According to him, in the updated version of the strategy, which is to be approved by the end of 2026, the target is to be raised to at least 60%.

According to the minister, the clothing manufacturing segment is currently entering a phase of market saturation. The growth in production volumes, which began after global brands exited the Russian market, was replaced by a 3% decline in 2025. “We are reaching a plateau,” Anton Alikhanov explained. According to him, the niches left by global brands have been partially filled by domestic manufacturers and partially supplemented by imports from partner countries.

At the same time, the products from other countries continue to dominate the market overall. In the view of the Minister of Industry and Trade, this is largely because around half of Russian brands operate in narrow niche markets, including manufacturers of high-tech clothing, as well as ethnic and regional brands.
“As for technological trends, our market is generally keeping pace with international trends: there is a transformation and a decline in the consumption of natural fabrics and fibers. If 30 years ago, cotton accounted for half of the market and synthetics for 39%, today cotton accounts for 25–26%, while synthetics already account for 60%,” Anton Alikhanov said.

According to him, Russia remains heavily dependent on supplies of synthetic materials, including polyamides and polyesters. At the same time, Russian manufacturers have opportunities to develop local production of viscose and lyocell – an artificial cellulose fiber derived from wood.

The new national project “New Materials and Chemistry” is intended to support the development of these areas. In addition, relevant companies can qualify for support measures from the Industrial Development Fund and the Cluster Investment Platform. “After initial sanctions were imposed, we also introduced equipment leasing measures. Next year, we hope to double funding to meet demand across all manufacturers,” the minister added.