Dipping mercury levels raise winter wear demand

20 Dec '10

2 min read

There is heavy demand for woolen garments and accessories owing to the fall in temperature in the Middle East region. The temperature is likely to dip further in the region to near the freezing point and is expected to remain between one and four degree Celsius. This is unlike the conditions that prevailed during the last winter season.

As a result of the weather forecast indicating dipping mercury levels in the coming days, enormous supplies of winter garments have arrived in the market. The major shopping malls of the region, RMG apparel outlets and roadside vendors are showcasing a wide range of winter garments varying from sweaters, jackets to long fur coats.

Accessories such as woolen mufflers, caps, gloves, and socks have also been put up for sale. Apart from these accessories, ear warmers used to protect the ears from excessive cold are also available in the market. These ear warmers are made in China and are in huge demand in the region.

The prices of ready-to-wear apparels as well as winter wear are already high this year and are likely to shoot up further because of the hike in raw material costs and labor wages in the exporting nations.

A new regulation has also been implemented in Saudi Arabia, according to which, the RMG importers have to send samples of their garments for laboratory testing. So the stocks remain held up in the ports till they get the clearance and this causes delay in removing the cargo, with importers having to pay demurrage charges imposed for the failure to remove cargo from the ports within the allowed free time.

The new customs regulations have played a significant role in increasing the garment prices. RMG and winter wear prices are expected to increase between 20 percent and 50 percent as a result of the demurrage charges.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India