Revenue of the apparel market in North America 2018

With a volume of more than 300 billion Euros the Clothes market is the most important non-food segment within the European retail sector. It comprises all clothing segments that are produced for private end customers. This market is broken down into the following product lines: women’s apparel, men’s apparel, sportswear and swimwear, underwear, hosiery and other clothes. Work clothes as well as other personal accessories such as watches and jewelry, handbags or similar items that do not count as actual articles of clothing are not included. The European clothing market is mostly based on imports. A noteworthy amount of actual producers can only be found in some Mediterranean countries (Spain, Italy) and Eastern Europe. The most important procurement countries are located in Asia (China, Vietnam and Bangladesh). Turkey, however, is also of significance in this regard. Nike, ZARA, H&M and Uniqlo are the most valuable fashion brands in the world. In addition, there are numerous small, middle-sized and big brands that operate successfully at a national or regional level. Along general lines, the distribution channels can be divided into stationary suppliers of multi-label products (department stores, traditional specialist shops), vertically integrated textile chains (e.g. H&M, Primark) and mail-order businesses (e-commerce, ordering by catalog). Furthermore, some fashion brands seek direct contact with their customers through single-label stores. The upswing in online shopping and the continuing expansion of the major textile chains leads to an increasing pressure on price levels in an ever-growing total market.