Apparel Online India Magazine May 2nd Issue 2018 | Page 31

H2F
gained popularity with prints. India
is capitalising on the handwork of
the artisans into most things for
added value,” says Sarita Handa,
Owner whose label translate the art
of Indian needlework into global style
inspiration for their customers and
pioneers in hand embroidered linen
and textile. The company boasts its
signature embroidery and textile as
innovation has led it from being an
export house to a luxury retail brand.
It also sells to major retailers around
the world like Pottery Barn, Macys,
Ethan Allen and Bloomingdales to
name a few.
On the positive side, value-added
innovative products are always in
demand; and according to most of the
manufacturers, the profit for buyers’
lies in being ahead of the rest of the
market so that the only thing they
are looking for is unique products.
The innovations that manufacturers
are taking into account are fabric,
techniques and designs. In fabrics,
not only cotton, which has been an
age-old offering but also a mix of
cashmere-cotton, bamboo cotton,
silk with cashmere, linen with
cashmere are being offered to the
buyers. For cushion category, they
look for woven, velvet fabric as well
as value additions like the pom pom,
frills, trims and more. “The buyers
in luxury segment are looking for
newness, more Indian techniques,
handwork and craft which they
cannot find in China,” says Rakshit
Poddar, Owner, Cheer Sagar
Exports, Jaipur, which has expertise
in embroidery and embellished
products. He further adds, “The
overall market conditions affect us,
so we cannot depend on one market.
We have different markets so that if
one market slows down we have other
options to keep the factory running.”
No doubt, searching out new
markets for luxury products is
also helping exporters to grow.
“The conditions are not perfect in
international market right now and
we grew only 7-8% last year, lower
than the expected 15%. However, we
are growing in different segments in
new markets like Australia, Middle
East, New Zealand, and South Africa.
I am hopeful that in the next 2-3
quarters, there would be a drastic
demand from the international
market, as retail is picking up,” says
SM Dwivedi, CEO, Sara Textiles,
Noida. The company is a leading
Display at Cheer Sagar Exports
exporter of towels and boasts its
value-added products in different
washes, prints and dyeing.
The US and EU markets behave
differently; so, while Europe is
looking for better designs, cheaper
products and exotic fabric, US is
more into cleaner look with focus on
quality and durability. The different
tastes and buying behaviour of these
markets also affect the forecast,
trends and the overall business due
to which the exporters have to rely on
their gut feeling to get an upper hand.
“When I speak to buyers, there are
many situations where I can sense
that there could be a slowdown in a
product or category, and innovation to
entice them to place an order which
is the only answer to these things,”
says Aman Dhingra, Vice President
of Gurgaon-based Orient Craft that
has 80% of total home furnishing
exports in the high-end segment. He
further adds, “For innovation, we are
looking at a lot of fabric engineering
– blending the fibres, spinning them
together so that product is cotton but
with an exotic twist to it.”
With a growing global trend of eco-
friendly furnishing, sustainability
is getting more important for
international buyers. Nowadays
buyers look out for organic,
biodegradable material. On the other
hand, manufacturers believe that
sustainability is not just about the
Exports of
Cushion Covers
from India:
Jan.-Dec. ’16 =
US $ 1501.14 million
Jan.-Dec. ’17 =
US $ 1601.26 million
% Growth = 6.67%
Exports of
Carpets/Rugs
from India:
Jan.-Dec. ’16 =
US $ 460.14 million
Jan.-Dec. ’17 =
US $ 501.76 million
% Growth = 9.05%
Exports of
Quilts (and
other articles
of beddings)
from India:
Jan.-Dec. ’16 =
US $ 390.83 million
Jan.-Dec ‘17 =
US $ 411.88 million
% Growth = 5.38%
fabric but craft as well, in the buyer’s
eye. Ravindra Nath, Director, Ocean
Home Store, Jaipur, which supplies
beddings and cushions to home
furnishing giants like, Anthropologies
and Ralph Lauren, emphasises on
sustainability. “Sustainability is very
important for our buyers. They watch
the entire supply chain; where and
how the product is produced, insist on
using of dyes and chemicals that are
less harmful to the environment. They
are very transparent at every stage of
production and very helpful too. They
provide us with their own directions
and we give them sustainable value-
added products,” he says.
Many exporters are of the opinion
that Government policies and taxation
are giving their business a hard
time, but those are issues that will
only be resolved with ti