Italian menswear: exports down 3.2%, imports up 5.5% in the first seven months of 2025

In the first seven months of 2025, Italian menswear saw divergent trends between imports and exports. According to ISTAT data, exports for the period January to July 2025 fell by 3.2% compared with the same period of the previous year, to 5.3 billion euros. Conversely, imports grew by 5.5%, reaching 3.8 billion euros. France remained the main destination for Italian menswear, followed by the US and Germany. The top three sourcing markets, Bangladesh, China, and Spain, recorded double-digit increases. Exports of leather apparel performed well; on the import side, outerwear and knitwear were up.

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These are the main findings of the Note prepared by the Economic and Statistical Studies Office of Confindustria Moda, published by Pitti Immagine.

With reference to export destinations, the EU market showed a positive trend, with growth of 2.4%, while exports to non-EU countries contracted by 7.8%. Despite the decline, non-EU markets remained the main destination for Italian menswear exports, absorbing 52.2% of the total. In terms of share, 44.8% of menswear imported into Italy came from EU countries, while the remaining 55.2% originated from non-EU markets.

In the period under review, France confirmed its position as the leading market for Italian menswear, with year on year growth of 1.0% to 714 million euros, accounting for 13.4% of total exports. The US followed, consolidating second place with an increase of 6.5% to 561 million euros, equivalent to 10.5% of the total. Germany ranked third, with exports of 527 million euros and a 9.9% share, despite a slight decline of 1.9%. The positive, or at least stable, performance of these three markets—together absorbing more than one-third of the sector’s exports—helped significantly to mitigate the overall decline seen in many other destinations.

In fourth place, China reversed course, falling by 18.4%. Spain ranked fifth, up 5.1%, while the UK, the sixth-largest market by value, fell 7.7% year on year. Japan followed, with a positive change of 3.7%, and Switzerland, a strategic logistics and trading hub for the sector’s leading brands, was down 17.6%. Poland performed very strongly, up 30.1%.

Regarding imports, in the first seven months of 2025 the top three sourcing markets for menswear all showed positive trends. Bangladesh remained the main supplier, with a value of 509 million euros, up 23.3% compared with the same period in 2024; its share of total imports was 13.5%. China ranked second, with 457 million euros and growth of 27.0%, covering 12.1% of total imports and further strengthening its position. Spain was third—and the leading EU country—with 319 million euros and an increase of 13.9%, accounting for 8.5% of the total.

Pakistan (+26.5%), Vietnam (+23.3%) and, in particular, Cambodia (+45.7%) stood out for their dynamism, albeit with still limited shares. India also grew, up 14.8% to 76 million euros. France (-19.8%) and Germany (-21.1%) performed poorly.

By product, in the first seven months of 2025 exports declined across most categories. Only leather apparel stood out, up 8.0%. The sharpest decline was in knitwear, down 5.2%, followed by men’s tailored clothing, down 2.6%.

As for imports, increases were recorded for outerwear, up 8.3%, and knitwear, up 5.0%. Leather apparel also posted a positive, albeit more moderate, result of 1.5%. By contrast, shirts fell 4.6%, and especially ties, which saw the steepest drop at 17.9%.

“The year 2025 began in a still-uncertain context for fashion, and also for Italian menswear, with no concrete signs of recovery. The international macroeconomic framework is shaped by geopolitical tensions, instability in the markets and protectionist measures, especially from the US. The absence of significant expansionary dynamics, combined with a still-uncertain climate of confidence, suggests a continuation of the slowdown already evident in the previous year,” the Note concludes.