ABSTRACT
Fortaleza probably has the most interesting clothing industry in the region, because it covers all sizes of enterprises, from the very large plant with over 1,000 workers to the small backyard manufacturer who relies primarily on family labour. Fortaleza has a considerable tradition in the making of garments particularly through domestic production. A characteristic of the clothing industry is that small firms are often subcontracted by large factories or buying groups. The technology is divisible and cheap, which makes the farming-out of production relatively easy. The larger share of Brazilian production and employment is accounted for by medium and small-scale enterprises. The formal enterprises make use of this domestic production, but rarely for the manufacture of complete garments, generally only for one specific operation, namely embroidery. Informal enterprises constitute an important part of Fortaleza's clothing industry. The small-scale, informal, domestic production feeds into an equally informal distribution network through which some of clothes production reaches all corners of Brazil.
