Fashion
India’s Pearl Global Industries Ltd’s revenue rises 12.7% in H1 FY26
PGIL revenue was driven by high value-added product sales in Vietnam and Indonesia. Adjusted EBITDA stood at ₹236 crore (~$26.6 million), marking 18.4 per cent YoY growth, with margins improving to 9.3 per cent. Excluding tariff costs of around ₹21 crore and initial losses at new facilities in Guatemala and Bihar, the margin stood higher at 10.6 per cent. The profit after tax (PAT) rose to ₹138 crore (~$15.6 million), a 17 per cent YoY increase.
Pearl Global Industries Limited has reported strong performance in H1 FY26, with revenue rising 12.7 per cent YoY to ₹2,541 crore (~$286.9 million), driven by high-value product sales from Vietnam and Indonesia.
Adjusted EBITDA grew 18.4 per cent to ₹236 crore (~$26.6 million), while PAT rose 17 per cent.
The company achieved record shipments, declared dividends, and advanced sustainability initiatives.
Standalone revenue stood at ₹531 crore (~$59.9 million) for H1 FY26, while adjusted EBITDA surged 72.7 per cent YoY to ₹30 crore (~$3.4 million), translating to a 5.7 per cent margin. PAT rose to ₹41 crore (~$4.6 million), up from ₹27 crore in H1 FY25.
For Q2 FY26, PGIL reported revenue of ₹1,313 crore (~$148.3 million), up 9.2 per cent YoY. Adjusted EBITDA (excluding ESOP expenses) reached ₹122 crore (~$13.8 million), a 23.6 per cent increase, with margins improving 108 basis points (bps) to 9.3 per cent. PAT climbed 29.4 per cent YoY to ₹72 crore (~$8.1 million).
Standalone revenue for Q2 FY26 stood at ₹264 crore (~$29.8 million), while adjusted EBITDA reached ₹11 crore (~$1.2 million), reflecting a margin of 4 per cent. Profit after tax (PAT) rose to ₹15 crore (~$1.7 million), compared to ₹12 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.
As of September 30, 2025, PGIL’s net worth increased to ₹1,271 crore (~$143.5 million) from ₹1,146 crore in March 2025. The company’s cash and bank balance (excluding LC payments) stood at ₹416 crore (~$47 million), with an additional ₹128 crore (~$14.4 million) in mutual funds. Working capital days were maintained at 33, and return on capital employed (ROCE) improved by 375 basis points to 29 per cent.
PGIL shipped 19.9 million pieces in Q2 FY26, its highest ever for a second quarter. The board declared an interim dividend of ₹6 per equity share, representing a 20 per cent payout ratio and 120 per cent of face value. Additionally, PGIL received ₹32 crore (~$3.6 million) in dividends from subsidiaries in Bangladesh and Hong Kong.
The company also upgraded to eFlow Nanobubble technology in Bangladesh, enabling up to 32 per cent water savings, a 9 per cent reduction in power use, and 20 per cent higher time efficiency.
“We are delighted to report another quarter of encouraging performance in Q2 FY26 despite uncertain and volatile geo-political and macro environment. Consolidated revenue for H1 FY26 crossed ₹2,500 crore milestone, reaching ₹2,541 crore, a growth of 12.7 per cent YoY. This marks a significant achievement underscoring the strength of our diversified, multi-country manufacturing model. Reflecting our continued commitment to shareholder value, the board has declared an interim dividend of ₹6 per equity share, representing a 20 per cent payout ratio (wrt Group PAT) and 120 per cent of face value of share,” said Pulkit Seth, vice-chairman and non-executive director at Pearl Global Industries.
“Our growth this quarter was led by sustained momentum in Vietnam and Indonesia, which delivered double-digit volume expansion and maintained strong operational performance. These hubs continue to validate our strategic foresight in building multi-hub production capabilities that balance scale with agility,” added Seth. “As we close the first half of FY26 on a strong footing, our focus remains on sustainable, profitable growth, anchored in agility, technology, and long-term stakeholder value creation.”
“We are pleased to share another quarter of strong financial performance, reflecting the resilience of our operations amid an evolving trade environment. In Q2FY26, Pearl Global achieved revenue of ₹1,313 crore and improved profitability, demonstrating our ability to navigate trade complexities, including 50 per cent US tariff on India. Adjusted EBITDA (excluding ESOP costs) of ₹122 crore, with margins at 9.3 per cent, improve by 108 BPS YoY. Excluding tariff cost/loss at new facilities (Guatemala & Bihar) stands at 10.1 per cent, driven by improved product mix and higher realisation from Vietnam and Indonesia,” said Pallab Banerjee, managing director, Pearl Global Industries.
“We continue to invest in India and Bangladesh and execute our capex plan of ₹250 crore (~$28.2 million) for capacity expansion, sustainability, and efficiency improvement. Expansion of 5-6 million pieces in Bangladesh, 2.5-3.5 million pieces in India, and digitisation of our supply chain are enhancing transparency, agility, and scalability across operations,” added Banerjee.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
French ready-to-wear ends 2025 caught between collapse and hope
By
AFP
Published
December 29, 2025
Under pressure from fast fashion and the second-hand market, the French ready-to-wear sector is faltering, with bankruptcies, receiverships, and liquidations punctuating 2025. Even so, experts believe a rebound is possible, driven by a refocus on brand DNA, innovation, and an upmarket shift.
As the year draws to a close, the IKKS brand has just changed hands but will lose half its staff; JOTT (Just Over The Top) has been placed in receivership; and Anne Fontaine has had its safeguard plan approved. With Camaïeu, Kookaï, Jennyfer, André, San Marina, Minelli, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse Tam Tam, and Kaporal, there are countless French companies in difficulty in this sector, or that have simply disappeared.
Brutal “impoverishment” and “downfall”
Nearly 1,500 clothing boutiques closed in France in 2024, according to a parliamentary report. The Union des Industries Textiles reports that the workforce has shrunk from 400,000 in the 1970s to 60,000 today. This figure does not, however, include in-store employees- 70,000 at the end of 2023, according to the Fédération nationale de l’habillement.
Having weathered the difficult shift to online sales, as well as Covid-19 and inflation, traditional players are now facing competition from second-hand and ultra-fast fashion- a “profound upheaval”, according to Gildas Minvielle, Director of the Economic Observatory at the French Fashion Institute (IFM). According to the IFM, these two channels now account for 13% of sales by value and nearly 30% of volumes purchased.
Historic players shaken up
Gildas Minvielle tells AFP: “The market share taken by these new entrants is very significant, and very damaging for the more established players. If the market had been buoyant, we could have hoped there would be room for everyone, but that’s not the case.” With an average price per item on Shein or Temu of €9- around one third of traditional mid-range prices- these Asian groups are causing a brutal “impoverishment,” “in a context where purchasing power is weak,” he says.

To get to the root of the “downfall,” we need to travel back to the 1990s with the “arrival of first-generation fast-fashion brands” such as Zara and H&M, offering “collections that change every week to force people to buy,” says Benoît Heilbrunn, a philosopher and marketing professor at ESCP Business School.
Clear positioning and an industrial model for survival
“French chains haven’t been able to keep up, because they didn’t have and still don’t have an industrial model,” points out the brand specialist, while 97% of textiles consumed in France are imported. The other problem is that “French textile brands have had nothing to say for years,” he laments. “No one talks about innovation, no one talks about product.”
Françoise Clément, a fashion and retail expert, agrees and points to brands that have remained in their “comfort zone,” seeking to “buy the consumer with promotions” but that ultimately “have not created value.” According to this consultant, a former textile director at Carrefour, brands must reconnect with their “core DNA” and offer “clear positioning” to survive.
A “death spiral” of prices at the low end
The ready-to-wear sector is like “an hourglass,” she says, using a metaphor: the top of the hourglass (luxury and “heritage” brands) remains solid thanks to prestige. At the lower end, it’s a race to the bottom on price, with a “death spiral” that nonetheless finds its audience. In between, the mid-range is the segment “most in difficulty.”
Mid-range brands must “diversify and premiumise” and above all avoid imitating fast fashion, says Françoise Clément. The future requires a balance between “quality, attractiveness, innovation, and desirability,” as seen at “Lacoste or Aigle,” or Le Slip Français, for made-in-France production, or at Decathlon, which combines “accessibility and innovation.” The clothing crisis is “not inevitable,” she insists. Far from the prevailing “gloom,” “opportunities” exist for “brands that get moving.”
The annual State of Fashion BoF-McKinsey report lists several strategic areas for development: the “necessary” use of artificial intelligence, diversification of production sites in the face of the “turbulence” of international tariffs, moving upmarket, and the integration of a second-hand offer. A vast programme.
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Fashion
Tariff impact to moderate H2 FY26 Indian cotton yarn realisation: ICRA
Revenues of cotton spinners are projected to decline by 4-6 per cent in FY26 and margin contraction is likely to be 50-100 basis points (bps). Moderation in cotton prices is expected to offset the impact to an extent.
Following a flattish H1 FY26, the impact of US tariff on Indian cotton spinners is expected to moderate cotton yarn realisation in H2, ICRA said.
Cotton spinners’ revenues are projected to drop by 4-6 per cent in FY26 and margin contraction is likely to be 50-100 bps.
Moderation in cotton prices is likely to offset the impact to an extent.
Material expansion in capacity creations is not expected in FY26.
Any positive developments around the ongoing tariff-related negotiations with the United States could help soften the impact to an extent, the Moody’s Ratings affiliate said in a report titled ‘Indian Cotton Spinning Industry: Trends & Outlook’
After witnessing a modest recovery in FY25 with increase in domestic yarn consumption by 2 per cent year on year (YoY), the Indian cotton spinning industry, is navigating a challenging phase in FY26 amidst a mix of stable domestic demand and effects of reciprocal and punitive tariffs levied by the United States on Indian apparel exports.
To mitigate the impact, Indian apparel exporters are providing sizeable discounts, which are being absorbed throughout the value chain (including spinners).
The import duty exemption on cotton imports in India till December 2025 and recent relaxation on quality control orders for both viscose staple fibre (VSF) and several yarns and polyester fibres is likely to moderate raw material prices for manmade fibre (MMF) yarn manufacturers, it said.
“While this supports readymade garments manufacturers with access to raw material at competitive prices, it exposes domestic MMF yarn manufacturers to competition from import suppliers,” noted ICRA.
Domestic cotton fibre prices fell by around 3 per cent month on month (MoM) in November 2025. Average cotton yarn prices fell by 4 per cent.
This resulted in contribution levels moderating to ₹96/kg in November 2025 from ₹103 per kg in H1 FY26. ICRA anticipates contribution levels are likely to stabilise at ₹98-100 per kg for FY26 due to moderation in realisation expected in H2 FY26.
ICRA’s sample set of 13 companies, which accounts for 25-30 per cent of the industry’s revenue, is expected to report a 4-6 per cent decline in revenues on a YoY basis in FY26.
Additionally, margins are expected to contract by 50-100 basis points in FY26, primarily due to weaker performance expected in H2.
Given the available capacities, material expansion in capacity creations is not expected in FY26 in the sector, ICRA added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion
Egypt bets big on textiles amidst supply chain shifts
At the heart of this resurgence is a vertically integrated ecosystem that not many can match. Egypt is home to the largest and most productive cotton and textile clusters in Africa, with the full value chain operating domestically—from cotton cultivation to spinning, weaving, knitting and readymade garments. This integration is not just a legacy advantage; it is a commercial weapon in a world where supply chain resilience and speed to market increasingly dictate competitiveness.
The sector already punches above its weight. Textiles and garments reportedly rank as Egypt’s second-largest industrial activity after food and beverages, accounting for roughly a quarter of the apparel sector, as per some estimates even if Egyptian cotton, prized globally for its long staple and premium quality, continues to anchor the country’s reputation at the higher end of the market, reducing reliance on imported raw materials and enabling value-added production that commands better margins.
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