P. Smith
Research expert covering apparel industry and general merchandise
The Canadian apparel market is the ninth largest apparel market worldwide, with all the countries ahead in the ranking, and many below, boasting significantly larger populations than Canada. Several Canadian brands have also made their mark on the global apparel market, most notably lululemon athletica, the activewear company which has experienced remarkable growth in recent years and had the second largest market capitalization of leading athletic apparel, accessories and footwear companies worldwide in 2024.
The revenue of the Canadian apparel market was forecast to increase year on year, reaching an estimated 45.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2028.
Apparel manufacturing declines while imports increase
The domestic textile, clothing, and leather product manufacturing industry in Canada has fluctuated in size since 2012, but generally showed a downwards trend over the past years, perhaps following the common trend of many developed countries of outsourcing manufacturing to developing countries to keep costs low. The value of apparel imported to Canada increased dramatically in 2022, to almost 17.5 billion Canadian dollars. This was an increase of roughly 4.5 billion Canadian dollars compared to the previous year, and nearly double the value of apparel imports from 2011.Women’s clothing drives retail sales
Clothing store retail sales in Canada amounted to approximately 27.5 billion Canadian dollars in 2022, up from from 25.7 billion Canadian dollars in the previous year. Compared to 2019, however, it was a decrease of approximately 1.5 billion dollars. Over the years, the retail sales of women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing stores has been consistently highest in the fourth quarter, most likely because of the holiday season. Women’s clothing stores make significantly higher sales than men’s, selling 2.24 billion Canadian dollars more in Q3 of 2023.lululemon: the breakout Canadian brand
lululemon athletica had 71 stores in Canada in 2023, generating approximately 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in the domestic market. However, the United States is where the company generates the majority of its profit, accounting for roughly 70 percent of revenues. Overall, lululemon made revenues of 9.6 billion U.S. dollars in financial year 2023, which is extremely impressive growth; just five years previously the company generated 3.3 billion dollars.The revenue of the Canadian apparel market was forecast to increase year on year, reaching an estimated 45.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2028.
