Gelmart International
Gelmart International is a company.
Active
Updated: ·
Financial History
Total Raised
N/A
Valuation
N/A
Leadership Team
Key people at Gelmart International.
Gelmart International is a company.
Key people at Gelmart International.
Key people at Gelmart International.
Gelmart International, also known as Gelmart Industries Inc., is a privately owned manufacturer of intimate apparel, specializing in bras, underwear, shapewear, lounge, and swimwear for major global retailers.[1][2][3][4] With over 70 years of experience, the company designs, develops, and produces private label, proprietary, and licensed brands, owning a vertical supply chain from material sourcing to logistics via factories in the Philippines and China.[1][2][3] It serves mass merchants like Walmart and department stores, solving supply chain challenges through innovation like the sustainable SugarCup™ bra pad from sugarcane and incubating DTC brands such as LIVELY (sold to Wacoal in 2019) and kindly (exclusive with Walmart).[1][2] Growth momentum includes awards like multiple Walmart Vendor of the Year honors (2001, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2018) and expansions into brand incubation via FullStride Ventures.[1][2]
Gelmart traces its roots to 1950 when the Nasser family founded it as the Philippine American Embroideries Company in the Philippines, initially manufacturing embroidered handkerchiefs as one of the first U.S. firms to produce overseas.[1][3] The family later purchased Gelmart Industries, an established bra manufacturer, shifting to fully vertical operations in the Philippines with over 15,000 workers, and expanded into apparel categories like children's wear, dresses, and intimates during explosive growth partnering with Walmart, Kmart, and Sears.[3] Key evolution came under Yossi Nasser, appointed president and CEO around 2015, who turned around the 65-year-old family business by focusing on brand-building, DTC initiatives, and global expansion into Egypt, Haiti, China, Indonesia, and India; his siblings Rafael and James Nasser joined the board.[3] Headquartered in New York with a Manhattan showroom, it remains family-led and private.[2][4]
Gelmart rides the wave of sustainable apparel manufacturing and supply chain digitization in the $200B+ intimates market, where consumer demand for eco-friendly products (e.g., plant-based materials) and resilient global logistics post-pandemic favors vertically integrated players.[1][2] Timing aligns with retail shifts toward private labels amid inflation and DTC hybridization, amplified by its brand incubation model influencing how traditional manufacturers enter e-commerce.[1][3] Market forces like raw material volatility and ethical sourcing regulations (e.g., WRAP certification) play to its strengths in direct supplier relationships and oversight, while expansions in Asia counter geopolitical disruptions.[3][4] It shapes the ecosystem by setting benchmarks for retailer-manufacturer collaboration, as seen in Walmart exclusives, and mentoring startups via FullStride Ventures amid rising interest in circular fashion.[2]
Gelmart is poised to deepen sustainability leadership with more bio-based innovations and DTC ventures, leveraging FullStride to capture Gen Z's ethical spending amid projected 5-7% annual intimates market growth.[1][2] Trends like AI-driven supply chains and nearshoring will amplify its vertical edge, potentially expanding U.S. production to mitigate tariffs. Its family stewardship and retailer loyalty position it to evolve from pure manufacturer to full-spectrum lifestyle brand platform, sustaining influence in a consolidating industry.[3] This enduring partner to retail giants exemplifies how legacy expertise adapts to modern demands, redefining manufacturing's role.
