FASHION BUSINESS
BUYER’ S PERSPECTIVE
Amit Aneja, Director – Raw Material, PVH( India) Limited
“ We are working more on clean looks that aren’ t very loud in terms of destruction, etc., and also help in the upgradation of the fabric by enabling a nice sheen over the fabric.
From the innovation point of view, we are putting in a lot of research and study towards sustainability at the wash level and also on the fabric level. We are achieving this through foam dyeing and by working over the washing process through laser.
In terms of textures – a lot of dobbies are coming up, and there is an exploration of yarns – there are slubs, and a play of multi-coloured threads over denim.
We are doing less of aggressive washes. We play around the topping of the denims and at the same time use the same colour of the denim so that we can minimise the wash process. For example, we take grey coloured denim and do the wash over it. The trend is more towards the simple resin wash or 10-20 minutes of softer wash.”
’ 90s theme taps on the‘ ugly fashion movement’ with Bermuda style shorts, front buttoned skirts and denim dresses
seen an incredible improvement in its jeans businesses worldwide, so much so that the company is putting its marketing dollars behind the popularity of the’ 90s style denim. Denim skirts have grown 25 per cent and shorts are up 47 per cent from what they were two years ago. The’ 90s theme taps on the‘ ugly fashion movement’ with Bermuda style shorts, front buttoned skirts and denim dresses offering a plethora of opportunity for keen retailers. To achieve the’ 90s look within dresses, play with pinafore and button-up styles in vivid colours and print patterns for the upcoming Spring 2019 season.
Denim outerwear is also a hot category to watch out for. Data shows that denim outerwear has increased 101 per cent over a period of last two years. Vitality is key in this segment – with families of oranges, yellows and plum, and patterns such as checkerboards, leopard and snake prints featuring over co-ord sets.
Denim outerwear – oranges, yellows & patterns such as checkerboards feature over co-ords
OPPORTUNITY IN INNOVATION
Sustainability is at the centre of conversation within the fashion and apparel industry; this led to Levi’ s launching its F. L. X. technology( set to release in select stores by Spring 2019) – a laser-powered process that allows consumers to customise a unique distressed finish on their jeans. By giving consumers the opportunity to personalise their designs, laser distressing could be used as a means to create thousands of finishes currently being achieved through laborious traditional methods like sanding. Traditionally creating fades and finishes over denim require chemicals and sanding blocks- a process that involves large amounts of water consumption and over a thousand types of chemicals.
Such environment-friendly technological innovations solidify the industry’ s growing concern for sustainable practices, such as using recycled water and recycled fabrics, making this a hot area to divulge in.
MANUFACTURER’ S PERSPECTIVE
Nishant Giri, Sr. General Manager – Exports at Jindal Worldwide
( Speaking on European and US markets)
“ Higher stretches – Stretchable fabrics with around 45 to 50 % stretch are in demand. This can be achieved by the use of the poly-spandex yarn which increases the lycra or spandex content in the yarn. This comes with its own set of challenges wherein extreme care has to be taken to ensure that the growth on the fabric is maintained. We are tackling this by some changes being made at the yarn stage, wherein we treat the fabric in a special way … This gives you a good look and a good hand feel while at the same time keeping the fabric growth under norms.
For the Autumn / Winter 2019-20 season, the washes are on the darker side. We are going for a higher depth of fabric where you have a deeper shade – such as a very, very deep indigo, which gives an authentic look. We are doing some experimentation in terms of colour, where with indigo, we are trying to create brown bottoming. We are introducing colours like brown or yellow to lend a vintage cast over the fabric. We are trying to play with dual colours to get different casts over the denim. White denims are also in demand and we are achieving this through techniques and processes such as bleaching and optical whitener.
For value addition, we are using different types of overdyeing effects with different colours for colour coding.
We are picking up some polyester blend fabrics to provide sheen and body to the fabric. Currently we are trying for the brushing of the fabric from the back side for the cotton spandex fabric. This allows for a soft feel from the inside of the fabric, by giving a woollen feel which when used for the Autumn / Winter season, keeps you warmer.”
34 Apparel Online India | OCTOBER 1-15, 2018 | www. apparelresources. com