The 14th edition of the International Garment Accessories and Packaging Expo (GAPEXPO) 2025 will be held in Dhaka from January 8 to 11.

The four-day exhibition will showcase garment accessories such as buttons, packaging products, hangers, zippers, machinery, yarn and fabrics at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka.

Commerce Adviser to the interim government Sk Bashir Uddin is scheduled to inaugurate the event.

Around 250 exhibitors from 18 countries will present their products, machinery and technologies at the event, said Md Shahriar, president of the Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA), during a press conference at the La Vinci Hotel in Dhaka yesterday.

In addition to participants from Bangladesh, exhibitors from countries, including India, Japan, Vietnam, China, South Korea, and Germany, will join the expo, he added.

At present, over 2,200 companies are operating in Bangladesh's garment accessories sector, with a total investment of Tk 40,000 crore and employment of more than 7 lakh workers, Shahriar said.

The amount of deemed exports from the sector is $8 billion and the direct export is $1.5 billion to more than 21 countries, and the local manufacturers make 60 kinds of garment accessories.

With a strong footing in the sector, the local manufacturers can now meet nearly the entire demand for the export-oriented garment sector, reflecting a shift from the dependence of imports from mainly China, Hong Kong and other countries.

A few seminars on the garment accessories sector and sustainable fashion will also be held on the sidelines of the exhibition, Shahriar added.