"Facts first, one billion pieces produced per year by 175,000 workers (30 per cent of all industrial jobs nationwide) in 1,600 local companies, 31.4 billion Moroccan Dirham (€31 bn) of exports in 2015 (marking 24 per cent of the country’s total exports) the textile industry is one of Morocco’s most powerful economic segments and Europe’s seventh largest textile supplier after China, Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Cambodia and Vietnam."

Facts first, one billion pieces produced per year by 175,000 workers (30 per cent of all industrial jobs nationwide) in 1,600 local companies, 31.4 billion Moroccan Dirham (€31 bn) of exports in 2015 (marking 24 per cent of the country’s total exports) the textile industry is one of Morocco’s most powerful economic segments and Europe’s seventh largest textile supplier after China, Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Cambodia and Vietnam. And AMITH, the Moroccan textile union, has ambitious plans to expand: by 2025, it wants to Morocco positioned as the biggest player in the textile industry across the African continent and second in the Mediterranean region.

Maroc in Mode: Focus on Moroccan textiles

This message was loud and clear during the recently held two-day sourcing fair Maroc in Mode. Held at Marrakech’s Touring Car Championships, the event attracted 100 exhibitors in its second edition. It proved to be a great meeting platform and demonstrated unique products and services of exhibitors. It attracted the entire spectrum of textile from fabric makers or importers to trim and accessory suppliers (such as zipper heavyweight YKK), garment manufacturers, finishers and laundries to visiting buyers of brands, private labels and retail chains.

Fast Fashion was the highlight at the show that showcased Morocco’s biggest advantage as a manufacturing base for European brands (in comparison to Asian suppliers): closeness and speed.

Top exhibitors’ show confidence

Belgium’s Chemitex that imports ca. 200 million metres of fabric from India, Pakistan, China and Indonesia participated to meet both manufacturers and fast fashion brands from Europe (mainly Spain) or Morocco to introduce them to their cotton-spandex, cotton popeline, linen or polyester fabrics.

Vita Couture which runs three sewing factories and claims to be the third biggest Moroccan supplier for Inditex, the group also works for El Corte Inglés or Promod and does was also there.

Denim delight

After fast fashion, denim was the biggest pavilion at the show. Exhibiting companies offered both readymade and plain manufacturing or fabric providing process, amongst these were Moroccan firms Lavasser, Modaland, Active Line or Crossing. Tavex und Mafaco were the only local producers of denim fabrics at the show. International suppliers such as Kilim Denim from Turkey or Denim Division from Hong-Kong, highlighted import duties as their biggest concern when working with customers in the EUROMED zone.

A strikingly innovative Tavex’ T-flow fabrics, a line of fluid, soft and light denims, is especially designed to render maximum freedom of movement and comfort in flared and looser cut jeans shapes. Fernando Gregorio, Development Manager, Active Line from Casablanca, said, “Every four to five weeks, you need to show your customer something new, you need to offer them something! This is the way to receive orders.” The company is filling for patent for a technique where a coloured thread is used for a special dying effect in denim. Another innovation is an elastic, pilling-free polyester thread – perfect for the manufacturing of all powerstretch denims.

Many of the Moroccan denim companies are part of the 2014-build Moroccan Denim Cluster (MDC), an interesting non-profit organisation aiming to drive collaborative projects in the Moroccan denim and sportswear industry, funded by AMITH and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy. In its recent project, the MDC has developed a line of recycled denim clothing together with students of the Casa Moda University in Casablanca. Local weavers, clothing manufacturers, washers, accessories manufacturers as well as training institutes and fashion schools, the technical center of textile and clothing (CTTH) and the promotion organisation Maroc Export are some of the MDC members.

This cluster is setting an example of co-operation among peers to harmonise the entire textile industry and achieve growth. At the press meet, both Mohamed Tazi, General Director of AMITH and Gildas Minvielle of the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) highlighted how so-called locomotives, supportive team-ups between companies, shall help to create new jobs in the textile industry and boost export numbers.

With its proximity to (Southern) European markets - fast fashion aspect, mostly delivering to big chains (Inditex, Mango, Promod etc) in Spain and France; flexible business models (always a mix of introducing ready ideas/garments and simply carrying out orders); good relations to fabric makers (however, there are not so many denim fabric makers in the country, disadvantage to Turkey); stable political climate than neighbouring countries such as Turkey or Tunisia; initiatives like Maroc Export (CMPE) or Invest in Morocco (AMDI) to push the industry forward with locomotive synergies and learnings are some of the compelling reasons to be a part of Morocco manufacturing.

The next edition of Maroc in Mode is scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2017. AMITH aims to hold the fair bi-annually from 2018.