West Bengal has long held a distinctive place in India’s textile landscape, with its rich handloom traditions, jute industry and established hosiery and garment manufacturing base.
Building on nearly a decade of industry engagement and successful editions in Delhi and Mumbai, Gartex Texprocess India is set to expand its footprint to Eastern India with the launch of its Kolkata edition from 22–24 January 2027 at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Kolkata. Organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India and MEX Exhibitions, the Kolkata edition marks the next phase in the show’s growth journey, taking its established platform for textile and garment manufacturing to a region deeply rooted in India’s textile heritage and increasingly positioned for future manufacturing growth.
West Bengal has long held a distinctive place in India’s textile landscape, with its rich handloom traditions, jute industry and established hosiery and garment manufacturing base. The state’s renowned weaving and craft clusters, including Fulia, Santipur, Bishnupur and Murshidabad, reflect a textile heritage that continues to shape the region’s identity. Kolkata and its surrounding districts are also regarded as the historical home of India’s hosiery industry, with a cluster that has grown over more than a century. The city is also a major centre for ethnic wear, kidswear, zari and embroidery work, while the Hooghly belt remains the heartland of India’s jute industry, now moving into bags, home textiles, geotextiles and composites. As the garment sector grows, so does the need for woven fabric, and the state has been encouraging powerloom and processing investment, among them the integrated textile park at Ashoknagar–Banipur. At the same time, manufacturers across Eastern India are increasingly looking towards modernisation, advanced machinery, technology adoption, capacity expansion and wider market access.
Since its inception, Gartex Texprocess India has evolved into an established platform serving India’s garment and textile manufacturing ecosystem. With editions in Delhi and Mumbai, the show has developed strong engagement among garment manufacturers, fabric suppliers, technology providers and buyers. The addition of Kolkata comes at this intersection of heritage and opportunity and expands the show’s geographical presence across North, West and East India, taking its annual calendar to three editions.
The Kolkata edition is designed to strengthen connections between the region’s manufacturing community and technology and machinery providers from across India and international markets, supporting a garment and apparel sector that is ready to scale up, adopt newer technologies and compete more widely. For exhibitors, the new edition provides an opportunity to access a market where many have traditionally had limited physical presence. For Eastern India-based companies, it creates a home platform through which they can showcase their capabilities to a wider national audience. For visitors, the exhibition will bring machinery, technology, fabrics, trims and allied solutions closer to their market. Kolkata’s strategic location also provides access to a wider economic region encompassing Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and the North-East, from Bhagalpur’s silk base and emerging garment units in Bihar to new apparel and technical textile investments in Odisha and the handloom and Muga and Eri silk economy of the North-East, while its connectivity with neighbouring markets such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan adds across-border dimension for fabric, trim and technology interest.
Commenting on the expansion, Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings, said, “Over nearly a decade, Gartex Texprocess India has evolved alongside India’s textile and garment manufacturing industry, building strong industry engagement through our editions in Delhi and Mumbai. Our expansion to Kolkata is a natural next step in that journey. Eastern India combines a remarkable textile and handloom heritage with an increasingly ambitious manufacturing community that is looking towards technology, modernisation and new markets. We want Gartex Texprocess India to be part of that future growth, connecting the strengths of this region with technology providers, manufacturers and buyers from across India and international markets.”
Mr Gaurav Juneja, Director, MEX Exhibitions, added, “Eastern India’s textile and garment industry presents significant opportunities, particularly as manufacturers look towards capacity expansion, modernisation and wider market access. Gartex Texprocess India in Kolkata will provide the industry with a platform where manufacturers and buyers can see, compare and source technologies and solutions in one place. For exhibitors, it opens access to a new and important market, while for visitors it brings a comprehensive textile technology platform closer to their doorstep. Kolkata is a market we have been evaluating closely, and we believe the time is right to be here.”
The Kolkata edition is expected to bring together companies across the textile and garment manufacturing chain, weighted to the strengths of this belt. These include circular knitting, hosiery and knitwear machinery; spinning, sewing, embroidery and garment-making technology; digital textile printing, dyeing and finishing equipment; power looms, weaving, sizing and woven processing, in step with growing demand for woven fabric in the state; and jute processing and technology for diversified jute products, along with fabrics, trims, accessories and allied solutions.
For a region where centuries-old textile traditions coexist with a growing appetite for modern manufacturing technologies, Kolkata provides Gartex Texprocess India with an opportunity to connect India’s textile heritage with its next generation of growth.