There was much expectation from the inauguration of the 57th India International Garment Fair (IIGF) as the recently inducted Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani was expected to not only open the event but also address the exporters, however rain and last minute cancellation by Smriti Irani, were a big disappointment.
Ajay Tamta, Minister of State (Textiles), who is also new to the Ministry did reach the venue for inauguration but before time, as he was to report to the Parliament for his first day of the Monsoon Session which begins today. This created a flutter among the organizers. Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Textiles also gave the event a skip, leaving Pushpa Subrahmanyam, Additional Secretary Sunaina Tomar, Joint Secretary, MoT and Ram Singh, Secretary General, AEPC to hold fort.
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Meanwhile exporters’ meet and interactive sessions have also been called off, which were in fact the big reasons for disappointment among the exporters, many of whom had flown in from Mumbai and Tirupur.
On Day 1, Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) with his team was seen going around as a jury member, to select the best collections and stalls. Usually on the first day of the IIGF many buyers are seen taking a round early morning, but rain seems to have delayed many of them reaching early; however, organizers are very hopeful that the situation would improve over the day. There are almost 400 apparel exporters from around the country displaying their latest collection at the fair to attract buyers and one hopes that the tempo will pick up as the day goes by.
For the detailed coverage of 57th IIGF, watch out for the upcoming August 1-15 issue of Apparel Online India.
