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61 st IIGF Review
The same story: Neither enough buyers nor much thrust on PD
Organised by AEPC and held at
India Exposition Mart, Greater Noida, the 61st India International Garment Fair( IIGF) failed to impress most of the exhibitors as buyers’ visitation was not up to their expectation. Focused on Spring / Summer 2019 collection, nearly 335 garment manufacturers from across India were present in the show which was organised in 14,824 sq. feet area. Apart from a big chunk of exporters from Delhi-NCR and Jaipur, a good number of companies from cities like Lucknow, Kolkata, and Ludhiana also participated in the event. AEPC earlier claimed that 1,054 international buyers from 63 countries had registered themselves for the fair, eyeing US $ 300 million business. But they later informed that only 569 buyers and 468 buying agents visited the show finally. From last few years, less visitation of overseas buyers has become a routine at IIGF, but Indian exporters are compelled to participate as there is no other such international sourcing fair in India. And at IIGF, they at least meet some of their regular clients.
Disappointed with the overall arrangements of IIGF, Shalabh Kapoor, Director, MLK Fashions, Lucknow told Apparel Online,“ I am quite unhappy with the fair. There are no buyers at all. We may not participate further in the IIGF
Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Culture inaugurated the event along with Satya Dev Pachauri – Minister of Khadi, Village Industries, Sericulture, Textiles, MSME and Export Promotion, UP Government; Pankaj Singh, MLA of BJP, Noida & General Secretary of BJP, UP; HKL Magu, AEPC Chairman; and Lalit Thukral, Chairman( EAC), AEPC
AEPC earlier claimed that 1,054 international buyers from 63 countries had registered themselves for the fair, but only 569 buyers and 468 buying agents visited the show finally. and will exhibit only in overseas sourcing fairs.” Echoing similar sentiments, Suruchi Sachdeva, a NIFT pass-out and Proprietor of Trela Tex, Agra and mainly into domestic market with its brand‘ KidsDew’ said,“ There were very few buyers who were interested in kidswear. I was expecting much more from this show.” The company is one of the users of Tukatech CAD. Many more exporters also voiced similar opinion. Some of them also suggested that organisers should invite buyers looking for niche or high value-added products, not just regular items of womenswear.
Seeing the changing market dynamics, more and more exporters are changing their strategy to grow in the current difficult scenario. And, the domestic market is a segment which is now being explored by more and more exporters every day. Affordable Exports, Delhi; Khatritex, Jaipur; and MLK Since 1965, Lucknow are some of the exporters who are now focusing on domestic market, while they were earlier totally concentrating on exports. On the other
44 Apparel Online India | AUGUST 1-15, 2018 | www. apparelresources. com