If you search “women’s dresses” in google, you will get around four billion results within a half second! Imagine the popularity of dresses, all market places, stores, shopping malls, boutiques, brand stores, ecommerce sites, individual sites etc, almost everywhere you will get varieties of dresses such as cocktail dresses, party dresses, summer dresses, plus size dresses, designer dresses, luxury dresses, sexy dresses, erotic dresses, casual dresses, full length dresses, ethnic dresses and many more.
Dresses is a Western outfit, originated in Europe during 11th century, it also known as frock or gown. European traditionally worn by women or girls, it consists of skirt attaching with matching bodice is called dress, it can be made in one or more pieces. Dresses are available in both – formal wear and casual wear, other items can also be included or paired with dress such as partlets, stomachers, petticoats, corsets, kirtles, partlets and more. From 11th century to 20th century, new styles and variations were introduced in Western and American countries, such as floral prints, embroidered, dresses with lace and net and contrast fabrics, sleeves, corsets, one-piece gown, two-pieces gown, three-pieces gown, gown with petticoat and jacket, thin or semi-transparent gown, empire tyle gown and many more, the list can be too long. In those days, dresses were used to showcase girl’s social status, rich families used to dress their girls/daughters in more expensive, decorated and extravagant dresses, while poorer families had to make it more simple and plain dresses. While dress originated, it was actually used as a form of protection long before it became a necessity, it was called as Tarkhan Dress as per the history books.
Few of the famous designers or fashion labels for women’s dresses are Donna Karan, Coco Chanel, Vera Wang, Mary Quant, Anne Klein, Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana, Milly, Zara, H&M and many more. The biggest manufacturer of dresses/frocks/skirts is China, around US$21000 million of revenue during 2023, the global total sale amount is around US$150 billion in 2021 and around US$160 billion in 2022. Large % of customers prefers polyester material in their dresses, almost 45% in the global women’s dresses market, followed by cotton, cellulosic and others. Due to the increase in demand, this segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.0% from 2022 to 2028 to reach US$218 billion by 2028. Biggest consumer market of women’s dresses & skirts is Europe with the share of almost 29% during 2019. With increase in demand and many options available offline sales and online sales, it is expected that women’s dresses & skirts & frock & gown segment will increase year-on-year globally.
