£2.2bn
£XXX.Xm
1,660
3,841
£XXX.Xm
The UK Clothing Manufacturing industry is in decline owing to severe labour shortages, surging input prices and intense import competition. Over the five years through 2024-25, revenue is expected to contract at a compound annual rate of 6% to £2.2 billion. This is partly due to a sharp revenue decline in 2020-21 caused by disruption created by COVID-19, followed by the cost-of-living crisis slashing disposable incomes in 2022-23. Over 2024-25, revenue is expected to tumble by 1.8% as inflationary pressures continue to squeeze Briton's disposable income, limiting their clothing budgets, even with inflation easing. Growing sustainability and ethical shopping trends have become driving forces in the industry, with many consumers looking to buy higher-quality, sustainably made products – despite their higher price tag. The strength of the Made in Britain label and strong brand recognition continues supporting sales for heritage brands like Mulberry, Barbour and Burberry. In contrast, many new brands, like Damson Madder, have recently found a profitable niche selling slow fashion to young, environmentally conscious consumers.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 6.0 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated £2.2bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to decline over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2025 | Revenue (£m)
2025 |
---|---|---|
Burberry Ltd | 109.8 | |
J Barbour and Sons (Manufacturing) Ltd | 73.8 | |
Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd | 59.0 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Outwear, Coats, jackets blazers and other outdoor clothing and Accessories. Outwear is the largest segment of the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK.
Intense foreign competition takes a toll on outerwear sales
Companies in this industry manufacture clothing from a wide range of materials. Products include ready-to-wear and made-to-measure clothing, workwear and casual and formal apparel. Underwear and hosiery manufacturing is also part of the industry.
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SIC 14 - Clothing Manufacturing in the UK
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Clothing manufacturers struggle amid economic headwinds. The industry, already under strain due to ongoing Brexit trade difficulties and fierce global competition, is struggl...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Brand recognition boosts outdoor clothing sales despite low disposable incomes. Sales of high-quality British-made coats and jackets are sensitive to household income levels....
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
London's strategic location benefits clothing manufacturers. Being at the heart of the UK's retail industry, London-based clothing manufacturers have unparalleled access to n...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
The market remains highly fragmented. A wide array of products and numerous small-scale manufacturers keep market share concentration low, despite some bespoke manufacturers ...
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
No company dominates the market. The vast range of products manufactured by the industry means the market is highly fragmented, despite the presence of a few well-known brand...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Regulations aren’t too stringent. The Health and Safety Executive, international labour standards and the UK Modern Slavery Act all govern UK clothing manufacturers, promotin...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Rising costs undercut profit. Increasing raw material expenses, packaging and freight costs have put significant downward pressure on clothing manufacturers’ returns.
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in the UK include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
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IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
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The market size of the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom is £2.2bn in 2024.
There are 3,841 businesses in the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.2 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom has been declining at a CAGR of 6.0 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom is expected to decline.
The biggest companies operating in the Clothing Manufacturing market in United Kingdom are Burberry Ltd, J Barbour and Sons (Manufacturing) Ltd and Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd
Outerwear and Coats are part of the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry.
The company holding the most market share in United Kingdom is Burberry Ltd.
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Clothing Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom.