October 2025

Ask any leader, whether from a brand, retail or investment side, what category they think will boom in the coming years and nine out of ten will tell you ‘activewear’. Our Cover Story of AOI October issue explores India’s rapidly surging activewear market which already valued at US $ 13.5 billion in 2024 and is set to reach US $ 21.25 billion by 2033 and how the country’s leading players are steadily working to build a strong ecosystem for activewear despite multiple challenges like lack of raw materials and fibre innovation, speciality fibres, advanced yarns and so on.

This edition also presents the ultimate menswear and womenswear buying guide for Spring/Summer 2026 which includes the season’s bestsellers, trends, colours, wardrobe essentials, fabrics in focus and also exclusive interviews which provide greater insights into the evolving menswear and womenswear landscape.

Don’t also miss our exclusive coverage of CISMA 2025 under Manufacturing Tech column wherein we bring for you a detailed overview of the event’s standout innovations. For sourcing heads, factory managers and brand decision makers, the event offers a front-row seat to the future of apparel production and what’s now essential to stay ahead in the game.

For our other Manufacturing Tech story, we got in touch with top machine makers like Jack, Bullmer, Dürkopp Adler, Strobel, PFAFF (SGSB Co. Ltd.), to find out about their recent launches which are helping them explore opportunities in the local market. This becomes especially important amidst the latest challenge that manufacturers face of equipping themselves with digital tools, advanced machines and skilled manpower to handle more styles in less time.

That’s not all! There is another Manufacturing Tech article waiting for you which covers the exciting sewing technologies that are racing to dominate the world such as Jack A10, Juki DX 01.

Under our Retail Tech section, discover AI’s role in the evolution of visual merchandising which spans right from operational efficiency to dynamic storytelling, heatmaps’ assessment of in-store traffic to virtual try-ons and curated displays.

Also stay tuned for our other regular features like My Fashion Life, AO Brand To Watch, AO Collection To Watch and many more.