With a constant focus on product development and serving the clients’ needs in a better way, Vardhman Textiles Ltd., is continuously attracting the Indian apparel industry with its biannual event ‘Textrum’. Since the first edition of Textrum in 2018, the company has been scaling greater heights each year. It has become a good destination to explore new development in fabrics, be it in innovative blends, colours and weaves etc.
The company recently organised a two-week-long Textrum Spring/Summer ’24 at the beautiful Design Studio in Baddi (Himachal Pradesh). Designers, merchandisers, sourcing professionals from leading Indian brands, global fashion giants, established buying houses were overwhelmed to explore the interestingly presented collection.
Team Vardhman strategically kept the event for two weeks so that the industry representatives can have enough time to travel as well as explore the offerings of the company. And this really worked as Sanjay Gupta, VP, Marketing, Vardhman Textiles says, “As expected, we had very good footfalls every day and as our visiting partners had enough time, in-depth discussion could take place with them. We were able to cater to them in a personalised manner.”
With very open conversations, this edition of Textrum helped the company to have a better understanding of its customers, their choice and requirements.
Kapil Wadhwa, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Li & Fung, Hong Kong sees the event from a larger perspective as he shares, “There were a lot of products in the blends which were not being done in India before, but now mills like Vardhman are playing around with different fabrics and different fibres and then they are trying to bring up quality which was not India- centric earlier. China was one of the players doing such quality before. But considering the geopolitical situation, many buyers are trying to come out of China. And I think that this is the best platform to showcase such kind of strength out of India and the new developments to all the US and Europe customers.”
He further added that one of the prime attractions in terms of fabrics was nylon which was used very less in India before apart from some blends of tencel and tencel with polyester.
Brands appreciated the efforts of Team Vardhman not just in terms of their efforts for innovation, but even in terms of the way they described the overall detail about development to them. Venkatramana Bhat, South Asia-Material Manager, Columbia Sportswear India Sourcing says, “The range was exhaustive and the way it was explained to us in terms of connecting to the end use was good. Some of the products were presented up to the garment level, which was a very good initiative.”
Regular casualwear and formalwear grabbed the attention of several brands in the event. Bhanuprakash GS, Head-Strategic Sourcing-Lifestyle Brands, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail was also content to explore various blends as he said, “I found a lot of innovation and many good blends like modal and tencel. The presentation was fantastic.”
Design Direction // TEXTRUM S/S ’24
The four key trend themes to emerge from Textrum Spring/Summer 2024 were Resourceful, Well-Verse, Sartorial Statement and Crafty Summer. Ravi Chauhan (Head – Innovation and Design), Vardhman Textiles adds, “Our collection is curated for the diverse consumers and tapping on the freshness of summer with a keen focus on craftsmanship, versatility, while being purposeful and tech-driven at the same time.”
Apparel Resources (AR) explores the four themes in detail below:
Resourceful
This theme seeks to encourage sourcing in-house and to deal in country-originated materials, while at the same time, it emphasises working with suppliers that have a proven record of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The theme focuses on developing transparent supply chains and creating materials that can be returned to nature.
“As expected, we had very good footfalls every day and as our visiting partners had enough time, in-depth discussion could take place with them. We were able to cater to them in a personalised manner.” Sanjay Gupta VP, Marketing, Vardhman Textiles
The materials include 100 per cent cotton, PC, Viscose, Recycled cotton, Tencel, Modal, Cotton/Polyester/Nylon spandex and their applications can be found in loungewear, sleep wear, utilitywear, tops, shirts, bottoms, outerwear, vacation casuals, boxers, pyjamas, short sleeve garments, etc.
Some of the concepts that the Resourceful theme explores include refined stretch, bi-stretch, washed and crinkled shirting, twill, HBT, water and bio-based, anti-microbial, CVT, anti-bacterial, UV protective, quick dry, liquid ammonia wrinkle-free and zero formaldehyde.
Well-Verse
This trend not only talks about sustainability but also places emphasis on celebrating the things that bind and support us be it people, places, customs, a mental and physical state of being calm and peaceful, cultures and communities. This 4D trend direction focuses on products that feed our overall sense of well-being and security.
The materials under the Well-Verse theme include Recycled Cotton/Polyester; Lyocell; Refibra; Spinnova; Liva-Eco; Bio-Based Polyamide; and Poly Stretch, a range of natural materials including cotton, linen, hemp, ramie and jute across the summer season as well as low impact cellulosic fibres that find their application in blouses, shirts, tops, bottoms, lounge wear, sleepwear, outerwear, boxers, pyjamas and short sleeve garments.
The materials are breathable, comfortable and feature loose construction while exploring concepts of sustainability, applying digital filters to perennial florals, tropical and camouflage patterns. Twills and canvas offer durability with pigment coating, anti-viral and anti-UV finishes.
Sartorial Statement
This theme is rooted in the reality of a world that is facing tangible and unprecedented challenges, and an exploration of how they can be solved in alternative and even speculative ways. Here, science becomes fiction and fiction becomes science, as creatives and thinkers explore how to make something unique that can be used to unearth new solutions for the physical world.
Materials under this theme include ultra-fine denier polyester and nylon having voile-like lightness, metallic, crinkled cotton/silk stain, Naia, glossy, lurex, lame, silk, mono fibre, filament Tencel, viscose and cupro that find their application in shirts, jackets, bottoms, tailoring, occasionwear formals, festivalwear, casual separates, dresses and matching/ coordinated sets.
Key concepts explored in this theme include a playful spin on a classic look, refined texture, sheer tech organza, shiny utility, gender inclusive, vintage yarn dyed, summer melange, iconic preppy and heritage styles, engineered pattern and placement motif.
Crafty Summer
This theme reflects upon the importance of coming together as a community. Be inspired by the fun of outdoor sporty group activities and vacation clubs, moving on to the perennial camping aesthetic with unexpected combinations and textures, comfort and fresh new colour combinations.
“Our collection is curated for the diverse consumers and tapping on the freshness of summer with a keen focus on craftsmanship, versatility, while being purposeful and tech-driven at the same time.” Ravi Chauhan Head – Innovation and Design, Vardhman Textiles
The theme places focus on materials such as space-dyed and slub yarns, linen, hemp, texture yarn, natural linen, ramie, homespun yarn, crimp, melange, mouline, nep, boucle, undyed fibre slubs, micro marls and neps that add a texture similar to that of impasto painting.
It finds a wide range of applications in outerwear, cut-and-sew garments, ankle-length trousers and shorts, beachwear, all-day active, campingwear, blouses, resortwear, summer occasionwear, skirts and vacation casuals.
Breathable, featuring loose construction and a knit look, is a crafty summer theme which explores key concepts that include experimentation with 3D textures, placement prints and motifs, adding fun, patchwork and over stitch overstock together into unique checks, leno, hopsack and basket weaves, vintage home craft, cottons with a light and crisp handle, ombre, relaxed resort stripes and homely craft.
