Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The European fashion market was valued at approximately €375 billion in 2023
The average European spends €782 annually on clothing
France is Europe's largest fashion exporter, accounting for over €40 billion in exports in 2022
Italy's textile and fashion industry generated over €92 billion in turnover in 2022
Germany has the largest apparel market in Europe with revenues exceeding €70 billion in 2023
The UK fashion industry contributes £35 billion to the UK economy annually
The European Union exported €34.4 billion worth of clothing in 2022
1.7 million people in the EU are employed in the textile and clothing sectors
Online fashion sales in Europe grew by 18% year-on-year in 2023
Spain's fashion giant Inditex (owner of Zara) earned over €32.5 billion in revenues in 2023
The share of second-hand clothing purchases in Europe increased to 16% in 2022
67% of EU consumers consider sustainability when purchasing fashion products
The European luxury goods market is worth €135 billion as of 2023
Consumer Behavior and Spending
- The average European spends €782 annually on clothing
- The share of second-hand clothing purchases in Europe increased to 16% in 2022
- 67% of EU consumers consider sustainability when purchasing fashion products
- In 2023, approximately 33% of fashion purchases in Europe were made online
- 72% of young consumers (aged 16-29) in Western Europe bought fashion online in 2023
- 25% of UK consumers bought second-hand clothes in 2023
- Luxury online penetration in Europe reached 12% in 2023
- 64% of Germans consider ethical production when buying fashion products
- Austrian consumers purchase on average 60 pieces of clothing per year
- The average luxury shopper in Europe spends €2,500 annually
- 58% of Gen Z in Europe purchased from sustainable fashion brands in 2023
Interpretation
As Europeans spend hundreds to thousands of euros dressing themselves each year, a digital-savvy, ethically-conscious wave—led by Gen Z and riding the second-hand and sustainability trend—is reshaping fashion from fast to thoughtful, making the runway increasingly eco-friendly and online.
Market Size and Economic Impact
- The European fashion market was valued at approximately €375 billion in 2023
- Italy's textile and fashion industry generated over €92 billion in turnover in 2022
- Germany has the largest apparel market in Europe with revenues exceeding €70 billion in 2023
- The UK fashion industry contributes £35 billion to the UK economy annually
- 1.7 million people in the EU are employed in the textile and clothing sectors
- Online fashion sales in Europe grew by 18% year-on-year in 2023
- Spain's fashion giant Inditex (owner of Zara) earned over €32.5 billion in revenues in 2023
- The European luxury goods market is worth €135 billion as of 2023
- The circular fashion market in Europe was valued at €30 billion in 2022
- 89% of European textile companies are SMEs
- Sweden's H&M reported nearly €19.6 billion in global sales in 2023
- The fashion resale industry in Europe is projected to reach €65 billion by 2025
- The green fashion segment in Europe is growing at a rate of 10% annually
- Textile production in the EU dropped 7.6% in volume in 2022 compared to 2021
- Sweden’s fashion industry contributes 1.5% to national GDP
- The resale platform Vinted has over 80 million users across Europe
- Online-only fashion retailers accounted for 28% of Europe's fashion ecommerce in 2023
- Greece’s fashion market reached €3.4 billion in 2023
Interpretation
In Europe, fashion isn’t just about what’s worn on the runway—it’s a €375 billion economic powerhouse powered by millions of jobs, SMEs, and digital innovation, primped with luxury, laced with sustainability, and increasingly stitched together by secondhand savvy.
Regional and Country-Specific Insights
- Luxury fashion in Italy comprises 40% of Europe’s total luxury revenues
- Belgium has over 4,500 fashion-related companies
- Ireland's fashion retail sales rose 9.5% year-on-year in 2023
- Romania employs over 150,000 people in its textile industry
- Poland’s fashion industry grew 7% in value in 2023
- France’s second-hand clothing sales increased 140% from 2018 to 2022
- Bulgaria produces textiles for over 500 international fashion brands
- Online luxury resale in Europe grew 40% year-on-year in 2023
- Denmark ranks #1 in Europe for sustainable fashion innovation
- Croatia has over 800 textile manufacturers
- 46% of fashion CEOs in Europe cite supply chain issues as top concern in 2023
- Slovakia's textile industry employs about 20,000 people
- Hungary’s fashion industry grew by 4.2% in 2022
- Norway imported fashion goods worth €3.9 billion in 2023
- 90% of luxury brands in Europe are based in Italy, France, or the UK
Interpretation
While Italy stitches the seams of Europe’s luxury fashion dominance and Denmark leads the sustainable catwalk, the continent’s sartorial tapestry—from Romania’s bustling textile workforce to France’s booming resale scene—reveals an industry both thriving in innovation and tangled in supply chain snags.
Sustainability and Circular Fashion
- Textile waste from clothing in Europe amounts to over 5.8 million tonnes per year
- France passed a law banning the destruction of unsold fashion goods, effective 2022
- Nearly 12% of fashion startup investments in Europe are directed toward sustainability tech
- 31% of fashion companies in the EU have adopted circular business models
- In Denmark, 49% of fashion purchases are driven by environmental concerns
- The EU’s fashion industry emits 121 million tons of greenhouse gases annually
- Finland introduced a national textile circularity action plan in 2022
- The Netherlands recycles only 35% of post-consumer textiles
- 48% of fashion brands in Europe offer eco-labels on clothing
- The average lifespan of a garment in Europe is 1.8 years
- 71% of Italian fashion companies have implemented energy efficiency measures
- 15% of clothing sold in Europe is made from recycled materials
- 52% of Europeans are aware of fashion's environmental impact
- The average European discards 11 kg of textiles per year
- 68% of fashion brands in Europe have biodiversity policies
- Belgium donated over 44,000 tons of used clothing in 2022
- 62% of fashion brands in the EU report using sustainable cotton
- EU textile sector invested €1.5 billion in recycling tech in 2022
- 76% of European consumers expect fashion brands to reduce CO2 emissions
- 11% of textiles consumed in the EU are reused or recycled
- Upcycling represents 6% of fashion business strategies in Europe
- 60% of EU textile waste ends up in landfill or incineration
Interpretation
In a continent where 5.8 million tonnes of fashion waste meet a wave of eco-conscious consumers and policy shifts, Europe's fashion industry is teetering between haute couture and hot climate mess—stitching sustainability into its seams before landfill becomes the runway's final destination.
Trade and Export Dynamics
- France is Europe's largest fashion exporter, accounting for over €40 billion in exports in 2022
- The European Union exported €34.4 billion worth of clothing in 2022
- The EU imports over €80 billion worth of clothing annually
- Portugal exports over €5 billion in textiles and apparel annually
- Czech Republic's fashion exports exceeded €3.2 billion in 2023
- 37% of fashion products made in EU are exported outside Europe
- 85% of European fashion SMEs rely on global supply chains
- 42% of European fashion exports are destined for the US and China
Interpretation
While Europe stitches together a powerful fashion presence with France leading the catwalk and exports strutting across continents, the industry’s sleek silhouette is unmistakably tailored by global threads and foreign demand.