Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape i...
Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape industry demand throughout Asia-Pacific, with local insight, market statistics and analysis ranging from strategic regional overview to in-depth coverage by country or city.
Growth was already slowing in the region in 2019 due to a weaker performance in China and a sharp decline in Hong Kong. With the arrival of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Asia Pacific then saw falling sales levels in 2020, with even explosive growth in face…
While many people have adopted a more casual and minimalist approach to their clothing style, their pursuit of aesthetics and individuality remains undiminished. They tend to lean towards using apparel accessories to embellish their simple attire and…
Demand for apparel accessories has notably increased in 2023 after three years of tepid sales during the pandemic. Following the reopening of Hong Kong’s border, international tourists have gradually returned. As tourist consumption historically…
After experiencing a rapid surge in growth during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trajectory of apparel accessories underwent a significant shift in 2022 and 2023. The demand for face masks, a pivotal component of the category…
Retail volume sales of apparel accessories plummeted in 2023. This was due to the declining performance of other apparel accessories, following the relaxation of regulations regarding the wearing of face masks in indoor settings in December 2022. The…
Overall apparel accessories is set to register positive current value growth in 2023, although there are expected to be different performances across categories. These movements are due to sales continuing to normalise after the disruption in 2020,…
Retail sales of apparel accessories continued to see healthy growth in current value terms in 2023. With consumers returning to their physical offices, there was a return to more formal clothing styles, with ties and belts seeing a particularly…
Demand for apparel accessories saw strong growth in the past few years. In 2020, this was mainly driven by other apparel accessories. This category includes products such as face masks, which were largely in demand due to government regulations and…
As local consumers continue to purchase apparel in 2023, sales of fashionable accessories such as belts, scarves, hats/caps and ties are also increasing. Therefore, these types of accessories continue to post positive retail volume and current value…
Apparel accessories in Taiwan is set to record a high double-digit decline in total volume sales for a second consecutive year in 2023. This is entirely due to the dramatic contraction of the other apparel accessories category, where demand for cloth…
Most categories within apparel accessories are reporting double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with the one exception being “other” apparel accessories. This growth has been supported by the ongoing recovery in domestic and…
Belts for loose fitting jeans and clothing have developed into a trend in the Philippines due to the demand for contrast and style, personalisation, versatility, and comfort of fit. The contrast between a loose fitting garment and a stylish belt…
Demand for apparel accessories has been adversely affected by elevated inflation and a gloomy economy in 2023, with sales declining in both value and volume terms. However, it is important to note that a major factor behind the decline in sales of…
With the end of the zero-COVID policy towards the end of 2022, China’s consumer landscape has undergone a gradual transition back to normalcy. While 2023 experienced a temporary dip in sales of apparel and footwear, influenced by both COVID-19 and…
Apparel and footwear in Hong Kong is showing significant signs of recovery in 2023, with double-digit retail volume and current value growth. The local government gradually relaxed the city’s social restrictions from the second half of 2022 to early…
India’s distinction as having one of the youngest populations globally provides a significant advantage, particularly when it comes to fashion. With a substantial proportion of the population belonging to younger age groups, the country boasts a…
Retail sales of apparel and footwear in Indonesia registered relatively modest growth in constant value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous two years. As the country emerged from the pandemic, Indonesians became increasingly keen to travel,…
The fading of COVID-19 has been a significant turning point for Japanese consumers, who have been leaving their homes and therefore driving the return of footfall in town centres. In May 2023, the Japanese government changed the legitimate…
Sales of apparel and footwear saw dynamic growth in 2022, with constant value sales fast approaching pre-pandemic levels. As the country emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers became increasingly keen to travel, socialise and spend more time…
2023 has seen life return to normal in Singapore, with consumers resuming all their pre-pandemic activities. The return to normalcy is set to help drive retail volume and current value sales of apparel and footwear in this year, with consumers…
Apparel and footwear is posting positive but slower current value and retail volume growth in 2023 compared to the previous year, as many consumers’ needs/wants for new apparel and footwear have been largely fulfilled following the lifting of social…
Apparel and footwear in Taiwan is poised to register a negative result in volume terms for a second consecutive year in 2023, while current value growth looks set to be down slightly on 2022. This is mainly due to increased caution around…
Apparel and footwear in Thailand continues on the path to recovery in 2023, albeit sales have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels in current value terms. Even though the country continues to record COVID-19 cases, Thai consumers have learnt to…
According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, the Philippines saw a population increase of 1.5% in 2023 compared with the previous year. The growth in the population is expanding the consumer base for apparel and footwear. In addition to this,…
Vietnam's GDP is predicted to grow by approximately 4.5% by the end of 2023 according to the country’s General Statistical Office, which is less than the 6.5% predicted at the start of the year. Due to the impact of price inflation, consumers are…
The Asian consumer is changing. Traditional values that served the collective in terms of both society and the family are on the wane, with COVID-19 lockdowns accelerating a new focus on individualism and the self. This report explores how Asian…
After persistently strong sales growth over the historic period, childrenswear saw a retail value decline in 2020 in Asia Pacific, as Coronavirus (COVID-19) hit the region. However, as children continued to outgrow their clothing and with parents…
As pandemic restrictions were lifted in China at the beginning of 2023, bricks-and-mortar sales have gradually been returning after the 2022 decline due to periodic lockdowns. The apparel and footwear industry, including childrenswear, is therefore…
With the removal of lockdowns and the reopening of Hong Kong’s border, sales of childrenswear have notably rebounded in 2023. However, local demand for childrenswear remains tepid. The declining birth rate in Hong Kong was already placing pressure on…
Childrenswear has been experiencing a notable surge in sales, fuelled by younger parents’ changing preferences and spending habits. With the rise of dual-income households, these parents possess more significant disposable incomes, enabling them to…
Childrenswear saw more modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, relative to the two previous years. Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, such as menswear, womenswear and hosiery, sales were comparatively unaffected by the COVID-19…
Childrenswear did not perform well even before the pandemic, as the number of children has been continuously decreasing in Japan. Growth was then hit hard in 2020, experiencing a double-digit decline, followed by a year of little movement in 2021 as…
Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, childrenswear saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales of childrenswear were comparatively unaffected by the pandemic, as despite the lockdown, parents still needed to…
Despite Singapore experiencing a declining birth rate, with a record decline seen in 2022, childrenswear is set to maintain growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. These increases can primarily be attributed to the lifting of…
In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…
Overall volume and current value growth rates for childrenswear in 2023 are set to be more modest than those recorded by womenswear and menswear, primarily because birth rates in Taiwan are in long-term decline. This demographic trend has resulted in…
The purchasing behaviour of Thai parents and guardians is becoming more sophisticated when it comes to purchasing childrenswear. While they are still looking for value-for-money they are also increasingly focusing on both fashion and product quality.…
The COVID-19 crisis had a differing impact on birth rates in different countries. In the Philippines, there was a baby boom, as an increased birth rate resulted from families being cooped up in their homes during the period of lockdowns. This has led…
During the height of the pandemic era (2020 and 2021), sales of childrenswear plummeted in value and volume terms as children were required to stay at home, by government diktat, and schools were closed. However, the end of the pandemic, alongside…
The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…
In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with rising income inequality being among the key ones. Nevertheless, addressing the income inequality through catering to the Bottom of the Pyramid and the Middle Class…
After the lifting of the zero-COVID policy and the subsequent relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions at the beginning of 2023, the restoration of logistics and a resurgence in offline consumption was seen. This, in turn, is set to catalyse a…
Footwear is enjoying strong growth in 2023, with both retail value and volume sales rising by double digits following declines the previous year. On the other hand, sports footwear has been a more robust performer since 2021. Driven by the rising…
In a rebound from the strong decline seen in 2020 due to COVID-19, the footwear category in India has been seeing significant growth, and recovered to the 2019 level of value sales in 2023. Post-COVID-19, consumer spending on footwear increased after…
Footwear in Indonesia continued to see positive growth in volume terms in 2023, with women’s footwear leading the way. Sales were boosted by the post-pandemic revival of social activities, such as weddings, parties and other gatherings, alongside the…
Footwear saw significant declines in retail volume and current value terms in 2020 due to the pandemic, followed by minimal declines in 2021, as many consumers did not need as much new footwear due to spending more time at home. The category saw a…
Footwear registered a second year of double-digit growth in 2023, with sales exceeding pre-pandemic levels in current value terms. Sales of both men’s and women’s footwear were boosted by the return of consumers to their physical offices, at least on…
Sports-inspired footwear is poised to maintain its dynamic rise in popularity and demand amongst consumers in Singapore in 2023. This growth can be attributed to three main trends, with the first being the prioritisation of comfort. Due to the…
In 2023, sports footwear continues to post healthy sales growth, as South Korea enters an endemic era where all social restrictions, including the mask mandate, have been fully lifted and consumers have returned to normal outdoor activities. As…
Comfort has continued to gain importance as a factor in footwear purchasing decisions in Taiwan in 2023. This is partly explained by rising health-consciousness, a well-established trend that has been strengthened by the pandemic. Similarly, having…