Textrade India Highlights Diversity

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/26/2011 5:11:54 AM

Cotton, linen printed in plaid and polka dots accented with a range of surface treatments in bouclé, velvet, embroidery and appliqué from Bee Gee Handicrafts.NEW DELHI, INDIA - TexTrends India 2011's mission was to focus, for the first time, on the synergies among the various segments of India's textile value chain.
     Six Theme Pavilions highlighted new developments in silk, handloom, carpets, fashion apparel and cotton, with the North East pavilion displaying apparel and home furnishings from the region's indigenous mugaeri and pat silks, along with creative home décor in bamboo, cane, wood and diverse tribal weaves.
     A plethora of products attested to the fact that jute today provides livelihoods for 40 million farmer families. Cultivated in the Gangetic- Brahmaputra delta for centuries, jute was sent by the British
     East India Company to England in 1791. When it was discovered that jute fiber could be softened and used for yarn without altering the frames used for spinning fl ax, the lowly fiber soon replaced the more expensive fl ax. Originally used for packing as hessian, jute, now covers the spectrum of lifestyle possibilities - furnishings, handicrafts, bags, lampshades, geo-textiles, furniture and even automotive panels. Hanuman Weaving’s lustrous Peacock design printed one-across in 2 meter spans makes for eye-catching drapery.The Hans introduced a stone-washed jute-cotton fabric with an unexpectedly soft hand-feel.
     For the fi rst time in the country, India's Jharkhand region has achieved the distinction of procuring an "organic silk" registration for the tussar silk produced in its Khaswan-Kuchai region which produces 400 million tussar silk cocoons a year in 70,000 silk farms.
     The certification by U.S.-based One-Cert Asia under the Global Organic Textiles Standards (GOTS) has been accorded to this silk at all its three stages - cocoon, yarn and fabrics.A selection of jute mats from Eco Rubber: clockwise from right: jute with printed cotton, jute with sisal, jute with coir and finer grade woven jute.
     In window wear, silk, polyester, linen, jute and cotton were still popular, with blended fibers affording lower costs and soft, sheer looks. Hanuman Weaving, one of the few vertically integrated home furnishing companies that do print and placement embroidery, introduced Peacock - an eye-catching, one-across "jumbo repeat" pattern for drapes in which the bird design was repeated every two meters apart. Also on display were its digital printed designs using eco-friendly pigments which are directly printed on the fabric, requiring no preor post-treatment of the silk.
Malika Overseas pillows display surface embellishments that take embroidery and patchwork to a new level with the latest styles and shapes of plastic and metal sequins.     The most variety in home furnishings was in made-ups which displayed India's forté in handwork and embroidery. They ran the gamut from pillows, bed ensembles and table linen to textile-based accessories and juvenile furnishings. Cotton, organdie, linen, polysilk, faux suede and velvet, enhanced with a wide assortment of "sequins" in plastic and metal in new shapes, as well as surface embellishments that ranged from pleated, stitched fabric and rouched ribbon to buttons and braids. Microfiber, fabrics with a luxurious touch, surface texturing with flocking, foam and rubber printing and appliqués with velvet and chenille were on display. Emphasis was on elaborate hand and machine stitching techniques and combining disparate elements to create surprising effects.Jute is the primary component of these handbags and woven runners are combined with banana and river grass in these accessories from Vedhanayaki Fabs.
Upholstery offerings were scant with raw silk and blended fabrics on show more appropriate for decorative purposes than practical usage. Floor covering such as bath mats and rugs did not evince any new developments. Grover International showed two new concepts in its Jewel collection of carpets which comprised rolled up varicolored layers of New Zealand wool cut in the cross grain then closely pasted to create interesting graphic designs. Amar Carpets' Chhoti was a design in which a bottom layer of braided wool squares was overlaid with hand tufting.Recycled denim, cotton and silk rage are combined with recycled rubber from old tires to fabricate these ottomans. Industrial waste paper, denim and rubber go into the making of the totes, floor mat and picnic hamper in the foreground – all creations of Conserve HP, a non-profit dedicated to environmental conservation and women’s employment.
India's textile industry enjoys a significant place in the country's national economy, and is a priority sector for development through the government's Central Plan Schemes and Foreign Trade Policy. The Ministry of Textiles monitors its techno-economic status, providing the policy framework for modernization and rehabilitation. As the largest producer of jute, the second largest producer of silk and cotton, and one of the top suppliers of cellulosic fibers, yarns and synthetic yarns, India's textile sector has great diversity and potential.