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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Tiruppur

Tiruppur, located around 60 kms from Coimbatore City – also known
as the Manchester of South India, is a city that has developed along the banks
Thesis Report V-SPARC VIT
of the river Noyyal. Initially a part of the district of Coimbatore, Tiruppur in

2009 was made the capital for the Tiruppur District (Tiruppur, n.d.). The city

is primarily known for its textile and garment industry, that remains to be
one of India’s largest and most important industrial clusters for international

trade and export.

1.1.1. India’s Knitwear Capital

In the 1950s and 1960s, Tiruppur was largely an agricultural town.

Residents engaged in the production of cotton yarn (The rise of Tiruppur as
the export hub of India, 2024). Owing to issues with water needed for

agriculture, residents started setting up small-scale industrial units in

producing personal wear. The water rich in minerals, was suitable in the

production of garments, as bleached clothes came out whiter. By the 1970s,
many such local textile units were set up to cater to the increasing demand.

Tiruppur began to export orders in 1978, working with an Italian clothing

industrial cluster (Kalita), based in Verona.

Tiruppur, by the 1980s, established itself as an export-oriented textile

market, manufacturing knitwear products for global consumption. With time

it has garnered the name of “Dollar City”, “Small Japan”, “Banian City” for its
excellence in knitted ready-made garments and for the foreign revenues it

generates for the country (Kalita).

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