The Indian textile and apparel industry has always been full of heritage, art, and craftsmanship. However, this has not changed the export turnover, which has consistently been at about 15 billion dollars over the past years. Filling in this stagnation gap is the Brands and Sourcing Leaders (BSL) Association a unique international platform that brings together sourcing leaders, global brands, Indian brands and buying offices on a single platform.
Speaking to NB News Network, Lavina Chabra at the headquarters BSL Association, Mr. Raman Dutta, co-founder and General Secretary of BSL and Chairman of AI Global, explained the efforts of this organization to fulfill Prime Ministers trillion-dollar export dream.
Establishing a Platform Where One Lacked
There has been a traditional representation of industry associations representing manufacturers, mill owners or supply chain partners. Nevertheless, a consistent platform did not exist where the heads, brand leaders, and purchasing executives the global textile and apparel flow decision-makers could be accessed.
BSL takes its bite out of this vacuum by uniting three groups of members:
- Zara, Mango, GAP, PVH and Walmart are some of the international brands.
- There are large Indian brands such as FabIndia, Biba, ANTRA, Aditya, Spike and MUI.
- Some of the largest buying offices include Triburg, New Times and Leanfung.
BSL now has more than 450 domestic members and 12 international chapters in Russia, Japan, Europe and the US, with nearly 900 leaders in total. This high rate of growth is in line with the appetite that the industry has shown with regard to collaborative platforms that are more innovative and globally competitive.
Five Pillars for a Stronger Textile Ecosystem
To translate vision into action, BSL has adopted five core initiatives:
- Sustainability and Good Earth—not just eco-friendly fabrics, but stories of social and environmental impact from Indian artisans and manufacturers.
- Digitalization and Automation—enabling supply chains to become smarter, faster, and more transparent.
- Man-made Fibers (MMF)—scaling synthetic fiber production to 10x its current capacity to meet global demand.
- Design and Innovation—fostering world-class product development capabilities within India.
- Import Substitution—reducing dependency on foreign raw materials by strengthening domestic manufacturing.
These are aimed at ensuring that Indian textiles shift their status as a mere low-cost sourcing destination and become a hub producing high-value, sustainability and innovative goods.
Storytelling Instead of Products
Making a garment is not about sustainability to Mr. Dutta; it is about people and blending their stories into the garment. Whereas international brands such as Marks & Spencer have constructed very strong narratives around their Indian sourcing, local companies have not been able to emphasize the artisans, manufacturers and craft clusters in the country.
BSL intends to modify this by depicting the Indian craft and the social projects worldwide. Whether it is the handloom weavers of Chanderei, Tie-and-dye craftsmen of Bandhani, or the lesser-known origin of the Denim that lies deep-rooted in India, the tales have to be put across as has been done effectively by Yoga and Bollywood.
Bringing Change, not Leading
Although his role was instrumental, Mr. Dutta defines himself as a catalyst and not a leader. His vision is to inspire entrepreneurs and professionals to increase exports, cut down on imports and educate generations yet to be inspired.
An important aspect of this dream is rural Indian women empowerment. Tailoring: Tailoring is one of the safest and most approachable industries for women; however, much of the rural talent is untapped in India. Textile industry can achieve livelihoods besides fostering social sustainability by establishing manufacturing units in the villages.
Building the first truly global lifestyle brand of India
One of BSL’s most adventurous objectives or missions is the establishment of an Indian lifestyle generator that concretely extends to the world. Whilst abroad names like Zara, Primark and even Tommy Hilfiger make waves in the global fashion domain, India tragically has had no fashion brand yet that resonates with people all over the world.
With its five initiatives, BSL will achieve a brand that narrates the lives of the artisans of India, sustainability and innovations to the consumers globally. This would Indianize textiles to make them a soft power image similar to the case of American culture being represented by the Indian McDonald’s, KFC, or even Hollywood movies.
From Farm to Fashion to Foreign
The slogan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not a misplaced one, but a move through the conventional craft hotbeds to high value and international exports. The Indian textiles such as Chanderei and Bandhani should be given a Geographical Indication (GI) and get international exposure. When consumers all over the globe recognize these forms of art by name, their contribution to the cultural identity of India is as significant as yoga or cuisine already are.
Final thoughts
Asked whether he would like to be a hero in BSL were it a film, Mr. Dutta says he would choose to be a trainer and not a hero and control the industry players and not be at the helm. Should he swish a magic wand and remove one obstacle, he would, perhaps, relocate the gargantuan, but little exploited, workforce of the rural Indian woman to make them the launching pad of sustainable manufacturing in India.
As it continues to build its international infrastructure, invest in the power of storytelling, and divide its efforts into producing high-quality, socially conscious products, BSL is setting up the Indian textile industry to take its step into the big league. It is not only about creating clothes but also about turning India into the global fashion voice that culturally, technologically and humanly blends tradition and innovation.
Also check:- Textile Fairs India (TFI) 2025
With BSL promoting the move towards globalization of local initiatives, there is the possibility of having a soft power emerging in the form of an Indian textile brand soon as a part of Sri Lanka and its soft power ambitions.
