Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani opened the 71st National Garment Fair (NGF) on September 10. Organised by the Clothing and Manufacturer Association of India (CMAI), this virtual fair (http:// cmai.in/) ends on September 20.
Through these annual fairs, the CMAI promotes ethnic fashion and bespoke handmade textiles of the Indian garment industry for the festive season.
Appreciating the CMAI, Irani said, “In the past four years and I have seen CMAI go from strength to strength.” The collection also has an underlying philosophy – ‘Modern India deserves a dedicated space’.
“We are not only accelerating our strength and efforts towards strengthening export potential of Indian apparel and garment industry, but also strengthening opportunities for Indian domestic players and markets through these fairs,” said Irani.
A total of 250 participants and over 20,000 retailers are likely to digitally visit the fair in these 10 days. Known for bringing to the fore new trends, brand launches and fresh innovations, the NGF is likely to usher in a new hope in the domestic market ailing due to pandemic.
Among the participants, Delhi- based fashion designer Mini Singh is showcasing her ethnic designer wear collection. Through the collection, Singh aims to spread awareness among modern fashionistas about the catastrophic effect fast fashion has on Indian women.
The aim is to promote ethnic fashion with style, natural fabrics and artisanal techniques. Singh’s collection includes designer kurtis, long floor-length gowns, palazzos and sets for the modern Indian women in Chinon with Foil Silk, designed with sequence net collection, organic cotton, Khadi and Chanderi fabric emanating style and comfort. “Our label attempts to relinquish the offhand attitude towards modernity without losing out on style.
We use high quality, smooth raw materials and organic processes to create soft, breathable hand-woven fabrics. I want to give Indian women kurtis to wear for every occasion. To move past fast fashion and embrace ethnic fashion, we have to be aware about the impact of fast fashion,” says Singh.