Pakistan’s fabric sales rise despite 30% price hike

Despite rising cost of living, surging food inflation and hiking price of cotton fabric, the lawn business is thriving in Pakistan as women greeted with cheers back to back launches by designers and brand leaders.The sale of lawn in all price categories has been going strong. Shops, weekly/on Sunday bazaars and malls and centres are flooded with new varieties for Eid shoppers. Manufacturers continue to make huge advertisement campaign by launching new products, though lawn wearing season is nearing its end.Intense competition among producers is being witnessed who have engaged leading designers to bring innovative designs aimed at boosting sales. Many mills have launched their own brands of lawn without engaging leading designers.Wearing designers’ lawn has become a status symbol among women from the elite class in Pakistan. The manufacturers know that fashion conscious women would not miss the opportunity to flaunt and grab a few suits if they can be persuaded to visit their shop. Fascinated by the explosion of new designs, colours, embroidery etc of big textile tycoons, it is hard for many low and middle income group people to get the costlier lawn suits of reputable mills and designers’ label.They, however, rely on lawns being produced by many small and medium sized mills openly copying original designers’ lawn.Consumers find a marked difference in price and quality of textile, garments and other wearable items being manufactured by many unknown textile mills in the country. Constrained by their budgets the middle class opt for whatever their pocket permits compromising on the quality.A number of people put on sale cheap quality lawns at on Sunday and Juma Bazaars to cater to the needs of ordinary people.Many mills may definitely be worried over large-scale stealing of their designs by a number of mills. Some mills are manufacturing lawns by slightly changing the design pattern from the original lawn being produced by leading mills to avoid any legal action. Shopkeepers generally capitalise on customers’ ignorance about quality and tempt them into buying material available within their budget range. From / Gulf Today