Upnext India was held in Gurugram, February 10 to 11, 2023.

The aim was to foster trade ties with Japan. This Japan-focused edition of the reverse buyer seller meet hostedapparel and fashion accessories exporters, providing them a platform to engage with Japanese brands and buyers. More than 80 prominent Japanese buyers including trading companies and retail chains/ stores were in India to source their requirements from the 112-odd Indian exhibitors who displayed a diverse range of readymade garments reflecting Japanese taste.

Japan is the fourth largest readymade garment importer in the world. India has duty-free access to the Japanese market and so is anxious to tap this huge trade potential in the readymade garment sector. Japan presents strong business opportunities for India since China, which has been a dominant garment supplier to Japan, has witnessed a decline in the past five years.

Japan has two competitive advantages as an apparel sourcing base: sourcing cost and flexibility and agility. Indian suppliers can cater to both small size customised orders of 300 pieces to large orders as huge as three lakh pieces of one style. Apparel imports into Japan have witnessed a positive uptick in the last three years despite Covid, which allows India’s apparel industry a huge opportunity.