CMAI’s biggest National Garment Fair ends on a positive note

The 59th National Garment Fair organized by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) from June 23 to 25, 2014 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai wrapped up with a definite sense of optimism among exhibitors and buyers. The fair was inaugurated by textile minister

Santosh Kumar Gangwar. Rahul Mehta, President, CMAI and Vice Chairman of International Apparel Federation pointed out that the fair was the biggest CMAI has organized so far. “The biggest take is the universal acclaim of the size of the fair. People were floored by the way it was presented which was close to being faultless. We had approximately 35,000-45,000 retailers who visited the fair. We have possibly generated about Rs 66 crores worth business."

Largest

fair attracts a lot of business

In an exclusive one to one, the minister pointed out that there was a need to have mega clusters and textile parks all over India, especially, in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. “Initially, we want to open at least 25 to 30 textile parks,” he said, adding, “These clusters and parks have a 40 percent subsidy. If you set up an establishment of Rs 100 crores, the subsidy will be Rs 40 crores. A textile park is an infrastructure creation. A mega cluster consists of existing clusters. It will have common facility centers for training, design and technology upgradation. In a mega cluster, a cluster will get assistance of Rs 70 crores.”

The three-day B2B event was spread over about 4.50 lakh square feet, covering all the halls of the Bombay Exhibition Centre. There were 697 stalls displaying over 737 brands. This was the India’s largest ever garment fair held on such gigantic scale for the first time. Over one lakh invitations having a list of participating brands under categories like men’s wear, women’s wear and kids’ wear were sent by the exhibitors to retailers, wholesalers, agents and distributors inviting them to visit their stall at the fair. Mehta says, they are in discussion with Bombay Exhibition Centre to see if there is any place ​where they can construct a temporary shed to increase the space where the registration area can be shifted or create another hall. “As for increasing the number of days, we are having internal discussions but have to keep the cost factor in mind cause it will also go up. We are examining every aspect of the fair as of now,” he adds.

CMAI also organized a ‘Fashion Fiesta’ comprising of fashion shows on June 23 and 24, during the fair. The USP of the last three fairs, the ‘Business Networking Sessions’ also continued to be a part of this year’s event as well.

Optimism over stable central government

Mehta informed that the domestic garment industry has been somewhat sluggish for the last couple of months. However, now with the government firmly in place and economic sentiments turning positive, the industry is expected to return to a growth rate of 12 to 15 percent in the coming months. Exports were seeing a buoyant phase after a long time and this should continue. He anticipated a good period of growth in the next three to five years.

The total size of Indian apparel industry is estimated at around Rs 2,00,000 crores. Out of this, un-stitched garments like dhotis and saris constitute Rs 50,000 crores. The size of the organized retail sector is around Rs 40,000 crores while the unorgainsed sector makes up Rs 1,10,000 crores. The Indian domestic apparel industry’s size is estimated to double within next five years.

The organization has launched ‘CMAI’s Domestic Apparel Retail Index’ to gauge the health of domestic apparel retail market and provide concrete and credible information for assessing the performance of the industry which can facilitate all stakeholders in taking informed business decisions. Based on the data collected from 100 brands from four distinct turnover segments, CMAI’s Domestic Apparel Retail Index is compiled and released once every quarter.