Tex-Trends 2011: New Delhi hosts Asia’s biggest fair

From today, New Delhi is hosting ‘Tex-Trends 2011’, a fair that is touted as Asia’s biggest sourcing window on Indian textiles. The three day fair that is being hosted for the first time in India is showcasing a wide range of items like yarn,

garments and accessories. Top global brands are visiting the fair from February 2 to 4, 2011, which is being organised by the Textiles Ministry along with the Ministry of Commerce. It has 800 exhibitors representing 11 export promotion councils, over 1,500 global buyers from 159 countries including the US, UK, Turkey, Germany and Canada. “About 1,500 registered buyers from 159 countries like the US, UK, Turkey and Germany including Wal-Mart, Gap and H&M have been registered to visit this mega business-to-business fair," said textiles secretary Rita Menon. The maximum number of confirmed buyers are coming from the US about 250 followed by the UK 186, Turkey 156 and Germany 120.

Menon says, they are organizing the mega industry event of such a grand scale for the first time in order to help Indian manufacturers and exporters to showcase their creations and interact to grow their business by reaching out to more and more international markets. “A blend of the traditional and the modern, Tex-Trends India 2011, will be the biggest ever event on Indian textiles featuring over 800 exhibitors displaying diverse range of products from the entire length and breadth of the country,” she added.

The plan is to make this mega event an annual affair aimed at promoting the country's textiles sector. The exhibition, spread over 50,000 sq. mts. covering almost 800 stalls at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, would not only showcase garments and accessories but also a wide range of products like home furnishing, handlooms, textiles designing, jute and carpets.

The India textile industry is one of the leading textile industries in the world. Though, predominantly an unorganized industry till two decades ago, the scenario is changing fast thanks to economic liberalization. The opening up of the economy has given the much-needed thrust to the sector. And today, it has become one of the largest in the world. Today, the sector provides employment to 90 million people both directly and indirectly and contributes 14 per cent to industrial production and 5 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). What’s more, India earns about 27 per cent of its foreign exchange through textiles exports.

One of the highlights of Tex-Trends is the theme pavilions. In fact, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and National Textile Corporation (NTC) have put up theme pavilions. A separate pavilion to showcase the rich heritage of the Northeast region of the country has been put up by EPCH. Around 12 theme pavilions are showcased in the show.