Fashion
After testing 2025, India’s textile sector turns optimistic on 2026
After a difficult 2025 marked by global tensions, supply-chain disruptions and elevated US tariffs, India’s textile and apparel industry enters 2026 with optimism.
Structural reforms, easing input constraints, lower interest rates, labour-code clarity and expanding FTAs are improving competitiveness.
Strong domestic retail momentum and sustainability-led investments are further strengthening confidence.
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AFP
Published
January 2, 2026
Nicknamed the “last queen of Paris,” Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, a fashion designer, businesswoman, jet-set figure and symbol of Parisian elegance, particularly in the United States, died on Tuesday at the age of 96, her office said on Wednesday, speaking on behalf of the family.
Jacqueline de Ribes died in Switzerland, her assistant, Stéphanie Mouly, told AFP.
A friend of Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino, and a patron of the arts and philanthropist, she was honoured by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2015 with an exhibition featuring around 60 haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles- the earliest dating from 1962- preserved by “the last queen of Paris.”
As early as 1956, Jacqueline de Ribes appeared on the list of the world’s best-dressed women. In 1962, she was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame and celebrated by the world’s leading fashion photographers.
Born Jacqueline de La Bonninière de Beaumont on 14 July 1929, the freedom-loving aristocrat, passionate about fashion since childhood, married Viscount (later Count) Edouard de Ribes (1923-2013) at age 19.
In 1962, she tried her hand at journalism, theatre, television, and interior design, and told friends and family that she would create her own fashion house, encouraged by Yves Saint Laurent, whose client she was.
Her first collection was hailed by the international press, and the US soon became her primary market. She ran her couture house until 1995, when she retired for health reasons.
At the end of 2019, the auction of works from the collection amassed with her husband raised €22.8 million at Sotheby’s France, including pre-emptions by the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.
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Sri Lanka’s recent apparel wage hikes have raised nominal pay, but currency depreciation has limited real gains.
While manufacturers benefit from lower dollar-denominated labour costs, workers continue to face a wide gap between minimum wages and living costs, highlighting persistent structural pressures in a sector central to the country’s export economy.
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Approved by the union cabinet on November 12, 2025, the MAS Intervention is being implemented under the Niryat Disha sub-scheme of EPM and aims to strengthen international market access for Indian exporters, particularly MSMEs, first-time exporters and firms from priority sectors.
India has launched the Market Access Support Intervention under the Export Promotion Mission, offering partial airfare support to small exporters with turnover up to ₹75 lakh (~$83,470).
Approved on November 12, 2025, the scheme supports MSMEs and first-time exporters through trade fairs, buyer-seller meets and delegations, with digital processes and mandatory feedback.
The EPM is jointly implemented by the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of MSME and the Ministry of Finance, in coordination with Indian Missions abroad, Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and industry associations. The MAS Intervention focuses on improving buyer connect and enhancing India’s global market presence through structured, outcome-oriented market access initiatives, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a press release.
Under the scheme, financial and institutional support will be extended for Buyer-Seller Meets, participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, Mega Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets organised in India, and trade delegations to priority and emerging export markets. A forward-looking three-to-five-year calendar of major market access events will be prepared and approved in advance to enable better planning and continuity of market development efforts.
A minimum participation of 35 per cent MSMEs has been mandated for supported events, with special prioritisation for new geographies and smaller markets to promote export diversification. Delegation size has been benchmarked at a minimum of 50 participants, with flexibility based on market conditions and strategic relevance.
Event-level financial support ceilings and cost-sharing ratios have been rationalised, with preferential support for priority sectors and markets. End-to-end processes covering event listing, proposal submission, approvals, participant onboarding, fund release and monitoring will be enabled online to ensure transparency and ease of access.
Mandatory online feedback mechanisms will capture exporter inputs on buyer quality, business leads generated and market relevance. Based on feedback and implementation learnings, the MAS guidelines will be progressively refined. A new component for proofs-of-concept and product demonstrations to overseas buyers, particularly in technology-intensive and sunrise sectors, is expected to be notified shortly.
Additional digital tools for lead tracking, exporter follow-up and market intelligence integration will be rolled out in phases. Through the MAS Intervention, the government aims to provide Indian exporters with predictable market-entry pathways, stronger buyer engagement and data-driven policy support, enabling deeper integration into global value chains and sustained export growth.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
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