Clothing, which was once considered a means of covering one's body, is now seen as a reflection of personality. The clothing industry has come a long way with the development of fabrics. Unlike a few decades ago when fabric and design suggested cultural inclination, these facets now describe yesteryear's royalty and modern-day's opulence.

Tartan, which is traditionally a part of Scottish culture, has crossed borders to find a respectable place in global fashion; chenille, which started its odyssey from France, is wooing designers and consumers of Asia, United States of America, and Australia; Chinese silk has gradually - both geographically and socially - spread through the Chinese culture and is now produced in several parts of the world.

Regional monopoly of fabrics is almost a thing of the past. Yet, each country is concentrating on endowing yarns and fabrics' distinctive persona to catch the fancy of global consumers. These developments have been spurred by global demand, and the yarns available are of high quality. The focus is now on mid- and high-end fashion.

The diversity of clothing and fabric can be seen in countries like India, where each region has its own identity. Central India's Chanderi and Maheshwari, Gujarat's patola and bandhani, South India's rich silk, are bringing variety to regular couture.

Era of grandeur
Nothing spells extravagance like silk does. India's southern region specializes in the production of rich silk yarns that are used in combination with other yarns, which are then transformed into awe-inspiring fabrics. India prides itself as the only country that produces all types of natural silk, made from various types of silk-spinning worms. Mulberry, tussar, eri, and munga are special to India. The silk yarn of south India is recognized as authentic and elegant not only in the country but globally. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are among the leading states producing silk yarn in India. About 85 per cent of the country's silk production is contributed by Karnataka state. In the year 2013, Karnataka produced 8,219 metric tonnes and was followed by Andhra Pradesh (6,550 metric tonnes) and Tamil Nadu (1,185 metric tonnes).

With these three states working at increasing silk production, India's raw silk production is expected to reach 46,000 tonnes by 2016-17 with an annual growth rate clocking at 20-25 per cent. Currently, the silk production in the country is approximately 27,000 metric tonnes. The growing production of silk in southern India has triggered a rapid decline of silk imports from China into the country. By 2022, the Central Silk Board (CSB) now aims to bring silk imports to zero.

Furthermore, India's silk exports stood at US$ 401.39 million at the start of 2014. Natural silk yarns and fabrics accounted for 38 per cent of silk exports. Among the major importers of India's silk were the United States of America and the UAE, generating a collective earning of around US$ 127.56 million. Close on their heels were France, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, and China.

Adorning silk: India versus restof the world
At the beginning of 2014, the global production of silk was calculated to be around 1.6 lakh metric tonnes. China led the silk production with 1.3 lakh metric tonnes. Countries including Uzbekistan (980 metric tonnes), Thailand (680 metric tonnes), Brazil (550 metric tonnes), Vietnam (475 metric tonnes), North Korea (300 metric tonnes), Iran (123 metric tonnes), and Bangladesh (24 metric tonnes) are also grabbing eyeballs with rising silk production.

The global consumption of raw silk is expected to reach 22,957 tonnes in 2015 and is further predicted to reach 29,300 tonnes in 2020. The demand for silk is on the rise and India is the world's leading importer of raw silk with a share of 29 per cent of the total global import. Italy's share in global import is also on rise and currently it stands at 20 per cent, followed by Japan at 14 per cent. According to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), India imported 1,502 metric tonnes of raw silk worth ₹ 419.34 crore till August 2014.


Though India has earned a predominant position in the world with rising silk demand, it still lags behind China in silk production. India contributes around 15 per cent of the world's total silk production while China contributes more than 80 per cent of global production. In India, the cost of imported silk yarn is approximately ₹ 4,500 per kg while domestic yarn is sold between ₹ 3,500 and ₹ 3,800 per kg.


The silk from the handloom sector of south India is popular among the country's designers and brands. Handlooms represent approximately 85 per cent of silk consumption in India whereas power looms account for the remaining 15 per cent. India, which is the biggest consumer of silk globally, has also initiated production of the bivoltine (silkworm seeds) grade that is suitable for power looms.


The good, the bad and the ugly

In South India, most consumers have a traditional liking for silk saris. The higher income group within the country has ensured that the demand for silk rises. Also, the talented handloom weavers in India and elevated demand of unique handloom silk sarees is working in favour of pushing up demand for different types of silk yarn. Demand for Kancheepuram, Dharmavaram and Arni are on the rise as are the excellent printed silks from Mysore and Bangalore. Kancheevaram sarees, patola of Hyderabad and dupion of Bengaluru are eternal favourites.


There are several admirers of silk, but India's silk sector is yet to get over certain teething troubles which continue to bother the raw material manufacturers and weavers. Indian weavers and manufacturers struggle to find appropriate storage facilities for silk yarn and products. Poor information on market trends and lack of finance has forced many weavers to use substandard silk yarn. So, even as south India continues to dominate the silk production in the country, the Central Silk Board (CSB) has raised concerns over the quality of cocoons used in India and the rising gap between demand and supply of silk yarn. The fluctuating demand of South's silk in the international market is not at all reassuring for weavers, who struggle to get a fair price for their products. The raw material used in silk products includes mulberry, tussar etc and the price fluctuation of the silk yarn goes against the product manufacturer. Weavers are replacing high quality silk yarn with Chinese silk yarn, which is affecting the quality of products. Other silk-producing places in India like West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir also face similar problems.

 

The handloom sector also faces a huge threat from the power loom sector. Chinese silk yarn works well on power looms as it is lighter and smoother. This makes it less susceptible to winding breakage in comparison to its Indian counterpart. Unlike China, India has not adopted technology or disease control measures. As a result, the uniformity of the thread suffers. Even though Indian silk is more durable and superior to Chinese silk yarn, silk products from China silk are growing in popularity.


The production capacity of power looms is visibly more than the production capacity of traditional weavers. Thus, the weavers especially in Bangalore are struggling to keep pace. The 30 per cent drop in the number of traditional weavers from 1995 indicates the mounting problems of the handloom silk sector.


The problems for south India's silk yarn have further been aggravated with raw Chinese silk yarn making its way to the Indian market. In order to boost south India's raw silk yarn market, India has filed 149 anti-dumping cases against China. Unfortunately, this has not deterred the dumping of Chinese silk. The silk industry of India remains vulnerable to these cheap imports. Weavers in Bangalore and a miniscule fragment of Tamil Nadu's weavers have fallen prey to Chinese silk. Chinese silk yarn remains a threat as more and more weavers are using it in their products. In 2012, the Government of India extended the anti-dumping duty on silk imports, but experts believe India needs to promote silk weavers as professionals to boost the business.


The road ahead

Silk yarn manufacturers of India have ample scope for expansion as overseas demand is on the rise. The export potential for silk home furnishings will certainly help silk weavers. Nevertheless, India needs to focus on the regions involved in sericulture within the country. Promoting these regions as brands to build a strong foundation for handloom silk products in the domestic market as well as in the international market will reap high profits. Product diversification is also needed, especially in South India, where silk fabric manufacturers currently focus on apparel.


India's southern region is progressing rapidly in the right direction with its silk yarn lending a sumptuous look to an array of products the world over. The weavers of the region are also equipped to create timeless fashion with silk yarn. However, the craftsmen's due must be recognised and promoted by the Government of India and local bodies. Today, when some cities of south India are struggling to compete with Chinese silk yarn, India needs to take a leaf from China's book. One of the well-trodden paths followed by the Chinese is to lay emphasis on quality. Following in China's footsteps, India can create demand for its vintage tradition of producing silk yarn and silk products in the international market. Also, as awareness regarding compassionate clothing grows, and key campaigns against cruelty of silk production by animal rights organisations come to fore, India's research and development should explore opportunities to develop cruelty-free silk material.


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