As the Indian consumer and retailer market gear up for more developments in the near future, the 20th India Fashion Forum (IFF) made its debut in Bengaluru, bringing together experts, professionals, analysts, key decision makers and leaders from across the fashion retail business for a two-day conference to discuss and deliberate on the learning of the past year, success stories, and the way forward.
In order to discuss the upcoming trends in the Indian fashion retail world that is constantly having new global entrants and innovative products, the IFF 2019’s agenda includes presentations and panel discussions on the latest trends and insights in clothing segment, sustainable manufacturing, physical retail, apps, and much more. ‘Athleisure’, growth of women’s wear, traditional wear, innovation and traceability were deliberated upon during the event.

The inaugural panel discussion, led by Bijou Kurien, Strategy Board Member, L Catterton Asia Holdings, sifted through the opportunities and challenges in India as the fastest

We are now at a point where we are beginning to see a merger of offline and online retail.”

changing consumer market of the world. The panel consisted of Akhilesh Prasad; Suresh J; Arun Sirdeshmukh, Head, Amazon Fashion; Ashish Dikshit, MD, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail; CK Venkataraman, MD, Titan Co. and Mukul Baffna, CEO, Arvind Internet. They spoke at length on what the future promised for India as a global market for fashion. Highlighting the important points discussed in the conference, Bijou said, “We have seen the development of data, analytics, artificial intelligence in the fashion business in the recent years. Technology has come to be embedded in our internal operating processes as well as in the customer interface. We are now at a point where we are beginning to see a merger of offline and online retail.”

Further indicating the positive growth for Indian retail players, Akhilesh, President, CEO, Fashion & Lifestyle Business said, “It is my privilege to chair the 20th India Fashion Forum.This is a forum for the industry to get together, take stock of the scenario and learn to prepare for the future”. Akhilesh also projected that the entry of hundreds of global retailers into India in the near future which would be an advantage to the domestic players. He says, “There will be a lot of changes in the next 10 years, much more since the advent of modern retail in the 1980s. While Indian traditional wear is here to stay, e-commerce is expected to evolve along with modern retail. Retail being the second largest employer in the country, regulations will ensure that employment in this sector is not disrupted. With the field open for global retailers, I am certain that the future holds promise for a mature economy.”