Case study · Exhibition environment

A Greek summer inside India's biggest apparel fair.

For the 82nd National Garment Fair, organised by CMAI, we turned the halls and lanes of Bombay Exhibition Centre into a whitewashed seaside town. Bougainvillea, mosaic tile, blue shutters and a colour code that tells every buyer where to go.

Large blue mosaic-tiled NGF letters with red bougainvillea, on a plinth reading National Garment Fair, organised by CMAI

Client: The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI)
Event: 82nd National Garment Fair
Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, NESCO, Mumbai
Dates: 20–22 January 2026
Scope: Theme, spatial design, signage, graphics, fabrication

Sun.Sea.Style.

The idea

A spring–summer trade show should feel like a holiday before buyers see a single garment.

The fair showcases spring–summer apparel, so we borrowed the look of a Greek island town: lime-washed walls, rounded arches, painted shutters, cobbled floors and bougainvillea spilling over everything.

The theme runs from the street gates to the stall fascias. Every archgate, tunnel and photo corner uses the same small kit of parts, so the whole venue reads as one place rather than six separate halls.

Wayfinding

Three colours, one per category.

Each product category got its own colour, carried through the carpet, the archgate trim, the hall lettering, the hanging buntings and the stall fascias. Buyers follow the floor.

MENSWEAR · HALL 1

Aegean blue

Blue mosaic arches on the buntings, blue shutters and trim on the Hall 1 archgate.

Carpet · Archgate · Buntings

WOMENSWEAR · HALLS 3 & 4

Bougainvillea pink

The colour of the flower that runs through the whole theme, used on the women's halls and facades.

Carpet · Archgate · Facades

KIDSWEAR · HALLS 2, 5 & 6

Marigold

Warm gold with a patchwork of painted tiles, the most playful of the three palettes.

Carpet · Archgate · Tiles

01 · Archgates

One arch, built in every colour.

A rounded white wall with a block-stone arch, raised hall lettering and a spill of bougainvillea. The trim and lettering change colour by category; the form stays the same, which made it fast to fabricate and easy to recognise.

Render of white archgate with blue arch trim and Hall 1 lettering — DesignMen · Hall 1

Render of white archgate with pink arch trim and Hall 3 lettering — DesignWomen · Hall 3

Render of white archgate with gold arch trim and Hall 2 lettering — DesignKids · Hall 2

Hall 1 · Men's archgate with balcony

The menswear entrance grew into a full house front, 46 × 24 ft, with a blue shuttered window and a wrought-iron balcony beside the arch.

Render of Hall 1 archgate with blue shuttered window, balcony and bougainvillea — Design46 (w) × 24 (h) ft

Photo of the built Hall 1 archgate with blue arch, shutters, balcony and red bougainvillea — On siteHall 1 as built

Built Hall 2 archgate with yellow arch, pink bougainvillea and marigold patterned carpet — On siteHall 2 · Kids

Built Hall 4 archgate with pink arch trim set into a pink facade with fashion models — On siteHall 4 · Women

02 · Tunnel, Hall 1 to 2

Walk on water between halls.

The covered link between Hall 1 and Hall 2 became a colonnade. Fluted half-round Greek columns line both walls, and an LED floor plays rippling water underfoot as visitors walk through.

Tunnel with white fluted columns, warm uplighting and a glowing blue LED floor — On siteLooking towards Hall 1

Render of a dark colonnade with a blue water floor — DesignConcept render

Floor: LED screen running a rippling-water loop
Columns: Half-round fluted Greek columns, smooth paint finish, both sides
Ceiling: Acoustic panel, Natural Beige 4215
Walls: Acoustic panel, Jute 8528
Safety: 2 emergency exit doors planned into the run

Side view of the tunnel with plaster walls, columns and LED floor

03 · Hotspots

Corners built for the camera.

Between the halls we placed small stage sets, each with one hero element. They gave buyers somewhere to pause, and gave the fair a steady stream of photos on social media.

The Vespa wall

A striped yellow façade, a navy window frame and a vintage Vespa parked in front. The brightest photo spot in the Hall 5 area.

Render of a yellow and white striped wall with navy window and a yellow scooter — DesignHall 5 area

Built yellow-striped wall with blue window frame and a yellow vintage Vespa — On siteAs built

The beach promenade

Themed carts for mocktails, teas, coffees and quick bites, set around a whitewashed wall with blue shutters and bistro seating.

Render of striped-awning food carts either side of a white wall with blue shutters — DesignPromenade carts

Built white wall with blue shuttered window, two white chairs and a small table — On siteWindow seat

The NGF logo

Three-dimensional letters clad in blue mosaic tile, with real and artificial bougainvillea growing through them.

DesignConcept

On siteNGF logo as built

04 · Lanes & corridors

Streets between the halls.

Connecting passages got striped awnings overhead, painted windows and balconies on the walls, and a cobblestone print underfoot, so moving between halls felt like walking a village lane.

Stairway under blue and white striped awnings with painted walls — On siteAwning stairway

White corridor with painted blue windows, pink flowers and grey cobblestone floor print — On sitePainted corridor

05 · Entry gates

First impressions at the street.

The two NESCO gates set the colour code before anyone reached a hall. Gate 1 in marigold, Gate 2 in blue, each with a directory panel for registration, the three categories and parking.

Flat artwork for the gold Gate 1 arch with directory and welcome panels — DesignGate 1 artwork

Flat artwork for the blue Gate 2 arch with directory and welcome panels — DesignGate 2 artwork

Gold Gate 1 arch at NESCO Center with directory and model graphics — On siteGate 1

Blue Gate 2 arch at NESCO Center with directory and model graphics — On siteGate 2

06 · Graphics

Facades, buntings and fascias.

The print system pairs campaign photography with mosaic arches and painted tiles. Hall facades run up to 67 × 20 ft; the same motifs shrink down to the hanging hall buntings and every exhibitor's stall fascia.

Large red Hall 4 facade with National Garment Fair lettering, models and a tile pattern — On siteHall 4 facade

Marigold Hall 2 facade artwork reading Sun. Sea. Style. — DesignHall 2 · 45 × 15 ft

Pink Hall 3 womenswear facade artwork with mosaic arches — DesignHall 3 · 67 × 20 ft

Three stall fascia designs in blue, gold and pink with mosaic arch details — DesignStall fascias

Three vertical hall buntings in blue, gold and pink — DesignHall buntings

Project credits

Six halls. Two gates. One island town.

Concept & design: The Turtle Story
Client: CMAI
Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
Edition: 82nd, January 2026