By: Behnam Ghasemi
Milan, Italy – Tunisia’s textile and apparel industry continued to strengthen its position as a strategic sourcing partner for European fashion brands through a successful series of B2B meetings held in Milan in cooperation with CEPEX Tunisia and Ready to Show organizer Georges Papa.
More Than 100 B2B Meetings Held in Milan
The two-day sourcing event brought together 10 selected Tunisian textile and apparel manufacturers with more than 40 Italian industry professionals, including fashion brands, sourcing managers, designers, and sourcing agents. More than 100 business meetings were conducted during the initiative, reflecting growing European interest in nearshoring partnerships and Mediterranean textile supply chains.
The participating Tunisian companies mainly represented the jeanswear, womenswear, and jersey segments, showcasing Tunisia’s capabilities in flexible production, premium manufacturing, and competitive sourcing solutions for European buyers.
The initiative follows the success of a similar operation held in December 2024 and highlights the increasing momentum behind Tunisia’s strategy to position itself as a reliable textile manufacturing hub close to Europe.
As global sourcing dynamics continue to evolve, many European brands are actively seeking manufacturing partners that can offer shorter lead times, greater flexibility, improved communication, and more resilient supply chains. Tunisia is increasingly benefiting from this shift thanks to its geographical proximity to Europe, established textile expertise, and growing focus on quality and sustainability.
Speaking about the initiative, Georges Papa, organizer of Ready to Show Milan, emphasized the importance of strengthening direct industrial relationships between Mediterranean textile ecosystems.
“Today, brands are looking for more than just production capacity. They are searching for reliable long-term partners capable of combining flexibility, quality, sustainability, and fast response times. Tunisia has many of these strengths, and initiatives like these B2B meetings help create concrete industrial connections between manufacturers and European buyers,” said Georges Papa.
The organizers confirmed that additional strategic activities are already planned as follow-up actions. These include hosting Italian premium brands and sourcing teams in Tunisia for factory visits and industrial missions, as well as expanding Tunisian participation at Ready to Show Milan, scheduled for September 12–14, 2026.
The growing cooperation between Tunisian manufacturers and Italian fashion players reflects a broader transformation taking place across the textile sourcing landscape, where North Africa is increasingly emerging as a strategic production base for European markets.
For the Middle East and Africa textile sector, such initiatives also demonstrate how regional textile ecosystems can strengthen their global competitiveness through focused B2B networking, international partnerships, and value-added manufacturing capabilities.
