The European market potential for pants and trousers

The Pants and Trousers market is worth approximately €34 billion in Europe and it is split between Men’s Pants and Trousers, which account for up to 55% of the total market value, and Women’s Pants and Trousers, which cover the remaining 45%. The market is growing at an average rate of 3.6% each year.

The European Pants and Trousers market follows the general apparel trends related to sustainability, technological innovation and increased emphasis on corporate and social responsibility. For more information, see the CBI study on Trends in the Apparel market. In addition to these general trends, the pants and trousers market has its own, segment-specific trends: wide, flared and statement styles, eye-catching colours and prints, and increasingly popular, growing alternative sub-segments.

1. Product description

The pants segment includes men’s and woman’s trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts.

Men’s pants include Men’s or Boys’ Trousers, Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and Shorts of wool or fine animal hair, cotton, synthetic fibers, textile materials, artificial fibers, knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 61034100, 61034110, 61034190, 61034200, 61034210, 61034290, 61034300, 61034310, 61034390, 61034900, 61034910, 61034991, 61034999), Men’s or Boys’ Trousers, Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and Shorts of wool and fine animal hair, synthetic fibers, artificial fibers, textile materials, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62034110, 62034130, 62034190, 62034319, 62034339, 62034390, 62034919, 62034939, 62034950, 62034990), Men’s or Boys’ Industrial and Occupational Trousers, Bib and Brace Overalls and Breeches of cotton, synthetic fibers, artificial fibers, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62034211, 62034251, 62034311, 62034331, 62034911, 62034931), Men’s and Boys’ Trousers; Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and shorts of cotton denim, cotton-cut corduroy, cotton, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62034231, 62034233, 62034235, 62034259, 62034290).

Women’s pants include Women’s or Girls’ Trousers, Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and Shorts of wool or fine animal hair, cotton, synthetic fibers, textile materials, artificial fibers, knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 61046100, 61046110, 61046190, 61046200, 61046210, 61046290, 61046300, 61046310, 61046390, 61046900, 61046910, 61046991, 61046999), Women’s or Girls’ Trousers, Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and Shorts of wool and fine animal hair, synthetic fibers, artificial fibers, textile materials, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62046110, 62046180, 62046185, 62046190, 62046318, 62046319, 62046339, 62046390, 62046918, 62046919, 62046939, 62046950, 62046990), Women’s or Girls’ Industrial and Occupational Trousers and Breeches of cotton, synthetic fibers, artificial fibers, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62046211, 62046251, 62046311, 62046331, 62046911, 62046931), Women’s and Girls’ Trousers; Bib and Brace Overalls, Breeches and shorts of cotton denim, cotton-cut corduroy, cotton, not knitted or crocheted (HS Codes: 62046231, 62046233, 62046235, 62046239, 62046259, 62046290).

 Figure 1: Pants and Trousers examples

Photo Source: Unsplash

2. What makes Europe an interesting market for Pants and Trousers?

Europe is one of the more significant importers of Pants and Trousers in the world. In 2021, the value of Pants and Trousers imports to Europe accounted for €34 billion, up from €28 billion in 2016. This corresponded to roughly 4.4 billion units of Pants and Trousers in 2021 (up from 3.8 billion units in 2016). During the last five years, the value of the European Union’s Pants and Trousers imports has been growing by an average annual rate of 3.6%. In the years to come, the demand for Pants and Trousers is expected to continue to grow at a similar rate.

The European Union is also a large re-exporter of Pants and Trousers. In 2021, it exported €24.6 billion worth of Pants and Trousers apparel (up from €17.8 billion in 2016). EU Pants and Trousers exports have been growing at an average yearly rate of 6.7% between 2016 and 2021. The biggest EU exporters in 2021 were Germany (€5.4 billion), Spain (€3.5 billion), Italy (€2.9), The Netherlands (€2.8), Poland (€2.3), and Belgium (€1.7). Together, these six countries represent over 75.4% of the EU’s Pants and Trousers apparel exports. Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland have seen the strongest export growth within this group, with an average yearly increase between 9.9% and 17.2%. In comparison, Belgium has experienced recent losses of 1.4% annually.

Currently, 48.6% of European Pants and Trousers imports originate in extra-EU countries and 51.4% originate in Intra-European Union countries. In 2021, suppliers from developing countries contributed 47.0% to all Pants and Trousers imports into the European Union in terms of value (down from 52.4% in 2016) and suppliers from the rest of the world accounted for 1.6% of the import value (down from 3.5% in 2016). The value of European Union Pants and Trousers imports originating from developing countries corresponded to €15.7 billion in 2021 and has grown at an average yearly rate of 1.4% since 2016. This demonstrates that there is a strong demand for Pants and Trousers from developing countries.

Europe’s extra-EU Pants and Trousers imports are dominated by Bangladesh, China and Turkey. Together, these three countries account for 28.4% of all Pants and Trousers imports into the European Union. Bangladesh is the single largest exporter of Pants and Trousers to the EU, with 12.6% of the EU imports value in 2021. It is followed by China with 8.3% and Turkey with 7.5%. Other extra-EU Pants and Trousers exporters have market shares of less than 5% of the overall Pants and Trousers import value. Turkey (+0.3%) and Myanmar (+0.6%) have slightly grown their exports to the EU over the last five years. Turkey’s imports exports reached €2.5 billion (in comparison to €2.0 billion in 2016), while Extra-European Union countries experienced an average annual growth of 0.8% during the same period.

The Intra-European Union Pants and Trousers trade is dominated by Germany, Poland, and Spain. 26.8% of the total Intra-EU Pants and Trousers imports originate in these three markets. They are followed by the Netherlands with 5.1%, Italy with 4.2%, and Belgium with 3.6%. All these countries have increased their market shares over the last 5 years.

Table 1: Top 10 Extra-EU and Intra-EU Pants and Trousers exporters to the European Union, 2021 EUR value; average yearly growth

Source: Eurostat

Impact of COVID-19 on the European apparel market

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic strongly influenced the sales and processes within all segments of the fashion industry. In most European countries, many local shops had to close during lockdowns. Some survived thanks to support from their governments, heavy discounts and a shift to digital sales. Overall, sales in the Pants and Trousers segment experienced a sales decline in 2020, although it was not as severe as in other apparel segments.

According to industry experts, the pandemic may change all market dynamics in the long run. Asian countries are expected to lose stakes due to local lockdowns and delivery problems, while companies in Africa or other regions could potentially win market share by being a reliable and present partner. Additionally, the pandemic created new trends and demands among consumers. E.g., some Chinese manufacturers have been observed providing buyers with antibacterial and antiviral fabrics.

Further information about the impact of the coronavirus and how to respond have been collected and can be found in CBI’s market information about the impact of the Coronavirus.

Brexit created great uncertainty

The United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020. As a result, new trade agreements for all product categories, including apparel, were needed to maintain business partnerships with countries located in the European Union and other partners worldwide.

The UK’s apparel imports value is right behind Germany’s, which would have made it the second-largest market in the European Union if it had still been a member. Following Brexit and the accompanying withdrawal from the European Union, the UK stopped sharing its official trade figures with Eurostat, making an exact and official comparison of product segments and product quantities impossible, but the overall approximate import market values are still available from the ITC Trademap. 

ITC Trademap figures show that the United Kingdom has deeply felt the consequences of both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. The value of overall apparel imports decreased from €22.2 billion in 2019 to €17.6 billion in 2021 which is an average annual decrease of 11.1% over two years.

At this point, the long-term consequences of Brexit cannot yet be foreseen. However, in 2021, the UK experienced dramatic shortages in supermarkets and workforce. This hampered the country’s recovery from the pandemic and could turn out to be part of the long-term consequences of Brexit.

In the meantime, the European Union initiated an EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. This is intended to facilitate trade between the countries of the Union and the United Kingdom, but cannot fully replace the trade relationship that the UK enjoyed with the EU before Brexit. In 2021, the United Kingdom signed various trade agreements with non-EU countries.

3. Which European countries offer most opportunities for Pants and Trousers

Western European markets are much larger and better developed than Central and Eastern European markets in terms of supply chain organisation and quality control. The top Pants and Trousers import markets in the EU are Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland. These top six countries together account for 73% of Pants and Trousers imports in the EU and have been growing at an average rate of 3.5% per year in the last five years.

Table 2: Top 10 European Union importers of Pants and Trousers, 2021 EUR value; average yearly growth

Source: Eurostat

Table 3: Top 10 European Union importers of Pants and Trousers from developing countries, 2021 EUR value; average yearly growth

Source: Eurostat

Germany

Germany is the largest Pants and Trousers import market in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €8.0 billion (up from €6.7 billion in 2016). This corresponded to 985 million units of clothing. In the last five years, the value of Germany’s pants imports has grown at an average rate of 3.7% per year, while the import volume has grown at 4.0% per year. During the same time, the value of imports from developing countries has grown on average by 1.6% per year, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting 51.4% of Germany’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants and Trousers constitutes 45% of Pants and Trousers imports in Germany (down from 51% in 2016) and averaged a1.2% annual growth between 2016 and 2021. This is lower than the Women’s pants segment with a growth of 6.0% during the same time period. Unit prices for men’s pants are higher than those for women’s pants (€11.89/unit for men’s pants against €6.49/unit for women’s pants). While the men’s pants segment is undergoing a positive price development of €0.90, the women’s pants segment is experiencing a negative price development of - €0.11.  However, the Men’s Pants and Trousers market share decreased in value by 6% as opposed to the Women’s Pants market share that increased in value by 6%.

Table 4: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to Germany by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution

The main Pants and Trousers brands in Germany include Meyer Hosen, Gerry Weber, Jeans Fritz, MMX, Esprit, Hugo Boss, Tom Tailor, and Marc O’Polo.

Spain

Spain is the second-largest import market for Pants and Trousers in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €4.0 billion (up from €3.5 billion in 2016). This corresponded to approx. 647 million units of clothing. In the last five years, the value of Spain’s Pants and Trousers imports has grown at an average rate of 2.9% per year, while the import volume has grown by 3.4% per year. During the same time, the value of imports from developing countries has averaged a 3.2% annual growth rate, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting over 77.5% of Spain’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants constitute 33% of Pants and Trousers imports in Spain (down from 42% in 2016) and decreased by an average annual rate of 2.0% between 2016 and 2021. This is lower than the Women’s Pants and Trousers segment which grew by an average annual rate of 5.9%. Unit prices for men’s pants are higher than those for women’s pants (€6.92/unit for men’s pants against 5.98€/unit for women’s pants). While unit prices for men’s pants are undergoing a negative price development, unit prices for women’s pants slightly increased between 2016 to 2021, by €0.02.

Table 5: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to Spain by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution

The main Pants and Trousers brands in Spain include Mango, Zara, Stradivarius, Loewe, Massimo Dutti, Pepe Jeans, and Delpozo.

France

France is the third-largest import market for Pants and Trousers in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €4.020 billion (up from €3.834 million in 2016). This corresponded to approximately 552 million units of clothing. In the last five years, the value of French Pants and Trousers imports has grown at an average rate of 1.0% per year, while the import volume has grown at 0.4% per year. During the same time period, the value of imports from developing countries grew slightly by an average 0.2% per year, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting over 42.9% of France’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants and Trousers imports constitute 43% of Pants and Trousers imports in France (down from 46% in 2016). Imports decreased annually by an average of 0.2% between 2016 and 2021. This is lower than the Women’s Pants and Trousers segment which grew by an average 1.9% during the same time frame. Unit prices for men’s Pants and Trousers are higher than unit prices for Women’s Pants and Trousers (€9.90/unit for men’s Pants and Trousers against 6.06€/unit for women’s Pants and Trousers). Both Men’s pants and Women’s pants have undergone positive price developments between 2016 and 2021, of €0.77 and €0.09 respectively.  

Table 6: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to France by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution

The main Pants and Trousers brands in France include French Connection, Sweet Pants, 1083, TheKooples, Le Slip Francais, and Galucebo.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands is the fourth-largest import market for Pants and Trousers in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €3.125 billion (up from €2.992 billion in 2016). This corresponded to approximately 345 million units of clothing. In the last five years, the value of the Netherlands’s Pants and Trousers imports has grown at an average rate of 0.9% per year, while the import volume has decreased at 5.9% per year. During the same time, the value of imports from developing countries grew by an average 4.3% per year, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting over 50.5% of the Netherlands’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants and Trousers constitute 48% of Pants and Trousers imports in the Netherlands (down from 50% in 2016) and grew on average annually by 0.2% between 2016 and 2021. This is lower than the Women’s Pants and Trousers segment which grew by an average annual rate of 1.5%. Unit prices for Men’s Pants and Trousers are higher than those for Women’s Pants and Trousers (€11.56/unit for Men’s Pants and Trousers against €7.52/unit for Women’s Pants and Trousers). Both men’s pants and women’s pants have undergone positive price developments between 2016 and 2021 of €3.32 and €2.30 respectively.  

Table 7: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to the Netherlands by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution

The main men’s and women’s Pants and Trousers brands in the Netherlands include MUD, Van Gils, Denham, G-Star Raw, NIK&NIK, and Vintage Industries.

Italy

Italy is the fifth-largest import market for Pants and Trousers in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €2.672 billion (up from €2.345 billion in 2016). This corresponded to approximately 339 million units of clothing. In the last five years, Italy’s Pants and Trousers imports have grown by 2.6% in value and 1.6% in volume. During the same time period, the value of imports from developing countries has decreased by an average of 1.1% per year, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting over 49% of Italy’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants and Trousers constitute 50% of Pants and Trousers imports in Italy (down from 55% in 2016) and showed an average annual growth of 0.8% between 2016 and 2021. This is lower than the growth percentage for women Pants and Trousers segment, which grew by an average 4.7% annually during the same time frame. Unit prices for Men’s Pants and Trousers are higher than those for Women’s Pants and Trousers (€9.20/unit for men’s Pants and Trousers against 6.89€/unit for women’s Pants and Trousers). Both men’s pants and women’s pants have undergone positive price developments between 2016 and 2021 of €0.46 and €0.52 respectively.  

Table 8: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to Italy by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution

The main Pants and Trousers brands in Italy include Zanella, Diesel, Missoni, Boggi, Rota Pantolini, and Prada.

Poland

Poland is the sixth-largest import market for Pants and Trousers in Europe. In 2021, the value of its Pants and Trousers imports amounted to €2.551 billion (up from €1.168 billion in 2016). This corresponded to approximately 398 billion units of clothing. In the last five years, Poland’s Pants and Trousers imports have grown by 16.9% in value and 17.7% in volume. During the same time period, the value of imports from developing countries has grown by an average 21.9% per year, with Pants and Trousers from developing countries constituting over 30.1% of Poland’s imports in this product segment.

Men’s Pants and Trousers constitute 41% of Pants and Trousers imports in Poland (down from 47% in 2016) and the segment showed an average annual growth of 13.8% between 2016 and 2021. This growth rate is lower than that of the Women’s Pants and Trousers segment, which grew by an average of 19.4% during the same time period. Unit prices for Men’s Pants and Trousers are higher than those for Women’s Pants and Trousers (€7.65/unit for men’s Pants and Trousers against 5.76€/unit for women’s Pants and Trousers). Both men’s pants and women’s pants have undergone negative price developments between 2016 and 2021 of €0.10 and €0.14 respectively.  

Table 9: 2021 imports of Pants and Trousers to Poland by segment, with 5-year growth, average import unit price and 5-year price evolution.

The main Pants and Trousers brands in Poland include Reserved, House, Cropp, and Mohito.

4. Which trends offer opportunities or pose threats for the European Dresses and skirts market?

The European pants market follows the general apparel trends related to sustainability, technological innovation, and increased emphasis on corporate and social responsibility. For more information, see the CBI study on Trends in the Apparel market. Aside from these general trends, the Pants market has its own, segment-specific trends: 

Fashion Trends include wide, flared and statement styles

Women’s pants fashion for 2022 offers a huge selection of styles, including selections from palazzo to skinny, but also trousers long enough to cover heels or at 7/8 length. The most demanded trousers are jeans (white, torn models, mom styles, and bell-bottoms) and high-waist jeans, either customized or not, are considered the most fashionable. Other styles that are becoming popular are elegant jersey trousers, wide pants, flared trousers, cigarillos trousers, sweatpants, skinny pants, plaid trousers, high-rise cropped trousers, paperbag trousers, checkered patterns and polka dots, striped trousers, leather trousers (arrows, seams, suits with leather pants), and dress pants.

In many cases, the trends need an individual approach through each pant looks a bit different and gives the impression of being customized. This gives room to manufacturers who customized their pants according to the customers demand given through an online web shop and manufacturers who have capacities to somehow individualize pants (e.g. through different washing methods of embroidery).

Nevertheless, pants trends are very dynamic, especially in term of women’s trousers and change every season. It is therefore important to observe the market continuously and offer a broad variety of fabrics and pants style.

Eye-catching colors and prints and increasingly popular

Other fashion trends include colored jeans, particularly in red, green, purple or yellow. Fashionable prints are restrained checkered pattern and polka dots in unique colors. Up-and-coming trouser materials include dress pants made from shiny fabric, stretch fabrics, arrows made from leather and eco-leather, and recycling materials. When it comes to the materials used in Pants and Trousers, the top 10 fabrics for trendy trousers include cotton twill, denim, linen, cotton blend, cotton gabardine, recycled wool, stretch wool blend, cotton satin, hemp and cotton corduroy.

Manufacturers are thus demanded to provide clothing companies which fresh and wild patterns and alternative materials. Due to the dynamics of fashion trends, the customer’s preference can change anytime, but especially floral, leopard and striped patterns are “all timers” and show reoccurring presence in the pants market.

Growing alternative sub-segments 

New brands are coming up focusing on specialized pants purposes like sports and business. For example, market observers estimate the yoga pants market to reach USD 59.35 billion by 2027 from USD 48 billion in 2018 industry worldwide due to the increasing preference of (young) women to wear leggings instead of jeans. In the last years the trend of “activewear” or “athleisure” started to drastically influence the traditional pants market. Leaders in the markets are sportswear players like Nike and Adidas and new (digital) brands, whereas other clothing brands jointed the trend, too. 

This study was carried out on behalf of CBI by M-Brain GmbH.

Please review our market information disclaimer.