Though Australia’s manufacturing sector has declined by 5.70 per cent over the two years through 2020-21, its knitted product manufacturing industry has increased revenue by 13.20 per cent to US $ 90.60 million in the same period, as per IBIS World,

The pandemic disrupted supply across North Asia, which typically accounts approximately 40 per cent of the global apparel manufacturing industry. However, this benefited the Australian clothing manufacturers, as per an Apparel Resources report.

Australian exports of knitted apparel to Japan jumped by more than 320 per cent in 2019-20, and exports across the manufacturing of men and boys clothing segment increased by 33.9 per cent, informs Ross Dean, Senior Industry Analyst.

According to IBISWorld, while domestic demand of clothing in Australia is projected to continue declining, exports of knitted garments are forecast to grow by an annualized 1.80 per cent over the five years through 2025-26.

The growth can be attributed to the recent changes to tariffs on knitted apparel and other clothing items to New Zealand and ASEAN.