Fashion pulse: Colombia - August 2026

Consumer prices (August)

Clothing and footwear prices in Colombia rose 3.26 percent year-on-year in August 2026, according to Colombia's national statistics office DANE, down from 3.38 percent in July. Headline consumer price inflation rose to 6.24 percent from 6.03 percent, so clothing and footwear inflation ran 2.98 percentage points below the headline rate and was the lowest of the 12 expenditure divisions. On the month, clothing and footwear prices fell 0.14 percent, while overall consumer prices rose 0.39 percent.

Retail sales (August, preliminary)

Real retail sales of clothing and textiles fell 5.89 percent YoY in August, after a revised 3.06 percent decline in July, according to preliminary DANE data. In nominal terms, clothing and textile sales fell 2.96 percent. Real sales of footwear and leather goods fell 9.00 percent YoY.

Total real retail sales including vehicles rose 7.34 percent YoY in August, or 1.90 percent excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles, according to preliminary DANE data.

Consumer sentiment (August)

Fedesarrollo's consumer confidence index fell to a balance of 15.5 percent in August from 20.7 percent in July, a decline of 5.2 percentage points, according to the think tank's consumer opinion survey. The index remained in positive territory, with optimistic answers outweighing pessimistic ones.

Monetary policy and currency (August)

The policy rate of Banco de la República remained at 12.00 percent throughout August, when its board held an ordinary meeting without a rate decision. The dollar averaged 3,126.78 pesos in August, down from 3,272.01 pesos in July, according to the representative market rate published by the Financial Superintendence of Colombia, a 4.6 percent rise in the value of the peso. Compared with August 2025, when the dollar averaged 4,049.93 pesos, the peso was 29.5 percent stronger.

The bottom line

Colombian clothing and footwear prices rose 3.26 percent YoY in August, 2.98 percentage points below headline inflation of 6.24 percent and the lowest rate among the 12 divisions. Preliminary DANE data show real clothing and textile sales down 5.89 percent and footwear down 9.00 percent, while total real retail sales including vehicles rose 7.34 percent. Consumer confidence fell to 15.5 percent, and the peso was nearly 30 percent stronger against the dollar than a year earlier.

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.