While the past saw home textiles following the colour and inspiration trends of the apparel industry, of late the industry has evolved its own fashion sensibilities offering fresh innovative products every season. Product development teams are looking at new techniques, applications and fabric weaves for the home segment. Many Indian exporters in the segment are ready with their collections for the year… Apparel Online takes a look at what they have to offer in 2014…
Increasingly it’s been seen that consumers are moving away from utilitarian into trendier home products while not compromising on the comfort as well as the look. Colours have always played an important part in designing of home products and this is sure to continue with solid colours being staple for home textiles globally. “This year we will see a lot of bold and bright colours in home furnishings from red, green, blue which will be a blend of various solid colours in natural fabrics,” informs Niharika Thomas, Textiles Designer at Pebbles. Further to these solid colours, unique textures mostly from natural sources are big this year. Organic and eco-friendly products which have become essentials in the last year will only become bigger, as recycled products would be a trend to watch out for. Most manufacturers and exporters are becoming more environmentally and socially conscious with an increasing use of eco-friendly blends.
“Today home textiles has become a fashion industry in itself where new techniques, colours, innovations are the constant need of the hour,” claims Vivek Agarwal, MD, Vivsun Exports whose cushion covers and Christmas stockings are very much in demand after Heimtextil 2014. Bright colours, varied patterns, diverse prints are finding favour amongst buyers, while flannel, fleece and natural fabrics in radiant colours are being preferred. Different looks from classic to contemporary intermingle in the home textiles market, which provides an opportunity for variations in terms of looks. Nonetheless this year will also see “geometric prints from Panipat which were very much in fashion last year, continuing this year as well due to constant demands by countries such as Europe and South America,” maintains Yogesh Gambhir, Director, Tejasvi Exports that focuses on cushion covers, curtains, table covers, bed covers, etc.
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Trends to look forward in 2014
Modern takes on classic patterns
Solid colour sheets and towels, basic stripes, check/plaid, etc. make a comeback
Turquoise, Lavender, radiant orchid, lilac are being favoured by many
A move away from strong geometric patterns to softened, classic floral patterns
Handcrafted products from various artisan villages would also find favour amongst home textiles
Saturated hues
Luxurious velvet, earthy suede and even textured corduroy
Bold and bright floral with creative clashes
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Exporters are spending more resources on product development than ever before. “Prints, different fabrics and product designs are integral areas which every manufacturer should focus on as it is very important to constantly update as we cannot keep selling the same,” reasons Vivekanand Thakur, Partner, Aryavart. According to him, “cushions with soft looks and textured fabrics with detailing, is going to be the most sought-after product this year.” This product category is surely favoured by many, and as Bhuvnesh Kharbanda, Director, Sunlord Apparels affirms, “I believe that by changing cushions in a room, the total look can be changed at the cheapest cost thereby cushions are predicted to be the largest selling item in 2014, as economies around the world slowly pick-up.” Indian exporters are getting good enquiries and orders for innovative cushions from countries such as UK, US, Europe, South America, Australia Argentina and Italy.
While cushions may be the most sought-after product for this year, but the true winner is truly digital printing which is widely being seen in various home textiles fairs and in product categories such as cushions and curtains. “Digital prints are leading the way at the moment and surface treatments on the print are the next big thing,” emphasizes Bhuvnesh. According to industry estimates, digital printing accounts for nearly one per cent of the global market for printed textiles and that it is set to expand its share to as much as 10 per cent in the next five years. But this technology does have its drawbacks too and many factors have to be kept in mind for image sharpness. “When you print designs on black and navy coloured surfaces you will get a better detailing otherwise the details of any design such as floral, animal prints are not that apparent on digital prints,” declares Vivekanand.
Although innovations in prints, designs would be very much visible this year, but health will continue to remain a strong focus for the coming years as consumers are increasingly becoming health conscious and are willing to spend more for a healthy environment. Many developments in this category are being undertaken by different developers which may well be patented in the future. Many anti-allergenic and anti-bed bug products that provide wrinkle resistance for sheets without the use of chemical treatment are being developed globally.
Home Textiles is a US $ 300 billion market, while currently India is only doing US $ 3.5 million in this segment, providing room for growth and opportunity for the Indian exporters and manufacturers. Currently, in-sync with the various developments and demands globally, exporters are geared up with technical know-how’s to cater to the increasing fashionable home textiles market whether UK, US, Europe, Australia, South America, Italy, Argentina or any other emerging market.
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