What is the demand for apparel on the European market?

Europe is a strong apparel market and is home to some of the world’s biggest apparel companies. Europe imported €180.5 billion of apparel in 2024 or 29.3 billion units of clothing (down from 29.5 billion in 2023). Of the 2024 total import value, 50.7% consisted of knitted/woven apparel and 49.3% was non-knitted/woven apparel. Between 2019 and 2024, the market grew by an average of 3.9% per year. 

Suppliers from developing countries made up 43.9% of all clothing imported into the EU in terms of value in 2024, down from 48.2% in 2019. The biggest European importing markets include Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Poland. In its State of Fashion 2025 report, the consultancy firm McKinsey said European year on year growth would be 2–4% for non-luxury and 1–3% for luxury in 2025.

Source: Eurostat, 2025

1. What makes Europe an interesting market for apparel?

Europe has a large and well-performing apparel sector. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the EU is the world’s largest importer of apparel. In 2024, the EU (2024 population: 449.3 million) was responsible for 34.3% of the world’s apparel imports in terms of value. The USA (2024 population: 340.1 million) is the second-largest importer, making up 15%.

The European market is very diverse. European buyers expect suppliers to offer a high level of service and flexibility (design, materials sourcing, minimum order quantity). The EU is also sustainability-driven and keeps on introducing stricter laws and regulations. This poses both a challenge and an opportunity for suppliers. It may be difficult to comply, but if you do, you will have a competitive advantage.

Compared to Europe, the US market is less diverse. It follows more traditional, less direct retail and distribution models (wholesale and private label). As a result, it is very price and volume driven. Many US buyers have offices located in production countries and source and select their own raw materials. Manufacturing is often done on a CMT (cut, make and trim) basis. This leaves little room for suppliers to add value.

Table 1: Key differences in buying models between USA and Europe

The EU is the region with the highest market share of imports from developing countries (in terms of value), defined here as those on the OECD-DAC list. It is followed by the Americas (USA, Canada and Central and South America). The share of exports coming from developing countries destined for Europe (EU27, UK & EFTA: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) went up by 3.6% from 2019 to 2024. At the same time, the share destined for other regions went down.

Table 2: Share of total developing country exports, 2019–2024

Source: ITC Trademap, 2025

Uncertainty around US trade policy will make Europe a safer bet

In 2025, the United States of America (US) introduced trade tariffs on almost every country in the world. The tariffs drove prices up, disrupted supply chains and put pressure on producers' margins. The new tariffs started with a 10% rate for all countries. But the US confronted countries that had a trade surplus with the US with extra tariffs, including Laos, Tunisia, Bangladesh and India. There is a baseline tariff of 10% on apparel imports from China plus an extra 20% in most cases. Apparel is not on the list of goods from China that the US has excluded from higher tariffs.

The full impact of these policy changes was unclear at the time of writing this report. But it is clear that there will be a lot of uncertainty around the US market in the short to medium term. The apparel industry thinks more products will now be made in US or in other, nearby apparel-producing countries with lower tariffs. China will probably shift its focus away from the US to the EU.

Consumption patterns are changing

The European Commission’s May 2025 economic forecast predicted EU GDP growth at just 1.1%. Inflation is expected to be 1.9% in 2026. When money is tight, end-consumers hold off on buying items they do not really need. According to Eurostat’s most recent data, Europeans spent an average of 4.3% of their total expenditure on clothing and footwear in 2022, down from 4.7% in 2018. It is expected that the cost of living crisis will continue to negatively affect European consumption in the short term. 

Figure 2: High living costs lead Europeans to spend less on clothing

Source: Who’s Denilo? on Unsplash

EU apparel export and intra-European trade

The EU is also a large exporter and re-exporter of apparel. According to WTO statistics, the EU was the largest exporter of apparel in 2024. The EU had a global share of 29.7% and overtook China (29.6%). Eurostat statistics for 2024 show that the EU exported €141.6 billion worth of apparel. This number was up from €112.6 billion in 2019. Of this, 74.2% was destined for other countries in the EU and 25.8% for the rest of the world.

EU apparel exports grew at an average yearly rate of 4.7% between 2019 and 2024. The biggest EU exporters in 2024 were Germany (€25.8 billion), Italy (€25.4 billion), the Netherlands (€16.4 billion), Spain (€13.99 billion), France (€13.92 billion) and Poland (€12.5 billion). Together, these 6 countries represented 76.4% of the EU’s apparel exports. Poland and the Netherlands show the strongest export growth within this group. They have an average yearly increase in export value of 15.1% and 7.8%, respectively.

Apparel imports from developing countries

The EU imports a higher share of its apparel from inside the EU than from outside the EU, at 53.7% and 46.3%, respectively. In 2024, developing countries were the origin of 43.9% of all EU clothing imports in terms of value, down from 48.2% in 2019. The value of EU apparel imports originating from developing countries was €79.2 billion in 2024. This is up from €71.8 billion in 2019 but down from the peak of €93.5 billion in 2022. Imports grew at an average yearly rate of 2% between 2019 and 2024.

Re-exports

The value of EU apparel imports beginning from within the EU was higher in 2024 than in 2022. It went up at a rate of 6.5% between 2019 and 2024. This suggests a continued interest in intra-EU trade. These statistics however hide the fact that a large portion of the EU’s apparel imports from countries inside the EU are re-exports of apparel made in developing countries. So this portion is not in direct competition with imports from developing countries. 

The top 6 intra-EU exporters are also the top 6 importers of apparel. This shows that certain EU countries are regional distribution hubs. The Netherlands is a top exporter without a large local apparel manufacturing industry, but with a large port. Poland has already proven itself as an apparel manufacturing country. Their exports to the EU increased by an average of 12.9% per year from 2019 to 2024. Poland is becoming a regional hub for distribution within Europe, in part thanks to lower labour and warehousing costs.

Source: Eurostat, 2025

China, Bangladesh and Türkiye top suppliers to Europe

China, Bangladesh and Türkiye are the top 3 exporters to the EU.Together, they account for 27.8% of all apparel imports into the EU in 2024. China has long been the single largest apparel exporter to the EU with 12.8% of EU import value. However, its share has declined from 15.1% in 2019. Many Chinese factories have moved their operations to countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam due to cost and capacity. 

Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam all increased their shares of the EU apparel import market between 2019 and 2024, but only slightly (between 0.1% and 0.3%). Pakistan has been the fastest grower, with an average yearly rise of 7.6% between 2019 and 2024. This took its exports from around €2.3 billion in 2019 to €3.3 billion in 2024. In the same period, Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh grew their exports to the EU by a higher rate than the overall EU import growth rate (3.9%).

Expect to see further growth in the coming years in imports from emerging developing countries as China’s share continues to decline. You can also check out McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2025 for a deeper analysis of industry trends in sourcing.

Table 3: Top 10 Extra-EU exporters to the EU, 2024 value, share %, 5-year average annual growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

China’s costs are increasing and apparel workforce is declining. Growing local Chinese demand for apparel is leading to a lack of production capacity for exports, longer lead times and higher prices. According to McKinsey, in 2005 China exported as much as 71% of the finished apparel goods it produced. By 2018, this figure was just 29%. Since then, this trend has continued with China’s share of EU imports growing by an average of just 0.4% per year between 2019 and 2024. This is compared to overall industry growth of 3.9%.

China is also increasing its focus on producing more value-added products. EU apparel buyers have realised that they are too dependent on China. Because of this, they are diversifying their buying. China will remain one of the largest suppliers of fabrics, accessories, trims and high-value apparel for now. But its fast-fashion volume business is expected to continue to move to other developing country suppliers.

The 2025 State of Fashion report identifies countries that will probably grow their share of global apparel exports and take advantage of production moving away from China. These are low-labour cost manufacturing locations like Bangladesh, Vietnam, India and Indonesia

Nearshoring: production close to Europe

Nearshoring (moving manufacturing to a nearby country) is expected to become a more and more important sourcing strategy. Türkiye will keep playing an important role as a fashion hub for Europe. This is espicially so as EU apparel and textile imports from nearshoring destinations are expected to increase by 3% between 2023 and 2030.

Germany, the Netherlands and Italy are top intra-European exporters

Europe’s Intra-EU apparel trade is dominated by Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. These 3 countries supplied 24.3% of all apparel imports (by value) into the EU in 2024. Poland, Spain and France also play an important role. Together, these top 6 countries supply up to 39.8% of all apparel imports. Only 2 of the 10 top European exporting countries saw growth below the overall EU import growth of 3.9% between 2019 and 2024.

Table 4: Top 10 intra-EU exporters to EU, 2024 value, share %, five-year average annual growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Eastern Europe is expanding, led by Poland and Czechia

Poland has the fourth-largest value of intra-EU exports. It has experienced an average annual growth of almost 13% during the 2019–2024 period. The country is expected to become an even more important exporter and regional distribution hub for Eastern European countries as well as for large German retailers. In the region, Czechia (ranked eighth) has also seen high growth, at 18.3%.

2. Europe is an interesting market for sustainable and circular apparel

Europe is one of the most interesting markets for sustainable apparel. There is a lot of awareness about the importance of sustainability. New initiatives are constantly emerging, pushed by all types of actors. These include consumers, retailers, brands, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In a 2023 survey by IFM-Première Vision, almost half of the respondents said they had bought sustainable clothing in the previous year.

Figure 4: Almost half of all Europeans buy sustainable fashion items

Source: Erik Mclean on Unsplash

The European Union’s ‘Green Deal’ aims to make Europe the ‘first climate-neutral continent’ by 2050. This collection of new laws and regulations includes legislation on: 

• Ecodesign for Sustainable (textile) Products;
• A ‘right to repair’ for consumers;
• Due diligence (checking) regarding human rights and environmental protection (CSDDD); 
• Traceability and reporting (CSRD);
• Deforestation-free products (EUDR). Currently, this only applies to the import of leather (skins);
• Extended producer responsibility (EPR), an initiative to make companies financially responsible for the environmental costs of textiles during their lifecycle;
• A ‘Green claims’ directive to stop companies from making false claims about the sustainability of their (apparel) products. 

As a result, brands and retailers are using more sustainable materials and/or sustainable business models. These models include subscriptions, renting, recycling and upcycling. Examples include MUD jeans, C&A, Arc’teryx, H&M, A.P.C and Houdini. According to a 2024 survey by PwC, 80% of consumers globally are willing to pay an average of 9.7% more for products that are sustainably produced. 

Sustainable materials

Consumers are learning more about the harmful effects of conventional (regular) fibre production. A 2023 IFM-Premiere vision study about sustainable fashion was conducted in Germany, France and Italy. It shows that for German and Italian consumers, the type of material used is the number one factor that makes a product eco-responsible. More sustainable materials are moving from niche to mainstream markets. This creates opportunities for suppliers with the right raw material sourcing networks. 

For example, Inditex launched its JoinLife collection in 2015 to offer customers ethically-produced clothing with more sustainable fabrics and to raise awareness about fashion sustainability. Just 8 years later, Inditex dropped the JoinLife label. They no longer had to seperate between regular and more sustainable products, as more sustainable products were included in all Inditex collections. By 2024, Inditex claimed 73% of the textile fibres used in its products were ‘lower impact’. This affected 39% of recycled fibres.

According to the 2025 Fashion Transparency Index, in 2024 58% of the 250 leading brands globally disclose a sustainable materials strategy (up from 51% in 2023). Often these include materials for which there are commitments or targets; for example H&M has published a target for 100% of its materials to be either recycled or sustainably sourced by 2030.

Preferred cotton

While cotton accounts for around 20% of total global fibre production (2023), around 75% of the world’s apparel products contain some amount of cotton. However, growing cotton in the regular way uses up soil, reduces biodiversity and needs a lot of pesticides and water. Emissions from fertilisers also lead to high greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Preferred cotton’ is grown and sourced in a more sustainable way than regular cotton. In 2022–2023, 28% of all cotton produced globally was produced under ‘preferred cotton’ programmes. From 2014–2015, this was just 8%. Examples include Better Cotton (8%), Better Cotton equivalents (14%) and organic cotton (2.3%).

Organic cotton uses no chemical pesticides or fertilisers. It also produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less water than regular cotton. Organic cotton also protects the environment where it is grown, and it producers get a stable income with fair wages. In the Organic Cotton Demand Insights Report (2021), Textile Exchange predicted an 84% increase in demand for organic cotton by 2030 compared to 2020.

If you want to grow, process and sell organic products, the whole supply chain needs to be certified. This is a legal requirement. The main certification for organic textile fibres is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The number of facilities certified to GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) in 2024 was 15,441. This was up 5.2% from the previous year and up more than 160% since 2018, when the total number was 5,760.

Figure 5: The demand for organic cotton is expected to grow by 84% between 2020 and 2030

Source: Trisha Downing on Unsplash

Recycled fibres

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to ensure that, by 2030, textile products placed in the EU market are ‘long-lived and recyclable and to a great extent made from recycled fibres’. In response, individual countries are publishing targets for recycled fibre use in apparel. 

For example, the Netherlands’ Policy Programme for Circular Textile 2025-2030 (December 2024) requires that all textile products sold on the Dutch market must be made of at least 50% sustainable materials by 2030. At least 15% of this should be post-consumer fibre-to-fibre recycled content. 

The European fashion industry is increasing its use of materials made from recycled inputs. Between 2020 and 2024, H&M increased the share of recycled materials used in its garments from 5.8% to 29.5% and the company plans to reach 50% by 2030. In the past, Swedish brand Haglöfs set an ambitious target to use recycled or renewable materials in 100% of its main fabrics by 2025 (and styles made of recycled materials must contain at least 50% recycled content). The brand will report in 2026 on its progress in achieving this goal.

The number of Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Content Standard (RCS) certifications has also increased by over 500% and 400%, respectively, between 2019 and 2023.

Polyester is the most popular material used in the fashion and textile industry, making up 57% of all fibres produced in 2023. This reliance on virgin fossil-based materials is damaging to the environment. The 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge led by Textile Exchange which has more than 800 member organisations – has been calling the fashion and textile industry to increase the market share of polyester that comes from recycled sources from 14% in 2019 to 45% in 2025. By 2025, 26% of the 116 signatories had reached this target.

Progress towards this goal has been slow: recycled polyester production has increased, but so has virgin polyester production. As a result, only 12.5% of all polyester produced in 2023 was recycled polyester. This represents a reduction compared to the 2019 baseline. The focus is now shifting towards textile-based feedstocks rather than plastic bottles as around 99% of recycled polyester for the textile industry comes from mechanically recycled bottles.

Transparency 

In March 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Green Claims Directive (GCD). This directive aims to stop brands and retailers from making false sustainability claims towards consumers. It will require companies to back up their environmental claims with data. From 2027, textile products placed on the EU market will also need to have an individual Digital Product Passport (DPP). This is a digital information record of a unique product’s complete life cycle. 

Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index tracks 250 leading brands’ performance regarding the information they are able and willing to disclose. By 2024, 52% of major fashion brands in the index had disclosed their first-tier supplier (direct garment suppliers) lists, up from 32% in 2017. However, only 8% of the brands publish their raw material supplier lists. While 58% of brands disclose sustainable material targets, only 11% reveal their supply chain’s energy sources, meaning ‘sustainable’ clothes could still be made in factories powered by fossil fuels. 

3. Which European markets offer most opportunities for apparel?

The top 6 apparel import markets in the EU are Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Poland. Together, these 6 countries account for 73% of the entire EU apparel import market. Poland is the only Eastern European country in the top 10.

Other Eastern European countries are growing much faster than countries in Western Europe (above 7%). But  they are still relatively small in size (under 2.5% market share). Poland is a market to watch due it being a sizeable market and its fast growth of imports, including imports from developing countries. Poland is expected to play an important role as a distribution hub for Eastern European markets.

Table 5: Top-10 EU importers of apparel, 2024; developing country share of imports; developing country imports average annual growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Imports from developing countries 

Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark stand out with high levels of imports from developing countries (developing countries having a share higher than 60%). Poland has increased its total value of apparel imports from developing countries by an annual average of more than 12% between 2019 and 2024. For all of the top-ten European apparel importing countries, the market share sourced from developing countries is declining. This shows that nearshoring and regional distribution are playing a larger role.

China’s market share ranges from 2.8% for Austria to 20.2% for Sweden. China’s share declined between 2019 and 2024 by between 5.1% (Poland) and 0.6% (Spain and Austria). For each of the top EU markets China remains within the top 2 exporting countries with the exception of Poland and Austria (for which it ranks fourth and fifth, respectively).

Scandinavians pay more

Denmark and Finland have a population of just under 6 million and Sweden’s population is just over 10 million. But all 3 countries (as well as their non-EU neighbour, Norway) have a high GDP per capita and high average wages. In 2024, Denmark had the highest retail prices for clothing and footwear within the EU (43% higher than the EU average). Finland and Sweden ranked fourth and seventh respectively. Scandinavian consumers are willing to pay more for high quality and for sustainable products in particular.

Unit prices paid by all of the top six importing markets have increased between 2019 and 2024 with the highest price increases seen in intra-EU trade. 

Impact of Brexit 

The United Kingdom’s apparel imports fell by an average of 4.6% per year between 2019 and 2024, losing 0.4% market share of world imports. While the global apparel industry started to recover from COVID-19 in 2021, the UK’s apparel imports experienced negative growth in the same year, coinciding with Brexit. After going back up to near 2019 levels in 2022, imports fell again in 2023 and 2024. 

Before Brexit, the UK was sourcing from many different countries. Since Brexit, the UK’s sourcing has diversified even more, moving away from European imports. In 2019, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain made up 5 of the 10 largest exporters to the UK. In 2024, only Italy and Portugal remained (seventh and 10th). China and Bangladesh were still first and second, while developing countries Vietnam, Pakistan and Sri Lanka had all moved into the top-10. Türkiye had moved from fourth to third place.

Table 6: Top 6 EU importers of apparel, 2024; average unit price comparison intra-EU and developing countries. 

Source: Eurostat, 2025. Calculated by dividing the total value by volume.

Germany is the largest apparel market in the European Union

Germany is Europe’s largest importer of apparel with a total import value in 2024 of €39.1 billion. 50.9% of these is intra-EU imports and 49.1% is extra-EU imports. In the 2019–2024 period, value of intra-EU imports grew by an average of 6.6% per year, while extra-EU imports grew by just 1%. This is compared to an overall import growth of 3.6%. The larger increase of intra-EU imports highlights the growing trend of importing apparel from other European countries such as Poland and the Netherlands.

Table 7: Germany apparel imports: value, volume, growth 

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 8: Germany apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Germany gets 47.6% of its imports from developing countries by value (65.9% by volume). China is the largest developing country exporting to Germany. However, China’s share declined by 2.2% between 2019 and 2024. Poland has increased its share of Germany’s imports by 3.3% and is the biggest (re)exporter of apparel to Germany.

Germany is a country with strict and increasing sustainability and circularity requirements. Some German legislation regarding harmful chemicals is stricter than EU REACH legislation. The country also has its own social and environmental standard, the Grüner Knopflabel, which is displayed on garments at point of sale. Although investment in chemicals management and certification is required, it will provide opportunities in the coming years for higher quality and sustainable products in line with overall segment trends. 

According to Statista, the German apparel market is expected to grow annually by 0.84% between 2025 and 2029.

Leading apparel brands in Germany include Hugo Boss, Adidas, Escada, Tom Tailor, Jil Sander, Joop!, PUMA. 

Leading retailers in Germany include: Zalando, C&A, H&M, Peek & Cloppenburg, Kik, New Yorker, Takko and S.Oliver.

France is a volume market with increasing sustainability requirements

France is Europe’s second-largest importer of apparel with a total import value in 2024 of €23.2 billion, of which 51.3% is intra-EU imports and 48.7% is extra-EU imports. France gets 44.7% of its imports by value from developing countries (60.7% by volume), which is lower than the other top Western European markets except Italy. Intra-EU imports grew at an average yearly rate of 3.4%. That is higher than the overall rate of 1.9% during the 2019–2024 period. Imports from outside the EU and from developing countries grew at 1.5% and 0.5% less than the overall rate, respectively.

China is the largest apparel exporter to France. However, China’s share of French imports declined by 0.9% in the 2019–2024 period. The shares of Italy and the Netherlands grew by 3.9% and 1.7%, respectively. 

Table 9: France apparel imports: value, volume, growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 10: France apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

France can be described as a highly competitive volume market. Amongst the top 6 importers, France pays the second-lowest price for intra-EU imports (behind Poland) and has the lowest price difference between intra-EU imports and developing country imports.

The country has increased its legislation regarding sustainability in recent years, in particular the regulation of chemicals. It is now a legal requirement in France to inform customers about products that contain one or more substances on the REACH Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) list at point of sale. France is the first EU country to put into place specific regulations for MOSH/MOAH, mineral oils often used in printing inks for packaging materials and recycled paper. A new law has also been approved that would impose financial penalties on ‘ultra-fast fashion’ companies to offset their environmental impact.

According to Statista, the French apparel market is expected to grow annually by 1.03% between 2025 and 2029.

Leading apparel brands in France include: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Hermès, Balmain, Lacoste, Sandro, American Vintage and Bonobo. 

Leading retailers in France include: Decathlon, Galeries Lafayette, La Halle and Celio.

Spain is home to some of the largest international retailers in Europe

Spain is Europe’s third-largest importer of apparel with a total import value of €19.6 billion in 2024, of which 35.5% is intra-EU imports and 64.5% is extra-EU imports. Spain gets as much as 63.6% of its imports by value from developing countries (79.5% by volume). Between 2019 and 2024 however, the value of intra-EU imports grew by as much as 8.1%, which is 5.3% higher than the overall average import growth rate of 2.8%. Extra-EU imports, on the other hand, grew by just 0.4%. This was 2.4% less than the overall average for the same period. 

Spain recorded the second-highest decline in its share of apparel purchased from developing countries of the top 10 importers (6.8%).

Table 11: Spain apparel imports: value, volume, growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 12: Spain apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Bangladesh is the largest exporter to Spain, followed by China. Bangladesh’s share of Spanish imports increased by just 0.8% between 2019 and 2024, while China’s decreased by 0.6%, compared to an overall import growth of 2.8%. Much of Spain’s imports come from a few large budget and middle market international fast-fashion retailers. Import statistics hide the fact that Spanish local consumption is quite low. Spain has a relatively low GDP and lower average wages than other top Western European importers.

According to Statista, Spain’s apparel market is expected to grow annually by 0.46% between 2025 and 2029.

Leading apparel brands in Spain include: LOEWE, DELPOZO, Adolfo Dominguez, Desigual, Bimba y Lola, L’Envers, Ecoalf, SKFK, Ecoology.

Leading retailers in Spain include: El Corte Ingles group, Mango, Tendam, Zara, Stradivarius, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Oysho.

The Netherlands is a key European distribution hub

The Netherlands is Europe’s fourth-largest importer of apparel products with a total import value of €17.9 billion in 2024. Of this amount, 36.5% is intra-EU imports and 63.5% is extra-EU imports. Between 2019 and 2024, the overall Netherlands import market grew by 2.7%. During this period, the intra-EU market grew by 3.7%, and the extra-EU market grew by 2.2%. 

The Netherlands gets 61.2% of its imports from developing countries by value (84.8% by volume). China’s share of the Netherlands’ exports is the highest amongst all top 6 importers (as much as 19.9% of the value). This presents an opportunity as the Netherlands is branching out its sourcing and moving away from China. China and Bangladesh both lost market share between 2019 and 2024 (1.1% and 1.9%, respectively) while Poland, Türkiye and Vietnam increased their market share (by 2.9%, 1.3% and 1.8%, respectively). 

Amongst the top importers, the Netherlands pays the highest premium price by far for intra-EU apparel imports compared to those from developing countries (€10.07 price difference).

Table 13: The Netherlands apparel imports: value, volume, growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 14: The Netherlands apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

The Netherlands benefits from a good business climate which makes importing and exporting easier. Because of this, and because of the importance of the country’s seaports, the Netherlands is an ideal route for product import into Europe. Many foreign brands have their headquarters in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, including Nike, Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger.

The Netherlands is home to a strong community of industry support organisations (BSOs) mainly centred around sustainability issues, including Fashion for Good (an innovation platform and accelerator for fashion start-ups), MODINT (trade association) and non-profit alliance Cascale.

According to Statista, the Dutch apparel market is expected to grow annually by 2% between 2025 and 2029; the 2nd highest rate of the top 6 countries after Poland.

Leading apparel brands in the Netherlands include: G-Star, Daily Paper, Patta, POM Amsterdam, Studio Anneloes, Fabienne Chapot, Mexx, Sissy-Boy.

Leading retailers in the Netherlands include: C&A, My Jewellery, Bijenkorf, Suitsupply, WE

Italy is a large market for value-added products

Italy is Europe’s fifth-largest importer of apparel with a total import value of €17 billion in 2024, of which 51.5% is intra-EU imports and 48.5% is extra-EU imports. Italy purchases 43.7% of its apparel from developing countries by value (63.9% by volume). The share of intra-EU imports increased by 6.7% between 2019 and 2024, while the share of developing country imports declined by 7%.

Table 15: Italy apparel imports: value, volume, growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 16: Italy apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat 2025

Apparel is a well-established industry in Italy. Italian manufacturers combine knowledge, technological research and creativity to produce quality garments made from high quality fabrics. Italian excellence in apparel manufacturing covers the entire supply chain from spinners, knitters, weavers, laboratories, dyers to machine manufacturers. 

Many high-end Italian brands choose to produce closer to home for monitoring purposes as well as to collaborate with their partners on design and fabric quality. While China is still the largest exporter of apparel to Italy by value, its share declined by as much as 3.5% in the 2019–2024 period. Both the Netherlands and Spain increased their shares by around 3% during the same period. 

According to Statista, the Italian apparel market is expected to grow annually by just 0.01% between 2025 and 2029.

Leading apparel brands in Italy include: Prada, Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Gucci, OVS, Diesel. 

Leading retailers in Italy include: Yoox, Benetton, Calzedonia, Max Mara, Teddy, Rinascente.

Poland is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe 

Poland has become Europe’s sixth-largest importer of apparel with a total import value of €14.6 billion in 2024, of which as much as 70.6% is intra-EU imports and 29.4% is extra-EU imports (by value). Between 2019 and 2024 Poland’s imports experienced high average annual growth (14.7%), in line with its economic expansion. 

Germany is by far the largest exporter of apparel by value to Poland with a 32.2% share. However, Germany’s share declined by as much as 7.8% per year in the 2019–2024 period and represented just 17.5% by volume in 2024 (down by 0.4% over the past 5 years). The share of Poland’s intra-EU imports increased by 4.9% in the same period while the share of developing country imports declined by 3.4%. After Germany, the country that lost the largest share was China (-5.8%). The biggest winners were Spain, the Netherlands, Myanmar, Romania and Czechia (increases of 3.8%, 3%, 1.8%, 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively).

With a lower than the EU average GDP and wages, and far behind Western Europe in terms of sustainability, Poland is not yet a suitable market for more value-added or sustainable products. The average price paid for apparel products purchased from developing countries is just €2.38 per unit. Poland’s importers are paying a high premium for intra-EU imports compared to developing countries (€6.94 price difference). These statistics reflect the fact that Poland’s purchasing is not well-established and uses more indirect distribution channels for more complicated product.

In the future, Poland’s economy continues to expand and domestic brands establish themselves. It is expected that Poland will continue to increase its imports from developing countries. These have already increased by a lot (12.3%) annually in the past five years. With a share of just 29.3% by value (61.9% by volume) in 2024, developing country exporters will have opportunities to increase exports of more value-added products to Poland in the short and medium term.

According to Statista, the Polish apparel market is expected to grow by 5.17% annually between 2025 and 2029.

Poland’s largest clothing manufacturer is LPP with its umbrella of brands and retailers including Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito and Sinsay. Other important retail chains include CCC and SMYK.

Table 17: Poland apparel imports: value, volume, growth

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Table 18: Poland apparel imports: major exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

4. Which products from developing countries have the most potential in the European apparel market?

Trousers and shorts, knitwear, T-shirts and outerwear are the most common product categories that developing countries export to the EU. Together, these 4 categories had a value of €45.5 billion in 2024, which makes up 57.5% of all apparel exports from developing countries to the EU. 

• The fastest-growing apparel categories exported by developing countries are suits and jackets, sports and activewear and knitwear.
• The import of shirts and blouses and babywear categories, on the other hand, is declining.
• China’s developing country market share in European outerwear, sports and activewear, and babywear imports went down by as much as 9.1%, 6.5% and 5.3%, respectively. This presents opportunities for developing country suppliers.

Table 19: EU imports from developing countries by product category; price developments; top exporters

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Trousers and shorts

Between 2019 and 2024, the trousers category grew by an average of 2.3% each year. It makes up 22.4% of all European apparel imports from developing countries. This figure has been relatively stable since 2019. The average import unit price of trousers from developing countries is €6.69. This price went up by €1.03 over the past 5 years. 

With an import value of roughly €18 billion in 2024, this is a high volume category. It is no surprise that Bangladesh is the largest developing country exporter with a 28.2% share. It grew by 1.5% in the 2019–2024 period. Denim is an important niche market in this segment. In 2024, denim trousers and shorts made up 23.7% of the total value of trousers and shorts imports to Europe from developing countries. There are several European industry initiatives that want to make denim more sustainable, like the Denim Deal.

For background information on trousers and practical guidance on exporting trousers to Europe, check the CBI study on pants and trousers.

Knitwear

The knitwear category includes knitted or crocheted jerseys, pullovers, cardigans and waistcoats. Knitwear makes up 14% of all European apparel imports from developing countries. It grew by 2.7% on average each year between 2019 and 2024, increasing its market share by 0.8%. The average import unit price of knitwear from developing countries is €6.80, up by €0.95 from 5 years ago.

Figure 7: Knitwear imports account for 14% of all European apparel imports from developing countries

Source: Meg MacDonald on Unsplash

China is still the largest developing country exporter with a large but falling share of 33.3% of European imports, falling by 2.6% between 2019 and 2024. The second-largest exporter is Bangladesh with a 26.3% share and an annual average increase of 0.9% since 2019. 

Knitwear made from man-made fibres and cotton fibres have a roughly equal share of the market. They make up 44.7% and 43.5% of total value of knitwear imports to Europe from developing countries in 2024 respectively. The share of knitwear made from man-made fibres increased by 1.8% on average per year in the 2019–2024 period. At the same time, the share of cotton knitwear grew by as much as 4.4%.

The use of organic cotton is becoming standard amongst premium brands and retailers, with the budget and middle segments starting to introduce organic cotton in smaller percentages. 

Sustainability efforts in the knitwear industry are focused on many things. One of these is to use more sustainable fibre types such as organic cotton, hemp, linen and responsible wool. Efforts also focus on increasing production efficiency, shortening the manufacturing process and reducing knitting waste. 

For background information on knitwear and practical guidance on exporting knitwear to Europe, check the CBI study on knitwear.

T-shirts

T-shirts make up 10.9% of all European apparel imports from developing countries. This figure has been stable since 2019. The category grew by 1.8% on average each year between 2019 and 2024. The average import unit price of a T-shirt from developing countries is €2.73, which represents a 5-year increase of €0.42. 

Bangladesh is the largest developing country exporter with a 41.5% share. This represents an increase in share of 2.5% since 2019. Türkiye is the second-largest with a 16.8% share, down from 18.3% in 2019. The T-shirt segment is highly competitive. However, there are interesting niches. For example, T-shirts made using more sustainable fibres such as organic or recycled cotton. There is also higher-end T-shirts using alternative fibres (e.g. linen) and/or knitted with finer yarns.

Outerwear

The outerwear category includes overcoats, car coats, cloaks, anoraks (including ski jackets), wind jackets and similar articles. Outerwear makes up 10.3% of all European apparel imports from developing countries (down from 10.5% in 2019) and grew by 0.2% on average each year between 2019 and 2024. The average import unit price of outerwear from developing countries is €15.73. This is a 5-year increase of €1.72, the second highest increase of the 10 largest import categories from developing countries. 

China is still the largest exporter from developing countries with a 45% share. However, this declined by 9.1% in the 2019–2024 period. The second-largest exporter is Bangladesh with a 12.7% share and an average increase in value of 2.8% per year since 2019. The biggest share increase was for Cambodia (3.7%), which has become the fifth-largest exporter amongst developing countries. Production is moving away from China and there is further potential for growth. So outerwear offers opportunities for skilled manufacturers in other developing countries.

The outdoor segment (outerwear worn for outdoor activities) such as anoraks, ski jackets and wind jackets is an interesting niche. A love for the outdoors and protection of the environment are important to the outdoor consumer. As a result, the outdoor segment has been at the forefront of innovation and campaigning for increased environmental sustainability in products and processes, led mainly by Scandinavian brands. 

Up to 78.4% of outerwear products imported into the EU from developing countries are made from man-made/synthetic fibres. Most outdoor jacket products use a lot of synthetics to achieve higher performance functionality, which results in a large negative environmental impact during production, use, and disposal. The sustainable outerwear market in particular has strong prospects for growth.

For background information on outerwear and practical guidance on exporting outerwear to Europe, check the CBI study on Outerwear.

Shirts and Blouses 

The shirts and blouses category includes men’s shirts and women’s blouses. The category makes up 8.3% of all European apparel imports from developing countries (down from 9.5% in 2019). It went down by 0.8% on average each year between 2019 and 2024. This could be because of a growing preference amongst European consumers for casual clothing and the recent growth of remote working.

The average import unit price of shirts and blouses from developing countries is €6.69. This is a 5-year increase of €1.24. Bangladesh is the largest developing country exporter with a 26.9% share (up from 24.2% in 2019). China and Türkiye both lost market share (1.9% and 0.7%). The shirts and blouses segment is very competitive. But there are niches, like shirts and blouses made using more sustainable fibres (for example, organic and recycled cotton) and higher-end shirts and blouses made with alternative fibres (for example, linen and silk).

Underwear and Nightwear 

The underwear and nightwear category makes up 7.4% of all European apparel imports from developing countries. This figure has been stable since 2019. The category grew by 2.1% on average each year between 2019 and 2024. The average import unit price of underwear and nightwear garments from developing countries is just €2.11, which is a 5-year increase of €0.25. 

China is still the largest developing country exporter with a 34.2% share (down 3% since 2019). Bangladesh is the second-largest with a 23.7% share, up from 15.9% in 2019. Sri Lanka ranks third with an 8.2% share (stable since 2019). Since garments in this category are worn next to the skin, softness and breathability are important. 45% of underwear and nightwear products imported into the EU from developing countries are made from cotton fibres, and 50% are made from man-made fibres like modal, viscose and lyocell. Organic cotton is becoming more important as it is gentler on sensitive skin.

FT Journalistiek carried out this study in partnership with Giovanni Beatrice on behalf of CBI.

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