1.1 Definition and presentation

As trendy as the latest pair of sneakers, the swimsuit has become a piece of clothing as well as a trend object in its own right in recent years. Trikini, swim briefs, swim shorts, tankini, monokini and bikini are the diﬀérentes variations that customers can find.

The swimsuit belongs to the broader category of swimwear. We will try to deal mainly with the swimwear market

The swimwear market can be divided into two main categories:

The "technical" swimsuits used by swimmers in the pool or sportsmen and women;
The "leisure" type swimsuits which are trendy and summery swimsuits for swimming in the sea and for the beach.

Men and women consume swimwear differently, with 75% of the world market being female [Kantar Worldpanel].

The latest trends in the Spanish market are anti-UV bathing suits, quick-drying swimsuits and stretch fabric swimsuits. There are also ecological trends in the consumption of swimwear.

1.2 An ever-growing global market

In ****, the global swimwear market was valued at US$**.** billion. It can be seen that analysts anticipate a strong future growth of the market (***), since forecasts show that it would reach a value of US$ **.** billion in ****, i.e. a growth of **.**% over the period ****-****.

Source: ****

Euromonitor estimates the swimwear ...

1.3 The Spanish market since 2013

In Spain, the swimwear market currently represents *** million euros, according to Euromonitor. The swimwear market alone had a turnover of *** million euros in **** [***]. Its current turnover can be estimated at around EUR *** million (***).

Source: ****

There has been a gradual increase in the size of the swimwear market in Spain, although the ...

1.4 A large trade deficit

Like the rest of its textile industry, Spain is an importer of swimwear.

Source: ****

Spain has a very negative trade balance, with exports covering only about */* of its imports in ****. Swimwear is seen as a substitutable good, so price is an important factor in the purchasing decision, favouring low-cost exporting ...

2.1 A market focused on women

In ****-****, women's swimwear accounted for **% of the total value of the global swimwear market. Nevertheless, this market is in diﬃculté ; according to Kantar Worldpanel, it would be in decline by *.*% in volume contrary to the men's market :

Source: ****

While men's swimwear represents a much smaller market share than women's ...

2.2 Tourism, a growth factor for the world market

One of the arguments put forward to explain the constant growth of the swimwear market in Spain is the good performance of world tourism.

Source: ****

According to the World Bank, we can see that tourist mobility grew almost continuously over the period ****-**** and particularly strongly since ****. Spain is particularly benefiting ...

2.3 An increase in income but a decrease in clothing spending

Source: ****

The disposable income of Spaniards has been rising every year since ****, allowing more spending, especially on clothing. However, in ****, Spanish fashion spending fell by *.*% [***].

After years of fast-fashion dominance, awareness of the environmental dangers of unrestrained clothing consumption has led to a reduction in purchases by some sections of the ...

3.1 Spain well represented in world production

Depending on the range, the materials but also the ecological impact that the brand wants to give to its products, the production sites and the production time can vary.

In Europe, production is concentrated in Spain and Portugal, where there are important factories for the manufacture of swimwear, although this is ...

3.2 Internet on the rise but still marginal among distribution channels

There are several distribution channels:

Sporting goods retailers: Décathlon for example, which distributes swimwear brands but also their own products and brands. Ready-to-wear brands that offer a swimwear line: they specialise in medium or top-of-the-range ready-to-wear but diversiﬁent and offer a swimwear line at varying prices. The specialist bath ...

3.3 Brands with global impact but a fragmented market

Spain is home to global consumer companies such as Inditex, El Corto Inglés, Puig, Mango and Desigual. However, the swimwear market is fragmented among the players, which also include retailers [***].

Inditex, Primark, H La Vanguardia ... and represent an even larger part of the swimwear sales market.

Source: ****

The market is ...

4.1 The different products on offer

Materials, cuts, colours, fabrics and trends are the diﬀérents essential parameters and criteria for the manufacture of a swimsuit, which will make up the width and depth of the oﬀre of this sector.

Recently, in Spain, the market for trikini, between bikini and bañador (***), has been growing. Trends, ...

5.1 A strict regulatory framework

The integration of textile regulations

The labelling of clothing falls under the European Regulation ****/**** which ﬁxe conditions and rules on the labelling and marking of textile products. Since * January ****, any person who places textile products (***).

A collective agreement to regulate the industry

The conditions of activity of the textile and clothing ...