In its 12th edition now, the India Fashion Forum 2012 (IFF’12) which begins on Tuesday at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon will bring together retailers, manufacturers and investors under one roof.

The organised Indian fashion market has evolved considerably over the past five years having grown at an annual rate of 10 per cent. The international forum explores factors driving this growth, learnings and challenges.

The three-day B2B event will host a mega conference, exhibitions and India’s Fashion Awards, which will recognise the business achievements of India’s leading brands and retailers across timewear, jewellery, menswear, womenswear, kidswear and more.

Since fashion accessories have evolved over the years – from being a value add for special occasions, to having carved a niche for themselves in the fashion retail industry, another mega event - India’s first ever expo on footwear and accessories, India Shoes & Accessories Forum 2012 (ISAF’12), also opens on Tuesday at the same venue.

On the other hand with more and more accessories brands setting up stores in India, the rapidly flourishing nature of the Indian accessories industry is no longer a secret. This rapid growth of the industry is due to the burgeoning Indian middle class now being the biggest driver of consumption.

Pegged at US$342 billion, the Indian retail market is expected to go up to US$833 billion by 2015 as per CB Richard Ellis. With a population of 330 million people (30 per cent of the population) living in cities, 35 million (11 per cent of this urban population) are categorised as mass affluent. Together, the IIF’12 and ISAF’12  have over 300 participants and an expected footfall of 15,000 visitors over the next three days.