The last day of any fair is usually a close-up day where not too many people walk in but decisions pending are finally made. At the 60th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF), which concluded today, the situation was similar… The buyers that we saw over the last two days were seen sitting at various booths and negotiating orders.
The overall feel of the participants was that though the footfall was less, the quality of buyers was good. One of the exhibitors said that earlier they used to see many foreign apparel buyers, but this time only the really serious ones have come which has worked for those companies that have good collections.
Many of the apparel exporters were able to meet their regular buyers which made the fair worthwhile. “We are from Mumbai and for us, this is the only platform to meet buyers looking for 1200 plus orders. We got enough enquires to keep us busy and satisfied for some time,” said Aditya Jain of Jineshwar Exim. He also added that the recent policy decisions by the Government have negatively impacted the industry and it was important to relook at them for the growth of the industry.
However, for some, the exhibition was a disappointment as they could not meet relevant buyers. “We have a beautiful collection of kids wear, but a majority of buyers were not looking for this category, so for us, the effort was certainly not worthwhile and we would like to participate only in focussed fairs in the future,” said Neel of Jay Ganesh Enterprises from Kolkata.
Over the three days, the show witnessed some interesting companies those were offering products like socks, lingerie and these companies were reasonably happy that they got some interesting buyers too. Bell Fashionwear, Unnao (UP), a 6-year-old company met some garment buyers here who suggested them to add socks for cycling and skiing. Mohd. Faiz, Director of the company, participated in the show for the first time and seemed satisfied.
Ashapura Intimates Fashion (Valentine), Mumbai was also one such company whose collection not just presented specifics like casual or formal but also resort and airport wear (transitional apparel, not bound to any particular segment). Deepak Tiwari, DGM, Sales of the company shared that they are now focussing on export as well as domestic markets.
The apparel fair also witnessed some of the start-ups and they were enthusiastic about the future business despite the initial hiccups and challenging market conditions. Nav Apparels, Jaipur is just a 2.5-month-old organisation and is exploring export as well as domestic markets. Himanshu Maheshwari, GM of the firm shared that buyers reacted positively to his collection and he is expecting good business. The company focussed embroidery in its collections displayed at the trade fair. Currently, it has 60 stitching machines and is planning to expand its infrastructure further.
At the fair, many exhibitors who are mainly into the domestic market and are now exploring the export market were there. Bothra Creation, Indore and Caps from Ahmedabad were some of them.
The regular buyers were appreciative of the collections they saw and the new buyers were pleasantly surprised to see various trendy contemporary designs. Among the new ones was Fawzi Alnahdi from Saudi Arabia. Fawzi is the CEO of Nama Arabia Apparels Co Ltd. owners of Label Blooming. His company is working primarily out of China but now they are impressed enough with Indian manufacturers to rethink options. “95% of our products are out of China, mostly underwear and outerwear, but now we would like to start working with casual womenswear that would appeal to women in Saudi Arabia,” said Fawzi.
Other than professionals visiting the forum, IIGF also witnessed a student group from the renowned fashion institute, NIFT, who seemed rather enthusiastic attending the fair, which is generally not open to students. “For the first time, we opened doors to students to experience the event on the third day on a limited basis. They got good exposure and learning through the same,” said Lalit Thukral, Chairman IIGF.
Summing up the day (and the 3-day extravaganza), it can be said that the reactions were mixed and so was the success quotient.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
