Garments

Shahi Exports, founded in 1974 by Mrs. Sarla Ahuja, has grown from a single sewing machine operation to India's largest apparel exporter over five decades. Our vertical integration and strong commitment to ethics and sustainability position us as a preferred global manufacturing partner.

1974 First Factory Established Sarla Ahuja began a home-based business, empowering women to work from home with 15-20 machines. This led to Shahi opening its first factory in Ranjeet Nagar, Delhi. 1988 Expansion to South India Shahi's first Bengaluru factory was set up with 300 machines and 500 workers shortly after, a second unit was established in Bommanahalli. 1993 Corporate Base Established Shahi set up its first corporate office at Okhla, Delhi, in 1993, which was moved to Faridabad, Haryana, in 2000. 1996 Vertical Integration Begins The first mill, Sarla Fabrics Ltd. (SFL), was set up in Ghaziabad, with a weaving capacity of 1.2 million and a processing capacity of 3.6 million meters per month. 2000 In-House Quality Control Built our first internal laboratory. Now, the laboratory conducts performance testing and color approvals following the international test standards for 15+ brands. This reduces garment lead times with faster quality approvals. 2001 Expansion into Knits Shahi expanded its product range from wovens to knits, starting a specialized Knits Division. Within a few years of this expansion, Shahi was incorporated as a private limited company. 2005 Specialization in Wovens Segmented wovens operation into the Ladies Specialty Division (LSD) & the Men and Bottoms (MNB) for diverse product range. 2007 Piloting P.A.C.E Shahi becomes the first company to pilot Gap Inc.'s Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program. The program ran for 16 years across our factories, empowering women by training them in soft skills like communication, time and stress management, and financial literacy. Gap Inc. P.A.C.E is now a part of RISE: Reimagining Industry to Support Equality. 2010 Denim Production Begins Launched the first denim. Today, Shahi has grown into India's largest denim production operation, manufacturing 12 million units annually. 2012 Next-Gen Sustainable Processing The Knits Processing Division (KPD) was established in Shivamogga, Karnataka. The unit runs on 96% renewable electricity and has Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) facilities. KPD became one of the first mills to achieve YESS Foundational Level Conformance in 2024. Shahi became one of the first to adopt the HIGG FEM standard and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) program. 2014 Investing In Skills Our founder believed in the power of skill training to transform lives. Shahi became a strategic stakeholder in the Textile Sector Skills Council and schemes like the Deen Dayal Grameen Kaushal Yojana under the Ministry of Rural Development. 2017 Incubating GBL Shahi incubated Good Business Lab (GBL), a nonprofit focused on improving workers' lives by addressing key areas like female labor, skill gaps, work environments, and holistic health. 2018 Expanding Renewable Footprint Established two solar power plants in Karnataka, with capacities of 32 MW and 52 MW, respectively. 2021 Certification and Support Centre Became first Indian woven manufacturer to be awarded Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold for the 'Arth' collection. We established our first migrant support center in Bengaluru. 2022 Launching Sustainability Report The first Sustainability Report was launched, introducing the Responsible for People and Planet framework. We entered a Value Chain Agreement with AltMat, an Alternative Materials Science company that converts agricultural residues into high-performing natural materials called Altag. 2024 Strategic Joint Venture Formed a joint venture with Little King Global, a leading Taiwanese premier synthetic sportswear fabric manufacturer, to establish a state-of-the-art processing unit for synthetic performance fabrics in Shivamogga and Karnataka.