Women's Clothing Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry manufacture garments for women, girls, and infants made from purchased fabric and from fabric they produce themselves. Major companies include Calvin Klein (owned by PVH), Carter's, Hanesbrands, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, and VF Corporation (all based in the US), along with Delta Galil (Israel), Gerry Weber (Germany), Page Industries (India), and World Co (Japan).

Global retail sales of women's apparel dominate the global clothing industry. The US generated the majority of revenue in the market in 2023 with over $187 billion, followed by China at over $169 billion, and India, Japan, and the UK at about $45 billion, according to Statista. China, India, and Japan are the largest importers of apparel.

The US industry for manufacturing women's, girls', and infants' apparel includes about 1,100 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $3 billion. The industry does not include apparel contractors that cut and sew materials owned by other companies. Women's clothing cut and sew contractors are covered in the Apparel Manufacturing profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by consumer tastes and disposable income. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations and the ability to secure contracts with clothing marketers. Small companies can compete effectively with large ones by specializing in a particular type of apparel manufacture. There are few economies of scale in manufacturing, because of the high ...