Together with a great number of wearing apparel manufacturers, which employed over 165 thousand individuals in 2014, two important sectors of the apparel manufacturing market are the knitting industry and the textile industry. Hence, in 2013, the annual turnover of clothing retail stores amounted to 25 million euros. Of them, chain stores were one of the most used retail sales channels in 2015.
The role of e-commerce websites is on the rise, boosting the trend in online shopping. Female e-commerce customers, who represent 50 percent of Italian online clothing shoppers, seemed to purchase mostly cosmetics, health and wellness products, jewelry, footwear and clothing. However 'not being able to try clothes on' is a major concern among consumers when shopping for clothes online.
Similarly, animal-free clothing is a growing trend in the industry. Despite the awareness of the existence of animal free alternatives to several fabrics, such as fur, leather and wool, there are diverse opinions about switching brands and/or stores so as not to buy clothing articles made of animal-derived materials.
