The 36th India Knit Fair for Spring/Summer Collection 2014 held recently in Tirupur was a small fair where 35 garment export companies showcased their collections. With few international buyers visiting the show, exhibitors were disappointed, although there were many agents/representatives of various buying house from Tirupur, Delhi-NCR and Bangalore but these were not the priority of the exhibitors. On display were value added knit garments for men, ladies and kids made with 100 per cent man-made fibres; linen and polar fleece were an added attraction. Neppy mélange, space dyed, poly cotton blended with step dyed jacquard, double mercerized and 100 per cent modal auto stripped fabrics, were commonly used. Fluorescent colour based yarn dyed, garments made of florescent colours and florescent cold pigment prints were also among the popular trends seen.
With increased competition and growing dynamism of the number of designs spilled over the fashion markets, it has become critical to understand the sample development process, firstly to get the attention of the buyer and then once an order is placed to control quality and costs in the initial stages itself. Vasanth Kothari, Assistant Professor, DFT, NIFT Bangalore along with Team Apparel Online, throws light on the industry practices in sampling development currently in use…
The retail environment in the US is improving and though not all companies have seen growth, the optimism is palpable. Among the concepts that have really shown growth is e-commerce. According to eMarketer, B2C e-commerce sales in the US will grow 12 per cent to US $ 384.80 billion in 2013 – after growing 13.8 per cent to US $ 343.43 billion last year – as average B2C e-commerce sales per user reach US $ 2,466 this year among those who buy goods online in the US. With the economy still taking its time to consolidate and unemployment still high, the focus of retailers is on tightening the inventory and offering products that customers really want. While few companies were able to get the strategy right, some namely JCPenney and A&F could not impress the shoppers. In fact, JCPenney is a case study on how bad execution of a restructuring initiative can cause huge damage to both image and sales of a company. Moving ahead, most retailers are positive and international expansions, e-commerce and fresh merchandise offering is on the cards for most. 10 top retailers from the US are analyzed, and the outcome is almost identical to the issues of retailers worldwide…
Menswear is predominantly characterized by its sophistication and sound tailoring – structured suits, expensive fabrics and flawless cuts being the hallmark. However, though the contemporary man continues to cut a dapper image, only this time, it's transcended the traditional perception of formalwear. Designers, this spring, discovered the most unexpected season essential in menswear – the shorts. Welcome to the new world of menswear, where formal is deconstructed and chinos and shorts have replaced the trousers, as men become more experimental than ever.
The Ludhiana flat knits market, having niche in sweaters/gents pullovers, generates a turnover of about Rs. 11,000 crore out of only Rs. 1,000 crore that is coming from exports. Whether it is export or domestic, there are plenty of reasons which are motivating the garment manufacturers towards design with greater focus on product development. Apparel Online talks to various players on directions for the hub in product development.
If last few seasons were all about the maxi dress, 2013 has couturiers chopping off a few inches to welcome the new ‘IT’ length – the midi. Often touted as dowdy and conservative, midi lengths have been surprisingly missing from the fashion scene for decades before designers finally picked it up in 2007. For a garment that was invented out of recession and conformities, midi lengths have, surprisingly, transcended to befit the sartorial tastes of both designers and consumers. Spotted on runways worldwide in figure flattering dresses and skirts with high street retailers belting out every style in it, midi lengths have been predicted to make a massive comeback in 2014…
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