Teejay Lanka

Teejay Lanka is a Sri Lankan textile manufacturing company focused primarily on knitted fabrics for the global apparel industry. The business was established in 2000 as Textured Jersey Lanka, a joint venture involving Linea Clothing and Textured Jersey UK. Its original operating model connected Sri Lankan apparel manufacturing expertise with overseas textile capabilities and customer networks. The company later underwent important ownership and corporate-identity changes as the Sri Lankan and international textile sectors consolidated. In 2004, Pacific Textile Holdings acquired the stake previously held by Textured Jersey UK. In 2007, Brandix joined Pacific Textiles in the shareholding structure, strengthening the company’s links with Sri Lanka’s large apparel-export ecosystem. The company entered the public market in 2011 through a listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In 2016, it adopted the Teejay Lanka name, replacing the earlier Textured Jersey Lanka identity and presenting a more unified corporate brand. Teejay Lanka manufactures knitted fabrics and supplies textile inputs to apparel companies and international brand supply chains. The brands identified as customers or sourcing partners in reference material include Nike, PVH, L Brands, Marks & Spencer, Decathlon, Lidl, and Calzedonia. These relationships place the company primarily in a business-to-business position: consumers may encounter its fabrics in finished garments, but Teejay Lanka is generally not a consumer-facing clothing label. Its competitive relevance derives from textile production capability, export orientation, customer compliance, and integration with apparel manufacturing networks. The company operates manufacturing activities in Sri Lanka and India. Its geographic footprint reflects the wider regional structure of South Asian apparel production, in which fabric manufacturers supply both domestic garment factories and international sourcing programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Teejay Lanka made a strategic move into personal protective equipment, adapting part of its manufacturing activity to meet pandemic-related demand and diversify production during a period of severe disruption to apparel orders. Teejay Lanka is also associated with Sri Lanka’s listed-company and export sectors. It is described as a constituent of the S&P Sri Lanka 20 Index and has received national recognition for textile-export performance. The company was named a best textile exporter at the Presidential Export Awards in 2019 and again in 2021, with the latter recognition described as its third consecutive win in that category. It was also ranked among Sri Lanka’s most respected companies by LMD magazine. The company faced legal scrutiny in 2020 when the Colombo Magistrate Court issued a notice requiring it to appear in connection with an allegation concerning an attempted discharge of hazardous waste into the ocean through a contractor. The available reference material records the court notice and allegation but does not establish a final judicial outcome. Teejay Lanka remains an active Sri Lankan textile manufacturer with a regional production base, a public-company profile, and an international customer network.

Teejay Lanka began operations in 2000 under the name Textured Jersey Lanka. It was formed as a joint venture between Linea Clothing and Textured Jersey UK, combining Sri Lankan apparel-sector participation with the capabilities of an international textile partner. The company’s core activity was the manufacture of knitted fabrics used in apparel production rather than the sale of finished consumer clothing. A significant ownership change took place in 2004, when Pacific Textile Holdings acquired the interest held by Textured Jersey UK. In 2007, the shareholding structure changed again as Brandix joined Pacific Textiles. Brandix’s participation connected the company more closely with Sri Lanka’s vertically organized apparel-export industry, while Pacific Textiles provided a broader regional textile context. The company became publicly listed in 2011 through the Colombo Stock Exchange. This marked its transition from a privately structured joint venture into a listed Sri Lankan textile enterprise. The public-company structure also placed Teejay Lanka within the country’s capital-market and export-company landscape. The company is identified as one of the constituents of the S&P Sri Lanka 20 Index. In 2016, Textured Jersey Lanka was rebranded as Teejay Lanka. The new name became the company’s principal corporate identity and was used as it continued to develop its textile manufacturing and international supply relationships. Its customer base has been associated with major apparel and retail groups, including Nike, PVH, L Brands, Marks & Spencer, Decathlon, Lidl, and Calzedonia. These relationships indicate a business model centered on supplying fabric to global apparel value chains rather than marketing a mass consumer clothing collection under the Teejay name. Teejay Lanka’s manufacturing operations extend across Sri Lanka and India. The two-country production footprint supports regional sourcing and reflects the importance of South Asia to international apparel manufacturing. Its principal output is knitted fabric, which can be processed into garments by apparel manufacturers serving brand and retail customers. The COVID-19 pandemic created substantial disruption for textile and apparel producers. In response, Teejay Lanka made a strategic move into personal protective equipment. This represented a temporary or additional production direction intended to address pandemic demand and make use of manufacturing capabilities during an unsettled period for conventional apparel orders. The company has received recognition for its contribution to Sri Lanka’s export economy. It was awarded best textile exporter at the Presidential Export Awards in 2019 and was again recognized in the same category in 2021, when the award was described as its third consecutive win. It was also listed among the 100 most respected companies in Sri Lanka by LMD magazine. The company’s history includes a notable environmental and legal controversy. On August 10, 2020, the Colombo Magistrate Court issued a notice requiring the company to appear in relation to an allegation involving an attempt to dump hazardous waste into the ocean through a contractor. The available reference establishes the court notice and allegation, but does not provide a final ruling or resolution and therefore does not support a conclusion about liability. In 2022, Sri Lankan business executive Ajit Gunawardene was appointed chairman. Teejay Lanka continues to be described as an active, publicly listed knitted-fabric manufacturer with production in Sri Lanka and India and customers connected to international apparel brands.

• 2022

  Ajit Gunawardene became chairman

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  Sri Lankan business executive Ajit Gunawardene was appointed chairman of the company.

• 2021

  Third consecutive textile-export award

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  Teejay Lanka won the best textile exporter category at the Presidential Export Awards for the third consecutive year, according to the reference material.

• 2020

  Court notice concerning alleged hazardous-waste disposal

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  The Colombo Magistrate Court issued a notice related to an allegation involving an attempted ocean discharge of hazardous waste through a contractor.

• 2019

  Presidential Export Award recognition

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  The company received recognition as Sri Lanka’s best textile exporter at the Presidential Export Awards.

• 2016

  The company adopted the Teejay Lanka name

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  The former Textured Jersey Lanka identity was replaced by the Teejay Lanka corporate brand.

• 2011

  The company was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  Textured Jersey Lanka became a publicly listed Sri Lankan company.

• 2007

  Brandix joined Pacific Textiles in the shareholding structure

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  A further ownership change brought Brandix into the company’s shareholder structure alongside Pacific Textiles.

• 2004

  Pacific Textile Holdings acquired Textured Jersey UK’s stake

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  The ownership structure changed when Pacific Textile Holdings purchased the interest held by Textured Jersey UK.

• 2000

  Textured Jersey Lanka was established

  [1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  The company was founded as a joint venture between Linea Clothing and Textured Jersey UK.

A Sri Lankan, export-oriented knitted-fabric manufacturer positioned as a business-to-business textile supplier for global apparel brands and garment producers.

• Textile manufacturing

  Knitted fabrics

  Knitted fabric is Teejay Lanka’s core product category. The company manufactures textile inputs for apparel producers and international sourcing programs rather than primarily selling finished garments to consumers. Its fabrics support the production of clothing supplied through brand and retail supply chains associated with customers such as Nike, PVH, L Brands, Marks & Spencer, Decathlon, Lidl, and Calzedonia.

• Protective apparel and equipment

  Personal protective equipment

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Teejay Lanka moved into personal protective equipment as a strategic manufacturing response. The initiative broadened the company’s output beyond conventional apparel fabrics at a time when pandemic-related demand increased for protective products and apparel orders were disrupted.

• 2020

  Alleged hazardous-waste disposal through a contractor

  On August 10, 2020, the Colombo Magistrate Court issued a notice requiring Teejay Lanka to appear in connection with an allegation that hazardous waste had been or was attempted to be dumped into the ocean through a contractor. The available reference does not report a final court decision, so the allegation should not be treated as an established finding.

  Source

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• 2016

  Corporate rebranding to Teejay LankaStrategy

  Background

  The company had operated since 2000 under the Textured Jersey Lanka name and had experienced changes in ownership and public-market status.

  Action taken

  It adopted Teejay Lanka as its corporate brand and operating identity.

  Aftermath

  The Teejay Lanka name became associated with the company’s knitted-fabric manufacturing and international apparel-supply activities.

  Source

• Diversification into personal protective equipmentStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted apparel production and created exceptional demand for protective products.

  Action taken

  Teejay Lanka redirected or expanded manufacturing capacity to produce personal protective equipment.

  Aftermath

  The move provided a pandemic-era diversification of the company’s textile and apparel-related manufacturing activities; the reference does not quantify its duration or financial impact.

  Source

• 2021

  Teejay Lanka received national textile-export recognition[1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Teejay Lanka won the best textile exporter award at Sri Lanka’s Presidential Export Awards, described in the reference material as its third consecutive win in that category.

• Teejay Lanka expanded into personal protective equipment during the pandemic[1]Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company shifted part of its manufacturing activity toward personal protective equipment as a strategic response to disrupted apparel demand and changing market requirements.

1. 1Teejay Lankaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Twin wins for Teejay Lanka at Presidential Export Awardsisland.lk
3. 3Twin wins for Teejay Lanka at Presidential Export Awardsisland.lk