Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition to kick off this May

The head table, from left: Joint Apparel Association Forum Secretary General Tuli Cooray, Lanka Exhibitions and Conference Services (Pvt.) Ltd Chairman Dirk Flamer Caldera, Sri Lanka Apparel Institute Chairman Prof. Lakdas Fernando, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, National Policies and Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva, Joint Apparel Association Forum Chairman Sharad Amalean, Lanka Exhibitions and Conference Services (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Arjun Dharmadasa and Hairong Investments International (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Dr. Palitha Kohona

Bringing together suppliers and service organisations in the apparel industry in Sri Lanka, the Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition (AISEX) will be held from May 10th to 12th at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center, BMICH premises.

Organised and managed by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Apparel Institute (SLAI), organisers hope to make it a platform in which the future development of the industry as a major sourcing hub for the apparel sector by 2020 would come to fruition.

Held every two years, AISEX 2018, the eighth edition of the exhibition will bring together a wide range of players, big and small, focused on the development of the industry together. Reinvigorated by the provision of GSP plus, the apparel industry is on the brink of taking every foreseeable step in a bid to take full advantage of the benefits allowed under the scheme. “This is a benefit that is time stamped. As the country develops and reaches a higher per capita income, we will lose this opportunity. The time is now to make full use of what is given to us,” Sri Lanka Apparel Institute Chairman Prof. Lakdas Fernando said.

Sri Lanka did not have the capacity to become a large scale manufacturing hub like China, Bangladesh or India. However, the country had the potential of converting to a major supplier’s hub for the industry, with the added advantage and reputation of providing high quality garments in the region, an attribute that needed to be marketed and taken full advantage of, Prof. Fernando explained. Set in this backdrop, the Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition aims to bring all suppliers and service organisations in the sector under one roof and will focus on a wide range of textile machinery, accessories and services from many parts of the world.

AISEX will provide manufacturers of all sizes a platform expand existing manufacturing methods and possibilities of increasing production volumes through state of the art innovative technology.

the South Asian apparel market has been identified as the second largest in Asia, after China. AISEX will also focus on generating new opportunities closer to home for small scale local designers and manufactures an open door to enter the market regional and international market.

AISEX 2018 will provide the ideal platform for corporations to communicate amongst apparel related bodies in the region.

AISEX was first held in 1998. The latest innovations in apparels and global trends were displayed for the benefit of the Sri Lankan apparel industry. 20 years on, the ninth edition of AISEX sets out to attract innovators and trend setters both domestic and overseas to access, meet, learn and experience.