Tirupur Asia's One Of The Biggest Knitwear Hub

13 July 2022, Mumbai:

An Overview

Over the past 20 years, Tirupur, Known as ‘T-shirt City,’ or “Banian City” has established itself as a significant knitwear export hub, with operations in the US, Europe, and the Pacific. The Tirupur cluster has developed into a well-connected unit cluster that works together to turn cotton into knitwear items.

Specific units highly specialize in textiles production, dyeing, processing, stitching, and export marketing.

This town started making inexpensive cotton hoses in the 1930s, primarily for undergarments. Knitting was introduced to this region in 1937 by Gulam Kadar, who established Baby Knitting Industries in the Kaderpet neighborhood of Tirupur.

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The eco-system here is favorably supported here by the textiles Committee under the Ministry of Textiles, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC); South Indian Hosiery Manufacturers’ Association (SIHMA), more active, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) representing the knitwear exporters in the city; and Knit Cloth Manufacturer’s Association (KNITMA), Tirupur Dyers Association and Tirupur Export Knit Printers Association (UNIDO, 2005).

Knitwear has historically been made in Tirupur, which has earned a reputation in India by producing cotton underwear in particular. Additionally, Tiruppur focuses on the low-volume mid-fashion sector, notably in the clothing and supplies of women and children to some of the biggest shops in the world, including Marks and Spencers.

From producing essential knitwear for the lower end of the local market, the Tirupur knitting cluster has expanded its product line to include t-shirts, polo shirts, sportswear, sweatshirts, ladies' outfits, children's clothing, nightwear, etc.

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The cluster necessitates a high level of specialization in most fields, including the provision of machinery and all facets of the manufacturing process.

More than 3.5 lakh people from nearby districts and states work in the knitting industry in Tirupur, including both local and migrant labor. Due to the agricultural background of the labor force accessible to businesses in and around Tirupur, the producers have long been concerned about the degree of expertise.

However, even without formal training provided by businesses, it takes an agricultural laborer three weeks on average to absorb the industrial process. 

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The Tirupur Tamilnadu center is crucial in this regard, generating up to 80% of the knitted apparel exports, or around 4% of India's entire export commerce, which accounts for about 45 percent of the country's clothes.

From a pitiful Rs. 10 crores in 1984, exports surpassed Rs. 11,000 crores in 2006–07. rupee-to-dollar export appreciation fell by 10% in 2007-2008, totaling Rs. 9,950 crores.

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The cluster's expansion has undoubtedly been made possible by the exporters' association, Tirupur Exporters Group (TEA). Along with holding international trade fairs in Tirupur, it collaborates with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to establish a fashion and training center.

In collaboration with a governmental agency and an extensive international private company, this has started an ambitious effort to rebuild Tirupur's urban infrastructure. 

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The Tirupur knitwear cluster annually expands by 15% to 20%. An essential hub, the hosiery town now generates annual revenue of Rs 27,000 crore from local and overseas markets, up from a few crores of garments produced three decades ago. 

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Bird's Eyeview

Tirupur boasts 1,200 merchant exporters in addition to 800 garment manufacturing and exporting businesses, according to recent research by the Sripuram Trust.

Three hundred of them are clothing manufacturers that cater to the local market. Tirupur knitwear sector comprises 95% of MSME exporters.

Export of knitwear from Tirupur, near here, clocked the US $ 4 billion this financial year, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has said. With this, the exports from Tirupur have contributed one percent to the total exports worth $ 400 billion from the country, the TEA said in a press release.

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