Textile and clothing fair ColombiaModa 2015, dedicated to fashion, textile industry and clothing which began in the city of Medellin, to scout for new business attracted 11,000 national and international buyers from 36 countries attending the event, said ProColombia, a government agency in charge of promoting Colombian non-mining and energy exports, international tourism and country brand promotion.

ProColombia’s Vice President of Exportation Promotion Ricardo Vallejo said that the aim is to help textile companies go global and position themselves successfully in other markets, attracting new customers. ProColombia is promoting the textile sector at ColombiaModa2015.

Vallejo said that Colombia has the capacity to respond very quickly to small demands. It is not convenient for people to have high inventories, what they want is for the providers to respond quickly to their necessities.

The major buyers from Spain who were attending the fashion fair include Corte Ingles and Inditex and an array of apparel brands including Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, among others.

Corte Ingles, participating for the first time at the fair, is looking for an exportable supply of women’s clothing, specifically jeans and bathing suits, while Inditex is interested in suppliers for the northern hemisphere zone.

Connie Menne, Director of Production at Calvin Klein in New York, also came to ColombiaModa in search of new opportunities for the American fashion house, with a special focus on denim fabric is attending the Colombian fashion fair for the first time.

Menne is surprised by the variety of products offered by the 670 exhibitors and appreciated the speedy delivery of the material. They did business in Colombia 10 years ago, it was a very good experience, but due to prices and different circumstances they had to stop, but now it is a different period, she said.