Global Fashion Industry Statistics (2024)

General data

The United States and China: largest economies and the largest apparel retail markets in the world

The ten largest economies in the world as measured by nominal GDP are the United States , China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, India, France, Italy, Canada and South Korea.

The US accounts for 24.67% of the total global economy, China has a share of 17.39%, Japan a share of 5.97%, Germany a share of 4.54% and the UK makes up 3.26%.

Source: Investopedia article, based on The World Bank data GDP 2020. Last updated in June, 2022 .

The largest retail markets in the world are China, the US, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan (more about that in the next paragraph ‘The Global Apparel Market).

In 2021. Source: Euromonitor International, a market research provider

China and the US also play a significant role in international trade. China is the largest exporter worldwide of clothing and the US is second largest importer (more about that in the paragraph ‘Trade Textiles & Clothing Worldwide: Export & Import’).

Source: Statista, March 2022 & World Trade Statistical Review 2021 Report, from the World Trade Organization (WTO)

The Global Apparel Market

Fashion is one of the biggest industries in the world

“Fashion is one of the world’s most important industries, driving a significant part of the global economy. It is one of the key value-creating industries for the world economy. If it were ranked alongside individual countries’ GDP the global fashion industry would represent the seventh-largest economy in the world,’’ stated McKinsey in its State of Fashion 2017 report.

Source: McKinsey State of Fashion 2017 report, McKinsey & BoF, in 2016.

Revenue: $1.7 trillion dollar industry (2021)

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the fashion industry global revenue was estimated between $1.7 trillion and $2.5 trillion according to two different research reports by Euromonitor and McKinsey.

Source: Euromonitor International, a market research provider & McKinsey report 'State of Fashion 2022: An uneven recovery and new frontiers'. Source: McKinsey analysis 2019

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the fashion industry

According to Euromonitor the global apparel and footwear market size shrunk in 2020 by -18.1% (to $1.45 trillion), while McKinsey states that the fashion and apparel industry suffered a 20% decline in revenues for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Source: Euromonitor, June 2021 & McKinsey report State of Fashion 2022: An uneven recovery and new frontier, December 2021

Post-Covid-19 Retail: Revenge Shopping

After lockdown restrictions were lifted in many parts of the world, consumers headed back to the stores. With that the fashion industry returned to pre-pandemic levels.

According to Euromonitor, the global apparel and footwear industry grew by 18.1% at current prices in 2020-2021, to $1.71 billion dollars in market size (retail value USD million) in 2021.

The world’s apparel retail market is expected to enjoy a 7.5% growth in 2021-2022 to $1.84 billion dollars in 2022 and a 6.1% growth in 2022-2023 to $1.95 billion dollars in 2023.

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Worldwide Apparel & Footwear Market Size

*Retail Value RSP USD million

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Worldwide Apparel & Footwear Market Size

*Year on year growth (%)

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Largest Apparel and Footwear Markets Worldwide (2021)

The United States and China account for the majority of the global apparel demand. You find the five markets with the highest market size in 2021 in USD million below.

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Key Apparel Markets

Revenue generated from the women’s apparel market is much higher than that of men’s or children’s apparel. In 2018, womenswear made up more than half (53%) of global fashion retail spending. Spending on menswear accounted for 31% and childrenswear for 16%.

States Common Objective in article in 2018, based on data from Market research provider, Euromonitor International.

Trade Textiles & Clothing Worldwide: Export & Import

World merchandise exports of manufactured goods were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020: the annual percentage change was -5.2% in total. Clothing saw a -9.1% decline in 2020, while textiles saw a strong increase of +16%, due to the demand for protective personal equipment.

*WTO estimates. Source: World Trade Statistical Review 2021 Report, from the World Trade Organization (WTO)

China is the largest exporter of textiles and clothing worldwide and the EU is the largest importer of these goods

More detailed information in the table below.

Source: World Trade Statistical Review 2021 Report, from the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Fashion Companies

To cater to the large, 3,000 billion, textile and garment industry new companies are entering the market every day. Most of these companies remain rather unknown to the consumer audience, better known are the individual brands that are part of these global fashion companies.

Leading clothing companies worldwide by market capitalization (2022)

In March 2022, The LVMH Group was by far the clothing company with the highest market capitalization, at approximately $367 billion dollars. This was over 150 billion dollars more than Nike, the company in second place, with a market cap of $216 billion dollars. Dior came in third with a market cap of $124 billion dollars, followed by Inditex with a market cap of $81 billion dollars, TJX Companies with a market cap of $79 billion dollars, Fast Retailing with a market cap of $55 billion dollars, Adidas with a market cap of $45 billion dollars, Lululemon Athletica with a market cap of $41 billion dollars, Ross Stores with a market cap of $32 billion dollars and H&M closes the top ten with a market cap of $27 billion dollars.

Source: Statista, Clothing companies with the greatest market capitalization worldwide as of March 2022, March 2022

Leading clothing companies with the highest brand value (2021)

Sportswear giant Nike claimed the title of the world’s “most valuable” apparel brand for the seventh year in 2021. Nike maintains a considerable lead over Gucci in second place, which has a brand value of 15.6 billion dollars, down 12 percent from 2020. Its noteworthy that the total value of the world’s top 50 most valuable apparel brands has declined by 8% as the sector negotiates fallout from Covid-19 pandemic.

Coach is the sector’s fastest falling brand, brand value down 31 percent. Rolex is world’s strongest apparel brand.

Source: [the Brand Finance Apparel 50 2021 report, April 2021.](https://brandfinance.com/press-releases/nike-does-it-again-claiming-title-of-worlds-most-valuable-apparel-brand-for-7th-consecutive-year)

The World’s Most Valuable Brands (2020)

Louis Vuitton is ranked the best performing fashion brand on position 9 of all brands (not only fashion) worldwide with a brand value of $47.2 billion dollars. Nike comes second, number 13 worldwide, with a brand value of $39.1 billion. Other fashion brands/companies in the Top 50 of valuable brands are Gucci on position 31 with a brand value of $22.6 billion, Hermès at number 32 with a brand value of $21.6 billion, and Zara on position 41 with a brand value of $14.7 billion. On position 51 you find Adidas with a brand value of $12.9 billion, followed by Chanel on 52 with a brand value of $12.8 billion. H&M is on position 76 with a brand value of $10.4 billion and Uniqlo on 84 with a brand value of $9.2 billion.

Source: Forbes’ 2020 list of the World’s Most Valuable Brands—which looks at the top 100 companies from fiscal year 2019

Fashion’s hottest brands (Q1 2022): Gucci & Balenciaga

Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga has retained its spot as the hottest brand on the planet in the first quarter of 2022 according to the latest Lyst Index. Another stable name was that of Italian luxury brand Gucci, which was again in second place in the first quarter of the year. French label Louis Vuitton moved up one spot to third place. In this same quarter the brand presented its final show by late menswear fashion director Virgil Abloh. The 17 hottest brands in the top 20 were Prada, Valentino, Dior, Moncler, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Miu Miu, Off White, Burberry, Loewe, Versace, Diesel, Rick Owens, Adidas, Saint Laurent, Nike, and Alexander McQueen.

Source: [Lyst Index](https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/lyst-index-balenciaga-retains-title-of-fashion-s-hottest-brand/2022042947338)

Labor Force

The clothing, textile and footwear industries together are incredibly labour-intensive.

Different sources name various numbers when estimating the amount of people that work in the garment industry. According to the International Labour Organisation, there are more than 60 million workers around the globe in the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industries. This implies that this number is limited to people that work in textile and apparel production.The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that globally, the clothing industry employs more than 300 million people along the value chain, which can be understood to also include people that work in design, distribution and retail divisions of the fashion industry.

Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation & International Labour Organisation, 2019

In Europe, there are 1.3 million people employed in the textile and clothing industry at 143,000 companies. 537,482 people work in textiles and 760,637 in clothing.

*2021 estimates. Source: Report Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry by Euratex, June 2022.

Global apparel production & consumption

Production

The global fashion industry produces more than 100 to 150 billion items of clothing per year.

Sources: more than 100 billion according to McKinsey & the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The World Economic Forum & ShareCloth state that 150 billion garments are produced in a year.

The number of garments produced annually has doubled since 2000 and exceeded 100 billion for the first time in 2014.

Source: McKinsey, article 'Style that's sutainable: A new fast-fashion formula, October 2016.

Global apparel consumption: How many new clothes are bought each year?

Clothing consumption has grown explosively over the past 20 years. Fashion consumers buy over 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year. This is over 400% more than what we consumed just two decades ago.

Source: website True Cost, a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet that was released in 2015.

In 2016 approximately 107 billion units of apparel and 14.5 billion pairs of shoes were purchased worldwide. That amounts to every single individual on the planet buying roughly 13 garments and 2 pairs of shoes every year.

In an article from Common Objective CO Data 'Volume and Consumption: How Much Does The World Buy?', May 2018. Based on data from Euromonitor International

If that seems like a lot, then keep in mind that this number also includes millions of people in extreme poverty who struggle to make ends meet, let alone buy any new clothes. Then you start to realise that in reality a far smaller amount of people are actually buying much, much more.

In 2021, people consumed 16.7 units of apparel & footwear on average worldwide, spending $220,7 dollars on average.

Worldwide consumption Apparel & Footwear

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Which countries consume the most?

Number of apparel units purchased per country in 2017: China (40 billion units), the US (17 billion), India (6 billion), Japan (3.3 billion), Brazil (2.3 billion), Germany (2.2 billion), UK (2.1 billion), Russia (2 billion), France (1.5 billion) and Italy (1.3 billion). The rest of the world consumed 26 billion units in 2017.

Source: Common Objective CO Data in the article 'Volume and Consumption: How Much Does The World Buy?', May 2018. Based on data: 'Number of apparel units purchased per country, 2017 from Market Research Provider, Euromonitor International.

(You find the 5 markets with the highest market size in 2021 in USD million in the second paragraph ‘The Global Apparel Market’)

Apparel consumer purchasing habits across the globe

Which country spends the most on clothes? How many new items are purchased per person? What is the average value per item?

In an article from Common Objective CO Data 'Volume and Consumption: How Much Does The World Buy?', May 2018. Based on data 'Number of apparel units purchased per country, 2017 from Market Research Provider, Euromonitor International

Estimated Consumer Spending in the world

Worldwide consumer spending on clothing and footwear amounts to an estimated $2,032,403.47 million dollars 2021. By 2025, that could amount to an estimated $2,571,939.42 million dollars.

Source: Statista, July 2021.

Average Expenditure on Clothing and Footwear

US households spent 3.5% of their annual expenditures on apparel, footwear and related products in 2010 which amounts to $1700 dollar on average.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, published in 2012.

In 2020 Europeans spent 4.1% of their total household expenditure on clothing and footwear. Europeans spend on average €490 per year on their clothes.

Source Eurostat & Report Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry van Euratex, June 2022. Data: EU household consumption of clothing in 2020. EUR at current prices, per capita, Eurostat

The average wardrobe contains approximately 148 items

Source: CapsuleWardrobeData.com, based on an Instagram research in July- September 2020 with 86 respondents from around the world.

Yet, despite owning large quantities of fashion items, people do not wear at least 50 percent of their wardrobes.

Source: A study with 18,000 heads of households in 20 countries, conducted by relocation and removals company Movinga, 2018

How much are people willing to pay for fashion?

What US women want to pay for their clothingPrices in US dollars ($)

Source: Retail market intelligence platform Edited, 2017.

E-commerce

General

Online shopping has been growing for years. People buy more and more via the internet.

Revenue

In 2020 e-commerce sales globally jumped to $4.2 trillion and the global trend continued in 2021, causing online sales to culminate in an estimated 2.14 billion online shoppers worldwide, and $4.9 trillion in revenue.

Global ecommerce sales are expected to reach a total $5.5 trillion worldwide in 2022. It’s forecasted that the global online retail sales will exceed $7 trillion dollars by 2025.

Source: Shopify, April 2022 & Manaferra.com Ecommerce Data 2022.

Online sales: 19.6% piece of the retail pie

In 2021, e-commerce accounted for nearly 20 percent of retail sales worldwide. Forecasted is that in 2022 that share will be 21%, and in 2025 the online segment will make up close to 25% of total global retail sales.

Sources: Manaferra.com Ecommerce Data 2022 & Statista 2022 May 2022.

Global Ecommerce Sales: Largest Contributors

Countries with the highest e-commerce revenue are China, US, Japan, the UK and Germany.

Source: Manferra Ecommerce Data 2022 & Shopify, April 2022.

E-commerce in Fashion

Fashion E-commerce Segment with the most users: Apparel

‘Clothing’ was top online segment for global consumers in 2021 for online, both locally and cross-border. The online apparel market grew fas ter year on year in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the years before.

Source: Global Clothing B2C E-Commerce Market report 2021, by Research and Markets, December 2021.

Revenue Global Fashion E-commerce Market: $668 billion in 2021

The Global Fashion E-Commerce Market is valued at $668.1 billion dollars in 2021.

Sources; Source: Fashion E-commerce Global Market Report 2022, Research and Markets, May 2022 &.,Statista, May 2022.

The accessories segment of the global e-commerce fashion market generated a revenue around $261.5 billion dollars in 2021. The footwear market had a revenue of around $122 billion dollars in 2021.

Source: Statista, April 2022.

The e-commerce fashion industry is expected to grow to $744.4 billion dollars in 2022.

Source: Fashion E-commerce Global Market Report 2022, Research and Markets, May 2022.

Statista estimates that the online clothing and apparel industry will reach a value of 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars by 2025, Research and Markets expects the e-commerce fashion industry will grow to $1.1 trillion dollars in 2026.

Sources; Source: Fashion E-commerce Global Market Report 2022, Research and Markets, May 2022 &.,Statista, May 2022.

The top visited websites for purchasing apparel online

In 2021, the top-visited websites for purchasing apparel online were reportedly Amazon and Shein. Asos also topped the popularity chart in the UK, while Target closely followed Amazon in the US. In Germany, online-only retailers Zalando and Zooplus were among the most used.

Source: Global Clothing B2C E-Commerce Market report 2021, by Research and Markets, December 2021

Of overall fashion retail sales worldwide, nearly 21 percent are online purchases.

Source: Statista, April 2022.

Most shopping is done in-store

There are no global figures, but in the US 75 percent of all fashion purchases were pre-Covid-19 made in physical stores.

Source: 2018 study consulting firm Oliver Wymann, based on interviews with 1500 across the US.

In 2014, the global online fashion retail sales were $253 billion dollars, 14% of total fashion sales.

Source: Forrester, “Forrester Analytics: Online Fashion Retail Forecast, 2017 To 2022 (Global)”, November 2018.

Last update: July 2022.

Below you find Country facts and figures from 2018.

Country facts and figures

How many pieces of clothing are sold world wide? How many people work in the international fashion industry? What is the total sales of clothing in the world? This is the FashionUnited page with Facts and Figures about the global and US fashion industry. For facts and figures of the fashion industry in other countries and regions, see below.

The International fashion market is a leading industry well known for key players, such as Inditex, LVMH, H&M, Nike, VF Corporation, Richemont, Adidas, Fast Retailing, Abercrombie & Fitch, Prada, Gap, Dior, Urban Outfitters, Burberry.

For the real-time market value and other stock information on these companies, refer to the FashionUnited Top 100.

France

Population: 66.2 million
Labor force: 30.05 million
Unemployment rate: 9.9%
GDP per capita (PPP): $ 42,726

Domestic market value of fashion: $ 43.3 billion
Employment in fashion: 340,000

Fashion Statistics: France

Germany

Population: 80.9 million
Labor force: 42.0 million
Unemployment rate: 5.3%
GDP per capita (PPP): $ 47,627

Domestic market value of fashion: $ 83,6 billion
Employment in fashion: 340,000

Fashion Statistics: Germany

The Netherlands

Population: 16.9 million
Labor force: 9.0 million
Unemployment rate: 6.9%
GDP per capita (PPP): $ 52,139

Domestic market value of fashion: $ 16.5 billion
Employment in fashion: 87,910

Fashion Statistics: The Netherlands

Spain

Population: 46.8 million
Labor force: 23.3 million
Unemployment rate: 22.7%
GDP per capita (PPP): $ 29,863

Domestic market value of fashion: $ 31.1 billion

Fashion Statistics: Spain

United Kingdom

Population: 64.5 million
Labor force: 33 million
Unemployment rate: 6.3%
GDP per capita (PPP): $ 46,297

Domestic market value of fashion: $ 94.1 billion
Employment in fashion: 555,000

Fashion Statistics: United Kingdom

See also:

• Apparel industry statistics - Colombia
• Fashion industry facts - France
• Modebranche facts and figures - Germany
• Textile and apparel sector statistics - Netherlands
• Clothing industry facts and figures in the United Kingdom
• Apparel and textiles industry facts - India
• Fashion statistics - Spain
• Fashion retail industry statistics - Belgium
• Apparel industry facts - Canada
• Fashion industry facts and figures - Russia
• Textile industry facts and figures - Switzerland
• Garment retail facts and figures - Australia
• Fashion industry facts and figures - New Zealand
• Retail and textile industry facts and figures - Mexico
• Apparel facts and figures - Peru
• Clothing industry facts and figures - Argentina
• Fashion industry facts and figures - Chile
• Apparel industry facts and figures - China
• Clothing industry facts and figures - Italy
• Clothing industry facts and figures - Japan
• Bangladesh Garment Industry statistics - Bangladesh
• Chinese textile and garment statistics, export champion of the world - China
• Vietnam’s garment industry is having its best time - Vietnam
• Statistics fashion industry Indonesia - Indonesia

The fashion industry statistics pages are a product of FashionUnited Business Intelligence. For other data, such as the FashionUnited Top 100, the FashionUnited Facebook Index and the List of Richestest People in Fashion, refer to the FashionUnited Top 100.

Sources

• Import and export data: OEC
• Largest companies Info: FashionUnited top 100
• Population and Labour Data: World Bank | www.wto.org
• Eurostat
• CIA
• ILO
• WTO
• IBISWorld
• OECD
• Comtrade (UN)
• NYCEDC
• US Census Bureau
• JEC Democratic
• Bureau of Labor

General data

The European Union

The European Union consists of 27 countries (Member States): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. (On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the EU).

GDP European Union 2020

The largest economies in the European Union are Germany Germany (25.1% contribution to the European Union’s gross domestic product in 2020), France (17.3%), Italy (12.4%), Spain (8.4%) and the Netherlands (6%).Together, these economies have a total of almost 70%.

States CBS in July 2021, based on Eurostat data

European Purchasing Power

In 2019, Europeans had an average of €14,739 per person available for spending and saving. Purchasing power per capita increased by about 3.5% in 2019 (year on year). Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Luxembourg have the highest average purchasing power, Moldova, Kosovo and Ukraine the lowest. 16 of the 42 countries surveyed in the study have above average purchasing power per capita, while 26 countries are below the European average.

• The Netherlands has an average purchasing power of 20,416 euros per capita, almost 39% more than the European average.
• Germany has an average purchasing power of 23,779 euros per capita, 61% more than the European average.
• France has an average purchasing power of 20,306 euros, about 38% more than the European average.
• Italy has an average purchasing power per capita of 17,779 euros, about 21% more than the European average.
• Spain has an average purchasing power of 14,636 euros per person. This makes it only 103 euros or almost 0.7% below the European average.
• In the Czech Republic, the average purchasing power is 9,959 euros (-32% below the European average)
• In Poland, the average purchasing power is 7,589 euros (just over half of the average European purchasing power)
• In Hungary the purchasing power is 7,416 euros (half of the European purchasing power)
• In Romania the purchasing power is on average 5,881 euros (that is 60% less than the European average).

Source: 'GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2019' study evaluating 42 countries, October 2019.

Textile consumption in the EU: EU is an important market for fashion

European households consume large amounts of textile products: total consumption in Europe in 2020 was 6.6 million tons of textile products.

In 2020, Europeans bought an average of 15 kilos of textiles. Of the 15 kilos that are bought on average each year, 6.1 kilos comes from clothing and 2.7 kilos from shoes (the other 6.1 kilos is household textiles).

Source: EU Environment Agency, briefing 'Textiles and the environment: the role of design in Europe's circular economy', February 2022

Every year, 5.8 million tons of textiles are thrown away, about 11.3 kg per person.

Source: European Commission Factsheet Textiles, March 2022

According to the EU Environment Agency, textiles are in fourth place when it comes to the negative impact on the environment and climate change, if only considering European consumption. Food, housing and transport are number one through three.

In 2020, textile consumption in Europe had the third largest impact on water and land use, and the fifth in terms of resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: EU Environment Agency, briefing 'Textiles and the environment: the role of design in Europe's circular economy', February 2022

Consumer spending on clothing in the EU: how much do Europeans spend on clothing?

Households in the European Union spent approximately 220 billion euros on clothing in 2020 articles, a decrease of -18% compared to expenditure the year before.

The average European expenditure on clothing in 2020 was 490 euros. Most money was spent in Luxembourg (1130 euros), Austria (810 euros), the Netherlands (770 euros), Denmark (750 euros), Italy (710 euros), Germany (640 euros), Belgium (630 euros), Ireland ( 620 euros), Cyprus (620 euros), Finland (610 euros), Sweden (570 euros), and Portugal (500 euros).

From the Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry report by Euratex, June 2022. Source: Eurostat

In 2020, Europeans spent an average of 4.1% of total household expenditure on clothing and footwear.

Source: Eurostat

In 2019, Europeans still spent an average of 4.6% of their spending on clothing and footwear.

Source: Eurostat, November 2020

On average, Europeans spent around 600 euros on clothing in 2019 (as Europeans also did in 2018), 150 euros on footwear and 70 euros on household textiles.

Source: EU Environment Agency, briefing 'Textiles and the environment: the role of design in Europe's circular economy', February 2022

Which European country buys the most clothing?

Household consumption expenditure on clothing in the European Union 2018 was highest in these countries:

1. The United Kingdom 65.4 billion euros
2. Germany 62.7 billion euros
3. Italy 52.4 billion euros
4. France 35.7 billion euros
5. Spain 24.1 billion euros
6. The Netherlands 14.6 billion euros.

Source: Household consumption expenditure on clothing in the European Union in 2018, by country, Statista 2022

Germany is the fourth largest clothing and shoe market in the world

Germany is the fourth largest apparel and footwear market worldwide, following China, the United States and the United Kingdom. The 2021 market size is $69.9 billion dollars.

Source: [Euromonitor International, a market research provider](https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international)

Employment opportunities

There are 1.3 million people employed in the textile and clothing industry in Europe at 143,000 companies. 537,482 people work in textiles and 760,637 in clothing.

*2021 estimates. Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry report from Euratex, June 2022.

Euratex states that the sector is a fundamental pillar of the local economy in many EU regions.

Source: Euratex Spring Report 2022 press release, May 2022

The number of people employed and the number of companies in the sector decreased slightly: -3.2% and -3.3% respectively (percentage change from 2019/2018).

Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022.

In 2019, the number of people employed in the textile and clothing industry in Europe was estimated at 1.5 million in 160,000 companies.

Source: Euratex Key Facts & Figures 2020 report.

The majority (+70%) of fashion workers in the EU are women.

Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022.

Fashion companies

Textile and clothing industryThere are 143,000 companies in the textile and clothing industry in Europe. Of these, 48,343 (33%) companies operate in the textile industry in the broadest sense of the word, and 94,591 (67%) are active in the clothing sector.

*2021 estimates. Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022.

The sector mainly consists of small companies: 99.8% are micro and SME companies. 88.8% of textile & clothing companies are micro companies with up to 9 employees. Small and medium-sized enterprises, with 10-249 employees, account for 11%, and Large enterprises with more than 250 employees account for about 0.2%.

Source: Facts & Key Figures of the European Textile and Clothing Industry report from Euratex, 2020. Euratex calculations, based on Eurostat data.

The largest producers in the fashion industry are located in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. These countries together account for three quarters of the production in the EU.

States the European Commission on its website, based on CIRCABC database data

The luxury (fashion) sectorThe luxury fashion sector makes an important contribution to the economy of the EU, according to the European Commission on its website. “European savoir-faire and craftsmanship have built a worldwide reputation.” According to the executive body of the European Union, about 5 million people work in the value chain, and more than 1 million in the high-end fashion industry.

Most fashion production within the EU takes place in Italy, southern European countries such as Spain, Greece, Portugal, and newer EU countries such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary. The countries with the most companies in distribution and retail are Italy, France, Poland and Germany.

States the European Commission on its website, based on CIRCABC database data

The shoe industry in the European UnionIn 2018, 19,856 companies were active in the European footwear sector (EU28) and together they employed 260,309 people. In 2012, the total turnover in the shoe industry amounted to 25.24 billion euros.

Source: The European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC)

EU shoe production is concentrated in three countries: Italy, Spain and Portugal. Italy alone accounts for about 50% of production.

Writes the European Commission on its website, based on CIRCABC database data

EU: Home to Leading Retailers Worldwide & Europe’s Most Valuable Brands Worldwide

The largest fashion companies in the world by market value are: Inditex, Nike and LVMH.

Source: FashionUnited Top200

These are the Top 10 Most Valuable Fashion Brands Worldwide, based on 2020 Brand Value in US dollars:

Nike ($36.8 billion), Louis Vuitton ($32.3 billion), Hermes ($18.3 billion), Gucci ($18.2 billion), Zalando ($17.9 billion), Adidas ($16.2 billion), Tiffany & Co ($15.2 billion), Zara ($13.5 billion), H&M ($11.5 billion) and Cartier ($10.7 billion).

Source: [FashionUnited](https://fashionunited.com/i/most-valuable-fashion-brands?_gl=1*6xgql7*_ga*ODU4MjM3ODgzLjE2MDE5OTAwODg.*_ga_P1T026N8GT*MTY1NjUwNjM2Ny42NDku*ms4xNjU2NTA2Nzc0LjA.*_fplc*U3lUeUE2ZHoyNnhocUpSaTN2Q3p3OWFHN0tSYzhSZVJqSHd0djZURGIxdEpiU3M2Tk50bkhzSHV6cW5PM0ElMkZMMEkwRlVFJTJCciUyRnlXZXJDNjQzd0o1QTZiamNvQ2oyWldDeGI5RzRhenV4d3JjeFdGWW9vdXk5ZFBRRUtUbDRnJTNEJTNE*_gid*NjQxMTI3MzY2LjE2NTY0ODQ2MjE)

Looking at these top 10 fashion brands, Europe is home to the world’s largest retailers, such as the Inditex Group, parent company of Zara, Zara Home, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius and Oysho in Spain and the H&M Group, owner of H&M, COS, Monki, Weekday, & Other Stories, H&M Home, Arket and Afound, in Sweden. In addition, head offices of renowned brands and companiessuch as Louis Vuitton (in Paris), Hermes (Paris), Gucci (Florence), Zalando (Berlin) and Adidas (Herzogenaurach, Germany) are also located in Europe.

Louis Vuitton in Top 10 of Europe’s Most Valuable BrandsLouis Vuitton is the only fashion company to be among the top ten most valuable and strongest European brands. Kering brand Gucci is at number 17 in the ranking and Chanel is in 24th place, in the Brand Finance Europe 500 2022 ranking, published in 2022.

The retail and apparel sectors account for 11% and 9.1% respectively of the top 500, with a total of 92 companies in the ranking. Hermes ranks 30th, fast fashion giants Zara and H&M 32nd and 35th respectively. L’Oréal is the only cosmetics and personal care company in the top 50 at 42nd place.

Source: [Brand Finance Europe 500 2022, ranking, published 2022](https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/louis-vuitton-in-top-10-of-europe-s-most-valuable%20-brands/2022062263742).

Europe is also the ‘world capital’ of textile research, innovation and higher education.

From Facts & Key Figures of the European Textile and Clothing Industry report by Euratex, 2020. Source: Eurostat.

Trade in Clothing: Europe is an important importer and (re-)exporter

In 2020, the EU imported 69 billion euros worth of clothing from non-EU member states. EU exports of clothing to countries outside the EU amounted to EUR 30 billion in 2020.

Source: Eurostat 'Where do our clothes come from?', publication 24 April 2021.

The EU textile and clothing market in a global context

The EU plays an important role in the fashion industry worldwide, both as an importer and consumer, but also as a producer and exporter of finished and semi-finished products.

Source: report 'Circular economy perspectives in the EU textile sector' Köhler, A, June 2021.

In 2020, the European Union was the second largest exporter of textiles and clothing worldwide (the leading position going to China). The EU is the largest importer of textiles and clothing worldwide.

Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) World Trade Statistical Review 2021 report

Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) World Trade Statistical Review 2021 report

Turnover development in textile and clothing sector: the pandemic has (negatively) affected the trade in clothing

Sales in the sector fell between 2019 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis. The textile sector recorded a 9.3% decrease in the textile sector for the whole of 2020 and a 17.7% decrease in the clothing sector, compared to 2019.

Source: Euratex, publication April 2021, based on economic data up to December 2020

In addition, in 2019 the turnover of the textile and clothing sector in the EU-27 was estimated at €162 billion (of which €88.8 billion in textiles and €72.8 million in clothing).

From Facts & Key Figures of the European Textile and Clothing Industry report by Euratex, 2020. Source: Eurostat.

The turnover in 2021 in the textile and clothing industry is estimated at 147 billion euros, an 11% bump, compared to 2019/2018. Of the 2021 turnover, 81.6 billion euros was generated in the textile industry and 65.3 billion euros in the clothing sector.

*2021 estimates. Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022.

EU Trade Highlights 2021: European textile exports have increased again in 2021

Sources: Euratex 2022 Spring Report press release and Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022.

After a dip due to the pandemic in 2020, the export of European textiles and clothing has increased again in 2021. Exports rose by 10.6% in 2021 compared to 2020. Imports of textiles and clothing, however, lagged by 7.5% due to a decrease in suppliers from the United Kingdom and China.

The change in imports and exports improved the trade deficit (difference between imports and exports). The trade deficit in 2021 amounted to 48 billion euros. A total of 58 billion euros worth of textiles and clothing was exported and 106 billion euros imported in 2021.

The increase in exports was mainly due to strong performances in the Swiss, Chinese and US markets. The growth in these markets were partly offset by the decline in exports to the United Kingdom due to new Brexit rules, customs delays and a shortage of truck drivers. Exports to the UK fell by 23% in 2021.

The decline in imports of textiles and clothing can partly be explained by the decline in imports from China and the United Kingdom. European countries imported 28% less from China in 2021 (about -€13 billion) and 48% less from the United Kingdom (about -€3 billion).

Source: Euratex 2022 Spring Report, trade figures European textile and apparel industry in 2021

EU: Where do our clothes come from?

Clothing imports to the EU in 2020: 69 billion euros

In 2020, EU member states will have imported 69 billion euros worth of clothing from outside the EU. Most clothing comes from China: 21 billion euros, about 30% of the total. China is followed by Bangladesh (12 billion euros, accounting for about 18%), Turkey (8 billion euros, about 12%), the United Kingdom (4 billion euros, 6%) India and Vietnam (3 billion euros , 4%) and finally, Cambodia (2 billion euros).

Germany is the largest importer of clothing in the EUGermany imported the most clothing into the EU in 2020, about 17 billion euros and/or 25% of the total import. Germany is followed by Spain (10 billion euros, 15%) and France (almost 10 billion euros, 14%)

Italy is the largest exporter of clothing in the EUItaly exported €10 billion worth of clothing to non-EU member states in 2020, 33% of total extra-EU clothing exports by value. After Italy comes Germany (with 5 billion euros, 17%), Spain (with 4 billion euros, 14%) and France (almost 4 billion euros, 13%).

Sources: Eurostat news 'Where do our clothes come from?', April 2021 & Statista Chart Where The EU Imports Its Clothes From 2021, April 2021

E-commerce

Online shopping is popular in the EU. Total European e-commerce has grown to 718 billion euros in 2021, a 13% increase compared to 2020, when it was still 633 billion euros.

Source: Europe E-Commerce Report 2022

The EU-27 is the driving force behind European B2C e-commerce, according to Ecommerce Europe. “E-commerce turnover [in the EU] has increased by 16% in 2021. More than 90% of the population is an internet user, and the share of internet users who buy online is expected to reach 76% by 2022.”

Source: Europe E-Commerce Report 2022

“E-commerce accounts for about 10 to 15% of total retail sales in the EU,” said Christian Verschueren, director-general of EuroCommerce, the European voice of retail and wholesale, in a 2021 report from E-commerce Europe, which represents the interests of e-commerce companies. “Yet it affects a much larger part of the consumer journey (up to 50% or more), which today includes a mix of physical and online.”

Source: European E-commerce Report 2021

According to Verschueren, ‘70% of retailers, especially micro-enterprises, had no e-commerce offerings before the pandemic.’

Source: European E-commerce Report 2021

There are more than 800,000 online stores in Europe, according to research by Ecommerce News Europe in collaboration with Dataprovider. Nothing is specified for fashion.

Source: Ecommerce News Europe survey with Dataprovider, 2017.

Zoom in on fashion: we prefer to buy clothes online

The percentage of textile and clothing sales generated by e-sales has more than doubled since 2009: in 2020 it was 11%, in 2009 it was only 5%.

The most popular category for online purchases is clothing (including sportswear), shoes and/or accessories. That has been the case for years, by the way. 68% of all online shoppers bought clothes, shoes and accessories online in 2020.

Source: Facts & Key figures 2022 of the European Textile and Clothing Industry from Euratex report, June 2022. Data: Eurostat

Number of clothing and footwear (retail) stores in the European Union in 2019: 275,000 in clothing in the EU and 58,000 in footwear and leather goods.

Source: Statista, April 2022

Attitude towards sustainability

In Europe, only 12% of consumers consider sustainability particularly important in the fashion sector

When asked which sectors sustainability ranks most important to consumers, the fashion industry is not very high on the list anywhere in Europe coming only in eighth place with 12%. Consumers consider sustainability more important in the food industry, energy sector, transport, healthcare, travel industry and technology, among others.

Main criteria for buying clothes

Price (68%) is the most important criterion for European consumers when choosing and buying clothes, followed by quality (61%) and fit (56%). After that, the most important criterion is product life (30%), fabric (24%), production location (16%) and brand (16%). The environmental impact of a product is only important for 15% of European consumers, the [current] fashion trends only for 11%.

Where do you buy clothes?

46% of Europeans buy from fast fashion retailers, 17% from thrift stores, 17% from ethical brands, 12% from resale apps and 6% from luxury brands.

How important is sustainable clothing? What do you pay attention to when purchasing and what are the obstacles?

In Europe, 42% of consumers consider it important to buy ethical and sustainable clothing. Only 10% consider buying ethical and sustainable clothing very important.

The most important eco-friendly elements when buying clothes are sustainable fabrics and materials (39%), less or no chemicals (36%) and cruelty free (i.e. products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world) (36%).

The main barriers to buying ethical and eco-friendly clothing are: price (34%), followed by ‘it is not clear which eco-friendly aspects are met’ (30%) and ‘it is difficult to distinguish eco-friendly brands (28%) .

27% of European consumers have already reduced their clothing purchases for ethical reasons.

Europeans give the clothes they no longer wear to charity (69%), or to those around them (34%) or sell them online (21%). 15% leave the items in the closet and 13% say they throw them away in the trash.

Source: YouGov's European Fashion Report 2021, among 11,500 people in ten European markets. (Fieldwork: France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, from September 10 to September 29, 2021).

Laatste update: July 2022.

General data

New York: Fashion capital

Employment

In the United States an estimated 1.8 million people are in employed in the fashion industry, among whom 232,000 in manufacturing textiles for apparel and other fashion items. (JEC Democratic, Bureau of Labor)

Average annual wages in fashion range from 26,440 dollars, for textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators, to 84,600 dollars for marketing and sales managers in fashion.

About 79 percent of all US employees in fashion work for apparel retailers. The average annual wage at such companies is 26,650 dollars. However in certain occupations the average wages are a lot higher. Marketing and sales managers at apparel retailers have the highest average annual wage of 84,600 dollars. Accountants and auditors receive an average annual pay of 69,960 dollar and buyers and purchasing agents get paid 56,550 dollars, on average.

A smaller amount, 145,000 employees accounting for 8 percent of all employees in fashion work in apparel wholesale and merchandising. The average annual wage in this sub industry is 52,350 dollars. However, some jobs pay less than the average wage. Graphic designers, for instance, receive wages around 48,320 dollars, whereas merchandise displayers and window trimmer receives 35,680. Jobs in production, planning and expediting, with average wages of 47,680, and in installation, maintenance and repair, with average annual wages of 43,430, also pay less than average within apparel wholesale merchandising.

Another 8 percent, 143,000 people are employed in the apparel manufacturing industry where the average annual wage is 34,110 dollars. However, there is a large range within this sub industry of fashion. Whereas computer occupations, such as information analysts, are paid the highest annual wage of 73,220 on average, textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators only receive 26,440 per annum. The wages for tailors, dressmakers and sewers are also in the low range with 27,510 dollars, on average. Maintenance and industrial machinery is paid around the average of this sub industry with annual wages of 36,610 dollars. Other jobs in the high compensation range are in fabric and apparel pattern making and market research and marketing. Respectively these occupations pay an average annual wage of 52,150 and 64,830 dollars.

Apart from the jobs listed before, the United States has room for around 18,000 fashion designers. Their average annual wage is 73,690 dollars, meaning that they receive over 30 dollars per hour.

Apparel manufacturing

• 14.5 million in 1990
• 13.1 million in 1995
• 13.0 million in 2000
• 24.8 million in 2014

Textiles

• 19.7 million in 1990
• 16.8 million in 1995
• 13.5 million in 200
• 33.0 million in 2014

Textiles and Clothing

• 34.2 million in 1990
• 29.9 million in 1995
• 26.5 million in 2000
• 57.8 million in 2014

Fashion companies

Some of the world’s largest fashion companies are based in the United States. Moreover, the currently largest fashion company globally, Nike, is American. Nike is an athleisure- and lifestyle brand with annual revenues of 30.6 billion and a market value of nearly a 105 billion dollars. Nike offers its products worldwide and its largest markets are the United States, accounting for 46 percent of the total revenues, and Western Europe (19 percent). Most of Nike’s income, nearly 94 percent, comes from the Nike brand. The remaining 6 percent comes from Converse, which is a subsidiary of Nike. The brand’s best selling division is footwear, accounting for 64 percent of Nike’s income.

With a market value of 54.5 billion dollars and 2015 annual sales of 30.9 billion dollars, TJX Companies is the second largest fashion company in the United States. TJX operates the majority of its stores in the United States and is best known for its fast-fashion brand T.J. Maxx. Its US sales account for 86 percent, with 26.7 billion dollars. The company is also active on the Canadian and European market with its brands T.K. Maxx, HomeSense, Winners and Marshalls.

The third largest fashion company in the United States is VF Corporation. VF owns several brands including Lee, The North Face, Timberland and Napapijri. In 2015 VF’s annual revenue rose to 12.4 billion dollars with most of its revenues coming from the Outdoors and Action Sports division. The brands The North Face, Vans and Timberland had combined sales of 7.4 billion dollars, accounting for nearly 60 percent of VF’s total income. Currently, VF corporation has a market value of 27.6 billion dollars.

Close to VF Corporation, with a market value of 25.3 billion dollars is L Brands. L Brands is the parent company of Victoria’s Secret and has most of its sales of 12.15 billion dollars, a near 93 percent, domestically. In fifth place of United States’’ largest fashion companies is sports brands Under Armour. The 20-year-old brand managed annual revenues of 4.0 billion dollars in 2015, with 3.45 billion dollar in North America alone. Under Armour is currently valued at 17.8 billion dollars on the New York Stock Exchange.

Consumer expenditure

In million US dollars

In percent

Imports & Exports(2016)

Exports of textiles and clothing: 22.9 billion dollars

The United States are not one of the largest exporters of fashion-related products in the world, however it still supplies a fair share of several textiles for fashion purpose to overseas markets. The largest export products among textile and clothing of the United States are:

Exports of footwear and headwear: 1.14 billion dollar

Imports of clothing: 105 billion dollars

The United States are the largest importer of fashion-related products in the world. It mostly imports manufactured apparel.

Imports of footwear and headwear: 28.8 billion dollars

Sources

• Import and export data: OEC
• Largest companies Info: FashionUnited top 100
• Population and Labour Data: World Bank | www.wto.org