Spending across fashion in Australia was relatively flat in February 2026 compared to the previous month, lifting just 0.1 per cent.
This is according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which shows that fashion’s flat growth in February followed a 0.2 per cent monthly lift in January and a 2.6 per cent fall in December 2025.
The flat growth in fashion joined a total household spending lift of 0.3 per cent in February, driven mostly by food and recreation and culture.
This follows a rise of 0.3 per cent in January and a fall of 0.5 per cent in December.
Household spending over the year remained high in nominal terms, up 4.6 per cent compared to February 2025.
ABS head of business statistics Tom Lay said discretionary spending rose 0.5 per cent in February, driven by recreational and cultural activities for concerts and musicals as well as higher spending on air travel and accommodation services.
Some of the rise in spending on concerts and musicals reflect advanced purchases of tickets for future performances. In the household spending indicator, this activity is recorded as spending at the point of purchase rather than when the service is consumed.
“Households also spent more on essential items, with food spending up 1.0 per cent, further contributing to overall household expenditure,” Lay said.
Transport spending fell 0.4 per cent, driven by lower spending on operation of vehicles and partly offsetting the rise in household spending.
“This was largely due to lower fuel prices during the month prior to the Middle East conflict, which reduced household expenditure on transport,” Lay said.
Household spending rose in six out of the eight states and territories in February. The Northern Territory recorded the largest rise in percentage terms, while Western Australia saw the biggest increase in dollar terms.
Northern Territory recorded the largest monthly rise (up 3.4 per cent), followed by Western Australia (up 0.9 per cent) and South Australia (up 0.6 per cent). Tasmania recorded the largest monthly fall, down 0.3 per cent.
Clothing and footwear spending across the states and territories was just as mixed. NT fashion spending grew the most, by 2 per cent, followed by Western Australia (1.5 per cent), South Australia (1.2 per cent) and Queensland (1 per cent).
New South Wales recorded the largest drop in fashion spending by 0.9 per cent, with the other big state of Victoria rising slightly by 0.2 per cent.