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The fast in “fast fashion” refers to the speed with which clothing products are manufactured and put on the market for consumers. Today, the two heavyweights of the European fast fashion industry are H&M and the Spanish retail group Inditex, which owns a family of brands including Zara, Berksha, and Massimo Dutti, among others. Inditex's financial performance in 2021 placed the retailer in second position in a ranking of European clothing brands based on worldwide sales, with H&M coming in third. Only luxury powerhouse LVMH beat the two fast fashion companies. In a ranking of European clothing companies based on turnover in Europe in 2021, H&M and Inditex were ahead of the chasing pack, with Inditex again placing ahead of H&M.
Industry overview
Over the past two decades, fashion has undergone a massive transformation and acceleration in the way it is produced and consumed. Increasing trade flows of clothing and apparel, and the growing impact of Chinese and South Asian markets in garment production have lured global brands to source their products from suppliers in these locations. Today, China emerges as the leading global exporter of clothing, with roughly one third of the world’s clothing exports supplied by the country. Within the European Union, the number of companies in the business of textile and clothing manufacturing has ebbed and flowed between 2009 and 2021. In 2021, the total number of textile and clothing manufacturers was recorded as 143,000.
Impacts of fast fashion
It is fair to say that what makes the fashion industry “fast”, meaning increased volumes of supplies produced at greater speed, is also what troubles the industry nowadays. One of the most pressing topics with fast fashion companies is the ethical issues that revolve around the sourcing of clothing products. The factories where brands such as Inditex, , Primark, ASOS, and New Look source their products are located predominantly in the developing world, where labour costs are low and working conditions may not be of the highest standard. In this regard, the collapse of the garment factory at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013 was a turning point, after which labor and production policies and practices of brands were put under the spotlight. Since then, efforts have been made to ensure fashion companies are more transparent and accountable, and brands in return have collaborated to contribute to a fair fashion industry. According to the Transparency Index 2022 report, Europe-based fast fashion companies such as H&M, ASOS, Marks & Spencer, and C&A achieved scores ranging between 55 and 78 percent, which indicated they succeeded in disclosing supplier lists in their annual filings.
Sustainability
Another problem associated with fast fashion is the environmental impact of both the quality and quantity of clothing produced. The nature of fast fashion means that huge quantities of clothing are produced, often using environmentally-damaging materials and processes. Fashion companies have been working on reducing their carbon footprint in recent years. Furthermore, most of this clothing eventually ends up in landfills, with roughly 790 thousand tons of textile waste produced by households in the EU in 2020.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
P. Smith Research expert covering apparel industry and general merchandise
Key insights
- Forecast value of the fast fashion market in 2025
- 150.8bn USD
Detailed statistics
Forecast of the fast fashion apparel market size worldwide from 2021 to 2027
- European fashion retailer with the highest turnover in Europe
- Inditex
Detailed statistics
Leading fashion & clothing retailers ranked by turnover in Europe 2021
- Worldwide retail sales of H&M in 2021
- 23.34bn USD
Detailed statistics
Leading European apparel and accessories retailers 2021, based on global sales
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Overview
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- Premium Statistic Fashion consumer spending per capita in Europe 2021, by country
- Premium Statistic Per capita spending on clothing and footwear in Europe 2012-2029
- Premium Statistic Forecast of the fast fashion apparel market size worldwide from 2021 to 2027
- Premium Statistic Leading European apparel and accessories retailers 2021, based on global sales
Overview
Revenue of the apparel market in Central & Western Europe by country 2023
Revenue of the apparel market in Central & Western Europe by country in 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Fashion consumer spending per capita in Europe 2021, by country
Fashion consumer spending per capita in Europe 2021, by country
Ranking of the per capita consumer spending on clothing & footwear in Europe by country 2021 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Per capita spending on clothing and footwear in Europe 2012-2029
Per capita spending on clothing and footwear in Europe 2012-2029
Per capita spending on clothing and footwear in Europe from 2012 to 2029 (in thousand U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Forecast of the fast fashion apparel market size worldwide from 2021 to 2027
Forecast of the fast fashion apparel market size worldwide from 2021 to 2027
Fast fashion market value forecast worldwide from 2021 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Leading European apparel and accessories retailers 2021, based on global sales
Leading European apparel and accessories retailers 2021, based on global sales
Leading European apparel and accessories retailers ranked by worldwide retail sales in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)
Manufacturing and trade
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- Premium Statistic Textile and clothing industry turnover in the European Union 2010-2021, by segment
- Premium Statistic Textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union (EU28) 2009-2021, by segment
- Basic Statistic Number of textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union 2009-2021
- Basic Statistic Share in world exports of the leading clothing exporters 2022, by country
- Premium Statistic European Union: clothing import value 2000-2022
- Premium Statistic European Union: clothing export value 2000-2022
- Premium Statistic Used clothing leading exporters worldwide 2022, by country
Manufacturing and trade
- Premium Statistic Textile and clothing industry turnover in the European Union 2010-2021, by segment
Textile and clothing industry turnover in the European Union 2010-2021, by segment
Annual turnover of textile and clothing manufacturing industry in the European Union from 2010 to 2021, by segment (in billion euros)
- Premium Statistic Textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union (EU28) 2009-2021, by segment
Textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union (EU28) 2009-2021, by segment
Number of textile and clothing manufacturing companies in the European Union (EU28) from 2009 to 2021, by industry segment
- Basic Statistic Number of textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union 2009-2021
Number of textile and clothing manufacturers in the European Union 2009-2021
Number of textile and clothing manufacturing companies in the European Union from 2009 to 2021
- Basic Statistic Share in world exports of the leading clothing exporters 2022, by country
Share in world exports of the leading clothing exporters 2022, by country
Share in world exports of the leading clothing exporters in 2022, by country
- Premium Statistic European Union: clothing import value 2000-2022
European Union: clothing import value 2000-2022
Value of clothing imports into the European Union (EU) from 2000 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic European Union: clothing export value 2000-2022
European Union: clothing export value 2000-2022
Value of clothing exports from the European Union from 2000 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Used clothing leading exporters worldwide 2022, by country
Used clothing leading exporters worldwide 2022, by country
Leading exporters of worn clothing worldwide in 2022, by country (in million U.S. dollars)
Retailer suppliers
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- Premium Statistic Inditex Group: number of supplier factories 2023, by country
- Premium Statistic ASOS: number of manufacturing factories 2021, by country
- Basic Statistic Primark: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
- Basic Statistic New Look: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
Retailer suppliers
- Premium Statistic Inditex Group: number of supplier factories 2023, by country
Inditex Group: number of supplier factories 2023, by country
Number of product supplier factories of the Inditex Group in 2023, by country
- Premium Statistic ASOS: number of manufacturing factories 2021, by country
ASOS: number of manufacturing factories 2021, by country
Number of supplier factories of ASOS as of May 2021, by country
H&M: number of manufacturing factories 2023, by country
Number of suppliers and factories of the H&M Group as of January 2023, by country
Marks & Spencer: number of manufacturing factories 2023, by country
Number of clothing and home supplier factories of Marks & Spencer as of March 2023, by country
- Basic Statistic Primark: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
Primark: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
Number of supplier factories of Primark as of October 2022, by country
- Basic Statistic New Look: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
New Look: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country
Number of supplier factories of New Look as of October 2022, by country
Environmental impact
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- Premium Statistic Carbon footprint of leading European apparel brands 2023
- Basic Statistic Most transparent clothing companies worldwide in 2023
- Basic Statistic Household textile waste in the EU 2016 to 2020
- Basic Statistic Per capita household textile waste in the EU in 2020, by country
Environmental impact
- Premium Statistic Carbon footprint of leading European apparel brands 2023
Carbon footprint of leading European apparel brands 2023
Annual scope one and two market based carbon emissions released by leading European apparel retailers in 2023 (in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents)
- Basic Statistic Most transparent clothing companies worldwide in 2023
Most transparent clothing companies worldwide in 2023
Most transparent fashion companies worldwide in 2023, by transparency index score
- Basic Statistic Household textile waste in the EU 2016 to 2020
Household textile waste in the EU 2016 to 2020
Textile waste generated by households in the European Union from 2016 to 2020, (in thousand tonnes)
- Basic Statistic Per capita household textile waste in the EU in 2020, by country
Per capita household textile waste in the EU in 2020, by country
Textile waste per person generated by households in the European Union in 2020, by country (in kilograms)
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