The global apparel and footwear market is now worth $1.7trn, having grown by 4% in 2016, according to new figures released by Euromonitor International.

However the 4% growth represents the weakest growth since the global economic downturn of 2008 and would have been significantly weaker had it now been for the strong growth in sportswear, which was up 7% for the third year in a row.

But it isn’t just pure activewear that is driving the growth but rather “sports-inspired” clothing, said Bernadette Kissane, apparel and footwear analyst at Euromonitor International. “Although performance sportswear takes the lead in terms of market size, valued at $78bn in 2016, sports-inspired is the category driving growth. Both sports-inspired footwear and apparel is growing at a rapid pace, registering 10% and 6% growth in 2016, respectively,” she said.

Growth in sports-inspired clothing, or so-called athleisure, is being witnessed in emerging markets such as India and Thailand, as well as “core” markets such as the US which, despite its reputation as a performance-orientated market, is recording significant sports-inspired growth.

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