Top Apparel Companies of 2023

The top apparel companies of 2023 continue their dominance in the global apparel and clothing industry because of a steady growth factor in recent years.

The global sales and market shares of the largest clothing companies are at an all-time high and the retailers are super happy because the stores are managing to pull in a large number of consumers for garments, perfumes, gear, leather goods, accessories, sportswear and even underwear from luxury brands.

Top 20 Largest Apparel & Clothing Companies 2023

1. LVMH

• Origin Country: France
• Parent: LVMH
• Founder: Louis Vuitton
• Founded: 1854
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Employees: 160,000
• Revenue: €42.2 billion (First half of 2023)
• Brand value: $124.2 billion (2023)
• Website: louisvuitton.com
• Engagement actions per month: 12 million 

Louis Vuitton’s brand value is $124.2 billion, and it retains the second position in the Brandirectory Luxury & Premium 2023 ranking.

Louis Vuitton label was created by its namesake designer who wanted to launch a unique fashion brand for men and women. The global fashion brand sells its products through 460 outlets in 50 countries with help of standalone boutiques, luxurious departmental stores and company the website.

Louis Vuitton is a prominent name in several social platforms like RED, Weibo and WeChat along with Asian KOLs. It has up the ante in digital scenarios for seamless online activities.

Today, Louis Vuitton products are primarily available at company-owned boutiques, with a few exceptions in upscale shopping districts or luxury department stores. The brand continues to innovate and explore new horizons, driven by an innovative spirit.

Louis Vuitton Luxury Brands Popular Products: Louis Vuitton clothing, Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear, Louis Vuitton sunglasses, Louis Vuitton jewellery, Louis Vuitton watches, Louis Vuitton sneakers and Louis Vuitton leather wallet

2. Nike, Inc

• Origin Country: USA
• Founder: William Bowerman and Phil Knight
• Founded: 1964
• Headquarters: Beaverton, USA
• Employees: 82,000
• Annual Revenue: $12.825B (quarter ending May 31, 2023)
• Net Income: $1.031B (quarter ending May 31, 2023)
• Annual Sales: 48.0 billion
• Market Cap: 166.48B (August 7, 2023)

Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that specializes in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services.  Nike, Inc. was founded on January 25, 1964, as “Blue Ribbon Sports” by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Nike, Inc. is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area.

Nike is the largest supplier of athletic shoes and has been frequently featured on Fortune 500 list. Nike, Inc. includes several brands, such as Nike, Converse, and Jordan. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Blazers, Air Force 1, Nike Dunk, Air Max, Foamposite, Nike Skateboarding, Nike CR7, and subsidiaries including Air Jordan and Converse.

3. Christian Dior

• Origin Country: France
• Parent: LVMH
• Founded: 1946
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Employees: 163,309
• Market Cap: $163.47 billion (May2023)
• Revenue: €21 billion (Q1 2023)
• Brand value: $13.152 billion (2023)
• Website: dior.com
• Engagement actions per month: 100 million

Christian Dior popularly referred to as Dior is one of the top designer brands in the world. The French fashion house is known for a daring, sophisticated, stylish and luxurious product line that include sunglasses, fragrances (Miss Dior Parfum, Diorama), formal dress and refined clothing.

With retail sales in 210 locations and online sales through the company website and other high-end portals along with the Tmall store in China, the designer brand Christian Dior has created a niche place for its high-end luxury products.

Localization of important Chinese market, online foray, multiple digital strategies, premium products, good brand coverage, exclusive collection and loyal client list has helped the unique luxury fashion brand to remain in the limelight.

Ground-breaking schemes by the high-profile global luxury brand include the launch of a capsule collection at their website and WeChat boutique, Dior Maison virtual boutique, virtual try of sneakers with Snapchat and AR virtual make-up filter on Instagram

The fashion label deals in retailing and designing upscale leather and luxury goods meant for premium clients

Dior Luxury Brands Popular Product Categories: Dior clothing, Dior shoes, Dior watches, Dior wines, Dior spirits, Dior sneakers, Dior perfumes, Dior jewellery, Dior fashion accessories and Dior cosmetics

4. TJX Companies

• Origin Country: USA
• Founder: Bernard Cammarata
• Founded: 1987
• Headquarters: Framingham, USA
• Employees: 350,000
• Annual Revenue: $11.783B (quarter ending April 30, 2023 )
• Net Income: $0.891B (quarter ending April 30, 2023)
• 2023 Annual Sales: 50.0 billion USD
• Market value: 95.0 billion USD
• Market Capitalization: $98.2B (August 07, 2023)

The TJX Companies, Inc. is a leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide.

TJX Companies operates various brands and e-commerce sites, including T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra, and Homesense. They have over 4,800 stores across nine countries and three continents. The company is ranked 87th in the 2022 Fortune 500 company listings.

5. Inditex

• Origin Country: Spain
• Founder: Amancio Ortega, Rosalia Mera
• Founded: 12th June 1985
• Headquarters: Arteixo, Spain
• Employees: 170,000+
• Revenues from global sales: 32.6 billion euros (2022)
• Net income: 4.15 billion euros (2022)
• Net Profit: EUR 3.6 billion (year-on-year growth of 150%)
• Market Cap: 75 billion USD

Inditex is a global fashion retailer that designs, distributes, and retails apparel for men, women, and children. The company was founded with the ambition to make fashionable, quality, and life-enhancing clothes for people. The company’s business model is centered around being quick at responding to the market, with the process of replenishing stores with new and different products taking less than two months.

Store and online global sales by 31st March 2022 were at a record-time high. Inditex owns several brands, including Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home, and Uterqüe.

6. Fast Retailing

• Origin Country: Japan
• Founder: Hitoshi Yanai
• Founded: 1963
• Headquarters: Yamaguchi, Japan
• Employees: 56,500
• Revenue: 2.1435 trillion yen (May 2023)
• Market Value: 60 billion USD
• Annual Sales 2023: 16.5 billion USD
• Market Capitalization: 62.5 billion USD

Fast Retailing is a global developer of fashion brands that includes UNIQLO, GU, and Theory. The company was founded in 1949 as Men’s Shop Ogori Shoji and formally incorporated as Og?ri Sh?ji Co., Ltd. in 1963 by Hitoshi Yanai. Fast Retailing is a public Japanese multinational retail holding company that designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells a wide range of casual wear for men, women, and children.

Fast Retailing also owns several other brands, including J Brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse Tam-Tam.

7. Lululemon Athletica

• Origin Country: Canada
• Founder: Chip Wilson
• Founded: 1998
• Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Employees: 30,000
• Annual Revenue:$2.001B (quarter ending April 30, 2023 )
• Annual Net Income: $0.290B (quarter ending April 30, 2023 )
• Market Value: 52 billion USD
• Market Cap: $48.06B (August 7, 2023)

Lululemon Athletica has made a name for itself as one of the most popular and largest clothing companies in the world. It is a retailer of sportswear or athletic wear and deals in yoga wear like yoga pants, tops, underwear, jackets, sweaters, shorts, yoga mats, bags, dry shampoo, deodorants, water bottles, personal care products, hair accessories and lifestyle apparel. As of August 01, 2023, there are 434 Lululemon stores in the United States.

The Holistic Guerrilla Marketing strategy has helped Lululemon Athletica to spread its customer base from all-female to both male and female. The company has launched a streetwear business brand “Lab” to compete against other athletic wear brands like Adidas and Nike.

8. Ross Stores

• Origin Country: USA
• Founder: Morris Ross, Bill Isackson
• Founded: 1982
• Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland and California, USA
• Employees 2023: 105,000 (an increase of 5%)
• Revenue: 20.187 billion USD (year ending 31st July 2023)
• Net Income: 1.574 billion USD (year ending 31st July 2023)
• Market Capitalization: 32.69 billion USD

Unbeatable discounted prices and different categories of merchandise in different stores have helped Ross Stores to become a favourite of the masses. Its product portfolio includes clothing, bedding, footwear, beauty products, jewellery, furniture and toys. Ross Stores is an American chain of discount department stores headquartered in Dublin, California.  There are 1,722 Ross Stores locations in the United States as of July 05, 2023.

Ross Stores is the largest off-price retailer in the U.S. . The company’s focus is on bringing customers a constant stream of high-quality department and specialty store brands at extraordinary savings while providing an easy, fun, and organized shopping experience. Ross Stores works directly with manufacturers to negotiate the best deals and believes in “no frills” – no window displays, mannequins, fancy fixtures, or decorations in their stores so they can pass more savings on to their customers.

9. Adidas

• Origin Country: Germany
• Founder: Adolf Dassler
• Founded: 1924
• Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
• Employees: 62,500
• Revenue: $5.661B (quarter ending March 31, 2023)
• Net Income:  $-0.042B quarter ending March 31)
• Market Cap: $37.89B (August 07, 2023)

Adidas is a German manufacturer of athletic shoes and apparel, and sporting goods. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second largest in the world, after Nike. Adidas products are traditionally marked with a three-stripe trademark, which remains an element in the company’s newer “trefoil” and “mountain” logos.The name Adidas is an abbreviation of the name of founder Adolf (“Adi”) Dassler.

Adidas is one of the top global apparel companies of 2022 that operates under two brands that bear the names Reebok and Adidas. All business activities are handled by the brand through its retail stores and e-commerce platforms.

The multinational corporation is the largest manufacturer of sportswear in Europe and the second-largest in the world. The product portfolio includes sportswear, apparel, footwear, sports equipment and toiletries.

The company has achieved immense success in the sportswear category and has managed to pull several high-profile sportspersons and celebrities as its brand ambassador.

10. H&M

• Origin Country: Sweden
• Founder: Erling Persson
• Founded: 1947
• Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
• Employees: 115,000
• Annual Revenue (TTM): $21.86 B (2023)
• Market Value: 35 billion USD
• Market Cap: $25.39 Billion (August 2023)

H&M is a multinational business that operates via 4,465 stores globally as of 2022.. It is one of the largest retailers in recent years of clothing, accessories, footwear, home textiles and cosmetics.

The focus of the brand is on fast-fashion clothing for men, children, women and teenagers. It is the parent company of H&M Home, Monki, Cheap Monday, Weekday and COS. All H&M products are sold through the H&M label and via subsidiaries.

11. VF Corporation

• Origin Country: United States of America
• Founded: 1899
• Headquarters: Denver, Colorado, USA
• Employees: 37,500
• Revenue: $2.086B (quarter ending June 30, 2023)
• Net Income:  $-0.057B (quarter ending June 30, 2023)
• Annual Sales 2023: 12.5 billion USD
• Market Value: 31.5 billion USD
• Market Capitalization: $7.54B (August 07, 2023)

VF Corporation is a multinational manufacturing company that outfits consumers around the world with its diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and workwear brands. The company has a long history of innovation and leadership, evolving from a small producer of gloves and mittens into a multinational manufacturing giant with sales of more than $11 billion, all within 120 years. VF Corporation has headquarters in Denver, CO, Stabio, Switzerland, and Shanghai, China

VF Corporation has found success in the global apparel industry because of its wide range of quality products. The company designs distribute and produce sports and lifestyle apparel, accessories and footwear.

Ii is the parent company of North Face and controls 55% of the backpack market in the USA with Timberland, North Face, Eastpak and JanSport brands. All the brands of VF Corporation are categorized into three segments workwear, active and outdoor.

12. Prada

• Origin Country: Italy
• Founder: Mario Prada
• Founded: 1913
• Headquarters: Milan, Italy
• Employees: 12,844
• Revenue: €2.23 billion EUR ( Q1 2023)
• Brand value: $6.55 billion (2022)
• Market capitalization: $18.43 B (2023)
• Net income: 496.16 million euros (2022)
• Website: www.Prada.com

According to the Brandirectory’s Luxury & Premium 2023 report, Prada is ranked 15th in terms of brand value, with a value of $6.5 billion.

Prada is one of the most unique and top designer brands in the fashion industry that stands apart with distinct, one-of-a-kind and timeless pieces. The Italian label is known to produce high-end quality pieces and cult accessories made with luxurious materials and launch them through fresh collections which are a rage amongst fashion lovers all over the world.

Prada is a renowned Italian luxury brand that has spread its presence through online sites and offline six hundred retail locations.

Prada has decided to move with the times and improve its digital strategy. The company has made innovative changes in the official website, taken control of distribution channel, opened dialogue between the brand and audiences, launched digital talks on Instagram and increased the e-commerce offerings with personalized and localized products to generate higher sales figures

Prada Luxury Fashion Brands Popular Products: Prada leather handbags, Prada cosmetics, Prada perfumes, Prada clothing, Prada travel accessories, Prada wines, Prada cell phones and Prada watches.

13. Burlington Stores

• Origin Country: United States of America
• Founder: Monroe Milstein
• Founded: 1972
• Headquarters: Burlington, New Jersey, USA
• Employees 2023: 65,000
• Annual Revenue: $2.137B (quarter ending April 30, 2023 )
• Net Income: $0.033B (quarter ending April 30, 2023)
• 2023 Annual sales: 9.75 billion USD
• Market Cap: $10.98B (August 7, 2023)

Burlington Stores is an American national off-price department store retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation. Burlington Stores offers a wide range of products, including clothing for men, women, and children, as well as home goods, beauty products, and baby items.

Burlington Stores is headquartered in Burlington Township, New Jersey. Burlington Stores currently has 935 stores in the United States as of July 26, 2023. Burlington is the third largest off-price retailer after TJX Companies and Ross Stores.

14. Next Plc

• Origin Country: United Kingdom
• Founder: Joseph Hepworth
• Founded: 1864
• Headquarters: Enderby, England, UK
• Employees: 42,500
• Annual Revenue: 5.0 billion GBP
• Net Income: 725 million GBP
• Market Cap: 9.25 billion USD

Next Plc is a British multinational clothing, footwear, and home products retailer. It was founded in 1864 as J. Hepworth & Son, Gentleman’s Tailors, in Leeds, England.  Almost all of Next company-owned stores are located in England and Ireland. The company has a strong presence in the United Kingdom and is expanding internationally.

The British company deals in merchandises and sells clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty, and homeware products through self-owned and franchised stores, as well as online. Next Plc is the largest clothing retailer by sales in the United Kingdom, having overtaken Marks & Spencer in early 2012 and 2014.

15. PUMA

• Origin Country: Germany
• Founder: Rudolf Dassler
• Founded: 1948
• Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
• Employees: 15,000
• Revenue(TTM): $9.14 billion (2023)
• Net Income: €117.3m ($129.72m) (Q1, 2023)
• Net sales: €2.18bn ($2.41bn) (Q1, 2023)
• Market Cap: 9.0 billion USD

PUMA, a German multinational corporation is one of the top apparel companies in the world that manufactures and designs apparel, accessories, casual and athletic footwear and sports equipment. It has the distinction of being the third-largest manufacturer of sportswear in the world.

PUMA was registered as a business in January 1948, and the PUMA brand was born on October 1, 1948. Over the last 75 years, PUMA has pushed sport and culture forward through the creation of fast products for the world’s fastest athletes.

Product innovation and development led to strong demand for PUMA products in the global industry. The products bear the distinctive “Formstrip” and the Puma logo giving them an exclusive look. The German company has entered into sponsorship deals with several sportspeople like Diego Maradona and Lexi Thompson over the years to increase brand visibility in many countries.

16. Tapestry, Inc

• Origin Country: United States of America
• Founded: 2017
• Headquarters: New York, USA
• Employees: 18,500
• Revenue: $1.510B (quarter ending March 31, 2023)
• Net Income: $0.187B (quarter ending March 31, 2023)
• Market Cap: $9.75B (August 07, 2023)

The luxury fashion house Tapestry, Inc is one of the leading American apparel companies in the world. The holding company caters to a wide audience via brands and their product lines. Tapestry’s product portfolio includes luxury accessories and lifestyle brands.

Tapestry, Inc is the parent company of some of the major brands like Kate Spade, Coach New York and Stuart Weitzman. With help of its main brands especially Kate Spade the company designs and sells apparel, fragrance and accessories for both men and women. Tapestry, Inc was named “The Best Employers for Diversity” by Forbes for five consecutive years making it a force to reckon with in the global apparel industry.

17. Burberry

• Origin Country: England
• Founder: Thomas Burberry
• Founded: 1856
• Headquarters: London, England
• Employees: 12,000 
• Revenue: $3.729B (2023)
• Brand value: $5.9 billion (2022)
• Market capitalization: $10.77B (July 2023)
• Net income: $0.591B (2023)
• Website: www.burberry.com

The British brand Burberry is a force to reckon with in the luxury fashion industry as it deals with designing and marketing products with sleek designs, innovative styles and quality materials.

Burberry has a global footprint across many locations, with teams made up of 120 nationalities across 34 countries and territories. As of April 2, 2022, Burberry had a total of 418 stores in operation around the world.

Burberry is known for its innovations in the fashion industry. For example, it was the first brand to livestream a fashion show. It was also the first luxury brand to join the Ethical Trading Initiative.

Burberry Luxury Fashion Brands Popular Products: Burberry clothing, Burberry cosmetics, Burberry perfumes, Burberry sunglasses, Burberry fragrances, Burberry eyewear, Burberry fashion accessories, and Burberry leather goods.

18. JD Sports Fashion

• Origin Country: United Kingdom
• Founder: John Wardle, David Makin
• Founded: 1981
• Headquarters: Bury, Greater Manchester, UK
• Employees: 38,000
• Annual Revenue: £10.12bn (Q1, 2023)
• Net Income: 395 million USD
• Market Cap: $9.65 Billion (August 2023)

JD Sports Fashion is a British sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is a leading global omnichannel retailer of sports, fashion, and outdoor brands. JD Sports Fashion is a multichannel retailer of branded sports and casual wear, combining globally recognized brands such as Nike, adidas, Puma, and The North Face. They also have strong private labels such as Pink Soda and Supply & Demand.

The company was established in 1981 with a single store in the North West of England and has since expanded its presence globally.

JD Sports fashion has spread its product presence to 21 territories worldwide with 900 stores. The retailer owns several international brands through acquisitions like Bank Stores, Sprinter, Cloggs, Livestock, Go Outdoors, Finish Line and ShoePalace.

19. Page Industries

• Origin Country: India
• Founders: Sunder Genomal, Nari Genomal and Ramesh Genomal
• Founded: 1994
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• Employees: 20,500
• Revenue: 520 million USD for FY 2023
• Net Income: 75 million USD for FY 2023
• Market Cap: 7.5 billion USD

Page Industries is one of the leading retailers and manufacturers of loungewear, innerwear and socks in the world. Increased infrastructure, capacity expansion and functional athleisurewear and innerwear has helped the company to show strong and steady growth over the years. The company was founded in 1994 by Sunder Genomal and his brothers Nari and Ramesh. Together, they hold a 54% stake in the company.

Page Industries operates as an exclusive licensee of the popular company Jockey International in several countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman and UAE. It is also the exclusive licensee of Speedo International Ltd for the distribution, marketing and manufacture of the Speedo brand in India.

20. Capri Holdings Ltd

• Origin Country: USA
• Founder: Michael Kors
• Founded: 1981
• Headquarters: Executive Office – London, UK.
• Operations Offices – New York, USA
• Employees 2023: 15,000
• Revenue: $3.8 billion (May 31, 2023)
• Net Income: 854 million USD (year ending 30th June 2023)
• Market Cap: 6.65 billion USD

Capri Holdings Ltd is the brainchild of American luxury designer Michael Kors. It is one of the top names in the apparel industry that operates via its iconic subsidiaries Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, and Versace.

Capri Holdings is known for quality style, distinctive design and superb craftsmanship in products belonging to luxury categories. Capri Holdings Ltd offers a wide range of products, including wearable technology, watches, jeans, accessories, jewelry, footwear, eyewear, sportswear, apparels, men’s and women’s accessories, and a full line of fragrance products.

Capri Holdings Ltd has operational presence across the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Asia-Pacific regions. The company is headquartered in London, UK.

Conclusion

The top apparel companies of 2022 are part of a challenging environment where competition is fierce. They are creating new strategies to deal with major trends in the market via a strong product portfolio, strategic collaborations, acquisitions and most importantly a meaningful connection with a large number of customers through digital tools and social media influencers.

Some of the other leading apparel companies of 2022 and their subsidiaries

• Gap Inc – Old Navy, Banana Republic

• Kering – Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane

• PVH Corp or Philips Van-Heusen Corporation – Tommy Hilfiger

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