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In terms of clothing exports, according to the data of the General Administration of Customs of China, China’s clothing exports have shown a fluctuating trend in recent years. After reaching a peak of US$186.285 billion in 2014, they began to decline gradually. Affected by the pandemic in 2020, they dropped to a low point of US$137.382 billion, and then started to rebound. In 2023, China’s exports of clothing and clothing accessories were US$159.145 billion. On the high base of 2022, it decreased by 7.8% year-on-year, but increased by 8.5% compared with the same period in 2019 before the pandemic. In 2023, with the economic recovery and development and the start of consumption recovery, China’s clothing exports generally operated stably, and the decline in exports to traditional markets was compensated to some extent by the growth of cross-border e-commerce and emerging markets.
The development trend of China’s textile and apparel industry is good, and the industrial scale continues to expand. During the period from 2012 to 2022, the transaction scale of China’s textile and apparel industry showed a fluctuating upward trend. The turnover of commodity trading markets with a turnover of more than 100 million yuan in China’s textile, clothing, footwear and hat professional markets increased from 1,189.9 billion yuan in 2016 to 1,557 billion yuan in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3% during this period. Among them, there is a large difference between the turnover of the wholesale market and that of the retail market. The turnover of the wholesale market accounts for a large proportion, basically maintaining a level above 90%.

There are numerous brands in China’s clothing market, and the distribution of market shares is relatively scattered. There are also differences in market concentration among different categories. Among them, the market concentration of sportswear is relatively high, while that of other categories including women’s clothing, men’s clothing, children’s clothing, and underwear is relatively low. In recent years, domestic clothing brands have focused on brand cultivation. With the rise of the concept of “Guochao” (Chinese fashion trend), the market share of domestic clothing brands has gradually increased.

From the perspective of different categories, in terms of women’s clothing, with the enhancement of the consumption ability of female consumers and their continuous pursuit of fashion and beauty, the demand in the women’s clothing market remains strong. Meanwhile, the rise of e-commerce platforms has also provided broader channels for women’s clothing sales. However, there are numerous participants in China’s women’s clothing market, with low concentration, a fragmented market and fierce competition. Many brands coexist, including international brands, well-known domestic brands, as well as a large number of small and medium-sized brands and non-branded enterprises. According to the data of Euromonitor International, in 2023, the combined market share of the top 10 brands in China’s women’s clothing industry was 7.48%, a decrease of 0.22 percentage points compared with 2014. Among them, the casual clothing brand UNIQLO ranked first, with a market share of only 1.92%, while domestic brands such as Bosideng, Li-Ning, Eifini, and Anta occupied the second, fifth, sixth, and tenth positions respectively, with market shares of 0.97%, 0.59%, 0.58%, and 0.51% respectively.

Compared with women’s clothing, the market concentration of men’s clothing is relatively higher, but there are also situations where there are numerous brands and the market share is scattered. In recent years, some men’s clothing brands have gradually increased their market share by improving product quality, strengthening brand building, and expanding sales channels. According to the data of Euromonitor International, the market share of China’s men’s clothing has continued to increase in recent years. In 2023, the combined market share of the top 10 brands was 20.27%, an increase of 5.75 percentage points compared with 2014. Among them, Hailan Home has ranked first for ten consecutive years, with a market share reaching 5.05%. Other domestic brands such as Li-Ning, Anta, Bosideng, and Youngor occupied the fifth, seventh, ninth, and tenth positions respectively, with market shares of 1.80%, 1.52%, 1.48%, and 1.20% respectively.

The market concentration of the children’s clothing market is between that of women’s clothing and men’s clothing, and it also shows the characteristic of not having a high market concentration. According to the data of Euromonitor International, in 2023, the combined market share of the top 10 brands was 13.90%, an increase of 3.61 percentage points compared with 2014. Domestic children’s clothing brands such as Balabala and Anta Kids have occupied the first and second market shares in recent years. In 2023, their market shares were 5.23% and 1.91% respectively. Other domestic brands such as Pepco and XTEP Kids occupied the seventh and eighth positions respectively, and their market shares in 2023 were 0.58% and 0.56% respectively.

The product standardization in the sportswear market is relatively high, and the market concentration is higher than that of other clothing categories. It is mainly occupied by some internationally renowned brands such as Nike and Adidas, as well as domestic brands such as Anta and Li-Ning. With people’s increasing requirements for clothing comfort and the rise of the sports fashion trend, domestic sports brands have gradually increased their market share through their strong brand influence, high-quality product quality, and extensive sales channels. According to the data of Euromonitor International, the market concentration of the global sports footwear and apparel market has increased significantly. In 2022, the CR5 (concentration ratio of the top 5) of retail sales was 57%, and the CR10 (concentration ratio of the top 10) was 79%. Compared with 2014, the market share of CR5 in the industry increased by 13 percentage points, and the market share of CR10 increased by 17 percentage points. Among them, Nike and Adidas had market shares of 17% and 11.2% respectively in 2022, and the two local brands, Anta and Li-Ning, followed closely with market shares of 11% and 10.4% respectively. From the perspective of listed companies, according to the industry classification of CITIC Securities, there are 51 listed companies in the secondary industry of branded apparel. According to the disclosure of the 2023 annual reports of listed companies, the total operating revenue in 2023 was 167.245 billion yuan. Among them, there were 4 listed companies with an operating revenue of more than 10 billion yuan, namely HLA GROUP , Huali Industrial Group, Youngor, and Semir Apparel; there were 4 listed companies with an operating revenue between 5 billion yuan and 10 billion yuan, namely Peacebird, LUXECO LIVING，SAINT ANGELO, and LANCY Co., Ltd.; there were 27 listed companies with an operating revenue between 1 billion yuan and 5 billion yuan, including Jin Hong Group, Biem.L.Fdlkk, Septwolves, Aimer Co., Ltd., etc.; the operating revenue scale of the remaining listed companies was less than 1 billion yuan.

As an important traditional pillar industry of China’s economy, the textile and apparel industry has received strong support from the state and local governments in recent years. Through the introduction of key policies such as the “Implementation Plan for Quality Improvement and Upgrading of the Textile Industry (2023 – 2025)” and the “Three-Year Action Plan for Digital Transformation of the Textile Industry (2022 – 2024)”, a favorable macro environment and policy background have been created for the sustainable development of this industry. These policies have not only promoted the healthy growth and rapid progress of all links in the industrial chain but also accelerated the industry’s progress towards the high-end of the global value chain, which is of great significance for consolidating China’s status as a powerful textile country and achieving the strategic goal of building a powerful textile manufacturing country.