Apparel, Clothing and Footwear

Since the pandemic, many consumers have adopted healthy lifestyles that include regular workouts or walks. This in turn has fuelled demand for sportswear, with sales remaining buoyant in 2023. While increasingly busy consumers may have less time to…

While in 2023, current value and retail volume growth of womenswear has not reached the impressive double-digit figures recorded in 2021 (resulting in a full recovery to pre-pandemic sales levels, following a notable drop in 2020 as a result of…

Inflation has shaped how Romanians make purchases, with impulse shopping now declining. However, demand for womenswear remained high in 2023, as consumers prefer to wait for discounts or sometimes even to buy in instalments rather than giving up…

The first live-action Barbie film was released in South Africa in 2023, encouraging many apparel and footwear specialists to stock various licensed clothing items featuring the Barbie logo. Watching the Barbie film for many local consumers was a…

In 2020, current value sales of apparel accessories witnessed a significant decline, with limited demand for these items, except for face masks (included under other apparel accessories). While the category experienced some value growth in 2021, it…

Apparel and footwear in the US, which saw robust growth in 2021, encountered a noticeable deceleration in both current value and volume terms starting from 2022. This slowdown can primarily be attributed to the persistent inflation and ongoing…

Childrenswear in the US, which showed recovery from the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, faced significant challenges in 2022, and this has continued in 2023, due to the impact of inflation and the rising cost of living.…

After experiencing a significant decline in 2020 due to the pandemic, sales of footwear rebounded notably in 2021, seeing a full recovery. This resurgence was driven by consumers eager to update their wardrobes and regain a sense of normalcy as…

In 2020, although turning to decline, hosiery displayed remarkable resilience, standing out for its performance amongst various categories in apparel and footwear. This resilience stemmed from the continued demand for non-sheer hosiery, which became…

In 2022, jeans experienced a slight drop in volume sales, while showing a marginal increase in current value terms, primarily attributed to surging inflation and economic uncertainties leading to higher prices, which in turn dampened consumer…

Despite seeing robust recovery in 2021, the current value growth rate of menswear notably decelerated in 2022, and has faced continuing challenges in 2023. This slowdown can primarily be attributed to the return to the pre-pandemic level of sales,…

In the face of peaking inflation rates and declining consumer confidence in 2022, sports apparel and footwear outperformed the broader apparel and footwear industry. This trend has extended into 2023, with sportswear displaying remarkable resilience…

Following robust growth in 2021, womenswear in the US experienced a pronounced deceleration in both value and volume growth in 2022, and this slower rate of growth is set to be maintained in 2023. This slowdown can be attributed to the return to the…

While many people have adopted a more casual and minimalist approach to their clothing style, their pursuit of aesthetics and individuality remains undiminished. They tend to lean towards using apparel accessories to embellish their simple attire and…

In the United Arab Emirates, items such as gloves, belts, scarves, hats/caps are widely popular because local consumers have a strong penchant for accessorising their outfits. Being a fashion-forward market, there is an abundance of choices for…

With the end of the zero-COVID policy towards the end of 2022, China’s consumer landscape has undergone a gradual transition back to normalcy. While 2023 experienced a temporary dip in sales of apparel and footwear, influenced by both COVID-19 and…

Apparel and footwear in the United Arab Emirates continues to record a strong performance in current value growth terms, building on the strong momentum it gained in 2022 when sales surged due to pent-up demand resulting from the pandemic. Amid…

As pandemic restrictions were lifted in China at the beginning of 2023, bricks-and-mortar sales have gradually been returning after the 2022 decline due to periodic lockdowns. The apparel and footwear industry, including childrenswear, is therefore…

In the past, luxury brands often imported their marketing strategies directly from their European headquarters to the United Arab Emirates. However, the pandemic underscored the significance of localising marketing efforts, as the consumer base…

After the lifting of the zero-COVID policy and the subsequent relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions at the beginning of 2023, the restoration of logistics and a resurgence in offline consumption was seen. This, in turn, is set to catalyse a…

In terms of retail volume sales in the United Arab Emirates, men's footwear traditionally holds larger share compared to the women's segment, primarily due to demographics. However, women's footwear is experiencing faster growth in both retail volume…

Despite the downturn in retail current value sales in 2022, which can be attributed to the impact of pandemic-induced restrictions, the alleviation of such measures in 2023 is poised to herald a resurgence for hosiery, culminating in a notable…

Non-sheer options dominate demand for hosiery in the United Arab Emirates, and continues to record stable growth rates. Demand is being driven by changing fashion preferences, especially among younger consumers, who increasingly choose bare legs or…

Thanks to the end of the zero-COVID policy and the resurgence of retro fashion, jeans is set to experience significant high single-digit current value growth in 2023. The popularity of the retro trend has not only favoured denim jeans, but has also…

The population of the United Arab Emirates is extremely young, with the majority comprising millennials or young professionals in this expat-driven market. As a consequence, jeans remain a popular fashion choice, and are often worn casually or for…

Since the end of the zero-COVID policy, the consumer environment has been gradually returning to normal, and menswear is anticipated to experience a substantial single-digit rebound in China in 2023, although is not quite expected to revert to its…

In the United Arab Emirates, the category of menswear is notably larger in size than womenswear, both in terms of retail volume and value sales: this is contrary to the global trend where sales of womenswear tend to be much greater. This is due to…

The massive lockdowns and widespread COVID-19 infections in 2022 weighed down sales of sportswear in China, which registered a slight current value decline in this year. Nevertheless, outdoor apparel and footwear kept outperforming the overall…

Nike, adidas, and lululemon are among leading global sportswear brands that are embracing localisation strategies by introducing hijab and modest sportswear to cater for residents in the United Arab Emirates. adidas stands out with its comprehensive…

With the end to the zero-COVID policy in the country, and the return to a more normal consumer environment, womenswear is expected to experience a substantial single-digit current value rebound in China in 2023, drawing close to the level of sales…

The United Arab Emirates is home to a highly dynamic retail environment, where a brand’s entry and exit can occur fairly rapidly compared to more mature markets. In 2023, several formerly standalone brands, some of which had previously exited the…

Apparel accessories has slumped in volume in 2023, to just under 1% growth. This is in contrast to the more promising performance seen over the past two years, as the category rebounded from the double-digit volume decline seen during the pandemic.…

Retail volume sales of apparel accessories plummeted in 2023. This was due to the declining performance of other apparel accessories, following the relaxation of regulations regarding the wearing of face masks in indoor settings in December 2022. The…

Apparel accessories is projected to see slight retail volume and strong retail current value growth over 2023, with the recovery of all categories, except for “other” apparel accessories. This category continued to suffer steep declines due to the…

Overall apparel accessories is set to register positive current value growth in 2023, although there are expected to be different performances across categories. These movements are due to sales continuing to normalise after the disruption in 2020,…

As local consumers continue to purchase apparel in 2023, sales of fashionable accessories such as belts, scarves, hats/caps and ties are also increasing. Therefore, these types of accessories continue to post positive retail volume and current value…

Belts for loose fitting jeans and clothing have developed into a trend in the Philippines due to the demand for contrast and style, personalisation, versatility, and comfort of fit. The contrast between a loose fitting garment and a stylish belt…

Apparel and footwear in France is seeing an overall volume slump in 2023, while value is supported by inflation pushing up unit prices, thus giving an artificial perspective of positive performance. Whilst we did see a robust volume uptick in the…

Retail sales of apparel and footwear in Indonesia registered relatively modest growth in constant value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous two years. As the country emerged from the pandemic, Indonesians became increasingly keen to travel,…

Apparel and footwear is projected to record strong retail current value growth over 2023, albeit slower than in 2021 and 2022, when sales rebounded from a lower base following the slump caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nonetheless, most…

The fading of COVID-19 has been a significant turning point for Japanese consumers, who have been leaving their homes and therefore driving the return of footfall in town centres. In May 2023, the Japanese government changed the legitimate…

Apparel and footwear is posting positive but slower current value and retail volume growth in 2023 compared to the previous year, as many consumers’ needs/wants for new apparel and footwear have been largely fulfilled following the lifting of social…

According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, the Philippines saw a population increase of 1.5% in 2023 compared with the previous year. The growth in the population is expanding the consumer base for apparel and footwear. In addition to this,…

One would think that childrenswear would be resilient, due to the necessity of replacement needed for growing infants and children. However, both value and volume sales are in a slump in 2023. One key reason for this is the declining birth rate in…

Childrenswear saw more modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, relative to the two previous years. Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, such as menswear, womenswear and hosiery, sales were comparatively unaffected by the COVID-19…

Childrenswear suffered a disruption, but less so compared with menswear and womenswear, in 2020, in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). This was partly because parents tend to prioritise goods for their children, but also because…

Childrenswear did not perform well even before the pandemic, as the number of children has been continuously decreasing in Japan. Growth was then hit hard in 2020, experiencing a double-digit decline, followed by a year of little movement in 2021 as…

In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…

The COVID-19 crisis had a differing impact on birth rates in different countries. In the Philippines, there was a baby boom, as an increased birth rate resulted from families being cooped up in their homes during the period of lockdowns. This has led…

Footwear volume is managing to stay in very small positive growth in 2023, which is expected to pick up slightly in 2024, then slump again over the forecast period. Meanwhile, value is being better supported by inflationary pressures pushing up unit…