China dominates Italian home textile imports despite decline

Italy imported home textiles worth $473.830 million in the first four months of the current year. Imports from China were valued at $99.770 million, making up 21.6 per cent of the total. Imports from Pakistan were $71.640 million (15.12 per cent), India $45.765 million (9.66 per cent), Germany $41.989 million (8.86 per cent), and Turkiye $41.704 million (8.80 per cent), according to Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro.

Before the COVID disruption, Italy’s home textile imports from China were valued at $340.061 million in 2019, which was 23.01 per cent of its total home textile imports of $1,478.689 million in the same year. In 2020, when people were bound to stay indoors, Italy’s imports of home textiles totalled $4,646.100 million. China received overwhelming supply orders, and the trade surged almost tenfold, reaching $3,378.829 million in the same year. Therefore, its share surged to 72.72 per cent of the total imports of home textiles by Italy.

China’s share in inbound shipments began to drop from 2021 onwards. The share reduced to 34.24 per cent as Italy’s imports of home textiles from China were noted at $748.858 million out of its total imports of $2,187.047 million. Italy’s imports of home textiles further reduced to 25.50 per cent in 2022, with the trade valued at $521.259 million out of total imports of $2,044.261 million. China's share was 20.06 per cent in 2023. Italy’s imports of home textiles from the country were $346.045 million out of its total imports of $1,742.932 million in the same year, as per TexPro.

Last year, Italy’s imports of home textiles from Pakistan were valued at $281.730 million (16.33 per cent), India $178.013 million (10.32 per cent), Germany $164.550 million (9.54 per cent), and Turkiye $136.098 million (7.81 per cent).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)