Apparel market in Australia - statistics & facts
From casual wear to high fashion, Australia’s apparel market is comprised of a variety of clothing to meet the diverse fashion preferences and unique styles of consumers across the country. Australia has a relatively small apparel market compared to other Asia Pacific countries, such as China. Nonetheless, in 2022, Australia recorded an apparel market revenue of over 18 billion U.S. dollars, with the largest revenue share created by the women’s apparel segment. Australia's apparel market revenue is expected to reach around 22 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. Established domestic brands, such as The Iconic, David Jones, and Cotton On, online-only retailers and international fast fashion giants, such as SHEIN and ASOS, and emerging local designers make up the country’s fashion landscape. Australia’s apparel market is ever-growing and transforming as consumer expectations and fashion trends change in tandem with social media and influencer endorsements, e-commerce expansion, and the growing emphasis on sustainability.
Nonetheless, Australia’s fashion industry still has a long way to go to transition to a more circular structure. The industry significantly contributes to the country’s waste crisis, with thousands of tons of clothing and textiles going to landfill each year. In June 2023, the Australian Fashion Council launched an initiative called Seamless, which hopes to transform the country’s fashion industry. The scheme aims to improve Australia’s reuse and recycling of clothing and textiles by fostering circular business models, expanding collection and recycling points, incentivizing sustainable design and production processes, and encouraging change in consumer behavior through re-education campaigns on acquisition, care, and disposal. The council hopes to put Australia’s fashion industry on the path to circularity by 2030, with major retailers, including BIG W, David Jones, The Iconic, Lorna Jane, and Rip Curl, committing to the scheme. With the consumer drive to purchase sustainably prevalent nationwide, this goal may come to fruition.
Clothing retail and trade in Australia
New South Wales and Victoria are home to the majority of Australia’s clothing retailing businesses, with the two states collectively accounting for around ten thousand businesses. While the country does locally produce apparel products, a large proportion of clothing in circulation is imported. In 2021, Australia imported around 7.4 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of apparel products, with trousers, shorts, and jerseys the most common apparel product imports. China is by far the leading import partner for apparel products to Australia, followed by Bangladesh and Vietnam.Are Australians ditching fast fashion?
Sustainability has come into focus across many industries, with the clothing industry particularly under the microscope, as the environmental price of fast fashion increasingly plays on people’s minds, as well as concerns regarding garment worker safety. Sustainably and ethically produced apparel is increasingly in demand, with more than half of Australian consumers viewing sustainable clothing product availability as important. Australians are not only putting pressure on brands to provide sustainable alternatives but are also engaging more in resale activities and mending or repurposing clothing items.Nonetheless, Australia’s fashion industry still has a long way to go to transition to a more circular structure. The industry significantly contributes to the country’s waste crisis, with thousands of tons of clothing and textiles going to landfill each year. In June 2023, the Australian Fashion Council launched an initiative called Seamless, which hopes to transform the country’s fashion industry. The scheme aims to improve Australia’s reuse and recycling of clothing and textiles by fostering circular business models, expanding collection and recycling points, incentivizing sustainable design and production processes, and encouraging change in consumer behavior through re-education campaigns on acquisition, care, and disposal. The council hopes to put Australia’s fashion industry on the path to circularity by 2030, with major retailers, including BIG W, David Jones, The Iconic, Lorna Jane, and Rip Curl, committing to the scheme. With the consumer drive to purchase sustainably prevalent nationwide, this goal may come to fruition.
