Date:28/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112856950500.htm

Tamil Nadu

Fashion forecast seminar held to boost knitwear exports from Tirupur

Staff Reporter

Experts in textile supply chain management take part in the seminar
Value-addition essential to increase market share, resource persons point out

Tirupur: The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in association with World Global Style Network (WGSN), Hong Kong, and Technopak, India, conducted a fashion forecast seminar for autumn/winter 2009-10 and spring/summer 2010 here on Thursday to boost the knitwear exports from Tirupur during the next fiscal.

Experts in textile supply chain management from various parts of the country and abroad explained to the manufacturers and fashion designers here how to adapt in an evolving marketplace by coming out with garment products embellished with attractive designs.

“Value-addition is essential to penetrate niche market segments abroad and thereby increase the market share, considering that the exports from Tirupur has registered a decline from Rs. 5,350 crore registered during the first six months of the last financial year to Rs. 5,050 crore in the corresponding period this fiscal,” resource persons pointed out.

Julie Harris, General Manager (Asia Pacific), WGSN, elucidated the methodology followed in trend forecasting and how it could be utilised as a power tool for product designers to provide a competitive edge in their decision making process.