India's fashion and apparel industry is at a pivotal moment, and this is the right time for Indian brands, designers and artisans to emerge as global industry leaders, Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh said during a panel discussion titled “Indian Brands, Global Ambitions: Redefining Retail Growth Beyond Borders” at Bharat Tex 2026.

Singh said that quality, sustainability and traceability should be given priority along with quantity. He urged Indian brands to showcase the richness of the country's crafts and textile heritage to global audiences. He reiterated that artisans and weavers are the backbone of India's textile ecosystem, saying, "Artisans Bharat ki punji hain."

Designers Vaishali Shadangule and Rahul Mishra shared their thoughts on India's potential in the international market. Shadangule explained how things had started with four families of weavers and now it had expanded to the community where more than 90% of the weavers are young women. She shared a vision to revive hundred lost weaves from India and said that a successful display of the strength of Indian weaves can take the Indian weaves to the global markets. Mishra said that brands must be authentic, not adjusting the design for various geographies, as authenticity itself is a point of differentiation. The crafts and handlooms, he added, were where the soul of India is, particularly in this age of AI.

Mishra said that brands must remain authentic rather than modifying their designs for different geographies, as authenticity itself can serve as a point of differentiation. He added that crafts and handlooms represent India's cultural identity, particularly in an era of artificial intelligence (AI).

"True stories are the best armour for any brand, and the more a brand draws upon its roots, the more difficult it will be for others to replicate," said Jaipur Rugs founder Nand Kishore Chaudhary.

While the growth of the e-commerce sector is undeniable, Srinidhi Kalvapudi, country head at Amazon Global Selling, highlighted the platform's ability to support more than 200,000 artisans from tier-two and tier-three cities. She also highlighted the importance of omnichannel approaches in driving international expansion. "Making brands is no longer a choice, it's a matter of life and death," she said.

The session concluded with a call for greater government-industry collaboration to build craft visibility, create clusters, and promote storytelling. These all were given as key enablers in building Indian brands as trusted, high-quality, and internationally recognised names.