Colombiatex de las Américas boosted MICE (business-related tourism), which is reflected in the hospitality, transportation, and gastronomy sectors. Its 37th edition closed with 29,000 attendees.
The fair focused on internationalization, Latin American linkages, differentiated value offerings, and the sustainability of the textile, apparel, and fashion sectors.

Nine entrepreneurs participated in this full-service program, supported by programs from the Medellín Mayor’s Office. They work in the swimwear, baby clothing, underwear, knitwear, and menswear sectors. During the fair, they established strategic relationships, accessed new markets, and added value to their production chain.

Inexmoda announced the holding of two new fairs: the first is the Colombia Fashion Summit, a congress that will take place in October of this year and seeks to connect entrepreneurs and academics from the fashion world in Medellín. The second, called Nextech, will take place in September 2026 and will focus on machinery and technology for the various links in the textile-apparel value chain.

“One of the characteristics that has allowed Medellín to thrive in its worst moments has been the constant unity of the public sector, the productive sector, the universities, and civil society. That’s what it’s all about: how we are allies, how we take care of companies, so that things happen,” said Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

Colombiatex de las Américas generated an economic impact of $10.3 million USD for Medellín. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

With this edition of Colombiatex of the Americas, Inexmoda reaffirms its internationalization strategy through a mission of buyers from India, Brazil, Italy, Turkey, Spain, the United States, Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, among other countries, who find in Colombia an opportunity to access products distinguished by their high quality, innovative design, and sustainability.

“Together with the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, we have developed a trade fair master plan so that these events continue to be held and generate economic benefits for the city.” We estimate that a trade fair like Colombiatex de las Américas generates 2,500 direct and indirect jobs. Not only are we kicking off the trade fair calendar for the textile and apparel sector, but we are also impacting the economy and creating jobs through business and specialized tourism,” said Sebastián Díez, CEO of Inexmoda.

In addition to the trade agenda, Colombiatex 2025 featured the Knowledge Pool, a space for updating and inspiring the textile and apparel industry that will bring together more than 30 national and international experts, who will offer nine daily conferences focused on regeneration, multidimensionality, and cooperation. Additionally, the fair will feature the Sustainability Route, which will feature 47 companies from Colombia, Brazil, Italy, and Spain, and the Materials Library, which will showcase progress in eco-friendly developments.

At this edition of Colombiatex of the Americas, the Complete Value Package took on special importance, highlighting the competitive advantages of the national industry in responding to the needs of the global market, as this model offers comprehensive solutions ranging from conceptualization to the final delivery of the finished product.

During the event, nine entrepreneurs from this category supported by programs from the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, had the opportunity to establish trade agreements, exchange knowledge, and transfer technology, which will strengthen their businesses and make them more competitive in the global industry. The textile industry in Antioquia remains one of the largest generators of employment.

Companies in the sector associated with the Fashion and Advanced Manufacturing cluster contributed approximately 7% of departmental employment in 2023. Meanwhile, in Medellín, 10,462 organizations are registered as part of the various subsectors that comprise this cluster. These companies’ total assets of more than $9.4 billion USD by 2024 and represent 8.8% of the city’s total companies, according to figures from the Medellín Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia.

Photo credit: City of Medellín.

Inexmoda explains that 38 of the 285 Colombian exhibitors that will be at the fair are from municipalities with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants or Colombia’s special PDET development zones, equivalent to 13% of the Colombian participants in the fair. .

Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, German Umaña Mendoza

The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, highlighted the importance of attracting international buyers and supporting national entrepreneurs from PDET municipalities, since it boosts “the promotion and encouragement of small and medium-sized companies in the country, as well as its integration into the world’s value chains”.

Umaña pointed out that one of the purposes of the public policy carried out by his portfolio is to “strengthen the domestic market and exports, to substitute imports and to generate income to advance in the reduction of inequality.”

Some buyers who participate in Colombiatex will be looking for innovations in textiles, technical or intelligent fabrics with benefits or properties such as antibacterial fabrics, sun protection, waterproof, fireproof, quick-drying, among others, as well as companies that have sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. environment, a component that is segmented at the fair with a badge in each exhibitor that complies with these good practices and that are part of the sustainability route.

“The mission of buyers from Latin America and the Caribbean represents 90% of the mission of buyers that we invite. It is a very important showcase for national businessmen to make themselves known to international buyers and show all the quality of the industry, along with their designs, flexible delivery volumes, sustainability, among other aspects,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia.

Caballero added that “coordinated work with Inexmoda is key to making business meetings as effective as possible. This undoubtedly brings development and better opportunities for the regions of the country, through the exports of SMEs from multiple departments. In fact, 85% of the exhibiting companies from Colombia at the fair correspond to MSMEs”.

40% of international companies (130) are linked to buyers who come to Colombiatex for the first time, mainly from Ecuador, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.

Likewise, the main markets of the international delegation of buyers are from Ecuador (46.6%), Costa Rica (7.7%), Guatemala (6.5%), the United States (6.5%), the Dominican Republic (6.5%), Peru (5.6%) and Mexico (4.9%). Likewise, of 21 invited countries, 13 countries (62% of the mission) currently have a current trade agreement with Colombia.

Between January and November 2022, Colombian fashion exports registered $962.6 million USD, an increase of 6.5% compared to the same period in 2021. There, the main buyers were the United States, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, Panama and Venezuela.

Foreign sales of textiles increased 14.2% to $204.4 million USD, according to figures from DANE with analysis from ProColombia.

Fabrics, girdles and control clothing, jeans, underwear and pajamas, raw and prepared leather, and T-shirts were the goods most exported by Colombia. The leading textile exporting departments were Antioquia, Bogotá, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico, Cundinamarca, Santander, Risaralda, Caldas and Norte de Santander.

Headline photo: Liliana Padierna

Aside from the exhibitors, there were 24 academic conferences and presentations that saw 2,000 people sit in, with another 50,000 online. The convention created 2,500 temporary jobs for models, photographers, technicians, logistics personnel, and concessionaires.

According to Inexmoda, the event saw 445 exhibitors from around the world, with 305 Colombian companies from regions such as Antioquia (143), Cundinamarca (120), Valle del Cauca (22), and Santander (5). As for international exhibitors, there were 140 participating brands from countries such as Brazil (37), India (32), Italy (22), Turkey (9), the United States (7) and Spain (7).

11,200 national buyers from regions such as Antioquia (5,805), Cundinamarca (2,116), Valle del Cauca (891), Norte de Santander (488) and Santander (437) participated in the fair. In addition, thanks to the joint work with Procolombia, 1,100 international buyers attended, representing countries such as Ecuador (304), Peru (146), the United States (121) and Mexico (99).

All photos: Loren Moss

Initially, the plan was to award two winners, but with the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on business, the prize purse was expanded to benefit ten deserving SMEs with a total of $66,767 USD worth of prize money (dollar amounts are approximate).

The first two places will receive $21,415 and $8,818 respectively, and specialized training in foreign trade, customs and international logistics that will allow them to strengthen their business idea, as well as expand locally and internationally. Eight additional winners will earn prizes from $1,763 to $7,558.

SME owners may register online until June 5th

Working together with Inexmoda, the Colombo American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia) and ProColombia, FedEx will provide the program’s winners with tailor-made advice on trade, digital marketing and how to support expansion plans.

“Today more than ever, our Small Business Grant Contest will support SMEs as a recovering force for Latin American economies and workers. We are very proud to join forces with Inexmoda, AmCham Colombia and ProColombia to help SME owners reach possibilities in unexplored markets. This first edition in Colombia demonstrates our constant dedication to connecting companies of all sizes with possibilities around the world,” said Cristiano Koga, FedEx Express Vice President of Sales for South America.”

To participate, companies do not have to be a current customer or have an active account with FedEx Express. SME owners may register on the online page until June 5th, and winners will be announced June 30th, 2020.

Qualified business owners can apply through the page created for the program, describing their plans to expand their business in Colombia or take it to new international markets. A panel of local experts made up of FedEx Express representatives and their business partners for this campaign will evaluate the most innovative business ideas and choose 10 companies to help take their businesses to the next level.

To register your business profile or view terms and conditions, visit the fedex.com/programafedex/co website for full details on the registration process and evaluation criteria.

The FedEx Small and Medium Enterprise Program was launched in the United States in 2012, and expanded internationally in 2015. Since then, it has continued to grow and in Latin America has been carried out in Brazil, Mexico and Chile, and from this year it will be held in Colombia to provide more possibilities to SMEs in this important regional market.

During the last 12 years Rendón led the communications efforts of Inexmoda, Colombia’s leading textile industry and fashion institute, and its renowned Colombiatex de las Américas and Colombiamoda fairs. Due to her skills in public relations and communication, she managed to make the Inexmoda brand stand out nationally and internationally.

Rendón’s 15 years of experience in communications give her a comprehensive understanding of both online and offline media. Rendon is a social communicator and journalist, holding a Masters Degree in Digital Business Management from the OBS Business School in Barcelona; also a Bachelors in journalism from Medellín’s Universidad Pontífica Bolivariana (UPB), and a postgraduate specialization in Marketing Management, also from UPB.

“We are confident that this incorporation will contribute significantly to bring our vision to the media and allies and continue to fulfill the promise of close communication with all our users,” said Antelo.

Juan Carlos Amezcua, director of products, solutions & Innovation from Visa will present “The Future of Payment Methods” Monday at 2pm, and Andrés Avendaño of Google will speak on Digital Ecosystems Wednesday at 8am.

Speaking with Finance Colombia last week,  Leonel Rojas, director of the Antioquia region for Banco de Bogotá, said, “The purpose of the Feria Mundo Pyme is to generate connections with our current & potential customers, to support business in the Antioquia (which includes Medellín) region, and to support small & medium sized businesses: In training, with an important academic agenda to give them tools that help them develop their business.”

The event is free of charge, and open to the public, with doors opening at 7:30 Monday morning. Banco de Bogotá expects 2500 attendees over the event’s 3 days, and hopes to write 85 billion Colombian pesos (approximately $31 million USD) in loans during the fair.

“In a moment when technology is a protagonist in business strategy, we want to provide advice for those business people to stay updated and understand the digital novelties that are impinging on the market with the development of this new edition of the fair. It’s to highlight that in these seven years we have pointed the Antioquian businesses to face these different dynamics, and also to offer financial solutions that help then to maximize their businesses,” says Rojas.

Also participating will be beverage outlet “Cosechas,” Fenalco, Inexmoda, EPM, The Colombian Ministry of Industry & Tourism, and others.

With the theme of “Open Your Eyes (Abre los Ojos),” organizer Inexmoda expects the 2018 event to draw more than 15,000 buyers and at least 550 exhibitors from Colombia and abroad to do business and celebrate the ongoing growth of the textile, clothing, and fashion industry in the Andean nation.

In regards to the theme, Clara Henríquez, director of commercial platforms at Inexmoda, said that the organization is trying to help inspire companies and designers to identify their strengths — then build upon them to “make extraordinary things that cultivate the future and a lasting business over time.”

Photo: One of the displays from Colombiatex in 2016. (Photo credit: Loren Moss)

The large gathering will include seven pavilions that combine to occupy some 10,400 square meters. This year’s exhibition will also feature Brazil as the official guest country, something that was made possible with the support of Texbrasil, ABIT, and Apex-Brazil. The commercial relationship in this sector between the two neighboring countries grew by 6%, year-over-year, to around $40 million USD, and the organizers hope that the inclusion of Brazil in this year’s outing will only further that development.

Among the festivities will be a full day, January 24, dedicated to love of jeans during “Denim Day.” There also will be a “Graphic Market” on display throughout the event that will showcase talented graphic designers as well as the “Tecno Espacio (Tech Space)” that will highlight the latest technological innovations in textiles and industry equipment.

“The industry faces challenges to increase the volume of its sales and that forces entrepreneurs to focus their efforts on increasing the substitution cycle of garments, either through marketing strategies in the economic segments or greater personalization,” said Carlos Eduardo Botero Hoyos, CEO of Inexmoda.

In addition to the mayor’s office of Medellín, Inexmoda counts ProColombia and UPB, among others, as partners for this year’s 30th anniversary edition of Colombiatex.