How many total Apparel Brands are there?

As of Nov 2026, there are 35,876 active companies in Apparel Brands sector.

Which countries have the most Apparel Brands?

United States (8,654) has the highest number of Apparel Brands, followed by India (7,662) and United Kingdom (4,859).

How many Apparel Brands are funded?

As of Nov 2026, 2,372 companies in this sector have received funding.

Which company has raised the most funding in Apparel Brands sector?

As of Nov 2026, Vuori has secured $1.27B in funding, making it the highest-funded company in the Apparel Brands sector.

Which country has attracted the most investment in Apparel Brands?

With $12.2B in total funding, United States has attracted the most investment among Apparel Brands.

Who are the top investors in Apparel Brands?

The top investors in Apparel Brands by number of investments are Europa, Ministerstvo Hospodárstva Slovenskej Republiky and MassChallenge

How much venture capital has Apparel Brands sector attracted?

In the last 10 years, venture capital firms have invested $5.12B in this sector.

How many unicorns has Apparel Brands sector produced?

Globally, there are 8 unicorns in Apparel Brands sector, to date.

Apparel Brands - 2026 Market & Investments Trends

Companies included in Apparel Brands sector

Brands designing and marketing apparel across categories like casual wear and formal wear, sports and outdoor wear, inner wear, night wear and hosiery, ethnic wear and bridal wear, maternity apparel, kids apparel and pet clothing. Also included are brands selling/distributing their products primarily through the internet (internet-first brands)

Companies excluded in Apparel Brands sector

Companies that exclusively manufacture or sell fashion accessories, footwear, industrial protective clothing (such as gas tight clothing), apparel retailers and distributors, service providers, contract apparel manufacturers are excluded

Key Metrics

Total Companies

39.8K

Top Companies

Bewakoof, Adore Me & more

Total Funding

Funded Companies

Series A+ Companies

Series C+ Companies

Unicorns Created

IPOs

696

Acquisitions

770

Also known as

Clothing Brands

View complete details of this sector

The market map of Apparel Brands gives a visual overview of the sector, showing key business models, their interactions in the value chain, and industry evolution.

Recent BlueBox/Industry Definition image of Apparel Brands

Here are some reports related to Apparel Brands sector:

Free

Apparel Brands - Sector Report

Edition: October, 2026 (79 Pages)

Premium

Apparel Brands Investor Landscape

Edition: April, 2025 (12 Pages)

Premium

Apparel Brands Exit Landscape

Edition: October, 2026 (15 Pages)

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There are more than 39.8K companies in Apparel Brands. Bewakoof is the top Apparel Brands company globally, ranked using Tracxn Score (what's this?).

Here are 5 of the top Apparel Brands companies globally:

Company	Description	Location	Founded	Current Stage	Private Funding Raised
Bewakoof	Online retailer of fashion apparel and accessories for men and women	Mumbai (India)	2011	Acquired	$39.5M
Adore Me	Internet-first brand of innerwear for women	New York City (United States)	2011	Acquired	$11.5M
Snitch	Retailer of fashionable apparel for men	Bengaluru (India)	2020	Series B	$47.7M
Nike	Provides athletic footwear, apparel, and sports equipment.	Beaverton (United States)	1964	Public	-
Under Armour	Online retailer of athletic apparel, footwear, accessories, and sports equipment	Baltimore (United States)	1996	Public	-

Get a longer list of companies

Companies founded year-on-year in the Apparel Brands sector

667 new startups have been founded so far in 2026 in the Apparel Brands sector. 2,295 Apparel Brands startups were founded in 2020 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.

Total Number of Companies

Year	No. of companies
2026	667
2025	536
2024	890
2023	918
2022	992
2021	1,486
2020	2,295
2019	1,907
2018	1,933
2017	1,502

Companies founded across countries in the Apparel Brands sector

United States has 8,654 Apparel Brands startups, the most by any country, followed by India which has 7,662 startups and United Kingdom which has 4,859.

Total Number of Companies

Country	No. of companies
United States	8,654
India	7,662
United Kingdom	4,859
Germany	1,646
Australia	873
Canada	855
France	733
Italy	725
Spain	528
China	509

Stage-wise distribution of the Apparel Brands sector

Out of the total 39,788 Apparel Brands companies, 2,372 have secured funding. Among them, 1,781 have reached Series A or higher, and 1,619 to Series B or beyond.

Founded - 39,788

Funded - 2,372

Series A+ - 1,781

Series B+ - 1,619

Series C+ - 1,564

Company Stage	No. of companies
Founded	39,788
Funded	2,372
Series A+	1,781
Series B+	1,619
Series C+	1,564

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39.8K+ Total Companies
$38.9B+ Total Funding
2.4K+ Funded Companies
695+ IPOs
765+ Acquisitions
5 Reports

Total funding year-on-year in the Apparel Brands sector

The Apparel Brands sector saw a total funding of more than $24.2B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2019 at more than $5.51B. There has been a total funding of $1.38B in 2026 till date.

Total Funding

Year	Total Funding
2026	$1.38B
2025	$1.52B
2024	$1.75B
2023	$1.16B
2022	$2.26B
2021	$2.05B
2020	$2.35B
2019	$5.51B
2018	$2.21B
2017	$4.05B

Total funding across countries in the Apparel Brands sector

In the last 10 years, Apparel Brands startups in United States have recieved the highest funding among all countries - $12.2B. India follows with $2.37B and Italy with $1.62B.

Total Funding

Country	Total Funding
United States	$12.2B
India	$2.37B
Italy	$1.62B
United Kingdom	$1.51B
China	$853M
Canada	$766M
Spain	$277M
France	$272M
Germany	$240M
Sweden	$223M

Total funding amount raised by stage in the Apparel Brands sector

Over the last 10 years, the Apparel Brands sector have seen $484M into Seed Stage funding rounds, $3.61B into Early Stage funding rounds and $3.14B go into Late Stage funding rounds.

Funding Stage	Total Funding
Debt	$10.2B
Early Stage	$3.61B
Late Stage	$3.14B
Post IPO	$2.52B
PE	$1.09B
Seed Stage	$484M
Grant	$285M

Recent Funding Rounds in Apparel Brands

In the year 2026, till October 2026, Apparel Brands companies have raised $176M in equity funding across 66 rounds. In the same period last year (i.e. till October 2025), Apparel Brands companies had raised $230M across 109 rounds. So, 2026 has seen a 23.51% drop in funding in Apparel Brands companies as compared to 2025.

Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Apparel Brands:

Company	Round Raised	Amount Raised	Funding Date	Investors
The Pant Project	Series B	6023	Oct 16, 2026	Mirae Asset Venture Investments and 1 more
Resonance	Series C	3100	Oct 15, 2026	-
Boldfit	Series B	1042	Oct 12, 2026	Bharat Value Fund and 3 more
Naytra	Seed	5362	Oct 12, 2026	-
Auter	Seed	9414	Oct 09, 2026	-

See a more detailed list of funding rounds

Europa is the top investor in Apparel Brands companies based on number of companies invested.

Here are some top investors in Apparel Brands:

Investor	Location	Top Portfolio Companies
Europa	Belgium	H&M, PVH Corp, Adidas Group and Inditex
Ministerstvo Hospodárstva Slovenskej Republiky	Bratislava (Slovakia)	H&M Group, NEW YORKER, ETERNA and Lppslovakia
MassChallenge	Boston (United States)	Ministry of Supply, Blank Label, Lilu and 99Degrees
Gov.cz	Czech Republic	H&M, Inditex, Levi's and NEW YORKER
Brand Capital	Mumbai (India)	Pepe Jeans London, Duke Fashions, Ashapura Intimates Fashion and Mufti

See a more detailed list of investors

In the year 2026, till October 2026, 23 acquisitions happened in Apparel Brands sector. Last year, in 2025, a total of 59 acquisitions happened in Apparel Brands sector.

Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Apparel Brands:

Company	Acquisition Type	Acquisition Date	Acquirers
Sanctuary Clothing	Business Acquisition	Oct 27, 2026	WSG Brands
Hugo Boss	Business Acquisition	Oct 24, 2026	Frasers Group
Arco	Business Acquisition	Sep 30, 2026	H.I.G. Capital
Kubler Workwear	Business Acquisition	Sep 10, 2026	U
Bbwinc	Business Acquisition	Sep 08, 2026	-

See a more detailed list of acquisitions

Acquisition trends in Apparel Brands

Here are the acquisition trends in Apparel Brands:

Total Number of Acquisitions

Year	No. of companies
2026	23
2025	59
2024	62
2023	60
2022	56
2021	71
2020	48
2019	63
2018	66
2017	57

In the year 2026, till September 2026, 5 IPOs happened in Apparel Brands sector.

Here are some recent, important IPOs in Apparel Brands:

Company	IPO Date	Exchange Symbol
Madhur Knit Crafts	Sep 01, 2026	National Stock Exchange (NSE)
Reformation	Jul 30, 2026	New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Riyaasat	Jul 01, 2026	Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
SHREEDHAR SPINNERS	Jul 01, 2026	National Stock Exchange (NSE)
Kiaasa	Mar 02, 2026	Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

See a more detailed list of IPOs

Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Apparel Brands sector

Most number of Apparel Brands startups have been founded by alumni from University of California (Los Angeles), Stanford University and Harvard University.

College	No. of companies
University of California (Los Angeles)	36
Stanford University	29
Harvard University	26
University of Pennsylvania	24
IIT Delhi	20
Indian School of Business	20
London School of Economics and Political Science	19
Harvard Business School	18
Columbia University	17
INSEAD	12

Total funding in companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the the Apparel Brands sector

In the last 10 years, Stanford University graduates' Apparel Brands companies have raised the most funding among top colleges. Stanford Business School alumni are second, and University of Chicago alumni are third.

College	Total Funding
Stanford University	$2.9B
Stanford Business School	$2.6B
University of Chicago	$281M
Cornell University	$236M
Harvard University	$224M
Wharton School	$221M
University of Pennsylvania	$208M
IIT Delhi	$206M
Harvard Business School	$199M
Carnegie Mellon University	$180M