Raj Manek, ED and Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings (organiser of Gartex Texprocess India, India’s leading exhibition in the garment and textile industry), has said that new trends will shape the future of Indian textile and apparel segment in the coming period.

Businesses that can recognise the ebb and flow of the market and focus on adopting sustainability and recyclability in their business models will bounce back more strongly.

In a press release, Raj said that the suppression of demand in the global textile and apparel market can turn out to be an eventful opportunity for Indian exporters.

Although the segment is currently experiencing a deficit in demand, manufacturers should remain future-focused and prepared to meet the preferences of their clients as demands re-surface.

“As a future vision, Indian textile and apparel exporters must strongly focus on implementing competitive pricing and running better delivery schedule to match international standards in order to gain greater preference from importers worldwide. In case of domestic retailers, the strength of online presence has governed their business throughout the course of lockdown, enabling them to tap into demands across Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and rural markets. Digital business models will therefore continue to remain prominent for local apparel sellers,” he said.

He further added that the need for efficient allocation of costs and materials has also become a strong highlight for Indian apparel segment during the pandemic.

Manufacturers must therefore imbibe a circular economy model and repurpose pre- and post-consumer waste to save resources as well as minimise expenditure on raw materials and logistic.