India's apparel sector has a history of fine craftsmanship and international appeal. With the upsurge in Indian design talent, infrastructure, as well as government initiatives, Indian apparel has found success across fashion centers around the world. India is one of the world's largest exporters of textiles and apparel with a massive raw material and manufacturing base. The apparel industry in India is a significant contributor to the economy, both in terms of its domestic share and exports.
It contributes about seven percent to industrial output, two percent to the GDP, and 15 percent to the country's total export earnings. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the export sector in India suffered humongous losses due to the global lock downs that caused many factories to shut down or go slow just to make ends meet. The scenario in 2020 was bleak, but in 2021 exporters are considering all options to revive their balance sheets.
Significantly, one of the renowned apparel sourcing companies with enormous momentum in the International market is Montrose. Montrose is a well-known brand of SAS Holding Pvt. Ltd. that has been in the market as a one-stop for sourcing apparel for 35+ years. “Our strength and focus have always been on sourcing, thus for a certain product, we focus on factories or places in India that are well-versed in specific types of products and categories, to get the best product,” signifies Sameer Thapar, CEO at Montrose.
Montrose has been in the market since 1980s and is catering its services to the North American
market including some of the top brands of repute in the US and Canada. Montrose has a high client retention rate, wherein some of the customers have been with the firm for about 35 years which itself speaks about the core competency. With Sameer becoming Director of the company from 2000 onwards, there has been a complete change in business approach. Design office was set up, to give customers more design ideas and presentations are given regularly to customers. “Transparency is what has allowed us to maintain our relationships with customers for so long. We maintain transparency with both our customers and vendors. We have strong value systems that of a small company and the systems in place of a larger company. The personal service given to the customer with a hands-on approach and transparency is the key to our success,” signifies Sameer.
Being in the fashion industry necessitates staying current with changing market dynamics, and one of the most important aspects of the fashion industry is design. Perfectly understanding the scenario, Montrose is equipped with separate design teams and conducts regular research on the new ideas through various means. The firm works with local printing Mills, fabric weaving units, factories, or vendors, who are making apparel for different customers. It also supports the customer by giving them the design and trend forecast presentations regularly.
For a certain product, we focus on factories or places in India that are well-versed in specific types of products and categories to get the best product
Montrose firmly believes that Quality is the most important part of the production. The firm ensures to be present in the factories from the initial stage of production itself, rather than going at the end to see what the product is, to make sure that the quality parameters are met and the product is as per the standard requirements of the customer. “Quality is something which is unspoken off, but at the same time, it is the core product value we could give to any customer. So this is where our immense focus has also been,” adds Sameer.
“Montrose firmly believes that quality is the most important part of the production”
Over the years, Montrose has created a name for itself in the export market by the virtue of its standardized quality services and on-time deliveries. Currently, the firm is at its expansion pace and has added more customers in the last 2-3 months. And as the firm forges ahead, it is looking ahead to expanding its business and is expecting at least 70 percent growth in the coming year.
“Being the most respected vendor of our Customers for Quality and timely deliveries is our mission. We have a committed team that collectively moves towards common organizational goals to make our company successful,” concludes Sameer.
