The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), in association with the Government of Telangana, will host the 13th Asian Textile Conference (ATEXCON) in Hyderabad on April 2-3, 2026. The theme of the event is ‘Reimagining the Future of Global Textiles’.
The ATEXCON 2026 – which will coincide with the Telangana Textile Dialogue – will bring together textile industry titans, key policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the future of the textiles and apparel sector in a rapidly evolving global environment.
“The ATEXCON 2026 is not just a conference but a platform to shape the next decade of the global textiles and apparel industry,” CITI Chairman Shri Ashwin Chandran said.
“CITI is delighted to partner with the Government of Telangana for this prestigious event, which will bring together the leading lights of the textile arena, top policymakers, and key stakeholders to come up with ways through which the sector can emerge as a bigger force for good for all in a scenario marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.”
Discussions at the latest ATEXCON will revolve around three key pillars:
- Fibres and Fabrics: Moving past the hype to discover what scales (Bio-fibres, Manmade fibres and Traceability)
- Manufacturing and Supply Chains: Building the ‘Factory of Tomorrow’ using AI, automation and circularity
- Markets and Trade: Strategy for ‘The Next Billion Consumers’ in a volatile global landscape
Other key highlights of ATEXCON 2026 are:
- A Ministerial Dinner hosted by the Government of Telangana, bringing senior policymakers and industry leaders together in a relationship-led setting for purposeful interaction and strategic exchange
- Lifetime Achievement Awards to recognise outstanding contributions to the global, Asian, and Indian textile sector
- Startup Pitch and Networking Gala providing startups working across materials innovation, recycling, artificial intelligence, traceability, automation, and logistics to network and pitch to prospective investors
- Curated visit for interested delegates to the PM MITRA (Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) Park, being established in Warangal, to witness the future of India’s textile manufacturing ecosystem
The Telangana Textile Dialogue, convened alongside ATEXCON 2026, is positioned as a global platform to bring together leaders across the textile and apparel value chain to reimagine the future of the sector. While hosted by the Government of Telangana, it is designed as an open and inclusive forum – welcoming policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, and institutions from across the world.
The Dialogue will focus on shaping a future-ready textile ecosystem driven by technology, sustainability, and global collaboration. Key areas of deliberation will include ‘Policy and Investment’, ‘Global Connectivity’, ‘Heritage and Innovation’, and ‘Skill Development’, with a clear emphasis on leveraging technology to transform the sector at scale.
India’s textiles and apparel sector is a major contributor to the national GDP and exports, besides being the country’s second-biggest employer. India aims to create a $350 billion textile and apparel industry by 2030.
