By IANS
New Delhi : The 39th India International Garment Fair, rated Asia’s largest fashion fair, opened here Tuesday and largely focused on the women’s wear section.
“Women’s garments have seen tremendous growth and this is reflected at this fair as 322 of the estimated 391 participants are in the women’s section,” Vijay Mathur, senior director of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, one of the organisers of the fair, told IANS.
The three-day fair, inaugurated by Qaiser Shamim, joint secretary in the textiles ministry, provides a platform to Indian garment manufacturers to showcase their wares.
Mathur said the event was expected to generate business worth $150 million. The last fair held in January got business worth $122 million.
With fashion in women’s wear moving ahead of men’s and kids wear, the organisers have given more space to women garment manufacturers and this has evoked immense response from foreigners too, Mathur said.
He added that the fair had been divided into three sections for the first time – accessories, women’s wear, and men’s and kids’ wear.
“This will enable participants to have more space to display their wares and visitors will have better viewing facility,” Mathur said.
Printed linen and sheer fabrics were predominant at the fair, while in the man-made fibre (MMF) section, there was a shift towards heavier polyester georgette. And in terms of design, long dresses seemed to find favour.
The exhibition has on display a variety of items ranging from fashion accessories like laces, buttons, threads, zippers, surface embellishments to different kinds of printed, hand embroidered and embellished shawls, stoles, handbags and shoe-uppers, Mathur said.