A cold winter morning welcomed the buyers to the first day at IIGF. While exhibitors were busy putting the final touch to their displays, the organisers were geared up to declare the 60th edition open for business opportunities. Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles was the guest of honour and he expressed happiness at the positive vibes that generated from the event and wished all participants a fruitful three days ahead. The newly appointed Chairman of AEPC, HKL Magu, officiating his first major ceremony thanked all for their support and felt that exports are finally getting back on track. He hoped that by the end of January, business would be on the growth path. Rahul Mehta, CMAI President, appreciated the Minister for his constant support and hoped that in future too, the Ministry would continue to guide the industry which is passing through difficult times.
As usual, overseas buyers were very punctual reaching the venue. The first morning saw many visiting buyers roaming and exploring possibilities for their future business ventures. Team Apparel Resources met buyers from Denmark, Italy, Dubai and few other countries even before the inauguration began. Among them was Alessandro Lenzi, Administrator of Lebiz s.r.l., who was on his first visit to India and was eyeing to particularly explore factories for intimate apparels.
Alessandro shared that despite the economic crisis in Italy, his company is optimistic about further growth. “This is the best time to explore new growth opportunities and to come back strongly post crisis, as early as possible.” said Lenzi. With 26 stores in Bologna, Lebiz s.r.l., Italy’s customers are in favour of Indian products and goods. “India is a hub which we can’t ignore anymore. We are initially planning to source 20,000 pieces per collection from here and annually, will have nearly 4 to 5 collections. Some of the manufacturers are in touch with me. In IIGF, I will be exploring more prints,” says Alessandro.
Siba International which is an importer company from Denmark, famous in both garments as well as home furnishing and works with chain stores was another enthusiastic visitor. “We are expecting 4-5 per cent growth this year. Business is not very good, but we are focussed on improving through new designs and patterns. Any exporter who can offer innovative patterns is welcome to work with us,” said Sarabjit Singh E.E., Manager of the Company.
Though the day started on a slow note, by evening it proved to be reasonably good in terms of buyer visitation as the show witnessed buyers from many countries across the globe and also some from the Indian domestic market. The representatives of buying houses from Delhi-NCR as well as from Mumbai visited the event. In brief discussion, most of the buyers said that though the market is currently not faring so well, they are pretty positive about the coming months. Through seasons, things would definitely improve. Some of the buyers, as usual, pointed out that much more could be done by the exhibitors to make their collections interesting and that they expected more development in their collections.
Some globally known brands visited the India International Garment Fair (IIGF) on Day 1, like the sourcing and merchandising team of 5 people from United Colors of Benetton (Benetton Asia Pacific Limited (India Branch). The team was overall happy with the collections they saw, as well as the fabric in use. Amit Mudris, Head of Sourcing & Merchandising Sourcing of the company shared, “It will be good if IIGF has more manufacturers from South India and that too of knitted garments.”
Russia is the market that many Indian exporters are targeting. IIGF too witnessed few big buyers from Russia. Valery Sidorenkov, Chief Production Officer and Quality Assurance, Modis, Moscow shared that currently he is working with 6 exporters in India. He further mentioned that there are ample opportunities for Indian exporters in Russia. “We are sourcing good volume of womenswear, menswear and kids wear from India. Though currently, our market is not good, it is still huge and we are hopeful for a growth of nearly 15 per cent in the current year,” stated Valery.
Another buying office to visit the fair was Rania Trading, Gurgaon, which is working as an authorised agent for the UK companies Poundstretcher, the Pet Hut and Pound Store. It is mainly for home furnishing products and is now exploring garments as well. Udit Gupta, Assistant Merchandiser of the company shared, “We are planning to start with kids wear and will proceed accordingly.” As the clients of Rania Trading are very price conscious, it is challenging for the company to find good quality products with reasonable price but is somehow managing with their field expertise.
Sourcing is now becoming more digital and some of the Indian companies are aggressively working in this direction. Foursource India, an off-shoot of Foursource Group with its offices in Mumbai and Tirupur, is headquartered in Berlin. Actively working with 300 global brands and 1000 Indian exporters, the company is targeting brands and suppliers across the globe. Ashish Ranjan, MD of the India operations shared that digital tools being offered by them is making sourcing quick and easy.
Rayes Gimenez, Manager, Kuini Creation and Jaime Barba of 360 Streetwear, both are retailers and also wholesalers from Spain and are positive about their growth in terms of trade in the coming months. By sourcing variety of garments, both companies are willing to explore different kinds of fabric-based garments from India. “Still few of our vendors in India need to work on their delivery schedule,” they added.
The Amazon India business team gave a presentation to the participants, encouraging manufacturers to associate with them to enhance business. They shared that exporters in Tirupur were the most active on the digital platform.
While some exporters were kept busy through the day, many were disappointed that they could not meet any new buyer. Everyone is hopeful that day 2 will be even more exciting and something to look forward to. Many buying agencies are expected tomorrow and positivity is in the air. Watch this space for updates.
