Christian Dior has emerged the world’s largest apparel company, according to Forbes. The second is Nike. In the third place is Inditex. Among all the top 2000 companies named by Forbes, there are 29 apparel companies that made it to the final list. After measuring their revenue, profit, assets and market value, Christian Dior, Nike and Inditex were crowned the top three spots in the global apparel market.

Christian Dior notched up sales worth $41.6 billion dollars in 2016 and a profit of $1.7 billion. Its assets were worth $68 billion. Through its over 40 per cent stake in luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, Christian Dior also benefits from the financial performance of respected product lines such as Dom Pérignon, De Beers, Veuve Clicquot, and Givenchy.

Nike is a US sportswear giant. It recorded more than $32 billion in sales and $3.8 billion in profit over the fiscal year ending 2016. The brand has an intensive celebrity athlete endorsement. Nike’s financial performance in the global market is expected to be even better over the next few years.

Inditex owns some of the world’s most popular high street fashion brands such as Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka, Massimo Dutti etc. The company achieved revenues of $23 billion in 2016.

Patagonia has won the Accenture Strategy Award for Circular Economy Multinational during the World Economic Forum’s Community of Young Global Leaders in Davos.

Patagonia has made notable contributions to the circular economy, driving innovation and growth, while reducing dependence on scarce natural resources. In summer 2017, Patagonia will launch an e-commerce platform where the company will sell used Patagonia clothing and gear online, sourced directly from its customers. Customers will be invited to bring used items to their local Patagonia store in exchange for Patagonia merchandise credits. This platform’s aim is to extend the life of garments by encouraging people to sell unused clothing, reach new customers and promote the durability and quality of Patagonia products.

The growing trend toward fast fashion has created a very linear economic model that produces enormous waste. In contrast, Patagonia is working to counter this approach with a circular business model that focuses on making the highest quality products and helping its customers keep the products in use as long as possible.

Patagonia encourages people to take good care of their gear, washing and repairing as needed, and eventually recycling once the garment can no longer be used. Its facility in the US repairs over 45,000 items a year, and the company operates retail repair stations around the world, in addition to providing customers with free tools for repairing their own clothing. With every repair, the company provides feedback to its designers to improve future products.

Victoria’s Secret has opened a store in China. Fronted by an iconic pink glass facade, the four-storey Victoria’s Secret store occupies 2,500 sq. mt. This is Victoria’s Secret first store in China. Prior to this, the US brand had only operated concept stores in China, selling branded accessories. By the end of 2017, Victoria’s Secret will open one more store in China and will host a lingerie and underwear show. Almost two decades of breakneck economic growth and increasing prosperity have got Chinese women accustomed to western tastes and fashion sensibilities.

The opening of this store is expected to satisfy Chinese women’s desire to keep up with the pace at the forefront of international fashion. Luxury lingerie and high quality functional products are becoming increasingly popular among Chinese women. International brands see China as a priority to help bolster overall sales given a fairly bleak global outlook. Top Italian luxury lingerie maker La Perla, which has eight stores in China, is planning additional outlets. Germany’s Triumph too is adding stores.

China’s market for women’s underwear is expected to have a retail value of 25 billion dollars by 2017 - double that of the United States - and is expected to grow to 33 billion dollars by 2020.

Adidas intends to accelerate sales and earnings growth until 2020 as a part of its long-term strategic business plan. The company expects currency-neutral sales to increase at a rate between ten per cent and 12 per cent per year between 2015 and 2020. Net income from continuing operations is projected to grow between 20 per cent and 22 per cent per year in the five-year period.

The strategy remains on significantly elevating brand desirability and achieving strong improvements in sales and profitability. The company’s culture is based on the core belief that, through sport, all Adidas employees have the power to change lives. As part of the accelerated growth plan until 2020, Adidas is focusing its HR initiatives on leadership, talent development and performance management.

As a part of a digitalisation offensive, the company plans to significantly drive direct sales. In addition, improvements in digitalisation processes at every stage of the value chain are targeted to accelerate building direct relationships with the consumer. Digital technologies such as 3-D creation, 3-D printing and smart manufacturing methods are already used in the development and production of Adidas products. These technologies will be expanded even further.

The company will sharpen the focus of its brand portfolio, concentrating even more strongly on the Adidas and Reebok brands and its core competencies in the development and marketing of sports and sports-inspired footwear and apparel.