Italian leather goods exports dropped 7.5% in the first five months of 2025, reaching just over €4 billion. Exports make up more than 85% of the industry’s yearly revenue.
According to Fashion Network exports to EU countries fell 1.5% while non-EU markets faced a sharper 10.6% decline.
Non-EU exports generally carry higher prices and bring in almost two thirds of total export revenue.
In Europe, France and Germany showed different trends. Exports to France dropped 3.8% while Germany saw a slight 1.1% increase.
Outside the EU, the Middle East led growth with exports up 26.4%, driven by UAE sales rising 35.7% and Qatar by 49.9%.
Turkey also saw growth of 16.7%. Far East markets fell 17.3%, the former USSR 4.3%, and the UK 13%. Switzerland continued to struggle with a 39% drop due mainly to logistics issues.
North America remained almost flat, rising 0.9% overall, with Canada down 13% and the USA up 2.1%.
By product type, leather goods exports dropped 3.6% while leather substitutes fell 15.8%. Handbags remained the top item with €2.83 billion in revenue, 70% of total exports but down 9% from last year.
Luggage and travel goods dropped 12.4%, small leather goods lost 2.4%, genuine leather items grew 3.7%, and belts rose 4.7%.
Outlook for the second half of 2025 is cautious. New US tariffs under Trump could add further pressure, making it likely that Italian leather goods will record a second consecutive year of decline.
