Colombia is all set to welcome around 1,750 international buyers from 28 countries to the 26th annual Colombiatex trade show in Medellin from 12-13 January 2014. In addition, there will be 500 exhibitors from around the world and 8400 from within Colombia. Working with Inexmoda, the institute for exports and fashion, Proexport Colombia will assist international exporters and buyers in finding the right partners for their business needs.

Proexport works closely with the Pacific Alliance, a political, economic and cooperative agreement established to foster growth, development and competitiveness for its member nations of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. The goals of Proexport and the Pacific Alliance fit in with this year's Colombiatex theme of "Transcending boundaries." With this in mind, Colombian exporters, from fibre distributors to designers, textile manufacturers to leather suppliers, will connect with companies from around the world to promote their products.

The Colombian apparel industry not only offers high quality products, but is also a business-friendly environment that is ideal for international companies, said Maria Claudia Lacouture, president of Proexport, the Colombian government agency charged with promoting trade, investment and tourism. Events such as Colombiatex allow their products to gain more international visibility, leading to more business with trade partners and the countries of the Pacific Alliance.

Colombia has more than 450 textile manufacturers and around 10,000 garment production units and according to the organisers of Columbiatex, is considered to have the third largest textile industry in Latin America. Colombian companies and designers produce raw textiles, equipment and finished products, from couture lines and lingerie to school uniforms and accessories. The country's 13 international free trade agreements have contributed to a growing demand for textiles over the past 10 years, with major foreign companies from the U.K. to the U.S. investing in the sector. In the last decade, the Colombian textile industry has grown at a rate of 8.4% per annum.