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expected to reach approximately US $ 2.68 billion .
Innerwear is now evolving from core functional to being associated with more lifestyle attributes . Varied activities and enhanced lifestyle has led to increased demand for fashionable , functional and premium lingerie , which is expected to witness more innovation and experiment in shapes and materials in coming days .
Athleisure holds key to future : Leggings & Pyjamas lead the segment
Last year , Merriam-Webster updated its dictionary with the newest addition of the fashion term ‘ Athleisure ’ which means ‘ casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use ’. A definite bend towards healthy lifestyle and fitness has created the need for an apparel that can be worn all day long .
The recent comfort trend has not only captivated the US market , but has also expanded its reach to the Chinese market and Indian market as well . Adding health and wellness routines to their busy schedules , Indian youth knows the complete inand-out of the trend and is wholly in love with it .
According to Euromonitor report , from 2015 to 2016 , the Indian sportswear market grew by 22 per cent , outpacing the segment ' s global increase of 7 per cent . By 2020 , it is expected to grow an additional 12 per cent CAGR with sales expected to reach US $ 8 billion .
The huge demand of leggings , knitted churidars , pyjama sets , etc ., is propelling the growth of bottomwear in athleisure . Increased share of working women with their concern on low maintenance of apparel has made leggings popular in the section . The other categories coming up strongly in knitwear are winterwear , kid ’ s bottomwear and sleepwear etc , which are expected to grow at a CAGR of 4 per cent , 9 per cent and 7 per cent respectively .
India : An important retail destination for Bangladesh exporters
The entrepreneurs of Bangladesh are amongst the most dynamic in the world , always ready to take on challenges – looking for ways to increase business with new products , improved working systems and exploring emerging markets . This upfront approach has made them the second largest apparel exporting nation just after China . And now realising that retail in the traditional markets has levelled out with growth just crawling ahead , many exporters in Bangladesh have started looking at the fast-moving retail markets of China and India as the next growth frontier . Of course , there are concerns and challenges , but the direction is set and efforts are on to capitalise on the opportunities .
The Indian market is not new for Bangladesh exporters and in the last decade , many efforts have been made to penetrate the market , but initially the failures outnumbered the successes and unfortunately the Indian retailers too were not fully prepared for the sourcing challenges .
“ The experience of the highly published Lilliput case , wherein the retailer declared bankruptcy and millions of dollars were left pending , has made most exporters in Bangladesh very cautious when approaching India ,” says Arshad Jamal , Director , Tusuka Group . Many may recall that during the fallout , it was reported that Lilliput owes US $ 4 million to various vendors from Bangladesh .
“ No one can ignore the potential of the retail market in India . It is a huge market that is still unexplored and with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities now joining the retail landscape , the size of the market is mind-blowing ”
– M . A . Jabbar
However , the fact remains that India is an important emerging market and ignoring its potential would be a tactical mistake by the exporters . “ No one can ignore the potential of the retail market in India . It is a huge market that is still unexplored and with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities now joining the retail landscape , the size of the market is mind-blowing ,” says M . A . Jabbar , MD , DBL Group .
More than the expanding retail landscape , what is really exciting for most is the consumption pattern and the spending power of young India which is propelling retail growth .
The Indian consumer which comprises of the largest Gen Y population of the world with a median age of 27 years , prefers branded apparel over unbranded due to his / her inclination towards better lifestyle and willingness to try out new on-trend fashion . As per a report by Wazir Advisors , the per capita expenditure on apparel is expected to reach Rs . 8,000 by 2025 , rising from Rs . 3,100 in 2015 , which translates to a total Indian apparel consumption expenditure of Rs . 11.7 lakh crore ( US $ 180 billion ) by 2025 .
“ The young upward mobile India is the audience we are looking for ,” says Md . Manabber Ahmed , Director , Anowara Group . His thoughts are also shared by Shin Shin Group that is waiting for an opportunity to enter the market .
Many of the Indian brands and even international brands selling in India are already working with Bangladeshi vendors , and in 2017 , the exports to the country jumped a
18 Apparel Online Bangladesh | September 2018 | www . apparelresources . com