Chapter of the Denims & Jeans show only reiterated the growing importance of the Indian retail market and the increasing focus of companies to establish links with leading domestic brands. This however does not undermine the importance of international brands that have built a strong base in India, both for their global operations and Indian stores. No wonder, the event saw participation from 18 countries like Italy, Turkey, Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh, China and Switzerland, besides India. Representatives of these global participants from companies like Jeanologia, Archroma, Hyosung, Bluesign, and Tonello are quite upbeat about the Indian denim industry and are expecting good business from the country in the coming days.

Apart from latest denim fabrics, yarn, dyes, chemicals, washing technology, software and trims manufacturers also participated in the event. Leading Indian denim mills like Arvind, Raymond, Oswal Denim, LNJ, Mafatlal, KG Denim, Nandan Denim, and companies like Reliance Industries, displayed their latest

offerings at the show which saw visitation from top retailers like M & S, VF Sourcing India, Levi’ s, Landmark Group, Monte Carlo, Being Human, PVH, Arvind Brands, Inmark Retail and few other brands, besides export houses like Gokaldas Images, Shahi, Texport and many more.

As a denim fair, the major concentration of all participants was on innovation and sustainability – the two growth drivers for the segment today. Whether the exhibitor was a fabric manufacturer, a chemical provider or an accessory company, the focus for all was common – to offer something unique. However, this is easier said than achieved and differentiation was often seen in the‘ service’ rather than the actual product.“ While we continue to innovate, the responsiveness of our service from delivering on time to customisation is also a key component of our growth,” said Ram Srinivasan, Head Apparel Fabric Sales, KG Denim Ltd. The company introduced the‘ re-fibrea’ concept for the first time within their sustainable concept, which basically means the use of recycled fibres.

ESSENTIALS

With the theme of gender-free denim, the wellorganised show had interesting seminars on various interesting topics on which the industry experts shared their thoughts and experiences. These seminars discussed issues like 3D printed garments, future of denim sourcing – online, sustainability and few more very relevant topics.

The speciality at LNJ Denim was the fabric made from post-consumer recycled denim which has the GRS( Global Recycle Standard) certification. The company is the largest supplier of this concept to H & M, with own factory to recycle old and used jeans.“ Though the production of cotton is not increasing, the demand for garments is on the rise, so sustainable options of producing the same from already existing resources is a need. We have specialised in fabrics from recycled clothes and this has become one of our USPs,” said Prabir Bandyopadhyay, Chief Executive, LNJ Denim & Fabric Business.

According to many of the exhibitors, knitted denim is really big this season and some Indian companies shared that since all major players have entered the segment, there is a huge oversupply of the product, which is leading to a price war. Reliance Industry, with its R-Elan performance fibres, has gained popularity with many denim suppliers; and many of the exhibitors were displaying products from the range. RIL has entered into a partnership with VF Corporation of US, owner of the