Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew 7.8 per cent till August 2018, compared to last year. Exports to the EU fell 7.8 per cent in August 2018 due to Brexit which is disturbing the market.

Britain is the biggest market for Sri Lankan apparel within the EU. The UK took in 40.9 per cent of Sri Lankan apparel exports to Europe in 2017. Shipments to the US grew 21.5 per cent. Sri Lanka is a big supplier to US-based Victoria’s Secret. This brand has been hit by competition in the recent past. Fluctuating Victoria’s Secret sales over the past two years has trickled down to Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the US. But Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers have coped by increasing sales to other brands such as Calvin Klein, which are capitalising on new consumer trends to compete with Victoria’s Secret’s traditional products.

The country’s apparel exports to other markets were up 20.8 per cent from a year earlier. Exports for the first eight months of 2018 were up 4.5 per cent from 2017. Exports to the US were up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier and shipments to the EU were up 5.1 per cent.