Municipality of Stip
North Macedonia's textile capital with 70% of municipal industry in garment production for European markets, anchored by Goce Delčev University (10,000 students) as the east's sole public university.
Shtip exists because the eastern Macedonian highlands concentrated textile manufacturing in a city that now hosts 70% of municipal industrial output in garment production—making it North Macedonia's fashion capital. With 60+ clothing companies exporting to Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and the sole public university in eastern North Macedonia (Goce Delčev University, 10,000 students), Shtip anchors regional economy and education.
The formation story is socialist industrial planning creating concentrated expertise. Post-WWII investment built Makedonka, planned for cotton spinning and weaving, alongside Teteks in Tetovo for wool. These "huge capacities" established the textile tradition that persists. Today 50% of national textile capacity concentrates in the eastern region, with Shtip as center followed by Kočani and Delčevo.
The university adds human capital production to garment production. Goce Delčev University's 100+ study programs serve the eastern region's educational needs, providing workforce for industries and professional services. The combination of manufacturing employment and higher education creates a more complete urban economy than single-sector municipalities.
The challenges are European. Weak external demand in 2024, structural shifts in the European automotive sector (which affects supplier industries), and competition from lower-cost producers pressure the textile sector. National GDP grew 2.8% in 2024 after just 1% in 2023—a recovery that textile exports partially enabled but also partially constrained.
By 2026, Shtip faces the manufacturing city's perpetual question: how to climb value chains when cost advantage erodes. The fashion industry label suggests brand development potential; the university suggests R&D capacity. Whether eastern Macedonia's textile capital can convert production expertise into design authority determines its future position in European supply chains.