|
|
| Issue date:01/04/2007 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Apr 2007 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
| by Manik Mehta |
|
 |
| Domotex Hannover in January pulled in 44,000 trade visitors (Pictured: laminated coverings) |
|
|
|
The overall mood during the year 2006 may have been depressing for Germany's carpet sector but the horizon began to brighten as the year drew towards the end. Consumption had remained low throughout most of last year but November showed the crucial turnaround as far as carpet sales were concerned.
Turnover in the carpet trade had tumbled by more than 2% by the end of November compared with the year-early period, the chairman of the Association of the German Home-Textile Industry, Johannes Schulte, said recently at Domotex 2007 for carpets for floor covers in Hannover.
Despite the declining sales, exhibitors at the show were optimistic about the future. The upbeat mood was attributed to the currently strong construction activity which, the carpet trade hopes, would drive consumption of home textiles this year.
Rated as the world's biggest trade show for carpets, floor covers, laminated products and other related products, the Domotex fair held in January attracted some 1,360 exhibitors from 60 countries.
Germany had the largest single contingent of 290 exhibitors. India had the largest foreign contingent with 228 exhibitors, followed by China 203, Turkey 122, Belgium 103, Netherlands 73, USA 48, Iran 30, and Pakistan 30. There were 29 British exhibitors exhibiting products from India, Iran and China.
Chinese exhibitors dominated the four giant hangars presenting hand-woven carpets. China is becoming very competitive in the carpet-manufacturing business and is producing many "interesting products", one exhibitor told this correspondent. China produces a wide range of handmade carpets, using natural colors.
The large Chinese presence at the fair also served as a warning to producers from other countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. Exhibitors from these countries privately acknowledged that there could be no guarantee in today's globalized market that customers would give added value to traditional handicrafts that are actually produced in their country of origin. Globalization has also pushed producers and consumers to show scant respect for national boundaries.
Carpets with innovative design |
Carpets in unusual colors
Bayat Nomad Gaminchi, a high-end production house operating in Iran and the United States, unveiled a new line of Persian carpets in unusual colors. Experts at the show were saying that as oriental carpet producers come under pressure to meet changing tastes of Western consumers, they would have to choose between adhering to their traditional designs and changing their patterns to meet the evolving fashion.
Gaminchi departed from the traditional deep saturated colors that characterize Persian carpets to producing some of its products in softer and brighter pastels. Indeed, bright colors are presently popular with fashion designers for curtains and other furnishings in the West, where the winters are dark and long, making consumers prefer brighter colors for their indoors.
According to Ali Bayat, a partner in the company, the market currently is characterized by demand for "fashion carpets" as suggested by interior designers, fashion designers and others. Then there is also demand for carpets which are seen as a form of art, underscoring the need for carpets to be as original as possible. Bayat said that his line of display was paying attention to both these trends.
The Chobi is "in"
Afghan refugee weavers in Pakistan have shown remarkable resilience and demonstrated their adaptability to the changing tastes of their customers. These weavers created a design called "chobi", literally meaning wood, which employs the use of a soft palette of whites and reds to present simplified flora designs that were predominantly used in the art of the Mogul era.
Indeed, there is a school of thought that propagates the use of natural colors in keeping with what one exhibitor referred to as the "ubiquitous emphasis on organic things". This was, perhaps, also the motive behind the display of Carpet Heritage, a Persian carpet manufacturing company which has office in London. The company's manager, Hossein Attaran, had labeled his carpets as "organic" to denote that these products were woven in a specific region and with a specific design, giving the carpets, which were reproductions of antiques, a "sense of purity" which one does not see any longer these days. The material used in the production of such carpets is organic and is done by a weaver at home without the use of machinery.
While Iran was a leading carpet exporter to Germany in 2004 with 90 million euros, it failed to be among the top four carpet supplying countries in 2005, notably Belgium (43.5%), the Netherlands (24.6%), India (6.5%) and China (4.4%), according to figures released by the Federal Statistics Office. Almost 80% of all carpets imported into Germany in 2005 were supplied by those four countries.
Traditional carpets are still popular |
Iranian carpet sales in Germany have dropped in recent years as a result of the import of cheaper machine-made carpets from China and India, as well as an ineffective marketing strategy by Iranian suppliers, according to carpet experts in Germany.
Indians make strong pitch
As competition gets fiercer, with traditional suppliers from Iran, Turkey and elsewhere facing low-cost suppliers from China and India, Indians were conspicuous at the Hannover show with their strong pitch. There were some Indians from Badohi which has become India's hub for woolen carpets, thanks to the thriving industry in this city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ahsan Khan, the president of the Badohi-based Ahsan Exports, which manufactures carpets, floor coverings and decoratives, said that there were fewer buyers at the Domotex show than in the past. He discerned a propensity towards consolidation manifested in the growing number of mergers and acquisitions amongst European companies. He also noticed a changing profile of the carpet market in India which was being reorganized. "There is, of course, demand for Persian hand-knotted carpets and there are more modern woven carpets like Tibetan carpets and shaggy carpets, also known as Scandinavian carpets. In India, buyers are today willing to pay higher prices for upper-end products," he said.
|
| We are collecting readers' comment for improving our website. If you are willing to help, please CLICK HERE to complete a survey. Your comments matter. |
|
|
|
|
| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
|
| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
|
|
|
Close
|
|
|
Write a mail to the editor : 
