Bulgaria, Romania and other countries in the Balkan region have established a foothold in the luxury market and fashion houses from Paris and Milan are quietly building a bigger presence as they feed demand for a quicker turnover of styles.
More affordable labels have long produced bags, scarves, clothes and shoes in southeastern Europe, but margins are becoming slimmer as Balkan companies jostle for that business with China, Turkey and, increasingly, Africa.

The luxury sector is expected to grow up to five per cent this year, outpacing fashion as a whole, encouraging southeastern Europe to focus its efforts on attracting more upmarket clients alongside competitors such as Portugal.

Factories near the Danube are positioning themselves to help top brands adjust to faster fashion cycles.

Orders and enquiries from top brands are increasing and they have invested in machines to do the specialised stitches, buttons and ironing they demand alongside hand sewing, which is sometimes done through contractors.

For the brands, the cost advantage of nearby countries with the lowest wages in the European Union is not the only factor in an era where word of lapses in quality or poor working conditions spreads fast.

While top French and Italian luxury houses have experimented with manufacturing outside their home base for years now, it is often for more basic garments such as branded T-shirts.

But the need for small batches of work, done fast, to exacting standards, is growing.