Mens Clothing Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry manufacture garments for men and boys made from purchased fabric and from fabric they produce themselves. Major companies include Hanesbrands, Levi Strauss, PVH, Ralph Lauren, VF Corporation (all based in the US), along with Hugo Boss (Germany) and Youngor Group (China).

Global revenue from apparel manufacturing is about $480 billion, according to MarketLine. China, the world's largest apparel manufacturer, controls more than a third of the world export market. The European Union, Japan, and the US are the largest importers of apparel, together accounting for nearly 90% of all imported apparel.

The US men's and boys' apparel manufacturing industry includes about 440 companies with combined annual revenue of about $1 billion. The industry does not include apparel contractors that cut and sew materials owned by other companies. Men's clothing cut and sew contractors are covered in the Apparel Manufacturing profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is largely determined 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 men's or boys' apparel manufacture. There are few economies of scale in manufacture, because of the high labor content of most apparel. The US industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 50% of revenue.

Because of the lower costs to manufacture apparel abroad, ...