Ivanovo hosted the anniversary V All-Russian Forum of Light Industry,within which the results of the industry's work were summed up and the directions of its further development were determined. The Forum was held on November 29 and 30 with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. During the Forum, representatives of federal and regional authorities of the Russian Federation, leading industry enterprises, financial and banking structures, retail companies, analysts and experts discuss key areas of state policy in the field of support and development of domestic light industry, topical issues of the industry related to assessing its current state, determining new directions and prospects for business development.

"This year's forum is special not only because it is an anniversary, but also because it is being held for the first time in Ivanovo, the epicenter of the development of light industry. I would like to wish the participants productive work at this event," Evgeny Ryzhov, Director of the Department of Light Industry and Timber Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, said in his welcoming speech.

On the first day of the Forum, a meeting of the expert group "Light Industry of the EAEU was held. Expanding the horizons of cooperation, at which the possibilities of industrial cooperation in the light industry of the EAEU, the prospects for cooperation between the Ivanovo region and Uzbekistan, including the creation of a logistics hub and joint ventures for the production of cotton yarn and other topics were considered.

"The light industry of Russia has set a course for innovative development. This year, a number of new enterprises have opened, there is an active entry into the export market, many scientific developments have been made, the ideas of which are being actively implemented. Today we can be proud of the production of high-tech fabrics, nonwovens and leather production. For example, the car "Motorcade", which was presented by the head of our state, uses Russian-made leather," commented Irina Ivanova, Deputy Director of the Department of Light Industry and Timber Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.

Also, representatives of the industry took part in round tables devoted to topical issues of the light industry. One of these was the round table "How Made in Russia wins over the consumer, who opened the business program of the Forum. The round table was attended by the President of the International Buyers Association, fashion Director of MILO GROUP, Creative Director of NOB AGENCY Georgy Rostovshchikov, CEO of Fashion Consulting Group Anna Lebsak-Kleimans, founder of Solstudio Textile Design Alexandra Kaloshina, heads of the largest companies BASQUE, STAYER, The whole world», SATILA, «AKOS TEKS», «Sporttex+», representatives of Stroganov Moscow Art Institute and other experts. The moderator of the section was the Chairman of the Board of the Russian Outdoor Group Alexey Grebtsov. The priority issues were the use of natural and synthetic materials, the development of design and tailoring, the ability of Russian manufacturers to dress their consumers "from head to toe".

"The goal of any business is customer orientation. Made In Russia currently does not have a global background behind it, but the last two years Russian niche brands have aroused great interest. By integrating our fashion culture, we create a global trend. In about 5–6 years, the Russian fashion industry has made a huge leap– not only Russian, but also foreign companies are adding Russian manufacturers to their brand lists, – noted Georgy Rostovshchikov.

At other round tables, colleagues worked out issues on the development of a national standard for school uniforms, methods of promoting PPE products, discussed counterfeit issues in the light industry, presented the latest products of the nonwovens market and shared their experience with modern technologies and software with each other.

Photos provided by the organizers.