Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

The BoF Podcast: Inside the State of Fashion 2019

This week on the BoF Podcast, Imran Amed and McKinsey & Co.’s Achim Berg unpack the key themes from The State of Fashion 2019.
The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.

LONDON, United Kingdom — Next year, Greater China will for the first time in centuries overtake the US as the world’s largest fashion market, while external shocks to the system - from slowing growth to Brexit - lurk around the corner.

Those are just some of the findings in The State of Fashion 2019, co-authored by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company. Over 270 fashion executives, thought leaders and pioneers gave their outlook for 2019, one that many expect will be a year of awakening, filled with both opportunities and challenges.

Growth in the overall fashion market is forecasted to slow to 3.5 to 4.5 percent. In the US, the luxury sector is optimistic about what's to come; struggling mid-market brands and retailers less so. Far-sighted companies will make bold moves in automation and artificial intelligence, and will disrupt themselves before others do it for them. Consumers will make or break brands based on trust. And global economic and political trends hover over the whole picture.

McKinsey and BoF also recognise the rise of “super winners,” the top 20 publicly listed companies that are increasingly dominating the industry in terms of value creation. This group includes brands such as Nike, LVMH and Inditex, and it now accounts for around $25 billion of economic profit, which is 97 percent of total industry value created, compared to 70 percent in 2010.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the latest episode of Inside Fashion, Imran Amed, founder and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion and Achim Berg, global leader of McKinsey & Company’s apparel, fashion and luxury group, unpack these and other key themes and topics for the year ahead.

To subscribe to the BoF Podcast please follow this link.

Subscribe to BoF Professional for unlimited access to BoF articles, plus exclusive benefits for members.

To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com.

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Luxury
How rapid change is reshaping the tradition-soaked luxury sector in Europe and beyond.

Swatch Group vs Morgan Stanley: It’s Time for Transparency

After Swatch Group launched an attack on Morgan Stanley’s influential annual watch report, Swatch-owned Tissot cracks open the door for a glimpse at some numbers and Robin Swithinbank says it’s time a secretive industry came clean on financials.


Is Armani Any Closer to a Stake Sale?

Half a year after Giorgio Armani’s death, it appears to be business as usual at the sprawling fashion empire while potential investors continue to circle with no firm bid in sight.


view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.

Estée Lauder’s Surprise Acquisition, Explained

The American cosmetic giant’s buyout of Ayurvedic beauty line Forest Essentials came as a surprise. By picking an under-the-radar brand it knows well, the company can show that it’s still in the M&A game without needing to outbid rivals.


VIEW MORE
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON