epages News [Cloth Showrooms]

Battle between Jeans and Salwar Kameez gets interesting

Aug 03, 2004: The ongoing battle between Indian and Western women attire is taking an interesting turn with both running neck-to-neck to attain the popularity tag in the city and the game just rolls on. The old traditional Indian female wear salwar kameex is facing an uphill task in the ongoing battle with more and more trendy teenagers and ladies opting to ease themselves into the famous western attire Jeans, be it for corporate work or household chores or for a evening and holiday stroll in the numerous glitzy shopping / entertainment hot spots.

A close study done in the city has disclosed that females find jeans a cool item wear, with a range of look alike wear such as tank tops, hipsters, funky strapless outfits and dresses proving to be a hot cake. When quizzed about the change, females are quite unanimous that one must dress the way one feels and nothing expresses their intimate feelings better than jeans and when traditionalists snick at the garment, it only acts as a compliment that goads them to spell out ‘Wow! That’s a great comment…’ In a way it is their way of getting back to traditionalists who cannot digest the rapid swing of female dress wear from salwar kameez to jeans. Reports also confirm that showrooms are doing brisk business in the sale of jeans and with discounts being offered galore, it looks a clean winner.

With a range of choice backed up the lure of affordable rates, jeans and its allied wear items has cast a magical hold over the city’s ladies population and looks all set to inch further. The ongoing battle has captured the eyes and ears of men folk who affirm in a humorous way that the battle looks truly interesting and allows them to see in clear vivid terms female power at its glorious best and shall it be said good for eye-catching sight. Didn’t someone say 21st century belongs to females the world over and our desi females cannot be an exception in this regard.

Textile mills in expansion mode

Mar 26, 2004: Coimbatore: Textile mill are out to move up the value chain by setting up high-cost process capacities. The players will focus on processed fabrics and finished garments. The demand for such products will significantly go up once quotas are dismantled. The Southern India Mills Association and the South India Textile Processors Association are planning textile-processing parks. The objective of such parks is to bolster the fragile processing capacity in south.

Arvind Mills re-launches Ruf & Tuf denims

Mar 26, 2004: Mumbai: Arvind Brands has re-launched its denim brand for the mass market, `Ruf & Tuf', which was withdrawn from shop floors three years ago, and has entered into an exclusive retailing arrangement with Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd. Ruf & Tuf was withdrawn from the market as the excise, MODVAT and other duties were high during the time of its launch in 2001. The excise duty was around 16% in 2001 and the prices of brand, which was for mass market with a price tag of Rs 299, rose due to the rise in duties. As the excise prices were ruling lower at around 10%, this is the "conducive time" for re-launch. The company has also entered into alliance with Pantaloon, under which the latter would "exclusively" retail the jeans through its Big Bazaar chain stores in the country. Arvind Brands expect to clock total sales of over Rs 30 crore in the next six to 12 months time. The company would be introducing eight private labels, including `Knighthood' and `Ceetee', soon. The fashion wears, which would be sold through its chain stores, adding a new Big Bazaar store would be opened in Bhubaneswar. Arvind Brands is a subsidiary of the textiles and apparels major Arvind Mills Ltd.

Partywear's Denimite for Lee in India

Mar 22, 2004: Bangalore: The youth segment is where all the action is taking place. Leading denim brand, Lee certainly agrees. In fact, so much so that it has decided to extend its current portfolio into party wear, which will be targeted at the 18-25 age group. Industry watchers, however, pointed out that Lee’s strong denim heritage may hamper its extension into the party wear market. Other players in this market are more focused on the casual/ party wear segment. Provogue for example gets at least a fifth of its revenue from this market and Tuscin Verve is almost solely focused on this market.

Currently, Lee apparel is available at 55 exclusive stores and about 250 multi-brand outlets as well as at several retail chains such as Shopper’s Stop and Lifestyle. Lee is focused on the premium denim wear market in India, where about 1.7 million units are sold in the top six cities. The denim maker competes with a variety of home-grown and multi-national vendors including Levi Strauss, Killer, Pepe and Lee Cooper. Most players have looked to increase their offerings from basic blue denim to other apparel, with Levi’s, for instance, focusing on Dockers and Sykes.

India emerging as outsourcing destination for textiles

Mar 22, 2004: New Delhi: After the success of IT, India is all set to emerge as a global outsourcing destination for textiles with export potential of $10 billion in the next 2-3 years, textiles secretary S B Mahapatra said. Projecting good demand from global retail chains like Walmart in sourcing apparel from the country, he said the supply chain management had to be made efficient coupled with cost reduction. Overall there would be an increase of about 15 % in textiles exports after the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) comes to an end on December 31, 2004, he said. Mahapatra also emphasised on stepping up investment in the sector to prepare for the post-quota regime. However, he said, the industry was likely to see a major shakeout with the number of exporters coming down from 7,000 to 700.

Textile mills weave 20% growth plan

Mar 10, 2004: Coimbatore: It’s expansion time yet again in the textile industry. Mills on top of the pool are spinning a volume-driven mantra. The effect spindle capacity addition of a few tens of thousands is top priority for large mill groups. As a result, the Rs 2,000-crore textile machinery industry is set to record a 15% to 20% growth over the previous year, while the Rs 600-crore spinning and pre-spinning segment is betting on a 20%-plus growth. While the rest of the textile machinery industry like weaving and knitting did manage to post healthy growth previously, thanks to a small capacity base, it is the spinning segment, which controls 25% of the global yarn trade, that is lifting sentiments. This segment recorded single digit growth in the last two years.

Tattered hippie look's a steal

Mar 09, 2004: Paris: When British designer John Galliano showed shredded clothes inspired by homeless people four years ago, the media was enraged. On Saturday, he unveiled a collection of tattered gypsy costumes held together with string and was hailed as a genius. Guests including British model Kate Moss cheered as models with tin cups dangling from thick dreadlocks paraded in a hodgepodge of pinstriped men’s jackets and lurid flower prints with an eastern European feel. Huge quilts gathered around the waist glided down the catwalk with all the majesty of a Scarlett O’Hara crinoline skirt, loaded with scraps of fur, plastic bottles and old bags.

Trailing shopping trolleys printed with Galliano’s signature newspaper print, his global nomads picked up random bits of costume from fur-covered fedoras to Edwardian corsets that exploded in a flowery bustle at the chest. Galliano’s theatrical approach can detract attention from the exquisitely tailored outfits. If you looked hard enough, there they were — a denim peplum jacket or a sequence of bias-cut chiffon gowns. The models deserved a medal, particularly the girl who lost her balance and fell. It isn’t easy to look cool with a suitcase strapped to your head. Don’t count on Galliano to take the hint. Shrugging off the mixed reviews to his Christian Dior collection earlier this week, he preened at the end of the catwalk for a full minute before emerging to take his bow. His audience appeared equally oblivious to the political undertones of the show.

'Made in Pakistan' now in India

Mar 09, 2004: New Delhi: Indian designers are in for some stiff competition from their Pakistani counterparts, who are all set to woo women here with their exquisite hand-embroidered Mukaish, Karcholi, Salma and Sitara suits and dupattas. What’s more, the Pakistani embroidered suits, dupattas and sarees are available for half the price of what is normally available here. In Lahore and Karachi, it is a very big industry. Besides around 1,500 factories, there are individual households and neighbourhoods involved in different types of embroidery work. Besides the Middle East, these suits and sarees are very popular in the US, Europe and South Africa, where lot of Indians and Pakistanis reside.

Around 1500 big manufacturers are involved in this work in Lahore and Karachi, besides small timers and individuals. Each factory employs around 200 different artisans, including those doing embroidery, designing, cutting and tailoring. Besides hand embroidery, machine work is also very popular and is slightly cheaper, he added. The exporters said the Pakistani textile industry is able to flourish due to the incentives offered by the government there. Pakistani artists are very excited about the Indian market and are working ways out with their Indians counterparts to have more trade shows from Pakistan here and from India there.

Indian Rayon's brownfield expansion commissioned

Feb 26, 2004: Indian Rayon & Industries Ltd has informed BSE that the brownfield expansion of capacity by 40,000 tonnes at Hi-Tech Carbon Division of the company at Gummidipoondi has been successfully commissioned. The capacity of the said plant has now increased from 44,000 to 84,000 tonnes and the total carbon black capacity of the company has now increased to 1,60,000 tonnes. The commercial production from the above expansion Project has started with effect from February 23, 2004.

HC restrains garment dealers from using ITC's brand name

Feb 23, 2004: New Delhi: In a significant relief to ITC, the Delhi High Court has restrained some garment manufacturers and retailers from dealing with the fashionable apparel under brand names ‘Wills Sport’ and ‘John Player’ owned by the corporate major. Alleging that the Delhi-based manufacturers and retailers were passing off their products as that of the ITC, the corporate major said the use of the mark ‘Wills Sport’ and ‘by them amount to infringement of the trademarks. The company had submitted that the use of identical logos of the two labels by the local garment dealers also amount to infringement of Copyright of logo vested with the ITC.

The Court accepted the contentions of the ITC and said "adoption of the Wills Sport and John Players and ITC trade marks and logo is apparently with dishonest intention of passing off the defendant's (local garment manufacturers) products as that of the plaintiff (ITC)". Holding that ITC has prima facie made out a good case for grant of ex-parte ad interim restraint, the court said "the defendants are restrained from selling, marketing or distributing the wearing apparels with the plaintiff's trade marks and logo or any other trade marks or logo deceptively similar to ITC.

Grasim temporarily stops work at VSF and pulp plants

Feb 20, 2004: Mumbai: Grasim Industries has temporarily stopped work at its pulp and viscose staple fibre (VSF) plants in Karnataka due to shortage in water supply. This stoppage will not have any significant impact on current quarter's profitability as other two VSF plants at Nagda (Madhya Pradesh) and Kharach (Gujarat) are already operating at more than rated capacity and the company has already built up sufficient inventory level to meet the customer's requirement, Grasim informed the Stock Exchange. Due to water scarcity in central part of Karnataka, arising out of poor monsoon, the Bhadra dam authorities have temporarily stopped release of water in Tungbhadra canal system on February one to conserve water. They are expected to start the release again on February 23. The water level in the Tungabhadra canal system from which the company's VSF and pulp plants at Harihar draw water reached a critical level forcing the stoppage of pulp plant on February 16 and VSF plant the next day. Based on restart of release of water, it is expected that the water levels will be come to normal by March five when both plants are expected to resume production.

Arvind comes up with a new retail strategy

Feb 20, 2004: Arvind Brands, part of the Lalbhai group, has come up with a retail strategy to make its flagship shirt brand Arrow, which is basically an American brand, a complete wardrobe brand in India. Although the plan was set into motion some time back, this process has gained momentum only recently, backed by the company’s aggressive plans. The company has already opened four of its new format stores while plans are afoot to open 10 more such stores, having 1,000 to 1,500 square feet of area each and entailing a total investment of about Rs 9 crore to Rs 10 crore, in the months to come. Targeted at the upmarket male in the 25-45 years age bracket, Arrow, already has a network of 64 exclusive outlets across India and is also present in 30 retail chains including LifeStyle, Shoppers’ Stop and Pyramid, besides being retailed through more than 200 multi-brand outlets (MBOs). The company is targeting a turnover of Rs 60 crore this year against Rs 50 crore last year. It may be mentioned here that Arvind Brands has a technical collaboration with apparel major Cluett Peabody, US, makers of Arrow shirts, to manufacture and market the shirt in India , the Middle East and Saarc countries. The brand, which has completed 10 years in India , is available in more than 80 countries around the world.

Royal Classic plans expansion of Polo brand

Feb 18, 2004: Chennai: The Rs 220-crore Royal Classic Group is setting up spinning and garment units to support its emerging flagship men’s garment brand, Classic Polo. It is also gearing up to enter into contract farming to source cotton to feed its spinning unit so as to have integrated operations. The three year-old Classic Polo, which started off with T-shirts, has since added casual and woven shirts to the range. The company will be launching trousers, both denim and chinos, under the brand this April, so as to make it a complete men’s fashion brand. The unit will have a capacity to make 1,000 shirts and 300 trousers per day and will commence production in June this year. As part of its backward integration plan, the company is also setting up a spinning mill with a capacity of 16,000 spindles for supplying yarn to its garment unit. Work on the Rs 20-crore project will start in April and commercial production is expected to commence in November, 2004. As a further step, the group is also venturing into contract farming to source cotton for the group’s spinning unit. Trial production of cotton has started in about 200 acres of land owned by the group. Meanwhile, the group has been promoting Classic Polo brand in the export market, especially in the Middle East and African countries in smaller volumes.

Grasim temporarily stops work at VSF and pulp plants

Feb 18, 2004: Mumbai: Grasim Industries has temporarily stopped work at its pulp and viscose staple fibre (VSF) plants in Karnataka due to shortage in water supply. This stoppage will not have any significant impact on current quarter's profitability as other two VSF plants at Nagda (Madhya Pradesh) and Kharach (Gujarat) are already operating at more than rated capacity and the company has already built up sufficient inventory level to meet the customer's requirement, Grasim informed the Stock Exchange. Due to water scarcity in central part of Karnataka, arising out of poor monsoon, the Bhadra dam authorities have temporarily stopped release of water in Tungbhadra canal system on February one to conserve water.

It is expected to start the release again on February 23. The water level in the Tungabhadra canal system from which the company's VSF and pulp plants at Harihar draw water reached a critical level forcing the stoppage of pulp plant on February 16 and VSF plant the next day. Based on restart of release of water, it is expected that the water levels will be come to normal by March five when both plants are expected to resume production.

USA to store lot more of India

Feb 16, 2004: Mumbai: A number of US retail chains and apparel companies are following in the footsteps of the likes of Wal-Mart and Target and are stepping up outsourcing of textiles from India. The Federated group, Russell Corporation, Sears Roebuck and The Limited figure among American retail majors which are finalising additional orders from India. Some of these importers also plan to form joint ventures with Indian manufacturers.

Several top executives from these companies have flown down to India for choosing dedicated suppliers. Industry sources said that several new US-based buyers are flocking to India. The world’s largest retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and JC Penney have already stated their intention to step up outsourcing from India. While Wal-Mart has a buying office in Bangalore, JC Penney and Target have buying offices in Mumbai and New Delhi respectively. Other global chains are also setting up buying offices in India. The focus on India is undoubtedly due to the phasing out of quotas under the multi-fibre agreement in January ’05. Also, US companies feel that heavy dependence on a country like China can actually backfire in the long run. Though apparels continue to account for major chunk of outsourcing from the US, share of home textile products are also increasing by leaps and bounds. India also has the advantage of having a large base of cotton, which is the main raw material for textile products.

USA to store lot more of India

Feb 14, 2004: Mumbai: A number of US retail chains and apparel companies are following in the footsteps of the likes of Wal-Mart and Target and are stepping up outsourcing of textiles from India. The Federated group, Russell Corporation, Sears Roebuck and The Limited figure among American retail majors which are finalising additional orders from India. Some of these importers also plan to form joint ventures with Indian manufacturers. Industry sources said that several new US-based buyers are flocking to India.

The world’s largest retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and JC Penney have already stated their intention to step up outsourcing from India. While Wal-Mart has a buying office in Bangalore, JC Penney and Target have buying offices in Mumbai and New Delhi respectively. Other global chains are also setting up buying offices in India. The focus on India is undoubtedly due to the phasing out of quotas under the multi-fibre agreement in January ’05. Also, US companies feel that heavy dependence on a country like China can actually backfire in the long-run. Though apparels continue to account for major chunk of outsourcing from the US, share of home textile products are also increasing by leaps and bounds. India also has the advantage of having a large base of cotton, which is the main raw material for textile products.

IDBI okays debt recast plans of 25 textile firms

Feb 14, 2004: Delhi: Debt restructuring for textiles companies burdened with high-cost past loans has finally taken off. The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) on approved applications of 25 textile companies, involving an amount of Rs 125 crore. The FI has also applied to the finance ministry for permission to access external commercial borrowings of $500m for financing the scheme, official sources said. The debt recast scheme for textile units, over and above the technology upgradation fund scheme operating for the last few years, is specifically meant for those units which are in a financial mess due to expensive debt but have technical competence and can be brought back to health if the loans are restructured. It is officially estimated that roughly loans worth Rs 6,000 crore could thus be recast.

As the scheme, which had become effective in September ’03, appeared to have failed to enthuse the lenders, the finance ministry last month had convened an informal meeting of banks and FIs in New Delhi and assured them of all necessary support if they participated in the scheme. Apart from IDBI, Punjab National Bank too had applied for ECBs for this scheme. The textile companies would achieve a debt service coverage ratio of 1:1.3 by recasting their high cost loans. Regarding the allegations that IDBI had digressed from the parameters of the scheme by refusing to freeze accumulated interest liabilities and convert them into zero coupon bonds payable after five years, the IDBI official said the banking department had agreed during a December 15 meeting to scrap this proposal in its initial note. The scheme offers concessional interest rate of 8-9% on rupee term loans restructured under the scheme. IDBI has decided to peg the interest rate at 9%. The loans that are planned to be recast under the scheme carry, on an average, interest rate of 16-17%.

Pantaloon India sees sales surge on expansion

Feb 13, 2004: New Delhi : Pantaloon Retail India Ltd, the country's leading retailer, expects its sales in the year to June 2005 to jump on the back of an expansion into new cities. "We are looking at 72 stores in 21 cities by December 2005 from 38 stores in 14 cities now," Kishore Biyani, managing director at Pantaloon, told reporters at an industry meet. He said the company expected to post sales of Rs 650-700 crore in 2003/04 and Rs 1,100-1,200 crore in the following year.

India may become primary source for US textile imports

Feb 11, 2004: Washington: India is expected to become the primary alternative supplier for most US textile and apparel importers after the expiry of quotas in 2005 under the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, an American trade panel has said. To reduce the risk of sourcing from only one country, US importers also plan to expand trade relationships with other low-cost countries as alternatives to China, particularly India, according to US International Trade Commission (USITC). It said India also had a very large manufacturing base to produce a wide range of textiles and apparel at competitive prices and a large supply of relatively low cost skilled labour. It noted that over the long term, exports from China and India could be affected by their strong economic growth, which is likely to increase domestic demand for textiles and apparel, as well as for labour and capital to make these products.

China, the report noted is poised to become a dominant player, the supplier of choice in the US textile and apparel market because it has the ability to make almost any type of textile and apparel product at any quality level at a competitive price. In November 2003 the Bush administration imposed quotas on three types of textile products imported from China under the provision allowing such measures in instances when Chinese imports are causing domestic US market disruptions. Bangladesh or Pakistan are also expected to emerge as major US suppliers for a narrower but still significant range of goods, such as mass-produced basic knit cotton tops and woven cotton shirts and pants (Bangladesh) or men's and boys' cotton apparel (Pakistan), the report added.

Raymond sets up Rs 30 crore unit

Feb 06, 2004: Bangalore: Textile major Raymond has set up a Rs 30 crore manufacturing unit at Doddaballapur in Karnataka, state Industries Minister R V Deshpande said.

Raymond was also mulling another unit at Doddaballapur, but the government was yet to receive a proposal, said Deshpande, who was here to announce the launch of a silk manufacturing unit of Kolkata-based Eastern Silk Industries Ltd.

 
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