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Vastra will be held in Jaipur from September 21 to 24, 2017. This is a textile and apparel fair. The event will feature a fusion of finest and latest in textile products, from fiber to fashion, and cover the entire textile value addition chain. This is a trade fair where foreign and Indian buying houses participate.
Vastra will draw more than 300 exhibitors, looking to showcase a diverse range of textile and garment products of elite quality. The main exhibit include: fibers, yarns, fabrics, garments and apparels, made-ups and accessories, technical textiles, fashion trends, traditional textiles, technology and machinery and infrastructure for the textile industry in India.
Leading manufacturers and suppliers of plant and machinery, accessories, dyes, chemicals and technology suppliers, fashion designers, countries and states through specific pavilions, sectoral industry associations, international industry associations, research and development, education and training institutions form a major part of the show.
It is a platform for new joint ventures, strategic alliances and partnerships; to launch new products as well as harness new locations for setting up businesses in India. There will be live demos of traditional textile crafts, business fashion shows, conferences, networking events and more.
Malkha India spearheads a movement to give more control to cotton farmers, providing them the means of production. The initiative started in 2003, strives to bring control of spinning and weaving. And its founder Uzramma, says there are Malkha centers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The primary drive for her movement stems from the link between cotton farmer suicides and power looms, which function best with American cotton. The only cotton suitable for the power loom is American cotton, which won’t grow in India. So farmers need fertilizers and pesticides, which they buy with their own money until they can’t, and then they are forced to take loans.
India is the second largest producer of cotton in the world, and yet its major cotton export is American cotton, which doesn’t grow here naturally. While power looms are faster and can process more cotton, some native cottons are damaged and torn and are labeled inferior. In addition, weavers are paid very little.
The issue finds its roots in mass farming overseas. In the US, huge fields of cotton are harvested with large cotton picker machines that compact the cotton into bales but this is said to damage the cotton. Also, the cotton that is run through the power loom produces only one color of fabric and uses large amounts of electricity to run. Handweaving cotton allows a more flexible and cost-efficient production.
One of the largest hub in India‘s $40 billion-a-year textile and garment industry who are seeking millions of dollars in compensation following a landmark court ruling last year that declared they had long been grossly underpaid.
The Madras High Court ordered that garment workers should receive a pay rise of up to 30 per cent – the first minimum wage hike for 12 years – and that they could claim arrears going back to 2014. More than 150 claims have been filed against tailoring and export garment manufacturing units in the Chennai region alone, according to data requested by the Thomson Reuters Foundation under the Right to Information Act. The claims, which would benefit at least 80,000 workers at factories around the port city, add up to more than 490 million Indian rupees ($7.6 million).
According to workers’ unions these claims are probably the tip of the iceberg as they only represent cases filed by government labour inspectors. Under the 2016 Madras court ruling, Tamil Nadu’s garment and textile workers should see their pay rise from a monthly average of Rs 4,500 to 6,500– which campaigners say is comparable to wages for textile jobs in most other states. But workers say managers have defaulted or delayed payments since the ruling, with some even introducing pay cuts.
Despite the state’s minimum wage laws, salaries continue to be “grossly low” for thousands of workers who are still not given pay slips or are often hired only as apprentices. Under the 1948 Minimum Wages Act, state governments are required to increase the basic minimum wage every five years to protect workers against exploitation, but textile manufacturers have repeatedly challenged pay rises in Tamil Nadu.
Manufacturers in Tamil Nadu say the hike is too high, putting them at a disadvantage against competitors in other states. There are workers getting more than the minimum wage. The new norms are not distinguishing clearly between skilled and non-skilled workers, says S Shaktivel of the Tirupur Exporters’ Association.
GST has started showing results. It has resulted in the removal of check posts across 22 states. The move will result in improving the entire logistics system at the ground level in the coming days. Removal of check posts will help the Indian garment industry. Not only will Indian apparel exporters get more time costs are also likely to come down as logistic companies will now charge less for waiting time in terms of overall days that transport trucks take to deliver.
Earlier, a truck used to take five to six days to deliver products from Delhi to Mumbai and now it takes only three to four days. Exporters can expect to get an edge in terms of providing shorter lead time to buyers post the exclusion of check posts. Containers from Tirupur reach Cochin in less than six hours against 12 hours. There is less traffic on the route. However, time-saving is one aspect. Down the line the industry expects cost benefits too, and whether that will happen will be clear in the coming months. For almost 15 days after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, the industry had observed strikes and protests all over the country.
Erode-based Five P Venture India, and the Central Silk Board, based in Bangalore, entered a collaboration. Five P has introduced fibers such as linen, recycled cotton, Tencel and modal, and developed a variety of fabrics. With the board’s technical support, Five P will be able to develop new, niche products such as silk.
This collaboration could also help revive the heritage skills of handloom weavers in the Chennimalai belt. The Chennimalai handloom cluster in Tamil Nadu has so far not worked with any fiber other than cotton.
Making such value added products will not only take the company to the next level but also enhance the income of the handloom weaving community and improve their living standard. The company’s in-house brand ‘Nool By Hand’ was showcased at the Lakme Fashion Show, held during the Textiles India Fair. The apparel worn by men and women were made of handwoven organic cotton.
Chennimalai is noted for power looms and handlooms. But production has come down by 50 per cent due to frequent power cuts and load shedding. The increase in the prices of yarn has also affected production. The prices of 10-count yarn have increased considerably. Because of this, production cost has gone up.
Global digital textile printing equipment and ink sales are projected to grow 39 per cent by 2018. In the visual-communication sector, increased interest in printing on textiles seems to stem from key considerations; aesthetics and economics. As an alternative to PVC vinyl and rigid materials, printed textiles are versatile and appeal strongly to commercial customers. They typically find the softer, sleeker look and feel and more natural, fluid movement of textiles aesthetically appealing – whether for soft signage and graphics in retail, hospitality, or event environments.
Economic drivers are of course also influential; textile substrates can be less costly to store and transport, and can lend themselves more readily to re-use than rigid materials. This is attracting particular interest in the events industry, where stand designers and builders are seeing textile as a flexible, lightweight alternative that’s easier and cheaper to transport, construct, and de-mount.
The shift towards digital textile printing is also enabling new levels of customization and increased design complexity which – together with digital’s inherent just-in-time advantage – can be expected to fuel further growth. Garment production is another significant area of growth and migration from analog to digital production. Digitally produced garments are expected to become an important alternative to traditional screen printing within two years.
Italy-based Caron has more than 35 years of experience in design and production of fabric spreading and cutting machines for fashion apparel, furnishing and technical textiles. It has grown with padding sector companies, consolidating and exporting its know-how also in technical fabrics. The company’s products focus on a fluid and efficient production cycle, able to guarantee speed and perfection. Thanks to these cutting edge and price competitive equipments, Caron has succeeded in the Italian and international markets.
The company is a reliable partner to companies looking for customised, strong and precise solutions, with innovative systems that are able to optimise efficiency and performance. Production capacity is an average of 18 machines a month including spreaders, loaders, drawing lines and single ply feeders. The company caters to markets like Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Israel, Bangladesh, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania and Brazil.
Caron’s business in 2016 increased 25 per cent compared to the previous year. Today its turnover is 20 per cent of 2016’s business and the plan is to close the year at 30 per cent. Among its new innovations are a spreader and a loader. The spreader has a modern design and a strong and compact structure that guarantees fast spreading. The loader is expressly dedicated to the simple ply feeder. It helps to load heavy fabrics from the floor to the cradle of the feeder.
In 2016-17, Bangladesh's home textiles exports increased 6.13 per cent year-on-year. The country could have had a bigger share of the European home textile market if the exchange rate between the euro and the dollar were more favorable. Despite having a huge potential in home textiles, Bangladesh is unable to expand its market share in the European Union because of duty benefits extended to Pakistan, a cotton grower. Bangladesh, on the other hand, is a 100 per cent cotton importer.
All four major home textiles exporters -- China, Pakistan, Turkey and India -- have their own cotton. In December 2013, the 28-nation bloc granted Pakistan GSP Plus status for four years. The GSP Plus status allows 20 per cent of Pakistani exports, including home textiles, to enter the EU at zero duty and 70 per cent at preferential rates.
Bangladesh has been competing with Pakistan in the same market in the same product category, so it is difficult to perform better. Currently Bangladesh has only five major home textile makers and exporters. There are some small ones whose volume is still low. In 2016, of the EU’s home textile imports, China accounted for 33 per cent, Pakistan 25 per cent, Turkey 16 per cent and India 11 per cent. But Bangladesh’s share was seven to eight per cent.
Apparel Training and Design Centre has signed an MoU with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED). The aim is to bridge the gap between the requirement and availability of a skilled workforce. The MoU aims at imparting employment- oriented training and encourages entrepreneurship through skill development. ATDC vocational institutes are a vital part of the skill development system for careers in apparel, fashion and textiles. It aims at helping students in learning the necessary skills required for a bright future.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), based in Gujarat, has been engaged in entrepreneurship development training and skill development since 1979. The concept behind the CED is to develop entrepreneurs in the urban as well as rural areas of Gujarat, who can establish their own manufacturing or service enterprises which in turn can aid in the economic growth of the state and also create employment opportunities for others.
Gujarat is one of the fastest developing textile apparel manufacturing clusters. ATDC has state -of-the-art infrastructure offering shop floor, supervisory and managerial skills to develop an industry- ready workforce. The ATDC under the aegis of the Apparel Export Promotion Council has emerged as India’s largest vocational training network for the apparel sector whose presence currently spans 200 ATDCs including 65 ATDC vocational institutes and over 135 ATDC- SMART centers and skill camps present in major apparel clusters spread across 23 states and 85 cities across India.
Levi Strauss & Co. has reported stronger sales, which only goes to show that denim is on a comeback trail. This is largely due to increased ad spending and high demand. Sales for the second quarter spiked 6 per cent to touch $1.07 billion, as against $1.01 billion in the same period last year, with direct-to-consumer revenues jumping 13 per cent. Net income fell 43 per cent to $18 million, as against $31 million in the same period of the prior year, primarily due to a loss related to debt refinancing.
The San Francisco-based company said increased advertising spending in the quarter, particularly in the Americas, and credits sales gains to its diversification efforts and product innovation such as its dance-stretchy jeans. The strong year-to-date revenue growth reinforces the benefits of a more balanced portfolio as women’s tops, direct-to-consumer and international businesses delivered solid results disclosed their CEO in an announcement.
Innovation—some new stylish or functional twist to trusty denims—seems to be the key to appealing to customers these days, according to latest analysis from the NPD Group. NPD reports that newer styles of women’s jeans—those introduced in the last two years—account for about 70 per cent of all the pants sold in 2016. For men, the majority of jeans were older styles introduced in 2013, or earlier.
Earlier this week True Religion Apparel known for its high-end denim range filed for bankruptcy protection largely due to the growing trend toward e-commerce and fashionistas’ desire for affordable denim from chains like H&M and Zara.
