Consumer spending on clothing in Italy 2008-2018

In 2018, Italian households spent approximately 51 billion euros on clothing. According to OECD data, from 2008 to 2018 the total consumption expenditure on clothing of Italian households fluctuated between 50 billion and 55 billion euros. Comparing this figure with the consumption expenditure in other European countries reveals the importance of this product category for Italians: French households, for example, spent in total only 36 billion euros on clothing in 2016.

Clothing manufacturing is struggling in Italy

Italy is home to some of the most famous fashion companies in the world. However, with the exception of the most successful brands, the clothing manufacturing sector appeared to be struggling in the last years. As a matter of fact, the number of Italian apparel manufacturing companies decreased steadily since 2011. Consequently, the number of people employed in the sector also experienced a significant decrease.

Exports don’t suffer

Italian clothes are appreciated abroad. Despite the stagnation on the domestic market, Italian clothing manufacturers are focusing on foreign markets: the value of clothes exported from Italy increased from 13.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 23.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2017. In particular, the most famous brands generate most of their revenues abroad.