16 Nov 2010: “Be Inspired”…Was the theme for the 3 day extravagant event of Première Vision Pluriel, Paris. The shared desire for one and all to delve into the latest trends, beautiful colors, exquisite materials and innovative explorations made this event a dynamic success. Even though the event focused on a variety of fabrics, innovation in knits was seen significantly.

16 Nov 2010: With a history of service to the logistic industry of more than a century, Jeena & Co is today one of the largest freight forwarding companies in the country providing many value-added services specific to niche industries including apparel.

16 Nov 2010: “To the intelligent the following three-word adage says it all – perform or perish,” says Ravi Sharan, Owner of Artifacts India. Being in the home fashion export business for a decade-and-a-half, he firmly believes that there is no room for basking in past glories and only the uniqueness of ‘product’ developed through constant innovation, value engineering and the passion to bringing out something different can lead to growth in the highly price-sensitive and market-driven home fashion industry.

16 Nov 2010: After the debacle of 2009, the textile and garment industry is getting back on its feet and exporters are witnessing positive gains. Though it is difficult to analyze performances of most exporters as they are not too open to scrutiny, listed companies have shown that there are many factors that influence performance and that the structure of the company, the nature of integration and scope of operations play a major role in profitability.

16 Nov 2010: Tirupur has seen many success stories with exceptional growth as a manufacturing hub in the last decade. However, with Bangladesh emerging strong in the knitwear segment, Tirupur is facing many challenges. The rising cotton prices are just making matters worse as it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet price points being offered and exporters are reworking strategy to meet the challenges head on. Geerish Balan, reporting exclusively for Apparel Online, talks to exporters and buyers in Tirupur on the direction forward…

16 Nov 2010: Recession taught some hard lessons and showed new directions to many in the industry, and now fluctuating dollar rates and increasing cotton prices too are prompting not only exporters but buying offices also to explore new business avenues.

16 Nov 2010: Just what are the questions that are upper most in the minds of textile experts today… There are in fact too many, but the top 21 would certainly be:-

1 Nov 2010: The just concluded Commonwealth Games has for many reasons been in the headlines… the real high of the event was the brilliant performance of the Indian sports persons who with their 101 medals made India proud.

1 Nov 2010: The global apparel industry is at a crossroad today with both the retailer and the manufacturer looking at new options to stay competitive while meeting evolving needs of fashion on one hand and increasingly demanding consumer on the other. The fact that the industry has passed through a slowdown phase has made things worse. In our last issue of Apparel Online, we had discussed the ground realities of China and how it could impact sourcing; ironically, the issues that are impacting China are not too different from those affecting the competitiveness of India, so why should a buyer choose the country as an alternate…

1 Nov 2010: I was invited to a Pakistan Trade Consulate luncheon meeting in Los Angeles last week to introduce the new Trade Consul General stationed in Los Angeles. There were about 40 guests comprising of dignitaries, large apparel importers, university academics and friends of Pakistan. Having been to hundreds of these meetings sponsored by many countries globally, it had all the usual investment information, as to why we all should invest in Pakistan.

16 Oct 2010: Indian exporters of textiles and garments are not only facing tough competition in prices and quality, they are even expected to fulfil social and environmental minimum standards in production.