Apparel Online India 16-31 July' 17 | Page 24

TEXTILES INDIA WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO APPAREL ONLINE? GOING TO A GOOD EVENT? Please call Customer Service at 82-62-880-880 Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected] Review Textiles India 2017 Spotlight on fabrics of India… Garmenting not in focus I Eye-catching, but busy, booth of Vardhman Textiles Ltd. Ginza Industries Ltd. also had good visitation in the fair n a mega event that caught much attention of even the mainline media, Textiles India 2017 was prompted and developed on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “From Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion and Fashion to Foreign Exports”, saw a convergence of the who’s who of the textile value chain. Held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the event was a balance of many expressions – from round table conferences to workshop sessions to a grand fashion show – depicting the ‘Weaves of India’, and not to be overlooked by the 10 halls of exhibition space, housing players from all aspects of the chain, from cotton farmers to garment exporters. There was a great expectation, as usual, from the PM’s inaugural address at Mahatma Mandir, about one-and-a-half kilometres away from the exhibition venue, but the industry did not receive any significant announcement. “We were expecting at least something significant at such an important event, but the PM stayed focused on the theme of Indian textiles without making any announcement that could have brought cheer to the VIP gathering,” said Sanjay Jain, “Just being short-listed to showcase my handloom collection, is an honour,” – Designer Manish Tripathi, who heads the iconic menswear brand Antardesi. 24 Apparel Online India | JULY 16-31, 2017 | www.apparelresources.com MD, TT Industries. During his address, the PM urged the industry to invest more in innovation and research that could boost textile exports. Putting a thrust on organic products, Narendra Modi said, “We should catalogue and map our clothing diversity and clearly earmark strengths and specialties of each state or region. Each state should appoint nodal officers dedicated to a few well- known products, who would facilitate producers and traders across the value chain. Today, there is a demand for products with zero carbon footprints as holistic lifestyle has become a buzzword. The market for organic dyes, clothes and fabrics made from organic products is growing. Our effort should be to innovate in organic products. I call upon you to come, invest and ‘Make Textiles in India’.” During the three-day event, the textile sector witnessed the signing of 65 MoUs in various segments. The ongoing conferences were a delight for those looking at much more than products. At a conference on ‘India as a Global Sourcing Hub & Investment Destination’, Gautam Nair, Managing Director, Matrix Clothing, brought up the concerns regarding GST. “The I hope that we will be able to build this event into something much larger in years to come.” – Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Group