Our Story

Three generations in textiles

Born in Lyallpur, India, the partition war of 1947 would bring a young Balbir Singh (last row, extreme right) to Singapore with his parents. His father Ranjit Singh (front row, extreme right), already experienced and successful in the textile trade from his hometown, would begin anew in Singapore. The elder Singh began with a shop on Arab Street with his brother Amir Singh (first row, extreme left) and together they managed a roaring enterprise focused on the import and distribution of Soviet cotton.

A young Balbir would in his adolescent years help his father and uncle at the shop whilst attending secondary school at Raffles Institution. After graduating, his father arranged for him to undergo training in India's textile hub, Bombay, for a couple of years. Upon his return, Balbir would establish D.S. Balbir & Co. in 1965. Unlike his father who dabbled in mass market Soviet fabrics, Balbir would focus on high-value textiles from the United Kingdom and Japan.

Beginning in Singapore's prestigious civic district thoroughfare of High Street (pictured below), Balbir eventually expanded the firm's footprint in the region by establishing satellite offices in both Kuala Lumpur (19- ) and Osaka (1980). 

Strong Partnerships in Japan

While industry players began recognizing the firm's expertise in sourcing fabrics from Europe and India, D.S. Balbir is perhaps best known for it's deep experience and penetration into Japanese textile markets and its ability to source best-in-class Japanese stock fabrics for its Southeast Asian clients. From its base in Osaka the firm established long-term business relationships with suppliers all across Japan and attracted a loyal clientele from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Sri Lanka to name a few.

Team 

Today, the firm is a lean outfit made up of a team of three directors, namely it's founder Balbir and his two sons Baldhiraj and Satnam. The team continues its focus on value, i.e. sourcing the highest quality textiles at the sharpest prices for its clients.