Bottomwear manufacturing in India has been shaping up well over the last few years, though it has still a long way to go. Of all the players catering to this product category, there are a few companies that are doing exceedingly well. One such company is Bengaluru-based Goldenseams Industries which offers cargo, joggers, chinos and trousers to prestigious brands from Europe like Super Dry, Pepe, Ted Baker and many more.
The company is actively working on various fronts like exploring new markets, strengthening relationships with existing buyers, enhancing its capacity with a new factory, and even adding new product segments. Team Apparel Resources got on a call with Sanjeev Mukhija, Managing Director, Goldenseams Industries to understand the market post-Covid and his strategy for growth. It was heartening to see that the company, having a turnover of Rs. 225 crore during pre-Covid, is expecting growth of 15-20 per cent in next financial year. Sanjeev is hopeful that once their new factory is operational, there should be a growth of 40-50 per cent in the next year.
Buyers bullish about India…
Working mainly with the European market, Sanjeev says that the current order booking situation is good and there are enquiries from a lot of new customers as the buyers want to move from other countries where supply chain is still ruptured due to various geographical issues and come to India. So for him, overall outlook is good!
“To an extent, orders which earlier used to go to China, are shifting to India. Now buyers are realising that they can’t put all eggs in one basket. So,most of the Asian countries are benefiting from this trend but India’s overall performance is stronger…One of our South American customer who used to place several orders with China, has now shifted to our factory. Adding to this are the efforts that the Government of India is putting up. FTAs/trade pacts are being executed with Australia and UAE and some more are in pipeline that can happen in the next 6 months to one year, like the one with UK. This is another reason behind buyers’ preference towards India. All this makes buyers very bullish about India,” comments Sanjeev, adding that the buyers are looking for nearly all bottomwear products from Cotton based to Cotton blends , with spandex and predominantly with sustainability.
However, it’s not that Goldenseams isn’t encountering any challenges…Sanjeev highlights that in this product category, there is always competition with Bangladesh,but the satisfactory part is buyers are not placing all orders in one or two countries, rather they are balancing the business. Hence, from this perspective,India and especially Goldenseamshas gained.
A year to get stable!
Amidst the positive scenario and preparedness for the future, the major reason of worry for Sanjeev is the high price of cotton yarns. “Due to the high raw material price, buyers are placing orders in smaller volumes to reduce the risk of buying at high price at one go . They are placing orders of whatever is required for immediate selling. I am sure if we have stability in raw material prices, business will be very good. I am hoping the market will settle down by the end of this year and prices will stabilise,” says Sanjeev.
What exactly buyers are expecting?
In the ever-changing business landscape, the buyers are looking for strong commitment at all levels – be it faster deliveries, more design support, or catering to faster repeat orders. The buyers today look forward to working with vendors who have a more agile attitude and aggressive approach with swiftness. And exporters like Goldenseams are fulfilling these expectations.
“Indian exporters are evolved now and have a more professional approach, more innovation, more focus on productivity and efficiency. So I feel that the mindset of Indian exporters has changed a lot now than ever. We were always very good with communication, merchandising, and customer handling but what we required is to enhance our focus on innovation, productivity and efficiency as margins are not as same as they used to be earlier; so one has to be very efficient,” mentions Sanjeev.
Geared up to grab opportunities…
Goldenseams Industries’ existing customers want the company should increase its capacity as they wish to place more orders and, at the same time, the company is also in the process to capture the US market which is totally new for it. There is also a plan to add outerwear in the product basket. This multi-pronged strategy is something the company has started working on already in its new facility. With an investment of Rs. 50 crore, the upcoming facility will be LEED-certified and will have 1000 stitching machines in 2 phases. This future-ready factory will begin operating by the middle of next year.
The company’s USP has always been fetching orders of size 5000 to 15,000 pieces and it has never looked for big volume orders.
The company’s USP has always been fetching orders of size 5000 to 15,000 pieces and it has never looked for big volume orders. So to tap the US market, the idea is to be in the existing bracket and go to the mid-size fashion customers who are more design based where the company can supply them with fashionable trousers at a good price.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
