Bengaluru, January 28, 2026: As India’s fashion and lifestyle industry prepares for its next phase of growth, leaders believe the future will be shaped by faster decision-making, sharper consumer understanding, simplified assortments, and value-driven propositions rather than sheer scale.
These insights took centre stage on Day 1 of the India Fashion Forum (IFF) 2026, India’s leading fashion and lifestyle retail event, currently underway from January 28 to 29, 2026 at Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru. Celebrating its 25th edition, IFF 2026 continues to serve as a platform where brands, retailers, manufacturers, and global experts come together to decode consumer behaviour and chart the industry’s path forward.
The opening day also witnessed the launch of two significant industry reports. Deloitte unveiled its fashion industry report titled “Weaving a New India Identity: The Rise of Fast Fashion and Affordable Premium”, which introduces a proprietary Fashion Index. The index decodes how today’s consumers think, spend, and buy, tracking behaviour across fashion upgrades, premium inclination, purchase triggers, and conversion. Designed as a strategic tool, it enables brands to identify where demand is consolidating and where it is fragmenting across categories and price points.
The India Business of Fashion Report 2026, launched today, marks a quarter-century of insight decoded for the moment the industry finds itself in. The report brings together robust data, sharp analysis, industry perspectives and future-focused thinking across key themes including sustainability, technology, evolving consumers, supply chains and the next shifts set to reshape fashion retail in India. Designed for brands, retailers, investors and ecosystem partners, this is intelligence meant to be studied and acted upon. Not skimmed, but engaged with, and used as a foundation for planning the road ahead.
IMAGES Group also launched Denim Bible Volume 2, underscoring denim’s evolution from a wardrobe staple to one of the most commercially influential categories in Indian fashion. According to research by The Knowledge Company, India’s denim jeans market is valued between $2.2 and $2.4 billion in 2024 to 2025 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1 to 9.83 percent through 2032. With per capita consumption at just 0.5 pairs annually, the report highlighted a vast untapped opportunity driven by shifting lifestyles, value expectations, and fashion-led experimentation.
Focusing on how brands can unlock growth without overcomplicating assortments, Timo Karanko, Global Apparel Leader, stressed the power of simplification. “Growth does not come from doing more. It comes from doing less, doing better, and making faster decisions. When choice becomes too wide, conversion suffers. Brands need to consolidate around styles that reflect brand DNA, deliver volume, and offer clear value, while removing everything else that creates noise,” he said.
Building on the human side of retail, Anna K Johansson, Change Management Director, TAM Retail, Sweden, emphasised the importance of understanding people behind purchases. “Retail has always been about people, and today consumers are more demanding, less loyal, and surrounded by choice. To build loyalty, brands need to create communities, tell authentic stories, and connect emotionally. Consumers expect consistency across online and offline experiences because for them, the channel no longer matters, the brand does,” she noted.
Addressing the link between growth and consumer value, Ayushi Gudwani, Founder and CEO, FS Life, highlighted the fundamentals behind scale. “Growth is directly linked to unlocking value for the consumer. If you are on trend and delivering value, scale follows across categories. Profitability, however, comes from execution discipline, maintaining gross margins, and focusing on contribution economics, not from chasing growth alone,” she said.
Sharing a legacy perspective, Lavanya Nalli, Vice Chairperson, Nalli, spoke about the long-term mindset shaped by a century-old business. “For most of our history, growth without profitability was not an option. Every expansion, product line, or project is evaluated through the lens of profitability. The advantage of this approach is control and resilience, though it may sometimes mean leaving opportunities on the table,” she added.
Looking at how fashion consumption itself is changing, Amar Nagaram, Founder, Virgio, pointed to the rise of micro and nano trends. “Trends today are moving faster than the industry can react. Understanding how Indian consumers interpret these trends across regions and occasions is critical. Discovery is also shifting beyond traditional platforms, and brands must be ready for new paths to conversion through differentiated supply chains,” he noted.
Offering a mass-market perspective, Anupam Bansal, Executive Director, Liberty Shoes, said that, “Fashion matters, but not every micro trend needs to be chased,” he said. “For us, trends must reach a certain scale to make commercial sense. Technology, comfort, and functionality are increasingly important, and mature consumers often deliver stronger returns than purely trend-driven segments.”
Earlier in the day, the forum’s inaugural sessions set the thematic direction for the decade ahead. Vishak Kumar, Deputy Managing Director & CEO, Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Limited and Chairman, India Fashion Forum, highlighted the industry’s rapid growth while underscoring the need for value-led, sustainable expansion rooted in genuine sustainability and a collective push against waste.
Marking the 25th edition of IFF, Amitabh Taneja, Chairman & Managing Director, IMAGES Group, reflected on the platform’s journey with the industry, reaffirming its role as a space for dialogue, collaboration, and shared progress as the ecosystem enters its next phase.
The discussions at IFF 2026 reflected an industry in transition, one that is moving away from excess and complexity towards clarity, speed, and consumer-centric value creation.
About India Fashion Forum (IFF)
India Fashion Forum (IFF) is India’s largest and most influential event dedicated to the transformation of fashion retail. Over the past 25 years, IFF has established itself as a premier platform that brings together key players from across the fashion industry, offering curated knowledge dissemination, peer-to-peer networking, and business development opportunities. Widely recognised for its impact, IFF serves as a dynamic hub for organisations and professionals connected to the business of fashion in India, facilitating insights, collaboration, and growth within the ever-evolving fashion landscape.
