Women's apparel spend is near-flat while athletic footwear accelerates

South Africa's overall apparel market is on a healthy growth trajectory — expanding from $5.8 billion in 2023 to a projected $7.9 billion by 2030 at a 4.6% annual rate, signalling a broadly expanding consumer class. But the women's apparel sub-segment tells a starkly different story: squeezed by persistent inflation and high unemployment, women's clothing spend is forecast to grow just 0.31% annually, edging from $4.2 billion to $4.3 billion by 2032. Therefore, the real opportunity for brands targeting South African women lies in athletic footwear, where the market grows from $901 million in 2025 toward $1.1 billion by 2034 and women's end-user share is actively expanding from 35.6% today toward 38–39% by 2034 — suggesting South African women are redirecting discretionary spend from clothing to performance footwear as fitness culture takes hold.