Beyond the Bale - Issue 25 - AWI shows Indian markets the next big thing
Indian fashion retailers and manufacturers are always on the lookout for ‘the next big thing'. The problem is they often do not know what they are looking for until they find it. So AWI has decided to help.
After opening its New Delhi office in mid-2006, AWI held its first showcase of Australian Merino in India in early October opening the eyes of retailers, designers, manufacturers and fashion media to the possibilities with wool.
Mahua Das, AWI apparel product services manager, says the event in India followed on from the launch of Merino Care, Merino Visual and Merino Soft – at SpinExpo in Shanghai, China, and in Hong Kong – to introduce about 120 guests to the AWI autumn/winter 2007-08 collection.
AWI's CEO, Dr Len Stephens, welcomed the visitors to the function and Jimmy Jackson, AWI's global product development manager, talked them through the range, which includes more than 20 innovations such as Aloe Vera Merino – where micro-capsulated aloe vera is knitted into the fabric allowing skin to be moisturised while the garment is being worn – and Aqua Merino, a fabric that absorbs moisture from the air and feels cool in warmer months. Models were used to bring the fabrics to life in sample garments.
"The feedback was great and the press was very positive," Ms Das says. "AWI is the new kid on the block in India and we are bringing something fresh to them in a whole spectrum of products.
"Global fashion is huge in India – all the retailers are moving there, such as Polo, Levis, Nautica, Benetton, just to name a few. Young Indian consumers are increasingly influenced by Western fashion trends. The average age of the Indian population is 24 and they are trendy global consumers."
It is estimated there are 350 million middle to high-income earners in India, the world's second-largest textile exporter, which buys 20 million kilograms of Australian Merino a year. Australia supplies about 60 per cent of India's imported apparel wool.
The AWI team then travelled to Bangladesh, the third-largest knitwear exporter in the world, to conduct a seminar on Australian Merino. "The knitters in Bangladesh use mostly cotton and acrylic, but are keen on using wool," Ms Das says. "Some of the top-level knitters indicated after the seminar that they were planning to use Australian Merino next year.
"Our Indian office will now work with contacts made through both events to help them source products, get to the supply chain and show them just what the next big thing can be." – Kellie Penfold
More information: www.merinoinnovation.com
Return to Beyond the Bale issue 25 index page.