General data
The global apparel market is valued at 3 trillion dollars, 3,000 billion, and accounts for 2 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The fashion industry includes many sub industries, such as menswear, womenswear and sportswear.
- The womenswear industry is valued at 621 billion dollars
- The menswear industry is valued at 402 billion dollars
- The retail value of the luxury goods market is 339.4 billion dollars
- Childrenswear had a global retail value of 186 billion dollars
- Sports footwear is valued at 90.4 billion dollars
- The bridalwear industry is valued at 57 billion dollars
Fashion companies
To cater to the large, 3,000 billion, textile and garment industry new companies are entering the market daily. Yet, most of these companies remain rather unknown. Worldwide only a few large fashion players exist.
Currently US-based athleisure- and lifestyle brand Nike is the largest fashion company worldwide. Nike had 2015 revenues of 30.6 billion and has a market value of nearly a 105 billion dollars. Nike offers its products worldwide and its largest markets are the United States, accounting for 46 percent of the total revenues, and Western Europe with a share 19 percent. Most of Nike’s income, a near 94 percent, comes from the Nike brand. The remaining 6 percent comes from Converse, which is a subsidiary of Nike. The brand’s best selling division is footwear, accounting for 64 percent of Nike’s income.
Spanish fast-fashion giant Inditex is with a market value of nearly a 104 dollars close to Nike and is therefore the second largest fashion company worldwide. This company owns brands such as Zara, Pull&Bear and Stradivarius. Inditex’ 2015 annual revenue was around 24 billion dollars. With stores is every major city worldwide, the company is able to reach lots of fans.
In third place comes LVMH, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, a French luxury conglomerate. LVMH’s annual revenues reached 40.7 billion dollars in 2015 and the company is currently valued around 87 billion dollars. The company operates a chain of independent stores and shops-in-shops for fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Dior. LVMH does not only stand for high-end fashion, but provides for every aspect of a luxury lifestyle, from champagne (Moët) to sailing yachts (Royal Van Lent).
The fourth largest fashion company is US-based TJX with a market value of 54.5 billion dollars and 2015 annual sales of 30.9 billion dollars. TJX operates the majority of its stores in the United States and is best known for its fast-fashion brand T.J. Maxx. Its US sales account for 86 percent, with 26.7 billion dollars. The company is also active on the Canadian and European market with its brands T.K. Maxx, HomeSense, Winners and Marshalls.
Rounding off the global Top 5 is swedish fast-fashion giant H&M. H&M reached annual net sales of 25.8 billion dollars in 2015, which has set its current market value to 48.3 billion dollars. Currently, Germany is the the company’s biggest market and accounts for 17 percent of H&M’s total sales. Other large European markets are the United Kingdom with 8 percent, France with 6.5 percent and Sweden with 4.5 percent. The United States (12 percent) and China (5 percents) are H&M’s largest international markets.
On sixth place in the Global Top 10 of Largest Fashion Companies is the french luxury brand Hermès, with a market value of 37 billion dollar and annual revenues of 5.5 billion dollar. Place 7 in the Top 10 is held by privately held luxury company Montres Tudor, the parent company of Rolex, which has a market value 34.9 billion dollars and annual sales of 8.3 billion dollars. Fashion jewelry conglomerate Compagnie Financière Richemont follows with a market value of 33.7 billion dollars and annual sales of 11.8 billion dollars. Other large companies in the Top 10 are luxury brands Dior and Chanel with market values of respectively 32.9 billion dollars and 32.6 billion dollars. Dior has annual sales of 2 billion dollars compared to 7.5 billion dollars at Chanel. Montres Tudor and Chanel are the only privately held fashion companies in the Global Top 10 of Largest Fashion Companies and their value is an estimated 30 percent than comparable publicly traded companies because it is harder to sell a share of these companies.