Indian ethnic fashion is quietly going global — and Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh is paying close attention. On Thursday, 29 October 2026, the minister met Libas CEO Siddhant Keswani at his ministerial office in New Delhi for a wide-ranging discussion on the textile sector, spotlighting the homegrown women's ethnic-wear brand as a standard-bearer for India's manufacturing ambitions.

In a post on X, Singh wrote: 'Aaj Libas ke CEO Shri Siddhant Keswani ji se apne karyalay mein bhent kar textile kshetra se jude vibhinn vishyon par charcha ki.' ('Today I met Libas CEO Shri Siddhant Keswani at my office and discussed various subjects related to the textile sector.') He praised the brand for doing 'commendable work' in traditional women's apparel, strengthening the 'Make in India' drive and building a 'global identity for Indian fashion.'

Why Libas and why now

Libas has emerged as one of India's fast-growing digital-first ethnic-wear labels, concentrating on salwar suits, kurtas, and traditional women's garments — a high-value, labour-intensive category the Ministry of Textiles has consistently flagged as a priority export segment. The brand's proposition aligns almost exactly with what New Delhi wants: domestic manufacturing, cultural product identity, and an international audience reached through e-commerce.

The meeting fits a pattern of ministerial stakeholder consultations that have intensified under the Make in India framework, launched in September 2014 to accelerate domestic production and exports across sectors, textiles prominently among them. Ethnic apparel, once considered a purely domestic play, is now seen as a vehicle for brand India on global marketplaces.

Textiles as an employment engine

Textiles is one of India's most labour-intensive industries, employing tens of millions of workers — a fact that gives every minister in this portfolio outsized political and economic motivation to push the sector forward. Singh, a senior BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Bihar, has consistently used the ministry's platform to project Indian apparel as a globally competitive proposition rather than merely a domestic market play.

The emphasis on traditional women's garments is deliberate. Value-added ethnic wear commands higher margins than commodity textile exports, and a recognisable Indian brand story — 'Made in India, worn worldwide' — is exactly the narrative the ministry has been trying to build for the category.

The next concrete signal to watch: whether fresh production-linked incentive disbursements for apparel brands follow from consultations like this one, or whether the annual Ministry of Textiles report flags ethnic-wear exports as a new priority metric.

Indian fashion has always had a story to tell. The question is whether the policy machinery can give it the runway to go truly global — and meetings like today's suggest the ministry is at least listening closely.