Morocco is working hard to become a sourcing hub for Europe’s fast fashion industry. The North African country has expertise in denim, wovens and knitwear. The textile and clothing industry is an important one for Morocco, employing over 1,83,000 people, representing 26 per cent of the country’s industrial jobs, and produces 1.1 billion garments every year.

European retailers are interested in sourcing from Morocco, particularly as prices in Asia have increased. Morocco is already a key sourcing market, along with Portugal and Turkey, for Spanish giant Inditex, which is renowned for its ability to get trend-led product into stores quickly.

As part of an ambitious strategy to build the industry up by 2020, leading Moroccan manufacturers have been chosen to act as locomotives, guiding and advising smaller companies on how to modernise and improve production capabilities. The sector has also been divided into a series of specialist areas known as eco-systems, which include fast fashion, knitwear and denim. Each area has a different focus – denim, for example, has been set the task of creating 14,800 new jobs by 2020. However, there is more to Moroccan sourcing than speed. Manufacturers have technical expertise, there’s a lot of knowhow. The quality of the product is good, as is the level of social compliance, which is very important for retailers.