The influence and the impact that the Italian apparel industry has on the country’s GDP and export revenue is significant. Notably, the sector employs more than 4,10,000 workers in just over 50,000 apparel companies spread all across Italy. Over half of its sales in 2015 were generated from overseas markets.
Also Read – Indian textile and clothing industry to reach US $ 314 billion by 2025
The US, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Russia and Turkey are some of the largest exporting destinations for Italian apparel products. Apparels made up nearly 4 per cent of the total annual exports from the country. Womenswear is the largest segment in the apparel industry and is growing by 2.3 per cent year on year. In comparison, men’s wear is increasing at 0.9 per cent.
The country now aims to globally promote its apparel and textile industry as well as fashion exports. Their plans include funding trade shows and multichannel marketing and distribution, expanding “Made in Italy” brands into more department stores and e-commerce platforms all over the world. The gross value of Italy’s apparel market was estimated at US $ 36.6 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach US $ 42 billion by 2020.
