Main characteristics of the clothing and apparel industry
The sector of clothing and apparel is a very labour-intensive one. The majority of companies are family-owned businesses, small to medium sized and environmentally-friendly. On the one hand, the industry experiences a tough international competition especially from Asian countries. On the other hand, the clothing and apparel industry is very export-oriented. Nowadays, several Belgian brands are sold throughout the world and well-known by many people. Belgian fashion is exported to several countries; however, the top 5 is France, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Spain.
Key figures of the clothing and apparel industry
At present, 17.677 people are working in the clothing and apparel industry of which 70% are blue collar and 30% white collar workers. 75% of all employees are women. The majority of companies are located in Flanders (85%) of which 60% are based in East and West Flanders. One of the main problems for the Belgian clothing and apparel companies is the high labour cost. This has forced numerous companies to take their production abroad in order to stay competitive on international level. In 2006 clothing alone represented a turnover of 1.8 billion euro. If apparel is added, the turnover amounts to 2.4 billion euro of which 70% was generated by export
KEY FIGURES
TURNOVER :
• CLOTHING : 1,75 billion Euro
• CLOTHING AND APPAREL: 2,4 billion Euro
EXPORT SHARE : 70 à 75%
INVESTMENTS
• CLOTHING : 26,2 million Euro
• CLOTHING AND APPAREL : 44,6 million Euro
ADDED VALUE : 357,1 million Euro
EMPLOYMENT :
• CLOTHING : +/- 11.000
• CLOTHING AND APPAREL : +/- 17.000
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