Jaipur : Australia is a large country and only has a population of 26 million people. Therefore, 98% of the businesses are small and micro in scale as it is difficult to maintain retail spaces. Due to Covid-19, retail has further reduced and thus those Indian suppliers who can produce limited quantity and cater to small businesses will thrive. Furthermore, customer service is the key to the future as it aids in maintaining linkages. This was stated by Founder & CEO, TCF Australia, Ms. Carol Hanlon today at the Webinar ‘Australia India: Insights into business opportunities post COVID’ held on the second day of 7th edition of the International Textile and Apparel Fair ‘Vastra 2020’. Vastra is being jointly organized by Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Founder & director, Kirriken, Ms. Amanda Healy said that sustainable, eco friendly and natural fabric textiles are the need of the hour. This reflects the brand’s ethics which is kept in mind by consumers in Australia while buying a product. She further said that in India the problem of using child labour in factories is also prevalent and should be strongly discouraged.
Talking about the competitive advantages of the Indian textile Industry, Founder & Designer, Ivy and Isabel, Ms. Gerri Lushy said that what makes Indian textile industry stand out is its unique prints and embroidery. Natural fibers like silk, bamboo and cotton are abundant and the pricing is also affordable. However, challenges like quality control, substandard sewing or stitching do exist and should be looked into, she added.
Founder & Designer, Deidda, Ms. Samita Bhattacharjee said that the USP of India is value addition and not assembly line production. The suppliers in India should make optimize the enormous resources available in India. Throwing light on the Australian market, she said that the consumer laws are very strict in Australia and a no questions asked refund policy is in place. Therefore, substandard products cannot be sold.
The session was moderated by Founder & CEO of Sowtex Network, Mr. Sonil Jain. A video on how textile business can be digitalized using Sowtex App was also shown.
