The BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 brings together policymakers, brands, and manufacturers to discuss the future of global sourcing and fashion supply chains in a changing, multipolar trade landscape. For decades, the fashion supply chain followed a fixed pattern where raw materials came from the Global South, manufacturing was concentrated in parts of Asia, and branding and value creation took place in Western markets. This model enabled large-scale efficiency and supported the global growth of the fashion and lifestyle industry.
For many years, this system appeared stable. In recent times, its weaknesses have become clear. The pandemic, geopolitical tensions, shipping delays, climate disruptions, sanctions, and currency fluctuations have exposed a supply chain designed mainly for low cost, not long-term reliability. Lead times are now harder to predict, compliance costs are rising, and transparency remains fragmented despite increased regulation.
This is not just a logistics problem whereas a deeper structural issue. The global fashion supply chain is still built on outdated assumptions, shaped by an earlier era of stable trade routes, cheap energy, and unequal power between producers and brands. That reality is changing.
Against this backdrop, the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 emerges as more than a traditional trade event. It serves as a platform to rethink sourcing, manufacturing, and value creation for a more balanced and multipolar global economy.
A Strategic Moment For Global Trade Dialogue
Taking place in New Delhi during India’s BRICS chairship in 2026, the Summit marks an important moment for dialogue among governments, industry leaders, manufacturers, and innovators. Rather than focusing only on transactions, the Summit aims to advance a broader sourcing vision often referred to as Sourcing 2.0.
This new approach questions long-held assumptions that scale requires heavy centralization, that transparency must be imposed from the outside, and that value creation depends on a small group of global intermediaries. Instead, Sourcing 2.0 emphasizes diversification, technology-driven transparency, and stronger regional collaboration.
India plays a central role in this shift. With its strong manufacturing base, advanced digital infrastructure, and growing global partnerships, India is well positioned to connect markets, capabilities, and standards while promoting a growth model that balances efficiency with inclusion.
Rethinking Distance in Global Sourcing
Traditionally, global sourcing focused on lower costs through far-away production. While this approach improved efficiency, it also concentrated manufacturing in a few locations, making supply chains vulnerable to disruptions.
Today, interest in regional resilience is growing. Instead of relying on a single production hub, the BRICS+ approach highlights interconnected regional ecosystems built on shared standards, compatible technologies, and complementary strengths.
This shift does not signal a move away from global trade, but a reset. “Global” now means diversified, connected, and sustainable supply networks and not just sourcing based on distance and cost.
Why the existing global sourcing model is under strain
The global sourcing model of the fashion and lifestyle industries, as it has dominated for decades, was built for efficiency under relatively stable conditions. Its core assumptions-predictable logistics, concentrated manufacturing hubs, and standardized compliance mechanisms-enabled scale and cost optimization across international markets. Yet, recent disruptions have exposed structural limitations that lie beyond temporary crises. Industry leaders are beginning to increasingly recognize that global fashion supply chains face systemic rather than episodic challenges.
Three interconnected pressures-continuity risk, changing ethical expectations, and financial inefficiencies-make it necessary to reassess how sourcing strategies are designed and evaluated.
1. Continuity and Risk Management
Fashion supply chains are highly centralized. This makes them efficient in stable conditions, but weak when disruptions occur. When production and logistics are concentrated in a few ports, routes, and regions, even a small disruption can affect the entire system.
Events such as port closures, shipping delays, natural disasters, labor strikes, or geopolitical tensions can quickly spread across supply chains. In recent years, disruptions at key chokepoints have caused longer lead times, excess or missing inventory, and higher costs. These issues highlight a basic problem: systems built mainly to reduce costs often lack backup options.
As a result, continuity is becoming just as important as cost and speed. Brands are now focusing not only on where products can be made cheaply, but also on how reliably supply can continue during disruptions. This shift is driving greater sourcing diversification, stronger regional manufacturing, and closer collaboration between brands and suppliers.
Continuity does not mean giving up global scale. It means building supply networks that can adapt, rebalance, and recover quickly when problems arise. In this new approach, resilience is no longer just a safety measure but a competitive advantage.
2. Evolving Expectations Around Ethics
Ethical sourcing has long been a stated goal in the fashion and lifestyle industry. However, many existing compliance systems are now being questioned for how effective they truly are. Most rely on audits designed far from production sites and focus heavily on paperwork, fixed checklists, and occasional inspections.
While these systems have helped improve basic standards, they also have limitations. Small manufacturers, artisan groups, and informal producers may follow ethical practices in reality but still fail audits due to procedural gaps. At the same time, large factories with strong administrative systems can score well in audits without meaningful improvements in everyday working conditions.
As a result, there is growing recognition that ethical sourcing must go beyond compliance alone. New approaches focus on participation which gives producers a stronger role in setting standards, reporting progress, and planning improvements. Frameworks that consider local conditions, cultural norms, and economic realities are increasingly seen as essential.
Technology is also supporting this shift. Digital traceability, real-time monitoring, and decentralized reporting can provide more accurate and continuous visibility into production conditions. When developed collaboratively, these tools can reduce paperwork while improving transparency and accountability.
Overall, this change reflects a simple truth: ethical practices cannot be enforced only through external checks. Real progress depends on shared responsibility, long-term partnerships, and systems that encourage improvement rather than punish deviation from rigid rules.
3. Currency and Settlement Inefficiencies
Financial systems are another area where the current sourcing model is under pressure. Much of the trade between emerging economies including many BRICS+ countries is still conducted in US dollars, even when the United States is not directly involved.
This creates several challenges. Currency conversion fees, exchange-rate fluctuations, and slow settlement processes reduce margins and make financial planning harder for both buyers and suppliers. For manufacturers working with very small margins, even small currency changes can affect profits and cash flow.
As trade with emerging markets grows, there is increasing interest in alternative payment systems. These include local currency trade, currency swap arrangements, and multilateral platforms that allow cross-border payments to move faster and more smoothly. This shift is largely practical, not political, and is aimed at lowering costs, improving predictability, and simplifying trade.
More efficient payment systems can also support greater inclusion. By reducing transaction costs and easing payment processes, they make it easier for smaller producers and businesses which are often most affected by financial complexity to participate in global trade.
Reassessing the Foundations of Global Sourcing
Taken together, these pressures show that global sourcing is being rethought. The current model worked well in a different time, but its limits are becoming clear as conditions change.
This is not about abandoning the system, but about adapting it. The industry now needs to build resilience into supply networks, align ethical standards with real working conditions, and update financial systems to match today’s trade patterns.
In the future, success will depend less on removing risk entirely and more on managing complexity effectively. Seen this way, the stress on the existing model is not a sign of failure, but an opportunity to redesign global value chains for long-term stability, shared growth, and sustainable development.
Towards a More Distributed Sourcing Framework
Discussions at the Summit focus on the practical building blocks needed for this shift. These include regional trade corridors, common compliance standards, producer-led certification models, and digital traceability tools. Technologies such as blockchain and AI are seen not as marketing tools, but as neutral systems that help build trust and enable verification across borders.
Just as importantly, the Summit recognizes artisans, MSMEs, and manufacturing clusters as long-term strategic partners. Skills continuity, stable communities, and collaborative planning are increasingly valued as strengths rather than limitations.
India’s 5F Vision and Integrated Value Creation
At the core of this sourcing shift is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5F Vision, which forms the foundation of the 2026 Summit. The idea is simple but powerful: building a fully integrated value chain where every stage from raw material to finished product works together within one connected ecosystem.
- The journey starts at the Farm. India’s focus on high-quality raw materials such as cotton, silk, and jute, along with investments in organic and regenerative farming, shows that sustainable fashion begins with healthy soil. This ensures that ethical and environmental standards are built in from the very beginning.
- From there comes Fiber, where raw materials are turned into advanced textiles. The Summit highlights innovations in smart fabrics and eco-friendly materials that meet the needs of today’s conscious consumers. Here, traditional knowledge combines with modern science to create textiles that are both functional and appealing.
- The next stage is Fabric. India’s long history of weaving and knitting is now being strengthened with automation and AI-based quality control. This allows large-scale production of high-quality fabrics, positioning BRICS+ countries to compete with leading global textile hubs.
- The fourth stage is Fashion, where design takes center stage. The Summit emphasizes creating products for global markets while staying rooted in regional identity. Instead of copying Western trends, designers aim to shape a new global aesthetic that reflects the aspirations of the Global South.
- The final stage is Foreign, which focuses on exporting finished, branded products to international markets. This completes the full “seed-to-shelf” journey and highlights a major shift: India and its BRICS+ partners are no longer just manufacturers for Western brands, they are becoming global brands themselves.
This complete ownership of the value chain is what makes the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 a significant milestone.
Technology as Trade Infrastructure in Fashion Sourcing
One of the key ideas to emerge from the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 is the role of technology as core trade infrastructure, not just a support tool. In today’s complex sourcing environment, data is becoming as important as labor, capital, and logistics. The Summit highlights that future-ready supply chains will depend not only on physical capacity, but also on reliable data, connected systems, and the ability to anticipate change.
Traditionally, sourcing decisions in the fashion and lifestyle industry relied on past sales data, seasonal forecasts, and manual coordination between buyers and suppliers. While this worked during more stable times, it is no longer sufficient in a world shaped by fast-changing demand, geopolitical uncertainty, and stronger sustainability expectations. As a result, predictive analytics and AI-based demand forecasting are gaining importance as tools to reduce inefficiencies across the value chain.
During the Summit, buyers and manufacturers discussed how real-time data from both physical and online retail can improve production planning. Instead of manufacturing months in advance based on estimates, brands are exploring more responsive models where production is guided by actual demand. This approach can significantly reduce overproduction, excess inventory, and material waste which are the long-standing problems in the industry.
Beyond forecasting, traceability technologies are also being recognized as essential to modern trade systems. Initiatives such as the BRICS+ Digital Product Passport show how blockchain can create a trusted record of a product’s origin. By storing information on materials, production processes, labor conditions, and environmental impact, digital passports offer transparency that benefits consumers, brands, and regulators alike.
Importantly, these technologies are not being positioned as top-down compliance tools. Instead, they are envisioned as shared systems developed together with producers across sourcing regions. This collaborative approach allows traceability systems to reflect local realities, reduce paperwork, and encourage continuous improvement rather than punishment. For small manufacturers and artisan clusters, this digital infrastructure also creates visibility and market access that was previously difficult to achieve.
Taken together, the message is clear: technology is no longer just supporting trade, it is shaping how trust, accountability, and value are created and shared. As sourcing networks become more interconnected, interoperable digital systems are emerging as the foundation that allows diverse participants to work within a common, trusted framework.
Sustainability and Circular Collaboration in BRICS+ Supply Chains
At the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026, sustainability discussions move beyond broad promises to focus on practical, scalable action. The emphasis is not on isolated green initiatives, but on building circular systems that work across borders and supply chains.
Circular Sourcing Across BRICS+ Markets
One key area of focus is circular sourcing. This includes models where waste or by-products from one stage of production become inputs for another. Within the BRICS+ ecosystem where countries have diverse resources, manufacturing strengths, and consumer markets, this approach has strong potential. For example, textile waste generated in one country can be recycled into yarn or insulation materials in another, creating value while reducing environmental impact.
Bio-Materials as an Economic Opportunity
The Summit also highlights growing interest in bio-material innovation. Natural fibers, agricultural waste, and bio-based alternatives to conventional materials are being explored not only for environmental reasons, but also for their ability to support rural livelihoods and reduce dependence on imported raw materials. In this context, sustainability is positioned as an economic opportunity rather than an added cost.
Repair, Reuse, and Product Longevity
Another important theme is product longevity. Many BRICS+ cultures have long traditions of repairing and reusing clothing. By integrating these practices into modern retail and sourcing systems, brands can meet consumer demand for durability and responsibility without sacrificing commercial viability.
Policy Alignment to Support Sustainability
Policy coordination plays a vital role in making circular systems work. Discussions at the Summit include aligning recycling standards, encouraging renewable energy use in manufacturing, and creating incentives that reward lower carbon footprints across sourcing corridors. The goal is to make sustainability economically viable for all participants, rather than placing the burden solely on brands.
Sustainability as a Shared Responsibility
In this model, sustainability becomes a shared function across producers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and retailers not a requirement imposed at the end of the supply chain. This reflects a growing understanding that meaningful environmental progress requires system-level coordination and collective responsibility.
From Optimization towards Long-Term Resilience
The core message of the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 is transition, not disruption. Today’s global fashion supply chains were built in a more stable era, with predictable trade routes and a strong focus on cost efficiency. Highly centralized systems worked well under those conditions.
That environment has changed. Geopolitical uncertainty, climate risks, and financial volatility are now constant factors. As a result, resilience is becoming a strategic priority. This does not replace efficiency, but expands it to include continuity, adaptability, and risk diversification.
For brands, this shift means rethinking how sourcing success is measured. Traditional metrics such as cost, lead time, and margin remain important, but are now joined by supply reliability, transparency, and long-term supplier stability. Deeper, collaborative relationships with manufacturers based on shared planning, data exchange, and joint investment are replacing short-term, transactional sourcing.
Manufacturers, in turn, are moving beyond execution roles. By participating in demand forecasting, material innovation, and sustainability initiatives, producers are becoming active contributors to value creation. This change is influencing capacity planning, skill development, and investment decisions across sourcing regions.
The Summit does not promote a single sourcing model. Instead, it provides a structured platform for dialogue, experimentation, and alignment among brands, policymakers, and manufacturers. The absence of a single blueprint reflects the diversity and complexity of global fashion and lifestyle markets.
Ultimately, the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit India 2026 marks a shared recognition that sourcing strategies must evolve with changing global realities. By prioritizing collaboration over concentration, technology over opacity, and resilience over short-term optimization, the Summit helps shape supply chains that are better suited to a multipolar global economy.
The decisions made today will define the competitiveness, sustainability, and stability of the fashion industry in the decade ahead. In this sense, the Summit’s value lies not in fixed answers, but in accelerating informed and collaborative progress.
