Life in Focus: Ajay Ajmera, Founder & CEO, Ajmera Fashion Ltd.
Ajay Ajmera, founder and CEO of Ajmera Fashion Ltd., has grown a Surat‑based textile company from a Class 12 dropout to a global exporter serving more than 30 countries. The firm has empowered over 150,000 textile entrepreneurs, including more than 10,000 women running home‑based businesses, through its franchise models such as Ajmera Trends and Little Wings. Ajmera’s strategic bucket list targets one million entrepreneurs, India’s most trusted ethnic‑wear brand, and a world‑class training ecosystem. He also sees artificial intelligence as a catalyst to elevate the textile industry further.
Mirza International Acquires Solethreads to Enter Semi-Premium Footwear Segment
Mirza International has acquired 100% of Gurugram‑based casual‑footwear startup Solethreads, marking its entry into India’s fast‑growing semi‑premium footwear segment. Solethreads, founded in 2020, has raised over $7 million and achieved a monthly run rate of about $638,000, with presence in 600...
Flipkart Hires Senior Executives To Scale Platform Engineering And Execution Capabilities
Flipkart has appointed Smita Ojha as Vice President of Engineering and Amit Sharma as Vice President of Programme Management to bolster its OneTech platform capabilities. Ojha will head the Central Platforms Group, bringing over two decades of platform‑engineering expertise from Mindtickle. Sharma...
Jan Vishwas Bill Eases Export Offence Penalties for Textiles, Handlooms
The Jan Vishwas Bill proposes sweeping de‑criminalisation of export offences in textiles, handlooms and related agricultural products. Imprisonment provisions are removed, replacing them with warnings and fines up to Rs 25 lakh (≈$26,000). Handloom compliance violations now face fines between Rs 10,000 and...
Satya Paul Appoints Aseem Kapoor as Creative Director to Lead Brand Revival
Satya Paul has appointed Aseem Kapoor as its new Creative Director, signaling a strategic pivot toward contemporary storytelling and youthful energy. Kapoor, known for narrative‑driven, layered designs, will steer collections, campaigns, and overall brand communication. The move dovetails with Satya...
US-Iran Conflict Begins to Disrupt India’s Q-Commerce and Logistics Sectors
The US‑Iran conflict is beginning to ripple through India’s quick‑commerce, e‑commerce and logistics ecosystem, driving higher fuel, diesel and urea costs and causing truck delays in key states like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Packaging inputs have surged, with plastics up...
Sock Brand Supersox Appoints Ahnaaf Nadeem as Head of Retail
Supersox, an Indian premium sock brand, has appointed Ahnaaf Nadeem as Head of Retail to accelerate its brick‑and‑mortar expansion. Nadeem brings extensive experience in retail development, having led store rollouts for SocksXpress! across malls and airports and managed multi‑city operations...
Italian Apparel Retailer OVS Targets India as Key Overseas Market with Phased Retail Expansion
Italian apparel retailer OVS is targeting India as its most important overseas market, adopting a phased, flagship‑led expansion. The company currently operates two stores in Delhi and Mumbai, plans to open a third in October and reach seven stores by...
Garment Exporters Face Multi-Front Disruptions Amid Middle East Crisis
India’s garment export industry is feeling the ripple effects of the Middle East crisis, as rising raw‑material prices and logistics bottlenecks add cost pressure. At the same time, domestic factories in Gurugram, Surat and Tirupur are grappling with severe cooking‑gas...
India’s Cotton Imports Surge in 2025 as Lower Global Prices Drive Buying Spree
India’s cotton imports jumped 130% in volume and 92.5% in value in 2025, driven by a steep fall in global cotton prices. Lower import prices prompted textile manufacturers to increase purchases, seeking cost savings and higher quality raw material. Brazil...
The Bear House Rolls Out Shop-in-Shop Format Across 15 Shoppers Stop Stores
The Bear House, a smart‑casual menswear label, is launching a shop‑in‑shop (SIS) concept in more than 15 Shoppers Stop locations across India. The rollout spans seven cities—including Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur—aiming to broaden the brand’s offline...
Rajasthan Garment Industry Launches Training Centre to Tackle Skilled Labour Shortage
The Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan (GEAR) has launched the GEAR Training & Research Foundation to address a chronic shortage of skilled labour in the state’s garment export sector. The centre will offer flexible programmes ranging from 15‑day short courses...
Krvvy and Ugees Partner to Expand Product Ecosystems and Drive D2C Growth
Krvvy, a women’s innerwear and shapewear brand, and Ugees, an intimate‑wear wash brand, announced a strategic partnership to broaden their product ecosystems and drive direct‑to‑consumer growth. The collaboration will enable cross‑selling and post‑purchase care, aiming to improve retention and lower...
Spanish Sportswear Brand Kelme Enters India with Noida Flagship, Targets 70 Stores in 3 Years
Kelme, the Spanish sportswear label, launched its first Indian flagship store in Noida, backed by local partner RSN Sports. The brand unveiled a national e‑commerce platform and announced a plan to open 70 exclusive outlets across India within three years....
West Asia Conflict Triggers Industrial Strain in Gujarat as Textile Mills Cut Operations
Escalating crude oil prices and supply‑chain disruptions from the West Asia conflict have forced Surat’s textile mills to curtail operations, instituting two‑day weekly shutdowns. Rising costs of yarn, coal and energy have left mills with only 10‑20 days of coal...
India Tightens Quality Rules for Apparel
India’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has rolled out new quality benchmarks for woven shirts and trousers, covering fabric strength, stitching durability, colour retention and shrinkage limits. The move seeks to inject uniformity into a sector that has long relied...
Gokaldas Exports Bolsters Manufacturing Strategy with Senior Leadership Appointment
Gokaldas Exports has appointed Sreeja Balachandra as Associate Vice President to lead a manufacturing transformation agenda. Her mandate includes embedding lean systems, process optimisation, and capability building across the company's export‑focused factories. The move comes as Indian apparel exporters grapple with...
Flipkart Group CFO Sriram Venkataraman to Step Down Amid IPO Preparations
Flipkart announced that Group CFO Sriram Venkataraman will step down after a decade, remaining temporarily to aid transition. Marketplace CFO Ravi Iyer will assume interim oversight of the finance function. The change aligns with Flipkart’s accelerated preparations for a domestic...
Industrial Diesel Hiked by 25%: Textile Industry Faces Rising Input Costs
Indian Oil Corporation raised the price of industrial diesel to Rs 109.59 per litre, a 25% increase effective 20 March 2026. The hike targets bulk consumers such as factories, where diesel fuels captive power plants and heat‑intensive processes. The textile sector, which relies...
Depth Over Diversification: Inside 9shines’ Focused Category Strategy
9shines Label, founded in 2017, has built a D2C nightwear and comfort‑wear business around a single, well‑defined category. By prioritising breathable fabrics, inclusive sizing up to 7XL and functional details, the brand enjoys a near‑50% repeat purchase rate. Its hybrid...
West Asia Conflict Drives Surge in Raw Material Costs, Squeezing Textile Units in TN’s Perambalur
Textile manufacturers in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu are grappling with sharply higher raw‑material costs as the West Asia conflict disrupts oil supplies and shipping routes. Polyester fibre prices have risen about Rs 40 per kilogram, while freight rates have jumped 20‑30 %, squeezing profit...
Innerwear, Shapewear Brand Pinq Polka Raises US $429,000 in Pre-Series A Round
Pinq Polka, a contemporary innerwear and shapewear label founded in 2017, secured Rs 4 crore (US $429,000) in a pre‑Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The capital will fund expanded marketing for its shapewear line, team growth, and working‑capital needs as the...
Government Unveils US $53 Million RELIEF Scheme to Support Exporters Amid Middle East Disruptions
The Indian government launched the Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation (RELIEF) scheme, allocating Rs 497 crore (US $53 million) to shield exporters from Middle‑East conflict‑driven disruptions. The program, administered by the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, offers extended export obligations, stable insurance premiums,...
Kraus Jeans Plans 20 New Stores in 2026, Eyes Footwear Segment Expansion
Fashion brand Kraus Jeans announced a plan to open 20 new exclusive‑brand stores in 2026, adding to its existing network of 27 outlets. The company has already launched 16 stores in the current fiscal year and recently opened a new...
Prozo Expands Hyderabad Footprint with New Fulfilment Centre Amid South India Growth Push
Prozo has opened a 1,04,524 sq ft multi‑client fulfilment centre in Medchal, Hyderabad, expanding its local footprint to nine warehouses covering roughly 6.5 lakh sq ft. The new site, positioned on NH‑44 with direct Outer Ring Road access, taps a logistics hub that accounted for...
Polymer Price Surge Disrupts Footwear Supply Chain, Forces Manufacturers to Consider Price Hikes
Footwear manufacturers in India are confronting steep cost pressures as polymer‑based sole producers in Kerala scale down operations. Approximately 20‑25% of the state’s plastic processing units have halted due to capital shortages, while polymer prices have jumped nearly 59% since...
Indian Textile and Apparel Exports See Marginal Decrease in April ’25-February ’26
Indian textile exports fell 2.1% YoY to $18.36 bn in April ’25‑February ’26, while apparel exports edged up 0.5% to $14.53 bn. Combined, the sector’s total exports slipped 1% to $32.89 bn versus the previous year. February 2026 showed a sharper apparel decline...
Banana Club Targets 50 Stores by 2026 Amidst Aggressive Retail Expansion
Banana Club, the Bengaluru‑based men’s fast‑fashion label, announced a plan to grow its physical footprint to 50 stores across India by the end of 2026, up from the current 17. The expansion is a core pillar of its long‑term growth...
India to Defer US Trade Pact Signing Pending New Tariff Framework, Says Commerce Secretary
India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal announced that the country will postpone signing the bilateral trade agreement with the United States until Washington finalizes a revised tariff framework. The delay follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that invalidated several Trump-era tariff...
Fitkin Secures US $ 108,000 Shark Tank Deal, Targets Growth in Women’s Activewear
Fitkin secured a Rs 1 crore ($108,000) investment on Shark Tank India, giving investor Vineeta Singh an 11% stake and valuing the brand at roughly Rs 9.09 crore. The women’s activewear label, founded in 2022, reported revenue growth from Rs 98 lakh in FY 21‑22 to Rs 2.34 crore...
PDS Limited Consolidates UAE Apparel Trading Arm with Full Acquisition of PDS Radius Brands
PDS Limited has fully acquired the remaining 25% equity in its UAE trading arm, PDS Radius Brands, through its step‑down subsidiary PDS Multinational FZCO for US$6.812 million. The transaction turns PDS Radius UAE into a wholly owned subsidiary, simplifying the group’s...
India Overtakes China as Largest Supplier of Cotton Products to the US in 2025: USDA
India became the United States' top supplier of cotton products in 2025, overtaking China for the first time in recent years. The USDA reports that India shipped roughly 0.6 million metric tonnes, while China delivered about 0.5 million tonnes, out of total...
LPG Shortage Threatens Shutdown of Sanganer’s Textile Printing Industry
A severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders threatens to halt production in Sanganer’s textile dyeing and printing cluster. Around 2,000 units, requiring roughly 3,000 cylinders daily, have supplies sufficient for only two to three days. The crunch stems...
Heritage Menswear Brand Sri Ram & Son Appoints Sunil Goklani as MD, CEO to Drive Global Expansion
Sri Ram & Son, a 140‑year‑old Indian heritage menswear label, has appointed Sunil Goklani as Managing Director and CEO. Goklani brings more than three decades of senior retail experience across premium fashion brands. The leadership change is aimed at accelerating...
D2C Fashion Brand Odette Plans Kidswear Launch and 100-Store Expansion by FY ’28
Odette, a direct‑to‑consumer fashion brand founded in 2021, announced a June 2026 launch of a kidswear line and an aggressive rollout to 100 exclusive brand outlets by FY ’28. The company already operates over 35 stores across major Indian metros and is...
Retailers Are Boarding The Airport Retail Boom
India’s airports are evolving into major fashion destinations as passenger traffic tops 350 million annually, driving a surge in non‑aeronautical revenue. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Levi’s and luxury houses like Hugo Boss are expanding storefronts across existing and upcoming terminals, despite rents...
Bangladesh Bank Governor Assures Garment Exporters of Timely Cash Incentive Payments
Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman told BGMEA leaders that pending export cash‑incentive payments will be processed within the same month, aiming to ease manufacturers’ liquidity crunch. The guarantee comes as garment factories face cash shortages from frozen deposits at...
West Asia Conflict Hits Bhilwara Textile Exports; US $86 Million–US $100 Million in Shipments Affected
The Gulf conflict is disrupting trade routes, causing Indian textile exporters to face delays and higher costs. Bhilwara, a major textile hub, now has shipments worth Rs 800‑1,000 crore (US $86‑$108 million) on hold, affecting key markets in the Gulf and Europe. Exporters cite...
Uzbekistan, India’s Rupa Explore Joint Knitwear Manufacturing Venture
Uzbekistan’s ambassador to India met Rupa & Company’s director to explore a joint knitwear manufacturing venture in Uzbekistan. Rupa, a $150 million annual turnover Indian apparel leader, sees the Central Asian market and CIS region as a growth frontier. The talks...
TechnoSport Appoints Achal Sharma as Chief Technology Officer
TechnoSport has appointed Achal Sharma as chief technology officer to steer its technology strategy and digital transformation. Sharma brings over 18 years of experience scaling tech teams at Wakefit, Myntra, Mobile Premier League and Vision11. He will oversee digital platforms,...
Middle East Conflict Ripples Through Karnataka’s Garment and Silk Industries
The escalating Middle‑East conflict is disrupting Karnataka’s textile supply chain, slashing new garment orders by 25‑30% for March 2026 and pushing overall garment exports down 15‑20%. Export shipments worth roughly $2 billion are stranded, while silk demand has slipped 8% and cocoon...
Suta Opens First International Store in Mauritius, Marking Global Expansion
Suta, the Indian fashion label founded by sisters Sujata and Taniya Biswas, opened its first overseas retail store in Mauritius, marking a key milestone in its global expansion. The boutique features in‑store tailoring, lifetime alteration services and customization, aiming to...
Surat-Based Ajmera Fashion Plans IPO as Revenue Growth Accelerates
Ajmera Fashion Limited, the Surat‑based ethnic wear brand, is preparing an IPO slated for filing between Q3 and Q4 of FY 2026‑27. The company aims to raise capital through a pre‑IPO private placement that values it at roughly ₹300 crore, offering about...
Arvind Announces Resignation of Textiles MD Susheel Kaul
Arvind Limited announced that Managing Director and President of Textiles, Susheel Kaul, will resign effective March 9, 2026, citing personal reasons. Kaul, a veteran of the Indian textile sector, oversaw denim, woven and advanced‑material operations and helped cement Arvind’s position among top...
Brandman Retail Partners With ANTA Group to Launch Wilson and ANTA in India
Brandman Retail announced a strategic partnership with ANTA Sports Products Limited to bring Wilson Sporting Goods and ANTA to India. The alliance will open dedicated mono‑brand stores in major metropolitan areas, with the first location slated for April 2026. The curated...
Apparel Group Expands India Portfolio with Nike Littles and Jordan Partnership
Apparel Group announced it will bring Nike Littles and Jordan to its Indian retail network. The move expands the group’s youth‑focused portfolio and adds both physical stores and digital marketplace presence. The partnership aligns with Nike’s inclusive sport mission and...
Medical Apparel Brand Knya Appoints Chintan Adeshara as Head of Retail
Medical apparel brand Knya has hired retail veteran Chintan Adeshara as head of retail to accelerate its offline expansion. The company aims to grow its footprint to more than 100 stores across India within three years, adding two new outlets each...
Flipkart Reappoints Nishant Verman as SVP as IPO Preparations Gather Pace
Flipkart has reappointed Nishant Verman as senior vice president as the Walmart‑owned retailer accelerates its IPO preparations. Verman previously led the $16 billion sale of Flipkart to Walmart and a $4 billion fundraising round involving SoftBank, Tencent, eBay and Microsoft, and he...
Mainetti Accelerates Sustainable Packaging Push With New Chennai Facility
Mainetti, the world’s largest hanger maker, has launched a new paper‑packaging production facility in Chennai’s SIPCOT Industrial Park. The plant, coupled with a Testing Centre of Excellence, will produce more than 250 recyclable paper packaging designs and serve both the...
Ludhiana Textile Exporters Seek Exemption From 45-Day Payment Rule Amidst West Asia Crisis
Ludhiana’s textile exporters, led by the Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertakings, have asked the Indian government to waive the 45‑day payment requirement under Section 43B(h) of the Income Tax Act. The request follows severe shipping disruptions caused by the West...