European textile market: tech fabrics and menswear boost export growth

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jul 11, 2017

The main features of the European textile and apparel market in 2016 have undoubtedly been the 38% rise in extra-EU exports of tech fabrics, worth €10 billion, as well as the 2% increase in menswear exports, up to €5 billion and now accounting for nearly 23% of European apparel exports, according to the figures published by Euratex, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation.

The information is contained in a report by Euratex on output, imports and exports of textiles and apparel in Europe in 2016. The document is an important reference work, focusing on the leading client and supplier countries and on the various types of materials and products manufactured in or imported by the EU.

Another fact that emerges is that European womenswear imports grew 0.8% in 2016, reaching €29 billion, equivalent to 36% of all apparel imports. The most popular products were trousers, skirts, dresses, overcoats and underwear. Specifically, the report indicated that imports of skirts and dresses rose by 0.7% in value and 6.1% in volume.

As for fabrics, knitwear, which accounts for 5% of European textile imports, grew 4.2% in order value and 5.4% in volume. On this market, three countries alone supply 91% of the volumes ordered by the EU: Turkey (36.7%), China (45.7%) and South Korea (8.5%).

Wool instead accounted for 68.4% of European natural fibre imports last year, up slightly, while the demand for cotton fell, its share of the total decreasing to 17% from 20% a year earlier. Silk imports skyrocketed, growing by 20.3% in volume and accounting for 7% of all natural-fibre imports.

All these figures are contained in the 264-page report published by Euratex.