4th edition of Heimtextil India & Ambiente India show strong trade potential
Even as Delhi witnessed unexpected rains this June, it was raining orders inside Pragati Maidan as Heimtextil India and Ambiente India marked the start of the pre-festive retail season in India. Highly regarded for its trade potential, India’s leading home fashion trade fair duo closed its doors welcoming 198 exhibitors and attracting 7457 visitors
Business comes first – be it for new brands or well-established industry players both of whom managed to acquire new leads. Mr Ajay Arora, Managing Director, D’decor shared: “Increased customer walk-ins and over 130 new inquries – for D’decor, this edition has been better than expected. Our association with Heimtextil in Frankfurt stands through ages. This is where it all began for us and we continue to support it as we truly believe in the business effectiveness of the platform. For home textile players, this is where you have to be if you are in the trade.”
Mr R. Surenthar Kumar, Dy. General Manager-Sales & Marketing, Shri Laxmi Cotsyn Ltd said: “This show not only caters to the domestic market but also the international market. We have received great response from international buyers from Europe, as well as countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Japan. The enquiries and the communication between us and the buyers have been very clear, which is important for us.” Ambiente India Exhibitor, Mr Ahmad Arsalan, Director, Ahmad Gift Exports who was also very happy with the internationality of the visitors shared: “This has been our first time at Ambiente India and we are overwhelmed with the kind of visitor response we have received. We have got a lot of enquiries from different industries such as hotels, designers as well as international buyers from Thailand, Germany among others. We would like to have this exhibition happen twice a year!”
Buyer-Seller Meets: Setting the tone of business
One-on-one buyer-seller meetings set the tone of business networking at Heimtextil India and Ambiente India 2017 right from day one. Delegations from the hospitality, retail and large-scale buying segments were present at the fair over the three days and many exhibitors confirmed to have recieved orders through the pre-arranged buyer-seller meet format.
As part of the match-making programme, Mr Dinesh Keshwani, Purchase Manager at Krishna Décor said: “As a platform Heimtextil India and Ambiente India 2017 proved to be beneficial to me for having meetings and discussing my requirements directly with manufacturers. We will be placing orders for the season with two of the exhibitors I met KC Fabrics & Styler. I also visited the ‘Exploration Zone’ and the experience was quite different, nothing of which I have ever come across. I am definitely looking forward to the next year edition.”
Buyers, mainly from the hospitality and retail segments were satisfied that some of their immediate requirements got catered to through the direct interactions with exhibitors. Among the delegation was also Ms Dipti Pandey, Deputy Merchandiser-Home Stop, Shoppers Stop who shared: “We managed to meet new vendors which we were trying to search and couldn’t get connected and we finally found them here. It is a great platform for networking and building contacts. Overall it was a good experience and we look forward to visit the fair next year.”
Not limited to product sourcing, Heimtextil India and Ambiente India also hosted several features inspiring new design visions at every turn from hall 11 to 12A.
CushionKari: Depicting the Indian textile story
India’s designs and thread work reflect a piece of its history – be it the fabric, or the crafts used. CushionKari captured this story of the Fabrics and Emboideries of India. Unveiled at the hands of Hon’ble Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani, it was a one-time opportunity for visitors in the history of home décor and textiles industry. The record-breaking installation was designed by Kanika Bawa and curated with fabrics from D’decor.
A rare combination of fabrics comprising khadi, brocade, morr, mixed embroideries; together with the perfect blend of sustainable textiles such as yarn, knit waste, fabric waste shredded as well as eco-friendly materials like banana fibre fabric, aloe vera fabric were used in the making of this CushionKari attracting industry professionals.
Sharing her thoughts on the the conceptualisation and making of this record-brekaing installation, Limca record holder Ms Kanika Bawa said: “CushionKari was conceptualised taking inspiration from the rich wealth of Indian mythology, heritage and finesse in craft as well as Indian stories passed on from the Vedic period woven into fabrics. Handcrafted using natural and renewable materials, it is completely eco-friendly in nature. We came across many hurdles in the process of assembling the Cushion Kari due to its massive size and uniqueness in design, however we finally managed to tailor it to perfection and achieved the impossible of creating a magnificent art piece which weighing approximately 1 tonne.”
ILA Experience Zone: Showcasing the best of Indian design talent
One could not pass the halls without making a halt at the Interior Lifestyle Award (ILA) Experience Zone – where India’s design talent laid out their creative visions based on themes in the 2017 International Trendbook – Exploration with Nature, Heritage, Planet and Illusion. Representing the best of Indian talent, designers from Mandi to Coimbatore and from Himachal to Ratnagiri acquired the centre stage from over 500 entries to present their concepts at the ILA Experience Zone.
The awards ceremony on the same night was a glitzy affair with the who’s who of the home fashion world present to announce the winners. Ms Anshul Malhotra from Mandi and Mr Himanshu Dogra also from Himachal who combined their strengths best as a team were declared as the face to represent India at the Ambiente fair in Frankfurt in January 2018.
Winner of the Home Decor Category Mr Himanshu Dogra shared: “I have already learned and gained so much from this platform, but there is still a long way to go. The unique part about ILA as a platform is its innovative format of getting textile and product designers together to explore new ideas and brainstorming possibilities for combining different styles of designs to launch one collaborate masterpiece. For a designer, Ambiente India is a fantastic platform where one gets a chance to interact with industry stalwarts and get their perspective on design. I am looking forward to my participation at the Ambiente show in Germany which will be a big game changer for introducing my brand Play Clan to the global audiences.”
Special Skills Zone: Supporting financial independence
Continuing the special skills zone again this year, Messe Frankfurt provided a platform to a group of specially-abled students to display their strenghts in various art forms for three days at the fair. Not only did the creative collection displayed at the zone attract orders, but some of the big industry players such as Reliance and Welspun are currently in talks for long-term projects.
GST Workshop – Addressing industry concerns
As consumer goods and textile traders raced against time to align themselves with the new GST regime, an exclusive seminar was organised during the fair to address concerns in the industry with the presence of notable tax guru and experts.
“While the GST implementation is expected to positively impact the Indian economy in the coming years, Indian textile industry in particular is poised to grow from the long-term benefits that the new legislation offers. The government projects two percent growth in GDP by 2020.“ shared CA Bimal Jain while addressing delegates at the GST seminar organised during the fair. Inventory clearance, documentation and an impact on margins were among the major concerns which were discussed in detail and addressed with case studies at the seminar.
Exceeding expectations with an unparalleled spectrum of innovations and more importantly with the right profile of influencers and decision makers, Heimtextil India and Ambiente India once again closed doors but not without confirming bookings for the next edition. The co-located fairs will be back in 2018 from 27 – 29 June in New Delhi.