The energy crisis that has closed steel mills and aluminum smelters across Europe is now spreading to the continent’s fashion industry.
Thousands of small factories and workshops that supply brands such as Gucci and H&M have watched their business models unravel amid the surge in natural-gas and electricity prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its decision to reduce the flow of gas to the continent. Energy costs for many textile makers have risen from about 5% of production costs to around 25%, slashing their profit margins, according to data from European textiles and apparel trade group Euratex.
