In 2018, after extensive consumer and customer research, Reliance Industries Limited, India, the largest integrated polyester producer in the world, had launched its new range of innovative fabrics – R|Elan™. This range is a blend of art and “smart”, with fabrics that provide enhanced aesthetics, performance and comfort. Through this Reliance aims to fulfill the needs of all consumers, across all apparel segments like activewear, denim, formals, casuals and womenswear.
To create awareness about the R|Elan™ concept and gain fast track acceptance among mills, brands and buying houses based in Bangladesh, RIL had organized the first R|Elan™ Fabric 2.0 event in Dhaka on 11th April 2019 at Le Meridien, Dhaka. The objective of this event was to showcase the large range of fabric developments possible through R|Elan™ specially engineered fabrics and to get product teams of brands and mills to initiate sample developments. This event was also designed to introduce the first Hub Excellence Partners in Dhaka to the value chain.
The theme of the event was Fabric 2.0: The Future of Fabrics, to highlight the next-generation fabrics in the R|Elan™ portfolio. The event area was divided into sections showcasing the eight different technologies powering R|Elan™:
- GreenGold (one of the most sustainable fabrics globally, made through recycling waste PET bottles using bio-fuels)
- Kooltex (inherent moisture management)
- FeelFresh (inherent anti-microbial and anti-odour)
- AirTherm (hollow fibres providing warmth and lightness)
- DuraFit (stretch with excellent recovery)
- FreeFlow (women’s wear with superior drape and fall)
- SuperFeel (excellent fabric softness)
- SuperBlack (deep permanent black shade)
All these different sections had several samples created from R|Elan™ and the attendees could touch and feel the various fabrics.
After the fabric display and networking, the R|Elan™ team gave a detailed presentation on the new B2B2C initiative, R|Elan™, and how it germinated from focussed consumer research and understanding their emerging needs. The team also explained the various products in the R|Elan™ portfolio and the different apparel segments that can be catered to. The various branding and co-marketing activities that R|Elan™ has been activating across Point-of-Sale and digital channels were also showcased to the audience.
The final part of the presentation was to introduce the Hub Excellence Program (HEP) program to the Bangadesh market: HEP is a supply chain network of high-quality mills to cater to brand requirements through R|Elan™ solutions. R|Elan™ also introduced the first members of the HEP partnership to the audience covering all parts of the value chain. The Hub Excellence Program partners in Bangladesh include:
- Envoy Textiles
- Ha-meem Denim
- N.R. Group
- NZ Tex Group
- Shasha Denims
- Square Group
Key leaders from these companies were felicitated with a partnership memento and certificate.
This chapter of Hub Excellence Program with local value chain players in the Bangladesh textile market is designed to solve a number of issues and provide enhanced service to brands and their requirement. These mills, who are the first members of the HEP program in Bangladesh, are known for their quality, production capabilities and most importantly, for their appetite for innovation. Through this partnership, R|Elan™ will strive to reduce lead time, provide fast-track sampling/commercial volumes and encourage local developments that can be showcased to local offices of brands/retailer. This way, R|Elan™ is providing a one-stop supply solution for sustainable and high-performance apparel to brands/retailers who are exporting to their retail outlets in EU and US.
Through this first Fabric 2.0 event, Reliance was able to demonstrate R|Elan™’s superiority through technology and ability to capture imagination of the textile value chain in Bangladesh. This also laid of foundation of creating local supply chain for Dhaka-based brands and buying houses to support commercial requirements, timelines and quality.
