Fashion and Luxury
When it comes to authentic excellence, Italian fashion stands out as a globally recognized code. A promise of style, quality, and authenticity: a universal language. It is the result of a unique manufacturing system in which every stage—from design to production—reflects a rich cultural heritage that is continually renewed through innovation.
A supply chain with a high intensity of exports, innovation, and expertise
Italy's fashion and luxury industry continues to be one of the driving forces of the national economy, with 461,000 direct employees and 81,000 active companies. The estimated turnover for 2025 is €93.3 billion, compared to €96 billion in 2024. Exports are expected to be around €88 billion, with a decline of 3.6% compared to 2024 and varying trends among the different sectors.
In the third quarter of 2025, revenue in the core sectors—textiles, apparel, leather, leather goods, and footwear—returned to growth after two consecutive years of decline. July and September recorded month-over-month increases of 1.4% and 5.7%, respectively. In the following months, the trend slowed, although results remained better than in the same period in 2024.
Sources: Confartigianato, Italia, la grande officina delle piccole imprese – 19° Rapporto annuale, 2024 ("Italy, the great workshop of small businesses – 19th annual report, 2024"); Confartigianato Imprese, Moda italiana in affanno: produzione giù del 6,6% e 11 imprese chiuse al giorno, 2025 ("Italian fashion under pressure: Production down 6.6% and 11 businesses closing every day, 2025"); Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, cited by pambianconews.com, in Il Q3 attenua il calo annuale della moda italiana (-2,6%). Pesa l'export extra-Ue ("Q3 eases the annual decline in Italian fashion (-2.6%): Extra-EU exports weigh on the sector"). - Non-EU exports weigh heavily.
Main subsectors
Textiles, apparel, footwear, leather goods, eyewear, jewelry, and cosmetics are more than just manufacturing sectors within the fashion industry—they are complex worlds where creativity, technology, and craftsmanship come together. Here, innovation dialogues with artisanal tradition, giving rise to products that express identity, style, and quality recognized worldwide.
Source: Confindustria Moda, cited by FashionNetwork.com Italia, in Tessile italiano ancora in negativo nel 2025 ("Italian textile industry still in decline in 2025").
3.73
€ BILLION
Leather
Eyewear
Jewelry
Cosmetics
Excellence and innovation
In the global fashion and luxury landscape, Made in Italy stands out for its ability to combine exceptional craftsmanship with a strong commitment to innovation. Today, this combination is one of the Italian system's key competitive advantages. The goal is not to replace craftsmanship with technology, but to enhance it.
Tailoring techniques handed down through generations are complemented by new sustainable materials, optimized production processes, and business models capable of responding to dynamic markets.
The use of increasingly sophisticated and cutting-edge technologies is now an integral part of Italian production language: it makes beauty recognizable, quality replicable, and excellence accessible.
Sources: La Conceria, Digitalizzazione e Intelligenza Artificiale per Prada e Balenciaga ("Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence for Prada and Balenciaga");
- Avvenire, Settore orafo, largo ai giovani e alla tecnologia ("Goldsmithing industry: making room for young talent and technology");
- Intellico, L’IA è un game changer per le aziende cosmetiche? ("Is AI a game changer for cosmetics companies?").
Technologies are not just support tools, but drivers of structural innovation
3D scanners and replicable quality for leather
AI for the integrated management of the cosmetics supply chain
Virtual development of entire collections
Regional impact
The fashion and luxury industry—with its textile, jewelry, and eyewear segments—provides a clear example of regionally based competitive specialization.
District after district, local identity translates into products exported worldwide, capable of combining aesthetics, technology, and traceability. From north to south, Italy is home to a network of industrial districts, each specializing in a distinct and well-established manufacturing tradition.
Sources: Google Arts & Culture, Il Tessile Biellese ("The Biella textile industry"); - Vivi Oro, Chi siamo ("Who we are"); - Regione Lombardia, Cosmesi, motore dell’export lombardo: il tour istituzionale al distretto di Crema ("Cosmetics, a driver of Lombardy's exports: the institutional tour of the Crema district"); - Intesa Sanpaolo, Monitor dei Distretti del Triveneto ("District Monitor of the Triveneto") – January 2026.
Some of the regions most closely associated with the industry
Biella wool district
Textile excellence developed in symbiosis with the Alpine environment.
Goldsmith districts of Veneto and Tuscany
Historic centers of the goldsmith and jewelry industry.
Lombardy cosmetics district
One of the most important manufacturing districts on the continent.
Belluno eyewear
One of the most advanced supply chains in Europe in terms of technology and design.
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