After carving a niche for itself in the knitwear garment exporting space, Tirupur has forayed into making dress for pets in the US.

“This started a little over a year ago. But our first shipment of pet clothing comprising 1.5 lakh pieces was in August last. We have since been supplying at regular intervals to a company in the US,” said S Senthil Kumar, proprieter of Sri Sowbarnika Tex.

Competition

The unit has in the last year alone shipped 2.5 lakh pieces. Though excited about the opportunity in this space, Kumar feels that the margin is pretty low and the space highly competitive. “Americans have been sourcing pet clothings from China. But with the US sanctions on China, they have started looking to India. The industry is poised for growth in the days to come. We should leverage our strength,” said Raja M Shanmugham, President, Tirupur Exporters’ Association.

Industry sources said barely a handful of exporters are engaged in pet clothing.

“Exporters in North India have been supplying accessories such as pillows and bed-spread for pets. We prefer to confine to clothing, as stitching and other processes are similar. The testing norms are stringent though,” said Kumar.

Small beginning

Asked what made him venture into this space, he said, “At Sowbarnika, we started in a small way. I wanted to keep the workers engaged, when knitwear garment exports started to slide. A buyer in the US was impressed with the samples and there was no looking back.”

Brightly coloured pieces are in demand, he added.

Published On : 14-05-2019

Source : The Hindu Businessline