Garment manufacturers see demand pick up for new stock for next season

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 3, 2020

After many clothing brands spent months on end trying to shift excess stock, a new pick-up in consumer demand has led to fresh orders for the upcoming spring/summer season with tentative hopes for early recovery.  

“For the last six-seven months virtually nothing was happening,” Premal Udani, chairman of garment manufacturing business Kaytee Corp, told ET Retail.

“Also, now many of the retailers, who had earlier left the stocks of garments and fabrics on warehouse floors, have now started picking them up. Now at least there is a movement. We hope by February-March we will be back on track.”

Kaytee Corp supplies garments to fashion businesses including Arvind Fashions, Pantaloons, and Reliance Retail, among others. The business is confident of a return to pre-pandemic order levels in 2021, but acknowledges the unpredictable nature of the virus and its economic impact. 

“Let us hope the situation sustains and hopefully there will be no new wave as was feared,” said Udani. “If that happens, it will again go negative. Things are very fluid and can change from week to week.”
 
Along with large businesses, garment manufacturing workers’ futures are also closely linked to the progression of the virus. Major garment export hubs including India and Bangladesh are also eagerly awaiting international orders to pick up to help the wider garment manufacturing industry recover.