Market evolution: Women's undergarments and nightwear (CN 6208) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU external trade in CN 6208 — a product heading covering women's and girls' woven (non-knitted) singlets, vests, slips, petticoats, briefs, panties, nightdresses, pyjamas, négligés, bathrobes, dressing gowns, housecoats and similar articles. The analysis draws on Eurostat data from 2015 to 2025 and highlights three principal dynamics: the structural deepening of the EU's import dependency, a notable geographic diversification of suppliers alongside a post-Brexit reconfiguration, and the severe erosion of EU domestic production capacity. Throughout the period, the EU trade deficit widened substantially as imports grew faster than exports in both value and volume.

For full data, see the General Overview dashboard.

1. Accelerating import dependency and a widening structural deficit

1.1. EU imports of CN 6208 grew faster than exports, deepening the trade deficit

Between 2015 and 2025, EU imports of CN 6208 rose from €258.0 million to €420.6 million (+63.0%), while exports grew from €63.9 million to €102.9 million (+61.0%). The EU's trade deficit thus widened from –€194.1 million to –€317.7 million. The gap reached its widest point in 2022 at –€342.1 million, reflecting a combination of post-pandemic restocking and surging import prices. By 2025, the deficit remained close to that peak, confirming that the structural imbalance has become entrenched rather than cyclical.

Source: General Overview

1.2. Volumes grew steadily while prices spiked in 2022, revealing a dual demand-and-cost dynamic

Import volumes rose from 18,979 tonnes to 25,432 tonnes (+34.0%), while unit prices increased from €13,592/t to €16,526/t (+21.6%). The price peak occurred in 2022 at €19,380/t, coinciding with post-COVID supply chain disruptions and elevated raw-material costs. On the export side, volumes grew more modestly (+8.6%), but unit prices surged by +47.9%, suggesting that the EU's remaining production is increasingly oriented toward higher-value segments. This divergence between modest export volume growth and strong price appreciation is consistent with a structural shift: the EU retains niche, premium production while ceding commodity-level output to lower-cost origins.

1.3. The EU's net import reliance on CN 6208 reached 80% by 2025

The net import reliance indicator shows a dramatic trajectory: from 8.1% in 2015 to 80.3% in 2025. This implies that for every unit of domestic consumption, the EU now relies overwhelmingly on extra-EU suppliers. Trade intensity (imports + exports as a share of apparent consumption) similarly rose from 10.8% to 105.5%, and export propensity (exports as a share of production) climbed from 1.6% to 135.5%. The extraordinary magnitude of these figures reflects a combination of collapsing domestic production and growing re-export activity, creating a situation where the EU functions increasingly as a trade intermediary rather than a manufacturing base.

2. Supplier diversification: from China-centric to a broader South and Southeast Asian sourcing landscape

2.1. China remains the largest single supplier but has lost market share

China was the EU's top import source throughout the period, with import values rising from €101.7 million (2015) to €118.9 million (2025), a +17.0% increase. However, China's peak was reached in 2021 at €154.9 million, after which values declined. In a market where total imports grew by 63%, China's slower growth implies a significant loss of market share. This is consistent with broader EU efforts to diversify textile supply chains and with rising production costs in China.

2.2. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India have emerged as major growth suppliers

The most striking feature of the import landscape is the explosive growth of South Asian suppliers:

Source: Top partners by value

Bangladesh's growth is especially remarkable: from a negligible base in 2015, it became the EU's second-largest supplier by value in 2025, overtaking Türkiye. This aligns with Bangladesh's established role in woven garment manufacturing and its preferential access under the EU's Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme. Pakistan and India, likewise benefiting from preferential trade arrangements and competitive labour costs, have consolidated their positions. Together, these three countries now account for a far larger share of EU imports than a decade ago.

2.3. Post-Brexit, the United Kingdom's trade with the EU collapsed on both sides

The United Kingdom provides a striking case study in trade disruption. EU imports from the UK fell from €22.5 million in 2015 to just €4.9 million in 2025 (–78.1%), while EU exports to the UK declined from €15.7 million to €12.3 million (–21.5%). The sharper decline on the import side suggests that the UK's role as a sourcing or transhipment hub for CN 6208 into the EU has been substantially eroded by Brexit-related customs formalities and rules of origin. The UK's coefficient of variation on imports (0.82) is among the highest, indicating very volatile flows — consistent with structural dislocation rather than smooth adjustment.

2.4. Import concentration has declined, reflecting the geographic diversification

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for EU imports by value fell from 2,195 in 2015 to 1,507 in 2025 (–31.4%). An HHI above 2,500 is typically considered "concentrated"; by 2025, the market had moved below the 1,800 threshold that denotes moderate concentration. This confirms that the EU's import base has meaningfully diversified away from a China-heavy structure toward a broader set of suppliers.

Export-side concentration also declined (HHI from 1,071 to 726, –32.2%), indicating that EU exports have become less reliant on a handful of destination markets. See the concentration dashboard for details.

3. The collapse of EU domestic production and its implications for the trade structure

3.1. EU production of CN 6208 items has fallen by over 90% since 2015

Perhaps the most dramatic finding in the data concerns domestic production volumes. EU production of CN 6208 items collapsed from 250.2 million pieces in 2015 to just 18.3 million pieces in 2025, a decline of 92.7%. Production value fell from €710.9 million to €73.7 million (–89.6%). This is not a gradual decline but an almost complete withdrawal of EU-based manufacturing in this product category. The simultaneous rise in imports and collapse in production confirms that the EU has transitioned from a producer to a net consumer market for women's woven undergarments and nightwear.

3.2. Only a handful of EU Member States retain meaningful specialisation

The specialisation analysis for 2025 shows that only Bulgaria (RSCA = 0.77), Croatia (0.38), Poland (0.27), France (0.26), and Portugal (0.22) display positive revealed comparative advantage in CN 6208. Most other EU members — including large economies like Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands — exhibit negative RSCA values, confirming their structural dependence on imports. The concentration of remaining production capacity in a few Central and Southern European states is consistent with cost-driven relocation patterns within the EU itself.

3.3. The export mix has shifted toward higher-value product segments

Examining the product segment breakdown, EU exports in 2025 were dominated by high unit-price subcategories:

• 620899 (other textile materials, singlets/vests/etc.): €21.1M value at €21,916/piece
• 620829 (other textile materials, nightdresses/pyjamas): €11.4M at €163,773/t (by weight)
• 620821 (cotton nightdresses/pyjamas): €13.4M at €41,697/piece
• 620822 (man-made fibre nightdresses/pyjamas): €9.3M at €39,533/piece

These price levels far exceed import equivalents, indicating that the EU retains competitive advantage in premium, design-intensive, or niche nightwear segments — while commodity production has fully migrated abroad.

On the import side, the largest categories by weight were 620891 (cotton singlets/vests/etc., 11,329t), 620821 (cotton nightdresses/pyjamas, 4,734t), 620822 (man-made fibre nightdresses/pyjamas, 4,299t), and 620892 (man-made fibre singlets/vests/etc., 3,920t). Cotton-based products account for the bulk of import volume, reflecting consumer preferences and the cost advantages of cotton-producing nations.

Conclusion

The EU market for CN 6208 over 2015–2025 has undergone a profound structural transformation. Domestic production has essentially collapsed (-92.7% in volume), replaced by a rapidly growing import base that now accounts for over 80% of net consumption. The supplier landscape has diversified significantly: while China remains the largest origin, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India have collectively surged to capture a much larger share, reducing import concentration (HHI from 2,195 to 1,507). Brexit materially disrupted UK–EU trade flows in this product, with imports from the UK falling by 78%. Meanwhile, EU exports have shifted toward higher-value niches, with unit prices rising nearly 48% even as volumes grew only modestly — consistent with a strategic retreat into premium positioning.

The key vulnerability for the EU lies in its extreme import reliance. With domestic capacity diminished to a fraction of its former level and few Member States retaining meaningful specialisation (led by Bulgaria, Poland, and France), the EU is structurally exposed to supply disruptions, exchange rate fluctuations, and trade policy shifts in its main sourcing countries. The shock analysis flags price anomalies in exports to Norway (2017), the United Arab Emirates (2022), and the United States (2022), underscoring the sensitivity of trade flows to external events. Looking ahead, the sustainability of this import-dependent model will depend on geopolitical stability in supplier countries, the evolution of EU trade preferences, and whether any reshoring incentives can meaningfully slow the production decline.