'Pakistan must explore $10.8bn textile market of Texas'

Pakistan must exploit its expertise in textile sector to get a lion's share from US$10.8 billion textile market of Texas, said Miss Alicia Dean marketing consultation of Austin. She was addressing a meeting in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) here today.

She said that Texas is open for all types of businesses and Austin is being developed as a hub of textile with a focus on state-of-the-art fashion garments industry.

She told that state department of USA has launched a funded programme to attract textile experts as well as young startups to visit and explore the Austin which is swarming on with new opportunities. She told that many Pakistanis are already getting benefits of this state department funded programme by getting best entrepreneurial skills through industrial incubators and accelerators.

She told that this programme will continue till 2020 and hence, more Pakistani youth should avail from this programme by launching textile related products in addition to marketing their own brands. She told that initially they will work in Austin but in later phase they could expand their businesses through the America. She told that Pakistani youth present its innovative ideas to investors, out of which best ones are chosen and then work is started on their production and marketing.

Miss Alicia Dean told that best possible facilities and incentives are being provided to the persons intending to start their business in Austin. "Its fashion design industry was developing at a much faster pace", she told and proposed collaboration between Texas and National Textile University particularly in the field of Fashion and Designing.

She hoped that students would be equipped with professional and entrepreneurial skills so that they could design innovative fashion garments for the fast changing fashion industry of America. She also appreciated the idea to arrange a delegation of FCCI members to visit Austin and assured best possible facilities to its delegates. She also welcomed a proposal for Brand development by Pakistani Textile exporters.

Earlier in his address of welcome Rana Sikandar Azam President FCCI underlined the importance of Faisalabad in national economy and told that this city alone is contributing 45% share in total textile export of Pakistan. Welcoming Miss Alicia Dean and her colleagues, he told that as result of her previous visit at least 25 Pakistani youth was able to avail from the state department funded entrepreneurship programme.

He told that Faisalabad is preparing renowned international brands while in collaboration with Austin the Pakistani exporters could also get opportunity to introduce their own Brands. He told that Pakistani youth is very talented and they have abilities to design innovative dresses in accordance to the taste and aesthetic sense of different countries. However, they must be given opportunities to visit and analyze the emerging trends in fashion designing industries. The other delegates also introduced themselves and explained there specific fields.

A question answer session was also held in which Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain, Dr Habib Aslam Gaba, Dr Sajjad Arshad, Muhammad Danish, Sharjeel, Rana Ikram-Ullah, Hafiz Gulzar Ahmed, Shehzad and Abid Masood participated.

Later President FCCI Rana Sikandar along with Senior Vice President Zafar Iqbal Sarwar presented FCCI shield to Miss Alicia Dean while other delegates were also decorated with FCCI pins.