Italian Menswear Exports Dip As Imports Soar Amidst Global Uncertainty

The Italian menswear sector experienced divergent trends in the first seven months of 2025, with exports declining while imports saw significant growth. According to ISTAT data, as analyzed by the Economic and Statistical Studies Office of Confindustria Moda and published by Pitti Immagine, exports for the period January to July 2025 decreased by 3.2% year-on-year, totaling 5.3 billion euros. Conversely, imports surged by 5.5%, reaching 3.8 billion euros for the same period.

A closer look at export destinations reveals a split performance between markets. Exports to the European Union showed a positive trend, growing by 2.4%. However, this growth was offset by a 7.8% contraction in exports to non-EU countries. Despite this decline, non-EU markets remained the primary destination for Italian menswear, absorbing 52.2% of total exports. On the import side, 44.8% of menswear entering Italy originated from EU countries, with the remaining 55.2% coming from non-EU markets.

Among export destinations, France maintained its position as the leading market, showing a modest 1.0% growth to 714 million euros, representing 13.4% of total exports. The United States solidified its second place with a robust 6.5% increase, reaching 561 million euros and accounting for 10.5% of the total. Germany ranked third at 527 million euros (9.9% share), despite a slight decline of 1.9%. The stable or positive performance of these top three markets collectively absorbed over one-third of the sector’s exports, significantly mitigating the overall decline.

Beyond the top three, other significant export markets presented mixed results. China experienced a notable reversal, falling by 18.4%. Spain, however, demonstrated positive growth of 5.1%, securing the fifth spot. The UK, the sixth-largest market, saw a 7.7% year-on-year decline. Japan registered a positive change of 3.7%, while Switzerland, a key logistics and trading hub, was down 17.6%. Poland stood out with exceptionally strong performance, recording a 30.1% increase.

In terms of imports, the first seven months of 2025 saw all top three sourcing markets exhibiting positive trends. Bangladesh remained the principal supplier, with imports valued at 509 million euros, marking a substantial 23.3% increase from 2024 and accounting for 13.5% of total imports. China followed as the second-largest supplier, growing by 27.0% to 457 million euros and strengthening its 12.1% share. Spain emerged as the third-largest and leading EU country, contributing 319 million euros with a 13.9% increase, making up 8.5% of the total.

Other dynamic sourcing markets included Pakistan (+26.5%), Vietnam (+23.3%), and notably Cambodia (+45.7%), all showing significant growth despite their currently limited shares. India also posted an increase of 14.8% to 76 million euros. Conversely, traditional European suppliers like France (-19.8%) and Germany (-21.1%) performed poorly on the import side.

A product-category analysis for exports reveals a general decline across most categories during the review period. Leather apparel was a notable exception, demonstrating strong growth of 8.0%. The sharpest decline was observed in knitwear, down 5.2%, followed by men’s tailored clothing, which fell by 2.6%.

For imports, positive trends were recorded in outerwear, increasing by 8.3%, and knitwear, up 5.0%. Leather apparel also showed a positive, albeit more moderate, result of 1.5%. In contrast, shirt imports fell by 4.6%, and ties experienced the steepest drop at 17.9%.

The Confindustria Moda Note concludes that 2025 began in an "uncertain context for fashion, and also for Italian menswear, with no concrete signs of recovery." The international macroeconomic landscape continues to be shaped by geopolitical tensions, market instability, and protectionist measures, particularly from the US. The absence of significant expansionary dynamics, combined with a persistent climate of uncertainty, suggests a continuation of the slowdown observed in the previous year.