The first ever ‘International Denim Conference’ opened today to a rousing reception at the hallowed campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, also called as the ‘Denim Capital of India, from the more than 350 plus delegates, who include, industry leaders and stakeholders from the textile industry, present on the occasion.
The conference has been organised by Fibre2fashion, the leading global B2B website for the textile, apparel and fashion industry in conjunction with the Ahmedabad chapter of the Textile Association of India (TAI), which is the foremost textile professional body in India & the largest in the world. The morning began with registration of all the delegates, who have come from across the length and breadth of India and abroad.
At the inaugural session of the conference were present, Mr Maheshwar Sahu - IAS and Principal Secretary, Industries & Mines, Govt. of Gujarat and also the Chairperson of the conference, Mr Sanjiv Shah, CEO – fibre2fashion, Mr Naishad Parikh, Advisor - Arvind Ltd, the biggest denim producer in India, Robin Anson - Managing Editor, Textiles Intelligence, UK, Dr PR Roy, convener of the conference, Mr TL Patel and Mr VJ Trivedi, President and Honorary Secretary, respectively of TAI.
Mr TL Patel gave the welcome address by welcoming all those sitting on the dais and all the delegates from across India and abroad.
Dr PR Roy, Director of fibre2fashion and President Emeritus of TAI, began the proceedings by announcing the theme of the conference. He began by saying, denim is a subject that does not need to be introduced, but needs to be experienced, touched and felt to understand the fabric. He said, India used to cultivate cotton and indigo was also used to dye cotton and wool more than five thousand years back, however in the intervening period, it did not witness much commercialization.
He informed that India is still struggling to find a sustainable cotton policy and at the same time, China is reducing its cotton acreage in order to increase food output, which could prove to be an opportunity for Indian denim manufacturers to take the lead. He further informed that globally, denim consumes 14 percent of the cotton produced worldwide and expects Indian denim output to touch one billion meters in a few years.
He spoke about a new strategy called ‘Blue Ocean’, which emanated from France and implies; “Why compete with everybody. Let everybody swim in the red ocean and you swim in the blue ocean, where there is less competition”. Denim manufacturing in India, he said, was born in the 1980’s from the need to compete with the decentralized sector also called denim the ‘New face of Indian textile & apparel industry’. He concluded by saying that, new innovations are needed to sustain denim for a longer period of time.
A carpet manufacturer from Nepal has set up a fully-owned plant at Xigaze in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The plant is likely to generate employment opportunities for 3,500 persons, alongside, generating a sales turnover of 70 million Yuan ($10.3 million), per year.
A subsidiary of Kathmandu-based Samling Carpet Industries; Tibet Dunlin Trade and Industry Co. Ltd. is the first ever firm in Xigaze, Wangdu, which is fully foreign owned.
The new facility came up as a part of Chinese government’s initiative to boost Tibet’s economic through promotion of conventional handicraft industries, he said.
The factory which has been set up at a cost of 28-million Yuan was recently opened , and is likely to churn out 200,000 square meters of Tibetan wool carpet, each year.
Samling is amongst leading carpet producers in Nepal, and each year produces around 144,000 square meters of rugs and carpets.
International Textile and Apparel Association - ITAA announced 2010 Annual Conference in Montreal October 27-30. ITAA is a professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators and students in the textile, apparel and merchandising disciplines in higher education.
The Bazaar organized by the International Relations committee has been a unique tradition for ITAA members. This year, the committee hosts another bazaar from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Friday, October 29.
The revenues generated from the highest bidders of each item will be used to achieve one of the missions of the International Relations committee—to promote and encourage international collaborations among ITAA members around the world. Primarily, the revenues are used to help cover the travel cost of scholars from developing countries to attend an ITAA annual meeting. Please mark your calendar so you won’t miss this important and fun event at ITAA.
International Textile and Apparel Association - ITAA is a professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education. ITAA welcomes professionals employed in those fields who wish to join with members of the Association in the pursuit of knowledge, interchange of ideas, and dissemination of knowledge through meetings, special events, and publications.
With 6 months until the beginning of the INDEX11 global nonwovens exhibition, EDANA - European Disposables and Nonwovens Association, the association representing the nonwovens and related industries has announced the categories for the prestigious INDEX11 awards for innovative achievements in nonwovens. The awards are open to any EDANA member company or exhibitor at INDEX11.
From November 2nd, 2010, companies can download an application form from www.edana.org, which must then be completed and returned with samples and supporting details (as applicable) to EDANA before the 15th January, 2011.
While companies may only submit one product per category, they may enter into as many categories as they wish. Products must be commercially available at the time of submission, and must not have been commercially launched before April 2008. All applications will be treated with full confidentiality.
The award categories for 2011 include:
• Nonwoven roll goods
• Finished products made from, or incorporating nonwovens
• Marketing achievement for the most original marketing campaign for a product made from, or incorporating nonwovens
• Raw materials or component - innovation in a raw material or component (eg polymer, fibre, binder, film, tape), (other than nonwoven) of special relevance to the nonwovens industry and related converted products industry
• Machinery - innovation in machinery of special relevance to the nonwovens industry
• Sustainable product
• Sustainable process or management practice
In addition to the established categories focussing on specific points along the nonwovens supply chain, two new categories for 2011 highlight the evolving nature of companies to manage and integrate their sustainability actions into their business.
John Flynn, vice president of design and development for organic apparel manufacturing heavyweight Greensource Organic Clothing Co., will address how to put both value and values in one’s supply chain at the Organic Exchange Sustainable Textiles Conference October 28 in New York City. Also speaking on the panel are representatives from C&A, Anvil Knitwear, and Loomstate.
Greensource is the world’s eighth largest user of organic cotton and its mills are certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which prohibits the use of toxic inputs during the processing stages. In addition, the mills are involved in numerous other social and environmental initiatives including solar-based lighting, stringent waste-water treatment practices, support of local schools and hospitals, and their own organic cotton production.
Greensource prides itself on manufacturing premium organic apparel in Pakistan, India, and Nicaragua at affordable prices, while being fair to workers and the environment. It enjoys strong sales of organic cotton knit and denim apparel sold mostly at big box stores such as Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, and Walmart, providing consumers with premium fashion at affordable prices.
Brady Hill, vice president of marketing, and Scott LeMaster, vice president of sales, will also be attending the conference. Greensource is a proud sponsor of the event.
Greensource Organic Clothing Company, a trend-forward apparel design and manufacturing company based in Seattle, WA, is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of private-label and branded apparel made with organic cotton. It is also a large supplier of certified organic cotton blank T-shirts for the men’s, women’s, and children’s markets.
Precedent, a division of Sherrill Furniture, is excited to announce that they are partnering with DwellStudio, the New York City-based lifestyle brand, to debut their first furniture collection in April 2011 at the High Point Furniture Market. Bringing their signature eclectic modern look to furniture, DwellStudio has designed a complete collection of upholstered and occasional pieces that will be manufactured by Precedent and other Sherrill Furniture divisions.
Precedent CEO, Woody Williams says; "We are thrilled to partner with DwellStudio because their impressive track record for innovative design in home furnishings. We know that their uniquely modern sense of design in textiles resonates with today's style-aware 25 – 45 year old consumer, who many of our furniture retailer partners have found elusive. We are excited to translate that same design sense into furniture."
Aesthetically, the line has an elegant European mid-century feel to it, but updated with DwellStudio's signature stamp of mixing old and new styles, adding bold color and pattern. For the upholstery collection, fabric sourcing will be a blend of Precedent's current vendors and DwellStudio's collection of residential fabrics with Robert Allen.
Pakistan textiles would receive another US $4 billion this year due to the increase in the prices of domestically produced cotton. Another $1 billion will be added to its earnings as a result of the tariff concessions issued by the European Union (EU). This will take the total textile exports of Pakistan to $15 billion.
The APTMA Chairman, Gohar Ejaz stated that the cotton growers had received Rs 260 billion by selling 12.7 million bales of cotton, last year. This year, they are going to earn as much as Rs 400 billion from the sale of same amount of cotton. This hike in the earnings is due to the rise in international cotton prices.
Gohar further added that EU has low spinning potential. Pakistan exports yarns worth 62.7 million Euros to the region. Even an increase of 40 percent in the country’s yarn exports is not going to affect the availability of cotton yarn in the domestic market.
The 6th International Garment and Textile machinery exhibition, IGATEX Pakistan 2010 is all geared up to encompass its significance in the textile industry of Pakistan.
Having developed into one of the largest and well established garment & textile machinery and accessories exhibition in south Asia, the 6th IGATEX Pakistan will take place at LAHORE EXPO CENTRE from 22~24 October 2010 where more than 400 companies from 25 countries have already confirmed their participation in IGATEX LAHORE 2010.
IGATEX is the most awaited show in Pakistan where manufacturers of textile and garment machinery meets the largest number of buyers under one roof and builds a bridge of international and local heads with maximum business deals.
The Australian wool market finished 2.1% higher, on average, at sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle this week when the US exchange rate rose by a further 1.7% to 98.32¢ at the close on Thursday.
40,827 bales were on offer, compared with 40,861 bales last week. 5.1% were passed in, comprised of 4.6% in Sydney, 4.5% in Melbourne and 7.2% in Fremantle. Pass-in rates for Merino fleece and skirtings were 4.2% and 5.5%, respectively.
956 bales (2.3%) from the expected offering of 41,783 bales were withdrawn prior to sale and re-offered bales made up 10.0% of the final offering. 38,755 bales were cleared to the trade.
The New Zealand Merino Company also offered 3,352 bales in Melbourne on Tuesday, of which 10.5% were passed in.
The US exchange rate continued its sharp rise this week. The decision by the Reserve Bank to leave official interest rates unchanged led to a 0.81¢ fall in the closing rate on Tuesday. But, this was short-lived with rises totalling 2.46¢ over the next two days. Many experts now think parity with the US dollar is inevitable.
It was a very strong market, as reflected in the lowest pass-in rates of the season. This was particularly noticeable in the fleece wools in all centres. The EMI was again up in all currencies, including a 32¢ rise in US currency to 878¢. The increases in US over the last four sales have been 10¢, 19¢, 17¢ and 32¢. A very steep rise.
The increases occurred across all wool types and micron ranges, but were led by a 2% plus rise in the 19 to 22 micron wools.
Mission Linen Supply, a leader in textile rental and buy direct programs, announced that it has been awarded an exclusive five-year contract from Santa Barbara County. Under the agreement the company will be the sole provider of uniforms, dust mops, mats and towels to more than 250 people and over 50 locations throughout Santa Barbara County.
The Santa Barbara County contract covers a range of local offices and departments including Sheriffs’ stations, County fire departments, County roads, Flood Control, Sanitation Transfer Stations (Tajiguas Land Fill), County clinics and the County Jail. Mission Linen Supply will be providing uniforms for county employees, excluding those in the Sheriff’s and Fire Departments, as well as a range of industrial service products.
Although Santa Barbara had been a Mission Linen customer in the past, the County had contracted with a different provider in recent years. Now that the two entities are working together again, both parties are pleased that the business has gone to a local company.
Karl Willig, Mission Linen Supply’s President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “As a national business with local headquarters, we couldn’t be more proud to provide service to the government and public works employees of Santa Barbara County. We’ve been business members of this community since 1930, and we’re delighted the County has chosen to work with a local partner.”
In other Santa Barbara news Mission Linen Supply announced that it has launched a pilot project using a specially-designed delivery truck fueled with environmentally friendly compressed natural gas (CNG). The company worked with BAF Technologies, the recognized leader in natural gas technology and conversion, to equip the truck with the CNG system. The vehicle will use less fuel and produce fewer harmful emissions, saving the company money while minimizing its environmental impact.
Gujarat which is considered one of the most industrialized states in India has a vibrant textile industry, whose history can be traced, going back by many decades.
Ahmedabad at one time was considered the ‘Manchester of the East. Surat, the second biggest city of the state is one of the biggest textile hubs in India and is also the biggest man-made textiles manufacturing hub in the country.
The textile industry contributes as much as 6 percent to the industrial production of the state and Surat also has to its credit installations of over 40,000 multi-head embroidery machines in the world, in the last three years.
The state also accounts for 12 percent of all textile exports from the country and has a well developed infrastructure for the textile industry, consisting of 18 product clusters, 5 dedicated Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and six industrial parks.
Gujarat accounts for 35 percent of the cotton output and also 60 percent of cotton exports from India. With the world’s third largest denim production capacity and the biggest in India, Ahmedabad has arguably earned the distinction of being called the denim capital of the world.
As the countdown begins for the ‘International Denim Conference’ to be held in the hallowed premises of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad on October 29-30, 2010, about 15 eminent speakers from the global denim and textile sector have confirmed their presence, so far, with more yet to confirm.
Textile Association India, Ahmedabad Unit is all set and geared up to host the conference on the global denim & jeans industry in association with Fibre2Fashion, under the chairmanship of Dr. PR Roy.
The inaugural keynote address on ‘Strategic Issues in Managing Global Denim Business’ is slated to be delivered by Mr Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairman and Managing Director of one of the largest global denim manufacturers – Arvind Ltd., India.
Robin Anson, Managing Editor, Textiles Intelligence, UK, will share insights on ‘India's potential in the International Market for Denims & Jeans vis-a-vis China, Bangladesh, Pakistan & Sri Lanka’.
Mr Shumone Chatterjee, Head Marketing, Levi Strauss (Asia Pacific Region) will deliver his views on ‘Global Brands entry into emerging Indian Market’.
Another well-known face in Branding & Retail - Mr Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands will speak on ‘Premium Denims & India - Branding & Retailing’ while Mr Rajiv Dayal – Managing Director of Mafatlal Denim will provide an ‘Overview of Indian Denim Business’. Ms Jenna Caccavo from Cotton Inc, USA will delve on the ‘US Denim & Jeans Industry’.
There will also be a panel discussion on ‘Jeans’ which will be chaired by J Suresh - CEO, Arvind Brands.
Enrique Silla representing Jeanologia from Spain - a consultant for the apparel industry, specialised in product and process research and development, and engineering solutions for garment production will speak about ‘Recent developments in garment treatment for jeans’.
