India International Leather Fair (IILF)

IILF is Chennai's leather fair, on the doorstep of the Tamil Nadu tanning and footwear belt around Ambur, Ranipet and Vellore. ITPO hasn't announced the 2027 dates yet, so we don't show the ones circulating on third-party sites.

Here's the honest part - we know less about this fair than about most on our list. What we can give you is how to use a leather fair well, because the leather itself is where foreign buyers get caught out.

Next Edition

Not announced. ITPO's site has no 2027 page, and its own summary lists only the 39th edition, 1 to 3 February 2026 at the Chennai Trade Centre (ITPO, read 28 September 2026 (opens in a new tab)). One third-party listing carries February 2027 dates, but we wait for the organiser.

The 2026 edition took visitor registration on ITPO's own event page, so watch itpo.gov.in (opens in a new tab) for the 2027 page. The city will be Chennai. The venue isn't confirmed.

Why You Go To A Leather Fair: The Hide

A buyer who had handled hides in India gave the most useful line we've read on Indian leather - "Make sure to get a sample first, the quality can vary significantly" (r/Leathercraft, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)). They were talking about water buffalo, which varies more than cowhide in thickness, temper and stretch. A lot of Indian leather is buffalo, goat and sheep, and labels like "full grain" or "Grade A" don't tell you which tannery or which grade you'll get.

There's a second catch for smaller buyers. Leather workers on the same forum say the best hides go to big export orders in bulk, and what's left is what small buyers get offered (r/Leathercraft, 2025 (opens in a new tab)). That isn't a trick. It's how volume works everywhere.

A fair is where you fight both problems at once. You can handle hides from many tanneries in a day, ask each one to name the tannery, the animal, the tannage and the thickness, and take swatches home to test. Test for chromium VI before you order for the EU, because it's a repeat leather failure at Europe's border (our rejection counts are on quality control in India).

Who Exhibits

ITPO runs the fair, according to its own 2026 event page and its helpdesk. Whether the Council for Leather Exports co-organises is Unknown. Exhibitors are leather, footwear and component suppliers.

Exhibiting proves a stand, not a tannery. Some exhibitors make the goods and some trade them, and both are normal - a good merchant exporter can often get a small buyer better hides than it would get alone. Ask who makes your order, and ask for the tannery's name on the proforma.

Hosted-Buyer Terms

Not published. If leather is your category then watch BFLEX too. It's the leather council's own event, run as a buyer-seller meet with set meetings.

Visa And Getting There

Use the e-Business Visa, apply at least two weeks ahead, and ask the organiser for an invitation letter. Chennai has an international airport. The last edition was at the Chennai Trade Centre, which ITPO runs as a joint venture with TIDCO, and the Ambur and Vellore clusters are a long day trip west.

Past Editions

• 2026: the 39th edition, 1 to 3 February 2026, Chennai Trade Centre (ITPO, read 25 September 2026).

Sources

• ITPO organisation and fair facts (opens in a new tab), read 28 September 2026
• ITPO: IILF Chennai 2026 (opens in a new tab), the organiser's page for the 39th edition, read 25 September 2026. No 2027 page yet.
• Leather Working Group event listing for IILF 2027 (opens in a new tab), third-party listing, read September 2026 (not used for dates)

Where SourcingSync Helps

Want tanneries and footwear units around Chennai checked and visited, with or without the fair, and hide samples collected for testing? SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does it.

All India fairs: /india/fairs/ · All fairs: /fairs/