D&J-Denimsandjeans is happy to welcome Chane Merchants to the 7th edition of our Bangalore show on May 14-15, 2025! . They have setup a new jeans manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad, India and have integrated operations with in-house design, production & packaging along with experienced team serving global brands.
We spoke to their CEO Chaitanya Dalvi about their background and why they came to India to start this operation.
Please share some details about the background of your company .
Chane Merchants Private Limited was established in Ahmedabad, India in 2023 with the aim of manufacturing quality denim garments for Indian brands and big box retailers. Manufacturing commenced in August 2024.
Prior to this, we ran garment manufacturing operations in South Africa since 1994 where we produced close to a million garments a month.We have a strong leadership, planning, production and merchandising team with over 50 years of combined experience of dealing with top international brands and retailers like Levi Strauss(USA), Cotton On(Global), Woolworths, Polo (SA), TFG group (SA) etc.
The same core team is now here in India working at Chane Merchants. We have started off with a monthly capacity to produce 45000 units a month with an expansion plan to get to 125000 units a month by the end of FY 2025-26. We specialise in high fashion and quick response.
Why did you plan to come to India for manufacturing jeans ?
Retail in India has evolved substantially over the last decade or so. The market which was essentially unorganised stand-alone mom and pop stores has been completely disrupted by organised players like Reliance, Myntra, Aditya Birla, Tata etc.
However, manufacturing in India still remains pretty much fragmented and unorganised, unable to cater to the demands and pace of organised retail. We feel there is a deep vacuum for organised manufacturing with proactive product development, strong merchandising and great production planning and we are here to fill that vacuum
What do you think is more imp- the local market in India or the export market ?
Both markets are important because there is a merit to having customers with varying annual shopping seasons and trends. While it maybe a Diwali or Eid or Durga Puja in India, its Christmas and Easter overseas. Having both domestic and export buyers helps a manufacturing unit mitigate the risks of seasonal buying and capitalise on varying buying trends.
How do you think India will be advantaged or otherwise with US tariffs ?
Any opportunity is only as good as the extent to which you can utilise it. I remember having a similar discussion around 2005 when the US quotas on textile and apparel were lifted and I don’t think what followed was anywhere remotely close to the hype and anticipation. We can only make use of this opportunity of lower tariffs if we move in the direction of innovation, automation and organised manufacturing otherwise competing with nations that have a robust manufacturing and export culture is an uphill task. Anyway, the imposition of higher tariffs is a mixed bag for India.
While it does offer a competitive advantage over other exporting nations like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc, it also creates challenges of market contraction that can be attributed to increased cost of goods due to higher tariffs.
What are the technologies that you use for producing sustainable garments ?
I believe the biggest initiative towards sustainability is producing garments that last.
Typically it takes about 60-70 litres of water to wash a pair of jeans. We have ‘Jeanologia’ Laser Machine and Ozone machine that reduces this requirement by about 36 %. Chemical
consumption is drastically cut down by 60 % and so is energy consumption when both of these machines are used in tandem. Additionally we try and advocate for BCI cotton fabrics and GRS certified recycled yarn fabric in our garments wherever possible.
