Fashion pulse: Argentina - August 2026

Consumer prices (August)

Prices in the Prendas de vestir y calzado (clothing and footwear) division rose 11.0 percent year-on-year in August 2026, according to Argentina's national statistics institute INDEC, down from 11.5 percent in July. Headline consumer price inflation was 33.5 percent year-on-year, so clothing inflation remained about a third of the headline rate. Core inflation stood at 31.9 percent year-on-year.

On the month, clothing and footwear prices fell 0.6 percent, while the overall index rose 1.7 percent, according to INDEC. INDEC named clothing and footwear, together with recreation and culture at 0.0 percent, as the divisions with the lowest monthly variation. INDEC said seasonal prices fell 0.9 percent, partly on lower prices for clothing and tour packages.

Retail sales (July and August)

Sales of clothing, footwear and leather goods at shopping centres rose 9.7 percent YoY in July to 216.9 billion pesos argentinos in current prices, according to preliminary INDEC data, or roughly 1.6 percent lower in real terms after deflating by clothing prices. Total shopping centre sales rose 1.9 percent year-on-year at constant prices.

Sales at small and medium-sized retailers fell 0.2 percent YoY in real terms in August, according to the Confederación Argentina de la Mediana Empresa (CAME). Within the total, CAME reported textiles and clothing up 6.4 percent and footwear and leather goods up 1.2 percent.

Consumer sentiment (August)

The consumer confidence index of Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) fell 1.08 percent to 40.23 points in August, though it was 0.71 percent above August 2025. The sub-index for durable goods and property, the component most closely linked to discretionary purchases, fell 4.03 percent to 33.91.

Monetary policy and currency (August)

The rate on large private bank deposits, BADLAR, averaged 22.72 percent in August, according to the Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA). The wholesale reference rate averaged 1,499.96 pesos per dollar in August, up from 1,487.00 in July, a 0.9 percent fall in the value of the peso. Compared with August 2025, when the dollar averaged 1,329.54 pesos, the peso was 11.4 percent weaker.

The bottom line

Argentine clothing and footwear prices rose 11.0 percent YoY in August, about a third of headline inflation of 33.5 percent, and fell 0.6 percent on the month. CAME reported textiles and clothing sales at small retailers up 6.4 percent in real terms in August, while an approximation from preliminary INDEC data for July puts shopping centre clothing sales roughly 1.6 percent lower in real terms. Consumer confidence eased to 40.23 in August.

Note: this article combines the most recent official data available at the time of writing. Reporting lags differ by indicator and country, so not all figures refer to the same month. Each data point is labelled with its reference period.