Textiles India 2017 threw up interesting discussions on standardising apparel size, potential of the apparel growth story in India, diversifying into man-made, eco-friendly fibres and the way forward for Indian handlooms to create a sustainable economy in the fashion industry. By Team Viva
If you want to see the diversity and the artistry of India, just delve into its textiles. There is a lot on offer — from the vivid Jamdani to the exquisite Paithani, from the vibrant Kanjivaram to the beautiful lehariya — the list is an endless one. Now tradition is being reinvented for modernity and making the high street grade.
A first-of-its-kind, three-day long Textiles India 2017 celebrated just that. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pledged to put India on the first place in textile manufacturing from its current position of sixth, the aim is to increase the current turnover of the textile industry from $330 billion to $650 billion by 2025.
Doyens of the industry, ministers, chief ministers of different states, industrialists, experts, designers, weavers, artisans, fashion institutes, students and others connected with the sector were all in attendance, lending full strength to making this a possibility. Several deliberations were held in order to discuss the necessity of standardising apparel size, potential of the apparel growth story in India, diversifying into man-made, eco-friendly fibres and the way forward for Indian handlooms to create a sustainable economy in the fashion industry.
There were conferences and seminars which dealt with a range of 26 subjects — all related to the textile sector. Minister of State for Textile Ajay Tamata highlighted that the fair made headway in different ways. He said, “As many as 65 MoUs with South Korea, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries were signed during the event. A special package worth Rs 6,000 crore has been given by the PM to employ a large number of people in the sector.”
And the designers, the most visible face of the sector, too, have a gameplan for traditional textiles. “Handwoven textiles must be incorporated into the industry in a more responsible way, one that is sustainable and long-term. That requires commitment and a belief in these products and long term support,” said designer Payal Khandwala.
But not just the people directly connected with textiles, other ministries as well as industries too decided to lend their support. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, said, “Interventions could be made to promote growth in terms of scale, profitability and adequate compensation to indigenous artisans and traders.”
And there are reasons to give a fillip to the sector. For India, textiles have a historical context as well. “The India textile industry is the symbol of economic self-reliance. Mahatma Gandhi initiated the movement through Khadi,’’ said Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, terming the industry as representative of diverse Indian heritage, culture and skills.
Moreover, the sector is crucial to the growth of the economy. Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog, pointed out, “It is the second largest industry in the country and its growth would contribute greatly to the country’s GDP, which has been growing steadily at 7 per cent for the past three years.”
But a push in appropriate directions is needed to for the all-round development of the industry. Union Minister of State, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, stressed on developing specific skills in the textile sector. He said, “The largest skilled workforce is employed in the textile sector and more needs to be done to cater to the skilling of this huge segment of workforce.”
Kant also said that the objective of the government is to promote growth while creating jobs, which has resulted in the designing of the textiles package in mid-2016. He emphasised on the need to promote healthy competition between states, build up size and scale, promote investment in the sector and replace the existing incentive-driven model with a competency-driven model to provide further momentum to the growth of the textile sector.
The fillip to textiles was not just worked upon at the national level. Delegates from national and international councils for handicrafts met to discuss challenges to the export of handicrafts and deliberate on necessary steps for establishing a unique niche for Indian handicrafts in the global arena. Textiles were especially important because the sector did not work in isolation. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, said that tourism, heritage and culture are all interlinked and handicrafts are an integral part of the entire package. ‘‘Textile and tourism can be major contributors to the country’s economic growth. With the GST in place, the taxation on imports and exports will become reasonable and hence will be highly beneficial for indigenous artisans and small entrepreneurs in the handicrafts sector. There is need for skill development among artisans to keep the art alive and the issue of attrition must be tackled with a tangible solution.”
Industry majors, who were present at the fair, too, made pertinent points for the development of the sector. Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Retail limited, said standardising size in clothing will make it easier for industries to adopt a pattern. He said, “Size should be standardised so that customers have the trust while shopping for a particular size of any label.”
Gautam Nayar, readymade garment exporter and manufacturer, said that apparel manufacturing is an export-oriented industry. “India holds a bright future with respect to the apparel industry as other markets are declining, he said. China’s apparel export has gone down by $ 20 billion in the past two years. We have to leverage the textile infrastructure,” he said.
But at the heart of the handloom story and its growth lies the artisan. Susanne Goetz, Prof FIT, New York, said, “There is need for establishment of long-term relationship with artisans. India has centuries of traditional experiences with craft work and it can build on that. It has craft production which can meet international demands. There are traditional techniques of India to produce craft which are widely appreciated and intricate. But you can’t think about sustainability without thinking about profitability.”
Sitharaman also talked about possible interventions that could be made to promote growth in terms of scale, profitability and adequate compensation to indigenous artisans and traders. She said, “The focus should be on promoting niche areas that cover indigenous artisans, weavers and craftsmen as they provide a unique identity to the country’s textile output. Due to the industry’s efforts to match up to the demand for man-made fibre, the focus has shifted away from these niche areas and that these need to be promoted.”
The way forward for the industry is also to make it environmentally conscious and sound. So Textiles India 2017 also had a round table discussion to understand the utility of the innovation of waterless textile processing and 3D printing to reduce the water consumption in the textile industry. Rajeev Sethi, Founder, Asian Heritage Foundation, shared insights into existing practices and spoke about the need for adoption of practices and technology that were environment-friendly. As an example, he cited the growing preference of artificial dyes over natural ones among textile manufacturers currently. He urged the industry to stick to traditional practices in order to preserve the authenticity of the art and curb pollution of natural resources.
At another level, a connection between the past and the present is essential to develop the sector, according to Rajiv Pratap Rudy. He said, “Skills have always been a part of our culture from the very inception of our Indian civilisation; the challenge is how to take it forward. Make in India, digital India cannot happen without skill India. There is a need to develop a highly skilled workforce that can cater to the needs of the future at a global level.”
Speaking on the need to develop specific skills in the textile sector, he said that in the organised sector in India, the largest skilled workforce is employed in the textile sector and more needs to be done to cater to the skilling of this huge segment of workforce. And there is another change that needs to be made, added Ananth Kumar. “Man-made fibre was the future of the textile industry and a heavy dependence on cotton will only increase the burden on farmers and nature. Producing eco-friendly fibres can help expand the textile market of India.”
When one says textiles, the image of wool is often not conjured up in one’s mind. But The Woolmark Company, too, is doing its bit for the industry. It announced the second phase of its Grown In Australia, Made In India initiative. The key campaign will continue to highlight the farm to fashion journey of Merino wool — growing in Australia before being transformed into unique fashion pieces in India – and champion both the wool-growers of Australia and the handloom sector of India.
Another foreign collaboration, however, is witnessing some hiccups but at the same time shows potential. A session saw Russian experts discuss how the high import duties in Russia are impeding exports from India and the problems are further compounded by language issues and procedural delays at customs. But this can be taken care of. JK Dadu, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, said, “The current trade in textiles between India and Russia stands at $161 million but has the potential to rise to over $ 1 billion.” He also talked about how Russia has over 10 months of extreme cold and India has the potential to cater to this weather through items such as leather jackets, caps, boots, pashmina shawls and various other woollens, which it can export. Also with Russia’s push to become environment friendly, India can provide it with jute bags.
A fashion show, Indian Handloom Brand, showcased many Indian textiles with a view to focus on branding of high quality and defect-free niche handloom products with minimal impact on the environment, increasing the earnings of the weavers and other stakeholders of the handloom industry and generating a special market space for handloom products. Designers like Hemang Agrawal and Rajesh Pratap Singh collaborated with handloom clusters from Varanasi and Anavila Misra collaborated with handloom clusters from Gadwal to get them a ramp view. Certainly, some hiccups and a lot of promise for the industry in store.