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Key people at Gelmart International.
Gelmart International is a New York City-based private label and contract manufacturer of intimate apparel, producing lingerie, bras, and underwear for major department stores and mass merchants. The company operates a comprehensive, vertically integrated supply chain that encompasses product design, material sourcing, global production, and marketing services. Its manufacturing portfolio serves several major retail and apparel brands, including Walmart, Amazon, Target, Playtex, and Kohl's. Operating with an estimated workforce of up to 5,000 employees across its facilities, the firm generates annual revenue estimated between $21 million and $222 million depending on the specific reporting period. The organization has also expanded its operations by launching an internal incubation arm called FullStride Ventures and developing sustainable product lines utilizing recycled sugarcane and plant-based materials. Gelmart International was originally founded in 1950 by the Nasser family.
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.
