Garments we supply in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a compact, import-reliant consumer market of about 22 million people, where Colombo's wholesale quarter at Pettah supplies shops across the island and a recovering tourism sector buys hotel uniforms and resortwear.

Buyers here are importers in Colombo supply wholesalers in Pettah and retail chains; hotels, hospitals and schools buy uniforms; online sellers buy fashion basics and kidswear.

Buyers like cotton T-shirts, shirts, kurtis, leggings, school uniforms and kidswear, with strong demand around Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Vesak and Christmas.

Tropical and humid all year, so lightweight cotton sells constantly; the south-west monsoon runs from May to September. Peaks follow April's New Year, Vesak, Christmas and the school terms.

Imports clear at Colombo through Sri Lanka Customs with invoice, packing list and certificate of origin; the India–Sri Lanka free trade agreement may give duty preferences with the right certificate, and English labelling is accepted. Confirm current rules with your broker.

Duties and taxes: Customs duty plus VAT and other levies. Rates change, so confirm the HS code and duty with your customs broker before you finalise landed cost; we supply the invoice, packing list and certificate of origin needed for clearance.

Men's, women's and kids' denim jeans in slim, regular, relaxed and straight fits with stone, enzyme and rinse washes. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: 100% cotton denim, 10–12 oz, rigid, 98% cotton / 2% elastane stretch denim, 9–11 oz and cotton-polyester blend denim for lower cost. Sizes: Waist 28–44 inches in even sizes, inseam 30, 32 and 34 inches; EU and US size charts available; kids 2–14 years and women's 26–36 inches. Colours: Indigo, mid-blue, light-blue, black, grey, ecru and seasonal colours; wash cards are sent for approval before bulk. Typically 1,200–3,000 pieces per style with a ratio of sizes and up to three washes; smaller trial orders are possible on stock designs. Lead time: 45–60 days from approved sample and fabric; 25–35 days on repeat styles. Best buying window: denim sells all year, with the strongest buying for autumn and winter in Europe and North America (orders placed March–June) and for back-to-school in Africa and the Gulf (orders placed April–July). Typical buyers: wholesalers filling retail chains, fashion brands buying private-label denim and open-market traders in Africa and the Gulf.

Formal and casual cotton shirts in solids, checks and stripes, in regular and slim fits for retail, uniform and wholesale buyers. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: 100% cotton poplin 100–120 GSM, cotton Oxford and pinpoint weaves and cotton-polyester blend for easy-care shirts. Sizes: Collar 14–18.5 inches or S–3XL, sleeve lengths regular and long; slim, regular and comfort fit blocks. Colours: White, blue, sky, grey, black and navy solids, plus yarn-dyed checks and stripes; custom colourways on yarn-dyed orders. Typically 1,000–2,000 pieces per style, with fabric-led minimums of 1,500 metres for yarn-dyed checks. Lead time: 40–55 days from approved sample; 25–30 days on repeat poplin styles. Best buying window: formal shirts sell year-round with peaks before the new school or business year and before festive seasons. Typical buyers: corporate uniform suppliers, menswear retailers and wholesalers in Gulf and African markets.

Resort, casual and tropical printed shirts in rayon, viscose and cotton, from short-sleeve beach shirts to full-sleeve party wear. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: rayon challis and viscose twill 100–130 GSM, cotton voile and poplin for printed shirts and cotton-polyester blends for durable prints. Sizes: S–3XL regular fit; relaxed and boxy cuts for resort shirts; kids' printed shirts 2–14 years. Colours: Print designs in 4–8 colourways per design; seasonal palettes are suggested for each market. Typically 1,000–1,500 pieces per design, with minimum 3 colourways; digital printing allows smaller runs of about 300 pieces per design at a higher unit cost. Lead time: 40–50 days including strike-off approval; digital print samples in 7–10 days. Best buying window: printed shirts sell hardest for spring and summer, beach and resort seasons, and festive weeks. Typical buyers: resort and beachwear retailers, tourist-area boutiques and online fashion sellers.

Round-neck, V-neck and printed cotton T-shirts for retail, promotion and wholesale, in single jersey and slub fabrics. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: 100% combed cotton single jersey 160–200 GSM, cotton-polyester blends 150–180 GSM and slub and melange cotton jersey. Sizes: S–3XL unisex and men's; women's XS–XL fitted; kids 2–14 years. Colours: Over 40 stock colours in reactive dye; Pantone matching available on bulk. Typically 1,000–2,000 pieces per colour and style, falling to 500 pieces for stock colours with simple prints. Lead time: 30–45 days including dyeing and print approval; 20–25 days on stock knit fabric. Best buying window: t-shirts sell round the year in warm markets and for spring-summer in cooler ones. Typical buyers: promotional-merchandise companies, retail chains and fast-fashion brands and wholesalers supplying street markets.

Cotton pique and cotton-blend polo T-shirts for corporate uniforms, sportswear, school wear and retail, with embroidery and printing. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: 100% cotton pique 180–220 GSM, cotton-polyester pique 200–230 GSM and polyester micro-pique with moisture management. Sizes: S–5XL; women's XS–2XL; kids 4–16 years; relaxed and slim blocks. Colours: Over 30 stock colours, including navy, white, black, red, royal and bottle green; custom dyeing for corporate shades. Typically 500–1,000 pieces per colour for stock fabrics; custom shades need about 1,500 pieces. Lead time: 30–40 days including embroidery; 20 days on repeat orders. Best buying window: polos sell all year as uniforms and in summer as retail wear. Typical buyers: corporate-uniform suppliers, golf, sports and school clubs and hospitality groups and security companies.

Cotton chinos, formal trousers and multi-pocket cargo pants in twill, gabardine and ripstop for casual, office and work use. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: cotton twill 220–260 GSM, cotton-elastane stretch twill and polyester-viscose formal suiting. Sizes: Waist 28–46 inches, inseam 30–34 inches; S–3XL for casual cargo; EU and UK waist sizing available. Colours: Khaki, olive, navy, black, stone, grey and seasonal colours; garment-dyed and enzyme-washed options. Typically 1,000–2,000 pieces per style, with at most three colours per style. Lead time: 45–55 days from approved sample. Best buying window: chinos and cargo pants peak in spring and autumn in Europe and North America. Typical buyers: menswear retailers, uniform and workwear suppliers and outdoor and utility brands.

Cotton and rayon kurtis in straight, A-line, anarkali and long styles with block print, embroidery and digital print. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: cotton cambric and voile 90–120 GSM, rayon challis and viscose crepe and cotton-linen and slub cotton. Sizes: S–XXL standard, 3XL–5XL plus-size, lengths 36–48 inches; free-size short tunics for boutiques. Colours: Wide solid and print palettes with 4–6 colourways per design; festive palettes for Eid, Diwali and wedding seasons. Typically 300 pieces per design with up to 4 colours; 1,200–1,500 pieces per container order for mixed designs is common. Lead time: 30–45 days including sampling; 20–25 days on repeat designs. Best buying window: orders for Eid, Diwali, Navratri and wedding seasons are placed 3–4 months early. Typical buyers: ethnic-wear boutiques in the UK, US and Gulf, online fashion marketplaces and wholesalers supplying festive stock.

Cotton-lycra, churidar and ankle-length leggings in wide colour ranges for retail, wholesale and private-label brands. Sri Lanka is one of the markets with its own page for this line.

Fabrics: cotton-lycra 95/5 jersey 200–240 GSM, viscose-lycra for soft drape and polyester-spandex for sportswear leggings. Sizes: Free size (fits S–L), XL–3XL, and numeric sizing 26–40 inches; plus-size 4XL–6XL on request. Colours: 50+ solid colours, melange and prints; dyed to Pantone in bulk. Typically 1,500–3,000 pieces per container colour mix; 500 pieces per colour for stock jersey. Lead time: 25–35 days; 20 days on repeat colours. Best buying window: leggings sell all year. Typical buyers: women's apparel wholesalers, retail chains and supermarkets and ethnic and fusion-wear boutiques.

Retail chains & stores: Retail chains, department stores and independent shops in Colombo, Kandy and Galle restock with imported shirts, T-shirts, jeans and kidswear, and increasingly ask for private-label ranges.

Wholesale & trading houses: Colombo, Kandy and Galle is where Sri Lanka's wholesale garment trade is concentrated: traders buy by the carton and the container, favouring fast-moving sizes and colours at dependable prices.

Schools, institutions & corporate uniforms: Institutional buyers in Colombo, Kandy and Galle tender for school and corporate uniforms, and value a supplier who can reproduce the same shade, size set and embroidery for years.

Hospitality & tourism: Tourism in Sri Lanka supports a steady trade in staff uniforms and light resortwear, with orders timed before the high season.

Online marketplaces & D2C brands: E-commerce sellers in Colombo, Kandy and Galle need accurate size charts, consistent quality and fast repeat orders, which suits small-batch Indian production.

Colombo: Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka. Wholesale markets in Colombo buy mixed containers of basics, kidswear and jeans. Retail buyers in Colombo order shirts, T-shirts, jeans and kidswear each season.

Katunayake: Katunayake sits 1 day by road inland from Colombo, where cargo from India is cleared. Traders in Katunayake buy garments by the carton and the container for resale across the region. Construction sites, factories and industrial plants around Katunayake need coveralls, hi-vis and work shirts.

Biyagama: Biyagama is reached from Colombo after 1 day by road. Construction sites, factories and industrial plants around Biyagama need coveralls, hi-vis and work shirts. Institutional buyers in Biyagama tender for school and corporate uniforms.

Kandy: Kandy is reached from Colombo after 1 day by road. Hotels, resorts and restaurants in Kandy buy staff uniforms and light resortwear. Institutional buyers in Kandy tender for school and corporate uniforms.

Galle: Galle is reached from Colombo after 1 day by road. Hotels, resorts and restaurants in Galle buy staff uniforms and light resortwear. Institutional buyers in Galle tender for school and corporate uniforms.

Hambantota: Hambantota is a port city where cargo from India arrives directly. Wholesale markets in Hambantota buy mixed containers of basics, kidswear and jeans. Contractors around Hambantota clothe whole crews with workwear and safety garments.

Containers leave Mundra, Kandla or Nhava Sheva and reach Colombo, Hambantota in about 3–12 days. We quote FOB, CFR or CIF; your clearing agent handles customs and local delivery, and we coordinate with the forwarder you name. Duties and taxes: Customs duty plus VAT and other levies. Imports clear at Colombo through Sri Lanka Customs with invoice, packing list and certificate of origin; the India–Sri Lanka free trade agreement may give duty preferences with the right certificate, and English labelling is accepted. Confirm current rules with your broker.

Documents with every shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bill of lading, plus test reports and compliance documents where your market asks for them. Payment terms: 50% advance with order confirmation and 50% before dispatch against export documents; L/C at sight can be discussed for larger orders.