Industry · Textiles & Appare
UK & EU market entry for textile & apparel brands

High duty rates, fibre-labelling law, the GPSR and a wave of textile EPR — fashion's compliance bill is rising fast. We import your collections, represent your products and manage the registrations across the UK and all 27 EU member states.

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Selling apparel into the UK and EU without a local entity

Fashion looks like a simple category and taxes like a hard one: apparel carries some of the highest duty rates in the tariff (typically around 12%), sits squarely inside the GPSR's consumer-product scope, must obey EU and UK fibre-labelling law stitch by stitch — and is now the primary target of Europe's Extended Producer Responsibility expansion. A brand shipping from outside the UK/EU needs locally established parties for the import, the product responsibility and the EPR registrations before the first order ships.

flexfrontier provides them all: Importer of Record for your collections, GPSR Responsible Person for the product-safety layer, textile and packaging EPR registrations, and the VAT and EORI setup underneath.

Customs where it hurts: classification, origin and duty

Apparel classification (chapters 61 and 62) is granular — knitted versus woven, fibre composition, gender, garment type — and each line carries its own duty rate, which is why textile imports are among the most queried at the border. Origin matters just as much: preferential schemes and free trade agreements can cut duty to zero if the origin rules are met and documented, and claims that fail audit come back with back-duty and penalties. We build the classification and origin positions before goods move, and structure DDP flows so your customers never touch the customs process.

The label on the seam is law

The EU Textile Regulation (1007/2011) and its retained UK equivalent require fibre composition to be declared using the prescribed fibre names, accurate to the regulation's tolerances, in the language of the market — with care symbols and origin marking layered on by market practice and, in some member states, national rules. Meanwhile the GPSR adds the traceability layer: the Responsible Person's details on the product, packaging or accompanying document, verified by marketplaces before listings go live. We review your labelling and fill the RP role across the catalogue.

The EPR wave is here: France already operates mandatory textile EPR through Refashion — registration, ADEME identifier, eco-contributions per item and Triman sorting marks — and the revised EU Waste Framework Directive makes harmonised textile EPR mandatory across all member states, with national schemes rolling out on the back of it. Brands that build the registrations now avoid the scramble later; we run France today and add each country as its scheme goes live.

Returns, unsold stock and the destruction ban

Fashion's reverse logistics now has a regulatory edge: the EU Ecodesign framework (ESPR) introduces a ban on the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear for larger companies, phasing in from 2026 — making a compliant export route for unsold stock a necessity rather than a convenience. As Exporter of Record we move returned and unsold inventory out of the UK and EU for resale in other markets, with proof of export preserved for VAT and the paperwork that demonstrates stock was not destroyed.

Who we work with

  • Apparel and footwear brands entering UK/EU wholesale, retail and e-commerce.
  • D2C and marketplace-native labels fulfilling from outside Europe or via FBA.
  • Workwear and PPE-adjacent producers whose ranges cross into CE/UKCA territory.
  • Home-textile brands — bedding, towels, soft furnishings — facing the same stack.
At a glance
Territories
UK + 27 EU member states
Key frameworks
Reg. 1007/2011 · GPSR · textile EPR
Duty exposure
Typically ~12% on apparel
Setup time
From 24 hours
Request a consultation
One partner, every obligation
How our services map to textiles & apparel

Every flexfrontier service applied to the realities of the fashion trade — click through for the full picture on each.

Importer of Record

Collections · FBA stock · replenishment

We import your apparel into the UK and EU — including marketplace inbound stock — with classification and origin positions built to withstand the audits fashion imports attract.

GPSR Responsible Person

Clothing is a consumer product

Every garment sold to EU consumers needs an EU-established Responsible Person under the GPSR, verified by marketplaces at listing level — we fill the role across your whole catalogue.

EPR Compliance

France (Refashion) · packaging · EU-wide textile EPR

France already runs mandatory textile EPR; harmonised EU-wide textile EPR is following, and packaging obligations apply everywhere — we register, report and manage the fees.

VAT & EORI

OSS / IOSS · registrations · import mechanics

Marketplace and D2C VAT structures — IOSS, OSS and storage-country registrations — with EORI numbers linked so collections clear without surprises.

Exporter of Record

Returns · unsold stock · season exits

Returned and unsold inventory gets a compliant route out — exported for resale elsewhere rather than destroyed, with proof of export preserved for VAT.

Authorised Representative

REACH Only Representative structures

Workwear, protective gloves and PPE-classified garments carry CE/UKCA obligations on top of textile law — we provide the representation where your range crosses that line.

Common questions
Textiles & apparel — FAQs

  • Can you act as Importer of Record for our clothing shipments?

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    Yes. We import collections, replenishment and marketplace-bound stock into the UK and EU, with classification and origin positions built up front — the two points where apparel imports most often fail audits — and DDP delivery so your buyers never carry the customs process.

  • What duty rates apply to apparel imports?

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    Most clothing entering the UK and EU carries duty around 12%, varying by garment type and construction. Preferential origin under trade agreements and schemes can reduce or eliminate it where the rules are met and evidenced — we assess eligibility per supply chain.

  • What has to be on a garment's label?

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    Fibre composition using the prescribed fibre names under the Textile Regulation (and its UK equivalent), in the market's language and within the tolerances the law sets — plus, under the GPSR, traceability details including the EU Responsible Person for consumer sales. We review labelling as part of onboarding.

  • Do we need a GPSR Responsible Person for clothing?

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    Yes. Clothing is a consumer product squarely within the GPSR's scope, so every garment offered to EU consumers needs an EU-established Responsible Person whose details marketplaces verify at listing level. We fill the role across your whole catalogue under one appointment.

  • What is France's textile EPR and does it apply to us?

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    France requires producers of clothing, linen and footwear to register with the Refashion scheme, obtain an ADEME unique identifier, pay eco-contributions per item and apply Triman sorting marks. It applies to any brand placing textiles on the French market, including online sellers — we handle the registration and declarations.

  • Is textile EPR coming to the rest of the EU?

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    Yes. The revised Waste Framework Directive makes harmonised textile EPR mandatory across member states, with national schemes rolling out on the back of it. We run your French obligations today and add each country as its scheme goes live, so you are registered before enforcement starts.

  • What happens to our unsold stock and returns?

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    The EU is banning destruction of unsold clothing and footwear for larger companies under the Ecodesign framework, phasing in from 2026 — so a compliant export route matters. As Exporter of Record we move unsold and returned inventory out for resale elsewhere, with proof of export for VAT and documentation showing stock was not destroyed.

  • Do workwear and protective garments need CE marking?

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    Garments classified as PPE — protective gloves, hi-vis, safety footwear — fall under the PPE Regulation with CE (and UKCA) obligations, conformity assessment and an EU/UK economic operator requirement on top of textile law. We provide the representation where your range crosses that line.