Ashroff Omar, keynote speaker at global textile conference

Sri Lanka's status as a significant player in the global apparel industry was acknowledged when the CEO of Brandix, Ashroff Omar, was invited to deliver a keynote address at the Centenary World Conference of The Textile Institute held recently in Manchester. He spoke on 'Manufacturing on the global stage'.

The conference themed 'Creating a global vision for textiles, clothing and footwear' recognised the need for change in the textile industry and focused on creating a platform for information exchange and networking.

"The invitation extended to Mr.Omar to be a keynote speaker is evidence of Brandix's global stature," a spokesperson for the company said. "The Group's reputation for visionary leadership, innovative customer-centric solutions and business agility has earned the company the respect of the entire industry."

In his presentation, Omar argued the need for a new business model in apparel manufacturing. He contended that it is at present, a heavily fragmented industry stemming from the single-minded pursuit of cheap labour and observed that retailers have become pseudo manufacturers taking on roles that belong within the sphere of manufacturing, resulting in an escalation of costs and a lower value proposition to the consumer.

He pointed out that industries such as automobile, computer and footwear have provided consumers with "phenomenal products at great prices" whereas the apparel industry has moved in the opposite direction - providing the same product at a far higher price. He recommended that the new model must be one of collaboration within the value chain enabling greater research and development and the employment of breakthrough technologies.

"I believe that, today, on the 100th anniversary of The Textile Institute, we are still a virgin industry. Automobiles, phones, televisions, airlines are all industries which have large aggressive players while the enormous apparel market has a multitude of small suppliers who do not have the scale to deliver outstanding value.

There is white space for a few $ 5 billion companies," he said.

Andy Rubin, CEO of Pentland Group Ltd., Professor Xiao-ming Tao, Head of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Lord Mervyn Davies, Partner and Vice Chairman, Corsair Capital were the other keynote speakers at the event.

The Textile Institute, inaugurated in 1910, was incorporated in England by a Royal Charter granted in 1925 and is a registered charity.

It has individual and corporate members in approximately 80 countries with the membership covering all sectors and disciplines of textiles, clothing and footwear.

The Centenary Conference was held in Manchester as it has been home to The Textile Institute for the past 100 years.