Its not as simple as drawing, designing, dyeing, printing today. The Golden age of shopping brings with it its own series of challenges. Have a look at everything we do to make our mark on the textiles industry!
A routine day at the Mangla H.O. starts with checking numerous reports and ends with calculating outputs and arranging dispatches. Welcome to Threads & Fabrics, your fashion insider blog space for the Indian Fashion industry.
A lot goes into working with Fashion Corporates and establishing a network in this age. Gone are the days where Textile Mills and Printing factories could monopolize on just decent designing. As brands raise customer expectations with marketing, fabric manufacturers race to fulfill these on each batch of fabric we process.
It starts from the very beginning -
Fabric make and Constructions
Choosing the right thread, mixed with the right fibres, processed with various finishes is fundamental in the fabric business. Even the smallest changes magnifies 100 fold once the fabric is woven. Maintaining various bases is a necessity to cater to different markets. We maintain a range of cotton fabrics for Shirting & Suiting with plain, twill, herringbone, oxford weaves & a number of customized dobbies. Linen fabrics, Satin fabrics, Indigo Denim fabrics, Yarn dyed qualities & the likes of Melange are a portfolio staple for any professional textile mill. The Indian Dress industry demands a finer base, rayon, viscose, modal, & cambric dress materials work best for everywear like Salwar Kameez and Kurtas for Women.
Printing (And Dyeing ofcourse!)
Orders are matched with the samples with nearly no room for variation. Merchandising for a season is not childs play. Brands create and follow a vision for the season. Since designs are sourced from multiple fashion houses, all must stick to plan.
Handfeel
The most important intangible is the feel & finish of the fabric. Every garment calls for an appropriate stiffness or drape, smoothness or texture, levity or heaviness. Deciding if a fabric should be Carbon treated, Bio washed, treated with easy to iron chemichals etc. makes a world of difference. At Mangla, we have extensively researched thousands of combinations of yarns, fabrics and finishes to craft the best collections for Shirting & Dress materials.
Sampling
Customized sampling is another service that delights. The option to make a sample garment before placeing a bulk order gives tremendous confidence to the brand. This however, is tricky. Halting bulk productions for batches as small as 10 meters raises costs tremendously. Managing and balancing this ratio is important. We see this as a marketing expense that is essential to working as professional fabric manufacturer & working with established brands.
Hidden parameters
Another intangible of the trade are the properties of the finished product. Looks are 70% of the business but the rest depends on whats on the inside. Having globally certified equipment to meet recognized standards is a quality assurance like no other. ASTM and AATCC methods of checking tear strength, tensile strength, shrinkage, colorfastness, fastness to dry & wet crocking, and chemical analysis are a staple to branded consignments. At Mangla, we ensure that all our fabrics in the shirting division are tested. Every batch is tested & stocks maintained so any fabric can be supplied to any brand at any time. This is another marketing expense. The age of sales is no more, we are now moving from just providing printed fabrics to complete catalog merchandising solution.
Costing
It all comes down to the cost. Maintaining the right parameters while cutting costs is an art. It is essentially what our customers ask for. Deciding where to cut and where to spend on each lot is essential to maintaining prices that are acceptable and give value to the buyer.
Design range
It isn't enough to just know how to make the perfect fabric, you must maintain a portfolio. The more services one can offer the more professional the fabric is percieved. As times change, we have seen Mangla Textiles become a Fashion House from a Fabric Manufacturer. We maintain a vast range of designs for shirting, Salwar suits & Kurtis for garmenters to choose from. Designing with different tastes for garmenters of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu, UP, MP, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa & more has helped us build a sizable collection for both, Shirting and Dress fabric.
“Brands are being drawn to houses that offer a packaged service to put their textile production on automation.”
The Conclusion
The focus of most Indian Fashion Retailers is changing from manufacturing, to creating a brand experience for its customers. Brands are being drawn to houses that offer a packaged service to put their textile production on automation.
Looking for fabrics? Have a look at our product range for Shirting & suiting fabrics, Dress Materials for Salwar Kameez and Ethnnic Kurtis for Women here.
Stay tuned for more such industry insights, fashion trends & everything new thats fresh off our mill!
Have a wonderful Everyday!
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