A Strategic Assessment of the South African Clothing Sector

This document has two objectives. First, it endeavours to capture the domestic clothing sectors major market and production trends, as well as broader dynamics. Second, these foundational elements operate as a mechanism to identify current clothing sector constraints and opportunities and hence the need for, and the importance of, policy related interventions. Given its objectives, the document comprises six sections. Section 1 provides an overview of the sectors major trends as gleaned from TIPS data, whilst Section 2 reviews the sectors structure in respect of various criteria. Section 3 explores market trends and competitiveness related issues, with Section 4 then exploring the international and government policy framework in which the industry operates. Section 5 attempts to synthesise the constraints and challenges confronting the sector, with Section 6 then considering the policy implications and opportunities arising from the analysis. These last two sections represent the core of the document insofar as they build on the findings generated out of the 2004 TIPS study (out of which this document is largely derived), and present the major strategic recommendation to have emerged out of the recently completed CSP research undertaken by B&M Analysts on behalf of the dti.