Clothing: European imports rise 13% in the first semester

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Sep 4, 2015

In the January-June period the European Union increased its clothing imports by 13% and by 9% those of fabrics. In the same period, according to figures by the French Fashion Institute (IFM), clothing exports grew 6%, while those of fabrics by 4%.

According to IFM, China unsurprisingly maintains its position as top clothing supplier, providing €12.6 billion of goods (+13%). In second place, Bangladesh records a significant growth (+26%), reaching €6.8 billion, while Turkey declines by 1% to €4.5 billion.  Significant expansion was also achieved by India (13%), Cambodia (32%), Vietnam (30%), Pakistan (28%) and the USA (28%). At the bottom of the ranking, with €146 million worth of goods, Myanmar records a 64% increase.

On the exports side, Switzerland is Europe's top clothing client, ahead of the USA (+27%), Russia (-28%), Hong Kong (+25%) and Japan (+3%). A significant increase has also been recorded by the UAE (+12%), Saudi Arabia (+26%), South Korea (+29%) and Canada (+25%). As did Russia, the Ukraine too registers a downturn, decreasing by 36%.

In terms of fabrics, China, Turkey and India remain the EU's top three suppliers, while Pakistan, the USA, Taiwan, Vietnam and Morocco all post increases above 10% in the semester. Australia on the other hand declines by 10%.

As for exports, Europe's top three clients are the US, China and Turkey. Significant expansion was recorded by Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico and India, in contrast with Russia, which declined by 29%.