Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Outerwear market worldwide - statistics & facts
Believe it or not, there’s a jacket for any season, occasion, and purpose out there. From classic trench coats to big winter parkas, outerwear is not only practical and protective against weather conditions, it can also be personalized to each wearer as part of their own style. The outerwear market itself is not necessarily synonymous with the outdoor apparel market, which is generally meant for more active, adventurous activities, although naturally there are significant overlaps.
While outerwear can be fashionable, its main purpose is to provide warmth and comfort to the wearer. In fact, according to U.S. consumers comfort and durability were the two most important qualities, particularly in winter outerwear.
Global markets
The overall size of the coats and jackets market worldwide was estimated to be worth over 110 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The men’s and women’s segment were pretty much equal in size, at an estimated 50 billion dollars, with the rest being made up by the children’s segment. When the market was broken down by country, China was the dominant player in 2024, with a market revenue of over 10 billion dollars. There was a significant gap between the United States in second and Japan in third.Leading specialist retailers
The VF Corporation is one of the key players in the outerwear market, as the company owns several well-known brands in the outdoor and activewear segment, The North Face, Napapijri, and Eastpak, to name a few. In 2025, the VF Corporation generated revenues of over 5.5 billion U.S. dollars from their outdoor segment, which was just very slightly less than their activewear segment. Operating in a different segment of the outerwear market, Moncler is an Italian luxury brand which specializes in outerwear. In the company’s 2024 financial year, revenues totalled over three billion euros.While outerwear can be fashionable, its main purpose is to provide warmth and comfort to the wearer. In fact, according to U.S. consumers comfort and durability were the two most important qualities, particularly in winter outerwear.
