Textile Industry

Sector Highlights

  • High quality goods at competitive prices
  • Short delivery time and reasonable transportation costs
  • Flexible, reliable and quick delivery tailored to customer needs
  • Long tradition in providing services to global industry leaders
  • FTAs with EU, Russia, USA, CEFTA, EFTA, Turkey, Belarus and Kazakhstan, enabling efficient access to various markets
  • Developed educational system that includes both secondary schools and university levels
  • Highly export-oriented sector, with more than 1 billion euros of total export in 2014, out of which 70% was absorbed by EU market

Real Knitting can only confirm its positive experience and suggest Serbia as country for long term investment due to the fact that Serbia is in a strategic position for Europe and Eastern countries business.

Mr. Andrei Krupa, Managing Director at Real Knitting Serbia 

Sector Overview

Textile and apparel production in Serbia have a long standing tradition and for many years have been one of the main export industries. This sector used to employ more than 250,000 workers and exported more than 5 billion dollars. Now days, there are around 1,800 active companies with more than 43,000 employees. textile

Admirable tradition, high-quality products at competitive price, together with skilled workforce and relatively low subcontracting costs are main reasons foreign investors decided to invest in textile industry. Because they are highly labor-intensive, investments in the textile industry greatly reduce unemployment and therefore enjoy full support from the local government.

In terms of the number of investment projects and jobs created, with more than 30 investors, the textile industry ranks quite high on the list of sector attractiveness. Companies such as Benetton, Calzedonia, Golden Lady, Pompea, Falke, Geox and many more are extensively using their production facilities as secondary manufacturing sites for the production of high-quality apparel. Thus, they can react quickly to smaller orders with quick turnaround times.

Over the last 10 years, the Serbian fashion industry has evolved from a domestic, manufacturing-based industry into a design-led sector operating in the global marketplace. Many Serbian design students go on to work in global fashion houses which promote the Serbian fashion industry abroad.  

Serbia`s textile sector predominantly trades with EU member countries (Italy, Germany, France, Romania, and Slovenia), countries in the Region (Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Russian Federation, Turkey, and China.

More information: Serbia Textile Industry  and Serbian Apparel