"This is my second visit to India. I am here to understand the working of the Indian industry. The fact that the show has been taking place for four years is a sign the industry is on the move. But techniques have to improve. It is difficult to find technology and raw materials of international standards. Most Indians are oriented to the local market with basic products in terms of global standards,” says Marie-Laure Bellon Homps, CEO of Eurovet, a leading organiser of international events, with shows like Interfiliere, Salon International-De La Lingerie, Mode City, Absolute Summer, Curvexpo-Lingerie & Swim, Mode Lingerie & Swim in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Moscow. She was in Delhi recently to be a part of Galleria Intima fair, dedicated to intimate wear industry.
Need for more focus to tap market potential
Homps feels while Indian intimate wear products are very creative, they are still basic and lack finish. “Indians have innate skills that are the envy of the world. But to attain quality standards, the workforce has to be trained. For instance, France has high wages with high productivity and that makes up for the high wages” she explains.
She felt the theme of Galleria Intima ‘India Makes for the World’ was fine, but it should be about catering to the domestic consumers before exporting since the domestic market is enormous at the moment. “China learnt to work through exports. But India has a lot of creativity. Indians are good at strategy and well educated. In exports one has to deliver variety and consistency, where Indian players falter. The workforce is not well trained, or motivated. In China it is different,” Homps opins.
She further adds, “India is a great country with no crisis. This is unlike what’s happening in the rest of the world. For you, double digit increase is not a problem. You are creative but have to get more organised and productive. You are a democratic country, so you have to decide whether to invest in the domestic market or in exports.”
Foreign players find Indian market lucrative
Many global players, says Homps, are willing to invest in India. “The elite in India have great communication skills and understanding of products. The world is keen on having India as a partner. India has as much variety as Europe. Brands would prefer to work in India through partnerships, something that’s not possible in China,” she points out. What’s holding their plans of coming to India is bureaucracy and taxes. But local partners can help global brands enter the market and in return learn international brands’ knowhow and techniques. Intimate wear needs heavy investment. People have to be trained. “In this respect China is good. There are good plants. There is a trained workforce. Everything is organised. Productivity is high. They invest heavily in technology. There is really no alternative to China for mass market manufacturing. India can work on its manufacturing. People are looking for proximity sourcing and domestic players can get the price as well. If they work on productivity and regularise quality and delivery, India can play a great role and attract international brands,” believes Homps.
Talking about Eurovet’s role she says, “We are putting in a lot of effort through our global events and by publishing technical leaflets, trend books on cosmetic textiles. We are investing a lot on the internet platform worldwide. The platform can be used for matchmaking. One can use it for making appointments before or after the show or in between two shows. We may also have a library in future displaying all our publications. We bring together people who are looking for a designer or who are interested in technology transfer. That’s the reason I am here.”
Changing preferences in intimate wear
Globally the quality of collections is climbing rapidly. Earlier there used to be a difference in quality between countries. Now the difference is almost gone. “Quality has gone up globally. Demand is for good and comfortable fabrics. The global trend is to invest in fabrics. Another trend is toward performance fabrics. Women want to mix seduction and comfort. In the past, Europe was for seductive, US and Asia for functional and Asia. But now French and European girls are discovering shape wear,” says Homps.
Homp says Chinese girls are the trendiest. They want a mix of functionality and fashion. They are looking for intimate wear that’s liberating. This is true about women in Brazil and India. “Fashion is a way for them to fight, to liberate themselves. Apparently European women are done with the fighting. I think lingerie has a great future because people everywhere are tired of show-offs. Now elegance is wearing a high end product that can’t be seen,” she says on an ending note.
