Textile traders and powerloom weavers of Surat plan to increase the sale of man-made fabric (MMF) riding on the growing popularity of palazzo pants women’s trousers cut with a loose, extremely wide leg that flares out from the waist across the country.
Palazzo pants are manufactured from crape, chiffon and knitted polyester fabrics in the country’s largest man-made fabric hub of Surat.
Around 10 per cent of the daily three crore metre of fabrics manufactured in Surat goes into designing and manufacturing of palazzo pants. Surti traders supply fabrics to the manufacturers based in Mumbai, Ludhiana, Delhi and Kolkata.
The sale of dress materials made of polyester cloth has dipped by almost 45 per cent as more and more women, including elderly women, are switching to the trendy leggings. The finished fabrics market in Surat is pegged at Rs 40,000 crore a year. Of this, dress materials accounted for Rs 14,000 crore business, but leggings have now captured the market of over Rs 2,500 crore, trade analysts said.
“The MMF textile sector stands to gain from the growing popularity of palazzo pants. The pants are also known as pajamas locally. Around 50 per cent of the cloth used in palazzo pants is polyester and Surat could become the biggest supplier,” Devkishan Managhani, chairman of the textile committee in Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) said.
Mahendra Ramoliya, president of Surat Jacquard Weavers Association, said, “Palazzo pants require 2.5 metre of cloth, which is less compared to dress materials and saris. Weavers also manufacture knitted fabrics with net materials to give a different look to the trendy palazzo pants.”
