In recent years, members of the Federation Council and the State Duma have paid considerable attention to the light industry. A regular guest at the Russian Textile and Light Industry Week, which unites the "INTERFABRIC" and "TEXTILE&HOME" exhibitions, Senator Dina Oyun, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets, highly appreciated "INTERFABRIC-2024. Autumn", noting that the exhibition's display represents a snapshot of the industry, allowing one to see at what stage the Russian light industry is today and what specific steps are necessary for its development.
"Every six months, I enjoy visiting the 'INTERFABRIC' exhibition, and the latest exhibition showed that new products have appeared, which is very encouraging," shared Dina Oyun. "I would like to thank the UNION of LIGHT INDUSTRY for the excellent work done by the team of Andrei Valentinovich Razbrodin, which resulted in such a valuable document as the Strategy for the Development of the Light Industry. Once the industry is analyzed, it becomes easier to build a path forward."
The senator also mentioned that similar development experience already exists in the wool market. According to her, just two years ago, livestock breeders were forced to discard six, while fabric manufacturers were buying raw materials abroad. After the creation of a roadmap for the development and establishment of wool clusters in January this year, the situation changed.
"The share of imported raw materials in production still remains, but in the past two years, it has noticeably decreased," emphasized Dina Oyun. "As part of the wool cluster initiative, I visit not only the 'INTERFABRIC' exhibitions twice a year but also livestock forums – for example, sheep and goats, the raw materials from which a lot of products are made, including wonderful suits that we can see on our men. At these exhibitions in Transbaikalia or Dagestan, representatives of light industry enterprises have started to be invited, so they can familiarize themselves with wool producers and see the raw materials that will later be used to make fabric."
In her opinion, raw material producers should also be invited to fabric exhibitions so that they can see the finished fabrics. She also noted that wool has finally taken its rightful place at "INTERFABRIC."
"I saw collaborations with cotton producers from Uzbekistan at the 'INTERFABRIC' exhibition. Perhaps, we should also invite representatives from large livestock farms – people are always curious about what their labor turns into. When this chain becomes visible, it will be an additional motivating factor. I was pleased to see that the wool sector was seriously represented at the autumn exhibition. It’s encouraging that enterprises and designers are discovering this wonderful natural, flexible product, which offers great possibilities for imagination and creativity," noted Dina Ivanovna.
The senator gave a high overall rating to the exhibition at the autumn Light Industry Week: "Walking through the magnificent pavilions, I am convinced that the future of the light industry is in reliable hands," the senator expressed confidence. "I saw very interesting collaborations between manufacturers. The booth designs were very impressive, and I must also mention the Trend Zone of the exhibition. After all, to sell something, it must be presented comprehensively, and here we can see how different manufacturers are involved in this comprehensive presentation."
Senator Oyun also emphasized how important it is that new wool products, created by new players in the market, have appeared in the Russian market. "Of course, in the wool sector, there are enterprises that have been operating for many years – let's call them traditional. But new players have emerged, and this is very exciting. Every six months, the exhibition introduces new products, new foundations for creativity, and new ideas. I am very happy about this. I hope it will contribute to the development of our wool cluster," she concluded.
