Valji Uniforms has been driven with the vision to be a globally respected enterprise and provide the world’s best-of-breed uniform fabric solutions for all needs
As per a study conducted by NHS and Census, with 3.3 million schools nurturing approximately 240 million students, India is one of the largest markets for school uniforms. The category stands at a whopping 680 TPD comprising overall shirts, tops, shorts, pants, skirts and girl students’ suits with bottom wear constituting 65% of the total TPD, i.e. 442 TPD, as per a research report of Bain and Company. Given this background, Valji Uniforms has a legacy and reputation that it can certainly be proud of – a standing of 100 years in the textile market with extensive experience in the uniform category.
Valji Uniforms was set up by Balchand Kothari with the purpose of enabling the youth of the country to achieve their goals just the way he had been able to. As a child, he would look up to the uniformed men in the police and military and desired to serve the country like them. But coming from a trading background, he put his expertise where he could make the most of it – that of the uniform manufacturing business. The company ventured into the textile business in 1985 to address the growing need for quality uniforms for school-going children.
Valji Uniforms has been driven with the vision to be a globally respected enterprise and provide the world’s best-of-breed uniform fabric solutions for all needs, offering products and services par excellence and attaining a position of pride by continuously building its competence. The company currently makes 216 lakh metres of fabric per annum. It also tops a network of 700 distributors, semi-wholesale dealers and 15,000 retailers across the country. In fact, Valji Uniforms has managed to penetrate all the districts of India.
Moreover, it has ventured into the corporate uniforms sector and supplies to sectors like hospitality, healthcare and security. The company offers 8,000 designs and an unparalleled colour palette for its customers to pick from. The company has not only set benchmarks in the Indian market but also has developed a niche in exports. For the past decade, it has been supplying to seven countries with the entire manufacturing centred in the town of Bhiwandi near Mumbai. One of the company’s strengths is year-round product development that transforms fresh ideas into practical and fashionable fabrics.
These fabrics not only provide comfort but also a sense of style. They are fabrics certified to be pilling-free and strongly textured. “Our primary focus is on quality and assured uninterrupted supply of fabrics,” the management of Valji Uniforms states. Another pillar of strength for the company is its innovation that is based on concrete research studies. As for instance, the Birla Cellulose study of the uniform market that has provided deep insights. “It was an initiative that took into account the opinions of principals and heads of leading schools across the country and provided interesting guidelines,” the management states.
For instance, according to school principals, uniforms are seen as one of the key elements in a school’s imagery and its differentiation while instilling a sense of pride and belongingness. “However, there is no uniformity in uniforms due to different batch productions,” some of the principals stated. Parents, meanwhile, want their children to look bright in their uniforms and therefore colour fading is a key concern that arises after repeated usage. At the same time, comfort is of absolute importance. As for uniforms used in the corporate sector, fabrics that are dope-dyed and viscose-blended with polyester can deliver uniform batches with colour fastness and comfort. The overall conclusion arrived at by the study is that since there is no branded offering in the market for uniforms, lack of awareness amongst schools and parents is what leads to subdued demand.
New Product for Uniforms
Spunshades by Liva is coloured viscose fibre from the house of Birla Cellulose. It is made by innovative colour-lock technology. This offers best colourfastness properties and also saves natural resources when compared to the conventional methods of dyeing. In fact, it is the most sustainable product in the class. The colour-lock technology infuses colour pigments into the fibre core during the manufacturing process to ensure that the colour gets locked inside the fibre, resulting in fade-resistant uniforms wash after wash.
Uniforms crafted with Spunshades by Liva are soft, breathable and highly absorbent, providing school children with supreme comfort all day long. Available in an extensive range of 74 stunning shades, Spunshades fabric is 35% viscose blended with 65% polyester, developed with experts for a complete wearing experience. Birla Cellulose collaborated with Valji Uniforms for Spunshades two years ago. While Birla Cellulose provides the inputs of their innovative technology, Valji Uniforms provides a channel for the products to reach a huge market. This includes dealers, retailers, schools, corporate houses and institutions along with retail stores.
Says Kishore Kothari, Director, Valji Uniforms: “The fading of fabric with repeated washing over time is a common challenge across textiles and one that we hadn’t been able to resolve until now. We are delighted with our association with Birla Cellulose since it allows us to provide a tremendously superior offering to our trade partners and customers.” Adding to this, Manohar Samuel, Senior President (Marketing), Birla Cellulose, states: “Over time, Birla Cellulose has become the world’s biggest manufacturer and exporter of dyed fibre. With Spunshades we aim to expand our tryst with viscose fibre and offer unique, valuable and greener solutions to the cellulosic industry and our customers.”
“We are glad to be associated with our value chain partners in expanding our presence in the uniform segment,” he adds. Meanwhile, in terms of numbers, Valji Uniforms’ sales volume has grown 40% in dope-dyed fabric from 18 lakh metres per annum to 25 lakh metres per annum in the last two years. It has also seen a tremendous increase in footfall at its conferences and dealer-retailer meets across India, thus managing to influence more than 3,000 customers. “Collaborating with Birla cellulose is both a way of having a sustainable and responsible business and making sure that the product is up to the expectation of our stakeholders,” Valji states.
Way Forward
Valji Uniforms has set its foot on international grounds by entering markets in the Middle East and Sri Lanka with its uniform and corporate products. Further, Birla Cellulose is now introducing specialty products like Liva Spunshades Eco-Enhanced, a sustainable dope-dyed viscose made using FSC-certified wood pulp that can be traced through a molecular tracer and has complete value chain visibility through a block chain platform. “Valji Uniforms and Birla Cellulose will continue to work towards new product development and venture into new territories in both the domestic and international markets. This will be done with the vision of building a sustainable, profitable, growth-oriented and socially responsible collaboration,” Valji states.