Catalonia’s fashion sector generates a turnover of more than €17.5 billion

The fashion and leather sector in Catalonia now generates a turnover of €17.559 billion. The sector is currently made up of 953 companies and employs 73,660 people. These figures come from the report The fashion and leather sector in Catalonia, prepared by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business growth of the Ministry for Business and Labour, in collaboration with the clusters MODACC and Leather Cluster Barcelona.

The report also highlights that Catalonia ranked as the fifth region worldwide in terms of foreign investment projects attracted in this sector during the 2021–2025 period.

The study considers the full value chain of the fashion and leather sectors, including textile manufacturing, dyeing and finishing, leather tanning, garment production, and production management, brands, and retailers. The report focuses on companies with annual revenues above €500,000 and is based on business data analysis, sector mapping, interviews with key value chain stakeholders, and a review of global literature. The report is co‑funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, within the framework of the ERDF Program of Catalonia 2021–2027.

Sector overview

According to the study, the fashion and leather sector in Catalonia features, on the one hand, 411 manufacturing companies, which generate €2.392 billion in revenue and employ nearly 9,700 people. On the other hand, the core of the sector lies in brands, a group of 365 companies that account for €14.235 billion in sales (representing 81% of total sector revenue) and employ 60,800 people (83% of total sector employment). The sector is completed by retailers, with 177 companies generating €933 million in revenue and employing more than 3,100 people.

In terms of company size, micro and small enterprises stand out, representing 83% of total revenue and 86% of employment. The report also highlights the role of startups, noting the presence of 79 emerging companies in the fashion and leather sector in 2025, representing an 8% increase in the past four years (2022–2025).

In addition, the ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment report outlines key figures for the leather sector, which has its own dynamics but remains closely linked to the fashion sector, particularly through connections across certain stages of their respective value chains. In Catalonia, the leather sector includes 135 companies, generating nearly 6,600 jobs and close to €1.1 billion in revenue.

Catalonia, a key destination for investment

The strength of Catalonia’s fashion sector is also driving foreign direct investment. According to the study, over the past five years (2021–2025), Catalonia has ranked as the fifth region worldwide in terms of projects attracted, and the third in the EU,  behind North Rhine-Westphalia and Île-de-France, with a total of 19 projects. These projects have attracted €124.6 million in investment and created 955 jobs.

The main source countries by investment volume were the United Kingdom (€47.8 million), Denmark (€22.4 million), Italy (€22.4 million), France (€15.8 million), and the United States (€4.8 million). In terms of activity, investment has focused primarily on sales, marketing, and support functions, headquarters, and logistics, distribution, and transport.

Trends, challenges, and future strategies

Finally, the report highlights the sector’s global trends and key challenges. Through a PESTEL analysis, it identifies trends such as deglobalization, the shift towards nearshoring, inflation, logistics costs, fragmented supply chains, and increasingly value-driven, highly rational consumer behavior. It also points to climate risk and supply chain emissions, the regulation of greenwashing, and the extension of legal responsibility throughout the product lifecycle.

From a technological perspective, the report emphasizes the role of key technologies such as artificial intelligence, which is accelerating design processes and automating creative workflows; augmented and virtual reality, which are transforming the relationship between brands, products and customers by improving visualization, sales and decision-making; and the Internet of Things (IoT), particularly relevant for quality control and industrial process consistency.

In response to these challenges, the study identifies several future strategies to strengthen competitiveness, including accelerating automation and digitalization, reinforcing industrial talent and ensuring generational renewal, promoting a responsible model based on circularity and traceability, and consolidating Barcelona as a hybrid hub for fashion, audiovisual industries, and other creative sectors.

Promoting the sector with 080 Barcelona Fashion

The 37th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion kicks off this week at Port Vell in Barcelona, running from April 14 to 17 and featuring 26 runway shows by established brands, international labels, and emerging creative talent.

The program includes presentations by established brands such as Custo Barcelona, Dominnico, Simorra, and Escorpion, joined for the first time by Adolfo Domínguez. The schedule also features emerging brands and international labels such as Nazzal Studio and David Catalan, reinforcing the platform’s international projection and consolidating 080 Barcelona Fashion as a global point of reference.

This year’s line-up includes: AAA Studio, Adolfo Dominguez, Benavente, Bibencia, Bolaño, Boulard, Carrieri, Coconutscankill, Custo Barcelona, David Catalan, Doblas, Dominnico, Eñaut, Escorpion, Guillermo Justicia, Habey Club, Maison Moonsieur, Nazzal Studio, Reparto, Ricardo Seco, Rubearth, SKFK, Tania Marcial, Txell Miras, Victor von Schwarz and XVStrange.