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EU importers bought EUR 218.4 million of leather apparel and clothing accessories from outside the bloc in July and August 2026, 10.0 percent more than a year earlier, Eurostat data show. January to August imports reached EUR 748.0 million, up 2.5 percent, with Turkey the fastest-growing large supplier.

US commercial cattle slaughter fell 7 percent in September 2026 and feedlot placements reached their lowest September level since 1996, USDA data shows. For leather jacket buyers, the signal is a smaller hide pool heading into 2027 programmes.

The European Commission and EUIPO reported on October 22, 2026 that 196 million counterfeit items worth EUR 6.3 billion were intercepted in 2025, a record. Labels, tags and stickers took 12.82 percent of detained articles, the third largest group.

China's leather garment exports reached USD 110 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 37.9 percent in value on 9.3 percent more pieces, lifting average unit price 26.1 percent. Here is what the shift means for 2027 leather jacket quotations.

USTR opened comments on October 5, 2026 ahead of the 2027 USMCA joint review, after the United States declined to extend the pact for a new 16-year term. Here is what leather jacket buyers should check in their origin files.

UK Defra opened a request for information on October 15, 2026 on two brominated flame retardants and one group of unintentional by-products, with responses due by November 29, 2026. The outcome could change what leather jacket buyers must document from their suppliers.

EU market surveillance results published in 2026 show 82% of tested safety footwear non-compliant and 37% of clothing labels inaccurate. For leather jacket buyers, the failures point to documents, labels and traceability.

China published three revised national test methods for leather on September 28, 2026, including a new edition of the method used to measure nickel release from leather hardware. The standards take effect on April 1, 2027, and change the technical basis Chinese laboratories cite when a leather jacket is tested before export.

France's Law No. 2026-602 creates a legal definition of ultra fast fashion and bans advertising for it from January 1, 2027. Leather jacket sellers also face manufacturing-location display duties online and eco-contribution penalties that already apply.

The European Commission's updated REACH Restrictions Roadmap, published on 31 August 2026, brings leather tanning and leather articles inside the intended scope of a coming group restriction on bisphenols. A second track covering skin sensitisers in leather articles has reached the drafting stage.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management published guidance on October 9, 2026 explaining how manufacturers can seek an exemption from the state's Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024. The Act prohibits covered products containing intentionally added PFAS from January 1, 2027, and its definition of textile expressly includes leather.

The UK government's call for evidence on digital product records closed on September 21, 2026. The consultation explored a British system for digital product information that would sit alongside the EU's Digital Product Passport, which applies in Northern Ireland and covers textiles and apparel through future delegated acts.

CBP proposed a rule on October 8, 2026 that would require low-value shipments to be entered electronically, on or before arrival, and would add a new electronic entry type for goods arriving by mail. For a Leather Jacket buyer it reaches everyday consignments: samples, small replenishment orders and any parcel valued at 2,500 US dollars or less.

The United States and China have extended their tariff truce and activated a joint trade body whose published product lists, released on September 27, 2026, set out which goods could receive reduced tariffs. For a Leather Jacket programme sourced from China, the practical point is direct: the lists cover household textiles and consumer goods, but no apparel and no leather goods.