The women's ready-to-wear market - Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

Ready-to-wear refers to all clothing items mass-produced through size standardization. It is therefore opposed to made-to-measure. Non-textile shoes and accessories, as well as children's products, are excluded from this study.

The global ready-to-wear women's apparel market is expanding, particularly with the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific and U.S. markets driving growth. The market is also characterized by a fragmented structure, with most major companies accounting for 5 percent to 3 percent of the industry's market share. Thus, the top 5 companies in the ready-to-wear market, namely OVS, Shein, Adidas, Inditex, H&M and Fast Retailing, accounted for about 20 percent of the market in 2022.

Based onthe first estimates made by the Confindustria Moda Study Center, the women's sector turnover will reach about 13.5 billion euros in 2023. The top 20 companies alone account for more than half (52 percent) of the aggregate turnover of the 152 companies considered (103 of which are manufacturing, 31 operating in wholesale and 18 in retail). there are companies of all sizes, with widely varying turnovers, from ultra-specialized artisans to large "verticalized" groups. In first place by revenues is confirmed Prada (3.4bn), which precedes Luxottica Group (3.2bn), consolidated by French multinational EssilorLuxottica, and Calzedonia Holding (2.5bn). Moncler and Giorgio Armani follow with a turnover of 2mld each.

However, the women's ready-to-wear market is evolving according to trends that are important growth drivers. Social and environmental engagement is the industry's main challenge. Added to this is the digitization of the market and the significant influence of marketing and communication campaigns. Finally, exports are at a high level, so the international market seems to be a promising outlet.