"Vastra 2013", the second international textile and apparel fair showcasing the contemporary and the traditional fabrics in Rajasthan, has yielded orders of thousands of yards of polyester and silk from across the globe.
The orders were clinched during a series of business-to-business meetings Saturday at the expo organised jointly by the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Commenting on the tremendous response, Gyan Prakash, Rajasthan state head of FICCI, said 'Vastra' had been able to achieve what it set out to do.
"Exporters were earlier skeptical about participating as the dollar-rupee rate was fluctuating a lot and they were unsure if they will be able to get cover for orders in the short term. But because of the support of the government we were able to instill confidence in them," Prakash said.
"Both exporters and the buyers have expressed their satisfaction at the conducive atmosphere at Vastra for which every one has worked very hard," he said.
According to feedback received by FICCI, the business target of B2B meetings has not only been achieved, but in many cases exceeded also.
Kuldeep Kumar and Shashita Kumar, both US-based buyers, were looking for Rajasthan produced apparel at Vastra.
"We want cotton products and are very happy to find them at Dayal Exports and Pushkar Collections," they said.
Indian buying houses have also showed up in strength at Vastra 2013. They are a key link between exporters and foreign buyers and have in recent times been able to tap new markets particularly in Japan, Latin America, South Asia, Australia and Africa.
"At Vastra we found everything under one roof for our new line in ready-mades with embroidery, brocades and trims in cotton. This is the best opportunity to increase the vendor base and in Pantaloons we look for new vendors everyday to fulfill our needs," said Priyank Goyal of Pantaloon Fashion & Retail.
Ram Asrey Lal, head of department, Training of Trainers Academies, Apparel Training and Design Centre, said innovations have opened up a whole new potential for the Textile industry to grow further.
"The outlook for the industry is anyway very good in India, because of rising income levels of the middle class and empowerment of women, who are considered main buyers for clothes. If Smart clothes are also made viable and commercialised by industry, the sector can grow manifold in the future," Lal said.
Among the Smart clothes being developed are wearable electronics, moisture management fabrics, swimwear that remains dry, joy fabrics, fat dissolving, smart bandages and even anti-ageing cloth.
