On 9 September 2025, the Ambassador of the Republic of India to Latvia, H.E. Ms. Namrata Satdeve Kumar, visited Daugavpils. We at the Latvian Textile Industry Association organised this visit to show her not just companies, but also the people behind the work.

Why Daugavpils

We could have hosted the Ambassador in Riga. We chose Daugavpils. Because the industry is not just the capital. Because here, in the east, work is being done that often gets left out of presentations.

Daugavpils is a city with textile history. And, more importantly, with a future: educational institutions that train the next generation right now.

Textile people you rarely meet

We took the Ambassador first to Daugavpils University. Then to the Daugavpils Technology and Tourism Technikum training centre on Mendeļejeva Street. Then to local industry companies.

At the Technikum, the Ambassador did not see a presentation about “potential”. She saw a real workshop. Fabric on the table. A student at the sewing machine. A teacher showing a technique that can only be learned hand to hand.

In our view, this is the strongest part of the industry. Not offices. Not graphics. People who do.

More than textiles

The Technikum building brings several fields under one roof: garment making and style specialists, electricians, renewable energy technicians, computer technicians. All in one place.

We believe that exactly this kind of education (practical, multi-field, regional) is the foundation of Latvia’s competitiveness. Daugavpils does this every day.

A Latvia-India conversation begins

The chairman of our Association, Iļja Zlenko, attended the visit.

India is the world’s largest textile producer and exporter. Latvia is small, but with deep tradition and a culture of quality. We don’t see competition there. We see overlap: in design, in sustainability standards, in specialised materials.

This visit was a beginning. What the next step brings, the work will show, not the press release.