Below is a list of the top ten fashion companies globally, ranked by their reported revenue of 2020. Revenue data was found at Statista.com.
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Nike. Beaverton, Oregon, U.S.
2020 Revenue: $37.4 billion
Nike was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc., changing its name less than ten years later to Nike. Nike has become one of the most recognizable American brands, with its logo gracing everything from sports equipment, athletic apparel, and street fashion.
Nike has increased its popularity and brand recognition by sponsoring professional athletes in several sports and using their image to promote Nike products. The most well-known example of this is their partnership with Michael Jordan, resulting in the creation of Air Jordan sneakers, originally released in 1985.
The immensely popular shoe remains highly coveted today, both as a fashion statement and status symbol.
Despite facing many controversies, including accusations regarding their use of sweatshops and child labor, Nike remains the leading apparel company worldwide.
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Gucci. Florence, Italy
2020 Revenue: $17.6 billion
Guccio Gucci founded Gucci in 1921 in Florence, Italy, where the company remains headquartered today. Gucci is known for its handbags, footwear, accessories, apparel, makeup, and fragrances.
Guccio Gucci was first exposed to high-end, luxury items when he began working at London’s Savoy Hotel as a bellhop. This led to Gucci beginning to manufacture his line of luxury leather luggage in 1921. By 1937, they had begun selling their well-known handbags. Today, Gucci and its iconic double-G symbol are recognized worldwide.
Gucci is worn and endorsed by many celebrities, and it has stores in several high-end locations, including Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and 5th Avenue in New York City.
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Adidas. Herzogenaurach, Germany.
2020 Revenue: $16.5 billion
Adidas started as Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924, changing its name to the current title in 1949. They are known for their sportswear, clothing, and accessories.
Adolf and Rudolf Dassler founded Adidas in their mother’s house, selling spiked shoes to aid athletes in competition. Their design would go on to be worn by Jesse Owens in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
After a rift formed between the two brothers, Adolf went into the business for himself, creating Adidas, while Rudolf went on to establish Puma, one of Adidas’ competitors.
Today, Adidas is recognized by its three-stripe logo and is known for creating sports equipment, including jerseys, tracksuits, and footwear. They are also known for their subsidiary, Reebok, a popular footwear company which it has owned since 2005.
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Louis Vuitton. Paris, France.
2020 Revenue: $16.5 billion
Founded in 1854, Louis Vuitton is one of the oldest companies on our list. It got its start selling trunks, but today, Louis Vuitton is known for its luggage, leather goods, shoes, accessories, jewelry, and watches.
Quickly, Louis Vuitton became a brand known worldwide by opening its store on Oxford Street in London and by advertising its products at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. In 1913, Louis Vuitton opened its building on the famous Champs-Elysees.
Louis Vuitton would join Moët et Chandon and Hennessy in 1987 to create a large luxury goods conglomerate known as LVMH. By this time, the monogram logo of Louis Vuitton had become famous. Due to its logo and the value associated with Louis Vuitton, this brand is one of the most counterfeited in the fashion industry.
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Cartier. Paris, France.
2020 Revenue: $15 billion
Also founded in the 19th century, Cartier is a brand known for its jewelry and watches, headquartered in Paris, France. Cartier was founded in 1847 and is known for its sales to royalty. King Edward VII called them “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.”
They have also been worn by then Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Louis-François Cartier established the brand, and his sons, Pierre, Louis, and Jacques, would create the brand recognition Cartier has today. The company remained under family control for over one hundred years, until 1964.
Cartier’s products have been owned by celebrities and royalty alike, and some of their designs can be found in museums and private collections.
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ZARA. Arteixo, Spain
2020 Revenue: $14.6 billion
Founded in 1975 as Zorba, ZARA is a worldwide retailer known for its fast-fashion, clothing, accessories, shoes, and beauty products. ZARA is owned by the Inditex group, the world’s largest apparel retailer.
The brand is known for taking high-end fashion and creating similar, more affordable pieces, making them extremely popular to those who cannot afford designer brands but want to emulate popular designs. ZARA is known for having an extremely fast design process, allowing it to keep up with quickly changing fashion trends.
ZARA’s fast fashion manufacturing model makes it highly competitive. After its products are designed, it reportedly takes around ten to fifteen days to reach stores. ZARA then monitors a product’s success and, if necessary, can have them off of store shelves within a week.
This quick turnaround encourages ZARA customers to visit often, as there will always be something new for them to see.
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HM. Stockholm, Sweden.
2020 Revenue: $13.9 billion
HM, also known as Hennes Mauritz, was founded in 1947. It is known for its fast-fashion, much like ZARA, creating lines for men, women, adolescents, and children.
HM was created by combining two shops, Hennes, which sold only women’s clothing, and Mauritz, which was known for selling hunting apparel. HM slowly expanded throughout Europe and opened its first store in the U.S. in 2000, giving it a spot on highly-regarded Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Today, HM and its brands operate in 74 countries, and its online store is accessible in 33 countries.
HM has used celebrities to market and advertise its brand, including Lana Del Rey in 2012, Beyoncé in 2013, and Katy Perry in 2015. They have also collaborated with designers and fashion houses such as Versace and Balmain.
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Chanel. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
2020 Revenue: $13.7 billion
Chanel is a luxury fashion house founded by Coco Chanel in 1910, known for its high fashion apparel, luxury goods, and accessories. Coco Chanel shaped the fashion industry as we know it, revolutionizing both high-end fashion and everyday wear, giving her and the brand a legacy of notoriety and popularity.
Coco Chanel is credited with creating designs that moved women’s fashion away from corsets and petticoats into something more masculine and more comfortable.
Chanel has been worn by many celebrities, models, and actors, including Margot Robbie, Marilyn Monroe, Cara Delevingne, Nicole Kidman, and Keira Knightly. All of them helped keep Chanel’s name high on the list of popular fashion designers.
Possibly the brand’s most popular product, Chanel No. 5, fully cemented the brand in the perfume industry, with celebrity endorsements from Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Tautou furthering the popularity of the scent. Some sources claim that one bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every thirty seconds.
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UNIQLO. Ube, Japan.
2020 Revenue: $12.9 billion
This brand is unique (pardon the pun) as it is the only brand on this list that is not European or American. Uniqlo was founded in 1949 in Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan. Originally focusing on men’s clothing, today, they are known for their casual wear, with stores throughout Asia and the world.
Its name was meant to be a combination of the words “unique” and “clothing,” however, during the registration process, the “C” was mistaken for a “Q,” and the special spelling became part of the brand’s identity.
UNIQLO designs, manufactures, and sells its clothing exclusively, making them what is known as a private-label retailer, much like The Gap. UNIQLO focuses on creating trend-following pieces that are more affordable, and therefore widely accessible to those who want to be fashion-forward without breaking the budget.
Today, they have stores in seventeen countries, including the United States, France, Singapore, the Philippines, and India, with around two thousand stores worldwide.
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Hermès. Paris, France.
2020 Revenue: $11.9 billion
Hermès is another French luxury brand specializing in ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfume, and leather goods. It is the oldest company on our list, having been founded in 1837.
Hermès originally began by selling leather bridles and harnesses for horses and carriages. From there, he used his leather experience to expand into other leather goods, such as handbags and clothing.
Later, Hermès would begin producing jewelry, watches, and other accessories, such as scarves, ties, and perfumes.
By 1924, Hermès had become an international brand, expanding into the United States.
Today, Hermès has fourteen product divisions, including leather, perfume, watches, scarves, ties, men’s and women’s wear, gloves, and jewelry. The company is well known for its rejection of mass production, choosing instead to entrust its manufacturing to small workshops, allowing them to create higher quality products.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
