Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris: India prepares for its expansion into the European market

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, which runs from August 31 to September 2, 2026, at Paris-Le Bourget, is expanding its scope with new departments. These include Outdoor and Fashion Accessories. The trade show is also opening up to new sourcing destinations: Armenia; Kyrgyzstan; Uzbekistan; and Bulgaria.

Within this new landscape, India emerges as a key player. As an established textile powerhouse, the country benefits from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which provides an additional lever to accelerate its development in the European market. Report from the ground.

For this edition, dedicated to the autumn/winter 2027/2028 collections, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris has reorganised and expanded its offering based on buyer demand.

“Our job is to meet demand,” Julien Schmoll, marketing, communication and press director at Messe Frankfurt France, the organiser of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, explained to FashionUnited. “Brands themselves have expanded their offerings. They still offer apparel, but increasingly also accessories, jewellery and outdoor products. We are therefore trying to replicate this expansion at the trade show. If we need to go further, we will.”

Fashion accessories becomes a standalone department

The fashion accessories sector already existed at Texworld, but exhibitors were previously more dispersed. They are now grouped together to make the offering clearer.

The expansion into costume jewellery and leather accessories stems largely from a request by Indian exhibitors specialising in scarves and shawls, who saw these categories as relevant range extensions.

“For three editions, we asked our buyers what they wanted to see,” explained Nicolas Gouguenheim, director of Apparel Sourcing Paris. “Leather fashion accessories and costume jewellery were very popular requests. However, buyers did not express a specific need for footwear, so we decided not to develop that category.”

After testing jewellery and leather for two editions, Apparel Sourcing brings together six specialised exhibitors in these categories this season, plus one eyewear manufacturer. In the long term, Gouguenheim envisions an offering of around 30 leather and 30 jewellery exhibitors, but he clarifies that the trade show does not aim to specialise in these categories.

Between technicality and fashion, outdoor becomes a separate department

This offering is not entirely new. These exhibitors were previously part of a broader sector dedicated to sportswear and technical clothing. Once again, it was the buyers who requested it be identified separately, feeling the former scope had become too broad.

Two developments explain this demand: the rise in technicality and quality of outdoor wear, and its growing convergence with fashion, as pieces from this world increasingly find their way into urban wardrobes. For its first edition in this format, the new department brings together around 20 exhibitors, including eight new ones.

With the FTA, India aims to invest more in Texworld / Apparel Sourcing

At the same time, buyers are also looking to diversify their supplier countries to avoid concentrating their sourcing in a single region.

“There is a trend towards diversifying suppliers, especially in the current sourcing climate. If everything comes from the same place, you are stuck in the event of a conflict or geopolitical issue,” observed Schmoll.

In this context, India holds a special position. As the world's sixth-largest exporter of textiles and apparel in 2024 (source: Indian Ministry of Textiles), the country could gain an additional competitive advantage with the FTA concluded with the European Union.

Still awaiting ratification, the agreement provides for the removal of customs duties applied by the European Union to Indian textiles and clothing, which can currently reach up to 12 percent depending on the product.

On an official visit to the trade show, Neelam Shami Rao, secretary of the Indian Ministry of Textiles, explained in an exclusive interview with FashionUnited: “In India, we are preparing to supply more clothing, fabrics, and value-added products to Europe, which represents a very important market for us.”

Zeel Climate Clothing and Arcus India: Indian manufacturers look to Europe

Among the manufacturers planning to leverage the FTA is Zeel Climate Clothing, an Indian company specialising in outerwear and technical clothing adapted to various climatic conditions.

“We discovered this trade show last year and see it as a good entry point to develop our presence in Europe,” revealed Abhishek Sharma, export manager at Zeel Climate Clothing, whom we met at the show. “We are just starting in this market, but we already work with countries like the US and Australia.”

He added: “We want to focus on this market, particularly because the winter season is much longer here than in other regions. The free trade agreement also represents a very good opportunity. We will be able to deliver without import duties, which is a major asset for strengthening our presence in the European market.”

India's potential extends beyond just clothing. A few aisles away, the development of Fashion Accessories provides another illustration of the country's diverse offering. Arcus India, a Delhi-based manufacturer of jewellery and accessories, already produces white-label goods for brands and department stores, primarily in Europe.

“For design, we work largely in-house, based on the mood boards our clients send us several months in advance,” said Rachica Oswal, who is in charge of the brand. “We also do our own research and watch the runway shows closely to understand exactly what they are looking for, especially in terms of colours and styles. Then, we develop the collection from A to Z.”

This evolution accompanies new sourcing practices, which Schmoll summarised as follows: “Fewer and fewer people want to develop a collection because it requires a lot of resources, staff, and time. For certain products, brands now prefer models already developed by manufacturers, which they can then adapt.”

This is a new way of sourcing that Texworld fully intends to address. The next event will be held from January 25 to 27, 2027, at Paris-Le Bourget.