Global Clothing & Textile Industry
The world clothing and textile industry - encompassing clothing, textiles, footwear and luxury goods - reached almost $2,560 trillion in 2010, according to MarketLine. The apparel, luxury goods and accessories portion of the market, which accounts for over 55% of the overall market, is expected to generate $3,180 billion in 2015, with a yearly growth rate in excess of 4%.
The market uses intelligent bar codes to track products in a system called radio-frequency identification (RFID). According to IDTechEx, the apparel market will call for 20 billion FTID tags a year from 2021, at a cost of $1 billion.
Key Market Segments
- The world childrenswear market is expected to exceed $186 billion in 2014, marking a 15% increase in five years, according to Datamonitor. The Americas hold under 40% of global market.
- The world bridalwear market is expected to reach almost $57 billion by 2015, reports Global Industry Analysts. The market is driven by a trend toward making weddings more and more exceptional, with the wedding dress a focal point.
- The world menswear industry is expected to exceed $402 billion in 2014, according to MarketLine, representing over 14% expansion in five years. The leading market sub segment is clothing and footwear, with over 58% of the market. The Americas have a 35% stake in the overall market.
- The world womenswear industry is expected to exceed $621 billion in 2014, according to MarketLine, representing over 12% yearly growth. The leading market sub segment is clothing retailers, with over 64% of total market value. The EU has a more than 37% stake in the world market, which is relatively fragmented and highly competitive.
- The global smart fabrics and interactive textile market is expected to reach almost $2 billion by 2015, reports Global Industry Analysts. The market will be driven by economic recovery, new product offerings and a rising degree of consumer confidence. Product innovation will partly concern new generation fibers, including hybrid materials and nanofibers.
- The world technical textile market continues to record strong growth. Technology usage is on the rise due to technical textiles and demand for better quality products using materials such as wool and fiber. As new high-tech fibers are more complex than traditional fibers, the production process calls for more research and qualified engineers.
- The world market for textiles made from organically grown cotton was worth over $5 billion in 2010, according to Textiles Intelligence. US and EU clothing imports and China’s exports grew in value in 2011. Companies that recorded increased revenue include: Benetton, Levi Strauss, H&M, Gap, Marks and Spencer, Gildan Activewear, TJX and Perry Ellis. In the EU, the clothing market is predicted to show almost 5% yearly growth from 2010 to 2015.
Regional Market Share
Clothing imports in the EU exceeded $91 billion in June 2011, reports Textiles Intelligence. This represents an 18% rise, which was mainly due to a 13% rise in average import prices as import volume grew less than 5% to just over 4.4 million tons. Average import prices reached a nine-year high in 2011, mainly due to raw materials prices.
Market Outlook
The global clothing and textile industry has been affected by the economic recession, with consumer spending and confidence in the West being reigned in. In Asia, consumer spending continues on an upward curve. With cost cutting an essential practice in the industry, companies will continue to optimize energy use and other resources. Many textile manufacturers are reviewing their processes and input streams to cut down on demand for energy to boost competitiveness.
The future may hold changes for regional markets should Pakistan be granted duty-free access to the EU, which is under consideration, reports Textiles Intelligence. Duty-free access, under the Generalized System of Preference in operation in the EU, has been opposed by other emerging country rivals including India, and the European Apparel and Textile Confederation.
EU demand for clothing and textiles will likely remain relatively weak through 2015 due to the debt crisis.
Leading Industry Associations
- United States Association of Importers of Textile and Apparel www.usaita.com
- Secondary Materials and Recycled Textile Association www.smartasn.org
- National Textile Association www.nationaltextile.org
- American Textile Machinery Association www.atmanet.org
- British Interior Textile Association www.interiortextiles.co.uk
- European Textile and Apparel Organization www.euratex.org
