Apparel industry pioneer passes away

The death is announced of Rointon Choksy, who passed away last morning.

Hailing from a respected family, he was the son of the late N.K. Choksy, a former judge of the Supreme Court.

Rointon Choksy was a pioneer in the garment industry who headed Hentley Garments, which sent the first ever export order to Russia in 1965. He was ably supported by his late wife, the daughter of Hentley C. Joseph, and carried the company for 22 years.

He had the proud distinction of being the only supplier of garments from Sri Lanka to Russia and subsequently expanded into Hungary, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. His ultimate goal was to break in to the US market and he achieved this in 1965.