Key Sectors

Apparel & Textiles

The apparel industry is considered one of the main industrial sectors in Jordan contributing to more than 30% of Jordan’s total exports and employing more than 55,000 employees. 

Jordan’s success story with the apparel industry was initiated by the Qualified Industrial Zones agreement which was signed in 1996 between Jordan and the United States. The agreement grants any product manufactured within the QIZ a preferential duty free and quota free access to the United States. QIZs have attracted many investments into Jordan from various parts of the world and in the year 2005, Jordan’s apparel exports to the U.S. topped the 1.2 billion dollars. 

In addition to the QIZs, the Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement which was singed in 2001 offers a preferential duty free treatment for many of the apparel products—the rest are to enjoy zero duty by 2010. This gives the Jordanian manufacturers the flexibility to choose from either the FTA or the QIZ prior to manufacturing a duty-free product.

Currently, Jordanian manufacturers are serving leading U.S. companies such as Liz Claiborne, JC Penny, Gap, Gloria Vanderbilt, Polo Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret and Target to mention a few.  

In an effort to boost exports of Jordanian apparel to the U.S. market, seven leading companies from Jordan headed by the Jordan Garment’s Exporters Association participated in the MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas, February 21^st-24^th. The MAGIC Market place is the apparel industry’s largest exhibition which takes place twice a year and brings together more than 1400 exhibitors with a 100,000 retailers, buyers, and sourcing managers. Jordan will also be participating in August, 2006.

Moreover, on the sides of the MAGIC show, a seminar titled “Jordan: High Quality Production under QIZ and FTA” took place and was attended by more than 80 sourcing executives visiting the MAGIC show. His Excellency Minster of Industry and Trade Mr. Sharif Zu’bi addressed the audience with Jordan’s latest developments and efforts to enhance the competitiveness of the sector. Following the Minster, Mr. Rashed Darwazeh, CEO of the Jordan Garment’s Exporters Association presented a more detailed look on the Jordanian apparel sector’s capabilities and future developments that will continue to give Jordan the edge in the apparel world. And lastly, as a testimony of the good relationship that Jordan enjoys with the U.S. apparel industry, Mr. Gary Ross, Senior VP of Global Sourcing and Manufacturing at Liz Claiborne shared with the audience his company’s success stories with Jordan and concluded his presentation by saying “Jordan Is Open for Business.” And he urged the audience to work with Jordan. 

• Click here to view Minister Zu’bi’s presentation
  
• Click here to view Mr. Rashed Darwazeh’s presentation