FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK… The Government has been aggressively propagating the successful completion of three years in power… even the Ministry of Textiles claims that many positives have come through in this short period including of course the ‘special package’ for the apparel and made-upindustry. I was among the many in the industry who felt that Smriti Irani’s selection to take charge of the MOT was in itself a positive indication of changes to come…; some of you may recall my editorial in the July 16-31, 2016 issue, wherein I had said, “The appointment of Smriti Irani as the Textile Minister makes me very happy. I do not recall when our industry had such a strong Minister with a reputation of taking decisions which they believe are best for all, unmindful of how others may react or resist. I just hope that she will be the same ‘fiery’ Smriti Irani we all know from her eventful tenure as the HRD Minister…” Well, I am not sure if I can say with the same enthusiasm that things have changed. As per my feedback from the industry, ‘no’ or ‘very little’ investment has been made under the provisions of the ‘special package’ and even those exporters who had willingly come forward to commit investment, have not gone ahead with the same! So, what went wrong…! Well for one, circumstances of opportunities in the business arena have changed significantly since the announcement, putting the industry on the backfoot. Wage increase, strengthening of rupee vis-a-vis the dollar and changing dynamics of retail in the US are but a few of them. Wages have increased in all major centres; in Haryana alone, the Government decided to increase wages and honorarium of contractual and outsourced employees by 14.29% with effect from January 1 this year, which effectively means an increase of around 30% in cost of manufacturing. Though one may argue that wage increase is a regular feature and should not be specifically signalled out as a ‘problem area’ for the year, but with margins shrinking, wage increase is a real concern that is adding to the painpoints. Strengthening of rupee naturally means that Indian exporters are not as competitive per dollar as they were earlier; and with US retail in turmoil, from store closures, increasing number of bankruptcies and growing focus on internet business, the situation is pretty difficult for an exporter; and not that European business is any better! Though the MOT claims that Rs. 3,000 crore investment has been made in apparel segment under the ‘special package’ and the upcoming textile extravagance in Gujarat later this year will be the impetus for investment…, the reality is that orders are slow in coming, so exporters are hesitant to make fresh investments. However much the Ministry may claim otherwise, but the previous Governments focus on handlooms is still the major agenda. And though strengthening this segment is good from a human perspective, but I have said time and again that strengthening this segment in isolation is not going to translate into substantial international business…, though we may wish otherwise. What is needed is some strong step to make the textile supply chain competitive in a global scenario where every cent counts… Is it going tocome through…, well it’s any body’s guess!
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MIND TREE
Q-and-A Industry associations/bodies always have a long list of demands to present to the Government, be it State or Central Government, and most of the time they are disappointed. Will it not be better to present few select, urgent and specific demands only which will have wider impact than presenting plenty of small and big demands that get lost? What are your views‌, please share with AO‌
Raj Sureka, Proprietor, Sun Industries, Kanpur As per my observation, the issue is not that whether the problem is big or small, but the fact is that it should get resolved in a certain time period. I want to urge the Government to provide us a time-frame for each problem. We know that both the Government and the industry bodies are taking various steps for our betterment, and we also understand that it is not easy to solve all the problems around. But yes, the Government should also first understand what is most important for us and try to resolve them in a faster manner. For us, the most required thing is to eliminate the paper work and make all the formalities online. No doubt they are doing their job and have also reduced it to a certain level, but it should get removed totally.
Monica Kapur, Director, Azure Decor, Noida First of all, our bodies should try to ensure that the Government provides equal chance and balanced environment to every player in the market. We should have more and more interactive sessions, so that we can also discuss our problems. We are still struggling with some of the most basic problems. Industry bodies always take
the issues on priority basis as per the need. For us the muchneeded issue, is the availability of quality raw material, and in decent price. The Government should take extra care for the SME sector, and try to enhance their capacity by providing them land/space to set-up manufacturing units. Industry associations should also emphasize on skill development institutions and schools to provide more skilled labour.
Charu Agarwal, Director - Marketing and Merchandising, Aman Exports, Jaipur Industry bodies always present the problems of the big exporters, while small players are suffering from various issues. First of all, they should listen to all levels and segments of the industry. Secondly, and unquestionably yes, the industry bodies should understand all the aspects of problems and its solutions first, and then set the priority before it gets in front of the Government. If we talk about our issues and demands, then I think market promotion is the most required thing in current market scenario. Additionally, the Government should liberate the importexport norms in order to provide us some support and make us more competitive with China and Bangladesh. We are not
getting that sort of assistance, which other nations are providing to their exporters.
Nobinoor Islam, CEO, Anisha Overseas, Greater Noida Yes definitely, if we bombard all the problems at one time, they will not be able to solve it in one go. Every problem is important in its own way but they need to understand which one is the most needed. I can say everybody is looking for Government co-operation in the form of market promotion in the international market. Like other countries, our Government should also help and provide aid in terms of enhancing our market presence.
Ramesh K Thakur, Chief General Manager, Bhutti Weavers Co-operation Society, Kullu (HP) Market stability is the most essential thing which we need badly. International market is growing rapidly and we are battling for steady presence in the market. Industry people are smart enough and they know better which demand is necessary and which demand can be postponed, so they can handle it in a much efficient
way. Regarding our handloom industry, the Government should try to strengthen it more as nowadays what we are facing is the machine revolution. They are capturing our market with low prices, more quantity and same design patterns. The textile ministry is doing their bit, recently they had started India handloom brand to promote our outputs, but still things are not on the track and they need something stricter.
Shalabh Kapoor, Proprietor, MLK Fashions, Lucknow One thing which I would like to emphasize is that our industry associations should attain more professional attitude. There are various things which are evolving around the industry, and the bodies are not looking at them. I would rather say that problems and demands should be present in such a way that they get solved as soon as possible. Till now Government is unable to provide us proper electricity‌, what else can we demand from them? Due to insufficient power supply, we are bearing so much loss. Besides corruption, the Government bodies are the major bottlenecks in our dayto-day activities, and always try to make our task more difficult. The issue of market promotion
is there, we need extensive support from our Textile Ministry to make our international presence more effective.
Vikram Gupta, Accounts Manager, Aish Overseas, Jaipur Yes, industry bodies should present the demands or ideas one by one in front of the Government so that they can provide better and faster
NEXT MINDTREE
solutions for the problems. In terms of raising demands, priority really matters and our priority is to get help with regard to availability of raw materials on subsidized rates. This will make us more competitive in the international market.
Virat Kumar, Co-partner, Zinnia Textiles, Noida Look what all we need is Government support to
make us more magnificent in comparison to Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and other competiting countries. Their people are supporting them tremendously in every way. Here we are paying higher costs for everything – be it raw materials, labour, space, electricity expenses, machines, export-import duties, etc. If you compare in our country, we are in fact paying highest labour wages. Recently, the Government
had increased the daily wages which made our production cost go quite high. Our strength is our designs which make us both ‘relevant’ and ‘prevalent’ in the industry, but if things will not change, the situation will become more complicated. How to put demands in front of the Government? Let it be done by the industry associations; our issue is that it should be fulfilled any way.
QUESTION
To conduct your business better, which specific areas do you feel need more industry interaction, seminars, workshops? Is it fashion forecasting, technical/production issues, merchandising or regular updates on latest developments across the industry, like Brexit, GST, Modern Slavery Act, UK, etc. Are you satisfied with the numbers as well as quality of such events that are currently being held by trade bodies or by professionals? Any special suggestion you would like to give to improve these kinds of knowledge-sharing events?
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Japanese e-tailer targets the US market Start Today-owned Zozotown makes its first foray in the US market To get the pulse of the industry and to make their entry into the new market smooth, retailers have often used social media to catch the attention of the consumers. Now, social media has revolutionized the way designers and retailers share their work as consumers and public get a glimpse of what the world’s best dressed people are actually wearing. Cashing on this change, Start Today’s new app ‘Wear’ promises personal styling, just like what Instagram does for selfie. Available for iOS and Android users, Wear delivers a steady stream of fresh-from-the-sidewalk looks to 8 million users in 21 countries, in addition to each outfit being easy to shop. After its huge success in Japan, the Japanese behemoth is taking a step further and launching it in the US market, though restricting shop for now.
T
he app ‘Wear’ is owned by Start Today Engineering, a Japanese company that owns Zozotown, an online fashion brand which sells more than 3,900 brands online. While the Japanese version of the app allows fashion enthusiasts to shop at Zozotown, the US version only provides an outlet for users to discover and discuss various brands and new looks. This can be seen as a research tool for the company to collect data on the US fashion market so that they can take an informed decision before its full-fledged entry into the US market. According to the company statement, “It’s using the American incarnation of Wear
not to drive sales, but instead as a serious research tool, one that will offer insights when it does eventually expand its business beyond Japan.” While launching its app, the Japanese e-commerce behemoth also asked its beta users to disclose their height which didn’t go down well with its consumers. In Japan, height is a strong indicator of clothing size, which is not quite the case in the US. Though the initial hiccup of heights did come in the e-tailer’s way, the company is learning more about its western consumers through their app before they start selling their products. Founded in 1998 by former
rock musician Yusaku Maezawa as a mail-order compact disc and record business, Start Today has since then reached and attained many heights. Zozotown, as described by Maezawa as an ‘online fashion mall’, operates on a concession model as it does not invest in inventory but instead takes a commission on sales from its 3,900 brands, most of which are Japanese. Its warehouses are located in low and mid-segment markets, with its prices in line to those of specialty retailers such as J. Crew. “Wear is still in its infancy in the US. If we’re not confident that we can make a compelling product that benefits people, we won’t do it and we won’t
release it. We use the term ‘user merit’ in Japan, which sounds weird in English. But it means that it has to be beneficial to the customer,” reveals Masahiro Ito, CEO of Engineering, Start Today, according to the company’s statement. For the company, creating an online community around the concept of Kikonashi – the Japanese term for how well you wear something – does not necessarily drive a tremendous volume of sales. It was its natural step of expansion in US against the likes of H&M’s and ZARA’s. While the company has still not divulged its active user base, the app has been downloaded more than 8 million times. The company’s founder believed that the young would like to see looks on people who are of their own size, as opposed to models and also acknowledges the younger generation’s lesser enthusiasm for high quality clothing. This has paved the way for the app, Wear is a showcase for emerging labels and innovative looks – a social network that shares some of the same features
ESSENTIALS For the company, creating an online community around the concept of Kikonashi – the Japanese term for how well you wear something – does not necessarily drive a tremendous volume of sales. It was its natural step of expansion in US against the likes of H&M’s and ZARA’s.
(likes, hashtags, feeds) as other photosharing platforms, but whose sole purpose is displaying and promoting personal style. Apart from the company’s philosophy of expansion, it also believes in adapting to best practices such as providing basic salary, bonus, dependent on profits, etc. The company employs more than 800 people, half of which are women, which is quite uncommon in Japan. In an effort to improve productivity and reduce potential of burnout, the company also implemented a six-hour workday in 2012 that encouraged everyone to complete their daily tasks and depart by 3 pm. Apart from this, the Makuhari District housing allowance allows employees living in Makuhari to receive a special monthly allowance of 50,000 yen (about US $ 435) to help reinvigorate the area’s economy. Currently, 80 per cent of employees take advantage of this scheme. As of now, the market value of Start Today, which also operates Zozoused (a second hand clothing business)
and the Zozo Flea Market, a peer to peer selling platform, is at US $ 7.6 billion. In its 2016 fiscal year, the company generated net sales of about US $ 544 million, with US $ 1.59 billion of transactions taking place on Zozotown. Whether or not Start Today’s idea of entering the US market is buying them more loyal consumers is yet to be seen. For now, the retailer’s goal is to collect data by getting people to use the app through marketing campaigns and influencer outreach.
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Retailers to see drop in sales, predict reports RBC Capital Markets has predicted slow growth rate for US retailers this year. According to the report, Ascena Retail Group which owns Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor, Dress Barn, and Catherines is likely to face 49 per cent decrease in growth rate. An 11 per cent decrease in revenue growth for next year has also been predicted for Under Armour, the American sports clothing and accessories company. This is expected in view of consumer’s decreasing interest in athleisure. According to RBC analysts, yoga-inspired
apparel athletic company Lululemon Athletica’s growth rate can also drop by 5 per cent. A 6 per cent decline in sales growth for this fiscal year for Coach is also expected. The increasing popularity of online shopping has also hit the retailers hard as consumers are opting to shop on e-commerce sites over brick-and-mortar stores, resulting in reduced traffic in stores. Fitch Ratings has also stated that the augmented number of discounted retailers has given a blow to more traditional and single-brand brickand-mortar retailers.
Sears Canada undergoes complete retail reinvention Canadian retailer, Sears is going through a period of absolute renovation, spanning through modern customer experiences systems, a redesigned e-commerce platform, new concept stores and a new manifesto of customer service values that aim to capture as well as sustain brand loyalty. Brandon G. Stranzl, Executive Chairman of Sears
Canada elaborated on the initiatives stating, “2017 is the year for change and reinvention at SearsCanada. We started on our reinvention path last year when we focused on a dramatic refinement to our product selection, to achieve a simple value proposition for consumers – high quality at a low price, and our Sears label essentials andThe Cut @ Sears achieves this in a big
way. We have also overhauled our customer experience onlineand in-store as we commit toproviding Canadians the best shopping experience possible.” Sears has opened a pop-up shop in Toronto’s modish neighbourhood of Queen West where they will highlight the company’s hottest merchandise, together with the all-new private-label products
as well as the off-price offering, making them the first nationwide retailer in Canada, to display both key retail approaches all in a single store. The pop-up shop opened on April 8 with the marketing tag of #WeveCHANGED. “We’re using #WeveCHANGED as our moniker to attract new consumers and engage Canadians in our new customer-obsessed approach without pre-conceptions. We’re re-introducing ourselves with new products, enhanced customer experiences, and a reimagined philosophy of quality, on-trend merchandise at great prices,” explained Stranzl. Sears Canada is looking to coagulate its position as Canada’s go-to retailer for everyone’s every need with the launch of a monobrand private label. The new line will be high on quality providing essentials at affordable prices for men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing, home décor as wellas houseware items.
Jack & Jones goes for restructuring Menswear brand Jack &Jones has decided to revamp its business in order to get rid of negative results. The fashion brand has not been able to deliver the expected results in past years. It has decided to focus on simplifying the organization and getting back to its roots under its new strategic direction. “The new strategy will focus on the Jack &Jones brand as a unifying unit, and we will no longer be working as seven independent organizations within our brand – we will all be focusing on Jack & Jones,” Brand
Directors Anders Gam and Peter Kristiansen were quoted as saying in news reports. The brand will continue with its wide range and still make products for all occasions, but will no longer offer similar products under different brand names. Its focus will be on the market shelf to provide consumers with the best products at the best prices. As a result of the reorganization, 67 staff from buying, sales and marketing departments have been made redundant at the company’s headquarters in Brande and Copenhagen.
PVH inks licensing agreement with USA Legwear LLC Two subsidiaries of PVH Corporation have entered into a license agreement with USA Legwear LLC under which the latter will manufacture, sell, distribute and promote women’s
hosiery and socks under the Warner’s brand. The retailer will launch products for Spring 2018 which will be sold primarily in leading department stores, specialty stores, national
chains and mass retailers throughout the United States and Canada.
highs, trouser socks, dress socks, athletic socks, casual socks and boot socks.
The Warner’s product offering will include women’s sheer hosiery, tights, leggings, thigh highs, knee
“As we seek ways to grow the Warner’s product line, we naturally came upon hosiery as a great fit with our intimate apparel offerings. The Warner’s brand has a leading market share position in bras and panties, and we believe that USA Legwear can leverage this positioning to develop and grow a hosiery business,” said Ken Wyse, President Licensing, PVH Corp., adding, “USA Legwear has extensive knowledge and experience in this product category, and we look forward to working with them to build this business.” Commenting on the agreement, Aaron Harari, President &CEO, USA Legwear LLC said, “We are thrilled to add the Warner’s brand to our current portfolio and expand upon our existing partnership with PVH for its Van Heusen brand…”
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L A B O U R R E P O R T H I G H L I G H TS E X TRE M E RE A C TI O N O F P O L I C E T O G A RM E N T W O RK E R S ’ P RO TE S T IN B A N G A L O RE A year after the painful protest by Bangalore’s garment workers against the decision of the Central Government to prevent them from withdrawing employers’ contribution from Provident Fund, a report by social activists has made several claims about police excesses on the workers, a majority of them being women workers. People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Bangalore (PUCL) and Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS), brought out a 127 pages long joint report titled ‘Thread and Tension – An account of the historic uprising of garment workers’– which was reportedly compiled after interviews with workers, police officers and union leaders. The report (whose copy is also with Apparel Online) states that workers were quelled with police brutality and illegal detention of women. Given below are some highlights of the report which need serious attention.
T
he ‘wildcat strike’ of garment workers which occurred on April 18th and 19th in 2016 was of a kind that Bangalore had never seen before. More than 50,000 garment workers, a majority of them being women, gathered on the arterial roads of the city, and brought the traffic and normal functioning of the city to a grinding halt. Civil society activists claim that it was a strike that was waiting to happen. The report specially focuses on human rights violation by the police against garment workers in Bangalore. The report very sadly narrates, “Despite 90 per cent of the protesters being women, no women police officers were present. All the garment workers who were interviewed, repeatedly emphasized that seeing their female colleagues being violently beaten up by male policemen without justification, was in fact the turning point of the protest.” This report truly raises concern as it describes about Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah being seen congratulating the garment workers for creating “a successful workers’ movement”, which was “historic” and was able to push the Central
Government to roll back the “illconceived amendments to the EPF Scheme”. While this protest has been lauded across the country as a victory for workers’ rights, especially for the distinctive role played by women workers, the state machinery has responded with repression and violence. It may be recalled that workers and passers-by were assaulted brutally during the protest, and many were subsequently arrested on trumped-up charges, including attempt to murder. This was done to systematically create an atmosphere of abject fear, by targeting workers due to their vulnerable class character. The report further briefed about the plight of the workers who on the one hand were praised for their struggle by the State Government and its machinery, and on the other faced lathicharge by the police. The State Government needs to recognize that the garment factory workers resorted to such wide-scale demonstration as the Central Government’s move to restrict access to their EPF funds was the last straw on their already burdenedbacks.
LIST IS LONG • “The level of brutality exhibited by the police both throughout the protest, and in the following weeks, was a concerted effort by the police to create an atmosphere of fear amongst the workers. This police action also began without following protocol as per the Karnataka Police Manual, which also involves giving prior warnings.” • “A female worker was arrested at 2 pm on the first day of the protest, and was produced before the Magistrate at 9 pm on the following day. The Magistrate did not even acknowledge the fact that she wasn’t produced within 24 hours of her detention.
The issue is not only limited to prevention of PF or police excesses, as the report further highlights the difficult conditions of women workers. The events of 18th and 19th of April 2016 have to be understood in light of the prevailing conditions of work in the garment industry, and not merely as a reaction to the EPF notification. One point which concerns the entire supply chain is the living wage. “The absence of a living wage standard also contributes to the acute dependence of workers on their PF, especially because the employee contribution to their provident fund is from an already low wage,” the report reasons in an unbiased way.
SOCIAL LIFE TOO AFFECTED BADLY While the garment industry employs a huge number of migrant workers, these workers have been heavily isolated and marginalized after the protests. Many workers spoke candidly about the stigma that they faced from their surroundings and community post-arrest and police action. One of the workers spoke about the criticisms and taunts that her children faced from others as an effect of these sudden arrests.
Save energy initiative: H&M joins EP100
File photo of workers’ protest which happened last year
EVEN THE MANAGEMENT DID NOT… It (report) also blames the various managements who didn’t make any serious attempt to prevent workers from staging walkouts in their factories, and let the 2-day strike take its own course even while suffering significant losses in production. The managements seemed to condone these protests calculating that such actions would deflect the workers from turning to the fundamental worker issues of wages and working conditions and divert them from rising against the management.
ANALYSIS OF MEDIA (MAINSTREAM) REPORTAGE The report also presents an analysis of mainstream media (English as well as local language newspapers) reportage. “This disingenuous statement clearly reflects the English media’s bias on the protest,” it says, and further adds that the media has also been silent on the role the EPF played in the workers’ lives, which pushed the workers to take to the streets, seeking justice. They barely
alluded to the reason why EPF is important for these workers, or to the abysmal working conditions of these women in the garment factories, the humanly impossible production targets they face in their jobs, etc.
DEMANDS The fact-finding team has many demands for various authorities including the State Government, State Human Rights Commission, Department of Labour, Department of Health, etc. The foremost of these demands is that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must follow up on his promise to release all those arrested in relation to the garment workers’ demonstration on the 18th and 19th of April 2016 and no new arrests must be made. The horrible discrepancies of the Indian political and social system highlighted in this report have given enough reasons for worry to every stakeholder of the industry but the most dangerous thing is “…that we may expect similar resistances in future as these structures continue to oppress the workforce,” the report claimed.
Recently, H&M has become the first international fashion retailer to join EP100, a global initiative that encourages businesses to double their energy productivity as part of its international efforts to transition to a net zero economy. Apart from H&M, nine major companies, including Woolworths, Land Securities, Dalmia Cement, Swiss Re and Johnson Controls are already part of EP100. Launched in May 2016, EP100 is led by the Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy. The initiative aims at doubling the economic output from every unit of energy consumed, achieving bold targets set by companies demonstrating climate leadership, while reaping the benefits of lower energy costs. “It is great to see a multinational company such as H&Mtaking a lead role in enhancing energy-efficiency by joining EP100. Already a member of our RE100 initiative that commits businesses to renewable power, H&Mis going one step further in enhancing its commitment to climate initiatives,” reveals Helen Clarkson, Chief Executive of The Climate Group. On being a part of the campaign, Pierre Borjesson, Global Sustainability Business Expert, H&M, informs, “We have long been working to reduce our climate impact and recently launched our new commitment to achieve a climate positive value chain by 2040. This means H&M will support reduction of greenhouse gases to a larger extent than what our value chain emits. Two of our key priorities are leadership in energy productivity and using renewable energy throughout the value chain.” The retailer aims to build future stores using 40 per cent less energy per square metre, compared to those constructed today. Within its stores, the retailer aims to invest in new technologies for lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to improve its operational energy productivity. Additionally, H&Maims to have 100 per cent of its supplier partners enrolled in an energy-efficiency programme by 2025, as well as reduce the energy used in its logistics transport and warehouses.
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Richa Global takes ‘refreshing' step to boost productivity Some of the Indian apparel exporters are undertaking unique initiatives to raise the motivation levels of their talented staff. Based in Delhi-NCR, Richa Global, a respected name in Indian apparel export industry, took one such significant step when it recently arranged a three-day Goa trip for 12 members of its production team (including staff from IE and Quality Department). The company bore all the trip expenses and ensured that the team had a splendid time during this break which also included interesting dress codes for the staff highlighting the company’s name. Adesh Giri, Senior Quality Manager and Kulmeet Singh, GM – Production of the company, who led the trip informed, “We are
Production team of Richa Global enjoying the trip in Goa
happy with the positive results that our company is seeing because of this initiative. Our team is now working like a family and they are enthusiastic to complete all targets
on time. Away from the regular pressures and tight schedule, we were able to spend quality time with each other on this trip and it really helped a lot to enhance team
spirit, mutual bonding and our efficiency. Everyone is now selfmotivated which is reflecting on the shopfloor. Now things are getting complete in first go.”
Accord launches a financial support programme In its final year of the current agreement, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has launched a direct financial support programme to help factories complete remediation. The focus of the Accord in its final year will be to establish the Safety Committee and Safety Training programme at as many factories as possible. It will also address safety complaints filed at Factory Safety Committees or through the Accord Safety Complaints mechanism. Apparel brands and retailers and unions are also in discussion on how best to ensure that safety regulations and safety rights in the readymade garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh are adequately upheld and further
developed. “The unprecedented model of independent inspections, collective brand leverage, public disclosure, accountability and bipartite governance has proven to be successful. The achievements are laudable with 65 fully remediated factories and more than 400 factories which have completed more than 90 per cent of required safety remediation. We must remain vigilant to drive remediation to completion as we still see too many factories with major safety concerns unfixed,” states Rob Wayss, Executive Director and Acting Chief Safety Inspector of the Accord. As the Accord enters the 5th year, the signatory companies are committed to support the factories they source from in
Close to 65 factories have completed all remediations from initial inspections. their remediation. The Accord is launching a direct financial support programme for covered factories that have no current business relationships with Accord signatory companies. “We need to ensure that major and costly safety measures, such as protected fire exits, fire alarm and fire protection systems and structural retrofitting work can and will be remediated urgently. The Accord Remediation Fund
will provide qualified suppliers with access to direct funding for 50 per cent of remaining remediation costs for covered factories with no current Accord business. This direct support is limited and will be implemented on a first-come-first-serve basis,” maintains Joris Oldenziel, Head of Public Affairs at the Netherlands office of the Accord. Four years on, remediation is close to completion at more than 400 Accord factories which have completed more than 90 per cent of the remediation. Close to 65 factories have completed all remediations from initial inspections, and over 300 joint labour-management Safety Committees are being trained and equipped to monitor factory safety on a day-to-day basis.
Filippa K & Mistra Future Fashion support eco fashion To extend their support to sustainable fashion, Filippa K and Mistra Future Fashion have initiated ‘Circular Design Speeds’ led by Professor Rebecca Earley and Dr Kate Goldsworthy of University of the Arts London. The two year sustainable project includes researching, developing and testing of a new strategic design for 100 per cent circular fashion garments. The concept of this project is to implement insights from Mistra Future Fashion, focusing on speed of use and maximizing fabric value retention of products. “We want to be able to enjoy fashion and update our wardrobes in a conscious way. That is what the project – Circular
Design Speeds – is about. We will develop circular garments where all environmental impacts and aspects during a full lifecycle are taken into account and optimized based on a pre-determined life length,” informs Elin Larsson, Sustainability Director, Filippa K. The project will be an industryembedded pilot study, exploring the impact of different speeds of fashion with the aim to generate commercial garments. These will optimize the life of fabric, production processes and business models through a holistic design process by extending the life of an existing garment through design interventions or through the development of hyper-recyclable
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short-life products, enabling efficient recovery of virgin fabrics over multiple lifetimes. These garments will be Filippa K’s next front runners and in order for the industry to benefit from this project, key insights will be shared in through three seminars in 2017 and in the Spring of 2018. “Circular Design Speeds is the ultimate project where theory from years of research will be implemented and tested in an industry context, with many of our partners involved. The output will be the legacy of Mistra Future Fashion and all that its partners are trying to achieve,” maintains Sigrid Barnekow, Program Director, Mistra Future Fashion.
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
HOW INDIAN APPAREL INDUSTRY IS MOVING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is now counted as one of the major pillars of apparel export business and a growth tool. Though its key areas involve saving of energy, water, more greenery in the factories, maximum use of natural resources, green factories, there are many other initiatives which are being taken by various companies as per their need, priorities, and with the changing sustainability landscape, bench marks and issues are also evolving. All these efforts are generating great results, bringing buyers closer to them and creating a sense of profitability and responsibility amongst the companies towards the people and the planet. Sustainability also includes in its wide domain what is called long term financial sustainability. Apparel Online brings to you a larger picture of this popular concept – what are the front runners doing and how smalland medium-level exporters can become part of this extensive programme which has still not been started by many of them.
THE COMPANIES FOR WHOM SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY FOCUS… Top brands every year highlight their sustainable initiatives and progress in their detailed sustainability report whether undertaken in retail or in sourcing operations. Now Indian apparel industry is also taking such initiatives and is going to create history soon. Pratibha Syntex, Indore, which is mainly into apparel export, is the first company which will soon release its first sustainability report. Last year, Arvind Ltd., Bangalore, had produced its first ever sustainability report (88 pages long) for the year FY 2013-14 (for detailed analysis of this report, see Apparel Online India’s January 16-31, 2017 issue). Madura Fashion &Lifestyle, Bangalore, a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., also generated its sustainability report under its parent company Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL). Experts observe that apparel manufacturers are targeting more on their communication to their brands and employees and this is what matters in the shortterm. Sustainability reports are relevant when the management begins to engage with a larger set of stakeholders; and we see that shift happening in case of the more progressive firms.
HOW AND WHAT THE INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE DOING Pratibha Syntex, winner of GLASA award, is India’s first textile factory to achieve the “bluesign system partner” status. It has decided to convert all
its materials to 100% sustainable products regardless of whether buyers take interest in them or not. Some of its key efforts to achieve this goal cover both environmental as well as social aspects like using zero discharge facility when its 100% processed water is recycled with 93% efficiency and is reused in the operations ofthe plant. Rain water harvesting in one of its facility that makes its water positive. Under solar powered facility, electricity generated from solar panels constitutes 30% of power consumption by the company. It has replaced its entire lighting system with LED lights which leads to significant amount of energy savings. Sameer Bhand, VP-Strategy & Sustainability of the company states that Pratibha’s focus is not just on bringing change but inducing overall transformation. The company strongly believes that profit must not be prioritized before people and environment, and its integrated value chain – from farm to fibre to garment – makes it an exemplifying business case. Itssocial initiatives reflect and propagate the idea of sustainable fashion. Pratibha Syntex works closely with more than 30,000 farmers and spins the magic into high-end fashion garments with a strong team of 10,000 employees for internationally reputed buyers in over 20 countries. It is working on a holistic approach to reduce water consumption at factories and the farms by tackling challenges existing in current products and processes. For instance, it has converted its virgin polyester to recyclable polyester, though this was not a part of the customer demand. As part of Aditya Birla Group, ABFRL (Madura Fashion & Lifestyle) has also aligned and
“Sustainability is not a programme for Pratibha with certain budget, it is in Pratibha’s DNA.” –Sameer Bhand, VP-Strategy & Sustainability, PratibhaSyntex
engaged in various sustainable initiatives as a responsible corporate contributing towards the sustainable ecosystem. It has begun its journey of greening its supply/value chain through its vendor audits and training programmes. The company has also collaborated with international companies developing sustainable concepts and has implemented several initiatives along with these pilots in the apparel segment. It also tries to translate their best practices in to our systems and processes for better outcome. “We are working on 7 sustainability missions with targets identified and fixed for each mission,” shared Devadas PM, AVP, Business Excellence, IE & Sustainability of the company. Like energy, it reduced purchase of grid electricity by 25% through demand/waste reduction and achieved 14% reduction in consumption by implementing the LED lights across all the factories. Very soon, 60% of Madura plants’ energy consumption will comprise of solar energy. As the textile industry is increasingly being categorized as less hazardous and being rated as green category, the company has achieved zero landfill for all dry wastes such as paper, fabric and plastic by sending them through authorized vendors where the wastes are disposed to recyclers. The paper waste is significantly lowered by reducing the GSM of lay papers, perforated papers and plotter papers which have resulted in 21% savings in terms of consumption and cost. It also achieved 25% reduction in water withdrawal from the bore well by implementation and reuse of STP treated water toilets. Installed aerators in all the taps have resulted in reducing the flow to 4 litres of water per minute. Installing the rain water
“We have planned to spend approximately 2%of our total budget towards sustainability.” –Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Poppys Knitwear
“We are putting 500 KLD plant for ZLD, using recycled cotton, BCI cotton and GRScotton in our products. It is helping us to grow our business.” –Sumeet Nath, Managing Partner, Raj Group
harvesting systems in the remaining facilities will be completed by the end of June 2017 which will result in 10 to 15% reduction in water withdrawal from the borewell.
List of Green Garment/Allied Factories in India
It is not only the corporate giants but also the exporters who are carrying the torch of sustainability. Poppys Knitwear, Tirupur, believes that the precise environmental impact of textiles varies significantly depending on the types of fibre/yarns that the garments are made from. Dr. A Sakthivel, Chairman of thecompany elaborates on the radical initiatives taken in his own factory by stating, “We use 100% cotton yarn, 100% BCI cotton and organic cotton yarn for our garment orders as required by the buyers. As an initiative towards environmental sustainability, we are the first factory in Tirupur who have initiated the green factory project. Various developments have been made to conserve water, energy and to reduce pollution and carbon emission. We have fitted solar street lights, sewage treatment plants, servo motors in sewing machines which consume less energy. Even more than 30% of the normal tube lights have been replaced by LEDlights.”
Mainetti India, Chennai
Raj Group, Panipat, is another leading home furnishing exporter aggressively working on this front. It has converted 40 per cent load of electricity by solar rooftops, converted pet-coke boilers to LPG and is running printing rotary machines totally through LPG plant. It too has rain water harvesting in place and is developing three big parks nearby its factory and has planted 500 trees in these parks for ensuring fresher, cleaner air. The company is working with brands like Wsi, H&M, Target, Zara and Pottery Barn to name few.
SNQS, Tirupur Orient Craft, Bhiwadi Mahajan Overseas, Sonepat Genus Apparels, Faridabad International Trading Company (ITC), Tirupur Click Clothing Company, Faridabad Zodiac Clothing Company, Mumbai (corporate office building) Few more are in the pipeline
SPENDING ON SUSTAINABILITY All the above mentioned initiatives definitely need good investment. Most of the exporters or stake holders of the entire supply chain feel that these investments converted into achievements have helped to fetch more orders from buyers who look for environmental/sustainable factories. At the same time, there are apprehensions, especially among the medium-level exporters about the expenses/investment which demand serious rethinking. Some of the leaders fix their budget while few take it as per requirement rather than fixing it at a certain limit. Poppys Knitwear plans to spend approximately 2% of its totalbudget on sustainability. It also envisions replacing remaining normal tube lights with LED lights, incorporate windmill power projects and solar panel roofings. Pratibha Syntex has a different opinion on the budget as Sameer insists thatsustainability is not a programme for Pratibha Syntex with certain budget; it is in the company’s DNA and therefore its entire operation is very much aligned with it. “It is not a peripheral work but it is at the very core of what Pratibhadoes. It is integrated within the business practices and policy, from board levelto studio and from factory floor to outlets. Pratibha drives sustainability through innovation and excellence in its entire product development cycle, adopting sustainable business practices in its entire value chain,” shares Sameer. In spite of the numerous hurdles coming up time and again, leaders are geared up to adaptsustainability. This can be seen in the case ofMadura Fashion & Lifestyle who have spent
Rs. 3 crore till date and further plan to invest in solar installation at 4 of their facilities, rain water harvesting systems in 5 facilities and reduction of waste in all their activities. Raj Group is too geared up as its Managing Partner Sumeet Nath says, “We are open in terms of sustainability budget. In the coming year, we are putting 500 KLD plant for ZLD, using recycled cotton, BCI cotton and GRS cotton in our products. This will help us to grow ourbusiness.”
BRANDS/CHAINSARE SUPPORTING AND MOTIVATING… Though such initiatives are adding profits to bottom line, these huge investments are not possible without the buyers’ support. It is the brands/retailers or chain stores that are mostly driving the improvements in sustainability of textiles and work closely with garment producers to grow awareness. Most of the exporters fully agree on this. “Our clients work with us on different projects at both farm and at factory level like farm initiatives, support on seeds, training support to farmers, and raise their income. Increasingly brands and chains have started understanding that if such steps are not taken, ramifications of it will be far and wide,” stresses Sameer. “All our development attracts many buyers and we are able to sustain our customers and business too. We are growing rapidly. Brands are supporting us financially as well as technically too. They continuously provide support and training to our team for our growth and retain sustainability,” adds Sumeet. Devadas has a different view as he states, “Our brands are our identity in the market place. The customers have visibility to the brands, not to the backend operation. Whatever we do there is an alignment throughout the supply chain.”
CHARITABLE TRUSTS ON THE RISE Many big- as well as medium-level companies across India have built their own charitable trusts and are focusing on various requirements of their workers mainly like running a school, contributing to the marriages of workers’ children, distributing medicines regularly or supporting the nearby society as per the needs.
HOW SMEs CAN MOVE AHEAD... I
t was not surprising to find thatmany small- or even medium-level companies and owners are not well aware aboutthe concept of sustainability. When Apparel Online approached this segmentof the industry, some of them honestly accepted this fact and were reallykeen to know about it. “To be frank, I am not much aware about sustainability, but willing to know more about it and how to implement it in our business,” stated Velu, Partner, SydneyApparels, Tirupur. Constituting a major chunk
“I often request workers to switch off the fans and machines whenever not required, but most of them do not follow this simple order. We were, therefore, forced to designate this task specially to someone.” –Rohit Bhandari, Director, Strawberry Clothing
experience, “Even I requested workers to switch off fans and machines whenever not required but most of them do not follow this simple order. We were therefore forced to designate this task especially to someone. Similarly, we charged fine on the workers spitting here and there but still this issue has not been completely solved. Recently we have hired a person to motivate/educate workers on such allied issues.” Some other exporters too shared similar issues.
“Take simple yet effective steps to start off with. This could begin with a neat work floor that results in an effective waste management process, which could further translate into reuse, reduce and recycling of waste.” –Sundeep Chauhan, Country Manager, Mainetti India
of the Indian apparel export industry, SME sector is comparatively waybehind on this front, and the primary reasons for this are the buyers’ approach and lack of awareness as some exporters cited, “We are working with wholesalers majorly and they don’t have much concern about such social or extra efforts regarding the environment and they really don’t want to pay for this. Why and how can we add cost without any support as well aspush?” reasoned a medium-level exporter who does not want to be quoted. Rohit Bhandari, Director, Strawberry Clothing, Noida (a unit of Shatabadi Exports) shared his
“Sustainability is actually not that hard to achieve. Often it is a matter of mind shift to begin with, then looking at a company’s supply chain and pinpointing areas for improvement.” –Alok Alamban, Country Manager, India, SWTI
Experts have suggested these exporters that converting all the lightning system to LED, SMEs can reduce power consumption and has direct impact on the operational cost. These kinds of initiatives don’t need high tech solutions. Moving further, they can go for compliance/certification as once a factory becomes compliance driven; it follows lot of procedures whichwill move towards sustainability. Compliance to legal/regulatory standards is the first step towards sustainability to fulfil the basic requirements. Without compliance, they can’t be considered as socially responsibleorganizations. Experts even go ahead to makethem
aware that a concerted campaign and message probably will help in awakening one’s conscience in the area of social responsibility and create an urge to do something on sustainability; and more emphatically, if they do not work towards sustainability, they may not be able to compete effectively in the changing business environment. Dr. Sakthivel feels that Government and textiles department have to start awareness raising campaigns through regional EPCs. Project innovations through CSR team should be done to make small- and medium-level apparel exporters be equipped with environmental and social performing factories. Subsidies should also be provided for such green projects. Sameer says that majority of thesmall and medium exporters are aware of sustainability and represent a big section of market. Hence, they can start tracking their footprints because through footprint calculation they, will be
“SMEs are well aware of the need to use efficient equipment, conserve resources in their operations. All these actions would make their operations more efficient, make the working environment more attractive and lead to an improved profitability.” –Anshul Chawla, Engagement Manager, cKinetics
able to know the environmental impact that their operations are making, and identify “low hanging fruit” opportunities to reduce water and energy consumption and also discharges generated across their operations will have direct impact on the bottomline. Devadas too shares that any business, whether small or big will be interested to make profits which are sustainableas they take care of the resources and the environment.“If we educate them that reduction in cost of resources like raw materials, energy, water, etc. can reduce their manufacturing cost which in turn will improve their profitability, they will understand better. This knowledge can
create interest in all the businesses. Media like you can play a big role inthis game. Companies like us can share our stories,” he added. Sundeep Chauhan, CountryManager, Mainetti India, Chennai, suggests simple yet effective steps to start off with. This could begin with a neat work floor that results in an effective waste management process, which could further translate into reuse, reduce and recycling of waste; so small steps promoting sustainability in each sector trickles down tobecome a key organizational value over a period oftime. Alok Alamban, Country Manager, India, Sweden Water Textile Initiative, shares motivational words, “Sustainability is actually not that hard to achieve. Often it is a matter of mind shift to begin with, then looking at a company’s supply chain andpinpointing areas for improvement. They can join
“There has to be a massive drive by political and social groups, besides the industry, to create an awareness that these sustainable practices will not only be beneficial to the society but will benefit the country along with the business in terms of recognition and also monetary savings.” –RCKesar, DG, OGTC
some workshops, as well as joinexternal partners and global sustainability initiatives. Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI) is one such inclusive programme offering proven successful methods for saving water in the textile and leather production processes.” He further stated that there are many great examples of factories in Indiathat have become research and development facilities on sustainable and circular production. “We at STWI work with some of these factories who set the global benchmark in our programme on efficient water use,” sharesAlok. Anshul Chawla, Engagement Manager, cKinetics, Delhi elaborated,
Buyers/Brands’ appreciable initiatives Many brands and buyers are doing a praiseworthy job to promote sustainability in the Indian apparel export industry. Few of them have specific foundations too like C&A foundation which is supporting worldwide to promote such causes. The major focus of these overseas players is on training, auditing, health & safety, education and improved life standard. For example, with the help of IndustriALL, Inditex (working with nearly 134 Indian suppliers employing more than 1,31,000 workers) guaranteed independent elections of worker representatives in India. Overall, through its worker participation programme, it reached four factories with 9,152 workers. These programmes are aimed at understandingthe management systems of the factories in Inditex’ssupply chain with regards to worker rights, and to introduce projects, in which Inditex is involved, to eradicate the Sumangali labour practice. The project to fight against Kala Azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis) to tackle child malnutrition benefited more than 2,500 people. Gap Inc’s PACE (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) is another programme supporting many companies in India to improve the worker’s overall life. Gram Tarang, Odisha; Swasti Health Resource Centre, Bangalore; did some influential work with the support of this programme. It is not only the top brands or buyers who are supporting India or their Indian suppliers. Some of the small- and medium-level buyers, brands or even boutique buyers are also supporting their suppliers’ initiatives. Most of them are associated with various charity programmes, especially in Jaipur, which has seen some good examples in this regard.
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“It is quite true that many of the firms may not know about the “Sustainability” term. However, they are well aware of the need to use efficient equipment, conserve resources in their operations; have a pleasant working environment and other such actions. Allthese actions would make their operations more efficient, make the working environment more attractive and lead to an improved profitability. In effect, sustainability is about long-term financial sustainability.”
MORE STAFF REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES? Even most of the top exporters of India don’t have a sustainability manager/ head in their organization…, is it not required? Are the CSR/welfare officers well equipped and enough to manage role of sustainability managers? Some experts feel that every organization should have a sustainability manager as CSR team alone cannot manage sustainability activities. Qualified people who have thorough knowledge about environment and social performance can manage sustainability activities. But this requirement primarily depends on the scale of operations. For big and focused export houses like Pratibha, it is important to have sustainability managers who will spearhead the change instead of frittering away resourceson piece mealbasis. Sumeet feels that time is changing and people are moving to have independent departments to monitor sustainability. The CSR/welfare team will always take time, and therefore, brands should definitely possess a responsible team for sustainabilityas that for compliance. Devadas has an interesting take on this topic as he says, “The focus on sustainability depends on the interest of the leadership of the organization. If they are serious about sustainability they would depute the right qualified personnel for the job. As such it need not be a full-time job. Someone with an executive responsibility in the organization can handle this role also.”
BCI, SAC, FAIRTRADE DOING GOOD JOB Industry agrees that bodies behind organic cotton or BCI and SAC initiatives have made significant difference to the sustainability movement. Aditya Birla and Pratibha Syntex are the foundingmembers of SAC and pioneer in Higgs module adoption. Exporters doaccept that despite some formalities and complications, these organizations help everyone. In India, events based on sustainability like CRB conference, Sustainable Business Leadership Forum by cKinetics are providing the perspectives which were earlier missing in India such as sustainability narratives and are bringing people on the right platform.
CHALLENGES ARE MANY, BUT SUPPORT IS ALSO THERE Small or big, apart from someexporters, the majority of the Indian apparel industries need to enhancetheir efforts in this direction. Experts feel that one of the major reasons for the lacking initiative is probably shortsightedness about the future of the apparel business and lack ofawareness; and secondly, the amount of investment required; all of them may not guarantee immediate ROI. “Until there is clear framework or a policy at central level to incentivize the steps and efforts put in by companies like us, it will be practically very difficult to promote this concept that preserves theplanet for our future generations. Stepscould be as simple as tax benefits, lower tariffs for power and water etc. Lack of awareness at all levels of political leadership, industry leadership,senior management and employees is also one of the main reason. There has to be a massive drive by political, social groups and the industry to create anawareness that these sustainable practices will not only bebeneficial to the society but will benefit the country along withthe business in terms of recognition and also monetary savings,” says RCKesar, DG, Okhla Garments and Textile Cluster (OGTC),Delhi.
pparel Online asked various industry bodies about their achievements, future planning and challenges. Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) during 2011-12 had initiated a social sustainability programme comprising detailed guidance documents and on-site capacity building of participating units.
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Now it will soon be coming out with its sustainability programme, whereby toolkits and guidance documents will be shared with the industry for identifying resource uses, monitoring and documenting resource management, with the aim to optimize resource use and enhance overall efficiency through better resource management. Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC, claimed that AEPC was one of the first EPCs to have identified
V I E W S OF I N D U S T RY B OD I ES ON T HE I S S UE OF S U S TAI NAB I L I T Y the need for generating awareness and creating capacities for the apparel sector to understand the issues and meet the requirements emerging in the global apparel markets. With regards to small exporters, he adds that the starting point has to be the identification and documentation of the various energy and other resource uses in the different departments of the manufacturing units. This will enable the managers to have better resource planning and management. Setting targets and documenting energy savings can be the next step. Some units have already initiated sustainability programmes, but for many SMEs, greater awareness of the need and ways to bring sustainability in the production systems has to be provided. AEPC plans to support such units.
“Sustainability is many a time related to expenditure that may not contribute to bottom lines. This is where the challenge has to be converted into opportunity to ensure that sustainability programmes are voluntarily taken up. Business cases have to be developed, and the units have to be incentivized to take up energy-saving ways,” Ashok reasons.
“AEPC will soon be coming out with its sustainability programme, whereby toolkits and guidance documents will be shared with the industry for identifying resource uses, monitoring and documenting resource management, with the aim to optimize resource use and enhance overall efficiency through better resource management.” –Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC
“All exporters need to take cue from this and start implementing as per their own requirements. Moving further, we need to keep on searching for new methods and inventions to move on this front. Like for our industry, now research is being conducted for waterless dyeing which adds strength to this cause.” –Raja M. Shanmugam, President,TEA
Raja M. Shanmugam, President, Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) stated, “Now all across the globe, sustainability has become the main point of discussion in our industry. At Tirupur, we achieved a lot in the area of power by having green energy to the extent of carbon neutrality and an effective ZLD practice by which we protect the environment from pollution and at the same time, we recycle the industrial water usage to the extent of 90%. All exporters need to take cue from this
E SS E N T I A L S Gopal Singh Rawat, who has worked/ headed CSR & Compliance Department with many apparel export houses, and who recently started working as a Consultant, feels that there is no such need for extra budget to execute sustainability successfully. Smalland medium-level exporters can easily hire consultants.
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Government push Though it depends from state-to-state, a large segment of exporters feel that the role of the State Government is negligible and the Central Government has to play a major role in enhancing the scope of sustainability in the industry. However, some of the State Governments have taken specific measures to promote sustainability in different ways and it has shown positive results also like the following:
As many factories across Haryana were pursuing solar energy as in 2015, Haryana Government made it mandatory for all buildings on plot size of 500 square yards or more to install rooftop solar power systems. The state offered 30 per cent subsidy on installation costs with some terms & conditions. In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government is very firm on these policies and is continuously working towards energy conservation and fresh water reduction. It also provides discounts to the organizations implementing energysaving measures.
“In today’s environment, exporters and businesses that follow sustainability practices can use it as a differentiator and also implement it to preimmunize their offerings in the future, one can see sustainability becoming the mainstream norm.” –Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India
and start implementing as per their own requirements. Moving further, we need to keep on searching for new methods and inventions to move on this front like for our industry, now research is being conducted for waterless dyeing which adds strength to this cause.” He further added that the major challenges in this regard are the finance and the lack of the required consistent governmental support policies which are getting changed at whims and fancies not with the required supportive factors needed for the MSMEs. OGTC, Delhi, associated with 26 export houses of Delhi-NCR, has been taking several initiatives which cover environment, community/social, workplace practices, marketplace and business conduct and ethical governance, etc. To mention a few, it initiated replacement of all FTL tube lights of 36W by LED tube lights of 15 W, installed solar power generation system of 600KW, helped in water conservation by using treated water for gardening and toilets. Its efforts made it possible to reduce about 2000 tonnes of carbon equivalent in last three years. Its social efforts involve women empowerment, reinventing human and spiritual values through SRD-discourse, training and providing suitable employment to physically challenged people. Despite such efforts of various bodies, an industry conception is there that trade bodies/EPCs are not active on this front. RC Kesar, DG, OGTC shared,
“There is no such extra need for any extra budget for sustainability. SMEs can hire consultants, but first of all such exporters should follow all laws and compliances, as complying of these basics will lead them towards sustainability.” –Gopal Singh Rawat, Consultant
“Yes, there is a muted response because it is not considered a way to beat the competition or maximize profits, rather it is based on a compassionate and value-based response to all the challenges facing the society. Having said this, the lack of awareness and prioritization also contribute to the muted response.” OGTC is geared up to further enhance its focus on sustainability. Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India, stated that sustainability is a continuous and long journey which is just going to start in India. It is about doing business responsibly and ethically with no shortcuts. Strategically speaking, while in today’s environment, exporters and businesses that follow sustainability practices can use it as a differentiator and also implement it to pre-immunize their offerings in the future, one can see sustainability becoming the mainstream norm. One can start being committed to sustainable practices by starting to measure the impact of one’s work on the environment by following good practices in employee relationships and by having zero tolerance to exploitation (direct or indirect) be it in the form of natural resources or people. “At Fairtrade, we have got our sustainable practices for the textiles sector transparently and it can be a good starting point for understanding the requirements for sustainable practices,” concluded Abhishek.
MAINETTI INDIA A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT O N SUSTAINABLE FRONTS
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s the Country Manager of the first platinum, certified green factory in India, reflecting the true spirit of sustainability, Sundeep Chauhan feels proud to be one of the pioneers in this sector and says, “The fruit that we enjoy today is a product of the efforts put in nearly 7 years ago. Our products contribute to the industry in multiple ways – recyclable and recycled content, a green facility to produce these.” He further adds that all these efforts are documented and case studies are drafted and this awareness spreads rather rapidly. Thanking all his friends across the industry and supply chain that are open to adopt such practices and ideas like maximum usage of sustainable material, he emphasizes that each hanger that his company produces is from energy-efficient machines. Mainetti is a major hanger/ accessories player and is far ahead in sustainability than other players in the Indian apparel industry. Their Chennai factory is a benchmark in sustainability wherein reduction of auxiliary power consumption effectively transforms to 0.009kWh of energy consumption per hanger produced – a significant drop from 0.02kWh which was the previous benchmark. The company has
E SS E N T I A L S Italy-based company Mainetti is spread across the world and it strongly believes that good environmental practice has always been a prime consideration in Mainetti’s development, leading it to seek practical solutions to avoid the production of waste. Reuse and Recycling are expanding activities within the Mainetti Group which are underpinned by continuous investment, and our commitment to this important part of the hanger supply market.
achieved a closed loop water system, with zero discharge of water, and also attained the level of zero land filled plant. In its naturally illuminated and ventilated plant, efforts are undertaken to reduce CO 2 emissions at the rate of 3-5% yearon-year. This series of initiatives is also helping Mainetti in saving on various fronts; like on the operating side, it has been able to establish savings of over 50% by using state-of-the-art machines, highly efficient cooling systems, best in class LEDs and maximum utilization of natural resources such as daylight and cross ventilation. By the use of low flow fixtures, re-cycled water usage and waterless urinals, it has also ensured over 65% water savings compared to other conventional units. “This way, we do our bit in encouraging green practices even if they are out of our domain – after all, sustainability is universal – irrespective of whether it is applied within an apparel industry or at source in a power production unit,” Sundeep describes proudly. Furthermore, the company has tied up with wind power producers as part of its sustainability supply chain policy even if it costs more on an annual basis. “Irrespective of higher
costs, we have signed up with a likeminded organization for promoting the concept,” says Sundeep. Talking about the industry and especially where it is lacking on the sustainability front and how it can improve, Sundeep shared that the industry needs to realize that sustainability is a long-term process and hence, the results will take time. It is a fruit of hard labour. However, this sequential process definitely puts the organization multiple steps ahead of where it was a few years back. Technology, access, etc., are no longer barriers in our country. Mindset and patience, however, play a key role as implementation, monitoring, maintenance as well as logging are continuous processes and these have helped us justify key sustainability specific decisions taken in the past. Improvement in the existing system and adoption of the latest technology are continuous practices for the company as it reduces power consumption by moving from conventional systems to all electrical systems or battery operated system. It improved indoor air quality by introducing ERV systems and plating NASA-approved plants that can absorb VOC and toxic gases that are prevalent in industrial areas.
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Anant Kumar Singh is New Textile Secretary Anant Kumar Singh, is new Textile Secretary of India, Ministry of Textiles (MoT). He replaced Rashmi Verma, who has now been appointed as Tourism Secretary. She spent almost 17 months in MoT. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) announced top-level
bureaucratic reshuffle in which many changes across the ministries have taken place. Anant, a 1984-batch Uttar Pradesh Cadre IAS officer, has Bachelor’s as well as Master’s Degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur along with LLB Degree from Lucknow University. He has also worked as a Government Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and been a part-time Government Nominee Director of GAIL (India) Limited as well. The coming months will keep Anant very much involved in his new role as MoT is geared up to make its upcoming mega events ‘Textiles India 2017’ a successful events, scheduled from June 30 to July 2, 2017. National Textile Policy is also in process and the industry has high hopes from the Ministry.
Gujarat Government officials visit mega textile park site at Pinjrat A 20-member team comprising of Gujarat State Government officials, inspected a site at Pinjrat in Surat city of the state for the proposed development of mega textile park. The proposed textile park is being developed by the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), which signed a Memorandum of Understanding during Vibrant Gujarat Summit organized earlier this year. According to media report, Additional Commissioner of industries department, JC Chudasama had visited Pinjrat
along with a team of 20 officials from district collector’s office, SGCCI, Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA), Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), Olpaad Mamlatdar, etc. and had conducted site inspection. The SGCCI has urged the State Government to allot around 80 lakh square metres of land for the mega textile park. However, the proposed textile park has invited opposition from Khedut Samaj Gujarat (KSG), claiming that it would have ill effects on the environment, mangroves and will also disturb the inter-tidal zone.
Textiles Minister urges entrepreneurs to participate in Textiles India 2017' At a recently conducted roadshow for ‘Textiles India-2017’ in Panipat, Union Textiles Minister of India, Smriti Irani, appealed to the textile entrepreneurs to participate in the mega event for the textile and apparel industry, which is going to be organized in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from June 30 to July 2, 2017. Irani highlighted the fact that only textile industry has noticed an increase of 20 per cent in the last five years, while the handloom industry is presently worth approximately Rs. 37,000 crore in both home and overseas markets. The Minister also requested Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar and MP Ashwini Chopra to address the grievances and note the suggestions of entrepreneurs regarding the local issues and try to solve them. She even asked the ministers to discuss matters further with Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, for fruitful results. Panwar mentioned, “Panipat is wellknown and appreciated all over the world for its handloom industry. We always try to encourage more and more people to indulge in this sector and to boost them, we tend to provide them the best of facilities, and for the same, the State Government also implemented Enterprises Promotion Policy.” Further, he added that the suggestions submitted by industrial organizations for improvement of facilities and resolving of local issues would be given due consideration by the State Government.” Also, the Central Government will soon set up a facilitation centre for textiles and handloom industry with state-ofthe-art facilities including a laboratory at Panipat. The Textiles Minister also visited the cotton nylon and coir manufacturing unit in the district.
India imposes anti-dumping duty on elastomeric filament yarn imports from 4 countries Ever since the Indian Finance Ministry has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty on elastomeric filament yarn imports from Vietnam, China, South Korea and Taiwan, Indian market of filament yarns has attracted worldwide attention. These filament yarns are commonly referred to as Spandex or Elastane. It is noteworthy that spandex yarn is mainly used to make garments that require great comfort and fit like hosiery, swimsuits, disposable diapers, sportswear and so on.
The Revenue Department, based on the recommendations of the designated authority in the
Commerce Ministry, has imposed anti-dumping duty that ranges from ‘Nil’ rate to US $ 3.34 per
New team at CITI
J. Thulasidharan
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), New Delhi, the apex body representing the entire textile industry in the country, has elected its new officebearers at its Committee meeting. J. Thulasidharan, MD, The Rajaratna Group of Mills, Coimbatore is the new Chairman of CITI. He is also the President of Indian
T.Rajkumar
Cotton Federation, formerly known as South India Cotton Association. He is also holding the Directorship in Coimbatore Capital Limited and Coimbatore Commodities Limited. T. Rajkumar, Chairman, Sri Mahasakthi Mills Limited, Kerala, Sri Arumuga Enterprise Limited and Foundation One Infrastructures, Tamil Nadu is elected as the new Deputy
kilogram depending on the producer and the country of export. Spandex export, in particular, by China may majorly get affected. The petition to levy anti-dumping duty on elastomeric filament yarns from these four countries was filed by Indorama Industry Ltd. With duty imposed, the domestic industry may now be protected from cheap import of elastomeric filament yarns that are used in the manufacturing of hosiery, swimwear and so on.
Cotton production to see a rise of 20%
Sanjay KJain
Chairman. Sanjay K Jain, Managing Director of T T Limited, a vertically integrated textiles company having its manufacturing units in various states of the country is the new Vice Chairman of the organization. Sanjay Jain is the Chairman of NITRA and immediate Past Chairman of NITMA, Vice President of FOHMA and WBHA.
India’s current cotton crop production season ending this September is expected to reach about 34.1 million bales (170 kgs each). However, the next season’s crop production (October 2017-September 2018) could be 20 percent higher than the current season, as Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Chairman M. M. Chockalingam said, “Farmers are enthusiastic about cotton crop plantation.” This year, cotton farmers in India have realized good price for cotton, which has not been the case for grains. They have received Rs. 6,000 per quintal for cotton seed, whereas the minimum support price set by Government has been only Rs. 4,160 per quintal.
H2F
Jaquard knit cushions
Knitted accessories
Vijay Design Inspirations consolidating growth on the base of uniqueness W
ith the industry becoming very competitive and 'no guaranteed' formula for success, exporters are looking in multiple directions to sustain growth and profitability. Even companies which have been in operation for decades are finding it difficult to survive. But, on the other hand, there are companies that have not only kept pace with the changes, but also reaped the benefits of their upfront approach. Vijay Design Inspirations, a Greater Noida-based home furnishings manufacturing company is one such exporter that has witnessed 100 per cent growth in recent years, even as others struggle. Team Apparel Online met the dynamic Vivek Vikas, MD of the company, to find out the secret of his success.
Cushioncollections
THE COMPANY HAS MAXIMUM PROCESSES IN-HOUSE WHICH MAKE IT EFFECTIVE FOR ON-TIME DELIVERY. IT RECENTLY STARTED EXPORTS OF MADE-UPS OF NATURAL FIBRES TO CHINA.
period, he says, “I was very clear about my future goals even before starting my first job. So, from the very beginning, I started gathering experience in all the various segments of export and import business, be it manufacturing, merchandising or documentation. When I felt I had enough contacts and relations, I started my own company.”
A short stint of six years in the home furnishing industry was enough experience for Vivek to set up his own unit in 1987. The company, majorly focusing on Europe, has seen superlative growth in recent years and is now in the process of consolidating growth by adding new markets, enhancing capacity, diversifying into new products, coming up with its own international brand and also enhancing its focus on product development through extensive market research.
But how difficult was it to get buyers? “Not much, as during my working of six years, I have maintained amicable relations with all the clients who gradually provide me the opportunity to offer them the products which my company was manufacturing,” shares Vivek. The company further started participating in sourcing fairs like IHGF and only displayed its unique product range which a buyer could not find anywhere else in the market. “Product development was my focus from the very beginning. To offer this kind of collection from day one, we used to do extensive market research, travelling across the globe to gain knowledge about the upcoming trends and different sort of market demands,” says Vivek. This strategy worked well for Vijay Design Inspirations, helping them to keep moving forward, and today it has capacity of more than 6,00,000 pieces per year.
Starting business almost three decades ago was not so easy and that too with little hands-on experience, but Vivek was prepared with proper planning and confidence. The first thing he did was to study export and import management. Recalling that
Currently, the company is majorly dealing in curtains, table linen, cushion covers, throws and plaids, and accessories in knit-based fabric. Going forward, it is diversifying its product range to introduce upholstery furniture to cater to its
100% cotton throws in transfer knits
I-pads and other electronics items. “We develop products according to the evolving need; I always feel that if I need something, definitely my buyer will also need that product,” states Vivek. To be more creative and innovative, the company has also started blending different yarns and techniques in order to produce creative items. “India is the home of different textile clusters and we are working with many of them quite closely in order to develop something more ingeniously. We are trying to produce some unique blends like silk with wool, yarns with bamboo. These kinds of combinations/products are not available to consumers anywhere else in the market,” he claims.
existing clients who are already into furniture. Its focus will be on incomparable options in the same themes and moods as per their soft furnishings choices. Additionally, the organization is also increasing its products range by adding chunky knitted utility bags for laptops,
Vivek who is continuously exploring more and more areas of intervention for further growth opportunities, is now in the process to tap international markets directly with his own brand. “We are planning to introduce a new brand ‘Dhaarna’ in Europe for the home furnishings products, garments, and furniture sections. With the launch of this new
E SS E N T I A L S The company is further adding more multigauge flat knitting machines to increase its production efficiency. Working with large buyer base, it customizes its designs for different buyers to suit every market need.
brand, it will be more viable for us to market our products directly to our consumers at much more affordable prices than anywhere in the country,” shares Vivek. Online selling and wholesale retailing is also in the pipeline. The company has witnessed a surge of 100 per cent in its turnover, despite the fact that it exports 80 per cent of its total production into the European market, which is not a very strong market today, thanks to product development which is one of the main reasons for this growth. “If you make innovative designer products as per the buyers’ needs, market's downfall will hardly affect you. Thereason is if you have unique and designer products, buyer will definitely come to you, so it entirely depends upon your product, in current market situation, Europe is not selling in bulk but it’s selling, now what they need is good products,” concludes Vivek optimistically. Apart from Europe, the company also has its footprints in China, US, Korea andAustralia.
DIRECTIONSBY
FALL/ WINTER 2017-18
Key Print Directions T
he spirit of the ’80s continues intermingled with nostalgic undertones and it seemed to be the weapon of choice for designers and high-fashion brands alike, for the upcoming season. With the runway’s collective fascination and adoption of more literal aesthetic codes coupled with the revival of conventional elements, the trends did not stop at the details and silhouettes but seeped through to the prints as well. Being sensitive to the fact that the fashion industry has recently undergone radical transformations owing to factors such as the rise of feminism, the impending effects of the See-Now-Buy-Now strategy, and the subsequent resurgence of retro influences, it saw prints being whipped out in freshly poised interpretations. While designers may have agreed on the period in question for the moment, they offered a blatant disregard to colour codes generally associated with the broodier months of the year, presenting both murky, dark tones counter-placed against vibrantly vivid tones on the spectrum. Stripes and checkered patterns leave us spoilt for choice as nostalgic print patterns make their presence known collection after collection. Florals for Fall, a play of words, an ode to classics and a romance with the cosmos‌, these are the ingredients chosen to demarcate a heritage-heavy regalia of prints and patterns for Fall/Winter 2017-18!
Folklore Conventional folkloric, bohemian and gypsy prints were defined by the juxtaposition of vivid print patterns and materials rendered by digital engineering and warped visuals.
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Underplaying cues borrowed from mythology and an element of kitsch brought about by the use of bandana prints and paisley, channelled a hippy vibe as the prints played with orthodox ideologies underscored by vibrant colourways.
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Alexander-Mc-Queen
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Maison-Margiela
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To The Moon ‘Inter-galactic’ and ‘extra-terrestrial’ might as well be labelled as the key phrases depicting the omnipresent theme surrounding mostcollections. An abundance of pieces injected with abstract and illustrated cosmic references, loud metallic fabrics and motifs varying from spaceships and astronauts on dresses to bright silver outerwear, an atmosphere of mysticism imbibed the presentations for the Fall/Winter 2017-18 season. Motifs, prints and 3D renders of stars, planets and constellations found themselves adorning dresses and gowns accompanied by shiny metallics in the form of sequins and paillettes emerging over accessories such as shoes and bags.
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Dior
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Manish Arora
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Dolce and Gabbana
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Mugler
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Christopher Kane
Etro
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Stella Jean
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Gucci
Polka Dots Retro-isque mini and macro polka dots make a comeback for the Fall/Winter 2017-18 collections, withdesigners and high-fashion brands alike going all out to creatively interpret this classic print.
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Varying in proportion, but loyally sticking to the archetypal black and white colour combination, the dots of 2017 seem to balance both feminine and masculine elements copiously featuring over ruffles, pleats and cinched waistlines adorning dresses and tops.
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Loewe
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Emporio Armani
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Giambattista Valli
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Jeremy Scott
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Animal Instinct Animal prints, since time immemorial, have proven to be able to provide more than enough inspiration to go around season after season, but this season – like many of its counterparts – they, to say the least, received a bit of an upgrade. The sultry and fierce print prowled down the runways sitting individually as leopard spots and cheetah skin, or mixed with other conventional motif patterns over calf-length dresses, wraparound sheaths and other flowy silhouettes; invoking an aspect of glamour suited well for both day and night time looks.
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AshleyWilliams
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Gucci
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Philosophy Di Lorenzo
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SalvatoreFerragamo
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Etro
Zimmerman
Fall Florals 2017 feels a lot like walking into a Secret Garden of Sorts, surrounded by florals and buds of every colour and shape imaginable. Since the concept of seasons tends to take on a more transitional nature, florals that have been associated with the Spring/ Summer season since the beginning of time, reinvent themselves for the approaching winters.
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No longer limited to dresses, blouses or tunics, a host of blossoming prints have extended themselves to basic outerwear pieces such as puffer coats, jackets and pants, and often depicted as complete head-to-toe looks. Featured over (faux) fur coats, argan knit sweaters and other luxe materials, florals take on a broodier mood for Fall/Winter 2017-18.
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AlbertaFerretti
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Joseph
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MonclerGrenoble
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SimoneRocha
Check Mate This season marks the return – and subsequent reign of – the Prince of Wales check and Plaids after the duo made an appearance repeatedly on the Fall 2017 runways. Layered under jackets or worn freely featuring as prints on suits, trousers, jackets or scarves, this trans-seasonal trend is seeing a summer staple transform into a viable winter contender. All-over print looks in a multi-sized family of squares adopted a vibrant colour palette. Tartans, Argyle and Ginghams weaved a nostalgic vibe over knitwear and tweed invoking a home-spun feel to the garments that transport us back to the heritage, dandy look.
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ADetacher
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Missoni
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Nina Ricci
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VivienneTam
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Fendi
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Zimmerman
Stripe Tease A play of stripes varying in thicknesses and colours juxtaposed with sublime prints, were manipulated together into flirtatious drapes of silk and satin at the recently concluded runway shows.
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Alternatively, the bolder and vibrant stripes from the Spring/ Summer 2017 collections, have given way to more mellowed down, menswear classic versions of the trend – the ‘pinstripes’ , in wavering widths and contrasting palettes. To appeal to the sensibilities of multi-faceted women who lead busy lives, designers gave a nod to this menswear inspired stripes presented over sharply tailored and slouchy, oversized silhouettes.
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Ashish
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Eudon Choi
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MaxMara
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Manish Arora
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Camo Cameo Through the years, the camouflage print has secured a space for itself by making its presence known season after season, rendering it as an indispensable aspect of fashion trends. But changing times call for fresher takes on existing trends and in Fall 2017, it all comes down to how one wears the print – variations in colours and patterns invoke a creative approach to the military basic opening up new avenues for this timeless basic. Tilting towards casual references, the trend is expected to be a huge game changer especially in the outerwear, athleisure and streetstyle category.
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Fyodor Golan
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Yeezy
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Nicole Miller
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Public School
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House of Holland
PublicSchool
Can-Verse Canvas Garments served as creative canvases for designers as they illustrated masterpiece after masterpiece of artschool inspired abstract imagery, ink blots and graphical illustrations as prints for their collections.
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Graffiti patterns on sweatshirts, watercolour drowned scenic strokes over dresses, shirts and jackets, painted denims and pants that reminded us of museum worthypieces, were spotted aplenty for the Fall 2017season.
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Jeremy Scott
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Alberta Ferretti
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Stella Mccartney
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Victoria Beckham
Message Board The ongoing contemporary politics, protests, campaigns and socio-political conditions around the world seemed to be unabashedly voiced out unanimously by designers, for the approaching season. Garments served as ideal message boards that featured various pun-intended slogans and logos fundamental to the issues at hand. The onslaught of the millennial inspired logo-revival, continues to channel in the millennials who are the consumers of the moment. Majorhigh-fashion brands like LV, Supreme and Dior are stamping their garments with satirical identities. 1
Christian Siriano
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Moschino
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Msgm
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Ashish
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Versace
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Jeremy Scott
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FRESH HUES TO OLD COLOURS IN FALL / WINTER 2017-18 OPTIMISTISTIC IN LOVE Fresh from the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris, we have collated four key colour palettes coming through for next winter as designers illustrate a luxurious intermingling of natural and urban tones that ride high on both positivity and personal well-being. Though each city has its own singular perspective of dealing with the global trend story, clearly the overall atmosphere of the season is gravitating towards warm comfort and is cosying up to a wave of neo-femininity that does not centre only on classical employment of colours but neither does it shy away from the same. So with this only-ifrequired approach in place, the colour shades that we will spot in spades in the coming months oscillate heavily between tawny autumnal maples, otter brown, lemony olives and marina blue while voraciously flirting with beauties like lilac purple, prim pinks and grenadine red. As colours are possibly the most direct form of communicating the main inkling of the season, it is safe to ascertain that this time we are going back to basics and fashion’s main focus has shifted to delivering the calm tones of neutral colours bookended by blazingly warm hues set together in perfect harmony. The season offers a taste of humility and a sort of mind your own business ethnic in clean shades that are high in spirits. Led by a vivid scarlet red, the colour palette for Fall/Winter 2017-18 enumerates on strong classical shades augmented by a spicy set of unpredictable colours for the season.
Samurai Red Yolk Yellow Salamander Orange As the state of the world appears to see-saw in wild extremes, fashion depicts the aspirational sunny optimism that everyone needs right now. The upbeat personality of this colour story is not limited to sunny buoyancy but it is also a call to action and ignition of the fire within each person. However, the tactful outlook is not in just fanning flames of rage but asserting the possibility of a sanguine and stable future. The immediacy of samurai reds demands for an uprising and fully participates in the fast-approaching revolution that is brewing in the society’s social fabrics. The brightly warm spectrum of red, yellow and oranges is a symbol of breaking geographical boundaries and barriers of cultural differences coming together in a communized bond on kinship. The rise of a society that is brilliantly coloured in positivity. A beautiful sunrise overlooking at a season filled with notes of love, proses of passion and an inimitable strength in the vision of a united future.
SURREALIST GAMES
Blumarine
Givenchy
Salvatore Ferragamo
Moon Shine Electric Pink Florescent Green The roots of surrealism firmly stress on the innovative capacities of the human mind and all the seemingly endless juxtapositions it can offer. From psychedelics to cosmic discharges, the heavy dose of surrealist imagery is currently omnipresent in the creative world. This dreamy irrationality conjuring the idealistic potential of every individual is completely symbolic of our aspirations as a common society. The notion of a super-reality comes from this very surrealist movement and its current incarnation is in the tech-charged virtual reality and of course the sci-fi realm of video games.
As fashion gets a defensive tone in response to the glooming crisis and uncertainty in the world; trends start leaning more towards comfort and protective coziness. However, all is not lost as the season’s colour story shoulders its determined sagacity of fun and glamour.
The vibrant colour party that mixes fluorescent hues with illuminated metallic takes its direct references from the outpouring revolution in the world of simulated reality. As the boundaries between what is virtual versus and what is real get significantly blurred, hi-fructose colours that may not have been a natural choice in day-to-day life seem increasingly easy to administer in standard lifestyles. The fantastic absolution of these different worlds gives birth to colours like space-age silvers, electric pinks and fluorescent greens and blues. Vineet Sood, S. D. Enterprises, substantiates this colour palette adding, “For our collections, this season is very big on bright and poppy colours like high saturation orange, green and electric pinks. We are also adding a bit of neon here and there as detailing, for examples, working on neon coloured fringes in pure white garments for high impact. Customers seem to really be buying into heavily charged colour palette this winter.�
Versus Versace
Wanda Nylon
Molly Goddard
While at end of the spectrum, there is a vibrant cocktail party of supercharged hues and metallic overlays, the season does not stray away from the more mature and elegant sophistication of neutral monochromatic hues, only made more desirable with its setting next to divergent accents.
Carolina Herrera
Alberta Ferretti
Ulla Johnson
Badgley Mishka
Versace
Self-Portrait
CRÈME DE LA CRÈME Trunk Brown Caramel Cream Purple Dahlia A leitmotif of letting go of all things superfluous as well as a sense of undressing your soul prevails throughout this theme. However, this disrobing of the self is immersed in a blanket of luxury since the overall cultural dominance of luxury is moving towards health and the realization of a well-adjusted mind, body and soul. A colour trend that is supremely polished perpendicularly because of its minimalistic nature and the aspirational disconnect it offers from overpowering adornments. Broiling through shades of basic browns and left in the calmness caramel nudes provide a sense of friendliness and comfort. The upshot of an ongoing middle-of-theroad mood as well as the more diffident tone of the collections, creamy browns are
on everyone’s mind. While the focus is on essentially getting naked and returning to our bare-boned roots, the trend often flirts with soft accents of dahlia purple or powdery blues.
of blues escalating from the coolest of cool icy blues to the depths of dark stormridden navy hues.
Navy Blue Grey Shark Coral Orange
Apart from the obvious feeling of a quiet serenity that the monochromatic blue offers, its complementary setting with sharkskin greys harvest a sense of aloof thoughtfulness. Counteracting the intensity of these neutral and well-grounded colours are shades of burnt orange and arctic greens, all translating into fluctuating sentiments of elegant sophistication with confounding troves of treasure.
A tell-tale of mysterious night skies that have been the sole inspiration for many night owls and the moon children of the world, this colour story stands as your guide on sailing against the great dark deep blue waters. A soaring story of rebellion through the midnight sky and becoming the grey clouds of society that thrive to reach the forefront are the underlying moods this season. The many moods of the wild sea are refreshing our perspective in looking at a broader range
Payal Sadia, IVK Exports, confirms the trend saying, “The season is definitely dominated by shades of blue, especially deep navies as the base with a small tinge of bright reds, orange and happy yellows as a value addition. Sometimes the addition can be as small as a strip of neon that totals to just two per cent of the entire garment but it is a very crucial element. These accent colours are the trendiest elements of the season, while the colour grey continues to grow as I believe, it has for the past few years.”
THE MIDNIGHT SEA
FASHION RESOURCE
Mixed Media
FASHION FILE
A new wave of eclecticism has taken over the fashion scene wherein, pieces that pose well individually, bring forth an even more intriguing response when paired together. Taking cues from the eccentricity prevalent across Gucci’s collections, many designers have ventured into this unconventional territory. Juxtaposing luxe materials, vivid colour palettes, avant-garde prints with layering techniques, S/S’17 has come to pass as a carnival of sorts.
Dolce & Gabbana stayed true to its overthe-top style by combining ripped jeans with a bejewelled jacket and graphic tee. Altuzarra mixed floral motifs with animal prints which were balanced out by a checkered blouse, while Miu Miu presented a printed stole set cleverly against a sky blue coat.
Serena Rees of Agent Provocateur launches new label The one-half of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, Serena Rees, is launching a foundation and streetwear brand this September. Called ‘Les Girls Les Boys’ – the new label “is an updated observation of self-identity and sexuality”. While Agent Provocateur boasts of a provocative and luxurious image, her new project will build a similar iconic aesthetic but at a more accessible price plug. Explaining her new endeavour, Rees said, “There is a real need for an open-minded brand, with a more diverse story to tell to the customers who tread their own path and are proud of themselves. The idea of ‘bed to street’ is core to our brand philosophy – blurring the borders between inside and outside!”
Amazon's Fashion Head quits Amazon Fashion bids goodbye to its Fashion President, Cathy Beaudoin, who has been with the firm for eight years and was instrumental in pushing its growth in the fashion sector. A representative from Amazon Fashion stated: “Given the momentum of the business and strength of the team, she’s decided now is the right time to pass the baton. We thank Cathy for her tremendous contribution to Amazon Fashion and wish her all the best.” Her departure comes as a surprise to many, knowing that Amazon is heavily focusing on tapping the fashion market in a big way, having recently announced an Alexapowered device targeted at fashion consumers as well as a newfashion label called ‘Find’.
A/W 2017-18
by Fashion Forward Trends
Colour Story MatchesFashion opens new Concept Space
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Matchesfashion.com will mark its 30th anniversary with a new retail concept in London that will drive its new strategy forward aiming for a merger of three main customer touchpoints: In-Residence events, retail display and a private shopping space. The building itself has two retail floors showing a curation of the platform’s online offering, with emphasis on emerging brands and exclusive products. The store will have digital enhancements like auto-logins to a POS app and iBeacon technology enabling “Add to Basket” and “Wish List” functionalities direct from mobile to offer a digitally seamless experience. In Residence events will also be hosted like panel discussions, lifestyle workshops and showcase of emerging talents to both the attendees and their online audience of over 70 million shoppers.
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Design expert IMAIMA, Jaipur exploring newer
markets
(L-R) Brahmanand Vishwas, GM; Sajal Dewan, Director; and Bahhareh Karimi, Creative Head of IMAIMA, Jaipur
IMAIMA from Jaipur, just two years old company, which was established by two young professionals and design experts, Sajal Dewan and Bahhareh Karimi, is moving forward with its niche collection and efforts to explore new markets. Manufacturing womenswear and specialized in hand embroidery, the company is in search for new, unexplored markets like Russia where Indian stuff has good scope. As of now, the organization has mixed clients like boutique
buyers in Berlin, Paris and London and even sells its collection online across the world. Offering womenswear from 20 Euro to 350 Euro, the company is also exploring advanced technology and is open to invest in latest innovations. Sajal Dewan, Director of the organization briefed, “We are happy with the feedback received from our clients and our overall experience of last two years. Since both of us are design experts, our focus
in long-term will continue to be more on creative collection which should give us lot of happiness on just seeing and later wearing it. We don’t have any plans to go for mass production or do whatever buyers ask us to do. We are happy if our designs are appreciated and we get orders on the same.” Berlin-based Bahhareh Karimi, Creative Head of the company shared, “We have seen lots of ups and downs so far as things are not
Globe Textiles files draft paper for SME public
Ahmedabad-based denim garments manufacturer and exporter, Globe Textiles, has filed the draft prospectus for SME public issue. The company is looking to raise Rs. 10-11 crore through its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NSE’s SME platform Emerge. “This will be primarily for working capital requirement, general corporate purposes and IPOexpenses,”
Currently having 70 stitching machines, the company does not give any work to job-workers and everything is done in-house. Sajal stated that they measure their capacity in terms of customers’ satisfaction rather than producing capacity.
issue
shared Bhavin Parikh, CEO of the company. The textile company started its operations in the year 2008 initially with exports of dyed and printed fabric, mainly sarongs and scarves. Later it broadened its product portfolio by adding home textiles, denim fabrics and washed denim garments. Bhavin Parikh, CEO, Globe Textiles
easy at all. Our first target was to offer the kind of niche collections which our clients appreciate. For me language is also a barrier. So sampling took a little more time, but now things are improving.”
In the domestic denim garments market, the garment exporter
is trying to make its mark through its home-grown brands – IndiGen and IndiGirl, which are currently sold through thirdparty e-commerce portals. Globe Textile’s denim garment capacity stands at two lakh pieces a month currently. It has factories in Khokhra in Ahmedabad and another one at Piplaj near Gandhinagar, both in Gujarat.
INDIA CANVAS
President inaugurates National Skill Exhibition in Jharkhand Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in Jharkhand, India has embarked upon several projects, to improve their youth’s skills and enhance their employability. Recently, Deoghar (in Jharkhand) had the privilege of hosting a visit by President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, who inaugurated the National Skill Exhibition along with two new large-scale Driver Training Institutes (DTIs) in the state, at Dhanbad and Godda, and 35 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK). Around 20 sectors under MSDE were seen coming together and sharing possibilities of career
progression in the Kaushal Shivirs and Kaushal Rozgar being conducted during the event to extend employment opportunities to the youth of Jharkhand. The Ministry will also set up camps to undertake the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL Programme), which is a component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) of the Government, in certain trades recognizing and certifying existing skill sets of the people. The team from apparel, made-ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) under the guidance of their CEO and DG Roopak Vasishtha, was
President of India Pranab Mukherjee; Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) Rajiv Pratap Rudy taking a look at the AMHSSC booth
also present during the event and showcased the recent technology
and equipment being used for apparel manufacturing.
ATDC launches ‘Recognition of Prior Learning' Programme in Punjab Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC), India’s largest vocational training provider in the garment industry, has launched “Recognition of Prior Learning” (RPL) Programme under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2.0, the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, at the factory premises of KG Exports in Ludhiana. Harish Dua, MD, KG Exports; Ajit Lakra, MD, Superfine Knitters; and other industry representatives were also present on this occasion. RPL is a robust platform to provide recognition to the skills acquired through informal learning and bring them to the skilled workforce cadre. After Ludhiana, ATDC will proceed further with this programme to other states
Apparel Training andDesignCentre and Madhya PradeshState Skill Development Mission havesigned an MoUto train 10,000 youth every year. UnionMinister of State, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge)RajivPratapRudy;MadhyaPradeshChief Minister Shivraj SinghChauhan; andother dignitarieswerepresent onthis occasion
also like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal to cover 13,000 candidates. The association will provide assessment and
certification by third party along with an insurance policy of five years in addition to a certificate. Dr. Darlie Koshy, DG, ATDC said, “RPL for a country like India is an
absolute necessity wherein about 7-10 per cent of the workforce has received formal vocational training. In some sections, it is less than even 5 per cent.”
Li & Fung lifts the FICE Cup Supreme Group organizes a successful tournament that bonds the entire apparel industry Team Supreme Group led by Gourav Sarin, Head – Sales & Marketing (Interlining Division)
NewTimes: Krishna Kumar, Captain: “A very well-organized tournament. It was fun. Looking forward to the next season… Hope to see a new format and some day-and-night matches.”
Next: Vikram Pandita, Captain: “It was a great initiative by Supreme Group to organize the tournament. Wethoroughly enjoyed, and importantly, got to meet people from our industry which is always useful. This is a memorable experience that will stay with us for a long time.”
C
ricket is equivalent to religion in India. Supreme Nonwovens conceptualized an idea to use cricket as a medium to promote its interlining brand TERCA and more importantly use it as a forum to engage different buying houses as well as liaison offices. The first edition of FICE (Fashion Industry Cricket Encounter) saw participation from 8 teams from the NCR area. The event was well-planned and took place during the weekend at Yug Sports Complex, Gurgaon so that maximum participation could be seen from all the teams and their associates.
After a round of closely contested knockout matches, a bright sunny morning of Saturday (13th May) witnessed the final match between John Lewis and Li &Fung with both the teams encouraging each other every moment. Li &Fung won the final match and got to take home an envious trophy. Celebrating their triumph, Atul, Captain of Li &Fung team, excitedly shared, “We are very happy with this victory and are really thankful to Supreme Group for this wonderful initiative. Although it is a reality that professionals like us don’t have
Asmara: Manish, Captain: “We enjoyed the matches thoroughly. A day-and-night format could be thought-out for the next season, which will add more charm to the series. Also, instead of a knockout tournament, a qualifier contestwill give the teams better opportunity to reach the next stage of the game.”
Sears: Ravi Bhagat, Captain: “We got to meet a lot of other folks from the industry and enjoyed being part of the tournament. We promise to be there for the next edition.”
LRBD(ITC): Kulbhushan Shakya, Captain: “A fantastic effort by the organizing team… It helped us re-unite as a team and revive our sportsman spirit. Wewill cherish the memories and will discuss about the game near the coffee machine or in our team meetings at the breakout area.”
Triburg: Anil Pandita, Captain: “A very well organized tournament by Supreme Group and we thoroughly enjoyed participating in it. For us, the match against NewTimes was a memorable one, as we had a nail-biting finish.”
Extremely elated on winning the FICE Cup: Team Li & Fung with the trophy
John Lewis: Raman, Captain: “Supreme did a good job. More and more of such initiatives will help industry professionals, and it can be any game, and not just cricket only. The whole idea is to come closer and meet.”
the requisite time to play and practice regularly, the culture of Li &Fung to have 4-5 teams in our different divisions and play internal competition has made us be in touch with this sport.”
The ultimate game
Supreme Group strongly believes in an active lifestyle and there is no better way to maintain this than to play some sport. It prides itself in staying fit and has initiated several programmes like Stepathlon to attain this goal. Gourav Sarin, Head – Sales & Marketing (Interlining Division) of the company
informed, “Cricket binds our nation and we thought of bringing it closer to few of our buying houses and brands. We managed to convince our customers and they were immensely glad to be a part of this venture.” But organizing these matches was not a cakewalk at all because buying houses and liaison offices have very tight working schedules and soaring summer temperatures made it increasingly difficult not only for the organizers but also for the teams. “During the planning
of the FICE Cup, the initial perception was that it would be a challenge to get everyone together due to their work commitments, but the support from the apparel brands and buying houses was amazing. It only took an e-mail to get their confirmation,” shared Gourav. He added that positive feedback was received from all teams. This is a first time experience for the organizing team at Supreme Group and they are geared-up to work on the improvement areas highlighted during the course of the tournament to take the concept to greater heights.
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Textiles Minister takes Twitter route to promote cotton garments Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani initiated a new Twitter campaign to promote cotton in the country by asking twitteratis to join the movement and post pictures with cotton wearables. Celebrating the cotton industry, Minister tweeted a picture of herself in a cotton saree and encouraged others to share their #CottonIsCool looks as well. The Textiles Minister began the campaign by tweeting that India is among the largest cotton producing countries in the world, the #CottonIsCool campaign trending soon with 11K tweets. Following the campaign, actressturned-politician Hema Malini posted her cotton look and tweeted “Nothing like fresh cottons to beat the heat; I believe in staying cool even on the hottest days #CottonIsCool”. Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag also posted his picture with one of
Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety has reported completion of 72 per cent of the required repair work, almost four years since the collapse of Rana Plaza. Of the repairs completed, 64 per cent were of high priority. Meanwhile, it has shut down 142 factories for failing to make adequate progress on remediation, while 71 factories have completed their Corrective Action Plans.
the legendary players Kapil Dev and tweeted, “Like to be always Cool, but what you wear makes it much easier to be cool #CottonIsCool, really really cool”. It is worth mentioning here the Government took a similar initiative to promote the handloom sector of the country through twitter few months back.
Odisha, Telangana aim to replicate Tirupur model Government officials from Odisha and Telangana states are planning to replicate the success of the Tirupur garment and textile industry in their respective states. If reports are to be believed, Odisha textile handloom industries department official recently visited the textile town to get information and the cluster’s successful operation over the years. On the other hand, Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao is also believed to have met Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and has sought help in creating such clusters to
Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety completes 72% repairs
capitalize on the state’s rich cotton crop cultivation. Odisha Government, which recently unveiled a dedicated apparel policy, has also asked Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) to extend help in setting up training and skill development institutes in the state. An apparel park has also been set up by the Government near Bhubaneswar. Reportedly, the Government plans to create two more such parks in the state. The officials of both the states have appealed to big garment units in Tirupur to also consider investing in their respective states.
In 2014, it started new training programme that taught almost 1.3 million workers how to protect themselves in case of emergency. It has retrained 85 per cent of the Alliance workforce to ensure that new employees are covered and that the skills are up to date. Also, its confidential hotline, Amader Kotha, is available 24 hours a day and has received more than 1,25,000 calls to date on issues ranging from wage disputes to concerns about structural safety. Another step ahead, formation of 140 safety committees in its approved factories, has facilitated more open dialogue between workers and factory management. James Moriarty, Country Director, Alliance is expecting the number of completions to more than double within the next few months. He also confirmed that no worker died at an Alliance-compliant factory since remediation work began. “There is no question, however, that much work lies ahead for the Alliance over the next 15 months. Achieving completion of high-priority repairs – and investing in workers through the helpline, our safety re-training and the development of safety committees – all remain our laser focus,” said James. Formed in 2013 to improve safety in Bangladeshi readymade garment factories, the Alliance covers 676 active factories with around 1.2 million workers.
TRADE STATISTICS
Will EU pin the growth in its apparel imports…? January - February 2017 Announcing the setback on market recovery, EU’s clothing imports have fallen in the month of February. After a surging start in the year, Chinese and Bangladesh’s shipments to EU have plunged over a stabilization of unit prices which are no more declining. However, amidst dismal performance in apparel trade by EU, World Trade Organization (WTO) has predicted EU will gain the pace slowly in the year ahead with a positive average apparel import increase by 3% on Y-o-Y basis.
Global apparel imports by the European Union during January to February 2017
‘Facts and Forecast’ for EU Apparel Industry
Total Decrease in Quantity
4.80%
45%
81%
6,00,000
are produced by Italy.
of women employees in EU apparel sector.
are expected to be created in EU by 2025.
Total Decrease in Value
2.98% Apparel imports of the EU: Selected Countries (Qty in mnKg &Value in mn Euro)
Percentage Increase in UVR
1.89%
Change in Knitted
3.45%
Jan.-Feb.2017
% increase /decrease
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Qty
Value
Knitted
420.16
6747.92
405.67
6704.54
-3.45
-0.64
Woven
353.87
7529.64
331.23
7148.11
-6.40
-5.07
Total
774.03
14277.56
736.90
13852.65
-4.80
-2.98
Knitted
142.28
2177.78
136.37
2074.52
-4.16
-4.74
Woven
146.71
2816.10
132.22
2555.78
-9.88
-9.24
Total
289.00
4993.88
268.58
4630.30
-7.06
-7.28
WORLD
Average UVR in Jan.-Feb. 2017 was Euro 18.80 per kg of fabric equivalent
Quantity
Jan.-Feb.2016 Country/Category
Value
0.64%
CHINA
INDIA Knitted
28.06
482.57
27.71
474.72
-1.27
-1.63
Woven
18.54
505.14
17.08
458.24
-7.87
-9.28
Total
46.61
987.71
44.79
932.96
-3.90
-5.54
Knitted
112.21
1397.56
107.76
1442.61
-3.97
3.22
Woven
69.70
1142.28
66.72
1118.01
-4.27
-2.13
181.91
2539.85
174.48
2560.62
-4.08
0.82
Knitted
9.32
157.35
6.75
148.47
-27.56
-5.65
Woven
4.49
107.59
4.01
103.99
-10.74
-3.34
13.81
264.94
10.76
252.46
-22.10
-4.71
Knitted
16.67
178.25
17.21
198.16
3.23
11.17
Woven
17.29
252.44
17.77
264.76
2.78
4.88
Total
33.96
430.68
34.98
462.92
3.00
7.48
Knitted
6.86
151.87
7.81
169.36
13.82
11.51
Woven
16.57
394.32
14.45
375.89
-12.80
-4.67
Total
23.43
546.19
22.25
545.25
-5.00
-0.17
BANGLADESH
Total SRILANKA
Change in Woven Quantity
6.40%
Value
5.07%
[The information has been extracted from EU custom site and further analyzed.]
Total PAKISTAN
VIETNAM
EU Apparel Imports (Month-wise Comparison)
UVR Trend from Top Asian Apparel Exporters to EU (January to February 2017)
General Customs Value and Y-o-Y Percentage Change
(UVR in Euro per kg of Fabric Equivalent)
8.00
6%
30.00
6%
4%
5%
7.00
25.00 2%
6.00
4%
0%
20.00
3%
-2%
2%
5.00
15.00 -4%
4.00
1%
-6%
10.00
0%
-8%
-1%
3.00
5.00 -10%
-2%
-12%
2.00
Jan-17
0.00
-3% India
Bangladesh
China
Vietnam
UVR16
21.19
13.96
17.28
23.31
UVR17
20.83
14.68
17.24
24.50
%Change
-1.70%
5.16%
-0.23%
5.11%
Feb-17
Values (in Euro million)
Y-o-Y %change
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Feb. 2017 (Qty in mn kg) Exports to EU Total Imports byEU APPAREL TYPE
Babieswear Foundation Garments Jackets &Blazers Ladies Blouses Ladies Dresses Ladies Skirts Legwear Men's Shirts Nightwear Suits /Ensembles Sweaters Trousers T-Shirts Undergarments
China
India
Bangladesh
Vietnam
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017 %Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017 %Change
21.64 9.44
19.75 8.68
-8.74 -8.08
8.08 6.02
6.92 5.09
-14.44 -15.55
3.49 0.05
3.35 0.05
-3.95 14.38
5.49 0.98
5.27 1.02
-4.04 4.15
0.16 0.26
0.15 0.35
-11.37 32.39
24.37 21.64 29.41 8.64 35.12 51.14 21.80 7.45 75.97 200.30 106.32 24.12
20.68 20.57 27.59 7.20 31.33 48.27 20.95 7.36 78.20 188.02 101.81 20.99
-15.12 -4.95 -6.18 -16.63 -10.80 -5.61 -3.89 -1.27 2.94 -6.13 -4.24 -12.96
12.41 6.56 12.63 3.62 18.02 9.75 7.34 4.62 28.40 57.42 14.72 11.98
10.20 7.24 11.45 2.99 16.41 8.62 7.09 4.40 28.18 50.00 13.97 10.62
-17.82 10.41 -9.32 -17.38 -8.94 -11.53 -3.35 -4.91 -0.75 -12.91 -5.12 -11.41
0.56 4.33 3.77 0.56 0.33 4.83 4.38 0.26 2.04 7.16 9.20 1.48
0.45 3.95 3.37 0.46 0.34 4.65 4.58 0.32 2.21 6.91 9.10 1.32
-19.42 -8.83 -10.59 -18.02 1.85 -3.80 4.40 21.58 7.87 -3.49 -1.10 -10.67
2.34 2.90 2.76 1.30 0.29 20.13 4.23 0.37 20.55 57.75 49.43 4.33
1.91 2.67 3.15 1.05 0.30 18.42 3.27 0.57 21.26 55.83 46.55 3.32
-18.15 -7.94 13.99 -18.63 0.75 -8.50 -22.78 52.68 3.49 -3.32 -5.82 -23.36
2.18 1.00 0.83 0.23 0.07 2.05 0.41 0.11 1.13 6.96 1.37 0.36
1.69 0.75 0.71 0.25 0.25 2.11 0.46 0.10 1.11 5.72 1.52 0.44
-22.46 -25.25 -14.63 8.73 253.95 3.12 12.90 -11.69 -1.88 -17.70 10.74 20.12
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by EU: Jan.-Feb. 2017 (Value in mn Euro) Exports to EU Total Imports byEU APPAREL TYPE
Babieswear Foundation Garments Jackets &Blazers Ladies Blouses Ladies Dresses Ladies Skirts Legwear Men's Shirts Nightwear Suits /Ensembles Sweaters Trousers T-Shirts Undergarments
China
India
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017 %Change
436.23 335.45
436.83 333.37
0.14 -0.62
169.78 177.41
157.68 158.41
600.34 641.88 801.85 184.01 322.05 1076.72 260.23 138.63 1486.87 3313.24 1664.35 398.69
509.76 609.23 759.15 167.63 328.28 1015.77 256.17 126.56 1514.92 3152.19 1635.28 380.89
-15.09 -5.09 -5.33 -8.90 1.94 -5.66 -1.56 -8.71 1.89 -4.86 -1.75 -4.46
270.20 190.87 340.62 68.08 121.72 207.78 72.90 56.88 624.28 726.77 263.19 168.95
216.30 180.98 318.61 63.58 124.64 182.53 74.32 51.65 606.08 630.14 243.23 156.70
Bangladesh
Vietnam
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017
%Change
2016
2017 %Change
-7.13 -10.71
73.39 2.90
76.68 3.64
4.48 25.21
95.17 30.24
100.83 36.29
5.95 20.03
4.81 14.71
4.51 18.60
-6.16 26.50
-19.95 -5.18 -6.46 -6.60 2.40 -12.15 1.95 -9.20 -2.92 -13.30 -7.58 -7.25
13.78 137.91 110.68 14.82 4.39 113.32 55.58 5.34 39.33 125.66 163.22 25.05
11.73 126.91 96.80 12.90 3.82 109.83 56.99 6.82 42.32 118.32 158.22 22.72
-14.86 -7.98 -12.54 -12.98 -13.03 -3.07 2.54 27.58 7.59 -5.84 -3.07 -9.32
38.07 63.79 43.43 19.30 3.26 311.40 47.49 4.87 311.08 813.84 543.56 64.18
32.68 62.64 49.99 16.72 3.68 290.53 40.68 6.69 326.92 805.13 553.76 63.15
-14.18 -1.80 15.11 -13.39 12.92 -6.70 -14.35 37.28 5.09 -1.07 1.88 -1.60
49.12 20.12 19.75 5.18 1.08 54.18 4.73 1.99 22.74 135.17 29.35 9.71
40.05 17.68 15.71 5.29 1.86 55.75 3.58 2.03 24.32 125.27 27.81 13.23
-18.46 -12.15 -20.46 2.17 73.07 2.90 -24.27 2.00 6.95 -7.32 -5.23 36.23
Japan Apparel Imports January
- February 2017
Japan falls sharply in February apparel imports During the first two months of 2017, Japan could not maintain the balance in clothing demand between rising trend of athleisure and the lowering of the rest of the apparels in the country. Rising popularity of athleisure indicates a solid future for Japan in this segment but the main concern is falling imports as in February 2017, the third largest economy of the world, recorded drastic downturn in values by around 36% as compared to the value it gained in January. As predicted earlier, e-commerce might surge the market gradually in the year ahead.
Japan Apparel Imports (January - February 2017)
0
Knitted
Woven
Total
Y-o-Y Percentage Change
-1% -2% -3%
-2.97%
-4%
-3.77%
-5% -6% -7%
-6.10% -6.89%
-6.95%
-6.92%
-8% Quantity
India Exports India, during the review period, fell in its value-wise apparel export by (-) 4.51%, whereas volumes were down by (-) 8.23% on Y-o-Y basis.
Vietnam Exports On Y-o-Y basis, the country got boost both in values (2.63%) and volumes (5.80%) of its apparel exports to Japan.
Value
BangladeshExports The country witnessed downfall in value-wise apparel exports to Japan by (-) 4.85% though it recorded hike in volume by 2.25% during the review period.
ChinaExports The country saw falling apparel exports to Japan as values decreased by (-) 10.49% while volumes were down by (-) 6.42% year-on-year.
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Madeira celebrates a decade of success and quality in India Domestic market is its current focus for strategic growth
I
t has been a decade long journey for Madeira, winning the market through quality, extending its reach across the Indian market through an array of products, and a customer service par excellence. As the company celebrates its successful completion of 10 years in the Indian market, Hartwig Kauschat – Area Sales Manager, Madeira India Pvt Ltd. turns nostalgic, taking the Apparel Online team through its journey of ups and downs, recalling the challenges, the landmarks and also giving a peek into the future strategy. Established as an independent identity in 2007, Madeira India with its office in Gurgaon soon became an acclaimed producer/supplier of top quality embroidery threads, expanding its operations to the southern parts of India – Bangalore and Chennai – where the export hubs thrive. Having consolidated its position with companies working for international brands, Madeira is now exploring deeper. “We saw this big latent potential within the Indian market and though we started mainly catering to the export companies, we quickly realized the need to tap the domestic brands. That’s why we are focusing now on local brands,” reveals Hartwig. Currently 80 per cent share of the company’s business is with exporters, while 20 per cent is with domestic brands. But the target is to increase the local market share,
The Indian Team at Madeira: Saurabh Jain, Director Sales; Hartwig Kauschat –Area Sales Manager; and Akshay Kumar –Director National Sales, Madeira India Pvt Ltd
as the company is looking at risk mitigation, since relying completely on exports in a market scenario where international brands are always looking for cheaper markets can make India lose its market share to countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh which is nothing less than a tactical blunder. “The basic danger is that if brands move out, then we are left with nothing or very little market to operate in. So, that’s why we decided to not just focus on international business but also on domestic opportunities. We need to strengthen the roots within the country, thereby limiting the risks,” claims Hartwig with a positive vision. Madeira has very closely witnessed the changing Indian domestic market since its inception and its
E SS E N T I A L S Madeira has very closely witnessed the changing Indian domestic market since its inception and its continuous endeavour has made people understand the importance of embroidery for a finished garment.
continuous endeavour has made people understand the importance of embroidery for a finished garment. “In the last decade, we have seen a lot of change in attitude, now some people understand us for what value we can give and not just see our prices. This gives us confidence to deliver, because they are ready to pay. If we talk about domestic brands, they come to us after a thorough trial and testing. There is endless potential. But it will take time,” reminds Hartwig. Nonetheless the company has witnessed its sets of challenges of operating in the domestic market such as lack of exposure to the market through exhibitions, pricing and always competing with itself to maintain its position as a market leader. Despite all such manifold hurdles, getting deeper into the domestic market is a focus area for the company’s future strategy, which they are confident of penetrating. “There are small brands mushrooming and they want to imitate or copy the market leaders, by using the same products. Everyone wants to follow a leader and its footsteps. Raymond, Colorplus, Aditya Birla are some of the big names associated with us. These organizations are setting the benchmark, and others are trying to follow and reach to their level. What works for us is that there are no minimums associated while working with us, which works in our favour,” reasons Hartwig with an open mind.
AS COMPETITION IS BECOMING SHARPER, IT IS BECOMING EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO DIFFERENTIATE ON ALLPARAMETERS.
Progressing from introducing standard specialty products on a small scale to building the industries confidence in the product assortment, the company now is looking at ways of collaborating with the machine makers so that both can benefit from each other by creating beautiful embroidery through synergy of technology and innovative threads. “Apart from normal fashion business, in future, we want to talk more about technical applications like using conductive threads, which is still a very niche area. We look at what we can offer to the market that can be used on advanced machines such as Tajima,” shares the ASM of Madeira optimistically. Stating that his company has seen consistent growth through innovation by looking to improve through knowledge sharing and introduction of new products, he further adds, “Madeira is looking not only to invent new threads but suggest unique ways to use the threads in combination for different looks and affects. We try to educate the customers, and make them understand the products and the different ways in which it can be used,” informs Hartwig.
What works for the company is its strategy to provide samples on what can be achieved with threads for its customers rather than giving shade cards. “We participate in some of the fashion exhibitions of Europe and their designers come and see what we do and what they can do with our products. To survive, we need to be different from competition. The right thing is to educate them and train them on how to use the products,” shares Hartwig. This is especially true for the domestic market that is still on a learning curve and does not use technology to its full potential. “When we show the clients how to use threads in isolation and in combination, it is then when they realize how to maximize a value of the product. We are helping them gain knowledge and training them to use available resources to their full potential,” adds Hartwig. However, as competition is becoming sharper, it is becoming even more important to differentiate on all parameters. “Whenever anyone aligns with Madeira, they are assured of quality and consistency of quality, lot after lot, which is in fact more
ESSENTIALS “When we show the clients how to use threads in isolation and in combination, it is then when they realize how to maximize a value of the product. We are helping them gain knowledge and training them to use available resources to their full potential.” – Hartwig Kauschat
important than just giving quality,” asserts Hartwig. He elaborates, “We give them ‘peace of mind’ that our threads will not give any problem. We try to sell confidence. For customers, when they see brands such as Zara and Nike, they are assured that they are buying the right products, but for these brands, the ones who give them the assurance are the people who are supplying the ingredients. The key is to give the right ingredients to get the best product out.” Madeira has come a long way – from working through an agent to becoming a solution provider to consolidating everything and putting it in one place in terms of logistics, accounting, warehouse, etc. at its Gurgaon headquarters, where fresh renovation is underway. While the company, going forward, is looking at widening its reach and penetrating deeper into the market with a strong distributor network pan India, Hartwig emphasizes, “Our future strategy is to be present everywhere in India, directly or indirectly, and to double our turnover in the next five years,” and goes on to confirm that the Indian team is confident to deliver the target.
EYES & EARS
ISQAA Sourcing eyeing further growth opportunities
T
he Gurgaon-basedISQAA Sourcing, a seven years old buying agency, is looking for more growth opportunities, be it in terms of adding more compliance factories, improving production efficiency or tying up with European and American designers to enhance the product development team. They are also in search of compliance factories for ladieswear,who work ethically, and are certified or approved. Dhiraj Kapur, CEO of the company highlighted, “We currently have factories as a mix of compliant and semi compliant set-ups; however, looking at our business expansions, we would need to engage factories with multiple compliance certifications and accreditation for easy flow of merchandise.” With a turnover of US $ 15 million, ISQAA Sourcing majorly deals in ladieswear, kidswear, home furnishings, accessories and hard
goods. The company is going to shift its office to a new space of 15,000 sq. ft. in Gurgaon. With a work force of 70 people, ISQAA Sourcing is catering to 39buyers with an association of more than 50 vendors on a regular basis. The company has been working with US, Mexico, South Africa, UK, Colombia and other major parts of the globe. “For us, customer’s reputation is more important than the country. The ups and downs in the market do not affect us much. If my customer is good for me, it hardly matters how his country is doing or what it is going through,” stated Dhiraj candidly. He also added, “Although looking for new markets and clients is a part of our daily routine, we are making our presence felt in some other countries which will certainly help in promoting the Indian merchandise quite efficiently.”
At the domestic level, the company is going to open its two new offices in Kolkata and Bangalore very soon and it already has its offices in Agra, Gurgaon, Jodhpur, Tirupur and Moradabad. Speaking about this expansion, Dhiraj explains, “We want better control over quality and clients and strong hold on the market which encourages us to open more and more offices in the country.” Dhiraj Kapur, CEO, ISQAA Sourcing
The organization also has its own product development team and is now planning to tie up with European and American designers to provide more support to its factories on a regular basis for the product development team
The organization also has its own product development team and is now planning to tie up with European and American designers to provide more support to its factories on a regular basis for the product development team, which will ultimately help the buying house to accomplish its growth in a better manner. Dhiraj underlined, “We are also planning to share ISQAA internal efficiency software with the factories to avoid multiple reporting systems for the people who work with us closely every day.”