“COTTONSCAPE” in Mumbai Reveals Cotton Fashion Trends
Indian fashion and textile industry leaders converged in Mumbai to explore the latest cotton apparel trends at CCI’s “COTTONSCAPE.” With India poised to be the third largest apparel market in the world by 2020, adapting to key trends and consumer expectations ensures cotton’s success.
CCI presented “COTTONSCAPE” in association with Cotton Incorporated and clothing brands Provogue, Jack & Jones and Lee Cooper at the 2013 India Fashion Forum (IFF). “COTTONSCAPE” attendees viewed a presentation on trends driving the Indian apparel market, a discussion panel and a fashion show focusing on denim trends.
CCI tracks the apparel shopping habits of Indian consumers with Cotton Incorporated and unveiled the latest research at “COTTONSCAPE.” Cotton Incorporated’s presentation highlighted leading trends in consumer buying behavior, the most lucrative consumer and product segments, and what Indian shoppers look for when buying apparel.
back to top
CCI’s “Let’s Design” TV Show in India Promotes Cotton to Young Designers
Season three of Cotton Council International's pan-India fashion design contest, "Let's Design," concluded with Govind Kumar Singh winning for designing the best cotton fashions. Govind will be launched by India's biggest fashion house, Kimaya.
"With Let's Design we believed in eliciting the latent talent of aspiring young designers across the nation and highlighting the fashion potential of cotton," Ms. Agnieszka Fijol, CCI Representative, said.
"Through his designs, Govind brought a unique style and creativity to cotton. This is a fabric that goes beyond wardrobe basics and Govind opened the door to a world of haute couture for cotton."
"Let's Design 3" kicked off in December 2010. CCI received almost 800 entries from Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai. During the regional rounds, 90 contestants brought their sketches to life in cotton, presenting their design to a panel of fashion experts and explaining how it utilized cotton's characteristics.
Sixteen finalists from the regional rounds were brought to Mumbai, where they stayed under one roof in a "Reality House" and were judged on their execution of various tasks given to test their skill, passion and creativity with cotton. Judges selected eight finalists, who showcased mini-collections of cotton clothing during the finale.
"Let's Design 3" TV episodes premiered on February 25 in India, exclusively on ZoOm.
"We are excited about partnering with CCI in its campaign to create awareness for the benefits of cotton," Mr. Avinash Kaul, CEO of ZoOm said. "This is our third consecutive year of association with CCI and we are proud to bring alive this initiative right from the conceptual stage to the final execution across all relevant platforms."
back to top
International Buyers Travel to Bangladesh to Meet COTTON USA Suppliers
Despite disruptions created by the erupting volcano in Iceland, as well as tough economic conditions, the weeklong COTTON USA Supply Chain Marketing Buyers Tour to Bangladesh attracted buyers representing British, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Turkish and U.S. brands and retailers. The tour enabled buyers to meet with leading Bangladeshi suppliers of U.S. cotton-rich garments. During the tour, consisting of a two-day trade fair followed by two days of mill visits, the buyers met individually with 17 COTTON USA licensees and visited six factories. The participating retailers have a combined buying volume of over a billion dollars.
"I found the COTTON USA Buyers Tour in Bangladesh very interesting and well organized," said Nicoletta Genoni, Buyer, Children's Wear Artsana (Chicco). "It was an excellent idea to meet in one location with several suppliers, enabling us to optimize our time. We visited the most significant suppliers in terms of production typology that match best with our company. It was an extremely interesting opportunity to start up new business contacts there."
This was the first COTTON USA Supply Chain Marketing Buyers Tour to Bangladesh, which was chosen for the growing use of U.S. cotton and increasing interest among the buyer and retailer community. Bangladesh is the fourth largest apparel exporting country in the world, experiencing 91 percent growth from 2004-08. It is the largest exporter of cotton T-shirts and the second largest exporter of cotton pullovers and denim trousers to the EU.
The tour began with a briefing session that included presentations from CCI, Cotton Incorporated, the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. The group also heard from Li & Fung, the world's largest sourcing company, about their experiences in sourcing from Bangladesh.
back to top
