The Great Fashion Reversal: China’s Export Struggles in 2025 Unveiled

China is already paralyzing its exports of fashion products. The country, which in the 2026-2030 Five-Year Plan will prioritize its domestic market as a lever for growth, has reduced its garment exports by 3.6% in the first ten months of the year, compared to the same period last year, and by 8.1% its foreign sales of footwear.

The fall in foreign sales of the world’s leading supplier to the fashion sector has gone against the tide of other sectors: China’s overall exports of goods have continued to grow in 2025, with a cumulative increase of 4.7% from January to October, according to data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Moreover, the drop in apparel exports has picked up speed as the year has progressed: in the third quarter, Chinese apparel exports fell by 5.9% compared to the same month last year, and in October, by 15.7%, to just $10.576 million.

In the case of footwear, the intensity of the falls has also been increasing: in the third quarter, Chinese sales of these products abroad fell by 9.9%, and in October, by 18.4% year-on-year.

The fall in Chinese exports has intensified in the last months of the year in both apparel and footwear

The tariff war opened by the United States has had an impact on Chinese apparel sales to the country, the main recipient of its exports. This flow has fallen by 8.8% up to October, to $26.10 billion.

The European Union remains the second largest recipient of Chinese garment exports, with $23 billion, an increase of 4.5% (compared with a rise of 1.6% in the same period of the previous year). In the case of Japan, garment exports remained stable at $9.4 billion.

According to WTO data, Chinese garment exports remained up in countries such as the United Kingdom (with $4.4 billion, up 5.1%) and Canada (with $2.19 billion and a rise of 2.8%). On the other hand, they have fallen in other relevant markets for Chinese garment exports such as South Korea (down 4.6% to $4.9 billion), Kazakhstan (down 31.2%) and Kyrgyzstan (down 4.8%).

In footwear, Chinese foreign sales have fallen in all three of China’s main foreign markets in this sector: the European Union, the United States and Russia.

In the old continent, Chinese footwear exports from January to October reached $6.84 billion, 2.1% less than in the same period of the previous year; in the United States, $6.11 billion (24.9% less), and in Russia, $2.28 billion (6.8% less).

The tariff war with the United States, which in October began to de-escalate following the meeting between Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, has had a notable impact on Chinese export figures in 2025. While overall Chinese exports of goods to the European Union are up 5.8% from January to October, sales to the United States are down 17.6%.

Both countries remain the first and second recipients of Chinese exports, which so far this year have strongly increased their sales to countries such as Vietnam, India, Thailand, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.