Apparel August 2019 Apparel August 2019 issue | Page 68

MARKET WATCH
Andhra T-shirts Made
from Organic Cotton a
Hit in Belgium
T-shirts made from organic cotton cultivated
by tribals of Northern Andhra Pradash are now
becoming extremely popular among music lovers
in Belgium.
As many as 30,000 T-shirts made with cotton
in the garment factories based at Tirupur and
Coimbatore are now used by 8,000 participants
in one of the biggest electronic dance music
festivals, Tomorrowland, in Belgium from July 19
to 29.
The Tomorrowland team, on account of
celebrating their 15th anniversary, aspires to send
out a powerful message by opting for sustainable
T-shirts for their crew members. RESET, a
futuristic innovation by Grameena Vikas Kendram,
an NGO, has partnered with Urban Fibres,
Belgium, to make this a reality.
The cotton was raised in 26 villages under
Pachipenta, Kurupam, and Gummalakshmipuram
in Vizianagaram district and Bhamini of Srikakulam
district by the tribals. In all,18 tonnes of cotton
was collected from the 230 farmers by cultivating
it in 250 acres. The yield would have been much
more but for the heavy devastation caused by
Cyclone Titli in October last year.
Edited excerpt from The Hindu
62
I APPAREL I
August 2019
The Dragon Comes Calling
to the Ludhiana Market
‘Madein China’ garments are flooding the
Ludhiana market and this has perturbed local
manufacturers who are seeking protection against
these cheaper imports from China.
Manufacturers in Ludhiana are concerned
that if Chinese garments continue to flood
Indian markets, they will not only erode the
domestic market but also ruin the government’s
‘Make in India’ initiative. China is sending all its
products—finished garments and cloth—through
Bangladesh as India has a free-trade agreement
(FTA) with it, thereby enjoying cost advantage.
These two countries have already captured
markets of Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Chennai,
and before they ruin even the Ludhiana market,
the Government needs to take some serious
action against them.
The sheer volume of these fast-moving
consumer goods with inferior quality is
humongous. Though India is fully aware of this, it
can do little about the situation as the Chinese are
fully exploiting the loopholes in the Indian political
and legal systems to make huge profits.
However, Ludhiana industrialists have been
making objections against Chinese brands, which
reflects their unflagging spirit.
Fabindia has opened a store in the Northeast that
deals with garments, jewellery, organic foods, and
personal care products. This is the brand’s 10th
store in the region.
Fabindia is India’s largest private platform
for products that are made from traditional
techniques, skills, and hand-based processes. It
believes in giving employment to craftsmen in a
way that they can work in their own environment.
Ethnic fashion is a major segment in the total
fashion sales of Fabindia.
Fabindia Opens 10th
Northeast Store