European Union

The average price of textile and clothing imports in Europe jumped by 14.2% between January and April, according to Textiles Intelligence. The group says that the highest price increases came from exporting countries who supply clothes at the lowest average price, leading some to believe that the margins of suppliers in these countries are so tight that they were unable to absorb the effects of depreciation of the Euro against the U.S. dollar and were therefore forced to pass these costs on to buyers. The Euro is expected to depreciate over 21% against the U.S. dollar this year. (Textiles Intelligence)