Bharat Tex 2024: Farm to Fashion Event Concludes in Delhi

Inspired by the 5F Vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the largest global textile event in India, Bharat Tex 2024 with a unified Farm to Fashion focus concluded on 29^th February, 2024 in New Delhi. The 4 day event which was inaugurated on 26^th February, 2024 by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam witnessed an overwhelming response not just from Indian, but also global players including top brands and retailers.

The mega event was organised by a consortium of 11 Textile Export Promotion Councils and supported by the Ministry of Textiles. Built on the twin pillars of trade and investment and with an overarching focus on sustainability, the 4 day event attracted besides policymakers and global CEOs, 3,500 Exhibitors, 3,000 Buyers from 111 Countries and over one lakh trade visitors. An exhibition spread across nearly 2 million sq ft of area and encompassing the entire textile value chain, including an artistically curated story of textiles- Vastra Katha were the highlights of the event. The event was hosted simultaneously at two state of the art venues- Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi with both venues fully subscribed.

All major textile organizations and brands from around the world were represented in the event including top level participants from companies including Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Vero Moda, Jack n Jones, Toray, H&M, Target, Kohl’s, K-Mart, IKEA, YKK, Lenzing, Anko, CIEL Group, Busana Group, Brandix Apparels, Teijin Ltd among others. All Indian leading players including Reliance, Aditya Birla, Welspun, Trident, Vardhman, Nahar, Indocount, Raymond SRF Industries among various other players were represented at the highest levels. Multilateral Organizations and Global Think Tanks including UNEP, IRENA, Laudes Foundation, GIZ, IDH, Cotton Connect, WGSN, Fashion for Good, Better Cotton Initiative, Responsible Sourcing Network, ITMF, International Apparel Federation, BGMEA, BKMEA, Cotton Egypt Association among others were part of the event. In addition, various Indian and global industry bodies and associations including CMAI, CITI, SIMA, SGCCI, TEA, GEMA, YESS, ITMF, ITME, ATMA, NIFT, among others overwhelmingly supported the event.

Leading textile states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were enthusiastic participants with dedicated pavilions and government representations.

Union Minister for Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal chaired the CEO roundtable which deliberated on growth prospects of the Textile Sector. The Minister of State for Textiles and Railways, Smt. Darshana V Jardosh was also present during various events. Other highlights of the event included a farm to fibre full value chain expo and included a Retail High Street focusing on India’s fashion retail market opportunities, dedicated pavilions on sustainability and recycling showcasing actual work done by individual industry as well as clusters like Panipat, Tirupur and Surat, an Indi-Haat showcasing India’s traditional sector of Handicrafts and Handlooms. Over 10 Fashion presentations spread across 4 days on diverse themes ranging from Indian Textiles Heritage to sustainability and global designs, art demonstrations by master craftsmen, interactive fabric testing zones and product demonstrations and showcase of global fashion trends and special Indian trend books were other significant attractions of the show.

A global scale conference with 70 sessions and 112 international speakers saw engaging discussions on key textile issues of the day including Textile Mega Trends, Sustainability, resilient global supply chains and Manufacturing 4.0.  Pressing issues of the global value chain such as green financing, resilient supply chains, waterless dying, and innovation were among the other topics. In total, there were over 70 knowledge sessions including 14 marque sessions on ESG, sustainability, circularity and recycling and Green Financing, Country and State Sessions, over 25 capacity building masterclasses on various topics such as ESG, Skilling, Finance, Smart Factories, New applications in Geotech, etc. A special international conference by the Central Silk Board on the occasion of its Platinum Jubilee was also part of the event.

The event also saw over 50 Business meetings with prominent global brands and potential investors covering areas of investment in manufacturing, R&D with focus on innovation and sustainability.

A number of dignitaries including foreign dignitaries and senior government functionaries visited Bharat Tex. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath attended the event on the concluding day and visited the theme pavilion and UP State pavilion.

Over 10000 artisans, weavers, design and fashion students, factory workers, NGOs and Producer companies visited and participated in the Bharat Tex 2024 as special invitees. The exhibition at Yashomboomi reflected diverse and intricate artistry. It was open to public received positive response.   

Bharat Tex also emerged as Launch Pad for various initiatives and Projects such as IndiaTEX, Launch of Textile Grand Innovation Challenge, Announcement of 63 MoUs including with international institutions focusing on collaboration in research, innovation, entrepreneurship, new product development, skilling and sustainability. The event also saw release of UNEP Report for Sustainable Textile Hub in India and 8 books on various technical topics and a Documentary on Women Empowerment in Silk sector. Winners of the hackathon held on “Fostering Innovation in Technical Textiles” were announced and awarded during Bharat Tex.

A showcase of sustainable initiatives including Kasturi Cotton, a new standard in cotton, with transparent value chain and globally acceptable quality standards and other solutions such as waterless dyeing, regenerative farming, organic and recycled raw materials aimed at reducing carbon footprint and minimizing environmental impact, latest innovation in process, systems and production methods to move towards eco-friendly and globally acceptable sustainable practices were also part of the event.

Several Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed during the event. Some were:

• 6 International and 13 Domestic MoUs by NIFT on academic collaboration, incubation of start-ups, research, product development among other areas
• 10 MoUs by Central Silk Board with various agencies on Research, Collaboration and Innovation
• 2 MoUs by National Jute Board for research and innovation in Geo-Textiles
• 3 MoUs by Textiles Committee for market linkage, standardization and waste management
• 5 MoUs by Central Wool Development Board on collaboration and scientific research
• 3 MoUs by Jute Corporation of India for setting up laboratory and research
• 6 MoUs by IJIRA for research and innovation
• 5 MoUs by Wool Research Association for material development, sport tech product development and field research
• 3 MoUs by MANTRA for research and innovation for Entrepreneurs in PM MITRA Parks
• 3 MoUs by ATIRA for research and collaboration
• 2 MoUs by SITRA for collaborative research and innovation
• 1 MoU by SASMIRA for developing technical textiles products for fishing industry
• 1 MoU by BTRA for research and development
• 22 MoUs were signed by NIFT with various International Fashion School and Indian Educational/Research Institutions.

In addition, several books were also launched during Bharat Tex 2024. The documentary launch was based on the theme ‘Women Power in Silk’. The event reported launch of the IndiaTEX Project. The project ‘Innovative Business Practices and Economic Models in the Textile Value Chain in India’ (IndiaTex) is a four-year UNEP project IndiaTex aims to accelerate the transition of the Indian textile sector towards circularity. Additionally, announcement for Textiles Grand Innovation Challenge was also done. The Ministry of Textiles is launching an innovation challenge along with Startup India, DPIIT to leverage the pool of untapped innovation opportunities to identify new and innovative futuristic circular solutions, with proven concept, with high potential to be replicable and scalable in India’s Textiles and Apparel industry.