Textiles and clothing sector: Herning-Ikast-Brande cluster, Denmark

The concentration of textiles and clothing companies in the Herning-Ikast-Brande area of Jutland in western Denmark is due to a long history of crafts in the region. In the 1980s, this concentration was very important to the companies involved, as it attracted many potential customers to the area. Since then, due to globalisation, these companies have relocated production activities to low-cost countries in Europe to remain competitive, but retained the knowledge-intensive activities of the business such as design, fashion, logistics, sales and marketing. Today, the cluster comprises mainly large clothing companies and several small but highly-specialised textiles companies.