CMAI organizes Trendhaus to showcase Autumn-Winter 2026 collections
The Indian apparel industry entered a new phase of institutionalized trade on January 26, 2026, with the launch of Trendhaus, a high-stakes ‘India Brands Collective’ organized by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI).
By centralizing 11 of the nation’s most prominent domestic labels - including the likes of Spykar, Indian Terrain, Killer, and Gini & Jony - into a single, closed-door ecosystem, the initiative represents a fundamental shift in how the domestic market handles high-volume seasonal procurement.
A controlled ecosystem for Autumn-Winter 2026 forecasting
The primary objective of the Trendhaus format is the elimination of ‘booking fatigue’ by offering a curated, structured preview of Autumn-Winter 2026 collections. Within massive dedicated pavilions spanning up to 30,000 sq ft, brand teams are engaging directly with decision-makers from approximately 2,000 pre-identified retail outlets, including multi-brand outlets and e-commerce giants. This controlled environment is designed to maximize ‘outcome-driven’ interactions, allowing retailers to finalize advance orders with a level of predictability that has historically been difficult to achieve in India’s often volatile domestic retail sector. Santosh Katariya, President, CMAI, notes, such forums are critical for moving the industry toward greater transparency and long-term partnership rather than mere transactional buying.
Strategic incentives and professionalization of the supply chain
CMAI has significantly lowered the barrier for regional retail participation by funding an all-expenses-paid hospitality model for 2,000 top-tier buyers, covering travel and accommodation to ensure the presence of key stakeholders. This aggressive investment in relationship-building is aimed at stabilizing the domestic supply chain by securing advance commitments months before the season begins. By fostering these direct brand-to-retailer links, CMAI is effectively bypassing the middle-market noise, allowing brands like Classic Polo, Status Quo, and Nostrum to gauge market sentiment and refine production schedules. This data-backed approach to inventory planning is expected to reduce the risk of overproduction, aligning with the industry's broader movement toward operational sustainability.
Six decades of advocacy and the modern sustainable mandate
The launch of Trendhaus is the latest milestone for CMAI, an organization that has represented the backbone of Indian apparel manufacturing for over sixty-three years. With a membership exceeding 7,000 firms and a reach extending to 50,000 retailers, the association has evolved from a policy advocate - having led the creation of the Apparel Export Promotion Council in 1978 - into a champion of ESG initiatives. This legacy of development, which includes the 2019 ‘SU.RE’ sustainability project, provides the necessary institutional weight to Trendhaus. As the only Indian body represented on the International Apparel Federation, CMAI’s move to consolidate brand bookings into a professionalized collective is seen as a strategic step to elevate India’s domestic fashion infrastructure to global standards.
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