Loom to gloom: Tiruppur knitwear lifeline stretched thin

The clatter of knitting machines is the pulse of Tiruppur, each metallic click and hum carrying the livelihoods of nearly 1.2 million people, directly or indirectly tied to the textile and apparel trade.

- SHINE JACOB

The faintly sweet scent of cotton in the air, sometimes replaced by the pungent tang from dyeing units, is as much a part of daily life as the morning tea.

But lately, the streets wear a different mood. The industry's outward resilience masks an undercurrent of unease. In this corner of Tamil Nadu, more than 12,500 kilometers from the Oval Office, the trade moves in Washington are sending tremors through shop floors. Relatively high 50 per cent US tariffs on Indian goods threaten orders, revenues, and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"Tiruppur is like a phoenix — we will rise from the ashes," say exporters in almost unison.

It is a familiar refrain in a town that has survived crises before: The closure of dyeing units in 2010-11, the GST blues of 2017, the Covid-led collapse of 2019, raw material shortages, wars. "Even if we lose 50 per cent of our US revenue, that's about ₹6,000 crore. With trade deals with the European Union and the United Kingdom, we can replace it," says K M Subramanian, president of the Tiruppur Exporters' Association and promoter of KM Knitwear, as devotional chants of Om Namah Shivaya play softly in his office, giving a sense of calm.

But that calm confidence isn't infectious: Many believe the next six months will decide survival — if the 50 per cent tariff stays.