Beachwearis a popular clothing option for millions across the globe, yet textile andapparel exporting nations have not capitalised on this market, says Christine Rudolph.

One segment of apparel that mayprovide much-needed impetus to increasing exports and establishing traderelationships is beachwear. Europe, the Americas and East Asia are among thehottest markets for this ready-to-wear section. It has huge potential for anyexport-oriented nation because the skeleton of beachwear production is similarto other forms of textile goods. It just gets differentiated at the end levelwhere value is added to the product.

We are at a crossroads. The marketis diversifying as changing trends worldwide usher in a new era for phenomenalgrowth. Cultural, economic and social attributes are pushing back them northand bringing in more positivity for acceptance. Demand for beachwear hasincreased in a larger section of the population than was previously noticed.

Recent changes in the way peopleperceive themselves and inclusion of men in the well-being game of looking goodhave made possible this ultimate incision the industry needed to keep itselfrelevant to export. Beachwear can make production-oriented economies come upwith their expertise and fresh ideas. It also offers more cost options thanpreviously thought possible. There is no room for novice experimentation inthis arena. Tastes and preferences may be developing, but they are notunder-resourced in ideas and designs.

Quality beachwear is provided bycompanies that continue to dominate the market, but what they lack is theirreluctance to delve into newer markets. Slower supply initiations make itdifficult to gain a foothold in areas where there are cultural and socialbarriers to beachwear. If newer producers enter the market, increasingcompetition could make it possible to explore possibilities of expandingclientele in areas such as the Middle East. Producers who come in now canintroduce locally acceptable beachwear options and break the taboo associatedwith traditional beachwear.

Global trends suggest that by2022, revenue from beachwear will be hovering somewhere around US$ 22.7 billionfor close to 2.2 billion units annually. Although there is room for moregrowth, lack of frequent new entrants means the beachwear market is growingwith a leash on itself.

As men's and children's beachwearcatch on, possibilities increase. Men seem happy to compete with women in termsof appeal and style. Attitudes have changed drastically following the appearanceof social media apps, which have ushered in a huge change on how peopleperceive themselves and want themselves to be perceived. This has increasedmore positive trends like men taking care of how they look. Family outings tothe beach are now Instagrammed or put on Snapchat. This kind of visual displaymay seem trivial but the power of social media in all the aspects of our livesis undeniable.

Low cost beachwear is now produced on a vast scale but it still has lot of room to expand because countries with potential like China and Vietnam are not fully utilised for mass production with the capacity they currently have.

It is only a matter of time and momentum before beachwear gains as much importance as other forms of textile and apparel value added goods. Producers who exploit this opportunity will have a lot to gain compared to the amount of risk involved in this business venture, as demand is likely to get steeper compared to other textile goods whose demand graphs are now flattening out. This latency in demand for textile goods makes an interesting scenario as producers look for other options to continue the growth. Only the future will tell whether or not this optimism falls onto the section of beachwear.