TOKYO, 22 July 2009 (EFE) – The Japan International Fashion Fair in Tokyo started on the 22nd of July with more exhibitors than had been present in its previous edition, especially from Asian countries like India which was promoting textile products as capable of beating the prices of their competitors.

Chigusa Ueda - one of the organizers of this biannual event, the biggest in Japan - told EFE that it “is a very difficult moment” for the fashion industry owing to the crisis, but this edition of the show has 807 exhibitors from 15 countries, a step forward from the 730 which participated in the previous edition in January.”

In this fair, held in the central Tokyo Big Sight and that will welcome around 30,000 visitors over three days, the emphasis is on the presence of Asian companies, between Thai, Chinese, South Korean and Indian brands, many of which are here for the first time.

“It is the first time that we have come, but we are very interested in the Japanese market,” said Vandana Tibrewal, manager of the Indian brand ‘Ganga’, a brand which describes itself as “small” but which sells to big distributors such as “El Corte Inglés”.

Indian manufacturers are trying to advance the sales of fabrics like linen, silk and organic cotton in the Japanese market, advertising that their products benefit from the added value of a good price-quality ratio.

Chigusa Ueda explained that only ten of the of the brands present at the show had come from outside Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

The Japan International Fashion Fair (JIFF), which has been held bi-annually for the past 20 years, opened on the 22nd of July and closes on the 24th of July in the Tokyo Big Sight.

By Jonathan Fulwell (Source: EFE)