Apparel sector holding its own in niche market
Published:Sunday | September 21, 2025 | 12:05 AMLuke Douglas - Senior Business Reporter
Entrepreneurs involved in the production of clothing locally say the sector remains viable but mostly in particular niches, as garment makers are unable to compete with cheaper imports, mainly from China.
Custom-made clothing, including corporate and school uniforms are still in high demand from local manufacturers, and some exports to other Caribbean countries are taking place.
“From where I sit and with the level of creativity that I see going on, there is so much potential for our local market. Let’s face it, when you think of Jamaica, we are not necessarily known for manufacturing fashion although we are a fashionable group of people,” said Marc Frankson, head of operations at Designs by Marc Limited.
“But when I scroll through Instagram and TikTok, I am seeing a new set of people incorporating the local culture to the point where it does give me a lot of hope for the next few years,” said Frankson.
Designs by Marc, a family-owned apparel company, operates from Kingston and Gayle in St Mary. The business, which was started in the 1980s by Frankson’s grandmother, now specialises in corporate uniforms, having started with making personal items for sale to retail stores such as Lee’s Fifth Avenue, Ammar’s and Joseph’s.
Frankson said it is hard to compete on price with imports in the school uniform market, but says his company is doing well in the corporate space, which requires more customised inputs and attention to detail to stand out.
“Anybody with an office and an admin team that needs uniforms, that is something that we do. We also do branded items; if you’re having an event and you need a polo shirt with your logo embroidered on there, we do that as well. We also do a few graduation jackets for schools,” he told the Financial Gleaner.
While declining to discuss sales, Frankson said the business, which employs approximately 140 persons, mainly women, manufactures and exports to about 11 different markets across the region, including Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The local market makes up about 70 per cent of the company’s business.
Frankson says his company is unable to compete on price with imports from China, but is doing well by providing superior service, quick turnaround of jobs, and detailed customising.
“We manufacture everything, down to the print on the fabric. Some companies want to have a unique and specific print, meaning something you just can’t walk into a fabric store and buy.
“They want to look like an employee of that organisation, because we would have created a uniquely styled uniform for them, and only for them, from scratch with their input,” Frankson said.
“With the energy costs that I have to contend with here, with the fair wages that we choose to pay our employees and other things, we’re not able to compete with China on price. We try to push ahead with our customers with our services that make up for whatever price.”
Data regarding the size of the apparel sector is sparse.
For year 2020, the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica report estimated the value of exports at US$900,000, but labelled the category as “not assessed” for year 2021 to 2024.
Apparel is a non-traditional category within Jamaica’s manufacturing sector, according to the Guide to Manufacturing in Jamaica, published by investment promotions agency Jampro. Manufacturing contributes eight to nine per cent of Jamaica’s economic output.
In terms of government assistance to businesses in his category, Frankson cited the Ministry of Industry, Investments and Commerce’s Productive Inputs Relief programme, under which manufacturers are allowed to import raw materials, intermediate goods, packaging items and capital equipment duty-free.
He is however calling for incentives on renewable energy, similar to that given to residential electricity customers.
One of the areas that has proven lucrative for Jamaica’s garment makers is uniforms, whether for students or professionals.
Meanwhile, proprietor for the Ammar’s clothing chain, Michael Ammar, says the local apparel sector is still vibrant, with many small and medium-sized players.
Ammar said about 20 per cent of the items in his three stores in Kingston are made locally.
“The truth is that Jamaica cannot compete in terms of large-scale manufacturing; however, it can be very competitive in terms of niche products like uniforms that have to be custom made,” Ammar told the Financial Gleaner.
He said while the bulk of khaki uniforms and white blouses for school are imported, niche items such as security officers’ uniforms and nurses’ scrubs in various colours are successfully made locally.
Ammar said back-to-school sales went well, although being pushed into an extra week because of the focus on the recent general election.
Garment maker Sandra Brown produces uniforms from Spanish Town in St Catherine.
“The only thing they have over me is the white blouses and the khaki,” said Brown, who has been in the business for 38 years.
Brown only does school uniforms during the two months leading up to the start of the school year, sewing an average of 15 uniforms for mostly girls attending schools in and around Spanish Town.
In the off-season from school, she produces uniforms for nurses and outfits for churches, including two churches in the United Kingdom.
Brown says she sources fabric of every type and colour from LP Azar in midtown Kingston, while her trimmings are sourced from downtown Kingston.
Regarding uniforms for security guards, a source said that one large player in the private security industry sources all of its uniforms from the Asian continent. Other smaller security companies have their uniforms made locally.