Gitnux/Report 2026

Apparel and Clothing Industry Statistics

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107Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
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Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The apparel and clothing industry at a glance

The global apparel market was worth an estimated $1.87 trillion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $2.13 trillion by 2030, while production and exports remain concentrated in China and other Asian manufacturing hubs.

$1.87T[92]
Global market size, 2025
2.6%[92]
Forecast CAGR, 2025–2030
$165.24B[12]
China apparel exports, 2024
79,040[93]
U.S. apparel manufacturing jobs, 2025
Market size
The global apparel market was valued at $1.87 trillion in 2025, according to a World Trade Organization presentation, compared with $1.82 trillion in 2024. The estimate covers the broad apparel market rather than only cross-border trade.[92]
Forecast & CAGR
The market is forecast to increase from $1.87 trillion in 2025 to $2.13 trillion in 2030, implying growth of approximately 2.6% per year. McKinsey separately characterized fashion revenue growth in 2025 as low single digit, indicating a slower expansion phase than the post-pandemic rebound.[92][4]
Market share & regions
Apparel exports are concentrated in Asia. In 2024, China exported $165.24 billion and held 29.64% of global apparel exports, followed by Bangladesh at $38.48 billion and 6.90%; Türkiye exported $17.91 billion and held 3.21%.[12]
Segmentation
The U.S. apparel-manufacturing subsector is divided into apparel knitting mills, cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing. In 2025, U.S. apparel manufacturing employed 79,040 people, while sewing-machine operators accounted for 25,280 listed industry occupations.[93]
Key players & concentration
China remains the dominant exporting country, with 29.64% of global apparel exports in 2024. The top exporters also included Bangladesh, Türkiye, Vietnam and India, showing that the supply base is concentrated among a relatively small group of Asian manufacturing economies.[12]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The industry is being shaped by subdued growth, shifting consumer demand, supply-chain diversification and regulatory pressure for greater product traceability. In the United States, apparel manufacturing employment fell by 6,000 jobs during 2025, while the European Union is preparing textile-specific ecodesign and Digital Product Passport requirements.[93][73]
Consumer behavior & competition
Competition spans global mass-market retailers, sportswear companies, luxury groups, marketplaces and digitally native brands. McKinsey expected global fashion revenue growth to remain in the low single digits in 2025, reflecting cautious consumer spending and a more competitive market after the post-pandemic rebound.[4]
M&A
Fashion M&A remained active in 2026: G-III Apparel Group completed its acquisition of the Marc Jacobs operating business from LVMH on September 1, 2026, while G-III and WHP Global formed a 50–50 joint venture for the brand’s intellectual property. The transaction combines brand ownership, licensing and operating capabilities under a new structure.[94]
Regulation
Textile apparel is a priority product group under the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation working plan for 2025–2030. The European Commission plans adoption of a textile ecodesign delegated act in the fourth quarter of 2027, with Digital Product Passport requirements intended to improve supply-chain transparency and product-level information.[73]
Latest news
On September 1, 2026, G-III Apparel Group announced the completion of its acquisition of Marc Jacobs from LVMH. The transaction established a joint venture with WHP Global, with each party holding a 50% interest in the brand’s intellectual property.[94]
report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest apparel and clothing companies

Nike leads with $46.3B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Nike$46.3B
Inditex$43.1B
SHEIN$41.8B
adidas$26.8B
PVH$8.9B
Levi Strauss$6.3B
source-verifiedinvestors.nike.com · inditex.com · finance.yahoo.com · adidas-group.com · pvh.com · sec.gov2025

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Apparel And Clothing Industry

The leading companies in the apparel and clothing industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Inditex leads Gitnux's 2026 apparel and clothing ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with €39.9 billion in 2025 revenue and operating margin 20%. Fast Retailing is the highest-ranked casual apparel brand operator at 9.4, backed by 59,522 consolidated employees as of August 31, 2025.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in fashion retail

    Inditex

    ES

    Ranked #1 · 9.5 · Fashion retail brands

    Why we picked it: Global fashion retail and apparel brands, supported by scale and margins reported for 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit inditex.com ↗

  2. Leader in casual apparel retailers

    Fast Retailing

    JP

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Casual apparel retailers

    Why we picked it: UNIQLO-led casual apparel group, tracked by consolidated headcount and reported financial signals.

    See in ranking ↓Visit fastretailing.com ↗

  3. Leader in apparel manufacturing

    Shenzhou International

    CN

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Apparel manufacturing

    Why we picked it: Vertically integrated apparel manufacturer with a single large annual garment capacity figure.

    See in ranking ↓Visit shenzhouintl.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the apparel and clothing industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Inditex

Fashion retail brands · ES

9.5
2

Fast Retailing

Casual apparel retailers · JP

9.4
3

Shenzhou International

Apparel manufacturing · CN

9.1
4

adidas

Sportswear brands · DE

9.0
5

Nike

Sportswear brands · US

9.0
6

SHEIN

Global online fast-fashion apparel · SG

8.8
7

Levi Strauss

Global denim and casual apparel · US

8.7
8

Prada

Luxury fashion, apparel and accessories · IT

8.3
9

PVH

Global lifestyle and fashion brands · US

8.2
10

VF

Global outdoor, denim and lifestyle apparel · US

8.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the apparel and clothing industry. In Apparel And Clothing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-and-clothing-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption and planning use cases cluster in U.S. fashion, while robotics and traceability platform connectivity expand in textiles and apparel. Examples include 5,679 industrial robots installed in 2024.

AI in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 50.0% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for sustainability tracking and risk management in 2026.[1]
  • 75% of surveyed apparel and footwear executives identified knowledge assistance as the most compelling generative-AI use case.[2]
  • 56.3% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning in 2026.[1]
  • 33% of apparel organizations were already using AI in 2024, while 38% were implementing it and 27% were investigating it globally.[3]
  • 1% of apparel organizations reported having no plans to leverage AI in 2024, down from 23% in 2023.[3]
  • 4,700% was the increase in shopping-related searches on generative-AI platforms between 2024 and 2025, according to a fashion-industry analysis.[4]

Automation in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 29% was the year-on-year increase in industrial-robot installations in textiles from 2023 to 2024.[5]
  • 25% of companies in the European textile industrial ecosystem used artificial intelligence in 2024, up from 8% in 2023.[6]
  • 26% of companies in the European textile industrial ecosystem had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[6]
  • 20% of companies in the European textile industrial ecosystem used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2024.[6]
  • 14% of companies in the European textile industrial ecosystem used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2023.[6]
  • 5,679 industrial robots were installed in the global textiles industry in 2024, up 29% from 4,418 units in 2023.[5]

Digital Transformation in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 38.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU used online platforms in 2023.[6]
  • 4.8% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted digital-twin technology in 2023.[6]
  • 26% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU reported having a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[6]
  • 65% of textile companies in the 2023 sample had a website, according to analysis of company websites in the EU textile ecosystem.[6]

Technology Adoption in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 54% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used product-lifecycle-management software in 2023.[3]
  • 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used supply-chain-management software in 2023.[3]
  • 44% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used warehouse-management systems in 2023.[3]
  • 68% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used an online payment platform in 2023.[3]
  • 40% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used electronic data interchange in 2023.[3]
  • 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used enterprise resource planning software in 2023.[3]

Cloud Computing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 16% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[3]
  • 19% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[3]
  • 32.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted cloud technologies in 2023.[7]
  • 48% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[3]
  • 39% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[3]
  • 33% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU used cloud technology in 2024.[6]

Big Data in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of surveyed Indian companies said they were likely or very likely to adopt Big Data analytics within five years in 2023; the report identifies textile companies among respondents.[8]
  • 12.8% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted big-data technologies in 2023.[6]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Analytics maturity shows up as revenue and process changes tied to business-intelligence and AI. Traceability and data-sharing standards appear alongside KPI attribution improvements.

Business intelligence in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 37% of apparel organizations with annual revenue of $10 million to $19 million reported gathering data digitally and using analytics for business insights in 2023.[3]
  • 11.6% is the anticipated revenue growth for apparel organizations using industry-specific business-intelligence solutions, compared with 8% for organizations using legacy systems, according to a 2025 survey.[3]
  • 30% of apparel organizations with annual revenue of $20 million to $99 million reported gathering data digitally and using analytics for business insights in 2023.[3]
  • 27% of apparel organizations with annual revenue above $100 million reported gathering data digitally and using analytics for business insights in 2023.[3]
  • 45% was the average current penetration of business-intelligence solutions among manufacturing respondents in the 2024 industry study.[9]
  • 33% of apparel organizations with annual revenue of $20 million to $99 million reported completing a digital-transformation project and realizing benefits in 2023.[3]

Data analytics in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 14% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI for automation and digitalization of repetitive tasks in 2025.[3]
  • 18% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI to improve performance, efficiency, productivity and data accuracy in 2025.[3]
  • 10.5% was the actual profit growth recorded by fashion and apparel organizations already using AI during 2021–2022.[10]
  • 38% of fashion and apparel organizations were already using AI in 2023, while more than three-quarters were investigating, implementing or using it.[10]
  • 75% of fashion executives planned to prioritize data-driven planning and forecasting tools for inventory optimization in 2025.[11]
  • 43.8% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies reported using AI for customs, trade compliance and tariff optimization in 2026.[1]

Data Quality in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 75% of fabric-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 51% of garment-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 46% of fashion and apparel businesses had visibility into Tier 4 raw-material suppliers in 2025, according to a global industry survey.[13]
  • 77% of raw-material-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 79% of yarn-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 44% of fashion and apparel businesses verified their current traceability data in 2025, based on a survey of more than 450 industry professionals globally.[13]

Data Governance in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 38% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South used recognized industry standards for data sharing in 2025, while 44% used none and 18% were unsure.[12]
  • 32% of raw-material suppliers in the surveyed textile supply chains used recognized data-sharing standards in 2025, compared with 55% that used none.[12]
  • 52% of textile firms affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[12]
  • 83% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South actively shared product-related data with suppliers in 2025, while 17% had not adopted this practice.[12]
  • 30% of textile firms using recognized data-sharing standards reported using ISO/IEC 27001 in 2025, making it the most commonly cited standard.[12]
  • 45% of textile firms not affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[12]

KPIs in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 5.1 inventory turns was the FY2024 result for American Eagle Outfitters.[14]
  • 8.5% higher average order value was generated by stores using Retail X in 2025 compared with non-Retail X stores at a fashion and lifestyle brand.[15]
  • 4.4 inventory turns was the FY2024 result for Gap Inc.[14]
  • 3.4 inventory turns was the FY2024 result for Abercrombie & Fitch.[14]
  • 40% of apparel organizations attributed procurement KPI improvements to digital transformation in 2023, representing a 22% year-over-year improvement.[3]
  • 39% of apparel organizations attributed sales and customer-service on-time-in-full KPI improvements to digital transformation in 2023, representing a 13% year-over-year improvement.[3]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Strategy signals pair financial results with channel mix and acquisition deal values. Packaging label preferences and online engagement figures sit beside product and partnership timelines.

Growth in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 7.5% was Inditex’s 2024 revenue growth, reaching €38.6 billion globally.[16]
  • 14.1% was Stradivarius sales growth in 2024, the fastest growth among Inditex’s reported concepts.[16]
  • 5.8% was Inditex’s increase in gross new selling space during 2024 globally.[16]
  • 3% was Mountain Hardwear net-sales growth in 2024 for Columbia Sportswear.[15]
  • 11.8% was Bershka sales growth in 2024 globally.[16]
  • 5.9% was Inditex’s 2024 store-sales growth globally.[16]

Differentiation in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 47% of U.S. apparel category-actives valued environmental certification labels on packaging.[17]
  • 50% of U.S. apparel category-actives valued product origin or local production.[17]
  • 66% of U.S. apparel category-actives valued brands with fair labor practices.[17]
  • 87% of U.S. mainstream apparel consumers ranked value or price as a purchase priority.[17]
  • 86% of U.S. mainstream apparel consumers ranked performance as a purchase priority.[17]
  • 218 million active app accounts gave Inditex a large digital customer-engagement base in 2024.[18]

Mergers and acquisitions in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 59% of Q1 2024 covered apparel and accessories buyers were strategic acquirers.[19]
  • $4.4 billion was the reported enterprise value of Gildan Activewear’s 2025 acquisition of HanesBrands.[20]
  • $1.4 billion was the reported value of Authentic Brands Group’s 2025 acquisition of Guess.[20]
  • $899 million was the reported value of Kontoor Brands’ 2025 acquisition of Helly Hansen.[20]
  • $750 million was the reported value of Authentic Brands Group’s acquisition of Lee from Kontoor Brands in 2026.[20]
  • $311 million was the reported value of Authentic Brands Group’s 2025 acquisition of Dockers.[20]

Strategic partnerships in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 12 years was the extension signed by Nike, NBA, WNBA and NBA G League in 2024, running through 2037.[21]
  • 4 apparel and lifestyle silhouettes were included in Nike’s Autumn 2024 partnership capsule with designer Anna Deller-Yee.[21]
  • 10 years was the Nike-NFL partnership extension announced in 2024, running through 2038.[21]
  • More than a dozen apparel pieces were designed by Alexis Sablone for Nike SB and Converse CONS’s 2024 skateboarding kits.[21]
  • 2 colorways were offered in Nike and TOGETHXR’s 2025 Everyone Watches Women’s Sports apparel collection.[21]
  • 6 Air Max 1 colorways were among Nike and Patta’s collaborations by September 2024.[21]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce data highlights hiring and turnover alongside hybrid and remote work shares. Inditex also reports training hours at large participant scale, including 3.3 million training hours in 2024.

Hiring in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 18% of U.S. retail salespeople worked for firms selling clothing, accessories, shoes and jewelry in 2023.[22]
  • The U.S. clothing retail industry employed 1.5 million people in 2022, down from 1.8 million in 2017.[22]
  • 3,029 people were hired by Moncler under permanent or fixed-term contracts in 2024, including approximately 66% women and 44% younger than 30.[23]
  • U.S. apparel-manufacturing employment fell 11.0% from 2020 to 2025.[24]
  • Inditex provided more than 3.3 million training hours to more than 2.5 million participants from February 2024 through January 2025, indicating the scale of its workforce development and internal talent pipeline.[16]

Employee retention in the apparel and clothing industry

  • HUGO BOSS recorded a total employee turnover rate of 32% in 2024, up from 27% in 2023.[25]
  • HUGO BOSS’s voluntary employee turnover rate was 22% in 2024, up from 18% in 2023.[25]
  • Marimekko’s average employee turnover rate was 16.7% in 2024, down from 18.5% in 2023.[23]
  • HUGO BOSS’s retail voluntary turnover rate was 32% in 2024, compared with 30% in 2023.[25]
  • Moncler’s overall negative turnover rate was 17.8% in 2024, while turnover among permanent employees was 13.8%.[23]

Remote Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. manufacturers, 95% of employees with work flexibility use it, according to a 2024 member survey covering operations and production roles.[26]
  • In 2024, 15% of non-factory-floor employees at surveyed global manufacturers worked fully remotely, compared with 8% of factory-floor employees.[27]
  • Among non-manager manufacturing employees able to work remotely, 67% can work from home two days per week, according to a 2024 member survey.[26]
  • In a global survey of more than 1,000 fashion professionals, 65% identified flexible working policies as the most important employer benefit.[28]

Hybrid Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • In 2025, 23% of surveyed manufacturers were actively updating hybrid policies to add more structure around required office days.[26]
  • Across surveyed manufacturers in 2025, 79% operated a hybrid model for non-production employees, while 17% were fully back in the office.[26]
  • Among global manufacturers in 2024, 42% of non-factory-floor employees worked in hybrid arrangements, compared with 10% of factory-floor employees.[27]
  • Among fashion and beauty professionals globally, 52% preferred a hybrid schedule with two or three days in the office.[28]

Upskilling in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Inditex specialists received an average of 20.0 training hours per person in 2024.[16]
  • 3.3 million training hours were provided by Inditex in 2024, compared with more than 2.7 million hours in 2023.[16]
  • Inditex delivered 234,057 training hours focused on skills in 2023.[18]
  • Inditex delivered 1,360,243 corporate training hours in 2023.[18]
  • Inditex men received 953,986 training hours in 2024, based on the company’s gender-disaggregated training table.[16]

Employee Engagement in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • Burberry reported a colleague engagement score of 74 points in its fiscal 2023/24 Glint survey.[10]
  • Fast Retailing reported a 78.0% overall employee-engagement index in its fiscal 2025 survey, covering 36,827 respondents globally.[29]
  • NEXT Group reported a 75% overall employee-engagement score in 2025/26, exceeding its cited UK fashion-retail benchmark of 64%.[30]
  • Moncler Group recorded a 76% employee engagement rate in 2024, based on responses from 6,777 employees worldwide.[10]
  • H&M Group reported an employee satisfaction score of 76 out of 100 in 2024, up from 75 in 2023.[31]

DEI in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Nike’s target was 35% racial and ethnic minority representation in its U.S. workforce by fiscal 2025.[32]
  • Men were promoted to leadership roles 2.5 times more frequently than women across Nike’s strategic-supplier workforce in the latest reported data.[21]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer purchase behavior splits across free returns, delivery and pickup, and repeat-purchase benchmarks for ecommerce. Conversion and repeat rates are reported with multiple dataset sources.

Customer experience in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 55% of apparel shoppers said they would not purchase from a brand that did not offer free returns, according to Ryder’s consumer study.[33]
  • 68% of global fashion shoppers buy clothing, footwear or fashion items online for home delivery, according to ACI Worldwide’s survey.[34]
  • 21% of U.S. fashion shoppers buy online and collect in-store, according to ACI Worldwide’s survey.[34]
  • 35% of global fashion shoppers buy online and collect in-store, according to ACI Worldwide’s survey.[34]
  • 28% of global fashion shoppers buy online and return in-store, according to ACI Worldwide’s survey.[34]

Customer retention in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 11.4% was the reported repeat-purchase rate for clothing stores in the shortest period shown by By the Numbers.[35]
  • 16.6% was the repeat-purchase rate reported for sports-apparel stores in By the Numbers’ dataset.[35]
  • 19% was the reported retention rate for fashion and apparel ecommerce in Propel’s 2026 category benchmarks.[36]
  • 30% was the reported 12-month repeat-purchase rate for fashion and apparel ecommerce in Propel’s category benchmarks.[36]
  • 16.2% was the median 12-month repeat-purchase rate reported for clothing ecommerce stores in Mage Loyalty’s benchmark dataset.[37]

Customer acquisition in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 1.74% was the July 2026 session conversion rate reported for fashion, clothing and accessories ecommerce by Optyv.[38]
  • 1.76% was the median apparel-and-accessories ecommerce conversion rate from January through September 2026, according to Shogun data.[39]
  • 4.62 was the median marketing-efficiency ratio reported for fashion-and-accessories brands in Adtribute’s September 2026 benchmark panel.[40]
  • 2% was the average conversion rate for general apparel ecommerce in the first quarter of 2024, according to Shopify’s cited benchmark.[41]
  • 2.4% was the median conversion rate across fashion ecommerce stores in Centra’s study sample.[42]

Customer loyalty in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 65% of apparel shoppers said a returnless refund would make them want to shop with a brand again, according to Ryder’s 2024 study.[33]
  • 54% was the clothing-and-fashion loyalty score in 2024, making it the highest sector score shown in Emarsys’s global index.[43]
  • 59% of U.S. consumers surveyed said they were loyal to clothing and fashion brands in 2023, according to a Fashion Dive report on consumer research.[44]
  • 64% of shoppers had adopted artificial intelligence for ecommerce-related activities in Ryder’s 2026 consumer study.[45]
  • 61% of apparel shoppers shopped in-store for the experience of trying on or comparing products, according to Ryder’s 2024 study.[33]

Lead generation in the apparel and clothing industry

  • $429 was the median average order value for apparel-and-accessories ecommerce from January through September 2026, according to Shogun data.[39]
  • 6.13% was the 2024 click-through rate for apparel, fashion and jewellery ecommerce in Searchspring’s benchmark report.[46]
  • 3.33% was the 2024 conversion rate for apparel, fashion and jewellery ecommerce in Searchspring’s benchmark report.[46]
  • 3.01% was the reported November 2024 conversion rate for fashion, accessories and apparel ecommerce in Metricuno’s benchmark compilation.[47]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand investment planning and influencer delivery show up as quantified spending intent and content volumes. Earned media is also tracked across TikTok and total top-100 global fashion brands.

Marketing in the apparel and clothing industry

  • $32.2 billion was Louis Vuitton’s 2024 brand value, after a 23% year-over-year increase, making it the world’s most valuable apparel brand in the ranking.[48]
  • 71% of fashion executives planned to increase brand-marketing spending in 2024 compared with 2023, according to a global industry survey.[4]
  • 6.4% was global sportswear-sales growth attributed to women’s sportswear momentum around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.[48]
  • $13.8 billion was Rolex’s 2024 brand value, after a 29% increase, and the brand received a 90.16 Brand Strength Index score.[48]
  • 71% versus 46%: fashion executives were 25 percentage points more likely to plan higher brand-marketing spending than higher performance-marketing spending in 2024.[4]

Digital marketing in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 2.63 million fashion influencer posts were published on TikTok in 2023, generating a 2.26% average engagement rate.[49]
  • 15% of fashion executives planned to decrease performance-marketing spending in 2024, while 39% planned no change.[4]
  • 1.53% was the average engagement rate for fashion influencer content across platforms in 2023.[49]
  • 979,000 fashion influencer posts were published on Facebook in 2023, with a 0.21% average engagement rate.[49]
  • 1.21 trillion impressions were generated by fashion influencer content in 2023, mainly on Instagram.[49]

Branding in the apparel and clothing industry

  • $711 million was Havaianas’ 2024 brand value in Kantar’s global apparel ranking.[50]
  • $1.815 billion was Bershka’s 2024 brand value in Kantar’s global apparel ranking.[50]
  • $1.932 billion was Hugo Boss’s 2024 brand value in Kantar’s global apparel ranking.[50]
  • $1.595 billion was GU’s 2024 brand value in Kantar’s global apparel ranking.[50]
  • 110 was Lululemon’s 2024 Meaningful score among the apparel top ten, with category leadership identified as a strength.[50]

Social media in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 17% was the year-over-year decrease in organic fashion-brand mentions in January–August 2024.[51]
  • 92% of total fashion-brand influencer value in January–August 2024 came from organic content.[51]
  • 15% was the year-over-year increase in average audience size for mega fashion creators with 1 million to 5 million followers in 2024.[51]
  • 4% was TikTok’s year-over-year increase in fashion-brand mentions in January–August 2024.[51]
  • 74% of fashion-brand influencer mentions in January–August 2024 occurred on Instagram.[51]

Influencer Marketing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 1.8% was the average influencer engagement rate for giant fashion brands, compared with 1.9% for challengers and 1.6% for up-and-comers in 2024.[52]
  • $15.1 billion in earned media value was generated by the top 100 global fashion brands in 2025.[53]
  • 1.53% was the average engagement rate for fashion influencer content in 2023, rising to 2.26% on TikTok.[49]
  • 1.21 trillion impressions were generated by fashion influencer content globally in 2023, primarily on Instagram.[49]
  • 25% of fashion earned media value came from TikTok globally in 2025, following 45.2% year-over-year growth in TikTok fashion earned media value.[53]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operations constraints concentrate around equipment effectiveness, logistics, and returns economics. Estimated processing cost ranges include $16 billion–$22 billion for apparel e-commerce returns annually.

Process optimization in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 40%–60% is the typical overall equipment effectiveness range reported for apparel manufacturing because production remains labor-intensive and relatively low in automation.[54]
  • 34% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in production overall equipment effectiveness in 2023.[3]
  • 40% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation KPI improvements in maintenance and equipment utilization in 2023.[3]
  • 24% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation KPI improvements in business intelligence and analytics in 2023.[3]
  • 30% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in logistics efficiency in 2023.[3]

Operational efficiency in the apparel and clothing industry

  • $16 billion–$22 billion was the estimated annual cost of processing apparel e-commerce returns, including logistics, restocking and lost sales.[55]
  • $213.7 million was the estimated additional cash flow available to apparel retailers through unit-factor improvements in receivables, inventory and payables days.[56]
  • $800,000–$1.1 million was the estimated annual return-related cost for each brand among the 20,000 most active apparel marketplace sellers.[55]
  • $48.1 billion was the estimated value of apparel merchandise returned through e-commerce platforms in 2023.[55]
  • 24.4% of apparel items purchased online were returned in 2023, according to Podean’s apparel e-commerce analysis.[55]

Quality management in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 63% of PUMA factories had achieved the company’s manufacturing-restricted-substances-list target by 2024.[23]
  • 33% of consumers said returned clothing or footwear did not match the product description or photographs in Rithum’s 2025 survey.[57]
  • 31% of consumers said real-life customer photographs would make them less likely to return clothing or footwear in Rithum’s 2025 survey.[57]
  • 65% of apparel and footwear brands identified customer-service costs as a major return-cost driver, linking service failures and product-quality issues to operational losses.[58]
  • Approximately 20% of apparel and footwear inspections failed buyers’ stated acceptable-quality-limit requirements, according to QIMA benchmark reporting.[59]

Supply chain in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 72% of garment manufacturers used by Samsøe Samsøe’s suppliers underwent third-party audits in 2024.[42]
  • 52% of major fashion brands and retailers disclosed first-tier supplier lists in 2024.[60]
  • 44% of fashion businesses verified their current traceability data in Oritain’s 2025 survey.[13]
  • 61% of fashion businesses said traceability would be extremely or very important within three to five years in Oritain’s 2025 survey.[13]
  • 96% of garment manufacturers used by Samsøe Samsøe’s strategic vendors underwent third-party audits in 2024.[42]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. fashion companies, 46 countries were used as apparel sourcing destinations in 2025.[61]
  • Among U.S. fashion companies, 60% sourced less than 10% of their apparel products from China in 2025.[61]
  • Among surveyed apparel and footwear brands globally, 49% prioritized transforming their supply base to increase margins or decrease costs over the next two years.[62]
  • Among 67 surveyed apparel and footwear brands globally, approximately 7% reported mature practices across strategic sourcing, collaborative supply planning, and proactive supplier management.[62]
  • Among U.S. fashion companies, more than 80% planned to further reduce apparel sourcing from China over the following two years through 2027.[61]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Cost pressure and pricing expectations are tracked alongside margins and inventory impairment. Tariff and trade-barrier cost increases are expected by 100% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies in 2025.

Pricing strategy in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Decorated-apparel operating-cost inflation was 6.5% in the first quarter of 2024, exceeding the sector’s 3.2% price increase.[63]
  • 41% of fashion executives expected retail prices to increase by 1% to 5% in 2025, while 11% expected increases above 5%.[4]
  • 26% of fashion executives planned to raise prices by more than 5% in 2026, compared with 18% in luxury fashion globally.[4]
  • Prices increased 3.2% among decorated-apparel businesses in the first quarter of 2024 versus the prior year.[63]
  • Fashion executives expected low-single-digit volume growth to drive 2025 growth, with 40% forecasting volume increases of 1% to 5%.[4]

Cost reduction in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Nearly 90% of U.S. fashion companies expected shipping and logistics costs to rise in 2025.[61]
  • 22% of U.S. fashion companies expected a substantial sourcing-cost increase in 2025.[61]
  • 100% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies expected tariff and trade-barrier costs to increase in 2025.[61]
  • Nearly 80% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies expected a substantial increase in tariff and trade-barrier costs in 2025.[61]
  • Fashion-industry excess stock was estimated at $70 billion to $140 billion in sales value in 2023.[4]

Profitability in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Lululemon reported a 56.6% gross margin for fiscal 2025.[64]
  • Ralph Lauren reported a 69.9% gross margin for fiscal 2025.[64]
  • U.S. publicly traded apparel companies recorded a 3.9% net margin in January 2026.[65]
  • Chanel’s operating margin fell to 24% in 2024 from 32.49% in 2023.[66]
  • U.S. publicly traded apparel companies recorded an 11.5% EBITDA margin in January 2026.[65]

Financial planning in the apparel and clothing industry

  • U.S. fashion executives identified higher tariffs as the most significant driver of cost increases in 2025, with all respondents expecting tariff costs to rise.[61]
  • Impaired inventory represented approximately 4% to 8% of LVMH and Kering’s combined sales in 2023.[4]
  • Luxury inventories increased by 2 percentage points in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.[4]
  • Gap Inc. reported $229 million of operating income for fiscal 2025.[67]
  • PUMA’s apparel gross-profit margin declined 2.6 percentage points in 2025, from 48.6% to 46.0%.[68]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product development calendars and repair and circular models are quantified through adoption and measured outcomes. European Repair Cafés report 97% of trousers and pants successfully repaired in 2025.

Product development in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 13% of the most popular clothing items bought online contained at least 20% recycled content in the EEA assessment.[69]
  • 15.3% of EU textile companies reported using circular design focused on recyclability in 2023.[6]
  • 60% of apparel, footwear, equipment, accessories and personal-product brands operated on an 11–19-month product-development calendar in 2024, according to a global brand survey.[70]
  • 17.8% of EU textile companies reported using renting, leasing or related service models in 2023.[6]
  • 27% of consumers agreed they would wear textile apparel longer if they were better at repairing it.[71]

Product lifecycle in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 4%–9% of textile products placed on the European market were estimated to be destroyed before use, equal to 264,000–594,000 tonnes annually.[69]
  • 2 times was the estimated average product-life extension from refurbishment models for textile products.[72]
  • 1.8 times was the estimated average product-life extension from rental models for textile products.[72]
  • 1.7 times was the estimated average product-life extension from re-commerce models for textile products.[72]
  • Less than 1% of textiles worldwide were estimated to be recycled into new textiles in the European Commission’s textile strategy.[73]

After-sales in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 97% of trousers and pants brought to the participating European Repair Cafés were successfully repaired in 2025.[69]
  • 68,342 pairs of jeans were repaired by Nudie Jeans in 2024.[74]
  • 8% of textile repairs logged by European Repair Cafés were classified as rather difficult or difficult in 2025.[69]
  • 20% of EU textile companies reported using repair workshops or repair cafés as a green business model in 2023.[6]
  • 3,000 textile items were successfully repaired at the participating European Repair Cafés in 2025.[69]

Value proposition in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 55% of US consumers said fit was important when purchasing clothing in survey responses collected from August 2025 to August 2026.[75]
  • 79% of US consumers said they were confident in judging clothing quality regardless of price.[76]
  • More than 70% of customers planned to purchase from outlets or off-price retailers in the following 12 months, even if their discretionary budget increased.[4]
  • 79% of US consumers said price and product quality were each top considerations when selecting a clothing retailer in a 2024 survey.[77]
  • 69% of US consumers said they valued unique clothing more when they found it in a 2024 survey.[77]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability coverage combines employment scale with disclosure gaps and emissions trajectory. The dataset also includes repair success rates and emissions growth projections.

Sustainability in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 80% of garment-manufacturing employment was estimated to be held by women, highlighting the sector’s gender dimension of sustainability.[78]
  • 91 million people were employed globally in textiles and garments in 2019, making the sector a major focus for sustainable employment transitions.[78]
  • 4 kilograms per person of EU textile consumption in 2022 consisted of footwear.[69]
  • 323 square metres per person of land use were associated with textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.[69]
  • 12 cubic metres per person of blue water were used in the supply chain of textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.[69]

ESG in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 90% of fashion brands did not disclose water risks in the 2025 industry assessment.[79]
  • 55 apparel companies were assessed in the 2023 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark apparel-sector review.[80]
  • 49 points out of 100 was the 2023 score for Fast Retailing in the apparel-sector human-rights benchmark.[80]
  • 69% of assessed apparel companies improved their score on key human-rights indicators since their inclusion in the benchmark.[80]
  • 15 points out of 100 was Nike’s 2023 apparel-sector human-rights benchmark score.[80]

Ethics in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Around 94 million workers were employed globally by the garment industry, with nearly 60% estimated to be women.[78]
  • 21 points out of 100 was the average score in the 2023 apparel and footwear human-rights benchmark.[81]
  • 20% of the garment industry’s value was estimated to have been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.[78]
  • Nearly 80% of garment workers were women in some regions, according to the ILO’s global garment-industry overview.[78]
  • 75% of global garment-sector workers were located in Asia in the ILO’s industry overview.[78]

CSR in the apparel and clothing industry

  • Textiles and garments ranked fourth overall among employment sectors for women in Asia and the Pacific in 2019.[78]
  • 50 million women were employed in the combined global textiles and garment sectors in 2019.[78]
  • More than 5% of working women in Asia and the Pacific were employed in textiles and garments in 2019.[78]
  • Over 90 million people were employed by the textiles and clothing sectors, predominantly women, according to the ILO’s 2025 sector brief.[78]
  • 42 million women were employed in Asia’s garment sector in the ILO’s global overview.[78]

Circular economy in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 13% of the most popular clothing items sold online in five European countries contained at least 20% recycled content in February 2026.[69]
  • 32% of online clothing items containing recycled material had at least 50% recycled content in the February 2026 sample.[69]
  • 15% of textile and shoe waste discarded by EU households was separately collected in the latest EEA indicator.[69]
  • 95% of textiles brought to European Repair Cafés in 2025 could be successfully repaired.[69]
  • 10% of online clothing items containing recycled material were made from 100% recycled material in the February 2026 sample.[69]

Carbon footprint in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 7.5% was the increase in apparel, footwear and textile-industry emissions during 2023, based on verified facility data.[82]
  • 30% was the projected increase in fashion-industry emissions by 2030 without further action.[4]
  • 94% of major fashion brands lacked a public renewable-energy target in the 2024 assessment.[83]
  • 47% of major fashion brands disclosed a Science Based Targets initiative target covering their entire value chain in 2024.[83]
  • 40% of fashion brands had increased emissions after making sustainability commitments, according to McKinsey’s analysis.[4]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Globalization indicators combine workforce coverage in Better Work and sourcing concentration patterns. The export base remains Asian-heavy, while Better Work participation is tracked through countries and factory counts.

Globalization in the apparel and clothing industry

  • More than 3.7 million workers were covered by Better Work programmes at the end of 2025.[91]
  • 18.6% of Inditex store and online sales came from the Americas in 2024.[16]
  • More than 2,200 garment factories participated in Better Work programmes at the end of 2025.[91]
  • 11 countries were covered by Better Work’s global garment-industry programmes at the end of 2025.[91]
  • €38.6 billion was Inditex’s 2024 net sales across its international fashion concepts.[16]

Cultural adaptation in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 28% of global fashion consumers expected to spend more on clothes, footwear or accessories while travelling in the year ahead in the 2024 survey.[4]
  • 17 percentage points more EU silver-generation consumers preferred multi-brand physical stores than younger consumers in the 2025 fashion survey.[4]
  • 17 percentage points fewer Chinese silver-generation consumers preferred resale or secondhand websites than younger consumers in the 2025 survey.[4]
  • 19 percentage points more EU silver-generation consumers preferred multi-brand e-commerce than younger consumers in the 2025 survey.[4]
  • 47% of Chinese consumers aged over 50 used social media such as WeChat to discover fashion in the 2025 BoF-McKinsey survey.[4]

Supplier management in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 709 garment factories participated in Better Work Cambodia in 2024.[91]
  • 736,749 garment workers were covered by Better Work Viet Nam in 2024.[91]
  • 91 garment factories participated in Better Work Jordan in 2024.[91]
  • 64 garment factories participated in Better Work Egypt in 2024.[91]
  • 107 garment factories participated in Better Work Pakistan in 2024.[91]

Stakeholder management in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 30% was the increase in Cambodia’s garment, footwear and travel-goods firms between 2020 and 2024.[91]
  • 75% of Jordan’s garment production workforce were women, according to Better Work Jordan.[91]
  • 381 assessments of garment factories formed the main basis of Better Factories Cambodia’s 2024 compliance summary.[91]
  • 5% was Inditex’s reduction in emissions between 2018 and 2024 while sales increased by 47%.[18]
  • US$204 was Cambodia’s monthly garment-sector minimum wage in 2024.[91]

Distribution channels in the apparel and clothing industry

  • 15% was the approximate share of UNIQLO sales generated online in fiscal 2025.[29]
  • 17 percentage points more EU silver-generation consumers preferred multi-brand e-commerce than younger consumers in the 2025 fashion survey.[4]
  • Approximately 20% was the online-sales share of UNIQLO in Greater China in fiscal 2025.[29]
  • €10.2 billion was Inditex online sales in 2024.[16]
  • Approximately 20% was the online-sales share of UNIQLO in North America in fiscal 2025.[29]

Key questions about the apparel and clothing industry

What is the current size of the global apparel market and where is it headed?
The global apparel market was worth an estimated $1.87 trillion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $2.13 trillion by 2030.
How fast is apparel demand expected to grow?
The forecast implies growth of approximately 2.6% per year for 2025–2030.
Which companies lead the apparel and clothing industry?
Inditex leads Gitnux's 2026 apparel and clothing ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with €39.9 billion in 2025 revenue and operating margin 20%. Fast Retailing is the highest-ranked casual apparel brand operator at 9.4, backed by 59,522 consolidated employees as of August 31, 2025.
What technology shifts show up most in apparel operations and analytics?
In 2026, 50.0% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for sustainability tracking and risk management, while 56.3% used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning.
How concentrated is apparel production and exports by country?
China exported $165.24B in 2024 and held 29.64% of global apparel exports, with concentration also reflected in Bangladesh and Türkiye shares.
What return and inventory pressure indicators matter for retailers?
Apparel returns were estimated at a $48.1 billion value in 2023, with 24.4% of apparel items purchased online returned in 2023.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Apparel And Clothing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-and-clothing-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Apparel And Clothing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/apparel-and-clothing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Apparel And Clothing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-and-clothing-industry-statistics.

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