Apparel Online India Magazine July 2nd Issue 2018 | Page 29

H2F
Sterling Creations
Sanjay Khanna, MD, Sterling
Creations (which under one of its
brand displayed and promoted local
artists and sustainable products),
expressed his concerns on buying
trends. “In all honesty, the show
last year was better in terms of
business; even with customers
visiting daily, we are not getting
commitments. This show is a mixed
bag of domestic and international
buyers and probably for this
reason, we did not get enough
buyers for our type of products
at the show. The customers we
are getting from Delhi, Ludhiana
and Panipat are a mismatch for
the luxury segment. I would not
like to blame the organisers; they
have made a sincere effort, yet
despite that something is amiss.
Maybe international buyers are
planning to visit the Mumbai show,
hence there are fewer orders being
placed here,” reasoned Sanjay.
The home furnishing division
at Sterling Creations caters to
both the international as well as
the domestic market, offering a
wide range of bedspreads quilts,
comforters, pillows, cushions and
upholstery items.
Buyers looking for something
different were satisfied, though
many felt that the number of
international buyers were less
this year. “The fair looks good
though international buyers
are scarce; I don’t see many of
them this time. I am looking for
interesting offerings in bedspreads
Aadyam, an Aditya Birla Group initiative
and embossed or embroidered
cushions. The range of sustainable
products this year looks great,
much better than last year, also
the 3D printing machine at the
display is interesting,” shared
Gidi Laks, Owner, Red Chilli, a
buying house from Israel, who is
a regular visitor to the event and
buys many home-related products
from the country.
A series of panel discussions also
took place at the ongoing fair, on
all days. Many key topics were
discussed like, Luxury Buying
for the niche market by Buying
Agent’s Association where the
panel defined luxury, trends,
demands of buyers, sourcing the
products, how to communicate the
Sanjay Khanna, MD, Sterling Creations
Visitors also enjoyed
the specially curated
pavilion COHANDS
that showcased
traditional craftwork
in miniature painting,
terracotta, cane
bamboo arts, wood
carving, wood
inlay, bidri craft,
Mithila painting,
wood carving, brass
engraving and pottery.
brand story. Mainly Buying Agents
and communication professionals
attended the discussion. In a
special session, David Landart
from CARLIN Group, international
trend forecasting and style agency,
shared his 15 years of experience in
International Textile and Fashion
industry by outlining the topics of
visual merchandising and window
dressing. The session was fruitful
for interior designers, architects,
retailers, design directors and top
management people, buying houses,
agents in attendance.
Along with new product launches,
visitors also enjoyed the specially
curated pavilion COHANDS that
showcased traditional craftwork
in miniature painting, terracotta,
cane bamboo arts, wood carving,
wood inlay, bidri craft, Mithila
painting, wood carving, brass
engraving and pottery. In addition,
visitors also saw the launch of
Bespoke Living, a special display
arena that showcased exquisite
signature collections from interior
décor and home textile sectors, and
a special screening zone.
Though the show garnered a mix
response, the product array was
so wide that there was something
for everyone. Encouragingly,
many exporters shared that after
a few bad years, the US market is
finally showing signs of picking up.
During the show, many trends were
redefined and many others were
introduced, setting the tone for
the coming year.
www.apparelresources.com | JULY 16-31, 2018 | Apparel Online India
29