The negative outlook on global lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret for this year is unlikely to have a major impact on Sri Lanka’s apparel industry, a major supplier to the high end lingerie brand. Sri Lanka is the largest supplier of products on Victoria’s Secret’s supply chain.
A negative guidance has been announced for Victoria’s Secret for 2017 and the first quarter of 2017, coupled with a mid-teen year-on-year fall in sales from its stores in February, due to a restructuring effort where the lingerie brand will focus on core products, while shedding swimwear, footwear and other apparel.
In 2016, the lingerie giant posted net sales of $12.57 billion, with cost of sales, buying and occupancy of $7.45 billion. Sri Lanka supplies around 800 million dollars out of its $4.7 billion total apparel exports to Victoria’s Secret annually. However, pressure isn’t just coming from Victoria’s Secret. Marks & Spencer’s is converting its clothing and household units into more profitable food units due to competition from online and budget retailers.
Many other traditional retailers are also facing stiff competition. Sri Lanka’s exports to the world declined slightly from September to December 2016, with exports to the US and the EU—which account for 85 per cent of Sri Lankan apparel exports—falling or remaining flat.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
The 2027 Mandate: Why denim’s future hinges on verifiable data
For decades, the global denim industry has relied on a narrative of durability, heritage, and authenticity. That narrative is now... Read more
Europe’s textile core unravels as costs, imports and policy pressure bite
Europe’s textile and apparel sector, long seen as a benchmark for craftsmanship and industrial depth, is slipping into a prolonged... Read more
Automation, innovation, regulation are the forces shaping textiles in 2026
The global textile sector has entered a new era. Early 2026 saw the industry breach a $1.06 trillion valuation, reflecting... Read more
The new Brussels rulebook, every EU apparel order is now a balance-sheet risk
The humble export order sheet is undergoing a transformation. What was once a straightforward commercial instrument: SKU, volume, FOB price,... Read more
Why 2026-27 could be a defining cotton year for India’s farm-to-fashion economy
The global cotton economy is entering a more constrained phase, and for India, the implications run far beyond the farm... Read more
Luxury resale’s next big battle is no longer digital, it is about who controls s…
For nearly a decade, the luxury resale story was written in the language of platforms. Market leadership was measured by... Read more
Digital Arms Race: Indian apparel giants deploy AI to neutralize tariff crisis
The Indian textile and apparel sector is in a digital survival phase in 2026, shifting from traditional labor-intensive models to... Read more
Europe’s Textile Endgame: Why Project FAE is becoming fashion’s most critical in…
Europe’s apparel majors are no longer treating circularity as a branding layer. With Project FAE or Feedstock Activation Europe, the... Read more
Engineering color at source, dye-free production is cutting cost, water, and tim…
For over a century, coloring has been anchored in wet processing, an energy-intensive, chemically saturated stage that happen post spinning.... Read more
The €11 bn deadlock, can Europe’s textile recycling catch up?
Europe is at a tipping point. Fast fashion consumption, led by rising incomes and a growing global middle class, has... Read more












