The Italian menswear sector exhibited contrasting performance in the first seven months of 2025, according to a recent analysis by the Economic and Statistical Studies Office of Confindustria Moda, published by Pitti Immagine. While exports declined by 3.2 per cent Y-o-Y to €5.3 billion, imports grew by 5.5 per cent to €3.8 billion.
The overall decline in exports was primarily driven by a sharp contraction in non-EU countries, which fell by 7.8 per cent. Despite this setback, non-EU markets remain crucial, accounting for 52.2 per cent of total Italian menswear exports. In contrast, the EU market showed a positive trend, growing by 2.4 per cent.
France remained the leading market, with exports to the market growing by 1.0 per cent to €714 million. The US consolidated its second-place position with a strong 6.5 per cent increase, reaching €561 million. Germany ranked third at €527 million, despite a slight 1.9 per cent dip in exports to the country.
The positive or stable performance of these top three markets - which collectively absorb over a third of the sector’s exports - significantly mitigated the overall decline. However, major markets like China and Switzerland recorded sharp reversals. Spain and Japan posted moderate gains, while exports to Poland increased by 30.1 per cent.
Most product categories saw declines, with the notable exception of leather apparel, which grew by 8.0 per cent. Knitwear saw the sharpest drop followed by tailored clothing.
Italian menswear imports grew by 5.5 per cent, largely due to strong sourcing activity from Asian markets. Non-EU markets supplied 55.2 per cent of total imports, with EU countries accounting for the remaining 44.8 per cent.
Bangladesh remained the largest supplier, with imports rising by 23.3 per cent to €509 million. China strengthened its position with imports from the country growing 27.0 per cent to €457 million while imports from Spain rose by 13.9 per cent to €319 million.
In terms of products, imports of outerwear grew by 8.3 per cent and knitwear increased by 5.0 per cent. Shirts and ties, which saw the steepest fall, contracted.
