The importance of marketing and branding kidswear was underlined by Avinash Mayekar, MD of Suvin Advisors at the Children & Baby Maternity Expo 2018 (CBME 2018), which witnessed a grand opening in the presence of renowned film actress Esha Deol recently in Mumbai. The day followed with overwhelming visitor response and also witnessed a remarkable conference, Fashion N Kids conclave in the second half. The conclave was conceptualised by Suvin Advisors, knowledge partner for the event. It served as a platform to address key issues faced by the kidswear and textile baby products segment. It provided a platform to entire value chain in kid’s textile segment for knowledge sharing on latest developments and provided expert opinions on the future of kid’s textile segment.
The conclave was inaugurated by the chief guest Vilas Gharat, President of Mumbai unit for Textile Association of India. Gharat gave a glimpse of the earlier days of textile hardships when things were in a tight spot and also crisply narrowed down the evolution that has happened in kids & baby products textile segmen.
Avinash Mayekar from Suvin Advisors then set the pace for the conclave by giving short & precise theme presentation focusing on marketing and branding in kids segment. It was followed by key note address on revolution in kids wear and market trends by Arvind Sinha, Co-Chairman – Textile Forum-Indo American Chamber of Commerce, with his vast industry knowledge and having the privilege of working with camouflage work wear globally he enlightened the delegates with the difference of style and performance in India compared to other countries especially China and how timely deliverables & advance technologies are revolutionizing the kidswear market worldwide.
Sumit Gupta Deputy Director, Standard Development & Quality Assurance from Global Organic Textile Standard enlightened the delegates on the topic “Organic clothing- Future for Kids wear Market†Sumit informed various benefits of using organic fibre especially in kidswear segment and also made the delegates familiar with various labeling procedures available along with the necessity and advantage of having labeled organic garments.
Later on, Mateen Shaikh from Canias ERP presented on the topic “User friendliness in digital networking in retail & manufacturing segment†He spoke about how easily accessible the ERP software are and also focused on making the delegates aware about the enormous advantages that these software offer from different sectors namely planning, production and on time deliverability.
The conclave then addressed a panel discussion on the topic “Role of fibre type in baby products and kids wear†which was moderated by Avinash Mayekar and the panelist were Manish Daga, Cotton Guru and K S Suresh from (Fibrefill & Non-Woven PSF) Reliance Industries Ltd. The panel discussion witnessed advantages and disadvantages of cotton and polyester respectively over other fibres and how the respective fibres are eco-friendly. Suresh also presented a short presentation on the advantages of Recron fibre in hygiene related baby products like wipes, diapers etc.
Later, Navneet Krishnan, Brand Marketing Manager – South Asia, Archroma spoke on the topic “Advanced Finishes for kids wear†He focused on various innovative techniques for finishes that are being used in kidswear today.
The conclave witnessed one more panel discussion on the topic “Future of Kids wear in India in line with Global trends†with Avinash Mayekar as moderator and Ujjwal Uke, Retd Additional Chief Secretary, (Government of Maharashtra), Navneet Krishnan and Arvind Sinha as panelist. The discussion focused on various major growth areas and global challenges in kidswear segment. The conclave concluded with Vote of thanks by Shekhar Shridhankar, MD, Suvin Expo LLP and urged the textile industry in coming together to make India number one in kidswear segment.