If you buy a costume or a dress from some world-famous boutiques, have a look at the label. Do not be surprised if you read Made in Bulgaria there, because Armani, Hugo Boss, Max Mara, Burberry and Zara produce most of their new collections in Bulgaria. Even Givenchy entrusted Bulgarian companies. They left the Middle East and again returned to our region. Bulgaria started again to produce items for the biggest world brands since 2012. Thus, the brave Bulgarian tailors stood against 12 million Chinese who work in this sphere.

World famous fashion brands replace China, Bangladesh and Pakistan with Bulgaria.

The companies from the Central and Western Europe have again resumed their interest towards Bulgaria.

“The geographical position of a certain country is important, as it influences the end price of the item. The Middle East currently faces many problems”, says for Radio Bulgaria Radina Bankova, member of the board of the Bulgarian Association of Apparel and Textile Producers and Exporters. “China became an expensive tailoring destination, because that country is situated very far from Europe. The political situation in Bangladesh is very complicated. Moreover, the labor conditions in these countries have changed a lot.”

The flexibility of the Bulgarian tailoring companies and the technological capabilities also help that country attract fashion companies from Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, England and other countries. “Bulgaria is the No 1 producer of clothes for the Greek market”, says Radina Bankova and adds: “Bulgaria practically serves all major European clients which are either online traders, or have their own retail chains”. Over half of the items made in Bulgaria are sold in Italy, Germany and Greece. What is the main strength of the Bulgarian companies? “The Bulgarian tailoring sector has been functioning steadily even during the economic crisis and has maintained a high technological and quality level. The strength of Bulgarian tailors is seen all through the process - from the project design to the final sale. If you do not have the necessary experience, creativity and knowledge, things can not happen the right way”, specifies the member of the Board of BAATPE Radina Bankova.

Surviving through adaptation 

There are, however,  many problems in the tailoring sector in Bulgaria. The small companies always have to adapt to the new market reality, in order to survive amidst severe competition. Despite the foreign market expansion, there is a very high indebtedness in that sector. The market demand has dwindled and there is a lack of qualified personnel. The prices of these items equal the ones in Italy. However, the average salary in Bulgaria is around EUR 200, whereas the one in Italy is three times higher. The latter holds good for some 120 thousand people employed in this sector. There are nearly 4 thousand small firms which employ up to 20 people each. However, the sector has marked an 18% increase in 2013 and the export has reached EUR 1.8 billion.

Small boutique sets

The consumers’ behavior resembles an economy textbook. People spend money on essentials only. Europeans mainly save money on clothes, rather than on holidays or food. That is why business in this sector depends on separate comissions. Bulgarian tailors attract foreign companies with the geographical proximity of their country, the quick deliveries and the low costs for wages and taxes. “Bulgaria has been a traditional partner of the European companies over the last 20-30 years”,  Radina Bankova contends. The strongest competition in the region comes from Turkey and Romania. In Turkey, the tailoring sector is strongly supported by the state authorities. That country is not an EU member, but has a very strong lobby in the textile industry, especially in the European Textile Association, comments Mrs Bankova.

Consumption on the rise

“I think that the growth in our sector will continue this year. The consumption of items produced by the tailoring industry has been growing since the end of 2013 which has influenced our business”,  Radina Bankova further explains. "The last two years were very weak in terms of sales. However, we are now witnessing an increased demand of suppliers, quantities and orders."

The potential, the creativity and the technological capacity of this industry in Bulgaria is very high. However, the problem regarding the lack of skilled personnel still exists. “In fact, this problem is topical for most sectors of the national economy”, concludes Radina Bankova.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov