Another encouraging sign for made-in-Italy fashion was the surge in hiring in the textile and apparel industry, after several weak years. It rose by 1.1% in the first quarter 2017, by 0.9% in the second and by 0.3% in the third, according to figures published by Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), the Italian fashion industry’s employers association.In the first quarter 2017, the revenue for the industry increased by 2.8% compared to the same period a year earlier (+1.3% for textiles, +3.6% for apparel). The second quarter was even better, with a 3.8% increase (+1% for textiles, +6.7% for apparel), while there was something of a slow-down in the third quarter, with revenue increasing by only 0.4% (-1% for textiles, +1.2% for apparel).

As usual, Italian fashion industry sales were driven by exports, which grew 2.4% between January and July 2017, reaching €17.9 billion. Once more, the leading sector was knitwear, whose exports leaped 7.5% (+4.5% for home linen and +3% for tech textiles).As for textile and apparel imports, they grew by 1.9% in the period, and were worth €12.3 billion. Altogether, Italian fashion recorded a trade surplus of nearly €5.6 billion, thanks to an extra €183 million on the positive side compared to the same period in 2016.Europe was the main export market for Italian textiles and apparel, worth €9.9 billion (+1.7%), though Asia grew at a faster pace (+11.5% for China, +5% for South Korea). Germany still remains the top European outlet for Italian fashion, with a 10.2% share, its imports growing by 1% in the period.It was followed by France, with a 9.5% share, though Italian exports to the country lost 1.3% between January and July, while they rose 5.7% in Spain and 13.4% in Russia. Sales to the USA, the second market after Europe for Italian textiles and fashion, lost 0.6% instead.On the whole, the Italian fashion industry can afford to be optimistic, since in August exports were up again (+1% for textiles, +4.4% for apparel), according to figures published by the national institute of statistics, ISTAT.”Our industry, in terms of output, accounts for over 35% of the entire European fashion industry. Italy is for fashion what Germany is for cars,” said Claudio Marenzi. As recently observed in a survey published by Deutsche Bank, 26 of the top 100 luxury labels worldwide are Italian, and collectively they account for 16% of the group’s total combined revenue.