Fashion Engagement

Investing in the future of fashion

Robeco’s Fashion Engagement is a unique investment strategy that allows investors to capitalize on long-term growth opportunities in fashion and help drive its sustainability transition.

To construct an investment portfolio with the potential for growth and positive change we combine disciplined fundamental analysis with tailored, multi-year engagements on key sustainability challenges.

Fashion figures

$2.5
trillion
market size based on industry sales¹
40
%
estimated volume growth through 2030²
300
million
workers employed worldwide³

Why invest in fashion?

Fashion is an expansive and significant industry tied to population growth and rising disposable incomes. However, the industry is far from sustainable. On average, garment workers are paid 45% below local living wages, and less than 1% of garments are recycled. It is critical that sustainable solutions are implemented to transform the sector’s operations from a linear, take-make-waste model to a circular one, and important social issues like workers' rights and wages are addressed.

We see these challenges as value-generating opportunities. We aim to capture financial returns and drive positive change in the industry through a disciplined, long-term investment approach based on thoughtful engagement.

First strategy of its kind

The new strategy invests in, and engages with, 30 to 40 publicly listed companies across the entire fashion value chain, from sourcing, to production and consumption to end-of-life. The stock selection process considers companies exposed to the megatrends of casualization, premiumization, circularity and automation. The team combines disciplined fundamental analysis with tailored, multi-year engagements on key sustainability challenges to construct an investment portfolio with growth potential and positive change.