statistics
Global Fashion Industry Statistics
General data
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 327 million |
| Labor force | 161.0 million |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% |
| GDP per capita (PPS) | 62,500 US dollars |
| Market share of the fashion industry | 4 percent |
| Domestic market value of the fashion industry | 406 billion dollars |
| Employment in fashion-related industries | 1.9 million |
New York: Fashion capital
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| New York City population | 8.55 million |
| New York City labor force | 4.2 million |
| Employment in fashion-related industries (NYC only) | 185,000 |
| Wages in the fashion industry (NYC only) | 11 billion dollars |
| Fashion industry tax revenue (NYC only) | 2 billion dollars |
source: NYCEDC (US Census Bureau)
Employment
In the United States an estimated 1.8 million people are in employed in the fashion industry, among whom 232,000 in manufacturing textiles for apparel and other fashion items. (JEC Democratic, Bureau of Labor)
Average annual wages in fashion range from 26,440 dollars, for textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators, to 84,600 dollars for marketing and sales managers in fashion.
About 79 percent of all US employees in fashion work for apparel retailers. The average annual wage at such companies is 26,650 dollars. However in certain occupations the average wages are a lot higher. Marketing and sales managers at apparel retailers have the highest average annual wage of 84,600 dollars. Accountants and auditors receive an average annual pay of 69,960 dollar and buyers and purchasing agents get paid 56,550 dollars, on average.
A smaller amount, 145,000 employees accounting for 8 percent of all employees in fashion work in apparel wholesale and merchandising. The average annual wage in this sub industry is 52,350 dollars. However, some jobs pay less than the average wage. Graphic designers, for instance, receive wages around 48,320 dollars, whereas merchandise displayers and window trimmer receives 35,680. Jobs in production, planning and expediting, with average wages of 47,680, and in installation, maintenance and repair, with average annual wages of 43,430, also pay less than average within apparel wholesale merchandising.
Another 8 percent, 143,000 people are employed in the apparel manufacturing industry where the average annual wage is 34,110 dollars. However, there is a large range within this sub industry of fashion. Whereas computer occupations, such as information analysts, are paid the highest annual wage of 73,220 on average, textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators only receive 26,440 per annum. The wages for tailors, dressmakers and sewers are also in the low range with 27,510 dollars, on average. Maintenance and industrial machinery is paid around the average of this sub industry with annual wages of 36,610 dollars. Other jobs in the high compensation range are in fabric and apparel pattern making and market research and marketing. Respectively these occupations pay an average annual wage of 52,150 and 64,830 dollars.
Apart from the jobs listed before, the United States has room for around 18,000 fashion designers. Their average annual wage is 73,690 dollars, meaning that they receive over 30 dollars per hour.
Apparel manufacturing
- 14.5 million in 1990
- 13.1 million in 1995
- 13.0 million in 2000
- 24.8 million in 2014
Textiles
- 19.7 million in 1990
- 16.8 million in 1995
- 13.5 million in 200
- 33.0 million in 2014
Textiles and Clothing
- 34.2 million in 1990
- 29.9 million in 1995
- 26.5 million in 2000
- 57.8 million in 2014
Fashion companies
Some of the world’s largest fashion companies are based in the United States. Moreover, the currently largest fashion company globally, Nike, is American. Nike is an athleisure- and lifestyle brand with annual revenues of 30.6 billion and 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 (19 percent). Most of Nike’s income, nearly 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.
With a market value of 54.5 billion dollars and 2015 annual sales of 30.9 billion dollars, TJX Companies is the second largest fashion company in the United States. 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.
The third largest fashion company in the United States is VF Corporation. VF owns several brands including Lee, The North Face, Timberland and Napapijri. In 2015 VF’s annual revenue rose to 12.4 billion dollars with most of its revenues coming from the Outdoors and Action Sports division. The brands The North Face, Vans and Timberland had combined sales of 7.4 billion dollars, accounting for nearly 60 percent of VF’s total income. Currently, VF corporation has a market value of 27.6 billion dollars.
Close to VF Corporation, with a market value of 25.3 billion dollars is L Brands. L Brands is the parent company of Victoria’s Secret and has most of its sales of 12.15 billion dollars, a near 93 percent, domestically. In fifth place of United States’’ largest fashion companies is sports brands Under Armour. The 20-year-old brand managed annual revenues of 4.0 billion dollars in 2015, with 3.45 billion dollar in North America alone. Under Armour is currently valued at 17.8 billion dollars on the New York Stock Exchange.
Consumer expenditure
In million US dollars
In percent
Imports & Exports(2016)
Exports of textiles and clothing: 22.9 billion dollars
The United States are not one of the largest exporters of fashion-related products in the world, however it still supplies a fair share of several textiles for fashion purpose to overseas markets. The largest export products among textile and clothing of the United States are:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Raw cotton | 4.41 billion dollars, 19 percent |
| Nonwoven textiles | 1.77 billion dollars, 8 percent |
| Cotton yarn of over 85 percent | 1.13 billion dollars, 5 percent |
| Artificial filament tow | 1.04 billion dollars, 4.5 percent |
| Synthetic fila ent yarn | 1.03 billion dollars, 4.5 percent |
Exports of footwear and headwear: 1.14 billion dollar
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Footwear, with leather body | 306 million dollars, 27 percent |
| Parts of footwear | 263 million dollars, 23 percent |
| Other headgear | 139 million dollars, 12 percent |
| Footwear, with textile body | 85.4 million dollars, 7.5 percent |
| Other footwear of rubber of plastics | 76.9 million dollars, 7 percent |
| Other footwear | 74.7 million dollars, 6.5 percent |
Imports of clothing: 105 billion dollars
The United States are the largest importer of fashion-related products in the world. It mostly imports manufactured apparel.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Sweaters, pullovers, sweatshirts, etc. | 14.1 billion dollars, 13 percent |
| Women’s suits, not knit | 9.37 billion dollars, 9 percent |
| Men’s suits, not knit | 8.2 billion dollars, 8 percent |
| Women’s suits | 5.63 billion dollars, 5 percent |
| T-shirts | 5.2 billion dollars, 5 percent |
Imports of footwear and headwear: 28.8 billion dollars
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Footwear, with leather body | 12.2 billion dollars, 42 percent |
| Other footwear of rubber or plastics | 6.64 billion dollars, 23 percent |
| Footwear, with textile body | 4.7 billion dollars, 16 percent |
| Hats, knitted or crocheted | 1.34 billion dollars, 5 percent |
Sources
- Import and export data: OEC
- Largest companies Info: FashionUnited top 100
- Population and Labour Data: World Bank | www.wto.org