Who sells the most socks and undershirts?

Chart R

June 1, 2025

When you think of Amazon, you might not immediately think of high-fashion. But the famed “everything store” has become just that — and “everything” includes clothing, with analysts at Wells Fargo estimating that 1 out of every 8 clothing items bought in the US now comes from Amazon.

Even Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and one of the richest men on Earth, seems into Amazon’s attire: He was virally panned for wearing what appeared to be a $12 butterfly print shirt from the e-commerce giant to Coachella in 2023.

Amazon sold an estimated $68 billion of apparel and footwear in the US in 2023, according to Ike Boruchow, an equity analyst at Wells Fargo. “This represents a highly impressive 13.2% share of all apparel sold in the U.S. and 41.4% share of all apparel sold online,” Boruchow wrote. Amazon’s control of the so-called “softlines” segment of the retail market is bigger than Walmart and TJ Maxx combined. The investment bank estimates that this year, the value of clothing sold on Amazon is set to top $76 billion.

Amazon Essentials and dozens of other in-house clothing labels have become a cornerstone of its retail strategy, serving up basic tees, socks, and jeans at ultracompetitive prices — the kind of staples that shoppers once bought at Walmart or Target. Basic apparel is the second-most-likely product category consumers are willing to buy on Amazon, a Wells Fargo survey found, just behind electronics and ahead of shoes and books. Fashion apparel is the fifth-most-popular product among would-be consumers.

Sherwood explored how Amazon’s website design might be helping sales, the reasons we’re more open to getting our latest outfits online, and how other clothing giants are deciding that if they can’t beat Bezos’ behemoth, they might as well join them.