As the apparel industry faces rapid shifts, including tariff changes, sourcing challenges, evolving consumer demand, sustainability pressures, and new global opportunities, ASW 2025 — a two-day event held on 2nd-3rd July at the Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru — gave the industry what it needed most: clarity, conversation, and connection.
Day 2 picked up right where the energy left off, diving into the questions everyone is asking: Where is fashion headed? How do we adapt? And what does it take to stay ahead?
With expert-led panels, open-house sessions, and meaningful networking, the day was filled with sharp insights, honest conversations, and practical solutions to help brands, manufacturers, and sourcing professionals not just stay in the game, but shape what comes next.
The garment manufacturing industry was the focus of the discussion titled “Textile Industry’s Response to Changing Garment Manufacturer Expectations” that showed how yarn, trims and fabric suppliers are stepping up to meet the fast-evolving demands of today’s garment makers. The panel included Shalendra Vasudeva, CMO, INVIYA – Indorama moderating, with the other panelists including Manmohan Singh, CMO, Grasim Industries; Aashish Mundhara, Managing Director, Keshari Industries; Nishi Vora, Director – Growth & Strategy, Fashion Accessories India (RCBC Group) and Manish Bharati, CBO – Garmenting & International Business, Raymond Lifestyle as speakers. The panelists discussed the potential need for importing diverse and specialized fabrics to meet industry demands. From innovation in raw materials to the pressure for sustainable practices, the discussion reflected a sector in transition — adapting, aligning, and anticipating.
Carrying the conversation forward on sourcing and supply, the session, “Future of Garment Sourcing for Indian Retailers: Domestic Challenges & Global Perspectives” made clear that there should not be a divide between Domestic sourcing vs Global sourcing practices. The session brought together sourcing leaders from India’s top retail brands, namely, Atul Ujagar, Former MD Sourcing – Indian Subcontinent, Nike, with Wicrant Gambhir, Head – Sourcing, Product Integrity & Quality; Babyshop Concept, Landmark Group; Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India Project; Ashish Tomar, Head of Sourcing, Bestseller India; Narendra Babu, Vice President – Sourcing, Page Industries Ltd.; Anurag Kapur, Format Head of Sourcing: AZORTE, Reliance Retail; Amit Mudris, Head of Sourcing, Nicobar Design Pvt. Ltd.; Ajay Kumar Pandey, Director – Production, Quality, Tech and Manufacturing Excellence, Agilitas Sports; Neeraj Puraniya, AVP & Sourcing Head, Bewakoof and Sandeep Pandey, Director & Head of Sourcing, TMRW . The conversation made clear that domestic sourcing is at a crossroads, global sourcing isn’t optional, tech-led transformation is non-negotiable and sourcing can no longer operate in isolation.
From garment manufacturing the discussion moved towards retail with “Adapting to Change & Meeting Retailers’ Expectations” which explored how buying houses are now agents of change, promoting resilience, sustainability and product excellence. The discussion brought together sourcing heads, buying office leaders, and global retail experts to explore how the apparel supply chain is transforming, including Rakhi Handa, Sourcing Expert & Head of India Office, Décor Global Neetu Agarwal, Managing Director, Canberg Global Sourcing Pvt. Ltd.; Mridul Dasgupta, General Manager – Apparel, Anko Sourcing; Dipti Bopaiah, Managing Director – Indian Subcontinent, PVH Corp.; Murugan Thenkondar, President – Marketing & Global Head, Birla Cellulose; Betty Heri, Country Head, ZXY International; Lalit Kapoor, Vice President, Li & Fung India and Charan Singh, Regional Director & GM, Emerging Markets, RCP, UL Solutions. The discussion revealed that as sourcing priorities shift, geopolitical risks rise, and sustainability becomes a mandate, the role of liaison offices and buying partners is evolving from transactional to strategic.
Continuing with retail, “Content That Sells: Visual Storytelling & 3D Assets in Fashion Retail”, changed the focus of the discussions where the panelists made the phrase ‘Content is King’ truly come alive with content being a driver of conversion, engagement and customer loyalty in modern fashion retail. The discussion was led by Vivek Sandhwar, Chief Operating Officer, Being Human Clothing, along with panelists Harshendra Maheshwari, VP & National Head of VM & Store Experience, Max Fashion (Landmark Group); Sharrom Yezdegardi, Head of Enterprise Growth 3D & Immersive INDIA, Adobe and Pankaj Keyal, Principal – Growth, TMRW, An Aditya Birla Group Venture. The discussion explored high-quality, immersive content, using the right KPIs, 3D as an omnichannel asset and the evolution of creative tech.
Just as content is reshaping commerce, consumer expectations are rewriting the rules. The fireside chat “Understanding the Future Fashion Consumer of India” spotlighted how today’s shoppers—from Millennials and Gen Z to the rising Gen Alpha—are influencing everything from branding to innovation. Moderated by Ashmeer Sayyed, Retail Leader & Ex-CRO, DaMENSCH, the session featured Nishant Poddar, CMO & Head of Retail Experience, WROGN; Anant Tanted, Founder & CEO, The Indian Garage Co.; Vivek Sandhwar, Chief Operating Officer, Being Human Clothing; Urvashi Gupta, Director – Account Management, South Asia, WGSN and Sudiksha Jain, Co-founder, Necesera.
The second day’s open house sessions decoded the 4 most hot selling categories in Indian fashion retail i.e ethnicwear, denim, menswear and sportswear under the segment “Category 360”.
In the session titled “Tradition Meets Trend: What’s Working in Modern Ethnicwear”, Srishti Tanwani, Co-founder and CEO, Indo Era shed light on India’s ethnicwear sector’s evolution towards global standards, growing demand for relatable styles and becoming a part of everyday fashion.
“Denim 3.0: The Revival of Rugged Cool” presented by Mohit Srivastava, Design Lead (Jeanswear & Innovation) – Flying Machine broke down what denim truly means in today’s market, where the demand is coming from and how denim is evolving to meet diverse consumer segments.
The third such session, “The New Masculine: What’s Changing in Indian Menswear?” led by Rohit Kant, Brand Head, The Bear House delved into the changing nature of menswear today and what is driving its shift towards streetwear labels, gender-neutral pieces, or softer palettes.
“Category 360” concluded with the session “Sportswear Disruption: Innovation in Performance & Marketing” presented by Pranav Jha, Senior Director – Sourcing, Myntra revealed how the sportswear market is being reshaped by innovation across the board and how brands are pushing boundaries in both performance and positioning.
As Day 2 came to a close, one thing was clear that the future of fashion is not just being discussed, it’s being designed right here.
