TKC–WGSN at India Fashion Forum 2026

Global Signals, Local Action: TKC–WGSN at India Fashion Forum 2026

India Fashion Forum 2026 at Sheraton Grand Whitefield, Bengaluru, provided the perfect backdrop for a conversation the industry has been edging towards for years: how do you turn global signals into local, profitable action in Indian fashion retail?

As WGSN’s strategic partner in South Asia, The Knowledge Company (TKC) was proud to see Puneet Dudeja and Urvashi Gupta play central roles across three high‑engagement sessions over two days, alongside WGSN’s presence as Trend View Partner for the event.

Day 1: Global trends, local realities

On Day 1, Puneet moderated the high‑powered panel, “Global Signals, Local Action: What Will Shape the Next 25 Years of Fashion Retail”.

Bringing together leaders from across footwear and apparel – including Anupam Bansal (Liberty Shoes), Nitesh Kanchan (Arrow), Rakesh Jallipally (Pepe Jeans India), Sundeep Chugh (OVS S.p.A) and Sumeet Lohia (ECCO Shoes India) – the discussion went beyond buzzwords to tackle operational reality:

• How global trend signals are filtered through India’s diverse climate, price points and value-conscious consumers
• What it takes to build scalable yet flexible product pipelines for the next 25 years

• Why supply-chain discipline, inventory intelligence and assortments tuned to micro‑markets will matter more than ever

The conversation had a candid tone: leaders openly shared what is working, what isn’t, and what must fundamentally change if brands want to stay relevant through multiple fashion and economic cycles.

Later that afternoon, WGSN’s South Asia client lens came into sharper focus with the panel, “From Rizz to Relevance: Inside Gen Z’s Skibidi‑Slay Shopping Mindset”.

Here, Urvashi Gupta, Director – Account Management, WGSN South Asia, joined founders and CEOs from brands like Sam & Marshall, Slikk, Dennison, amanté India and Campus Sutra, under the moderation of Abhinav Kumar (Brand Concepts).

The panel unpacked:

• How Gen Z’s language, memes and micro‑trends (“rizz”, “skibidi”, “slay”) quickly influence what sells and what sits
• Why cultural fluency and speed now rival product quality as levers of relevance

• How to design collections and campaigns that feel native to Gen Z’s world, rather than appearing as brand‑driven “performances”

Urvashi brought a data‑backed, behaviour‑first perspective – highlighting how WGSN’s consumer sentiment and cultural insight tools are helping Indian clients build collections that resonate both emotionally and commercially.

Day 2: The Emotion Economy – designing for feelings

Day 2 opened with Puneet’s WGSN Trend Talk, “The Emotion Economy: Designing for Feelings, Not Just Shoppers”. In a tightly structured 20‑minute session, he illustrated how:

• Consumers increasingly buy how a product makes them feel, not just what it does
• Design, colour, material and narrative choices can be orchestrated to deliver very specific emotional outcomes (comfort, optimism, calm, playful rebellion)

• Indian brands that design for these emotional needs – across price tiers – are already seeing better loyalty and repeat behaviour

The talk tied directly into WGSN’s S/S 27 Trend View Area at IFF, where visitors could see runway‑to‑rack translations of these ideas. As Gargi Modi from WGSN South Asia noted, the area sparked lively conversations on intentional design, colour direction and how to interpret global S/S 27 stories for Indian consumers and channels.

Beyond the stage: branding, relationships and future work

Across both days, TKC–WGSN used IFF as an opportunity to:

• Deepen relationships with founders, retailers, manufacturers and brand leaders across fashion, footwear and lifestyle
• Showcase how future‑facing trend intelligence can be integrated into real calendars – from concept and range planning to retail experience and marketing

• Gather first‑hand signals on how Indian consumers are evolving, and how that will feed into upcoming WGSN forecasts and TKC client work

For TKC, there was a strong sense of professional pride in seeing key leaders Puneet and Urvashi lead content‑rich, non‑theoretical conversations that blended WGSN’s global intelligence with the realities of India’s fashion ecosystem.