Apparel, Clothing and Footwear

Footwear is enjoying strong growth in 2023, with both retail value and volume sales rising by double digits following declines the previous year. On the other hand, sports footwear has been a more robust performer since 2021. Driven by the rising…

Discounting activities have been gathering pace in footwear as players deploy this strategy to clear out accumulated stock gathered during the pandemic, and to mitigate declines in volume sales as a result of inflationary pressures which are…

After seeing close to double-digit current value growth in 2022, footwear has been facing challenges in Germany in 2023, and growth is set to slow. Several insolvencies have been filed in 2023 – an increase compared with the year before –…

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…

Footwear is witnessing volume sales decline in 2023, due to substantial price increases. As in apparel, footwear has been challenged with rising costs of raw materials like leather. The devaluation of the Egyptian pound and the war in Ukraine has…

Footwear is struggling to recover from the harsh impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with retail volume and current values sales still below pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Although 2021 brought a renewed interest in footwear with consumers returning to…

Colombian consumers' widespread adoption of sneakers/trainers, particularly white sneakers, can be attributed to their willingness to embrace global fashion trends. The growth of sneakers sales helped drive general growth of footwear in 2023. White…

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…

Despite a weak performance in terms of retail volume sales in 2023, footwear in Chile is demonstrating robust current value growth, primarily driven by the men’s and women’s segments. Notably, a proportion of this growth can be attributed to price…

Footwear experienced robust growth in 2023, building on strong performances in 2022 and 2021, with all categories delivering value growth. Despite flat volume growth due to consumer pressures from high inflation rates for everyday necessities, such…

In 2023, Brazil experienced a challenging economic landscape, shaped by the lingering impacts of the global economic crisis and the ominous shadow of high inflation. A continued surge in footwear prices due to the economic downturn, fuelled by…

Footwear has been under particular stress with the shift from traditional leather shoes to other materials and sports shoes for many years. In particularly, children’s footwear has been under pressure, and it is projected to see the biggest decline…

In the dynamic footwear landscape in Australia, a tale of resilience and adaptability is unfolding. Despite facing headwinds from economic slowdown and soaring inflation, footwear is set to sustain steady growth in both retail volume and current…

A large proportion of footwear sold in Argentina is manufactured domestically using imported raw materials. This is particularly the case with sports footwear from leading international brands. For example, the Brazilian Grupo Dass manufactures…

During the height of the pandemic era (2020 and 2021), sales of childrenswear plummeted in value and volume terms as children were required to stay at home, by government diktat, and schools were closed. However, the end of the pandemic, alongside…

The demand for childrenswear is dampened by demographic trends, with the fertility rate and 0-3-year-old population seeing a downward trajectory in the country. In addition, the 4-14-year-old population started to drop towards the end of the review…

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.…

Following the pandemic-related baby boom, birth rates in the UK are now declining, but demand for childrenswear continues to grow. However, a stronger performance in value growth terms is being driven by unit price increases. Childrenswear faces…

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…

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…

Anticipated healthy growth in childrenswear across its three subcategories in 2023 is being propelled by sustained demand for quality products and an escalating interest in fashion and design. The extended use of social media platforms is…

Childrenswear is expected to see a further, and stronger, decline in retail volume sales and a moderate, but much slower, retail current value increase over 2023. There was some fluctuation or downsizing about the performance of the category overall.…

The purchasing behaviour of Thai parents and guardians is becoming more sophisticated when it comes to purchasing childrenswear. While they are still looking for value-for-money they are also increasingly focusing on both fashion and product quality.…

Overall volume and current value growth rates for childrenswear in 2023 are set to be more modest than those recorded by womenswear and menswear, primarily because birth rates in Taiwan are in long-term decline. This demographic trend has resulted in…

In 2023, childrenswear in Sweden is anticipated to follow the overall apparel trend, showing a decrease in retail volume sales. The landscape remained relatively stable during COVID-19, but similar shopping patterns influence it, as some Swedish…

Retail sales of childrenswear in Spain registered relatively modest growth in constant value terms in 2023, with the high cost of living being the key factor behind this trend. With many households exposed to rising interest rates, given the high…

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…

Many local consumers remain extremely price sensitive in 2023 due to high levels of inflation impacting the prices of food, fuel, mortgage and even rent in South Africa. Hence, they are looking for value for money when they purchase childrenswear.…

Despite Singapore experiencing a declining birth rate, with a record decline seen in 2022, childrenswear is set to maintain growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. These increases can primarily be attributed to the lifting of…

Childrenswear sees overall support from the baseline fact that children need an ongoing supply of clothing as they grow out of their clothes within relatively short periods of time. As such, childrenswear has shorter lifecycles than apparel for women…

Romanian consumers are showing a tendency to be more frugal in the context of high inflation with rising prices for raw materials and final products. This was reflected in a slight deceleration of the volume trend in 2023, though growth remained…

After the decline registered in 2020 due to COVID-19 and successive lockdowns, childrenswear registered noticeable growth in 2021. Nevertheless, in 2022 and 2023, retail volume slowed down, lower than levels seen in men and womenswear, as parents…

Over recent years, second-hand shopping gained global traction, primarily among Gen Z. This trend has now transcended demographics, notably appealing to parents of small children. With Poland's ongoing cost of living crisis and the rapid growth of…

Childrenswear has seen volume sales decline in 2023, while inflation and rising unit prices have boosted current value sales, similar to the overall trend in apparel. While childrenswear did not experience the same fluctuations as other apparel…

Childrenswear saw a strong decline in retail volume terms in 2023 as demand fell due to consumers struggling to manage their finances as soaring inflation impacted the market. The inflationary conditions were driven primarily by the depreciation of…

Decreasing birth rates, largely influenced by post-pandemic economic repercussions, led to a weakened market for baby and toddler wear. The postponement of childbearing due to economic uncertainty, reduced marriages, and increased celibacy, driven by…

Films targeted towards children, or those featuring iconic childhood characters, significantly influence childrenswear trends. Licensing has always been essential to boost sales in this category, especially with the regular release of children’s…

Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, childrenswear saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales of childrenswear were comparatively unaffected by the pandemic, as despite the lockdown, parents still needed to…

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…

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 has faced various headwinds. The several increases in interest rates and high inflation, which averaged at around 4.3% in 2022 and 2023, compounded by the political turmoil revolving around the government’s contentious judicial reforms,…

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 has been experiencing a notable surge in sales, fuelled by younger parents’ changing preferences and spending habits. With the rise of dual-income households, these parents possess more significant disposable incomes, enabling them to…

The high inflation that prevailed in Hungary during 2022 and during 2023 led many consumers to make changes to their consumer habits in an effort to save money. This contributed to the significant shift towards more budget-friendly options that was…

With the removal of lockdowns and the reopening of Hong Kong’s border, sales of childrenswear have notably rebounded in 2023. However, local demand for childrenswear remains tepid. The declining birth rate in Hong Kong was already placing pressure on…

Within apparel and footwear, childrenswear was the least affected by COVID-19 and lockdowns, so the high growth recovery rates seen in apparel for adults are not as evident in childrenswear in 2023. Widespread and ongoing economic uncertainty is…

Childrenswear in Germany is expected to continue to see current value growth in 2023, given the high inflation rate and resultant price increases. Nevertheless, volume sales are set to decline, reflecting the cost-of-living crisis and low consumer…

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 is facing the same economic issues as menswear and womenswear in 2023. Retail volume sales have decreased in 2023, due to the high costs of living and soaring childrenswear prices. The rising cost of living has forced parents to make…

In 2023, childrenswear continues to see robust growth in value terms, although this is largely driven by inflation and price increases. Inflation has fallen slightly, but it continues to be a hindrance to volume growth, with sales pushed back into…