RBC has identified five niches for the development of Russian fashion brands

Niches with development potential in the Russian fashion industry are men’s clothing, plus-size clothing, underwear, sports clothing, as well as bags and shoes. Analysts came to such conclusions in the annual study of the Russian fashion industry, conducted as part of the RBC x VOYAH Fashion Review project together with the RBC Market Research team.

Analysts estimated the revenue of the companies and the dynamics of growth of points of sale on networks of clothing and footwear 1,604 study participants. In addition, they interviewed 2,640 Russians aged 18-54 from cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people, and turned to 170 leading market experts.

Menswear and the plus-size clothing segment in 2026 are already outpacing the market average in terms of revenue growth and profitability, the study showed. The financial dynamics of underwear, sportswear, bags and shoes is still more modest, but the potential of these niches is confirmed by the hidden needs of buyers identified in the surveys, analysts note.

The study revealed that the task of business is not just to expand the range, but rather to produce and sell what people are looking for, but not yet find. On the example of the five niches considered, it can be seen that the gap is especially noticeable in landing, size range, materials, design and functionality.

The full text of the study is in the material “RBC Style”.