EU27 apparel imports continued to contract from January to July 2026, but "reshoring to Europe" did not materialize. According to TexPro's analysis of HS61 and HS62 data, EU knit and woven apparel imports totaled $36.62 billion in the period, down 6.4% year-on-year; developing country partners accounted for 64.4% of import value, higher than 2025 and 2024 levels, while intra-EU partners accounted for only 15.3%. Eurostat data also shows EU external apparel imports fell 6.1%, with both import volumes and average unit prices declining.

Key Points

  • EU27 knit and woven apparel imports from January to July 2026 totaled $36.62 billion, down 6.4% year-on-year; developing countries accounted for 64.4%, intra-EU partners 15.3%.
  • Eurostat data shows EU external apparel imports fell 6.1%, with both import volumes and average prices declining.
  • China and Vietnam gained share, while Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Cambodia declined.

Market Share Redistributed Among Supplier Countries

Fibre2Fashion's analysis based on TexPro points out that the real change is happening within the supply base—orders, prices, and logistics are being redistributed among Asia, Turkey, and European trade hubs, rather than production relocating back to Europe on a large scale. EU imports from developing countries reached 64.4% in the period, further rising from the previous two years.

Meanwhile, apparel supply from intra-EU partners accounted for only 15.3%, indicating the EU market remains heavily dependent on extra-bloc production capacity.

Rises and Falls: China, Vietnam Benefit; Multiple South Asian Countries Under Pressure

Looking at specific sources, orders during the reporting period flowed to China and Vietnam, with both countries gaining share; Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Cambodia saw their shares decline. With EU market demand contracting, procurement concentrated toward a few supplier countries with price and delivery advantages, squeezing the share of South Asian and neighboring origins.

Europe was traditionally thought to prioritize orders to nearby Turkey or North African origins, but this data does not support that trend: Turkey's share actually declined, indicating EU buyers shifted more toward lower-cost Asian origins when total volumes shrank.

Average Prices Fall: Procurement Logic Under Declining Volume and Price

Beyond the total value decline, simultaneous drops in import volume and average price are another feature of this period's data. This means the contraction in EU apparel imports stems from both reduced demand-side volumes and declining unit prices, with buyers gaining bargaining power and price competition among supplier countries intensifying.

For export-oriented origins dependent on EU orders, the combination of fewer orders and lower unit prices will further compress profit margins; for operators in the used clothing and inventory circulation segment, the contraction in new apparel imports may simultaneously affect the volume of first-hand surplus inventory and the sourcing structure of the second-hand market, warranting continued tracking of import destination changes in subsequent months.

Source: Is Europe buying more apparel from Europe? 64.4% says otherwise · Originally published 2026-10-01