Cotton Council International (CCI) has launched its 25-year-old flagship brand, Cotton USA in India that promotes US cotton fiber and manufactured cotton products in more than 50 countries globally. The Cotton USA trademark promises purity, quality, and responsibility. CCI in conjunction with the National Cotton Council works to promote US cotton exports through Cotton USA in more than 50 countries globally. With offices in Washington, Memphis, London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai, and dedicated representatives in numerous countries, CCI plays the lead role in educating and strengthening the market for US cotton and US cotton products around the world. Since 1989, over 50,000 product lines and 3 billion products have carried the name Cotton USA.
Need for Cotton USA in India
The idea behind bringing the label to India was Indian textile industry is primarily cotton focused, with cotton accounting for nearly 54 per cent of total fibre consumption in 2014. However, the industry has inherent challenges like cotton price fluctuation, inconsistent quality of indigenous cotton and over-dependence on monsoons.
“The Indian textile and apparel market is now more than $100 billion and growing at a healthy rate, and it has potential to double its export share from present 5 per cent to 10 per cent in the next 10 years. We see a huge potential in this market and hence bring the best quality cotton to the Indian consumers,” opined David B Collins, Senior Advisor, CCI, commenting on the launch of Cotton USA in India.
Renu Aggarwal, India Representative for CCI goes on to add, “Consumers are well aware and conscious about what they are wearing and are looking beyond just the end product; they want superior quality fabric assurance. US cotton is seen by many as the best in the world, so when this premier cotton is combined with prestigious product developers, the result is truly top-of-the line, the best of the best.”
The brand’s logo design suggests that cotton is on a global journey. It’s the story of a fiber, born in the US, that travels around the world.
Results of the consumer research
As study reveals the percentage of Indian consumers shopping at organised retail outlets has more than doubled over the past 15 years. Online shoppers in India are not just buying clothes online they are researching clothes, comparing prices, browsing styles, and reading customer reviews to become better educated shoppers.
Indian consumers are not destination specific when shopping for clothing online, as the majority starts their shopping journey on search engines and a third start on social media sites. Almost 9 out of 10 Indian consumers say fiber content is important in their apparel purchase decisions and almost 9 in 10 Indian consumers say they prefer their clothing to be made from cotton. 8 in 10 Indian consumers are worried that brands and retailers are substituting manmade fibers for cotton in their clothing.
When it comes to describing cotton apparel, they find it comfortable, hypoallergenic, and durable compared to apparel made from manmade fibers. In order to meet the demand, there is a requirement of high quality cotton in the country. And such a situation can work well in favour of Cotton USA.
