Middle East conflict may drive up clothing prices

MetaMuskRat · 2026-04-04T04:15:48+00:00

People’s Financial News, April 2—The impact of the Middle East conflict is spreading from energy markets to the consumer side, even reaching consumers’ closets. The shock to the clothing industry from the Middle East conflict is being passed along layer by layer—from upstream raw materials, to midstream factory processing, and then to downstream logistics and transportation—virtually every link has been affected. The CEO of UK clothing retailer Next said that if the Middle East conflict continues for several months or even extends into the autumn, clothing prices may first rise slightly by about 1% around June and July, and then the increase could expand to a range of 4% to 10%. Swedish fashion company H&M said that if the Middle East conflict continues, it could lead to a slight increase in costs and may also have a “major impact” on consumer behavior. This shows that the Middle East conflict is transmitting along the supply chain step by step: higher factory-side fabric and fuel costs will gradually pass through to end consumers, which may then push up global clothing prices. (CCTV Finance)

MetaMuskRat

2026-04-04 04:15:48

People’s Finance and Information reported on April 2 that the impact of the conflict in the Middle East is spreading from the energy market to the consumer end, even reaching consumers’ closets. The disruption to the apparel industry caused by the Middle East conflict is being passed along step by step: from upstream raw materials, to midstream factory processing, and then to downstream logistics and transportation—almost every link has been affected. The CEO of UK clothing retailer Next said that if the Middle East conflict lasts for several months and even continues into the fall, clothing prices may first rise slightly by about 1% around the summer months of June and July, and then the increase could expand to a range of 4% to 10%. Swedish fashion company H&M said that if the Middle East conflict continues, it could lead to a slight increase in costs, and could also have a “major impact” on consumer behavior. From this, it can be seen that the Middle East conflict is being transmitted layer by layer along the industrial chain; as factory-side fabric and fuel costs rise, they will gradually be passed through to the end market, which may in turn drive up global apparel prices. (CCTV Finance)

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