In the vibrant city of Coimbatore, in the heart of southern India, K.P.R. Mill is a whirlwind of creativity and craftsmanship. With an astonishing annual output of 128 million garments, this remarkable enterprise weaves a tapestry of sportswear, sleepwear, and countless other fashion essentials. These threads of style and quality find their way onto the racks of global fashion giants like H&M, Marks & Spencer, and Walmart. Behind the scenes stands K.P. Ramasamy, the man whose vision and determination have propelled him to debut among India’s most affluent, securing the coveted 100th spot with a net worth of $2.3 billion.

Over the past year, K.P.R.’s stock has soared, surging by a remarkable one-third, fueled by a 28% spike in revenue, now standing at a robust 62.5 billion rupees ($750.8 million) for the fiscal year ending on March 31. This conglomerate’s vast repertoire also includes yarn, textiles, and sugar, yet the crown jewel remains its thriving garment exports. Just two years ago, K.P.R. Mill unveiled a state-of-the-art factory with the capacity to manufacture a staggering 42 million knitted garments each year. This strategic move, as rightly noted by research analysts Vikas Jain and Avinash Karumanchi at the prestigious Mumbai-based Equirus Securities in a March report, has “paid rich dividends in terms of robust revenue growth, stable margins, and superior efficiency ratios.”

Betting on the future, K.P.R. stands ready to embrace the colossal growth predicted for the global textile market, expected to reach an awe-inspiring $755 billion by 2027 from its current $611 billion, as forecasted by the London-based Business Research Company. The Indian government’s renewed focus on bolstering garment exports positions K.P.R. for boundless growth, according to Harsh Sheth, a research analyst at Mumbai’s HDFC Securities. As he aptly pointed out in an August report, “We believe K.P.R. is a long-term play on India’s textiles exports theme,” underscoring the company’s promising horizon.

The story of K.P. Mill is a tale of humble beginnings and relentless perseverance. Its founder, K.P. Ramasamy, hailing from a family deeply rooted in agriculture, established the mill in 1984. In 2013, he ventured into sugar production, and in 2019, he introduced Faso, a distinguished men’s innerwear brand. Today, the company, guided by the triumvirate of Ramasamy and his two brothers, employs an impressive 30,000 individuals, with the vast majority being resilient and skilled women, accounting for a remarkable 90% of the workforce.

K.P.R. Mill isn’t just a textile powerhouse; it’s a testament to the audacious spirit of entrepreneurship and a symbol of how dreams, sown in the soil of hard work and innovation, can blossom into the richest of rewards. K.P. Ramasamy’s journey from a farmer’s son to a fashion industry magnate showcases the remarkable possibilities when determination and creativity harmoniously weave together.