Sales of selected fashion manufacturers/retailers worldwide in 2021

Inditex had the highest sales among the selected major apparel retailers and manufacturers, with revenues of approximately 31 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Hennes and Mauritz (H&M), and Fast Retailing were ranked second and third, respectively.

Leading apparel retail brands

Nike was recognized as the most valuable apparel brand in 2021, however, the company primarily designs, manufactures and deals with athletic apparel, footwear and sporting goods. On the other hand, Inditex, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), and Ralph Lauren are retailers, who operate in the conventional apparel market. These companies cater to the apparel needs of men, women, children and in some cases infants.

Inditex owns many recognizable fashion apparel brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Pull and Bear, and Stradivarius—its most recognised brand being Zara. Inditex utilizes a special business model within the apparel industry. It is part of the fast fashion movement. Such companies manufacture most of their garments locally and have them prototyped in a very short amount of time. As a result, clothing items go from design to store shelves very quickly. Some retailers can manage this process in as little as 15 days. Inditex also has an impressive global reach. The company has more stores than its main competitors, H&M and Fast Retailing.