The 39th India International Leather Fair IILF 2026 was held from Feb 1 to 3, 2026 at Chennai Trade Centre with several parallel industry events running alongside the main exhibition.
These included the Leather Fashion Show, seminars, LERIG Conclave and the AC TECH ALFA Alumni Meet bringing together different sections of the leather ecosystem under one roof.
The fair was formally inaugurated by Ambassador Jawed Ashraf, IFS Retd, Chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation in the presence of senior government officials, industry leaders, diplomats and media.
Alongside the main exhibition the 9th Designers Fair organised by the Council of Leather Exports was also inaugurated at the venue.
IILF 2026 showcased the full spectrum of the leather and footwear industry covering raw materials finished leather footwear leather garments fashion accessories machinery equipment and chemicals.
This year the fair saw strong exhibitor participation with over 425 Indian exhibitors and around 67 overseas exhibitors. Germany and Italy set up dedicated country pavilions while companies from Gulf countries Brazil Turkey and the Australian Leather Association for the first time also took part.
On the third day of the fair, US President Donald Trump announced a tariff cut on Indian goods from 50% to 18%. While the news brought visible excitement among exhibitors, the halls remained largely empty.
The fair ran from Sunday to Tuesday. When leathernews.org spoke to exhibitors responses were mixed. Day one saw a decent crowd. From Monday footfall dropped sharply and by Tuesday the venue was almost empty.
Mr.Vasan, Industry professional shared on LinkedIn saying “Mobile connections were terrible. None of the service providers were working inside. The exhibitors had wifi but visitors struggled. The red carpet was never fixed and many slipped and fell. Product wise segregation is badly needed. Similar product lines were spread across different buildings making it difficult for buyers.”
During a CLE press conference on Jan 31, 2026 an ITPO representative said he had a casual discussion with CLE Regional Chairman Mr. Abdul Wahab where the idea of hosting IILF in other leather clusters across India came up as a point worth exploring.
