Birlas plan to create one stop platform to drive on women’s wear exports

Birla Cellulose is the Aditya Birla Group’s umbrella brand for its range of cellulosic fibers. Fiber is one of the oldest businesses of the Aditya Birla Group that commenced in 1954. Birla Cellulose is a world leader in viscose staple fibre (VSF) with its production spread across six countries viz. Canada, Thailand, India, Indonesia, China and Laos. The Group independently fulfills India’s entire VSF requirements. A move is being driven by Birla’s to create a one stop platform for fabric makers to reach out directly to women’s wear exporters and international brands.

The move is an expansion of its ongoing LIVA Accredited Partners Forum (LAPF) initiative to aggregate the top talent in fabrics industry. Birla Cellulose would bring together LAPF partners and international brands at Delhi-NCR tomorrow, which is also the country’s garment industry capital.

The mega event is being held in collaboration with the Society of Noida Apparel Export Cluster, Manohar Samuel, Birla Cellulose President for Marketing and Business Development, said.

Around 40 LAPF partners would be attending the Noida conclave and showcase their innovative products to over 160 garment exporters, including global brands like Marks & Spencer, Macy’s, and GAP, apart from domestic players like Shahi Exports, Orient Craft, Pearl Global and Richa & Co.

Leading global buying-houses such as Triburg, Impulse, Li Fung, and Asmara, and domestic brands such as Biba and ITC are also attending the event, he said.

The initiative is part of the USD 41 billion group’s ongoing efforts to nurture various textile value chain partners in the garment export sector, amid struggling garment exports from the country, as the world markets see lots of cheap imports from China and other South Asian manufacturers.

The Noida leg is the third one in the LAPF series. The first conclave was held in Jaipur in association with the Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan last August, whereas Coimbatore witnessed the second LAPF conclave early December 2015.

Leading domestic brands like Pantaloons, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, People, Global Desi, Lifestyle, Melange, Shoppers Stop, Reliance Trends, Wills Lifestyle, Desi Belle Chemistry, 109F, Fusion Beats, FBB and Max use LIVA-branded fabric. Birla Cellulose enjoys 93 percent share of the global VSF industry.

During the January-September 2015 period, of the overall garment exports of around USD 13.3 billion, women’s wear market constitutes 80 percent. Out of this, man-made cellulose fibre-based garments constituted USD 1.85 billion. According to industry data in the same period, the total textile exports inched up 3.6 percent, while man-made cellulose-based garments exports increased by 34.5 per cent.

To be the world leader in man-made cellulosic fiber, the Birla’s believes in value-creation for all its stakeholders, through innovative research and development initiatives which in-turn develop the market for man-made cellulosic fibers.