed by the TÜV certification. As AMSilk is planning to further reinforce and develop its medical technology business unit, especially the certification according to DIN EN ISO 13485:2016 is an essential milestone in the development of best-in-class products.”
The certification confirms thatthe company is a qualified supplier for medical device manufacturers and that it implements stringent industry standards concerning safety and reliability of its products as well as the required risk management procedures.
Vietnam saves millions WRAP launches via sustainability Sustainable Clothing initiatives Guide International Financial Corporation (IFC) has launched a US $ 9.9 million project to assist Vietnamese garment and textile companies in enhancing resource efficiency and thereby saving US $ 15 million by minimizing the consumption of water, energy and chemicals. IFC made this announcement at a recently concluded workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City. Under the programme, the selected 28 suppliers of VF and Target Corporation, who have invested the said US $ 9.9 million, are in cutting, sewing, dyeing, printing, laundry and other garment washing operations. By implementing a combination of low-cost and more complex factory projects, these suppliers achieved average water and energy savings of
more than 20 per cent. Once all the recommendations under the project are implemented along with an additional investment of US $ 26 million in new equipment, the targeted enterprises will save up to 2.8 million c3m of water and 5,62,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year in the next two years. “The results of the project in the first stage have proven economically efficient, thanks to the saving of resources,” averred Kyle Kelhofer, Country Director, IFC for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Kelhofer further added that with the growing economy and the growing industry, measures to increase resource efficiency in the garment industry will open up important opportunities for Vietnam to boost sustainable growth in the private sector.
UK-based Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which works with businesses, individuals and communities to achieve a circular economy by helping them reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way, has launched a Sustainable Clothing Guide to support brands and retailers to enhance the durability and quality of the apparels they produce. The Guide shares simple steps to best practice on how to design, produce and sell sustainable clothing that last longer and which can easily be repaired and re-used. “We encourage designers and product technologists within brands and retailers to use this Guide as part of their daily work to embed durability at the product
design and development stages,” as stated in a statement issued by WRAP. Working together, the clothing industry can pioneer sustainability throughout the lifecycle of clothing. WRAP’s research – ‘Valuing our Clothes’ – found that the most significant opportunity to reduce carbon, water and waste is to increase the active life of clothes. Extending the life of clothes by nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 4-10 per cent, it added. The Guide states that Durability drives Quality, which safeguards against garment failure; strengthens brand reputation; and cements customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Burberry funds university to develop sustainable materials A fund of £ 3 million has been granted by the Burberry Foundation to Royal College of Art (RCA) to start Burberry Material Futures Research Group, jointly established by the two to invent more sustainable materials, reduce waste, advance manufacturing and transform consumer experience. It will be the first explicit ‘STEAM’ research centre at a traditional art and design university. The grant also includes £ 750,000 to expand the existing Burberry Design Scholarship at the RCA, to help more students from the
UK and the EU to reach their full potential regardless of their financial circumstances. The Burberry Material Futures Research Group will deliver the academic vision for materials science research outlined in the RCA’s strategic plan 2016-2021. It will act as a virtual centre until it moves to a permanent home in the RCA’s new building in Battersea, designed by Herzog &de Meuron, scheduled to open in 2020. “The Group will cover a broad scope of work, from researching and developing more innovative
sustainable materials to designing new manufacturing methods, as well as nurturing and supporting even more British-
trained design talent,” commented Christoper Bailey, Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Birla Cellulose's Vilayat unit bags FSC C-o-C certification The Vilayat Unit of Birla Cellulose, a division of the Aditya Birla Group and a world leader in speciality viscose staple fibres (VSF) in Gujarat (India), has received the FSC Chain of Custody (C-o-C) certification. With this, Vilayat has become the company’s fourth fibre unit to get the FSC certification. The assessment was done by SGS India – world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.The other units to get this certification are Kharach Unit in Gujarat, PT Indo Bharat Rayon in Indonesia and Birla Jingwei Fibres Company in China. What is worth mentioning here is that all the pulp units of Birla Cellulose are certified for one of these key certifications, i.e. Sustainable Forestry Initiative
(SFI), Forest Stewardship Council C-o-C and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
“FSC certification is an important step and in line with our Wood Sourcing Policy to procure raw
material from certified sources. We are also one of the first cellulose fibre producers to complete a CanopyStyle audit conducted by Rainforest Alliance which confirms Birla Cellulose fibre supply chains are low risk
for sourcing from ancient and endangered forests or other controversial sources. FSC C-o-C is another milestone in our sustainability journey,” said Dilip Gaur, Managing Director, Grasim Industries Ltd.
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AHMEDABAD: RAPIDLY GROWING GARMENT HUB W
ith multiple crowns to add to its glory like the textile state of India, the denim capital of India, Gujarat, at present, has a textile market of around US $ 25 billion and contributes nearly 12 per cent to India’s textile exports. The list is quite long and impressive as Gujarat covers the entire supply chain right from cotton production to textile machinery. And now, Ahmedabad, one of the biggest textile hub and the largest city of Gujarat, is growing as a garmenting hub. The companies based here, and working in an organized way, are in the process of huge expansion for garments, while some of them are taking the IPO route. There are emerging garment manufacturers purely focusing on the domestic market but having state-of-the-art manufacturing units. Some of them are also having expert technical consultants working with them. The vertical integrated companies are already going strong in garmenting, and are further diversifying and adding new product categories, expanding both into export as well as domestic market. Team Apparel Online visited these
Suresh P. Bagrecha, CMD, Komal Texfab
companies to understand their growth strategy in this booming garmenting scenario. In textile segment for last six decades, CA Patel Textiles, entered into casual and semi-casual shirt manufacturing just six months before for its own brand ‘ITALFIC’ with 200 stitching machines. It further plans to install 800 stitching machines in the next two years. Manufacturing millions of garments per month, offering an entire range of fashion garments, Komal Texfab is now diversifying into jeans and ethnic wear manufacturing with an investment of nearly Rs. 50 crore. It is also going to double its circular knitting capacity which is currently 200 tonnes per month. Globe Textiles India Ltd., manufacturing 2 lakh jeans (majorly basic as well as semi-fashionable) for the Indian and the overseas market, is also increasing its stitching capacity. Kolkata based brand, AppleEye recently tied up for 25,000 garments per month with one such Ahmedabad-based company. Two years old, Bubble Bee Export House, which had seen 200 per cent growth last year,
is in the process to install 250 stitching machines. These are ample examples which prove Ahmedabad’s strength in garmenting. There is no doubt that Gujarat, or even Ahmedabad, has a strong availability of cotton fabric since a long time, reasonably good labour availability, State Government support which motivates entrepreneurs to move forward. Already going strong in processing and manufacturing of home furnishing products, apparel is theonly segment which was not explored in Ahmedabad, and hence companies in this city are naturally moving towards this. Processing/printing, yet another strength ofAhmedabad, is also one of the reasons for knitted garments’ growth here. “Garmenting was already here in Ahmedabad but it was majorly for the domestic market and the unorganized market. However, since last few years, it is growing in an organized way because only garmenting is left to be ventured further. We have everything required for support structure, right from yarn to finishing in surrounding areas,so
Yash Patel (L), Director, Shirting Fabric & Garment Division with Swapnil Patel, Director from CA Patel Textiles
garmenting was a natural option for companies like us. Further growing domestic market with organized retail is also attracting top companies to come up in garmenting. All chain stores or retail giants are already associated with this hub, so there is as such no challenge for us in garmenting,” states Suresh P. Bagrecha, CMD, Komal Texfab. He further added that there are hardly any top exporters across India who do not take fabrics/printing support from Ahmedabad, so they tend to have a fair idea about the fabric required for export. Komal Texfab Group that started in 1981, entered into garmenting in 2008 and now has two units. The company is strong, both in export and domestic market with regard to garmenting. Currently, it is having an order of Rs. 60 crore from the domestic market. Having a total turnover of Rs. 200 crore in the last fiscal, the company is expecting more than Rs. 250 crore in the current fiscal. Apparel business constitutes 50 per cent of the company’s turnover. Even Swapnil Patel, Director, CA Patel Textiles, shared,“We already have strength in cotton fabric, which is 60 per cent cost of the garment. This strength motivated us to start shirts manufacturing. Other apparel hubs are sourcing fabricfrom this city and growing well, so whycan’t we? Our existing strong retail network is supporting us in marketing which enables us to have more margin with less efforts and less investment in garmenting. Our focus for expansion will be garmenting primarily as we will start tees, trousers, etc. The garment manufacturers to whom we supply fabrics across India are willing to start units here.” He further added that good business environment, proper infrastructure like enough electricity is another motivation for the company to start garmenting. At present, CA Patel Textiles is having an annual business of Rs. 300 crore and is expecting growth of at least 30 percent. AOI also got a chance to have more information on this rising garmenting business from Bhavin Parikh, CEO, Globe Textiles India Ltd. who
briefed: “In the last few years, textile business has strengthened across India. In Ahmedabad, the focus has shifted towards apparel. Thecapacities have already been enhanced at the fabric level and now we want to cover the entire value chain, so things are in motion. We are also getting lot of support from State aswell as Central Government for the same.” He informed that his company has four verticals, namely apparel, printed fabrics, denim fabrics and recently it started home furnishing also which is nearly 5 to 10 per cent of its total business. Its apparel domain started in 2006 and is now 35 to 40 per cent of the entire business of the company. In the last fiscal, it had a turnover of Rs. 190 crore and it is expecting 15 per cent growth this year and 25 to 30 per cent in the next few years.
Bhavin Parikh, CEO, Globe Textiles India Ltd.
SMOOTH LABOUR HANDLING It is easy to manage labour in Ahmedabad as there are no union issues which makes working smooth. But labourers here have an entrepreneur mindset and after few years of experience and resources, some of them start their own jobwork or similar kind of business at a small level. But companies are managing it effectively, like CA Patel Textiles which is giving incentives to the workers, and that too despite piece rate, is also training operators to increase productivity and keeps motivating them. It even runs programmes in nearby villages to bring labour to the factory apart from offering them living space at discounted rates, transportation, etc. More than 60 per cent of the work strength of Globe Textiles have been associated with it for more than a decade. “We put in a lot of efforts to retain the operators and give them the best working environment. We hire freshers too and give them proper training. We prefer to work from the bottom to the top,” stated a proud Bhavin. He even confirmed that the company has very less absenteeism which helps to solve the cost issue.
Prashanta Kumar (R), Garment Division head, CAPatel Textiles claims that only his organization is using advanced sleeve placket pressing machine of Ngai Shing in Ahmedabad. The company plans to further invest in TukatechCAD
GARMENTING IN-HOUSE Spread in 38 hectares, Ahmedabad Apparel Park, GIDC, has proved to be a big support for the garmenting units of the city. Apart from strong infrastructure, the labour availability is comparatively easy in this location. Komal Texfab and Globe Textiles India Ltd. also have their units here.
The nature of textile business in Ahmedabad is majorly outsourcing as very few players are vertically integrated, but the good thing is that in garmenting, they have most of the processes in-house be it cutting, product development, stitching or finishing. “With regard to fabric, we are cost-effective compared to big mills as they have their overheads compared to our weavers and process houses. Our strong network, vast experience, quite open sourcing, bulk purchasing power help us in managing costs,”
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ON THE PATH OF GROWTH Buying office support Not only manufacturers, but even buying office‘s support structure is emerging in Ahmedabad, but is very limited so far. Amit Gordhandas, MD of Dassani Global Group, Ahmedabad, shared, “We book the lines at the factories rather than placing order one by one and controlling the production. We have clients in Europe, South America and Africa, who support from trend forecast to final delivery.” The company offers entire range of garments and accessories. It is associated with 35 apparel manufacturers across India.
Niche segment too Some of the companies here are also doing very niche segments. Like Samvit Sarabhai, Director, Rajka Designs, said that the company started home furnishing with specialization in artisan work based in Kutch and Rajasthan. “In our garments, we mainly use handmade fabric like khadi, handloom with hand embroidery and offer contemporary design but with Indian roots. We are working with clients like Muji from Japan and Designer Guild from UK with a capacity of nearly 5,000 pieces per month,” he stated confidently.
Young generation coming in New generation is also entering into apparel business and is quite geared up for the future aspects just as LMNO (Life Means New Options) online brand started by Aayushi Chiripal. Just six months old, this initiative is having full support of textile giant, Chiripal Group. It is a serious effort to connect with the younger generation directly and to offer same and even more strong spirit, accurate size compared to any international brand in India.
Own store in overseas Two-year-old Bubble Bee Export House offers semifashionable ladies garments and exports 80 per cent of its production to the Middle East. Having 17 retail outlets of its associates in Kuwait, the company is having its own associated manufacturing in Tirupur and Jaipur. “I started to support ourstores but later we got more overseas buyers as well as Indian retailers, just because of good set-up. We are geared up for expansion,” said Murtaza, MD of the company.
Jeans manufactured by Globe Textiles India Ltd.
reasoned Swapnil. The company sources 30 to 35 lakh metres of fabric per month. He further added that rather than focusing on backward integration and investing more, it is better to focus on marketing and the forward side which is garmenting. But Suresh strongly insists that their vertical system supports in reduction of costs and quick deliveries.
INCLUSION OF ORGANIZED RETAILERS, FOR EXPORTS AND OWN BRANDS In Ahmedabad, players like CA Patel Textiles are focusing on domestic market and want to develop their brands for better margin rather than going for contract manufacturing in export. Even manufacturing for organized domestic retail giants is not their priority. Complication of exports is another reason for this shift in thought. While Komal Texfab is strong in exports as well as domestic, Global Textiles is working for Landmark Group in India as well as Dubai, along with other overseas buyers. Many more small- and medium-level companies are actively exporting garments.
Impressive shopfloor of Globe Textiles India Ltd.
TRANSIT TO POLYESTER IS NOT ESSENTIAL Be it knits or woven, most of the companies doing garmenting in Ahmedabad are majorly into cottonbased garments and they have no interest or plan to focus on polyesterbased or blended garments. Will it not make them lose the growth happening in this segment as it is developing fast? Local industry does not think so. Suresh justifies such a stand saying, “Companies like
ours are already full with orders of cotton-based fabric and garments, we don’t have even time to think about polyester. Surat is already strong in polyester and there is no need for Ahmedabad to divert in similar direction.”
Strong Apparel Manufacturers in Ahmedabad • Arvind Mills • Ashima Group
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE MORE…? Industry accepts that bringing overseas buyers to Ahmedabad is comparatively difficult, but events
• Komal Texfab
• CA Patel Textiles • Artex Apparels • Aura Herbal Textiles • Sunstar Apparels • Rajka Design
Casual shirts by CA Patel Textiles, ‘ITALFIC’ brand
like Textiles India will be definitely helpful in this regard. For fabric, already a chunk of overseas buyers keep coming to the city. Companies have understood that at this level, they need to put extra fuel to go overseas and meet buyers. “We have to think of getting buying houses of Delhi-NCR and Bangalore to visit Ahmedabad frequently as it is very important to grow in export,” adds Suresh. He stresses that better price and improved service can also be solutions in this aspect. Suresh himself is very much keen about R&D. Most of the apparel export from Ahmedabad is into Middle East countries rather than US, EU or other countries. One of the reasons for this is that Ahmedabad is not quite viable since competitive exporting countries have duty advantages in US and EU. But local exporters feel that with the growing apparel manufacturing capacities, more and more companies of Ahmedabad will also be able to cater to bulk buyers. It can be taken as a positive indication that some entrepreneurs accepted and insisted that the city needs to change its mind set, skill set for export specifically, only then it will be able to challenge other established apparel exporting hubs in India.
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Review Textiles India 2017
Spotlight on fabrics of India… Garmenting not in focus I
Eye-catching, but busy, booth of Vardhman Textiles Ltd.
Ginza Industries Ltd. also had good visitation in the fair
n a mega event that caught much attention of even the mainline media, Textiles India 2017 was prompted and developed on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “From Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion and Fashion to Foreign Exports”, saw a convergence of the who’s who of the textile value chain. Held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the event was a balance of many expressions – from round table conferences to workshop sessions to a grand fashion show – depicting the ‘Weaves of India’, and not to be overlooked by the 10 halls of exhibition space, housing players from all aspects of the chain, from cotton farmers to garment exporters. There was a great expectation, as usual, from the PM’s inaugural address at Mahatma Mandir, about one-and-a-half kilometres away from the exhibition venue, but the industry did not receive any significant announcement. “We were expecting at least something significant at such an important event, but the PM stayed focused on the theme of Indian textiles without making any announcement that could have brought cheer to the VIP gathering,” said Sanjay Jain,
“Just being short-listed to showcase my handloom collection, is an honour,” – Designer Manish Tripathi, who heads the iconic menswear brand Antardesi.
MD, TT Industries. During his address, the PM urged the industry to invest more in innovation and research that could boost textile exports. Putting a thrust on organic products, Narendra Modi said, “We should catalogue and map our clothing diversity and clearly earmark strengths and specialties of each state or region. Each state should appoint nodal officers dedicated to a few wellknown products, who would facilitate producers and traders across the value chain. Today, there is a demand for products with zero carbon footprints as holistic lifestyle has become a buzzword. The market for organic dyes, clothes and fabrics made from organic products is growing. Our effort should be to innovate in organic products. I call upon you to come, invest and ‘Make Textiles in India’.” During the three-day event, the textile sector witnessed the signing of 65 MoUs in various segments. The ongoing conferences were a delight for those looking at much more than products. At a conference on ‘India as a Global Sourcing Hub &Investment Destination’, Gautam Nair, Managing Director, Matrix Clothing, brought up the concerns regarding GST. “The
I hope that we will be able to build this event into something much larger in years to come.” – Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Group
Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving greetings from audience after he visited Theme Pavilion/Hall No. 1. Gujarat CMVijay Rupani; Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu; Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani; Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta; and Textile Secretary Ananth Kumar are also seen in the picture
GST implementation has brought in serious uncertainty, particularly to exporters. Will we be refunded all the embedded taxes, what about those taxes not covered under GST?” he questioned. He added, “Whereas a bulk of the world market is into synthetics, India competes in cotton and related segments, while China straddles the whole market place. Labour laws are a huge constraint deterring large-scale corporate investment and the sector gets no duty advantage from EU and Canada, unlike our competitors like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh.” As part of the event, two fashion shows were staged. The first one was on the ‘Evolution of Textiles of India’ to present a compelling story of the Textiles of India; and another was the ‘Indian Handloom Show’, which presented the story of the India Handloom brand initiative launched by Prime Minister Modi on National
Handloom Day in 2015. Many wellknown and young upcoming designers showcased their collections with pride. “Just being short-listed to showcase my handloom collection, is an honour,” said designer Manish Tripathi, who heads the iconic menswear brand Antardesi. Manish is National advisor to the Ministry of Textiles for India Handloom Brand and has set his eyes on developing modern interpretation of Maheshwari fabric to support the weavers for more commercial business. For the designs and colour palette of his collection, Manish took inspiration from the picturesque forts and palaces of Maratha queen Rajmata Ahilya of Maheshwar and the flora from tropical forests of Madhya Pradesh. To add to the details in the garments, mukaish, hand and machine embroidery, block prints, and few other intricate techniques were used.
Textiles India was good enough in terms of round table discussions as they covered numerous aspects of the entire supply chain and experts from across the globe participated in these discussions. Many top ministers and bureaucrats were also involved in various sessions and they discussed how their ministries can work together with MoT/textile industry.
“W e are very happy to be here as it gives us an opportunity to network with the industry and also meet our ‘buyers’, the garmenting segment for fabric and textile mills for yarn under one roof.” – Yatish Pandey, Chairman and Managing Director, Texperts India
The event saw great appreciation from all quarters for brand ‘Textile India’ with all major names in textiles represented at the event. “India is such a large textile and apparel manufacturing country, there is so much skill in this regard. I think this event is helping to see all the strength of textiles that exists in India. I think people will take some learning out of here and we will see more and more people look at other opportunities. One of my exporter-friend shared that he could not believe that India does so many things. I think MoT has looked out for the strength of Indian textile industry and has led from front in trying to bring everybody under one roof. I hope that we will be able to build this event into something much larger in years to come,” said Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Group. He was at the event with his sourcing and buying team. “Three days are too less to identify and hold partnership meetings but it’s a beginning. As we are growing our business substantially in the country, we are looking for new manufacturers, new partners. This is going to be a good event for us as we will be able to connect with many new suppliers,” he added. Sadly, while textiles was a major thrust area, the garmenting segment was not brought into the limelight. This was clearly reflected in the satisfaction level of the participants of both segments. “We are very happy to be here as it gives us an opportunity to network with the industry and also meet our ‘buyers’, the garmenting segment for fabric and textile mills for yarn under one roof,” said Yatish Pandey, Chairman and Managing Director, Texperts India. The same sentiment was shared by most of the textile companies, who felt that their participation at the event was successful. On the other hand, garment exporters were very unhappy as foreign buyers were very few and not many of them were big buyers’ worth mentioning. However, everyone agreed that the concept was interesting and had potential if done properly.
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BIG DOMESTIC BRANDS WELL REPRESENTED... INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WERE MOSTLY NEW BUYERS The domestic buyers were from various departments of the same organization representing different brands and product categories. Ekta Jain, Head Garment Technology & Quality, Westside (Trent Limited), Mumbai visited the show along with Umesh Nataraj, Technical Manager – Menswear, Flora Services (Trent Limited). Similarly, from House of Anita Dongre Limited, Mumbai, Himadri Datta, VP – Head Sourcing and Navin Kumar, Lead Fabric Sourcing & Planning, were also seen discussing business with the exhibitors. Similarly, a strong team from Future Retail Limited, Mumbai and some more such companies too visited the show. Ekta shared, “Our aim in visiting this fair is to understand the overall market; how retail market is moving towards new technology and what new is happening on the fabricand allied side. There were some valuable discussion forums in the event like ‘Size India’, so that we could have a better idea about the entire market situation and other retailers, and what new developments we could extract from here.” She further added that consistency of quality across all the vendors in the same buying frame is a major challenge in sourcing. “As concepts like artificial intelligence, industry 4.0, 3D printing is growing, we have to keep ourselves upgraded to that level and continue offering something new to our customers.”The company is running programmes for its vendors to educate them aboutquality. The fair was dominated with smalland medium-level overseas buyers; and some of who are just going to start their sourcing from India. For these people, it was their first ever visit to India. Some of the buyers were really enthusiastic about sourcing and were looking for further growth prospects. With the purpose to support a charitable foundation Freedom on Ice, Nepal, Laura Levtov,
Nancy Gichane Machira, MD, Magnificent Interiors, Nairobi, Kenya
Victoria Holmberg, Owner, Victoria Holmberg Vestidos, Buenos Aires,Argentina
Founder Director, Powerskating Academy, Toronto, Canada, is currently dealing with a Nepal-based factory and sourcing small orders. But she does have aggressive plans for India sourcing, “We want to sell across the world with focus on ice skating garments like hockey jacket, performance dresses and some value-added garments too. For this we are meeting some Delhi-based companies, where we will see their infrastructure and process. Iam looking for exclusive products and am excited to start sourcing from India.” She also stated that the fair shows the efforts that the Indian Government has put in, not just for the booths but even for education and awareness of the textile community.
Zaid Hashim, Director, WCHInternational, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Buyers, especially those who visited India for the first time and are not well aware about the overall textile strength of India, were quite happy with the show. Some of the products as well as the rich textile heritage of India really impressed them.
Running one store, Nancy Gichane Machira, MD, Magniftcent Interiors, Nairobi, Kenya is focusing mainly, on interior design and has clients into hospitality and medical sector dealing mainly into home furnishing items. Currently sourcing from China, Nancy, who will start sourcing from India soon said, “I want to enhance my reach into global marketsrather
Sandhya Lama (L), Director of Operation, Freedom on Ice, Nepal; and Laura Levtov, Founder Director, PowerskatingAcademy
Oliver Sarl, Villaret, Toulouse,France
than just focusing on Kenya. I am accessing similar platforms across the world where I can find suppliers as well as customers. I am increasing my communication with all perspective clients. This is my first visit to India and I found that India has good strength of fabrics.” Earlier sourcing from US, Victoria Holmberg, Owner, Victoria Holmberg Vestidos, Buenos Aires, Argentina, is now going to start sourcing from India and will focus on products like eveningwear and resort collection. She claims herself as a growing wholesaler buyer and it was her first experience to visit any fair in India. Zaid Hashim, Director, WCH International, Colombo, Sri Lanka, approaching new markets like New Zealand, Australia and England, is also in theprocess to start sourcing womenswear and accessories from India. Currently he is selling online, mainly in Sri Lanka. Some buyers who are already sourcing from India are fighting on the price front and it is a big concern for them. Sourcing womenswear and home furnishing products only from India, Oliver Sarl, Villaret, Toulouse, France, is a wholesaler and retailer as well. With 3 stores, he also caters to Japan, Russia, Scotland, Italy and England through his wholesale division. “Currently, we are sourcing very small quantity from India (30,000) pieces per year as price is a big challenge, but as I sell expensive pieces (starting Euro 12 to Euro 250), my overall sourcing from India is reasonable.” He further added that business is going to be very difficult, since one of the biggest problems is the large number of suppliers as well as retailers; so competition is growing at every level.
Textiles India 2017
The show must go on, but not in Gandhinagar… A big l e t - d o w n f o r I n d i a n a p p a r el e x p o r t e r s
A buyer taking the support of a wooden plank due to rainwater logging
W
ith high hopes, nearly 300 apparel exporters participated at Textiles India 2017 event, only to end up with serious disappointment in the absence of good number of buyers and decent basic amenities. No doubt, rain also played a spoilsport but many other controllable issues too created a mess for these exporters as well as overseas buyers. Apparel Online interacted with some of them and they were loud and clear about their bad experiences about this event. Some of the exporters even insisted
Rajat Agarwal, Partner, DS Exports
WHAT WENT WRONG • No proper and timely distribution of badges • Unavailability of quality hotels • Opening of the fair for public on the last day
• Kids selling tea in the fair
Garbage on day 1, at the back gate of Hall No. 6. It was removed on 2nd day
about not participating any more in this event if it occurs again at Gandhinagar. Even many overseas buyers were miffed over such anomalies. To explain a few of the failures that were evident, there was no proper and timely distribution of badges and no requisite infrastructure available, both at the fair and in the city (such as unavailability of quality hotels, poor connectivity with Ahmedabad where exporters were staying, lack of convenient food court at the event, etc.). To add fuel to the fire,
Harish Dua, (R) MD, KG Exports, Ludhiana with his team member Vinay
the opening of the fair for public on the last day additionally created a sense of commotion. Exporters were also very irritated seeing some kids selling tea in the fair and near the booths when the Indian apparel export industry is highly concerned and committed to follow compliance norms. Mumbai-based Adiba Fashions closed its booth in the afternoon on the second day itself. Mohammed Shaikh, Director of the company informed AOI, “Our industry friends pushed us to participate and assured
Jaya Bachwani (L), Merchandiser and Aastha Kapoor, Creative Director, Affordable Exports
about good footfall, but no buyers were to be seen, and only the local public was visiting the show. There was no point wasting time here and handling the local public.” Rajat Agarwal, Partner, DS Exports, Noida, highlighting womenswear and scarves at the fair, shared some similar views as he informed, “It was a very bad experience. Even on the second day, the local crowd was coming with no clue about this kind of setup. They were touching and pulling down our products, and even asking us for one single piece. We put in our effort, cost and time to make these samples. It was quite frustrating to see such behaviour of the public. Besides, when we were talking to the buyers, local people were interfering in our conversation…; now this was very disappointing… We exhibited because of the B2B nature of the fair, and not B2C. We sometimes felt we were probably in the wrong show and should not have been here. There were also no efforts towards cleanliness, be it rainwater logging or toilets, they were all in a mess.”
Some of the exporters even raised questions on the overseas buyers’ quality, as Harish Dua, MD, KG Exports, Ludhiana and President, Knitwear & Apparel Exporters Organization, Ludhiana, lamented, “It was our first ever participation in this type of sourcing fair but I am very much disheartened and will not participate again in this event. There were few buyers who were present for visiting purpose only and not for serious sourcing. I saw buyers waiting almost for three hours at the counter to get their reimbursement.
SHAHI EXPORTS, ORIENT CRAFT DID PARTICIPATE The show witnessed participation from top exporters of India like Shahi Exports, Faridabad and Orient Craft, Gurgaon. Both these companies have hardly ever participated in any sourcing event, especially in India. But they took part in this show to add on key buyers which they hoped would visit the fair, but team of Shahi Exports had a negative experience. Orient Craft displayed kidswear, sweaters, womenswear and it is observing more demand in schiffli embroidery and handwork in the markets. “None of the buyers we found here met our criteria as we are dealing with a comparatively different kind of clientele. So this fair was not for us, though we met few vendors here who wanted to get associated with us.” – Sachin Sureka, Marketing Manager, Shahi Exports
At some booths, rainwater was seeping through the roof, and exhibitors used dustbins for the same
I spoke to some buyers and tried to know about their order quantities, business etc., but they were unable to tell even these basic things.” Thus, he believed that it did not have any of the traits of an international fair. The company displayed Tees at Textiles India and is continuously expanding its production capacity. Aastha Kapoor, Creative Director, Affordable Exports, Delhi, discussed her perspective on the event, “The show was crappy, there was no sanitation; some people from the general public even vomited
“As it is the biggest Indian fair organized by Ministry of Textiles and was being inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself, we thought of participating in it. We met few importers and few brands of Belgium and Canada at this fair. We already work for such buyers, so for us the fair was reasonably good.” – Vijay Jaiswal, DMM, Orient Craft, Gurgaon
DISHEARTENED BUYERS “Why this show was shifted from Delhi to here? We had such a headache here. I will not come to this show anymore and will discourage everyone from doing the same. It is so inconvenient; I wasted full two hours in the morning to reach the place of fair. Last night, we were not able to find any conveyance to take us to hotel. Do you bring people from overseas to show this side of India? – Krishna Chowdary, KBM International Fashions, US “Overall mismanagement and delays created major issues. Registration process needs to be improved by focusing on less bureaucracy and less paperwork. Organizers should learn from Hong Kong Fashion Week about efficient event management.
Hema Khandelwal (L) and Vivek Khandelwal (R) from Patterns India with Richa Rawat, Manglam Arts (C)
– Kirit Rajani, Business Development, Be Global, Porto, Portugal
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PRADEEP NAHATA, MD, KARNI EXPORTS, JAIPUR, SHOWED A LONG HANDWRITTEN LETTER ADDRESSED TO MoT. HIGHLIGHTING ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED ISSUES, HE ASKED THE MOT TO GIVE BACK THE PARTICIPATION FEES WITH PROPER COMPENSATION BECAUSE THE FAIR WAS A TOTAL FAILURE FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW. HE TWEETED IN SERIES ABOUT THESE ISSUES TAGGING PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI.
Pradeep Nahata, MD, Karni Exports, Jaipur
near one of the booths, but nobody was there to clean-up. None of the councils took care of this. We are fed-up and are not going to come here again for sure.” She briefed that the organizing body was busy impressing the Prime Minister and managed the whole fair in a poor way.
Sachin Sureka (L), Marketing Manager and Vishaal Verma, Divisional Manager –Merchandising, ShahiExports
(L-R) – Pradeep Joshi, Merchandiser; Vijay Jaiswal, DMM and Prakash Bisht, Store in-charge, Orient Craft
Jitesh Chandra, Senior Fabric Manager, Trend Setters International, Delhi
Gujarat-based exhibitors were very much keen before the show as they had a strong belief that this mega event will promote Ahmedabad or even Gujarat in an international scenario, especially apparel manufacturing which is a growing segment, but things did not turn out well. Amit Gordhandas, MD, Dassani Global Group, Ahmedabad said, “On day one, some of the buyers left from the fair ground as they didn’t get their badges. I saw more than 150 overseas buyers waiting for the badges and they were so upset that they ‘shouted’ at the staff. We were here in an international show and the conditions we saw here were much lower than the general Indian standards. Many buyers even left the fair grounds to use decent washrooms elsewhere.” Exporters also raised questions on CII, the organizer of this event as well as Gandhinagar as a place for such a show. Vivek Khandelwal of Patterns India, Jaipur and Past President of Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan (GEAR), shared, “Gandhinagar is not the right destination for overseas buyers. Primarily it is an overseas show, and overseas buyers prefer to land directly in Delhi and have
a show there, rather than going to other cities via Delhi. Secondly, AEPC is a better organization with vast experience of organizing shows, but CII doesn’t have that kind of exposure or experience. General facilities and ambience here were not quite satisfactory; for example, halls were not interconnected. I don’t find any reason that why the show was done here.” Pattern India from Jaipur highlighted expensive embroideries, denims and yarn dyed in its display as Vivek feels that these three products are high in demand. Anant Jain, Partner, Ratan Textiles, Jaipur, also voted for Delhi being a better place to do the show and raised questions over the timing of the show as July-end was a better option. Jitesh Chandra, Senior Fabric Manager of Trend Setters International, Delhi stated, “Buyers were less in this show compared to Delhi-based shows while we were expecting more buyers because of the combined efforts of all export promotion councils.” The company used many value addition techniques like embroideries, lace work and printing in its collection. Pradeep Nahata, MD, Karni Exports, Jaipur, showed a long handwritten letter addressed to MoT. Highlighting all the above mentioned issues, he asked the MoT to give back the participation fees with proper compensation because the fair was a total failure from his point of view. He tweeted in series about these issues tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
TEX-FILE
Raymond UCO Denim evolving rapidly with strong focus on Product Development Raymond UCO Denim, one of the most respected names in the Indian textile industry and in the global denim space, recently completed two decades of its successful journey. With an annual global capacity of 50 million metres of denim fabric and catering to premium and premium plus segments, the company is creating a perfect balance between domestic and overseas markets with an almost equal share in both. Using 3 to 5 per cent of its total capacity on product development (PD), the company definitely has a forte in this area. While most of the denim mills across India or even globally are facing multiple issues of overcapacity and smaller order sizes, it is indeed remarkable to note that Raymond UCO Denim last year was able to increase its capacity by 15 per cent. In a candid discussion with Apparel Online, Arvind Mathur, CEO, Raymond UCO Denim, Mumbai and a pass-out from IIT and IIM, discussed about the company’s unique growth strategy that led to such a great success and other allied issues.
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aymond UCO Denim (50:50 joint venture with Raymond and European denim major, UCO NV of Belgium), which started with the goal of offering a versatile range for customers’ diversified needs and to be completely innovative, has made significant progress in its journey so far. Over a period of time, it has achieved a commendable track record of adding new things in denim. “If you look at the top 10 denim brands of the world, we are catering to 70 per cent of them. This is how we are placed and are able to compete in that space with the topmost denim fabric manufacturers of Turkey, China, Pakistan and other countries. Hence, we have a strong presence and are very much in tune with the global landscape. Raymond is one of the most respected names in the premium segments,” says Mathur, who as CEO, is responsible for the the overall success of the business. The company has stateof-the-art manufacturing units in Yavatmal (Maharashtra) as well as Giurgiu (Romania), though the major production happens in the Indian unit. It is also able to offer full package services with Everblue Apparel Ltd., Dodaballapur (Bangalore) which is a state-of-the art denimwear facility. Talking about the issues of overcapacity, adoption of buyers/ brands’ system to have minimum inventories, Mathur believes that overcapacity, although existent in the market, is not really indicative of a recessionary trend. “Yes, globally the denim business is facing challenges but there is still low single digit growth. Europe was
An Electronics & Telecommunications Engineer, and an MBA, Arvind Mathur dedicated his life to the textile industry as he worked for almost 3 decades, most of it outside India, for the famous thread company Coats. He proudly informed, “There has never been a dull moment in this industry. There was a time when people used to say that this is a ‘sunset’ industry, but I must say that there is a lot happening now, especially in the new era of technical textiles and digital technologies and processes. It is a thriving industry and there is no better place for this than India. When you go around and find people making things in a very different way, you always learn something new and this is what has kept me in the industry for so many years.”
Arvind Mathur, CEO, Raymond UCO Denim
going through a difficult phase but now it has kind of stabilized. Some European brands are showing real recovery which is an indication that the denim industry would continue to grow. Large developing markets such as China and India are contributing to this too. And in these circumstances, the mantra that
works for a supplier is how you can differentiate yourself from others.” He further adds that the other important thing is the way in which fashion and inventory levels are changing and the impact these are going to have on lead times, average order sizes and MOQs. According to Mathur, “Now everybody is
Ethiopia to open two industrial parks next month RAYMONDHASANNOUNCEDANINVESTMENTOFRS.1,400 CROREIN A PHASEDMANNERONITSNEWPLANTATAMRAVATI.COTTONSHIRTS, LINENANDDENIM,AMONGOTHERSWILLBEPRODUCEDATTHEPLANT, WHICHIS EXPECTEDTOBECOMMISSIONEDBYTHEENDOFTHISYEAR. THEAMRAVATIUNITWILLCREATEAROUND8,000 NEWJOBS.OUR GREENFIELDPROJECTINAMRAVATIIS LIKELYTOSTARTBYTHEYEAREND WITHANINITIALCAPITALINFUSION OFRS.200 CRORE. – GAUTAM HARI SINGHANIA.CMD, RAYMONDGROUP
expecting shorter lead times. While we have become more nimble and flexible, we have seen the demand for quick turnaround growing and our average order size reducing with time. In fact, speed carries the highest importance for us whether in the area of new product development or sampling or delivering bulk. We have put our maximum efforts in reducing any bottlenecks and improving capacities, processes and decision making and have so far been very successful in these initiatives. We have many longstanding and loyal customers and we have to offer them our best.” Mathur briefs that Raymond’s simple way of attaining an edge over others is to differentiate itself from them, be it in terms of product range, PD, processes or other such areas. Apart from being one of the leading companies in India with the best of technology, it is also credited for being the first company to have brought in ring denim. Highlighting Raymond UCO’s exceptional focus on PD, he shared, “3 to 5 per cent of our capacity is actually utilized to support PD initiatives. We have retained local and international talent and experts to manage the PD process effectively and are globally at par with the best in this sense. Both the Indian and International markets today demand a high level of PD support and it is growing. Throwing more light on this, Mathur avers, “When we look at the value chain from the yarn stage to the finishing, you can generate value addition at every step of the process, at the spinning and weaving stage in terms of construction of
your fabric and, as importantly, in dyeing and finishing. It is this value addition across the chain that defines what the final value is, i.e. whether a product is mid-range or premium or premium plus. You could focus more on one process and less on another but it is the final look and feel that defines whether the sum is greater than the whole.” Raymond’s vision, in the words of Mathur is, ‘To be the best in class globally’. He adds, “To maintain our competitive edge, we have to remain innovative and reliable in our offerings. Innovation is not rocket science. It is all about the choices you make in terms of the materials one uses, the processes applied and the attitude and belief system one espouses. We keep emphasizing internally the need to continuously observe, learn and enquire and not necessarily limit ourselves in this respect to the denim space. Our teams are always on the lookout for relevant technologies, systems and researches for learning and potential adoption.” Detailing his future perspectives, Mathur stated, “In terms of manufacturing, we increased our Indian capacity last year by close to 15 per cent. It is now completely stabilized and filled up. Looking forward strategically, Raymond UCO will now be working on an asset light model as a means to support growth of sales with high ROI.” Mathur specifies on a concluding note that his company has to grow above the market growth and keep pace with swift advancements in fashion and technologies.
The east-African nation, Ethiopia, is preparing to inaugurate two Chinese-built industrial parks next month. This was announced by the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), recently. The two parks named Mekelle Industrial Park and Kombolcha Industrial Park have been built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), respectively. Both the industrial parks are meant for the textile and garment industry and have been constructed at a cost of US $ 250 million. Ethiopia strives to be the hub of textile industries in Africa. It aims to develop world-class industrial parks with fascinating hard and soft infrastructure to earn US $ 1 billion by 2020 and provide ample employment opportunity for its estimated 45 million workforce. “There are about 10 ongoing or completed industrial park projects with plans to inaugurate four other industrial parks by the end of 2017,” said Sisay Gemechu, CEO, IPDC.
TN proposes textile park in Ramanathapuram Tamil Nadu Government recently has indicated that an integrated textile processing park has been planned to be set up in Ramanathapuram District in the state. The park will be set up at a cost of Rs. 150 crore with the Central Government grant. Upon being operational, the facility would have 30 textile processing units with a capital outlay of Rs. 450 crore and will create 6,000 jobs in the region. Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister MC Sampath commented, “We are in touch with the Central Government to execute this planned set-up at the earliest possible time,” adding, “The park would come on a 225-acre land in Manakudi village under Thiruvadanai Taluk.” Additionally, a desalination plant to supply water will also be established at the facility. In order to obtain grant from the Centre, proposal has been sent and approval is awaited, said the State officials. Furthermore, to receive the environmental clearance and Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearance for the project, the CRZ maps and study report have been submitted by the State to the CRZ Committee and project approval might come in the coming days.
DIRECTIONSBY
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he fashion system is currently undergoing a major evolution – a revolution –even in terms of where the identity of its various entities lies. Which season are we seeing? What is being presented? Are we at couture, pre-fall or resort? Do these garments fall under the category of ready-to-wear or made-to-measure?
DISRUPTIVE FLUX AT
Haute Couture… CHALLENGING CONVENTION
The world is in constant discussion regarding disruption as a way forward across various fields, and the fashion industry does not stay immune to it… A state of uneasiness and upheaval was evident owing to the disjoint happening at the Haute Couture Week, this season, which raised a question regarding the feasibility of couture in coming times and what it stands for today. Is it still about extravagance and glamour, or are we headed towards a more apparent shift for ready-to-wear collections in couture owing to the increase in the spending power of emerging markets? The latter is brought into perspective with the decision to welcome and include American talent with respect to ace design houses of Rodarte and Proenza Schouler, who were invited to showcase their collections at the prestigious Couture Week held exclusively in Paris, along with Peter Dundas. A move that certainly hints on a wider acceptance targeted towards the industry’s expansion but at the same time somewhat also takes away the allure and regality associated with haute couture. The fact that many of the presentations showcased ready-to-wear, daywear and experimental pieces – owing to avant-garde designers such as Maison Margiela, Iris van Herpen and Viktor and Rolf – signal a shift to an era that sees a rise in wearable streetwear inspired fashion. Not that any of these designersare lacking, but just that their fields are very different as opposed to haute couture in the traditional sense of the word. And thus the resulting reaction from the assemblage was one filled with curiosity, uncertainty, bafflement and awe – as all couture showcases are deserving of awe. This season saw a battle of wits between traditionalists and modernists coming full throttle to give birth to a yet unnamed branch of fashion that sits somewhere between the confines of couture and ready-to-wear – a universe which we shall have the honour of navigating our way through in the approaching seasons. FFT puts together 5 of the most thought-provoking presentations by designers who have contributed towards channelling the (conflictingly) apparent ‘shift’ in the industry, owing to their signature style, craftsmanship, workmanship and how they amalgamate the three to translate their genius into the world of haute couture.
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ounded by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, it was New York-based label, Proenza Schouler’s first outing for Couture Week in Paris for its Spring/Summer 2018 collection. “One collection, one world,” is how one half of the label Lazaro Hernandez described the collection which delivered in equal parts ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, along with a few resort influences as well. The duo put in hours researching on independent ateliers located within Paris that specialize in artisanal techniques,to collaborate with them for ribbon work, feather applications and hand-weaving. The brand stuck true to its signatures and focused on surface work, powdery looks and fluffy textures to inject a certain dose of French classicism. A heady romance of flared and tiered ruffles, corsetry inspired details, 3D appliqué florals and lace caressed shoulder baring silhouettes that were paired with generously slit skirts. Exemplary masterpieces of construction were presented via asymmetrical hems, corsetry-inspired details, hooks and eye closures, layering techniques and smartly executed exposure. Details included off-the-shoulder styles, trailing ribbons, lace embroidered flared pants, calf grazing floral and jacquard coats which were at times layered under leather bodices and halters. Asymmetric hook and eye corset tops over flapper style dresses were adorned with feather rings and 3D rosettes created out of ribbons. Smocking jackets that featured intricate handwork, skin-tight ribbed knitwear contradicted by leather corseted bralettes and lace and tulle dresses that featured draped ruffles along the front line, created the perfect blend of Americanism and French craftsmanship. This move comes in an effort to enhance their sales and to appeal to a larger gamut of clients and buyers internationally. “Currently a large percentage of the brand’s sales are placed during the pre-collection market with the smaller balance going to the runway delivery, which, in truth, is the heart and soul of the Proenza Schouler brand. This shift in strategy will ensure that Proenza Schouler’s runway collection, including both ready-to-wear and accessories, will be the focus of buys and get delivered to stores earlier, thus giving them a longer life at retail,” the company expressed in a news statement.
PROENZA SCHOULER SPRING 2018 READY-TO-WEAR
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alifornia-based fashion house, Rodarte, which normally showcases its collections at New York Fashion Week, was invited to the exclusive Haute Couture Week that is held in Paris biannually. Founded in 2005 by sister duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the label presented its Spring/Summer 2018 collection in Paris’s Cloître Port Royal Gardens, keeping up with its reputation of balancing equal parts of romantic with grunge-chic. A fantastical ambience overflowing with dreamy baby’s breath florals followed suit within presentational details – bouquets grazing across the floor, tiaras and crowns made of the delicate florals accessorizing subtle waves of hair and garlands draped like shawls balanced over elbows… has a certain sense of déjà vu à la garden gnome faeries enveloped you yet?
RODARTE SPRING 2018 READY-TO-WEAR
The duo injected a generous dose of dreaminess into the garments by including an abundance of frills and ruffles in a myriad of crop tops, asymmetrical dresses and skirts, adorning the shoulders and bust or just casually cascading down in tiers over semi-sheer numbers. Bringing the house’s exquisite workmanship to the fore, fabric manipulation in terms of leather studded with pearls, tiered into flounces; and ostrich feathers used abundantly in a riot of colours, balanced out the otherwise sheer bases of garments. Floral-print chiffon dresses and jumpsuits in a palette of pastels, nudes and magenta and lemon came as a surprising breath of fresh air from Rodarte’s usually bolder and deeper hues. Details such as floral appliqué, caviar beads and metallic bow shaped belt buckles, hair clips and arm cuffs exuded a feminine charm which was further highlighted through Edwardian collars laced at the edges. The sleeves were flouncy and puffed up – a revival of the leg-o-mutton it seems, while the semi-sheer and tulle dresses featured delicate embellishments, asymmetrical hems, off-shoulder silhouettes and self-designed lace that lent uniformity across the collection. Pearl studded low-waist leather pants coordinated with motocross jackets, whimsical crop tops and metallic bow belts, balanced alongside leather high shaft boots, portrayed the edgier side of Rodarte. The Rodarte woman of today channels in copious amounts of romantic yearning in a world overly overshadowed by its counterparts; a perfect example of an oyster with a hard exterior, holding within itself a magnificent heart.
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s summer waltzes into full spring, master dressmaker Jean Paul Gaultier, decides to conjure up a winter wonderland of sorts, for the presentation of his Fall 2017 couture collection. Garnering inspiration from far and wide, the designer assimilated his best skills and techniques that made it hard for us to point at one particular muse. We were treated to a plethora of textured and knit outerwear, oversized ski sweaters, metallic cropped puffer/padded jackets, velvet ski pants that featured sloganary details emblazoned across surfaces that read, ‘Santa Clothes’, ‘Anna Winter’ and ‘Be Polaire’.
But what came as an unmissable surprise was a blaringly evident Indian influence. Draped tunics and separates featuring broad and powerful shoulders and gossamer floor-length dresses strongly mimicked the traditional Indian sari in all its glory – styles even had the trailing end covering the top of the head in classic Indian fashion. There was a sheared black rabbit fur jacket encrusted with beads, a beaded Aran-knit sweater lined with mink, a quilted velvet coat that featured kimono sleeves balanced out with crepe dresses that were belted at the waist, which featured an asymmetric cowl and a velvet skirt suit embroidered with snowflakes, which flaunted immaculate tailoring. The inspirations were too much to chew on and to contain, but Gaultier takes his job seriously and did not fail to impress by the inclusion of details such as Swarovski, beaded and pearl embellishments sprinkled over tulles and knits, ostrich feathers and velvet flocking. Structure married fine tailoring in a shower of inspiration on a bright sunny day at Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall 2017 couture showcase.
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER FALL2017 COUTURE
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he design headquarters of the house, which used to be a religious academy in the 19th century and a technical school before Margiela made it his own, served as the perfect milieu for Galliano’s collection that was wholly inspired from, ‘the idea of new glamour’. In a preview before the main presentation, the designer explained how he wanted to reconnoiter the modern speed of glamour and talked of his woman saying, “She puts on a red lip, she grabs a humble coat in haste and is out.”
MAISON MARGIELA ARTISANAL FALL2017 COUTURE
The collection picked up the chaste elements of conventional glamour such as sharp red nails, high heels, a defiant décolleté, feathers and sequins – and really turned these up over their heads. Deconstructing basics and doing what both Margiela and Galliano have in common, the latter presented reinvented versions of ‘grab and go’ pieces, exploiting the trench coat and using each of its details like the belted waistline, cardboard beige colour and of course its manly vibe giving them his own twists. Keeping up with his distortive ways, he ribbed the trench’s gabardine to mirror corrugated cardboard; used translucent organza decorated with large paillettes to make frilly coat dresses; slashed out sleeves, cut out bustiers on moulded linocut dresses and used embroidery to create optical illusions around the bosoms. Cunningly peacocking between nonchalant mishmash and fastidious composition – he put crystal threads on tulle bodices, superimposed layers of fabrics together and not to forget the trifling exaggerations on tattered silhouettes to weave it all together. Intermingling these with Scandinavian intarsia sweaters in heavy cable knits and metallic cowboy boots all through the collections, he kept up the cohesive ad hoc appeal of the Fall/Winter 2017 couture collection.
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s the lines between fact and fantasy continue to blur out owing to the social and political happenings around the world, reality itself becomes surreal.
Enter master of surrealism, Iris van Herpen, who has inadvertently earned a name for herself in the universe that exists between the two cornerstones of tradition and technology. Known for her avant-garde techniques and sense of style, the Amsterdam based designer shifted her schedule to Paris on an invitation of the Fédération Française de la Couture in Spring 2011. The designer’s Fall 2017 Couture collection also marked her namesake brand’s 10th anniversary, for which she presented 18 futuristic looks that blurred the boundaries between allure associated with couture and the complexity of mind associated with scientific technology.
IRIS VAN HERPEN FALL2017 COUTURE
As per presentation notes, the collection explores ‘the nature and anatomy of air and the power of water’, and the fluidity characterized by both. Complex lazer-cutting techniques went hand-in-hand with heat bonding processes that translated themselves onto garments that were 3D moulded and fused into form. Harpen worked magically with barely-there materials such as tulle and organza to create masterpieces that mimicked the lightness of air and the surface of water. Wave-like patterns were created on floor-grazing gowns in organza by printing linear patterns over the translucent fabric which was then pleated to mirror the rippled effect associated with water. A short dress flaunted columns of silver lace which were laser cut and pleated in moiré patterned organza to create undulating ruffles, while in another piece, thin strips of silver were hand stitched into a turtleneck mini dress giving the illusion of being formed by liquid mercury. The most experimental piece came in the form of a dress which was crafted out of feather-weight metal wires that were cut into geodesic 3D flower patterns strewn together to create an installation-worthy costume. Often considered as parallel universes, fashion and technology are in fact inseparably connected, now more than ever before, and Iris van Herpen aims to explore the same concept in terms of reconciling the world of handmade with technology in the creation of haute couture.
FASHION BUSINESS
Ordinary Working Class grabs Menswear’s fancy Top 5 Prints and Fabrics fr om Men’s Spring/Summer 2018
Menswear shows just finished the touch down in the French capital and looking back at all the collections makes us quite dubious about what’s in store for Spring/Summer 2018. The notion of bending gender delineations has definitively come to the forefront in men’s fashion and designers have showcased surprisingly wearable collections through this season. The approach is more back-to-basics than ever; however, reinventing the same classics with an urban streetwear touch and not holding back on any femininity which can be called the theme of the season for our boys. When it comes to prints, it seems like every designer has plenty of tricks in their bags – from continuing the slogan rage of last season and reinventing their own brand logos to watercolour flowers and hearty leitmotifs, there is a print for every pauper this season. Sunil Kokare, Opera Clothing, elaborates on the season’s prints: “There is a huge variety in the patterning demands for Spring/ Summer 2018. We are working on everything from digital to yarn dyed prints making motifs like florals, geometrics or just abstract pigmented pieces. While the fabrics are called basics, the type of work buyers are getting done from India is very detail-specific as it seems like all the production of blanks has moved on to Bangladesh due to competitive costing.” Taking up a very no holds barred approach, the designers are working on simplistic fabrics like cotton poplins or even woollen blends and are going crazy with silhouettes and prints to create truly ground-breaking versions of our favourite bestselling styles. Even so, perhaps the most laudable feature of menswear this season was the casting of extremely diverse and unconventional models that bestowed a sense of reality upon the clothing. The collections danced the line between corporate boys and corporate boys on vacation so beautifully that we can almost forget how confused the direction of trends was looking this season. Spearheaded by designers like Demna Gvasalia who drew inspirations from typical dad-type outfits for Balenciaga and went photographing common people on the streets for his Vetements catalogue – the ‘ugly fashion’ movement is in full swing. While we get amply distracted by the ongoing haute couture shows in Paris and await the conclusion of men’s fashion season in New York, here are some of the hottest trends in prints and fabrics that we believe will go strong for men’s apparel in Spring/Summer 2018.
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With retailers attributing menswear its own rhythmic attitude and specific trends, men’s collections are finally at the centre stage in fashion apparel, and designers seem to still be trying to understand which tone they would like to adopt for this blooming market.
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1. STRAPPING STRIPES As the world tries to break walls and forge friendships beyond hypothetical barbed wires, the storyline of Boyne’s Holocaust novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, feels more relevant than ever. As if directly taking 8-year old Bruno from Nazi Germany as a muse, designers are presenting overall striped outfits, which take multiple directions and sometimes multiple thicknesses and line quality. Creating multitudes of layering in linear goodness are brands like Haider Ackermann with his slim fitted pant suit in monochrome artisanal stripes and Topman’s various shades of grey awning stripes on wrap jackets.
2. SURFING PARADISE Summer is synonymous with spring break and vacations by the beach. So to provide you with the right sartorial garbs for holidaying in 2018, designers are presenting various takes on the atypical Hawaiian shirt. Perhaps the muse here is Charlie Sheen, as we
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have seen every collection as well as the street style set in fashion weeks embracing the gusto of this Aloha shirt in variations that go far and wide covering everything from pineapples to voodoo dolls. Designers are taking the book of surfing and tearing off pages at their own fancy, where Paul Smith illustrated the marine life and Louis Vuitton went for glittering botanical route.
3. MATHLETES As another effort to make fashion more realistic and closer to the lives of common people, designers are using mathematical tiles paying homage to geometry as the repetitive pattern du jour. Given that Maths isn’t exactly everyone’s strong suit in school, and no one really likes proving those theorems, isometric tessellations and inventive hexagons, triangles and circles are surprisingly taking the men’s season by a storm. From bold blocks of hexagons at Pigalle and mixing 2D with 3D views at Joseph, to the overcast isometric cuboids and patterns at Dries Van
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Noten – mathematics is fashion’s new favourite subject.
4. EVERYBODY’S POLLOCK Maybe it is the easiest place to draw inspiration for fashion but art, being the perfect representative of whatever is happening in the world, is always the go to bank of prints for every fashion brand. However, this season’s art decoration mostly parlays in the district of abstract expression with Jackson Pollock seemingly being the helping hand to every design dilemma and contemporaneous digital art styles like photocopy monochromes, scrawled collaging as well as handwritten doodles. From 3.1 Phillip Lim’s carpenter splatters of paint to Yohji Yamamoto’s ad hoc, nonchalant colour dispersion on crisp formal businesswear, Pollock is probably looking down at men’s season with a big smile on his face.
5. LOGO DADS Throwbacks have become a fashion mainstay of late and while we did see
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The collections danced the line between corporate boys and corporate boys on vacation so beautifully that we can almost forget how confused the direction of trends was looking this season. Spearheaded by designers like Demna Gvasalia who drew inspirations from typical dad-type outfits for Balenciaga and went photographing common people on the streets for his Vetements catalogue – the ‘ugly fashion’ movement is in full swing.
a bunch of referencing to post-’90s trends, the strongest symbol returning from the decade is the big ol’ sportswear like supersized centrally placed logos. The name dropping ‘Logomania’ trend was all the rage and fashion, as it is always doomed to repeat itself and has made the same trend cool again. Retro and colourful is the key to reworking logos, with Martine Rose’s creaming up of MTV’s old logo, MSGM’s typographic play-up as well as brands like Versace, Balenciaga and Dior Homme – all going for hyper visible logos.
6. MILD DENIM Since the season’s colours are bending all the way down to neutrals and candy land pastels, it seems highly appropriate that designers are using the powdery blue of mildly washed denim as the fabric of choice this summer. From oversized jackets and straight fit jeans to working class jumpsuits, head to toes denim was seen just about everywhere and we hardly saw any overtly distressed versions of it either.
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Light and bright was the denim mantra of the week where designers like Facetasm, Julien David and Tod’s were all in firm agreement.
7. TECHNO NYLON Nylon is not just for streetwear and athleisure segments anymore. A slew of designers and fashion labels are becoming increasingly receptive to synthetic fabrics, whether it is the sporty approach with oversized jumpsuits and shiny track suit combinations or the more practical vibe with oversized parkas and bomber jackets – techno nylon is looking great this season. With the ‘office-core’ trend as its main propagator – fun coloured nylons at Cottweiler as well as the off-kilter deployment of nylon in traditional tailored basics and neutrally business casuals are also going big at brands like Prada and Versace.
8. WOOL BLENDS As the manufacturing processes get more creative than ever, the quintessential cold-weather textile
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An unswerving off-shoot from sportswear and moreover, the athleisure segment – technically advanced fabrics, performance textiles like nylon and versatile denim in its raw beauty are ruling even the more reserved heritage fashion runways. Going a step further, designers are blending various simpler materials like cottons and cool wools to foster new combination textiles that give wearers the best of all worlds.
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is entering the summer markets with panache. Being the marvellous temperature regulator that it is, ateliers and designers are using wool to blend with other popular spring fabrics like cotton, polyester and extracting all the good qualities of this wrinkle resistant textile. With firms like The Woolmark Company pioneering the movement of cool wools in summer with the release of its Spring/Summer ready to order catalogues, brands likeBand of Outsiders, Max Mara and Zegna, among others are now able toinculcate this fabric in their summerofferings.
9. TECHNICAL FABRICS A direct off-shoot from the athletic apparel categories – technically advanced fabrics that go beyond the basic function of covering your body, are the future of men’s fashion. With major luxury fashion houses opening up their ancient closets and throwing in some high-performance fabrics that resemble nothing of their age-old tweed and checks, fashion is clearly moving out of its shell of traditional fabrics.
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As the consumer gets more digital and hyper – aware than ever, how can the clothes that he wears be basic? To fill in that space and seize this business opportunity, heritage brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Valentino are dressing up their boys’ sporty fabrics.
10. SUMMER COTS Nothing is a better certificate of how democratized fashion is becoming than the humbleness of fabrics that forms the canvas of any collection. Comfort is the champion of menswear and designers are innovating the basic textile by blending it with synthetic nylons to create crisp looks for the season. Baig Muzaffar, Subbarow Apparels, adds, “Cotton is, for sure, the main fabric in our summer collection. With various weights and weaves like poplin, twill – we do think that the textile demand is more or less very practical for summer. We are also making a lot of yarn-dyed stripes and checks to make the core fabric shine out this season.”
FASHION RESOURCE
Shirt Flirt
FASHION FILE
From business formal to ladylike – there was a white shirt-dress for every kind of woman on the runways of Spring/Summer 2017. Some of them were asymmetrical and sleek while some were flowing with crisp tailoring or meticulous deconstruction. The silhouette’s versatility is appropriate for any purpose and gives a very subtle look as white can act as both clinical and minimalist at the same time.
Evening maxi dresses from Lanvin as well as Moonyounghee flaunted amazing assortments of shirtdresses in gentle fabrics. In most collections, it was noticed that they were oversized, buttoned up and full sleeved. Alberta Ferretti unveiled the trend in an asymmetric design with a longer trail at the back while Prabal Gurung’s version was a midi-length feminine dress with a front slit.
Tiger of Sweden appoints new CEO Tiger of Sweden, one of theprominent luxury clothing retailers of Sweden, has announced that Hans-Christian Meyer, former President of Ralph Lauren Corporation, will be its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective from 1 September 2017. Meyer, associated with Ralph Lauren since 2006, has more than 25 years of experience with strong and wellestablished fashion and apparel brands. He has gained vast knowledge from the industry, especially within retail operations and expansions. “I am thrilled to join Tiger of Sweden and the team. I believe the company has an enormous potential to continue expanding in the marketplace by strengthening its appeal to more consumers globally,” averred Meyer.
Tory Burch redesigns iconic styles for Bergdorf Goodman Tory Burch has launched a capsule collection in collaboration with department store giant Bergdorf Goodman. The new collection, which is launched both online and inflagship stores, features redesigns of some of the designer’s most iconic pieces dating back to her humble beginnings. The collection for Bergdorf includes pieces inspired by her popular tunicin a myriad of colours and fabrics such as a silver brocade version or a coral embroidered number. It also features a redesign of her famous sequined top from her 2004 debut collection along with a sleek skirt-suit set and a tiedye caftan. The exclusive capsuleis available for purchase solely atBergdorf Goodman, with pieces ranging from US $ 448 for a cotton tunic to US $ 1,998for an embroidered, macramé dress.
by Fashion Forward Trends
A/W 2017-18
Colour Story River Island collaborates with Ashish
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Having collaborated with designers such as Sibling, Eudon Choi and Zoe Jordan in the Design Forum previously, River Island has announced its latest collaboration with Ashish Gupta’s eponymous label, Ashish. Ashish is the first designer in the series to present a gender-neutral collection, labelling the link-up as River Island’s penultimate Design Forum collaboration till date. The 15-piece capsule features loungewear, outerwear and dresses that embody “a fun and playful quirkiness”. It includes fridge-magnet alphabet sweats and embroidered pyjamas that have tonguein-cheek slogans such as “sick of all this chic” and “good in bed”. On-trend and dramatically oversized sleeping bag puffer jackets and shimmering slip dresses channel in the designer’s signature glamorous style.
INDUSTRY WIRE
Ratan Textiles launches swimwear; soon to become Disney certified in kidswear
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aipur-based apparel exporters are known for a variety of products within the womenswear segment. Ratan Textiles, a respected name in Jaipur apparel export industry, recently came up with its own swimwear range; and the product was launched at the recently concluded Textiles India 2017 show in Ahmedabad. The company also highlighted its Summer 2018 collection in kidswear and womenswear in which it used lot of prints and prints with embroideries. Besides, the company is also going for Disney certification for its kidswear products. Anant Jain, Partner, informed Apparel Online, “It is like a unique product. This segment is generally missing in the Indian market and many buyers are also looking for a complete familywear or a kind of swimwear which goes over
Anant Jain, Partner, Ratan Textiles
the top (bikini).” All this motivated Anant to add this new product line which was well appreciated by the buyers. With regard to its Disney certification which will be completed very soon, Anant stated, “To the best of my knowledge, noapparel
Swimwear launched by the company
exporter of Jaipur has been doing these products under Disney and perhaps, we will be the first one. Our company will also do kidswearunder this certification.” The export house is already SA 8000 certified and ships to many countries across the globe. It is alsoactive in the Indian
domestic market and has retail showrooms in cities like Goa, Delhi andJaipur. The company was the first apparel/ home furnishing manufacturer to start the construction of its unit at Mahindra World City (SEZ), Jaipur’s handicraftzone.
Lakshita brand exploring export market
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ost of the Indianapparel exporters are already associated with the Indian domestic market or are in the process to start for the same. Simultaneously, it is good to see that established brands of Indian market are also looking for opportunities in the overseas market. Lakshita, one of the famous Indian womenswear brands by Kavita Women Wear, Noida, is having 45 stores in North India and is one such brand that’s thinking to expand overseas. Currently, the company has a nominal share into export. To get buyers and better understanding of the overseas market, it recently participated in the Textiles India event where few buyers of US, Canada, Sri Lanka
Pushpendra Singh, Merchandiser, Kavita WomenWear (Lakshitabrand)
showed keen interest in the products of the company. Pushpendra Singh, Merchandiser of the company, shared with Apparel Online during the Textile India fair: “We are using such fabrics which are not, or are rarely being used by many exporters. Our
Embroidered womenswear and winterwear of Kavita Women Wear (Lakshita brand)
prints or embroidery is also unique as we self-develop them so that we have strength of strong products as well as have enough and advanced in-house infrastructure. In export, it will take some time but we are sure that good opportunities are there.”
This was the first ever participation in a B2B fair by the company which is known for its Indo-western wear, ethnicwear to western tops, tunics, dresses, etc. Founded by Satish Kharbanda and Veena Kharbanda, the company, is completing 17 years of its establishment this year.
INDIA CANVAS
F A S H I O N M ATRIX O V E R S E A S , B A N G A L O R E
A TRANSIT FROM EMPLOYEE TO SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR TO FURTHER ‘ORGANIC’ EXPANSIONS A
change in product focus, emphasis on direct buyers, benefits of organic, compliance setup, advantage of advanced printing technology, systematic layout of aggressive expansion plans for the future…; these are the factors that have carved the success path for Bangalore-based export house – Fashion Matrix Overseas. It is a story of an employee who not only became a successful entrepreneur, but also continuously drove towards organic growth despite all the external and internal challenges. Apparel Online brings to you exclusive details from an interview taken with the man behind such innovative developments, Vipin Sethi, Director of thecompany, who shared his journey, his views and observations about his own organization and the city of his establishment.
The organization which started in 2003 with 6 people in the basement of a house, today has total 3 units – 2 in Bangalore and 1 in Ludhiana. At that time, mens’ shirts were the primary focus for Vipin but he observed that this business was moving to Bangladesh. So, he thought of starting something new. During this time, as luck would have it, one of his own buyers had a really bad experience with a Delhi-based vendor doing womenswear and that buyer decided to shift the order to Vipin because of
ESSENTIALS “Over the years, we have acquired the skills to create an entire Bavarian range like Bavarian tees, blouses, tops, dresses, sweaters. Customers now look for us, search for us and come to us for this specific product category.” – Vipin Sethi
Vipin Sethi, Director and Seema Sethi, Director (Merchandising), Fashion Matrix Overseas
his good reputation and confidence. As described in Vipin’s words, “We took up the challenge to start womenswear and since then, we have been actively focusing on it.” He also had a constant approach and dedication towards looking for newer options which again motivated him to include Bavarian garments within his company’s product list. This was indeed a bold move as Bavarian garments comprise a very niche segment specially for a Bangalore based company. Today 90 per cent of Fashion Matrix’s total production is into Bavarian garments although
it is a complicated garment with a high-quality level. “Over the years, we have acquired the skills to create an entire Bavarian range like Bavarian tees, blouses, tops, dresses, sweaters. Customers now look for us, search for us and come to us for this specific product category,” shared a proud Vipin. This is how the company managed to have a tremendousgrowth even during worldwide recession. So, was it easy for him to get orders and buyers’ approval during the decline of worldwide economy? Respectability, as they say, can change a person’s destiny and the same happened with Vipin. All his sheer hard work and
efforts to build customer relationship made his buyers select him amongst others. He added confidently, “All my buyers shifted their orders to me at that time as they wanted to work with me despite the fact that we did not have a very big factory. This gave me a great sense of confidence and we performed really well in the very first year. Since then, I have never looked back. Even today, buyers see as to who is the person behind their orders and the comfort level that they enjoy with that person.”
Vipin, like other successful leaders, faced many challenges in his vision to move ahead and keep pace with the changing market. A few Ludhiana based companies approached his buyers directly offering lower prices for the same products. His buyers preferred to stay unaffected and stuck to Vipin. Buyers continued work with Vipin because of his on-time delivery, best quality and his determination to be there with his buyers even when something went wrong. Careful and strategic selection of clientage also helped Fashion Matrix Overseas to grow as it did not chase big orders for bulk buyers and only catered to buyers who wanted high value items and quality and were ready to pay the price. Vipin presented a comparative analysis of the same stating, “Delhi-NCR is doing high-end ladies garments but catering to or preferring bulk buyers. They look for volume customers while we have consciously taken the decision not to look for such customers.” With a current capacity of one lakh pieces per month, the company has a turnover of Rs. 50 crore and would be increasing its capacity next year by another 50,000 pieces. The company is 60 per cent into woven and 40 per cent into knits segment while its Ludhiana unit is only for sweaters. Moving further, it is already having a strong hold on quality and eco-friendly digital printing and it is expanding on the same. Sustainability is the company’s foremost target and it is planning to invest US $ 5 million towards this purpose. An optimistic Vipin briefed AOI, “The future is sustainability. If we don’t move in that direction, I think we will not be able to survive. We are planning to invest in sustainable washing which only requires a glass of water to wash a jeans. We will also
Fashion Matrix Overseas is known for Bavarian garments
have a solar grid on our roof top so that energy will also be provided from a sustainable source. We are also looking for the use of more sustainable fabrics such as pineapple and banana fibres which are expensive but sustainable. We would be importing some of these fabrics because right now, these are not available in India.” Fashion Matrix has also entered into agreements with fabric suppliers for getting organic fabric from them. In October, it is launching an online brand for the entire world, which will be completely based on organic and natural fabric and will help customers get customized garments according to his/her need. “With the launch of this online brand and sustainable expansion, we expect to move towards completely sustainable fashion which would again give us additional turnover,” shares Vipin. Already SA 8000 and WRAP certified, his company is in progress for GOTS certification and Organic Standard, Organic Content certification. It has invested in new cloud-based ERP and it will help monitor what is happening at every level and will provide better control. The company has its core market in Europe and also has an office in the US where it is planning to expand further. Having worked with brands and wholesalers (mostly familyowned) particularly in Germany and Austria, Vipin feels that it is easy to work with such clients rather than working with corporate buyers as they
E SS E N T I A L S Vipin claims that any tailor or even helper of his organization can walk into his room and talk as the organization has an open door policy. This gives his employees a sense of security, comfort and even more responsibility. Unlike some directors, he does not like to micromanage and believes in a unified system of monitoring and control to ensure proper functioning of people and work.
have multiple levels for approval and their decision-making is very slow. Vipin claims that as Fashion Matrix is into niche segment of Bavarian garments, it has not seen any slowdown, and in fact is growing at a swift pace. Talking about the internal working system of his company, Vipin claims that any tailor or even helper of his organization can walk into his room and talk as the organization has an open door policy. This gives his employees a sense of security, comfort and even more responsibility. Unlike some directors, he does not like to micromanage and believes in a unified system of monitoring and control to ensure proper functioning of people and work. Working in Bangalore also presents several challenges for an export house to survive and develop. Some of them are: continuous interference from the State Government or legal implications involved while purchasing land for factories, acute power shortage for huge set-ups, unnecessary restrictions and checking by the police despite abiding to all the rules. Moreover, labour shortage within the city and availability of labour in rural areas don’t fit in the requirements for creation of niche products like Bavarian garments. Despite these lurking obstacles, Fashion Matrix has emerged as a rare winner among the list of niche garment exporters in this hub.
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The initial GST effect reduced logistic time Almost 10 days after the implementation of GST, there are mixed reactions everywhere. There is little positivity at the ground level as few changes have been observed; however at some points, confusion still prevails, whereas for some issues, the industry finds the ‘wait and watch’ scenario continuing. Positivity is existent as logistic system is improving and will improve more in the coming days. Earlier while a truck used to take 5 to 6 days from Delhi to Mumbai, today it takes only 3 to 4 days. It is being said that the exporter will get real help on lead time due to this change.
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shok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC, informed Apparel Onlin e: “Definitely, it
is going to help apparel exporters; not only will exporters get more time, but cost may also go down as logistic companies/trucks will now charge less for waiting, in terms of the overall days. Thanks to the removal of check posts.” He shared his personal experience as he has a factory in New Mumbai and witnessed less traffic there due to the same; though the actual picture about the direct impact of this ‘reducing time’ on garment factories is yet to be seen as there is already delay in fabric delivery from Surat and Bhiwandi due to strike against GST. Raja M Shanmugham, President, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA), presented a valid comparison stating that his container which earlier used to take at least 12 hours to reach Cochin from Tirupur now takes only 5 to 6 hours. “Time saving is okay but cost benefit should be divided down the line which will serve the purpose of GST, and will be clear at the later stage,” he reasoned. HKL Magu, MD, Jyoti Apparels, Delhi, says that it will take him some time to get the final picture about the ‘time issue’ as till now, he has not seen any significant change in general. Regarding the issue of 18 per cent rate on garment and made-up jobworkers, there are some miscellaneous opinions observed again as Ashok says that most of the exporters have major processes in-house. Whatever work they assign to jobworkers has negligible cost impact on the final product. Therefore, according to him, this issue is unfounded. “Exporters’ worry on this issue seems
One of the biggest issues for the textile industry was the imposition of 18 per cent rate on MMF, but some of the exporters confirmed Apparel Online that now, MMF suppliers have reduced the price and are pushing the exporters to get fabrics at this price. confused just because of the rates, as there is a slab of 5 per cent on cotton segment, while 18 per cent on garment and made-up jobworkers seem very high. Yes, domestic companies, who are majorly dependent on jobwork, are primarily affected due to this,” said Ashok. Though ITC (Input Tax Credit) is there, exporters feel that blockage of money for 3 to 4 months is really a concern especially for small- and medium-level exporters. Pranab Mahajan, Director, Mahajan Overseas, Panipat, however, shared a positive outlook, “We do some job for others in our process house and overall cost is now high, i.e. 2 to 3 per cent compared to the situation that existed before GST, so I don’t see any big reason to be worried. In fact, all this is due to the perceived mindset.” He further added that with the passing of time,
it will become clearer and everybody will realize that there is not much hike in cost. Some other exporters shared their viewpoints specifying that ambiguity continues to lurk over issues like drawback duty, ROSL etc. In South India, jobworkers issue is dominating the scene with TEA working actively to solve the matter. Raja, along with his team, met N.J. Kumaresh, Commissioner, Central GST Commissionerate in Coimbatore to clarify the applicability of GST for each stage of jobwork activity. After discussion, the commissioner mentioned that all the stages till cut panel (knitting, dyeing, bleaching, rotary printing, raising, brushing and shearing, roll washing, compacting/stentering and fabric cutting) attract GST at 5 per cent and from cut panel stage onwards, they attract GST of 18 per cent which includes chest embroidery, chest printing, sewing, garment washing, kaaj/ buttoning, hand embroidery, checking, ironing andpacking. Raja stated to AOI that it is the right of the exporters to get ITC in lieu of GST paid but it is the SME jobworkers who are going to be hurt at a large level as earlier there was no tax at all on them and now their cost has increased to 18 per cent. Secondly, these jobworkers have to pay GST every month despite sometimes not getting payment at all or getting payment after few months. “Tirupur is totally dependent on these jobworkers, so we have requested the GST council to correct this anomaly,” said Raja thoughtfully. He also added that anomaly of 18 per cent on man-made yarns and 5 per cent on man-made fabric is also something that needs to be corrected.
Indian womenswear market to beat menswear by 2025 According to a report titled, ‘Women’s Apparel Landscape in India’ by Avendus Capital, the women’s apparel market will overtake menswear by the year 2025. The report claims that Women’s apparel which accounted for Rs. One lakh crore of the Rs. 2.6 lakh crore apparel market in 2015 is growing at 11 per cent CAGR, while the branded segment is noticing a 20 per cent growth. It also highlights understanding of women’s shopping behaviour, a significant shift towards branded apparel and the various distribution channels available in the market. Women’s branded apparel market is expected to grow at around 20
increase in number of working women and spending power, ease of retail trade and the shift to ready-to-wear and aspirationbasedshopping.
per cent, raising its share of the total market to over 40 per cent.
The report attributed the growth to factors such as the entry of branded players including foreign labels,
“Impulsive buying, online anddigital shopping, availability of a plethora of niche brands and theinfluence of social media are alsochanging the women’s apparel landscape,” said Abha Agarwal, Director – Investment Banking, Avendus Capital, adding, “I believe ease of payment, the growing concept of visual merchandising and seamless shopping and delivery experience will make the women’s apparel market more attractive going forward.”
India's textile hub Tirupur to become ‘smart city' Good news came in for India’s apparel hub Tirupur (Tamil Nadu) when it found itself on the list of 30 new cities that are being added to the Centre’s ‘Smart Cities Mission’, as announced by M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development and Housing &Urban Poverty Alleviation. Besides Tirupur, Tirunelveli, Thootukkudi and Tiruchirappalli from Tamil Nadu have also been placed in the list. Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has expressed happiness over the Government’s move to include the city in the list of Smart Cities Mission. Commenting on the move, TEA President Raja MShanmugham said, “We would like to thank
minister for selecting Tirupur under Smart Cities Mission which will go a long way in the development of infrastructure in this happening city. We are certain that under the Mission, all the ongoing issues will
be addressed for the city’s development.” The inclusion will improve the infrastructure in Tirupur which is targeting to achieve Rs. One lakh crore from knitwear business by the year 2020.
Old rates of ROSL to be continued for next three months The Government has cleared ROSL (Rebate Of State Levies) for the next 3 months (till 30th September 2017) at the old rates. This becomes effective after Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)’s request for restoration of the previous rate of ROSL at 3.9 per cent in reaction to the announcement made by the Ministry of Textiles, through a notification issued on 27th June 2017, which had notified the interim ROSL scheme at 0.39% and through another notification dated 30th June 2017, had made it compulsory for the exporters to give declarations and certificates in a prescribed format at the time of export for claiming the duty drawback. AEPC had claimed this sharp reduction of 90% as ‘not being acceptable’. Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC shared, “We are happy with this decision as our demand has been accepted. This will be a good support to Indian apparel exporters.”
15-18% growth in garment export next year India is likely to note a 15-18 per cent growth in garment export to touch US $ 20 billion during the current fiscal. The increase from US $ 17 billion in FY 2017 is expected mostly owing tothe improved market conditions in the US and other markets. However, India failed to grab the desired export target for the year 201617. “The US market is doing reasonably well and we are also looking at good exports potentialto South America, European, Middle East and Japanese markets this year,” stated President of Clothing Manufacturers Association of India President, RahulMehta.
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Cambodian garment industry introduces Human Resources Club ‘GMAC Human Resources Club’ has recently been launched by Garment Manufacturers’ Association of Cambodia (GMAC). The objective behind launching this club is to build a knowledge bank, share information, experience and expertise in order to improve the overall functioning of the garment industry. “Administration and human resources management are relevant to people management, policy, rules and regulations of the country,” averred Kaing Monika, Deputy Secretary General, GMAC. Kaing further added that the objective is to bring industrial insiders at management level from the administration and human resources department of all sectors together and provide
them a platform to share their knowledge and experience. “Even if we innovate and use high-tech machinery, things will not work smoothly if our management has not been well organized. Simultaneously, we will learn something new to improve our management skills and facilitate workflow in the industry. We want to make the human resources club a repository of knowledge,” said the Deputy Secretary General. Ly Samnag, Human Resources Manager, Meng Ieng Garment Factory, Phnom Penh, welcomed the initiative. “We are very much developed in the IT sector, so we are now working on human resources. We have to know more about it. If we are lagging behind, it will be very hard for
us. Earlier no one helped us to solve any individual issue but now we have a club which comprises hundreds of members of GMAC,” mentioned Samnag.
512 garment export-oriented factories, 59 footwear factories and 48 sub-contracting factories have reportedly come together for this initiative.
Accord gets 3-year extension in Bangladesh Close on heels of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (BGMEA) expressing its openness to EU retailers’ group, Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, continuing its operations in Bangladesh as a monitoring agency beyond 2018, the European Union fashion brands, retailers and global union federations on Thursday reportedly announced a new deal named Accord 2018,which in effect will carry on theAccord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh’s remediation activities in the country’s readymade garment industry after May next year when the term for current Accord expires. IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, with
Australia, Target Australia, Primark, H&M,Inditex, C&A, Otto, KiK, Aldi South, Aldi North, Lidl, Tchibo, LC Waikiki and Helly Hansen, while another eight brands – such asEsprit, Hüren, Bestseller, Wibra, Schmidt Group, NBrown Group, PVH, Specialty Fashion Group Australia have reportedly also committed to signingit.
representatives from C&A and LC Waikiki, proclaimed the new agreement in Paris recently as per media reports. The latest agreement extends independent, expert building safety inspections for three more
years for all covered factories besides presenting the possibility to expand the Accord to sectors other than the garment industry in Bangladesh. The new agreement has so far reportedly been signed byKmart
It may be mentioned here that following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013, EU retailers formed the Accord while North American retailers formed the Alliance to undertake a fiveyear plan, which set time frames and accountability for inspections and training and workers empowermentprogrammes.
Kenya's AGOA status not in danger! The assessment of Kenya’s eligibility to receive benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is not warranted at this time. However, three other East African Community (EAC) member states –Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda –will undergo an assessment of their AGOA eligibility status, said Office of the US trade representative (USTR). It may happen that the assessment of the EAC members could result in their ejection from the preferential trade programme due to their ongoing commitment to a March 2016 EAC decision to phase in a ban on imports. A public hearing on the issue is scheduled to take place in Washington, US on July 13. It may be mentioned that the combined imports from
Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda under AGOA’S duty-free provisions amounted to US $ 43 million last year, an increase from US $ 33 million in 2015. The USTR notice further cites the recent actions Kenya has taken, including reversing tariff increases, effective from July 1, 2017, and committing not to ban imports of used clothing through policy measures that are more trade-restrictive than necessary to protect human health. However, the US trade office will continue to monitor Kenya’s actions to ensure that it follows through on its commitments. It is worth noting that the review was conducted following a petition filed three months ago by a US-based recycled textiles association, alleging that the
joint move to bar imports of used clothing violates AGOA eligibility criteria. It argued that thousands of jobs in East Africa and the US would be lost if the clothing ban is implemented.
Prior to USTR’s announcement on Kenya’s AGOA status, Kenya had hired a Washington lobbying firm with ties to the Trump administration in response to the danger of losing AGOA benefits.
Haitian textile workers hit streets for higher wages Several Haitian textile workers staged protest on 26 June demanding a higher minimum wage, much to the dismay of managers of textile factories who threatened to leave the country if the Government did not end these
demonstrations. The economic growth of Haiti relies mainly on the textile industry. According to export.gov, textile industry accounts for 90% of its exports. Angered by the increase in fuel cost and rapid rise in inflation,
textile workers marched across the town from an industrial park near the airport to the Ministry of Social Affairs indowntown Port-au-Prince. Currently earning 300 Haitian gourdes, they are now demanding a hike of 800 gourdes per day. Though the report from the High Council of Salaries had proposed a rise of 400gourdes a day, dispute within the council thwarted the proposal. Meanwhile 6 companies have written to the Office of Prime Minister asking the Government to stop the demonstrations. The identical letter read: “Total cost competitiveness, quality production and the proximity to the US were the reasons we selected Haiti while betting on major improvements on salary
predictability and political stability. If those benefits no longer exist, then we will have to make other strategic arrangements to move from Haiti to other places where there is a clear state strategy to boost investments and protect investors while creating and protecting decent jobs.” The 6 companies that signed the letter were MGA Haiti S.A., Astro Carton d’Haiti S.A., Haiti Cheung Won S.A., Textile Youm Kwang S.A., Pacific Sports Haiti S.A. and Wilbes Haitian S.A. The concern expressed by the companies was also shared by Roosevelt Bellevue, Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, who said, “If the salary becomes too high, companies will leave and go to the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua.”
TRADE STATISTICS
US continues to rebound in its apparel imports January-May 2017 Continuing the recovery, the US’s apparel imports witnessed positive trend in the 5th month of 2017 as well. The largest apparel importer in the world, noted hike in volume of imported apparel, whereas fall in unit prices in Vietnam, China and Bangladesh helped US rebound in value terms. Moreover, outlook for the US apparel industry is bright which might push this growth on a bigger level in the coming months.
‘Facts and Forecast’ for US Apparel Industry
Global Apparel Imports by the US: Jan.-May 2017
Total Increase in Quantity
61
apparel sold in US are outsourced
employees exist in US apparel
2.54 %
USD
97%
90,000
average projected in men‘s shirts
Total Decrease in Value
1.32 % 3.64 % (Average UVR in the review period was US $ 2.91 as against US $ 3.02 in the same period last year)
USD
women’s clothing store sales in US
projected e-commerce turnover in apparel by 2020
90.3 bn
41bn
Percentage Decrease in UVR
MMF
2.25 %
10.36 % Silk & Veg
%Change
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
4712.231
15342.914
4633.289
14792.755
-1.68
-3.59
Wool
42.392
792.097
39.22
710.072
-7.48
-10.36
MMF
5358.927
14134.109
5705.659
14452.328
6.47
2.25
173.534
812.092
170.004
717.104
-2.03
-11.70
10287.08
31081.21
10548.17
30672.26
2.54
-1.32
Cotton
3.59 %
Jan.-May.2017
Type ofApparel
Change in Value Wool
online retail sales in US in 2016
Total global apparel imports by the US: Jan.-May. 2017 (Qty in mn SME & Value in US mn $) Jan.-May.2016
Cotton
14%
USD
Silk & Veg Total
11.70 % Total apparel exports to the US by 6 major manufacturing destinations: Jan.-May. 2017
Change in Quantity
(Qty in mn SME & Value in US mn $)
Jan.-May.2016
Cotton
1.68 % MMF
6.47 %
Wool
7.48 % Silk & Veg
2.03 %
[The information has been extracted from US custom site and further analyzed.]
Jan.-May.2017
%Change
Countries
India Bangladesh China Pakistan
SriLanka Vietnam
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
491.774
1731.764
493.748
1701.434
0.40
-1.75
804.167
2264.161
799.44
2140.289
-0.59
-5.47
3761.067
9575.184
3951.314
9297.34
5.06
-2.90
222.421
499.887
209.136
491.802
-5.97
-1.62
205.289
861.994
192.529
811.693
-6.22
-5.84
1327.541
4188.045
1482.686
4479.231
11.69
6.95
Unit Value Realization (UVR) Trend from Top Apparel Exporters to US (January to May 2017)
Top 3 Quantity-wise Apparel Exporters to US (January to May 2017)
4.50
6%
4.00
4%
3.50
2%
3.00
0%
2.50 -2% 2.00 -4% 1.50 -6%
1.00
-8%
0.50
-10%
0.00 India
Bangladesh
China
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Vietnam
UVR 16
3.52
2.82
2.55
2.25
4.20
3.15
UVR 17
3.45
2.68
2.35
2.35
4.22
3.02
-1.99%
-4.96%
-7.84%
4.44%
0.48%
-4.13%
% Change
US Apparel Imports General Customs Value and Y-o-Y % Change
US General Imports of Cotton (May 2017) General Customs Quantity and Y-o-Y % Change
8.00 7.00
10%
10%
910.00
5.26% 4.18%
8%
810.00
5%
710.00
0.88%
6.00
8.50%
6%
610.00
0%
0.32%
4%
510.00
5.00
2%
410.00
-5%
4.00
-0.30%
310.00
3.00
0%
-1.60%
210.00
-10%
-2%
-2.60% 110.00
-13.58% 2.00 Mar-17
Values (in US billion$)
Apr-17
-4%
10.00
-15%
Feb-17
Jan-17
Yarns
Fabrics
Made-ups
Apparels
May-17
Y-o-Y % Change
Quantity (in millionSME)
Y-o-Y % Change
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-May. 2017 (Qty in doz, legwear in dpr, babieswear in kg) Exportsto USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE
China
India
Bangladesh
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
Babieswear
39,297,454
41,205,607
4.86
17,411,123
18,418,222
5.78
3,532,615
3,387,706
-4.10
4,325,237
Foundation Garments
24,869,891
26,411,736
6.20
13,959,284
14,019,673
0.43
752,579
682,114
-9.36
1,624,488
Jackets &Blazers
Vietnam %Change
2016
2017
%Change
4,032,563
-6.77
3,041,011
3,699,945
21.67
2,217,504
36.50
870,026
2,012,600
131.33
9,806,390
10,294,001
4.97
4,409,153
4,842,613
9.83
175,796
226,878
29.06
560,938
632,427
12.74
1,723,954
1,882,518
9.20
Ladies Blouses
25,814,934
25,508,940
-1.19
10,528,741
10,232,260
-2.82
4,046,000
3,700,082
-8.55
1,411,230
1,324,444
-6.15
3,472,336
3,961,543
14.09
Ladies Dresses
28,631,512
29,696,737
3.72
12,969,147
13,495,366
4.06
2,510,950
2,685,470
6.95
1,000,979
890,881
-11.00
5,066,378
5,722,258
12.95
7,978,819
6,509,689
-18.41
2,906,275
2,490,729
-14.30
440,055
359,276
-18.36
623,873
467,563
-25.05
1,608,372
1,423,378
-11.50
Ladies Skirts Legwear
124,049,021
127,631,541
2.89
72,536,112
80,598,191
11.11
1,071,400
1,274,709
18.98
61,622
12,540
-79.65
1,120,425
1,141,830
1.91
Men's Shirts
16,573,555
16,373,184
-1.21
3,382,389
3,334,396
-1.42
1,278,978
1,586,681
24.06
4,554,391
4,076,399
-10.50
1,939,411
1,957,712
0.94
Nightwear
15,764,171
16,340,548
3.66
8,993,533
9,227,383
2.60
1,284,654
1,243,902
-3.17
558,990
803,713
43.78
1,622,232
1,638,253
0.99
5,435,869
4,957,174
-8.81
2,515,928
2,442,669
-2.91
296,117
276,941
-6.48
148,174
51,590
-65.18
1,006,720
957,000
-4.94
Suits /Ensembles Sweaters
2,569,144
1,430,595
-44.32
1,911,566
959,311
-49.82
12,186
14,324
17.54
209,823
103,403
-50.72
66,387
61,446
-7.44
Trousers
122,154,560
126,711,776
3.73
33,243,905
35,445,458
6.62
2,648,558
2,522,157
-4.77
20,421,521
20,970,552
2.69
18,867,889
22,348,366
18.45
T-Shirts
232,537,174
229,728,769
-1.21
37,440,014
36,852,559
-1.57
10,746,014
11,116,241
3.45
9,115,584
8,721,532
-4.32
32,673,013
33,176,116
1.54
Undergarments
104,947,409
105,333,802
0.37
19,433,357
20,254,055
4.22
7,609,580
7,112,058
-6.54
11,277,710
11,892,384
5.45
16,362,549
18,531,341
13.25
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-May. 2017 (Value in US mn $) Exports to USA Total Imports byUSA APPAREL TYPE
2016
China
India
2017
%Change
2016
2017
Bangladesh
%Change
2016
2017
Vietnam
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
Babieswear
839.29
868.08
3.43
354.12
364.13
2.83
80.11
74.01
-7.62
75.26
89.05
18.32
75.17
89.37
18.88
Foundation Garments
1,122.57
1,164.35
3.72
535.06
487.28
-8.93
54.97
46.57
-15.29
33.40
52.05
55.87
44.69
127.63
185.60
Jackets &Blazers
1,484.62
1,505.47
1.40
555.48
592.32
6.63
28.73
28.89
0.59
82.80
87.67
5.89
301.59
306.39
1.59
Ladies Blouses
1,681.86
1,633.04
-2.90
633.18
590.76
-6.70
301.00
280.70
-6.74
78.71
71.86
-8.69
186.79
206.59
10.60
Ladies Dresses
2,376.74
2,342.47
-1.44
1,062.14
999.64
-5.88
222.17
237.09
6.72
36.04
32.75
-9.14
362.11
367.85
1.58
482.73
389.71
-19.27
161.89
133.60
-17.48
35.56
27.18
-23.56
27.09
21.22
-21.66
92.68
73.09
-21.13 -4.75
Ladies Skirts Legwear
699.33
713.83
2.07
385.23
404.48
5.00
7.02
7.38
5.12
0.67
0.07
-89.32
6.32
6.02
1,385.11
1,301.67
-6.02
308.67
279.49
-9.45
100.09
105.85
5.75
262.06
223.45
-14.73
155.77
155.52
-0.16
Nightwear
667.85
650.31
-2.63
373.68
357.90
-4.22
40.76
43.47
6.64
16.15
19.61
21.38
74.57
66.68
-10.59
Suits /Ensembles
538.07
480.79
-10.65
123.62
111.30
-9.97
28.92
32.04
10.76
9.15
4.65
-49.19
77.14
63.65
-17.49
Sweaters
272.66
229.11
-15.97
191.00
149.88
-21.53
0.96
0.90
-6.96
10.86
8.47
-21.97
1.96
4.58
134.00
Trousers
7,568.97
7,424.40
-1.91
1,850.79
1,800.89
-2.70
190.96
168.03
-12.01
1,132.90
1,087.95
-3.97
1117.12
1210.70
8.38
T-Shirts
7,953.55
7,898.91
-0.69
1530.753
1446.919
-5.48
423.534
428.79
1.24
230.16
213.96
-7.04
1235.91
1285.33
4.00
Undergarments
1,504.76
1,448.55
-3.74
293.93
315.70
7.41
126.36
119.22
-5.65
125.43
123.69
-1.39
208.14
218.45
4.95
Men's Shirts
Canada Apparel Imports January-May 2017
Canada sees positive import value after months Outpacing the negative growth in apparel imports, Canada noted slight surge in import values during the first five months of 2017. The country, however, is less inclining towards woven apparel category which is continuously falling. The main reason behind this is the rising trend of athleisure among young population of the country indicating more consumers spending in knitted segment.
CanadaImports
0.59%
While the knitted segment noted 1.68% surge, the wovensegment saw negative growthof (-) 0.46% in value terms.
B’Desh Exports
3.97%
Trade Update
Bangladesh continued the downturning apparel exports to Canadaas during the review period, knitted garment exports fell by(-) 0.84%, whereas woven segment decreased by (-) 6.11%.
India Exports
4.21%
The country was considerably down in its apparel exports to Canada during the review period. The value of wovenexports fell by(-) 9.38% while it was up in knitted segment by4.51%.
Pakistan Exports
18%
In wovencategory, Pakistan was up by26.95% in value, while knitted segment exports to Canada registered growth of 8.11% during review period.
Sri Lanka Exports
7.27%
During the period, surge in its knitted garment exports to Canada was 12.59%, while wovenalso increased by0.71% from Sri Lanka.
Vietnam Exports
9.73%
Vietnam revampedin its apparel exports to Canadaduring the review period. Knitted segment rose by 7.23% while wovenexports were massively up by12.50%.
ChinaExports
0.13%
In the knitted garment exports to Canada, the country got marginal boost by 0.03%, while the woven garments recorded decrement by(-) 0.27% during the period under review.
Iran textile & apparel exports up by 8.1% in volume Iran managed to export 1,89,400 tonnes of textile products worth US $ 1.13 billion in the fiscal year ending March 20, 2017, claims Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture. An 8.1 per cent growth was recorded in volume, while value dipped (-) 1.7 per cent on a Y-o-Y basis. The statistic shows that nearly 5,700 tonnes of hand-woven Iran carpets, valued at US $ 345.7 million, were exported during the said period, marking a 7.5 per cent and 18.4 per cent Y-o-Y growth in volume and value terms, respectively. It is being cited that implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a nuclear pact which Iran and major countries like China, UK, US, Russia and France had signed in 2015, contributed to the growth as it made possible for Iran to recommence its hand-woven carpets export to the US, which had barred the import of Iranian carpets, among other products, in September 2010. Additionally, US $ 306.5 million worth of machine-woven carpets weighing 55,500 tonnes, were exported from Iran during the year with 4.3 per cent rise in volume and 8.9 per cent drop in value. The Chamber has also reported that export of textiles stood at US $ 278.3 million, registering 8.6 per cent and 1.7 per cent growth in volume and value, respectively, on the yearly note with products weighing 98,500 tonnes. Iran also performed well in the apparel segment. The country exported with 3,800 tonnes of apparel items worth US $ 46.2 million, up 2.6 per cent in volume and 3.9 per cent in value when compared to previous fiscal. Meanwhile, export of leather products (8,100 tonnes) reached US $ 61.3 million, noting a commendable growth of 15.7 per cent in volume and 3.2 per cent in value on a Y-o-Y basis.
RESOURCE CENTRE
A&E Sustainability Report: 2016-2017
Industry Transparency, Traceability and Trust at the core A
merican & Efird (A&E) has been among the frontrunners of sustainability over the years, and its various processes and products imbibe by the rule. The company has taken its position as one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of industrial and consumer sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles, all backed by a firm commitment to sustainable practices to create a better world through responsible corporate actions, environmentally protective efforts and numerous contributions to the communities in which it operates.
This year’s notable sustainability highlights include: Water Conservation •
•
•
The recently released Corporate Sustainability Report for the period 2016-2017, reflects the three concepts
Over 1.1 billion litre of wastewater has been recycled and reused since 2013. Nearly 1 million litre of wastewater is recycled and reused each day of operation. 41% reduction in global water consumption (litres per kg of thread) have been seen since 2006
Solid Waste • Zero-Waste-to-Landfill status has grown to 16 global manufacturing operations and support facilities in 2017, with 5 other operations over the 91 percentile mark. A&E’s global goal is to achieve this sustainability designation in every manufacturing operation worldwide.
Carbon Footprint and Energy Conservation •
•
•
Les Miller, CEO, A&E
6% reduction of global carbon footprint (CO2e in kg per kg of thread) since 2006. 44% of the fuels used to create steam at A&E dyeing operations were renewable and carbon neutral in 2016. 10% reduction in global power consumption (kWh per kg of thread) since 2006.
that drive A&E’s industry-leading sustainability programme: Transparency, Traceability and Trust, while highlighting A&E’s accomplishments in the areas of safety, environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. With Asia accounting for a major chunk of its business today, many of the company’s production units are in countries like China, India and Bangladesh. In India, the company has acquired 89% stakes in its early arrangement with Vardhman Textiles, the remaining 11% remains with Vardhman, a testimony to the fruitful relation of trust that both have. “Vardhman Yarns and Threads’ excellent reputation, world-class operations and leading position in the Indian market will enable A&E to more fully benefit from both fast-growing domestic demand for high-quality products in India and increasing international demand for exports from India,” said Les Miller, CEO, A&E. In the meanwhile, A&E will invest significant capital and resources into Vardhman Yarns and Threads to continue to ensure the highest levels of product quality, environmental sustainability, technological innovation and customer service. A&E’s continued improvements, specifically in global water reduction and Zero-Waste-to-Landfill efforts, serve as an example of leadership and good stewardship throughout the textile industry. “A core part of our business strategy is to operate all of our global facilities in a sustainable manner,” said Les Miller, and added, “It is not only a good business practice to do so, but it is the right thing to do for all of our stakeholders.” Since 2011, A&E invested over US $ 10 million into state-of-the-art wastewater recycling systems across the world and