Sportswear and athleisure are potential segments that the textile and garment industry in Tamil Nadu can tap as the State has the required eco system, said GR Gopikumar, convenor of the textile panel of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamil Nadu.The CII has been interacting with the Taiwan Textile Federation and organised a two-day business meeting and summit in Coimbatore and Tiruppur on July 21 and 22, with special focus on processing of functional synthetic fabrics.âWe hope an (industry-wide) alliance will be formed in 2026 between the Taiwan textile sector and the textile industry in Tamil Nadu,â he told the media in Coimbatore on Monday.The focus right now is on increasing garment production in Tamil Nadu by importing some of the high end fabrics from Taiwan, which is a global leader in synthetic active wear.âWe find India to be a safer place and our clients are advising us to source more from India,â said Justin Huang, president of the Taiwan Textile Federation.Leading markets are focusing on sustainability and it is the right time to work jointly to produce garments made of sustainable synthetic fabrics, especially for active wear. âWe will start with trade collaboration and then think of investments,â he said.Sunil Jhunjhunwala, co-founder of Technosport, said India will soon have either preferential access to the U.S. or at least a level playing field with other countries. This will give a thrust to export of synthetic active wear from India.A. Sakthivel, Honorary Chairman of Tiruppur Exportersâ Association, said at the meeting held in Tiruppur on Tuesday that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the UK and the EU are currently in progress, while a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the U.S. is expected. These will significantly boost textile exports.Published - July 22, 2025 07:56 pm IST