Seizures of counterfeit goods being smuggled into the European Union more than doubled last year, official figures have shown. Customs authorities across the 27 member states seized 178 million fake items in 2008, up 125% from 79 million in 2007, said the European Commission of which clothing was 10%.
The European Commission said China remained the main source of counterfeit goods coming into the EU, accounting for 54% of the total in 2008.
Demand for fake fashion continues to grow at an alarming rate with captured shipments indicating that around 20% of all athletic merchandise is fake. Despite heightened anti-counterfeiting measures authorities expect counterfeiting to remain high for the next five years.