11 January 2022, Mumbai:

Only one factory has stepped forward to take advantage of the Karnataka Government's free bus ticket initiative, which will benefit 15 of its employees, out of more than 800 garment manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru.

This demonstrates that the initiative has received a tepid reception, despite the fact that it might have been a huge help to women employees. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) launched 'Vanitha Sangathi', a free monthly bus ticket scheme for women textile workers, three weeks ago. The BMTC predicted that the plan will help roughly 3 lakh workers.

Apparel manufacturing companies and the state government would each bear 40% of the cost, while the BMTC would cover 20%. The cost of a regular monthly bus pass is Rs. 1,050.

Workers had known about this programme for six years, and it was finally implemented last month. One of the reasons why it is not benefiting the poor is the government's requirement of the garment industry's management to contribute 40% of the cost - or Rs. 400 per worker. The employees have no way of knowing why their bosses are not paying for the free passes.

Jayaram KR, Legal Advisor of the Garments and Textile Workers Union, is of the opinion that the plan has failed since the authorities are requiring the garment factory managements to furnish the list of beneficiaries.

Instead, they could have urged the female workers to submit applications directly to the Board by supplying their personal information, such as their Aadhaar card, ESI, and other documents.

Passes should have been provided to the beneficiaries after verification with the respective managements and receipt of their share. Poor women employees will not profit if the task is delegated to management.

It's also worth noting that some workers in the textile manufacturing industry rent residences close to their plants and walk to work. Many people rely on alternative kinds of transportation, such as auto-rickshaws, for which they pay a monthly fee. Because the facility is located in the city's interior, public buses are unable to drop them off at the factory's doorstep.

Those who work on the outskirts of town are likely to gain from the free bus pass programme.

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11 January 2022, Mumbai:

The high price of cotton and cotton yarn continues to be a source of worry for apparel exporters. On the 17th and 18th of January, Tirupur's clothing exporters have already indicated that they will go on strike over this problem.

In response, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Textiles. The council has asked the Ministry to recommend mills that may reduce the price of yarn by Rs. 40 per kilogramme. Cotton candy cost Rs. 67,000 in October 2021, while yarn cost Rs. 331. Cotton prices were raised to Rs. 74,000 in January, an increase of Rs. 7,000, while yarn prices were fixed at Rs. 401. (an increase of Rs.70).

"The growth in pricing is not according to the formula set by the industry," stated A. Sakhtivel, Chairman of AEPC. According to its price-increasing formula, the yarn price would rise between Rs.3.50 to Rs.4 for every Rs. 1,000 increase in the cotton price. However, with a Rs.7,000 increase in the price of cotton, the yarn price has risen to Rs.401... while it should be about Rs.359."

The mills have been increasing prices often and arbitrarily, according to Lalit Thukral, President of the Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) and an executive member of the AEPC, but the purchasers or importers are not prepared to increase their pricing as well. This has exacerbated the situation for exporters, particularly in Noida and Greater Noida.

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13 January 2022, Mumbai:

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) on Wednesday announced collaboration with Germany's GIZ, a move aimed at strengthening circular business practices for the Indian market.

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) on Wednesday announced collaboration with Germany's GIZ, a move aimed at strengthening circular business practices for the Indian market.

The joint project will focus on material innovation, reducing inputs of harmful substances, increasing textile-to-textile recycling, developing alternatives to plastic packaging, and fostering traceability, said a joint statement from ABFRL and GIZ.

This initiative is part of the 'develoPPP programme' and is being implemented by ABFRL and GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The programme will complement existing business practices such as downcycling, recycling, reusing and introducing new sustainable production processes.

"With the support of GIZ, ABFRL along with the Indian industry players will be able to leverage circular business practices and adopt complex processes that are technically superior and consumer friendly," it said adding "this will support the industry to match supply and demand which was witnessing pressure due to resource constraints."

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations.

It supports the German government in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education. GIZ assists people and societies in shaping their own future and improving their living conditions.

ABFRL Managing Director Ashish Dikshit said: "There is a need to 'self-disrupt' existing practices and transition to a more circular approach.

Promoting a common understanding is therefore crucial from a sustainable development perspective for the entire textile sector in India. Along with GIZ, we aim to create awareness among key stakeholders to drive circular approaches, reduce waste, and create closed-loop systems.

GIZ India Director Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management Ashish Chaturvedi said: "The cooperation with ABFRL has great potential to help improve the sustainability of the Indian textile industry.

In our opinion, combining the strength of both public and private partners is a win-win scenario, as it can create both developmental benefits for the local population and business benefits for the private companies."

ABFRL, part of the Aditya Birla Group, has a repertoire of leading brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England established for over 25 years. It also own fast fashion store brand Pantaloons.

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11 January 2022, Mumbai:

Women's Indian fashion label Before the end of March 2022, Saundh intends to expand its retail footprint by opening 25 new outlets.

As it seeks to expand its consumer base across the country to drive its growth, the brand will concentrate on metros, tier 1, and tier 2 cities.

Over the following several weeks, the brand will begin expanding in cities such as Kanpur, Bangalore, Indore, and Mumbai. "Our love for textiles and our desire to develop a worldwide label inspired by India motivated us to launch Saundh as a brand." 

We want to carve out a space where the divide between designer apparel, aesthetics, and affordability is narrowed. Sarabjeet Saluja, founder and CEO of Saundh, stated in a statement, "Our collections are derived from our rich creative legacy and reinterpreted as print stories in modern shapes." Saundh is owned by Sahiba Ltd, a Gujarat-based textile and apparel company.

With its designer fashion label Saundh, Sahiba is trying to make greater inroads into India's fashion business after gaining a major portion of the country's garments and textiles market.

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11 January 2022, Mumbai:

BRFL Fabrics Private Limited (BTPL) has teamed up with couturier Manish Malhotra to produce LinenVogue - La Classé, a range of textiles intended for ethnic wear.

BTPL revealed in a news statement on Monday that the new collaborative fabric line is aimed to promote linen as a preferred ethnic and festive wear material for Indian customers, in order to meet demand during the forthcoming wedding season.

Manish Malhotra hand-picked the textiles for the collection, which is the first time the namesake designer has developed a line utilising linen.

Over 60 skilled artisans at BTPL worked for six months to create the 36-look collection for men and women. Vintage-style zardosi and Rajasthani sequin work, complex coated embroidery, and a colour palette that ranges from monochromatic to brilliant hues to suit a variety of preferences are featured on textiles.

In a press statement, BTPL managing director Prashant Agrawal said, "We are happy to unveil our innovative festive line collection as we seek to serve our consumers with a wide choice of luxury ethnic apparel."

"We are optimistic that the quality linen fabric used to create the collection will redefine ethnic fashion and establish ethnic wear as a sought-after clothing category," says the company. Manish is recognised for his wonderful designs, and it is a privilege for us to have him work on our fabric line and offer it the elegance and refinement for which he is known."

LinenVogue - La Classé exclusive brand stores as well as about 3,000 multi-brand retailers throughout India currently sell the range. 

The brand's EBOs include in-house tailors, so customers can buy fabric and have it customised to their specifications. This new rollout is expected to improve in-store footfall by 15% to 20%, resulting in significant revenue growth for BTPL.

"Linen is a fabric I've only worked with a few times, so when Linen Vogue contacted me to style a variety of the new fabrics, I was ecstatic," designer Malhotra said. "I wanted to go on a journey via a broad palette of designs and colours that oscillates between old-world regalia and current repertory," says the designer.

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11 January 2022, Mumbai:

In view of the abnormal price rise in cotton and cotton yarn, the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA) has said that the Indian government should ban export of cotton. This is in addition to the call already given by the industry to remove 11 per cent import duty on cotton.

Last month, the price of Indian cotton was higher than the international market.

“The increase in cotton and cotton yarn exports from India is benefitting our competitors. India’s share in the export of knitting garments is only 4 per cent, while China has 39 per cent, Vietnam 13 per cent and Bangladesh 14 per cent in the segment.

The government should ban export of cotton so domestic industries can compete in international market and India can benefit from value addition. Higher MSP can protect the interest of farmers, if necessary,” TEA president Raja M Shanmugham said.

The issue has already been taken up with the government. Representatives of the textile industry have submitted a memorandum to textiles minister Piyush Goyal requesting government’s intervention.

Subsequently, textiles secretary Upendra Prasad Singh held a virtual meeting and discussed with the industry representatives. Shanmugam says the problems of the industry have been explained to the government officials, and Singh has given assurance of looking into the problems.

In view of the abnormal price rise in cotton and cotton yarn, the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA) has said that the Indian government should ban export of cotton. This is in addition to the call already given by the industry to remove 11 per cent import duty on cotton. Last month, the price of Indian cotton was higher than the international market.

Now, the ministry of textiles and the industry representatives are trying to approach finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the issue of foreign trade is directly related to the Ministry of Finance. TEA has also urged the government to stop futures trading in cotton, as it is also causing for spike in cotton prices due to trading activities of investors.

According to Shanmugham, production is currently in full swing for export orders, but the recent price rise in cotton and yarn have worsened the things for exporters and producers.

The additional cost is unbearable for them, and has put the garment units of Tiruppur in deep crisis. TEA has requested other textile organisations like the Textile Mills Association, SISA, TASMA and ITF to appeal their members not to increase the rates of cotton yarn.

Meanwhile, to highlight their issues, TEA has called for a strike in Tiruppur on January 17-18. Around six lakh workers associated with about 20,000 MSME units and 2,000 direct exporters will participate in the strike. However, the strike has only symbolic significance, according to Shanmugham.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk 

(The news article has not been edited by DFU Publications staff)

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