Market evolution: Sportswear (CN 6211) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU trade in CN 6211 — a product heading covering tracksuits, ski suits, swimwear, and other non-knitted/crocheted garments — over the period 2015 to 2025. Over the past decade, the EU's position in this market has undergone a profound structural transformation. Once a marginal net exporter with a trade surplus of €365 million, the bloc has become a significant net importer with a deficit of €-757 million by 2025, representing a swing of over €1.1 billion. This shift reflects deeper trends: the steep decline of EU-based production, the rise of new sourcing hubs in Asia and North Africa, and the erosion of European export competitiveness in higher-value segments. The following sections unpack these dynamics in detail.

Overview on the Trade Dashboard

1. The Collapse of EU Export Competitiveness

Export values fell by one-third even as volumes rose

Between 2015 and 2025, the total value of EU extra-EU exports in CN 6211 fell from €1,904 million to €1,267 million, a decline of -33.4%. Yet over the same period, export volume in net mass actually increased by +37.1%, rising from 26,699 tonnes to 36,616 tonnes. The implication is stark: the average unit export price collapsed by -51.5%, from €71,297 per tonne to €34,592 per tonne — its lowest level in the entire observed window.

General Overview — Trade

The premium "other textiles" segment drove the value decline

The single most revealing segment is 621149 — women's or girls' tracksuits and other garments of textile materials excluding cotton and man-made fibres. This category, which likely includes higher-fashion and specialty items, was the EU's most valuable export line in 2015 at €1,092 million (representing 57% of total CN 6211 exports). By 2025, its value had fallen to €367 million — a drop of -66%. Notably, the quantity exported barely changed (7,505t → 8,407t), meaning the collapse was almost entirely price-driven: the unit export price fell from €145,521/t to €43,667/t, a decline of -70%. This suggests a severe erosion of the EU's ability to command premium pricing in international markets for this segment.

France and Italy — traditional fashion exporters — lost the most ground

Among EU member states, the steepest export declines were recorded in the bloc's two largest fashion-producing nations:

Italy's decline is particularly dramatic: its CN 6211 exports fell by nearly two-thirds in value terms. In contrast, Germany increased its exports from €58 million to €107 million (+85.5%), and Poland emerged as a major exporter, growing from €12 million to €119 million (+864%). Poland's export growth likely reflects its integration into Central European manufacturing supply chains and its evolving role as a re-export hub within the EU.

Top reporters — Exports

2. Rising Import Dependence and the Diversification of Supply Sources

Imports grew steadily while the trade balance reversed

EU imports of CN 6211 goods from non-EU countries rose from €1,538 million in 2015 to €2,024 million in 2025, a gain of +31.6% in value. Import volumes also grew, from 73,982 tonnes to 83,322 tonnes (+12.6%), while average import prices increased from €20,791/t to €24,284/t (+16.8%). The net effect on the trade balance was dramatic:

The net import reliance indicator — which measures the share of domestic consumption met by net imports — shifted from slightly negative (indicating the EU was a net exporter) to +33.3% in 2025, confirming that roughly one-third of EU consumption in this category now depends on imports exceeding exports.

Bangladesh, Türkiye, and Viet Nam emerged as fast-growing suppliers

While China remained the single largest supplier (€575M → €665M, +15.5%), its growth was modest compared to several emerging sourcing nations:

Top partners — Imports

Bangladesh's surge (+254%) is consistent with the broader pattern of EU apparel sourcing shifting toward low-cost South Asian producers, facilitated by the EU's Everything But Arms (EBA) preferential trade arrangement. Türkiye's growth (+107%) likely reflects its proximity advantage and customs union with the EU, while Morocco and Tunisia — both Mediterranean partners with Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements — maintained their positions as stable, nearshore suppliers.

Import concentration decreased, indicating a more diversified sourcing base

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for EU imports by partner country fell from 1,775 in 2015 to 1,521 in 2025, a decline of -14.3%. This indicates a meaningful reduction in import concentration: the EU has spread its sourcing more widely across partner countries, reducing dependence on any single supplier. This diversification may serve as a partial buffer against future supply-chain disruptions.

Import concentration (HHI)

France, Spain, and the Netherlands are the EU's main import gateways

Within the EU, imports were concentrated in a handful of large member states:

France's import bill grew by nearly half, consistent with its position as one of Europe's largest consumer markets for sportswear and fashion. The Netherlands' growth likely reflects its role as a logistics hub through which goods enter the EU single market.

3. EU Domestic Production Retreated as the Sector Restructured

EU production volumes collapsed by 70%

Perhaps the most striking structural change in the data is the near-collapse of EU production in CN 6211 products. Output in quantity (number of items) fell from 210.6 million items in 2015 to just 63.5 million items in 2025, a decline of -69.9%. Production value declined more moderately, from €1,557 million to €1,259 million (−19.2%), suggesting that the remaining EU production has shifted toward higher-value segments.

Production volumes

Poland and Spain show comparative advantage; Western Europe retrenches

The specialisation analysis for 2025 reveals that EU production of CN 6211 goods has become concentrated in a handful of member states with a revealed comparative advantage (RCA > 1):

Spain and Poland together account for nearly 29% of EU production in this heading while also exhibiting strong comparative advantages. Meanwhile, countries such as Ireland (RSCA: −0.85), Slovenia (−0.57), Hungary (−0.57), and Finland (−0.51) show clear comparative disadvantage, consistent with the broader hollowing-out of mass-market garment manufacturing in higher-cost EU economies.

The growth of export propensity signals increasing structural openness

The export propensity — exports as a share of domestic production — rose from 81.9% to 110.9% over the period, while trade intensity (total trade as a share of the domestic market) increased from 89.7% to 104.2%. The fact that export propensity exceeds 100% indicates that the EU exports more than it produces domestically — a pattern consistent with re-export activity and/or the increasing role of EU-based trading houses and logistics platforms that import goods and redistribute them both within and outside the bloc.

Price shocks were isolated but notable

The volatility and shock analysis reveals a few isolated but significant price events:

• EU exports to Pakistan (2020): an extreme price shock of +460%, likely an outlier driven by a small, atypical transaction.
• EU exports to Russia (2021): a price decline of −55.7%, potentially linked to the prelude to geopolitical sanctions and trade disruptions.
• EU exports to Ceuta (2017): a price spike of +43%, likely reflecting small-volume statistical noise from this Spanish autonomous city.

Among supply partners, imports from Bangladesh (CV = 0.55), Türkiye (CV = 0.49), and Viet Nam (CV = 0.59) exhibited the highest volatility, while imports from China were notably stable (CV = 0.06), underscoring China's role as a reliable, high-volume supplier. However, the concentration on China also carries dependency risks — though the declining HHI suggests the EU is actively diversifying.

Conclusion

The EU market for CN 6211 products has undergone a decade of deep structural change. The most consequential trend is the simultaneous decline of domestic production (−70% in volume) and export value (−33%), occurring alongside a sustained rise in imports (+32% in value). This has transformed the EU from a marginal net exporter into a significant net importer, with a deficit exceeding €750 million by 2025.

The sourcing landscape has diversified substantially, with Bangladesh, Türkiye, and Viet Nam emerging alongside established suppliers in China, North Africa, and India. Within the EU, production has increasingly concentrated in Poland and Spain, both of which exhibit clear comparative advantages, while traditional fashion powerhouses France and Italy have seen their export roles diminish — particularly in the premium segment of "other textile" garments.

The erosion of EU export prices — particularly in the high-value 621149 category, where unit prices fell by 70% — raises questions about the long-term sustainability of European competitiveness in mid- to high-end sportswear. Coupled with growing import reliance (now at 33.3%), these trends suggest the EU is becoming progressively more dependent on external supply for this product category, even as its remaining domestic production shifts toward higher-value niches.