With ‘Make in India’ as its mantra for the next decade, the Indian intimatewear industry is looking to up its contribution to the global market to 10 per cent by 2020, from the current 4 per cent, according to the Intimate Apparel Association of India (IAAI).

At present pegged at Rs 24,000 crore, the Indian innerwear industry, growing at 15 per cent CAGR, is expected to grow humongously  in the next 10-15 years, the IAAI said at a seminar held in Ahmedabad recently. The seminar was a curtain-raiser for Galleria Intima to be held in New Delhi on 5-6 August.

Galleria Intima caters to the entire value chain of the intimatewear industry and the seminar saw almost a hundred manufacturers and brands keen to know more about what this year’s Intima held in store for them.

IAAI CEO Yusuf Dohadwala presented what the show would entail for visitors and exhibitors. “In the exhibitor’s list, we have big names from India like Aditya Birla, Shree Ginger, Bhoomi Textiles and SVG Fashions and more than 20 exhibitors from China,” he said. “Besides, we will be having handpicked exhibitors only – 75 to 80 – who we believe can add to the upliftment of the industry.”

“All major intimatewear brands like Enamor, Jockey, Lovable, VIP, Lux, Dollar, etc will be there. With our Make in India focus, a lot of international brands and retailers will also be coming to the show, to check the availability of raw materials and finished products. A Russian delegation will also be attending the show,” he said detailing the visitors.

There will be conferences on topics like creating a brand that the new age consumer will buy, technology driven seminars for intimatewear, etc. Around 6-7 seminars will be arranged. A trend forecast with respect to the Indian market will be showcased in collaboration with Carlin International. Last year, the focus was on lingerie, but this year the focus will be on sleepwear and kids innerwear, he informed.

“We started this show to uplift the intimatewear industry by increasing manufacturing and thereby exports from India,” Dohadwala announced during the course of the seminar. “The lagging factor for this is the lack of interest among Indian manufacturers for new information, trends and innovation.”

“Today’s consumer is smart and updated. If the industry is not as updated as the consumer, success will become a distant dream,” he stated.

“We felt the need for the industry to come together and discuss its strengths and challenges. The show was formulated to address the needs of the industry, and this year we are entering its fifth successful year. Today, this show has become huge as we cover the entire intimatewear supply chain,” he added.