What percentage of your products (manufactured and/or retailed) are made of cotton fibres (both in terms of units as well as the number of product lines)?
Aditi Somani: Depending on the season and theme of the collection, we alter the use of cotton fibres from 40–70 per cent of the collection. In my spring summer collection, 80 per cent is cotton-based.
Siddhant Gupta: About 45 per cent.
Manish Tripathi: The major amount—90 per cent of the product line—is cotton-based.
Pankaj Anand / Anil Arora: We believe cotton is the most accepted and comfortable fabric to wear for every season of the year and 80 per cent of our products are made of cotton fibres. Cotton fibres are the most preferred material when it comes to the ethnicwear industry.
Sandeep Gonsalves: We have a specific line called SS Homme SSentric where we use cotton fibres throughout the collection and develop signature prints once a year. Approximately 30 per cent of the other lines is made out of cotton fibres.
Manu Indrayan: In a market like India where fashion and fabric preferences changes every kilometre, it is important to cater to such a vast range of demands. Today, the fashion trends have seen a major shift towards comfortable clothing range. Parents prefer fabrics that are comfy, breezy and non-irritable to the skin. Children love to move around hence, mobility in clothing is important. Keeping this in mind, 90 per cent of our summer collection is cotton-based. Our apparel are made of 100 per cent cotton.
Do you foresee a change in this percentage over the next three years? Why so?
Aditi Somani: Yes, definitely. According to a recent survey by the ministry of textiles, the consumption of cotton is more than 400 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) per year. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) reports that the total production in 2013–14 rose to 375 lakh bales from 365 lakh bales in 2012–13. Keeping that in mind, the cotton industry is on a constant rise, and with the government initiating Make in India programmes to facilitate growth in the sector, it is sure to go up by a huge margin.
Siddhant Gupta: Yes, we do foresee a change in this percentage. With so much mechanisation in the world and increased use of machinery, people are feeling the need to connect back to their routes. Natural and sustainable fabrics will be a primary raw material in all offerings across the board. We are currently working at taking this percentage to 75 per cent in our next collection.
Manish Tripathi: We believe that cotton is a staple fabric and wearable round the year; so we would like to keep the production ratio same for next few years at least. The efforts and interest that the ministry of textiles has shown in promoting the cotton industry at the Textiles India fair at the grasssroots as well as industrial levels is commendable. India already ranks at the top among the countries producing cotton and the #CottonisCool campaign by minister Smriti Irani indicates that cotton consumption will keep growing in the coming few years in Indian fashion industry.
Pankaj Anand / Anil Arora: We as an ethnic brand see a lot of people choosing cotton over any other material. With an increase in preferences, we see a change close to 100 per cent in the next three years.
Sandeep Gonsalves: SSentric was developed to move towards an entirely cotton-based line. But it will take more than three years to do so, depending on market demand.
Manu Indrayan: Since we are a dedicated kidswear brand, cotton will continue to be our core fabric for most of the range. However, the fashion trends for girls are moving towards high-fashion synthetic fabrics like georgette and chiffons. The proportion of these fabrics will be higher in the future as the final finish of the fabric available today is much more skin-friendly than earlier.
How do you see the organic cotton sector shaping up in the next three years? Any particular reason why you think so?
Aditi Somani: The Indian textiles industry, which has a diverse range of fibres and yarn, is predominantly cotton-based. Hence, growth and all-around development of cotton and the cotton industry has a vital bearing on the development of the sector and the economy as a whole. However, there are a myriad of sustainability challenges in the cotton industry—our single largest fibre in production —from excessive water use to reports of serious human rights abuses in production.
The key challenges are as follows: Textile mills face acute power shortage. Frequent electricity cuts and load-shedding lead to loss of man hours and low production in the mills. Textile SMEs are severely affected by power shortage and are forced to use manual machines, which produce lower quality products and are more costly to maintain. Manufacturers of original products, face enormous losses due to counterfeit products which are often sold at prices, usually 40–45 per cent lower than original value. Anti-counterfeiting measures in India are not effectively implemented, further aggravating the problem.
Labour-related issues such as threat to safety and health of workers, poor working environment, and exploitation of children, strict labour laws and skills gap pose a major challenge. India has differential tax treatments for cotton and manmade fibres, thus creating needless distortions within the industry. While excise duty on natural fibres like cotton, wool and flax is nil, manmade fibre, filament and yarn attract duty as high as 12.5 per cent. Moreover, the Indian textiles industry faces acute shortage of raw materials in the form of cotton and raw silk. Fluctuating prices and uncertainties in the availability of raw materials leads to low production and sickness of mills. Manufacturing activities of the textiles and apparel industry greatly impact the environment in the form of air and water emissions. Alternative process solutions that are eco-friendly and cost effective are therefore necessary to meet the needs.
Siddhant Gupta: The term "organic" automatically adds value to the product in any industry. It is perceived as a superior product. The challenge organic cotton faces is that it is considerably higher priced than its local counterpart. With demand increasing considerably and economies of scale setting in, organic cotton prices will be lower and has positive future.
Manish Tripathi: As people are becoming more aware of what they spend their money on, organic will be the first choice of an environment-conscious person. This will help the organic cotton industry to grow rapidly in the near future.
Pankaj Anand / Anil Arora: We see a growth of 20 per cent p.a, the only reason being the increase in demand for cotton fabrics.
Sandeep Gonsalves: Organic cotton has seen an increase in demand, due to the eco-conscious consumer, who's looking to purchase only natural fibres.
Manu Indrayan: Organic cotton comes with a lot of benefits. From being skin-friendly and to being environment-friendly, organic cotton demand has seen a significant rise in the last couple of years. With the shift in fashion choices moving towards flaunting a stylish yet comfortable clothing, many designers have also upgraded their range to use organic fabrics. Hence, we do see a good growth potential in organic cotton fabric in the next 3–4 years.
What blends in cotton do you use?
Siddhant Gupta: We create a playground with our merchandise. We use various cotton blended fabric which give the much needed formal look to the comfort outfits. We use cotton silks, cotton modals, weightless cottons, cotton air, cotton Chanderi. Our decision of the fabric is primarily influenced by the print we decide to use for the garment.
Manish Tripathi: We often use blends such as polyester, linen, and wool, depending on the style and qualities we want to give to the fabric.
Pankaj Anand / Anil Arora: While manufacturing, it is very important to balance the right blends in the clothes to bring out the best of it. The blends in cotton that we as a brand use are rayon and flex. These two blends are versatile and gives the best of comfort as other natural fabrics with its softness and highly absorbent quality makes it the best wear during the summer.
Sandeep Gonsalves: 100 per cent Egyptian cotton, cotton linen, cotton satin, cotton silk and khadi cotton.
Manu Indrayan: We typically use cotton viscose blends and polyester cotton blends. CV blends are used in tights, leggings, etc, while PC blends are used in sweat-shirts, track pants. The blends range from 60:40 (cotton:polyester) to 80:20 (cotton:viscose).
