Harsh Somaiya

Harsh Somaiya is the driving force behind The Bear House, leading the brand’s business vision and growth with clarity and intent. As a Shark Tank-featured brand, The Bear House today spans 22 stores across 2 countries, making perfect fits for the young gentlemen.With a strong command over the business side of the brand, Harsh focuses on scaling operations, strengthening retail presence, and building a sustainable, future-ready company. His approach is rooted in precision, consistency, and a sharp understanding of what today’s consumer truly values.Driven by curiosity and a clear point of view, Harsh continues to steer The Bear House as a brand that empowers the young gentlemen to dress with ease and confidence.

Nishant Poddar

CMO, The House of Rare

Neel Bafna

Neel Bafna is the founder of Banana Club, a homegrown, Made-in-Bharat menswear brand that secured the biggest investment in Indian television history. Starting in 2023 with a single store in Bangalore, he has grown Banana Club into a trusted name in men’s fashion, blending operational excellence, strategic planning, and innovation. Known for his hands-on approach, adaptability, and entrepreneurial mindset, he continues to shape the brand’s journey and set new benchmarks in modern men’s fashion.

Udit Toshniwal

Udit Toshniwal is the founder & creative Director of The Pant Project, building a modern, bottomwear-focused menswear brand from India. He blends design thinking with deep textile heritage to create products that balance form, function, and storytelling.

Tuncay Kılıçkan

Tuncay Kılıçkan is a highly respected figure in the global denim industry, recognized for his deep expertise in R&D and business development. With a career spanning over two decades, he began his journey at Turkish denim pioneer ISKO, where he spent 20 years driving innovation and advancing fabric development. As a key member of ISKO’s R&D team, he contributed to groundbreaking technologies adopted worldwide, with several patented innovations bearing his name.Today, Tuncay serves as Head of Global Business Development – Denim at the Lenzing Group, where he leads strategic initiatives connecting leading denim mills with globally recognized fashion brands. He has presented to top-tier clients including Levi’s, Diesel, Zara, Uniqlo, Bestseller, H&M, and Tommy Hilfiger, earning broad recognition across the industry. He is also the co-inventor of Lenzing’s latest fiber innovation, TENCEL™️ Lyocell – HV100. In addition, Tuncay manages the influential Carved in Blue industry platform, further reinforcing his role as a thought leader in the denim space. With a strong commitment to sustainable innovation, he continues to shape the future of fashion by combining scientific expertise with a forward-thinking vision.

Mohd Ghiase

Naresh Tyagi

Dr Tyagi is an active member on prominent global and national industry platforms, including the Cotton 2040, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Consortium of Green Fashion, Indian Retail Forum, Textile Association, and Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF). He is part of the ‘working group’ at SAC, Cotton 2040 & Science Base Target initiative (SBTi), also part of the steering committee at GIZ, a German Government agency for a ‘private-public development partnership project’ to build a circular ecosystem for the textile and apparel industry in India.

Gaurav Sharma

Gaurav is the President – Fashion & Apparel Business at Himatsingka Seide Ltd, bringing over 23 years of experience across the global fashion and textile ecosystem.He spent 15 years in Hong Kong at the heart of international sourcing, leading large-scale, multi-country supply chains and working closely with some of the most competitive manufacturing bases across Asia.He is actively driving this agenda by building integrated capabilities and strengthening India’s positioning within the broader Asian supply chain.On this panel, he brings a clear, experience-backed point of view on what it will take for India to win—what is working, what needs to change, and how the ecosystem must evolve to compete globally.

Suketu Shah

Sh. Suketu Shah is B.Sc. D.T.C from M.S University, Baroda (Gold Medallist) working as Chief Executive & Business Head of RSWM Limited - LNJ Denim, LNJ Nagar, Mordi, Banswara, Rajasthan since 3rd December, 2018. He is having 41 years’ experience of handling Denim Business in reputed companies like Arvind, Raymond UCO Denim, Modern Denim, APAC Inti, Indonesia, Aarvee Denims and Mafatlal Denim.

Sartaj Singh Mehta

With more than two decades of stellar contribution to Fashion & Lifestyle brands that have redefined the industry’s outlook and dynamics, Sartaj Singh Mehta has been at the forefront of the Apparel industry, recognized by the industry and his peers as a key architect and change maker. Working at the intersection of Design, Product and Technology, with iconic Lifestyle brands in the Fashion space, he has contributed remarkably to the success of many international brands like Pepe, United Colours of Benetton and Allen Solly. At the same time, he has created impact and helped establish path breaking Indian brands -John Players to Wills Lifestyle.

Meenal S Machan

Meenal S Machan is Global Head of Farm Operations at Raddis®Cotton, leading the implementation of regenerative agricultural systems across India, Türkiye, and Bangladesh, grown into a traceable, acreage-based sourcing system spanning 11,000+ farmer families across 15,000+ acres. Extensive experience implementing restorative, regenerative agricultural programs on the ground with a strong focus on marginal and smallholder farmers and women empowerment

Nora Berger

Nora Berger has been with HUGO BOSS for over 14 years, holding multiple roles across the collection development process. She currently serves as Project Lead for the HUGO BOSS Sustainable Company Goal “Main Natural Materials” and as R&D Sourcing Manager, where she focuses on advancing sustainable material strategies and innovation within product development.

Puneet Dudeja

Puneet Dudeja, a seasoned business leader with 15 years of experience, is driving growth at WGSN as the Director of Business Development for South Asia. With a proven track record in new client acquisition, marketing, strategy, consulting, and operations, he's forging strategic partnerships across diverse industries including beauty, fashion, retail, tech, interiors, food and many others.Puneet's entrepreneurial spirit and strategic acumen have led to the formation of impactful partnerships that are reshaping the industry landscape. His dynamic leadership and ability to navigate complex business challenges have been instrumental in solidifying WGSN's position as the leading trend authority in the region. Beyond his corporate role, Puneet is a sought-after keynote speaker, inspiring audiences with his insights on the future of industries and the power of innovation. His engaging presentations challenge the status quo and empower individuals and organizations to embrace the future.

Sanne Van Den Dungen

Sanne van den Dungen - Director at Raddis®Cotton - where she leads the development of regenerative cotton value chains that connect farmers directly with (inter)national brands. With deep expertise in sustainability and circularity, she focuses on building collaborative supply chain ecosystems that optimize value for all stakeholders: from smallholder farmers to global buyers.

Sukhraj Singh

A Fashion Design graduate from NIFT in 2003, Sukhraj has dedicated all 19 years of his career to Denim, where sustainability has been the key expression of his professional work. Sukhraj disagreed with couture and saw clothing as a responsible extension of people. Starting his career at Arvind, followed by LNJ Denim, he spent 7 years at the denim mills before practicing design in retail. He founded 9.oz Denim Studio in 2014 and curated his signature Denim Design Masterclass Workshop as a strong initiative towards bridging the gap between design cademics and India’s vast denim industry. He founded Indenium School of Responsible Design in 2020 to address the need for responsible approach in design and sustainable product development, offering specialised learning in indigo, denim and sustainability.

Shrinivas Naik

Having more than 26years of experience in the Apparel Industry playing leadership roles in Denim garment processing and Sustainability.Had been heading all the Garment Processing facilities including establishing some Facilities in India and Ethiopia right from Project planning, Plant layout, Machine selection, Project execution, operationalising and Running the Operations. Also had been heading Testing Lab, Sustainable Chemical management as well as Research and Product development.As Head of Sustainability for the entire Arvind Garment Business, been responsible for formalising the Sustainability Strategy and Goals, bringing in resource efficiency, Renewable Energy, Zero blue water, 100% MRSL chemical compliance through sustainable sourcing, Circularity, Traceability etc

Aanshul Ved Grover

Having 25+ years in the apparel field, Aanshul Ved Grover, Sourcing Head of Jack & Jones and Selected (Bestseller India) has diligently explored & mastered various facets of the garment sector. Beginning with a Post Graduate Diploma in the Garment Manufacturing Technology from NIIFT Mohali, Aanshul’s career graph spanned from hands on production floor management across diverse product ranges to roles in Quality Assurance, Technical Operations, Merchandising & Marketing In the Apparel Exports & presently Sourcing in the Domestic Retail sector. He is also an avid Rock Climber, Cyclist & a Paragliding Pilot

Pratap Kumar

Nidhi Raj

Nidhi Raj is the CEO of Flying Machine at Arvind Youth Brands Pvt Ltd. An Alumni of National Institute of Fashion Technology, he has over 21yrs of rich experience in the fashion and lifestyle industry. Nidhi Raj, a fashion design graduate has held various leadership positions in Design, visual merchandising, sourcing and product management during his long stints in Colorplus and ABFRL. He was working as Brand Head, Peter England - Girls & Boys before joining Flying Machine in 2021.

Satendra Singh

Satendra has invented the first ever indigo dyed INDIWOOL DENIM fabric during his M.Tech program at IIT Delhi, a new fabric category of denim suitable to wear in cold climates where existing cotton denim does not provide warmth and comfort. With more than 10 years in textile R&D, Satendra has entire academic background in textile chemical processing and his research expertise includes lightweight, less bulky, sustainable cold weather clothing, high altitude military textiles and waterless technologies for textile processing.

Prof. BS Butola

Professor butola is faculty at the Department of Textile and Fiber Engineering, IIT Delhi. The development of this INDIWOOL DENIM fabric has been conducted under his guidance and supervision at IIT Delhi. He has more than 35 years of experience in industry, academia and textile research. Prof. Butola’s research interest includes shear thickening fluids and ballistic textiles, Textile finishing with metal oxides and biomaterials, polymeric nanocomposite and indigo and other smart colorants.

Rajiv Madan

BITS Pilani & IIT Delhi alumnus with 40+ years in IT/Telecom, He has led digital commerce & AI-driven solutions across global firms like Fujitsu, GM & HCL. As ex-COO at Atlogys, He scaled teams & tech delivery for US/EU clients. He is a Mentor at IIM-Ahmedabad CIIE, IIT startups & STEP. At Indigotex, Mr. Madan is guiding startup from ideation to scale with strategic and technical leadership.

Parvinder Singh

Parvinder Singh is a global sustainability leader, circular economy strategist, and impact entrepreneur with over two decades of experience transforming the textile and fashion industry. As the Founder-Director of the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability (GATS), he leads an industry-led platform working closely with governments, brands, MSMEs, and global institutions to formalize and scale circular textile ecosystems—starting from India's largest textile recycling hub, Panipat. His work champions inclusive industrial transformation, integrating MSMEs, women workers, and informal recyclers into formal value chains while proving that sustainability can be both economically viable and socially equitable.

Alistair Williamson

Williamson joined The LYCRA Company in 2007 having previously worked as Commercial Director for two nylon producers : ICI Fibres in the UK and Nurel in Spain.His main objective in his current role is to increase the presence of The LYCRA Company’s products across the two regions through product innovation, quality excellence and consumer relevant stories that solve problems from their mill customers right through to the final end users.

Ramjith M Pillai

A global sustainability leader, circular economy strategist, and impact entrepreneur with over two decades of experience transforming the textile and fashion industry Ramjith Pillai comes with 23 yrs of experience in Fashion and Textiles. He has extensive experience in Product development, supply chain and brand management experience with a proven track record of delivering brand vision, market growth and increased profitability across multi product range and international multi-channel market. Ramjith work experience has been across India, SEA, Middle east Ramjith values collaboration, innovation, and sustainability, and strive to foster a culture of excellence and growth within team and organization. In Enviu, he handles 2 sustainable venture- The Good Felt & Denim venture

Nishi Vora

Nishi Vora, Director at Fashion Accessories India, helms their marketing and growth function. A proud alumnus of Warwick Business School, Nishi has dedicated over a decade to FAIPL, with a vision of transforming the company into an international organisation which is Indian at heart.Her keen attention to detail, exceptional eye for design, and adept understanding of delivering comprehensive trim solutions have solidified FAIPL’s position as a premier choice for Indian brands and retailers.

Debashis Bhadra

Debashis is currently working as Vice president product development and sourcing at Aditya Birla . He has an experience of 25+ years and owns a master degree in Textile Science. He is also holding 12 patents.

Prachi Sharma

With 20 years of extensive experience in the apparel industry, Prachi Sharma is Director Sourcing - Denim & Knits, Myntra. Through her career, Prachi has mastered various facets of fashion, from the topmost buying offices, Retail and start-ups across design, business, category and sourcing roles . Previously, Prachi has served as the Design, Product & Sourcing Head for Virgio, and Head of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein Europe at Li & Fung.

R V Subramaniam

Rameshwar Subramaniam (Subu) has over 24 years of experience working in the fashion industry across exports and branded retail. He has been at the helm of design teams since 2006 across SF Jeans, LP, Allen Solly, and currently at Mufti.

Subir Muhkerjee

With over two decades of experience in the denim industry, Subir Mukherjee is a denim veteran leading the denim division at Bhaskar Industries.

Shri Kartikay Dhanda

Shri Kartikay Dhanda serves as the Secretary of the Textiles Committee under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. In this role, he oversees initiatives aimed at enhancing quality standards, promoting sustainability, and supporting the growth of India's textile sector. Notably, he has been involved in the implementation of the Jute Mark India Scheme, which aims to promote and recognize jute products in both domestic and international markets . His efforts contribute to the advancement of sustainable practices and the global competitiveness of Indian textiles.

Aamir Akhtar

Aamir Akhtar is a seasoned leader in the denim industry, currently serving as the Group President & CEO at Jindal Worldwide Ltd. Previously, he was the CEO of Denim Fabrics at Arvind Ltd., where he spearheaded innovations such as Azurite Denims and Khadi Denim, focusing on sustainable and versatile fabric solutions. Aamir's initiatives have positioned him as a key figure in driving eco-friendly practices and technological advancements in denim manufacturing.

Raj Kapur

In his current assignment he leads Bhartiya internationals leather outerwear and textile outwear business based out of bangalore . They are a vertical leather garment manufacturer exporter controlling about 20 percent of India’s total leather apparel export .

Sivaramakrishnan Ganapathi

Sivaramakrishnan Ganapathi (Siva) leads Gokaldas Exports, sets its strategic direction and nurtures its leadership team to excel. He is passionate about growth and creating high business impact, with a focus on people empowerment and sustainability.He has over three decades of global experience, leading several high growth businesses in diverse industries across countries in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa. With his passion and strong entrepreneurial mindset, Siva has turned around Gokaldas Exports over the last five years making it a leading apparel manufacturer that is sought-after by top global apparel brands, while delivering profitable year on year growth. The company employs 54,000+ people of who about 75% are women, with manufacturing operations in India and Africa. Siva holds a Master degree in Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.