Fashion AI™ Research
The Luxury Client, 2030
The next luxury cycle is being shaped not only by market growth but by changing definitions of desirability, exclusivity and discovery in the United States and China.
Investor · Forecast
€365–373bn
Personal luxury goods — 2026
Bain base outlook: 2–4% growth. Use as a category demand frame, not as a company revenue forecast.
Brand · Reported
+10–15%
US-native luxury brand momentum — Q1 2026
Bain-reported year-on-year growth signal for US-native luxury brands; useful for market-entry and comparative momentum work.
Retailer · Reported
+25–35%
China online luxury — Q1 2026
Bain-reported online luxury growth signal; ready-to-wear reportedly grew at about twice the rate of leather goods.
Designer · Reported
~50%
Luxury discovery now includes resale
About half of luxury shoppers consult secondhand before buying new, reinforcing price architecture, scarcity and residual-value considerations.
Brand · Reported
~50%
Luxury purchase journeys using AI
About half of luxury shoppers use AI somewhere in the purchase journey, raising the importance of structured product information and machine-readable brand authority.
Retailer · Reported
34%
Gen Z: social affects purchase decisions
McKinsey reports 34% of Gen Z respondents say social media is important in purchase decisions.
Brand · Reported
60%
Gen Z: regular AI Overview use
McKinsey reports regular use of AI-generated search overviews among Gen Z at 60%, versus 29% among boomers.
Investor · Forecast
2–3×
Secondhand structural growth
McKinsey expects secondhand fashion and luxury to grow two to three times faster than firsthand through 2027.
Investor · Forecast
USD 700bn
Global luxury — 2030
McKinsey/BoF projects the global luxury market to reach about USD 700 billion by 2030, with 4–6% annual growth. Treat as a category forecast, not a company forecast.
Brand · Reported
68%
US luxury clients identifying with challenger brands
In McKinsey/BoF’s 2026 luxury study, 68% of US luxury clients said newer or disruptive brands better reflect their identity, compared with 63% for established luxury houses.
Retailer · Reported
+5.0% YoY
US clothing & accessories stores — Jul 2026
The category was also 1.9% higher month over month. Use as a national channel read before applying local store economics and client sell-through.
Retailer · Reported
+6.2%
China online clothing — H1 2026
Online clothing grew faster than total H1 retail. At the same time, brand-exclusive-store sales at large retailers fell 8.7%, showing why channel mix matters.
Retailer · Reported
+10.7%
Korea online shopping — Jun 2026
Overall digital commerce remained strong even as online clothing transactions were down 1.5% year over year; avoid treating broad e-commerce growth as automatic apparel growth.
Retailer · Reported
16.4%
Singapore online retail share — Jun 2026
Retail sales rose 4.0% year over year. The online share provides a current channel-allocation anchor for Singapore market research.
Retailer · Reported
+3.6% YoY
Saudi wholesale & retail operating revenue — May 2026
A broad sector operating-revenue indicator rather than a fashion-sales measure; useful as current commercial context for Riyadh and Jeddah alongside local luxury and tourism evidence.
Retailer · Reported
+0.8% MoM
Mexico retail-trade revenue — Apr 2026
Broad official commerce context for Mexican market screening. Do not interpret the monthly national movement as apparel demand in Mexico City or resort markets.
Designer · Reported
−0.1% MoM
Brazil fabric, apparel & footwear — Apr 2026
Near-flat monthly category volume while total retail declined 1.5%; a useful directional read for Brazil that still requires brand or retailer sell-through data for assortment decisions.
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), 2026
Brand · Reported
64 / 54 / 27%
Luxury AI adoption — China / US / France
Bain’s luxury survey shows materially different AI adoption by market; product data, discovery strategy and AI visibility should be localized rather than globally uniform.
Designer · Reported
−0.7% MoM
Australia clothing & footwear spend — Jun 2026
National household spending on clothing and footwear softened month over month, while Q2 volume was 0.5% higher quarter over quarter—useful evidence for distinguishing monthly noise from quarterly direction.
Investor · Reported
+2%
International arrivals — Q1 2026
Observed global international-tourist arrivals were higher year over year despite disruption, adding a current destination-demand read beside the full-year 3–4% forecast.
Investor · Forecast
€1.44–1.47tn
Worldwide luxury spending — 2026 base
Bain’s base case implies 0–2% constant-rate growth, while personal luxury goods are expected at €365–373bn and 2–4% growth.