India news and archive

Galeries Lafayette opens first store in India

The historic French department store chain Galeries Lafayette is set to open its first store in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai this November. It aims to attract the growing middle class and affluent consumers interested in luxury goods. The department store will open in a historic district of Mumbai, spanning 8,400 square metres across five...

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Business

H&M and investors back Indian innovator AltMat

Indian material developer AltMat has completed a new funding round, the company announced on LinkedIn. The investors include major names such as H&M, investment funds Rainmatter by Zerodha and Turbostart, and the sustainable innovation platform Fashion for Good. AltMat started with the latter 14 years ago through a startup programme. AltMat...

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Business

New US tariffs against India over Kremlin dealings in effect

New US tariffs on imports from India due to its oil trade with Russia have come into effect. As of Wednesday, the United States is imposing an additional tariff of 25 percent on products from the South Asian country, according to a document in the US Federal Register. Former US President Donald Trump ordered the move in early August. This...

Retail

A foot in the door: Birkenstock opens three more stores in Mumbai

German footwear brand Birkenstock appears to have taken a shine to Mumbai, home of Bollywood, and India in general. In April last year, it opened its first Indian flagship store on Mumbai's iconic Linking Road, a popular location for international and domestic brands alike. Puma, Levi’s, Benetton, Vero Moda, Raymond, Anita Dongre and others rub...

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Business

Asia holds the thread: Regional textile powers reinvent strategies amid global slowdown

While 2024-2025 financial results show a slowdown in consumption in several Asian countries – particularly for luxury groups like LVMH – the global textile sector continues to rely on the region. Several indicators from the first half of 2025 confirm Asia’s central role in global value chains. Between export growth, structural adjustments,...

Culture

At the Intersection of Art, Fashion and Craft

Each month Sass Brown, an expert in ethical fashion, sustainability and craftsmanship, shares a fashion brand that approaches business differently and innovatively or operates outside of the main fashion systems and capitals. Sass is the former Dean of Art and Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the founding Dean at Dubai Institute...

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Podcast

Swati Kalsi, High Art Fashion

Swati Kalsi, based in India, is known as much for her fashion designs as her museum art installations. Due to the high level of craftsmanship and artistry, Sass Brown points out that much of what Swati does doesn’t come cheap, adding “she’s known first and foremost for these exquisite, museum quality collectors items. They are indeed intended to...

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Retail

Mango speeds up expansion in India, opens ten new stores

Even though it has been barely two months since non-essential shops and malls opened again in India, some brands and retailers bank on the world’s fifth largest economy to boost sales. Case in point is Spanish fashion brand Mango: The brand is planning to accelerate its expansion in India with franchise partner Myntra and wants to open ten new...

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Retail

Malls reopen in India, with riders

As of 5th August, malls across India are allowed to open again as part of the country’s “unlockdown” efforts. While mall and shopping centre doors have opened and the first weekend saw a good turnout across the board and despite heavy rain warnings in some parts of the country, mall operators and retailers need to make sure to stick to mandatory...

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Business

Fatal fire at major Indian denim supplier highlights lack of industry safety standards

Different day, same story: A fire breaks out in a garment factory, exits are shut and workers die because they cannot get out. This time, Nandan Denim was affected, in Ahmedabad, the largest city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The fire broke out last Saturday evening, killing seven workers as the sole exit was reachable only via a...

Retail

Birkenstock enters Indian market

German footwear brand Birkenstock is increasing its reach as part of its international expansion strategy and has started selling its famous sandals in India. To this effect, the brand opened its first mono-brand store at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airports in Delhi on 27th January 2020 and started its official online shop at...

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Business|ANALYSIS

Homegrown, craft-oriented, greener: Meet India's new fashion industry

Nueva York - The Indian fashion industry has gone through tremendous change in 2019. FashionUnited looks into where it has landed by the end of the year. Meet the new India’s fashion: Homegrown, craft-oriented, greener, digital-first. The Indian fashion industry is one of the largest in the world as it provides clothing for more than 1.2 billion...