Textiles are among the fastest growing industries, with the sector expected to generate $1.5 trillion in the next five years.
However, many small businesses are struggling to make ends meet, and they’re struggling to compete in an industry where manufacturers and wholesalers are constantly adapting to changing requirements.
This article explores how to make your own textiles from scratch.
John Robbshaw, founder of the global textile industry company Textiles International, says that as India’s economy picks up, there will be more need for small businesses.
“The textile industry has become so large that it has become a very competitive industry,” Robbshaws said.
He told NDTV that India has more than 1.6 million textile workers and that there are more than 4,000 textile manufacturing units in India.
RobbshAWs factory in Kurukshetra in the southern Indian state of Karnataka produces textiles for the Indian market.
“We have the capacity to produce more than 10,000 units a day and the demand is constantly changing,” he said.
“There is an increasing demand for garments, for hats, for trousers, for skirts, for coats, and also for jackets.”
Textiles International sells clothes in about 100 cities and towns in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Pune.
Robbsaw says the textile industry is in a competitive situation in the world market.
The textile sector in India employs about 15 lakh people, according to the World Bank, which has estimated that this number will grow to nearly 24 lakh by 2022.
While there are currently about 200 factories producing textile goods, Robbsaws estimates that there could be as many as 500 factories producing yarn.
Robsaws textile manufacturing business has grown from 1,000 workers in 2005 to over 10,500 today.
He says that the textile sector needs to diversify to attract new customers.
“It’s a very fast changing industry, but we need to have a diversified industry that offers a wide range of products, from hats to sweaters, from sweaters to clothes to accessories,” he told NDtv.
Rights groups have warned that the growing demand for clothing in India is a threat to the livelihoods of women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
In 2014, India passed a new anti-discrimination law that prohibits discrimination against women, gender non-conforming people, and persons with disabilities, among other categories.
Robbers, the world’s largest apparel exporter, has come under fire from human rights groups for selling clothes that contain plastic, which is linked to the rise in obesity.
“There is a global market for cheap clothes and there are many different ways to produce cheap clothing,” Robbers said.
The world’s third largest garment exporter has come a long way since Robbshw’s company started.
Robberies, a Chinese company, has recently opened a factory in Bangalore.
After several rounds of expansion, the company now has a production facility in Kolkappa, Karnataka.