Apparels

Bulgaria’s garment imports eased to $677.01 million in January–September, while cotton apparel retained a dominant role.
Cotton garments accounted for over half of total imports, supported by steady consumption of everyday wear.
Product and end-use patterns remained largely unchanged, with trousers, T-shirts, women’s wear, and knit garments continuing to anchor Bulgaria’s apparel import structure.

Lululemon plans to enter six new markets in 2026 via franchise partnerships, marking its largest annual international expansion.
The brand will launch in Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Romania with Arion Retail Group, and in India with Tata CLiQ.
Customers will access products online, supported by Lululemon’s community-focused brand approach.

Nike, Inc has reported mixed Q2 FY26 results, with revenues rising 1 per cent to $12.4 billion.
Wholesale sales grew 8 per cent, driven by North America, while Nike direct declined amid weaker digital demand.
Gross margin fell 300 bps to 40.6 per cent due to higher tariffs.
Net income and diluted EPS dropped 32 per cent, highlighting continued margin pressure.

Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor have invested in QWEEN, a new luxury jewellery brand. This venture is also supported by a significant ₹1,000 crore investment from Rosy Blue and Kashikey Co. Ltd. QWEEN aims to offer an experiential retail journey for customers. The brand plans to open its first stores in Bengaluru and Delhi in February 2026.

Birkenstock has posted a strong FY25 results, with revenue rising 16 per cent to €2.1 billion (~$2.46 billion) and constant currency growth of 18 per cent, beating guidance.
Net profit surged 82 per cent to €348 million (~$407.16 million), while adjusted EBITDA rose 20 per cent to €667 million (~$780.39 million), with margin at 31.8 per cent.
Growth was broad-based across regions, and channels.

India is embarking on an exciting journey to amplify its textile and apparel exports, with a target of hitting $100 billion in five years. Centering their strategy on partnerships with smaller, wealthier national markets, the initiative emphasizes boosting domestic capabilities in fibre production and textile machinery.

Argentina’s apparel imports surged 101 per cent year on year in January–October 2025 to $573.74 million, driven by retailer restocking, eased import controls, improved access to foreign currency, and recovering consumer demand.
China strengthened its dominance with over half the market, while Bangladesh and Cambodia gained share as cost-competitive suppliers.

Three US footwear industry bodies have urged President Donald Trump to eliminate the tariff-rate quota restricting exports of US-made and US-branded leather footwear to Japan as part of any final US-Japan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade.
Japan has refused to remove this barrier for long.
The CPTPP has aggravated this problem for US footwear manufacturers in the last few years.

David Tait said the rally is being driven by a host of structural forces rather than short-term shocks. These include anticipated deregulation in China, a massive generational wealth transfer in Japan and increasing adoption of ETFs and other gold investment products.

India’s textile and apparel exports saw a significant rise in November 2025, reaching USD 2,855.8 million. This marks a 9.4 percent year-on-year growth. Key segments like ready-made garments and handicrafts showed strong performance. Overall sector size is estimated at USD 179 billion for 2024-25. Cumulative exports for January-November 2025 also registered a slight increase.