Italian fabric production declined 4.1 per cent in the first semester of 2015 compared to the same period last year. The country’s textile exports recorded a 2.3 per cent loss in the first five months of the year. At the same time, fabric imports into Italy declined by four per cent, resulting in a trade surplus. Wool fabric exports recorded the strongest growth, followed by linen, while all other fibers saw their sales abroad decrease.

In the first five months of 2015, Germany was as always the first outlet for Italian exports, with a 10.6 per cent share of the total, though it recorded an 8.3 per cent decrease. Romania, the second destination for Italian fabrics, also declined by 4.3 per cent and so did France, Italy’s third textile market, by 1.3 per cent.

Among non-European destinations, exports to Tunisia plunged by 27.9 per cent. At the same time, exports to China grew 12.7 per cent and those to Hong Kong by 9.8 per cent. These two destinations together now represent the second biggest export outlet for Italian textiles. A 15.2 per cent expansion was also recorded by the US, which is the fourth biggest market for fabrics made in Italy.