At the end of the third quarter, sales in the textile and fashion industry fell further by -4.8% compared to the same period last year, according to the association. The number of companies is also continuing to decline compared to the previous year: by minus 3.7% for textiles and minus 7.7% for clothing. The number of employees is falling accordingly: at the end of September, textiles fell by 5.1% and clothing by 2.1% compared to the previous year.
Uwe Mazura, general manager of the Textil + Mode Association, explains: “It is now bordering on a failure to provide assistance that politicians are not doing anything to improve competitiveness in Germany. All numbers are continuing to decline, the crisis among car manufacturers is exacerbating the situation, including for suppliers to the German textile industry. Germany as an industrial location is in danger of bleeding dry. The highly innovative medium-sized textile and fashion industry is suffering massive damage. Germany’s expertise in future textile technologies and the circular economy is in danger of migrating abroad. The ongoing weakness in exports shows that the crisis has become entrenched through political action.”
According to the association, export figures at the end of the third quarter remained behind the previous year: minus 7.2% for textiles and minus 1.6% for clothing. This means that the industry has exported 3.4% less overall in 2024. The industry has so far generated 40% of its sales from exports.
There is still no trend reversal in sight. The latest Ifo study on the competitiveness of the German economy is also worrying. This shows that the development of the competitive position in the textile industry is rated as one of the worst.
