Fashion Brand Atlas 2026
An analysis of 2838 researched fashion brand profiles from 58 countries shows how the industry sells: e-commerce is near universal, wholesale remains the backbone for 70 per cent of brands, and marketplaces barely register.
Key findings
83 per cent of brands sell online
E-commerce is the most widely documented sales channel across all 2838 brand profiles. Wholesale follows at 70 per cent and own stores at 53 per cent.
Five countries account for 1674 of 2838 brands
The United States (408), the United Kingdom (347), Germany (331), France (300) and Italy (288) together represent 59 per cent of the brands analysed. In total, the atlas covers brands from 58 countries of origin.
Denmark leads wholesale with 90 per cent
Among countries with at least 100 brands, Denmark has the highest documented wholesale share, ahead of Italy at 85 per cent. Austria reaches 91 per cent, but on a base of only 23 brands.
Mass market brands: only 17 per cent sell wholesale
Mass market and fast fashion brands rely on their own stores (87 per cent) instead, while Digital-native and DTC brands document wholesale in just 21 per cent of cases. Sportswear and outdoor brands sit at the other extreme with 90 per cent.
Only 5 per cent of brands document marketplace sales
Marketplaces are the least documented channel, behind department stores at 11 per cent. Germany has the highest marketplace share among the listed countries at 9 per cent.
686 brands were founded in the 2000s and 2010s
Of the 1801 brands with a known founding year, 342 date from the 2000s and 344 from the 2010s, together 38 per cent. A further 139 brands were founded before 1900.
Switzerland has the highest luxury and premium share at 83 per cent
Swiss brands are the most strongly positioned in luxury and premium, ahead of Italy at 76 per cent and Japan at 69 per cent. In Germany, the share is 39 per cent.
Brands by country
The country table ranks the 18 countries of origin with the largest number of brand profiles in the atlas. The United States leads with 408 brands, followed by the United Kingdom with 347 and Germany with 331. For each country, the table shows the share of brands with documented wholesale, e-commerce, own stores and marketplace sales, as well as the share positioned in luxury or premium. The profiles reveal clear national patterns: Italy and Denmark are strongly wholesale driven, while Japan and India stand out for their own store networks.
| Country | brands | Wholesale | E-commerce | run own stores | Luxury/Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 408 | 72% | 91% | 58% | 55% |
| United Kingdom | 347 | 62% | 93% | 50% | 55% |
| Germany | 331 | 79% | 82% | 39% | 39% |
| France | 300 | 57% | 77% | 71% | 64% |
| Italy | 288 | 85% | 69% | 62% | 76% |
| Netherlands | 210 | 71% | 81% | 35% | 34% |
| Denmark | 154 | 90% | 84% | 29% | 41% |
| Spain | 104 | 65% | 82% | 57% | 37% |
| Sweden | 95 | 69% | 92% | 54% | 51% |
| Japan | 61 | 79% | 80% | 87% | 69% |
| Belgium | 52 | 65% | 73% | 63% | 54% |
| Australia | 51 | 55% | 96% | 45% | 22% |
| Switzerland | 41 | 78% | 83% | 68% | 83% |
| Canada | 37 | 49% | 92% | 59% | 46% |
| China | 32 | 47% | 75% | 66% | 25% |
| India | 25 | 48% | 72% | 84% | 8% |
| South Korea | 23 | 39% | 83% | 83% | 43% |
| Austria | 23 | 91% | 91% | 39% | 52% |
Data: Wholesale, E-commerce
Across all 2838 brands, e-commerce is documented for 83 per cent, wholesale for 70 per cent and own stores for 53 per cent. Department stores are documented for 11 per cent and marketplaces for just 5 per cent. Because a channel only counts when a profile documents it, these shares are lower bounds. The figures nonetheless show that most fashion brands combine several routes to market, and that wholesale remains central even in an online era. Australia has the highest e-commerce share among the listed countries at 96 per cent.
Brands by segment
The segment view shows how strongly business models differ within fashion. Premium and contemporary is by far the largest segment with 854 brands, followed by footwear with 358. Sportswear and outdoor brands have the highest wholesale share at 90 per cent, closely followed by denim and casualwear at 87 per cent. At the other end, only 17 per cent of mass market and fast fashion brands and 21 per cent of digital-native and DTC brands document wholesale. All digital-native and DTC brands, 100 per cent, sell online.
| Segment | brands | Wholesale | E-commerce | run own stores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium and contemporary | 854 | 68% | 79% | 51% |
| Footwear | 358 | 79% | 80% | 40% |
| Bags, accessories and eyewear | 259 | 73% | 85% | 41% |
| Sportswear and outdoor | 230 | 90% | 89% | 43% |
| Luxury and designer houses | 221 | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Mass market and fast fashion | 186 | 17% | 89% | 87% |
| Jewellery and watches | 161 | 71% | 88% | 60% |
| Lingerie, swimwear and hosiery | 144 | 74% | 83% | 44% |
| Denim and casualwear | 124 | 87% | 81% | 51% |
| Childrenswear | 106 | 71% | 81% | 49% |
| Streetwear and youth culture | 103 | 77% | 96% | 41% |
| Digital-native and DTC brands | 92 | 21% | 100% | 51% |
Founded
A founding year is documented for 1801 of the 2838 brands. The distribution shows a long tradition and a strong recent wave: 139 brands were founded before 1900, while the 2000s (342 brands) and the 2010s (344 brands) are the most represented decades. Together these two decades account for 38 per cent of brands with a known founding year. The 2020s so far contribute 25 brands, a figure that reflects both the short period covered and the time it takes for young labels to become established.
| Founded | brands |
|---|---|
| before 1900 | 139 |
| 1900s | 29 |
| 1910s | 42 |
| 1920s | 54 |
| 1930s | 48 |
| 1940s | 58 |
| 1950s | 65 |
| 1960s | 99 |
| 1970s | 150 |
| 1980s | 198 |
| 1990s | 208 |
| 2000s | 342 |
| 2010s | 344 |
| 2020s | 25 |
Group
Many brands in the atlas belong to larger groups. The brand management company Authentic Brands has the most brands in the directory with 19, just ahead of LVMH with 18 and Richemont with 14. Kering follows with 11 and VF Corp with 10, while Inditex and Bestseller each count 8 brands. The twelve largest groups together hold 116 brands in the atlas. The ranking reflects the number of brand profiles in the directory, not turnover or market share, and shows how concentrated ownership is at the top of the industry.
| Group | brands |
|---|---|
| Authentic Brands | 19 |
| LVMH | 18 |
| Richemont | 14 |
| Kering | 11 |
| VF Corp | 10 |
| Inditex | 8 |
| Bestseller | 8 |
| H&M | 7 |
| Puig | 6 |
| Prada | 5 |
| OTB | 5 |
| LPP | 5 |
Journalists
The atlas also covers 151 journalist profiles in fashion trade and business media. By market, the United States leads with 34 journalists, followed by the United Kingdom with 25, Germany with 18, Italy with 17 and France with 16; for 25 profiles no single market is assigned. Retail is the most common beat with 66 mentions, followed by luxury with 40. Fashion weeks and business each account for 23 mentions, technology for 17 and AI for 11, showing that AI is an emerging but still specialist beat.
| Market | Journalists |
|---|---|
| United States | 34 |
| United Kingdom | 25 |
| Germany | 18 |
| Italy | 17 |
| France | 16 |
| Spain | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 |
| Switzerland | 2 |
| China | 2 |
| Austria | 2 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| India | 1 |
Method
The Fashion Brand Atlas 2026 analyses 2838 researched fashion brand profiles from 58 countries and 151 journalist profiles in the AI in Fashion Daily directory, as of October 2026. Sales channels and price positioning reflect what each researched profile documents: a channel counts when it is documented, so all shares are lower bounds and actual use may be higher. Country refers to the country of origin of the brand, not its sales markets. Founding years are available for 1801 brands. The directory is not a complete census of the fashion industry; larger and internationally visible brands are likely overrepresented, and percentages for countries or segments with few brands should be read with caution.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the most fashion brands?
In the Fashion Brand Atlas 2026, the United States has the most brands with 408 profiles, followed by the United Kingdom with 347, Germany with 331, France with 300 and Italy with 288.
How many fashion brands sell wholesale?
70 per cent of the 2838 brands analysed document wholesale distribution. The share is highest in sportswear and outdoor at 90 per cent and lowest in mass market and fast fashion at 17 per cent.
What share of fashion brands sell online?
83 per cent of brands document e-commerce, making it the most common sales channel. Among digital-native and DTC brands, the share is 100 per cent.