Features , 1   Sep   2010 : The recent oil spill incident off the Mumbai coast when two merchant ships collided at the mouth of the Mumbai harbour making navigation into the channel a hazard, became a major reason of worry for Indian Apparel & Textile exporters, as operations at two major ports – JNPT and Mumbai Port – had to be shut down.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : Even the fact that the handicraft sector has been the worst hit by global recession, as it becomes the last priority in a slow economy, has not dampened the spirit of EPCH, rather they have geared up to explore newer markets for India so that in future it doesn’t face as grim a situation as 2008. Says Malhotra, “In my last 1½ year’s tenure as Chairman of EPCH, we have added more than 33% new trade fairs in our list.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : In the by-lanes of Gandhi Nagar’s Shanti Mohalla, one can get fabric from every possible corner of India. In this 35-year-old market there are around 1200 small and big shops doing an annual trade turnover of approximately Rs. 1500 crore. This market which started as export surplus trade, today has 70% of fabric coming directly from mills and weavers in which 90% of the fabric is for ladieswear, both knitted and woven in 100% cotton, silk, polyester, denim… all is available here.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : Italian Textile Giant Klopman, catering to the global need of image wear, workwear and protective wear since the last 40 years was acquired by MW Corp of Mumbai, a company formed out of the restructuring of S Kumars Group two years ago. Today, the company holds leadership position in Europe with an estimated 40 million Europeans wearing garments made from Klopman fabrics, the brand significantly enjoys 30% market share of Europe’s uniform segment with a turnover of Euro 125 million last fiscal.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : The recently concluded edition of Knit Show 2010, Tirupur, marks the completion of a decade of presence in the arena. Over the years, the event has become one of the prime platforms to discover innovations in textile-garment machineries and fashion accessories for players in the region. With 360 exhibitors and more than 3000 industry visitors in this edition, the organizers of the fair have every reason to be satisfied. The product diversification on display from sublimation printers to oval screen printing machines with in-built curing mechanism, from indigenously developed (backed by foreign technology) new branded yarns to tag less printing machines and accessory manufacturers & traders, the fair had much to offer visitors.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : Known for its culture and socialist way of thinking, Kolkata is also the birth place of the hosiery industry in India way before independence. With a textile lineage, the Kolkata industry has moved on to become a known destination for workwear and intricate hand embroidery for the international market. Apparel Online has covered in detail the workwear industry in its November 16-30, 2009 issue, highlighting some key players and the dominance that Kolkata enjoys in this product category. Earlier we had detailed the importance of Kolkata hand embroidery in Western bridal wear, a growing market for niche players.  

WorldWrap , 1   Sep   2010 : With global currencies being devalued, or even overvalued, with Government policies trying to stabilize both export and import trade, they are creating short-term negative policies, making it very difficult to plan for the future.  

WorldWrap , 1   Sep   2010 : In December 2009, JCPenney struck an exclusive deal with Mango to launch its fast fashion brand MNG in Fall’10, the same has debuted on August 14 with much hype. Under the arrangement, the brand has rolled out career and casual collections including sportswear and accessories representing modern women. The deal is predicted to leverage the best capabilities of both Mango and JCP, Mango’s fast fashion leadership and JCPenney’s merchandising, marketing and inventory management capabilities. Experts, however, seem apprehensive about the success of the over-hyped collaboration.  

Features , 1   Sep   2010 : Many a times we have seen in our Bollywood movies, the hero coming to the rescue of someone in distress… Either fighting the villains single-handedly and coming out victorious… or jumping into a fire to save the heroine who is crying for help! Our heroes… or is it their duplicates, are super human beings and we are so accustomed to seeing their acts of bravery and chivalry on the silver screen that we rarely question the practicality of the act.  

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