Known as “Music City, U.S.A,” country music is what put Nashville on the map. But tunes with a little twang aren’t the only thing that’s keeping it on the map these days. With fashion businesses pumping out $5.9 billion and 16,200 jobs into Nashville’s economy, the southern city is on its way to gaining fashion capital status.
And according to a report released in January by the Nashville Fashion Alliance (NFA) and Zurich-based Gherzi Textil Organization that evaluated the economic growth and potential of the Nashville fashion industry, those numbers could reach as high as $9.5 billion and 25,000 jobs by 2025, if they get the right investment.
And it’s not hard for the city to make its case. Nashville has the highest concentration of fashion companies per capita after New York and Los Angeles. Not to mention the city is also ranked fourth in the nation for job growth. In addition the area is competitive in terms of design and retail wages, which are significantly lower than the national average.
“Nashville enjoys a number of the key success factors needed to become a regional fashion player,” claims Karim Shafei, an international partner at Gherzi. “The sector has experienced phenomenal growth over the past five years and has the potential to double in the coming eight to ten years to reach nine billion dollars in total economic impact.”
With a low cost of living, a convergence of creative-minds drawn by the music industry, a less-saturated fashion scene than NYC or LA and an economy that’s grown at almost twice the rate of the national average over the past year, it makes sense that Nashville would be ripe for significant growth. Its central location also places it within a day’s drive of major markets that possess 70 percent of the nation’s buying power.
The biggest players in the region are Genesco, which produces branded footwear, VF Imagewear, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, which offers workwear brands, as well as distribution centers for Gap, Under Armour, Macy’s and Warby Parker.
In the past half decade, Nashville has produced a surprising number of independent brands—more than 100 altogether—and include the likes of Nisolo Shoes, Ceri Hoover, Atelier Savas, Cavanagh Baker, Jamie + the Jones and Elizabeth Suzann.
“We want to become the location for emerging brands in the fashion industry, to make it attractive for designers to start their brands here. If we invest in those first, we can show bigger companies that this area is worthy,” says Van Tucker, chief executive of the NFA. Tucker, a Nashville-native, believes fashion is thriving in the city because of its collaborative spirit. “There’s a rising tide mentality,” she adds, “That originated in our music community.”
But whether or not Nashville’s fashion industry will be able to support an influx of almost 10,000 jobs in the region in less than 10 years depends on the success of the designers and brands that are already established in the area.
One missing link is local manufacturing. Since the arrival of the Trump administration, the topic has been on everyone’s minds because Trump’s anti-trade policies—which include a proposal for heavy tax on imports—have made some companies reconsider manufacturing apparel in the U.S. “Reshoring automation, mass customization … we think a big portion of manufacturing is going to be much closer to market, “ says Shafei.
To achieve the NFA’s growth trajectory, the study found that the city needs to follow a few steps. First, establish a small-batch production space where small apparel and accessories brands can create and experiment. Next, provide mentors and training courses to help new entrepreneurs learn about accounting, marketing and retail. In addition, collective bargaining agreements need to be established to help link designers to the raw materials and specialized subcontractors they need. Also essential are co-working spaces and legal and accounting services. And finally, the NFA must be able to support the growing companies by establishing an accelerator or helping to line up key investors.
So while it may seem that Nashville has a long way to go, fashion influencers around the country are already noticing the Music City’s strides. And with the enthusiasm and drive it has, it will only be a matter of time before Nashville reaches fashion capital status.
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