Functional Apparel Market Analysis Report By Product, By Application, By Distribution Channel And Segment Forecasts From 2019 To 2025

Industry Insights

The global functional apparel market accounted for US Dollar 284.2 billion, in the year 2018. The demand for performance-enhancing sportswear is increasing with time, which in turn is driving the market. Moreover, there is a rise in the adoption of protective clothes that include a raincoat, sun-coat to protect from rain, sun, snow, and wind. This has driven the global market. Nowadays, people are highly concerned about their fitness. Most people indulge themselves in different workout exercises to remain fit and improve their immune systems. This has accelerated the growth of the market.

The lifestyle of people is changing rapidly, and they are more inclined towards using activewear in their day-to-day life. This factor is estimated to drive the demand for the product in the upcoming years. Some of the factors such as the increase in the buying power of consumers, technological advancements, and urbanization in developing nations such as Bangladesh, China, and India are also contributing to the increased demand for this product. Moreover, it has been observed that there is a high rate of migration of rural populations to the cities in the above-mentioned nations which has propelled the demand for this product.

The functional sportswear apparel is manufactured by using different fabrics such as polyester, synthetic, and cotton that are highly durable, safe, and help in increasing performance. Thus, the durability and safety associated with these products attract more consumers.

Labors working in different fields such as mining, and construction areas are exposed to extreme and challenging situations wherein they need to use water-resistant clothes, fire-resistant clothes, and boots & gloves with steel edges. All these attributes are present in functional workforce apparel. Therefore, these products are expected to create huge demand from the mining and construction industries.

For designing lightweight and durable apparel, manufacturers rely on innovative technologies that result in increasing the overall price of the product. This factor is estimated to adversely affect the growth of the market in the upcoming years.

Product Insights

The sportswear category had the largest functional apparel market share of about 32.8% in the year 2018. It consists of two sections that are apparel for amateur and professionals. Individuals are highly engaged in performing various workout activities in their daily routine. This has driven the growth of the segment. In addition, awareness about the advantages of doing exercise is increasing in the Asia Pacific region, which has further driven the demand for this product.

The activewear segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 7.2% during the forecasted period. These products are specially designed to make them more fashionable considering the current trends emerging in the fashion industry. This factor is expected to accelerate the demand for this segment. Youngsters, in most of the developed nations such as Canada and the U.S, prefer wearing activewear clothing as their casual attire. This has accelerated the demand for activewear clothes in upcoming years.

Distribution Channel Insights

In terms of revenue, sales through hypermarkets/supermarkets accounted for USD 127.8 billion, in the year 2018. Customers prefer buying functional apparel from supermarkets because they can see the product, check its quality, feel it and also have a trial to see if the product is fitting them properly. Supermarkets have a wide variety of functional apparel. This helps the customers to easily choose in between several different products available, which proliferates the growth of the segment in the coming years.

The online distribution channel segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 6.8% during the forecasted period. An increase in the number of online retail shops and ease of browsing different varieties of products just by sitting at home has driven the growth of the segment. Online retailers such as Amazon, Ajio.com, Myntra, and Jabong are putting their efforts to ensure faster delivery directly at the consumers’ doorsteps.

Application Insights

The market share of the professional athletic application segment accounted for USD 122.8 billion in terms of revenue in the year 2018. The armature segment of athletic products has a global market share of 38.6% owing to an increase in the preference of consumers for sportswear and activewear in their routine life. In addition, youngsters are largely attracted to the products that are fashionable and are incorporated with newer technologies. This is the reason behind the increasing demand for functional apparel.

The workforce apparel application segment is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment in the forecasted period. It consists of apparel for people working in challenging and extreme situations. These people work at mining sites, rescue departments, and construction sites. There is a high demand for functional apparel in developed nations such as Germany, U.K., France, Canada, and the U.S. The people from these countries are highly concerned about their fitness and tend to perform their regular workout activities. These are the major countries that the manufacturers are targeting by launching new and improved products and by adding additional features to improve the existing designs.  

Regional Insights

The revenue share jointly held by North America and the Asia Pacific regions was greater than 60% in the year 2018. There is high consumption of functional apparel from countries like India, China, and the U.S. because of the increase in the buying power of consumers and changes occurring in their lifestyles.

In Europe, the functional apparel industry is likely to have significant growth. The market for this product in countries like Germany, France, Brazil, South Africa, U.K., and UAE, is also expanding because they are trying to adopt the practice of exercising regularly for leading a healthy living.

Functional Apparel Market Share Insights

Leading players in this industry include Adidas, Under Armor, Gap, Nike, PUMA, S.E., Reebok, Asics Corporation, 361Aprt, Amer Sports, Ralph Lauren, Jockey International, PVH Corp., Hugo Boss, Russell Brands, LLC, and Umbro. For acquiring a larger share in the market, the companies are focusing on product innovations based on the preferences of consumers and the latest fashion trends.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For this study, Million Insights has segmented the global functional apparel market report based on product, application, distribution channel, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)
    • Sportswear
    • Activewear
    • Protective Clothing
    • Footwear
    • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)
    • Professional Athletic
    • Armature Athletic
    • Others

• Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)
    • Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
    • Convenience Store
    • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)
    • North America
        • U.S.
    • Europe
        • Germany
        • France
    • the Asia Pacific
        • India
        • China
    • Central & South America
        • Brazil
    • Middle East & Africa
        • South Africa