Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Approximately 14% of major fashion brands are led by female CEOs despite women making up the majority of the workforce
Women occupy fewer than 25% of board seats in top performing fashion companies globally
Only 12.5% of Fortune 1000 apparel retailers have female CEOs
Globally, approximately 80% of garment, textile, and footwear workers are women
In Bangladesh, 85% of the 4 million garment workers are female
Roughly 60-90% of workers in the Vietnamese textile industry are women, varying by region
Less than 40% of womenswear brands are actually designed by women
At the four major fashion weeks (NY, London, Milan, Paris) in 2022, only 42% of brands were helmed by female creative directors
In the history of the LVMH Prize, women have made up roughly 50% of the finalists but often receive less subsequent investment than male peers
Women are responsible for 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions in the fashion industry
Products marketed to women cost on average 7% more than similar products marketed to men (The Pink Tax)
Women’s clothing has an average price premium of 8% over men’s clothing for identical items
Over 85% of graduating majors from top fashion schools (Parsons, FIT, CSM) are female
Despite dominating enrollment, female founders receive only 2% of total venture capital funding in the consumer retail space
50% of fashion micro-businesses are owned by women, but they generate lower revenue on average than male-owned equivalents
Consumer Behavior & Product Pricing
- Women are responsible for 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions in the fashion industry
- Products marketed to women cost on average 7% more than similar products marketed to men (The Pink Tax)
- Women’s clothing has an average price premium of 8% over men’s clothing for identical items
- 65% of sustainable fashion consumers are women
- Women are 30% more likely than men to purchase second-hand or vintage fashion items
- 75% of returns in online fashion retail are initiated by female shoppers, often due to sizing inconsistencies
- Plus-size women represent 67% of the US population but only 2% of fashion media images
- Women’s jeans pockets are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men’s pockets
- Millennium and Gen Z women spend 22% more of their income on apparel than their male counterparts
- 60% of women report difficulty finding clothes that fit their body type compared to 30% of men
- Sales of men's skincare are growing, but women still purchase 90% of all beauty and personal care products
- Women pay approximately 13% more for personal care products than men
- 71% of women check the sustainability credentials of a fashion label before buying, compared to 59% of men
- 85% of luxury fashion purchases are influenced by female consumers, even in menswear categories
- The global market for women's apparel is estimated to be 1.5 times larger than the men's market
- Women engage 40% more with fashion brands on social media platforms like Instagram than men do
- 55% of women are willing to pay more for eco-friendly fashion, compared to 42% of men
- Women’s footwear pricing is on average 5% higher than men’s for comparable sneaker models
- Single women spend 60% more on clothes annually than single men
- 82% of Pinterest users following fashion trends are female, driving significant referral traffic to e-commerce
Interpretation
Women buy the show but still pay the cover charge: they drive most fashion purchases and brand influence, pay price premiums, endure poor fit and representation, lead sustainability and resale trends, and carry the bulk of online engagement and returns, exposing an industry that profits from their power while shortchanging their needs.
Design & Creative Roles
- Less than 40% of womenswear brands are actually designed by women
- At the four major fashion weeks (NY, London, Milan, Paris) in 2022, only 42% of brands were helmed by female creative directors
- In the history of the LVMH Prize, women have made up roughly 50% of the finalists but often receive less subsequent investment than male peers
- Only 14% of major luxury brands (like Dior, Chanel, etc.) have been led by a female creative director in the last decade
- Male designers are 20% more likely to lead a heritage couture house than female designers
- Women make up 68% of junior designers but only 30% of design directors
- Female photographers shot only 18% of major fashion magazine covers in 2020
- Across Europe, only 23% of trademarked fashion designs are registered by women
- At Paris Fashion Week, the ratio of male to female creative directors remains approximately 60:40
- Women of color represent less than 5% of creative directors at major European fashion houses
- 85% of hair and makeup artists backstage at fashion weeks are women, yet key artist roles are held by men 60% of the time
- Female fashion stylists earn on average 11% less than male stylists for editorial work
- Only 35% of CFDA award winners in the 'Menswear Designer of the Year' category have been women
- Representing 70% of the shopping market, women design only 40% of the products
- In footwear design, women hold less than 28% of senior creative roles
- The number of female Creative Directors at Kering brands was 3 out of 12 in 2021
- At New York Fashion Week, women-owned brands received 25% less press coverage on average than male-owned brands
- Only 2 of the top 10 highest-paid fashion models are considered plus-size, reflecting narrow creative casting standards for women
- 80% of fashion technical designers are women, a role often lower-paid than the male-dominated 'Creative Director' role
- Only 25% of prominent streetwear brands have a female lead designer
Interpretation
Fashion designs for women but routinely sidelines them, stuffing the backrooms with junior and technical talent while men claim the creative director chairs, the big investments, magazine covers and prestige.
Education & Entrepreneurship
- Over 85% of graduating majors from top fashion schools (Parsons, FIT, CSM) are female
- Despite dominating enrollment, female founders receive only 2% of total venture capital funding in the consumer retail space
- 50% of fashion micro-businesses are owned by women, but they generate lower revenue on average than male-owned equivalents
- Women hold 70% of the student body at Central Saint Martins, yet fewer alumni attain top luxury house directorships
- Fashion startups led by women generate 10% more cumulative revenue over a 5-year period than those led by men
- 30% of female fashion students drop out of the industry within 5 years of graduation due to lack of advancement opportunities
- Only 1 in 5 unicorn companies (valuation over $1B) in the fashion/retail tech space has a female founder
- 90% of fashion scholarships are awarded to students identifying as female
- Male fashion entrepreneurs raise on average 35% more capital in their seed rounds than female entrepreneurs
- 77% of female fashion entrepreneurs fund their businesses with personal savings versus 50% of men
- Among sustainable fashion startups, 60% are founded by women
- At the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), 84% of the student population is female
- Female founders in fashion tech are 40% less likely to successfully exit via IPO than male founders
- Women represent 53% of freelance fashion business owners in the UK
- Incubator programs for fashion have seen a 20% increase in female applicants over the last 5 years
- Only 15% of case studies taught in fashion business courses feature female protagonists or founders
- 48% of female fashion entrepreneurs cite "lack of mentorship" as their biggest barrier
- Crowdfunding campaigns for fashion brands led by women are 32% more successful in reaching goals than those led by men
- While 85% of fashion students are women, only 15% of guest lecturers in business modules are women
- Female-led fashion startups hire 2.5x more women into management roles than male-led startups
Interpretation
The fashion industry is busy teaching women to design, found and sustain the future and then systematically cutting them out of the funding, leadership and recognition that would let them own it.
Leadership & Executive Representation
- Approximately 14% of major fashion brands are led by female CEOs despite women making up the majority of the workforce
- Women occupy fewer than 25% of board seats in top performing fashion companies globally
- Only 12.5% of Fortune 1000 apparel retailers have female CEOs
- In the luxury sector, women make up over 70% of the workforce but hold less than 20% of top executive positions
- 93% of the top 50 fashion brands have a male CEO or equivalent leadership figure
- The gender pay gap for executive roles in fashion retail remains at approximately 18% in favor of men
- Women comprise only 27% of Chief Financial Officers in the global fashion industry
- Among the top 15 Global Sportswear brands, zero had a female CEO as of 2021
- Representation of women of color in fashion C-suite roles is less than 5%
- 86% of the top 50 fashion companies have executive teams that are majority male
- Female executives in fashion are promoted at a rate 15% lower than their male counterparts
- 65% of female fashion executives report experiencing microaggressions in board meetings
- Only 3 of the top 20 luxury groups worldwide have achieved full gender parity on their executive boards
- Women hold only 30% of VP-level positions in fashion supply chain management
- The turnover rate for female executives in fashion is 10% higher than for males
- 92% of female fashion executives believe they have to work harder than men to reach the C-suite
- In UK fashion retail, the gender bonus gap for executives sits at roughly 35%
- Only 21% of Chief Operating Officers in the apparel sector are women
- 14% of major beauty and fashion conglomerates have a female Chair of the Board
- Women account for only 18% of the highest earners in the top 100 fashion companies
Interpretation
Fashion, which employs the majority of the workforce, still systematically shortchanges women at the top: only about 14% of major brands and 12.5% of Fortune 1000 apparel retailers have female CEOs, women hold under 25% of board seats and roughly 18% of top earners, representation of women of color in the executive suite is under 5%, and persistent pay gaps, slower promotions, higher turnover and routine microaggressions keep true parity frustratingly out of style.
Workforce & Labor Conditions
- Globally, approximately 80% of garment, textile, and footwear workers are women
- In Bangladesh, 85% of the 4 million garment workers are female
- Roughly 60-90% of workers in the Vietnamese textile industry are women, varying by region
- The gender pay gap in Asian garment factories often exceeds 20%, with women earning significantly less than men for equal work
- 35% of female garment workers in India report having experienced verbal or physical abuse in the workplace
- Over 90% of Cambodian garment workers are women aged 18-35
- Only 2% of garment workers worldwide earn a living wage, impacting vast numbers of female heads of households
- Women in fashion manufacturing are 3 times more likely to report sexual harassment than men
- In the EU textile sector, women make up 74% of the workforce but are concentrated in lower-paid roles
- 70% of female cotton pickers in Pakistan work without formal contracts
- Pregnancy discrimination affects approximately 15% of garment workers in Export Processing Zones
- Women in the Ethiopian garment sector have one of the lowest minimum wages in the world, at roughly $26 per month
- 60% of home-based textile workers who perform piece-rate work are women
- Reports indicate that 45% of female garment workers in Bangalore face forced overtime
- In the Turkish textile industry, 40% of female workers are unregistered and lack social security
- Female garment workers work an average of 10-12 hours per day during peak seasons
- Less than 10% of female garment workers are unionized globally
- In Myanmar, women comprise 90% of the garment workforce, often facing unstable employment conditions
- 21% of women in the fashion supply chain report being denied bathroom breaks
- In Lesotho, a major agreement was signed to combat gender-based violence affecting the 80% female workforce in denim factories
Interpretation
When roughly four fifths of garment workers are women yet only 2% earn a living wage, the global fashion industry proves it can stitch clothes together but not mend the system that leaves its predominantly female workforce underpaid, overworked, and routinely denied dignity and protection.
References
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