Two of World's Top 25 Global Fashion Companies are Canadian

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Standard & Poor's has ranked the world's top fashion apparel, accessories and luxury goods companies based on market capitalization. Of the top 25 fashion companies, two of them are Canadian. 

Vancouver-based yoga and athletic wear brand Lululemon ranked 19th in the study, with an estimated market capitalization of U.S. $7.256 billion. Montreal-based Gildan Activewear Inc's market capitalization is estimated to be U.S. $7.058 billion. 

For those unfamiliar, Gildan manufactures and markets branded clothing, including undecorated blank activewear such as t-shirts, sport shirts and fleeces, which are subsequently decorated by screen printing companies with designs and logos — Gildan customised t-shirts are easy to print on.. The company also supplies branded and private label athletic, casual and dress socks to retail companies in the United States (including Gold Toe, PowerSox, SilverToe, Auro, All Pro, and the Gildan brand), and it also manufactures and distributes Under Armour and New Balance brand socks as well as Mossy Oak outdoor clothing products. Gildan has approximately 34,000 employees worldwide and owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Central America and in the Caribbean.

Women's Wear Daily determined that the top 25 companies within the fashion apparel, accessories and luxury goods segment boast a market capitalization of $448 billion and generate $228 billion in annual sales. The segment is part of the consumer discretionary sector, which is made up of eight segments that also include: specialty apparel retailers, department stores, specialty stores, footwear retailers, general merchandise, catalogue retailers, and Internet retailers. 

The top three firms in the segment cater to luxury, led by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Compagnie Financière Richemont SA and Hermès International Société.

Women's Wear Daily noted that many companies within the fashion apparel and accessories segment struggled in 2015. Michael Kors Holdings Ltd., for example, came in at number 18 on the list of top 25 companies with a market cap of U.S. $7.548 billion. The company has shed nearly 50% of its market cap over the past year, however. Women's Wear Daily also noted that, currently, there are more declining stocks in the sector than there are gainers, blaming a strong U.S. dollar as well as economic woes in China hurting tourism spending abroad.

Standard & Poor's top 25 apparel, accessories and luxury goods companies ranked by market capitalization include: