It’s been 5 years since the launch of Inviya. How would you look back on the journey so far?
It has been a very exciting journey. We had our due share of learning about this product, which was new for Indorama Corporation, and we take this opportunity to thank each and every customer in India who extended unconditional support to us during the formative years of Inviya’s journey.
What are the key milestones in the five-year journey?
We are at the cusp of significant growth in this business and currently at an advanced stage of capacity expansion in India. We are very strong in the woven segment and have ridden the wave of expansion in the denim segment in the past few years.
How was 2016-17 for Indorama’s Inviya brand?
Barring a couple of months of slack business due to demonetization, we experienced growth in demand of Inviya in the country.
Currently what is the product range offered under the Inviya brand?
We produce all the denier range required for sportswear, active wear, denim, shirtings, chinos, leggings, etc.
What is the total capacity now and what is the utilisation at this point?
We had set up manufacturing capacity at Baddi, near Chandigarh, and our capacity utilization has been 100 per cent.
Have you made any recent investments or planning any fresh investments for expanding capacity?
Yes, currently expanding capacity from 5000 MTs/annum to 12,000 MTs/annum at the same site).
How is Inviya performing in other global markets?
Inviya has tested waters in over 25 countries since inception and this has been done with the objective of our broad vision of becoming a significant player in the spandex manufacturing and global distribution. But we remain committed to the growth story of India and have focus on meeting the spandex domestic demand.
How is the growth in consumption of spandex yarn in India?
We have experienced growth of over 15 per cent in the Indian market and we believe that our presence in the domestic market has helped Indian customers to invest in equipment, which use spandex to offer value-added products.
Recently you have launched a new product, I-400. Can you elaborate on the product properties and the entire development process?
I-400 is our proprietary polymer, which has been developed as a result of the feedback of our value chain partners. This is chemically robust product resistant to alkali, bleach and various treatments of processing or garment washing. The product is robust due to very high inter-fiber cohesion and withstands a lot of mechanical stress of textile manufacturing process, besides having a higher elongation.
How is your engagement with the textile manufacturing value chain, the spinners, knitters and garment manufacturers?
It is very high and that’s why we have been able to develop products meeting their requirements.
Given that the spandex segment faces stiff competition from some of the key global brands and cheaper imports from China, how does Inviya combat competition? Why should an Indian customer prefer Inviya over the other products available in the market?
Spandex is a functional product and effectiveness of being functional supersedes the element of cheaper cost in most of the cases. So our USP is quality, lead time, business solutions, application development.
What are the future growth and expansion plans for Inviya?
We are on our growth path and are determined to reach the annual capacity of 25,000 MTs in the next 4 years. We hope that India’s outward trade in high-value product increases and the per capita consumption also becomes significant.
Athleisure trend picking up fast among Indian customers
By Rachna Rajan (Branding and Communication Executive – Inviya)
“Athleisure” is an opt-repeated term these days. Athleisure represents a trend in fashion which combines the sportswear style with the street wear style to give the wearer the best of both worlds of “comfort and fashion”. The term had its origin in 1976 when it was used as an advertisement for trainers.
The next big question relates to which clothes and garments athleisure refers to. Generally T-shirts, leggings, running shorts, sneakers, track pants and sports socks come under this category. But, apart from these traditional garments, the NPD report found that athletic styles have highly wavered the women’s lingerie market.
The 10 biggest global brands with their big market share are Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Skechers, The North Face, Timberland, Columbia, Champion, Lulemon Athetica Inc. and New Balance.
The Indian scenario:
In India too, the athleisure trend is picking up fast. Many designers are launching huge clothing line based on this trend. Some of these designers are Dhruv Kapoor, Monisha Jaising, Kanika Goyal, etc., it’s evident that this fashion trend is gaining popularly amongst Indian consumers.
In 2016 “abof”, had partnered with Shahid Kapoor and has debuted its “Athleisure” wear range “SKULT”. Also Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) in 2016 ventured into the Rs. 7,000-crore men’s innerwear and athleisure market.
The major driving factors behind the rise of athleisure in India are:
* The rise in the number of people practising ‘yoga’ after the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, bought it into the lime light resulted in its becoming a new trend, covering every generation from “baby boomers to Generation Z”, pushing them towards a more healthy lifestyle
* People becoming more and more health conscious due to the stressful lifestyle and better focus more on a healthy lifestyle
* Millennials focusing more on outside activities, travelling and preferring comfortable wear which helps them make a style statement rather than spending on the elite clothing items
* India is also becoming the world’s youngest country with 64 per cent of its population in the working age group by 2020
Athleisure has engraved a new segment for itself in the textile sector making a noticeable mark in the history of textiles. Now it is for us to see how far this can reach and whether it will be able to replicate the legacy like denim for itself.