​Fashion & High-End Industry

The fashion and high-end industries are a significant part of the creative economy and have the potential to contribute to the growth of manufacturing in Europe. At the same time, these industries face a number of challenges that the European Commission works to address such as the growing number of counterfeit goods, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the financing difficulties facing small businesses.

​Problems & perspectives

The fashion and high-end industries represent European cultural heritage and expertise. With 5 million people directly employed in the fashion value chain and over 1 million people employed in high-end industries, they provide an important contribution to the EU economy. 

The fashion and high-end industries are one of the most vibrant and creative sectors in Europe. They are present in the everyday life of millions of people and act as ambassadors of European values, such as culture, creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship.
These industries form complex and interlinked value chains from the design and manufacturing of fashion goods (such as textiles, clothing, footwear, leather, fur products, jewellery, and accessories) and high-end goods, to their distribution and retail.
Despite the economic crisis, many European companies in the sector have managed to defend their position in the global market. This is mainly due to a move towards innovative, high added-value products and services, niche markets, and new business models. 

The high-end sector grew faster than the rest of the European economy during the crisis, recording double digit growth in 2010 and 2011. High-end industries alone employ over 1 million people, export over 60% of their production outside Europe, and account for 10% of all EU exports.

Bolstering the long-term competitiveness of these industries is part of the broader Commission strategy for the re-industrialisation of Europe. This strategy seeks to increase the proportion of GDP generated by manufacturing to 20% by 2020.

However, the fashion and high-end sectors face several challenges, including the increased prevalence of counterfeit goods, increasing shortages of skilled workers, and difficulties for fashion small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access finance.  Due to pressures for change arising from trade liberalisation, increasing external competition, consumer developments, technological advances, changes in production costs and environmental issues, these industries must continuously reinvent their business models.


How the EU support fashion and high-end industries?

The Commission works on initiatives to strengthen the competiveness of the fashion and high-end industries. High-level consultations with industry resulted in an Action Plan that includes measures to protect intellectual property rights, fight the challenge of fake goods, and help fashion small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access finance and stimulate innovation and creativity. 
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The Commission Communication of 2012, ‘Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU’, recognised that the creative and cultural sectors are a largely untapped resource for jobs and growth in the EU.
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Two Staff Working Documents were published in parallel to the Communication. This paved the way for industry consultations, which resulted in an Action Plan for Fashion and High-end Industries that outlined progress in key areas and proposed further initiatives to boost growth and create more jobs.
Check the EU actions and initiatives:
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Helping PMI to access finance
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Helping SME to create & innovate
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Challenging fake goods