Five of Pakistan’s leading textile and apparel manufacturers are capturing international attention at the ongoing Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2025, a global trade event taking place from September 2 to 4. Their presence underlines the vibrant revival of Pakistan’s textile sector, which is riding a wave of impressive export growth.
The industry kicked off the current fiscal year with extraordinary vigor, registering a 32 percent surge in exports in July alone. The sector has shown a positive growth trend in recent months, with June recording a year-on-year increase of 7.59pc. For the entire Fiscal Year 2024-25, the sector’s exports climbed 7.39 percent to $17.887 billion, up from $16.655 billion the previous year, signaling a robust and sustained recovery.
Participating Pakistani companies are leveraging the expo-one of the oldest and most prestigious textile events in Shanghai-to foster crucial partnerships. Shehzad Ahmad Khan, the Pakistani Consul General in Shanghai, emphasized the strategic importance of the platform, CEN reported on Wednesday.
“Pakistani companies have a long tradition of participating in Intertextile, which offers two vital segments: one for fabrics and another for apparel,” he said. “This provides an excellent opportunity for collaboration with Chinese companies, particularly in acquiring cutting-edge technology for man-made fabrics and exploring joint ventures in high-value apparel using wool, cotton, and specialty materials.”
The diplomat also highlighted the potential of the Sino-Pakistani partnership to target international markets collectively. “This type of exhibition enables Pakistani companies to not only upgrade their technological capabilities but also form strategic alliances for entering third-party markets.”
The timing of the expo aligns with high-level diplomatic engagement, including the Pakistani Prime Minister’s visit to the SCO summit in Tianjin and the second Pakistan-China Investment B2B Conference in Beijing. Textile is one of the central themes in these discussions, with numerous joint ventures and technology transfer agreements related to manufacturing facilities in Pakistan expected to be advanced, noted the Consul General.
Among the Pakistani exhibitors is Azgard Nine Ltd, a producer of environmentally sustainable denim fabrics and garments for global markets. Deputy General Manager Sana Arshad expressed strong optimism based on past successes. “Our participation in the spring edition yielded positive results, and we are highly confident that this edition will open even more doors for innovation and partnership,” she remarked.
The China Textile Autumn Joint Expo 2025 unites four major specialized fairs- Intertextile, CHIC, Yarn Expo and PH Value-to form a 350,000-square-meter hub for industry innovation. The event draws nearly 5,200 top exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions, showcasing advances in technology, fashion, sustainability and wellness.