Set to be held from June 3-5, 2026 at the Impact Center in Bangkok, the 2nd Asia Sourcing Show arrives as the textile industry maneuvers through a historic reconfiguration. With Thailand reporting the opening of 25 new textile factories in the past year alone, the event serves as a critical gateway for brands diversifying away from high-tariff zones. This ‘Bangkok Shift’ is data-backed: recent industry reports indicate, North American buyers have reduced their sourcing concentration in traditional top-three hubs from 61 per cent to 54 per cent, redirecting volume toward Southeast Asian markets that offer both technical sophistication and regional trade insulation.
Navigating the 17% tariff reality
Running concurrently, the Global Sourcing Summit 2026 will address the ‘new status quo’ where average effective tariff rates hover near 17 per cent - the highest since 1932. To remain competitive, Thai manufacturers are moving beyond volume, integrating Green Industry standards to meet the rigorous 2026 rollout of the EU’s Digital Product Passport. We are no longer competing on price wars but on innovation and verifiable sustainability, notes Dr Chanchai Sirikasemlert, Director, Thailand Textile Institute. This strategic focus targets the $11.78 billion global sustainable fashion market, utilizing AI-driven tools to automate the complex traceability now required by Western regulators.
Diversification and the multi-country sourcing model
As global supply chains lean into multi-country redundancy, the summit highlights a 42 per cent Y-o-Y rise in inspection demand across Southeast Asia. The 2026 landscape rewards ‘agile sourcing,’ where brands utilize Bangkok’s connectivity to manage on-demand manufacturing and shorten lead times. By centralizing the value chain - from yarn innovation to finished garments - the Bangkok assembly aims to stabilize regional industrial performance, which currently fuels over 3 per cent of global textile revenue, providing a resilient blueprint for a volatile trade era.
CEMS-Global is a multinational exhibition organizer specializing in high-impact B2B trade platforms across four continents. Dominating the textile and apparel sector through its ‘Textile Series,’ the company facilitates multi-country sourcing and technological exchange. With a 2026 strategy focused on emerging Asian hubs, CEMS-Global drives regional trade integration and helps manufacturers scale through direct access to international procurement executives and verified buyer networks.
