Footwear, Fashion and Clothing
shoes
Brazil is the fifth largest global producer of footwear and the State of Rio Grande do Sul is the birthplace of footwear activity in the country. It has companies spread across several municipalities, with main production centers in regions such as Vale dos Sinos, Vale do Paranhana, Serra Gaúcha and Vale do Taquari. Currently, RS is the 2nd largest national producer – 192 million pairs of shoes were produced in 2022, which was equivalent to 22.6% of total production; and the largest exporter in the country – in 2022, around 43 million pairs of shoes were exported, which represented US$ 616.4 million in terms of value and 47% of the total exported by the country.
The footwear sector in Rio Grande do Sul comprises 1,587 establishments (2021), which employ around 87,000 people, the highest number among Brazilian states. The headquarters of the Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries (Abicalçados) is located in the city of Novo Hamburgo, in Rio Grande do Sul.
According to the Abicalçados Sectorial Report (2023), the most attractive countries for Brazilian footwear exports are: France, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and China.
The Brazilian demand for footwear was 718 million pairs (2021), which makes the country the 4th largest global market. The average of 3.4 pairs per inhabitant, well below advanced countries (+5) indicates additional room for expansion in the coming years.
Fashion and Clothing
In 2021, RS had 542 establishments linked to the manufacture of textile products and 2,058 establishments linked to the manufacture of clothing and accessories, which employed over 28 thousand people in the sector. (Source: RAIS MTE, 2021).
The RS production chain is characterized by being less diversified and verticalized than the national industry as a whole, and is organized in the form of clusters: knitting in the Serra Gaúcha region and jeans in the north of the State. The State has a strong tradition in the segment: the first textile industry was founded in 1874, in the city of Rio Grande. In addition, it is the birthplace of Grupo Renner, the largest retailer in the clothing segment in the country.
As a state with an agricultural production matrix, there is great ease of access to raw materials of animal origin, such as leather and wool. In 2021, BRL 1.8 billion were generated in clothing industry businesses.
The State of Rio Grande do Sul also has a vast network of teaching and research institutions that train qualified professionals for the sector: there are 11 fashion courses at undergraduate level, training technologists and fashion designers.
The sector also has specific support from the “RS Criativo” program, a set of public policies that seek to enhance sectors in which value creation is based on immaterial dimensions such as creativity, culture, knowledge and innovation.
Industry Opportunities
- Approaching Rio Grande do Sul manufacturers with international networks for better distribution of their products. For example, exclusive creations for large international chains would be possible, taking advantage of the expertise of Rio Grande do Sul producers and the quality of the products, and the capillarity and international knowledge of the large chains.