<p>The fashion and textile industry has expanded rapidly, yet it remains strongly associated with environmental degradation and unsustainable production practices. In response, the circular economy (CE) has gained increasing attention in academic and policy discussions as a systemic approach to sustainability transitions. However, despite the growing body of literature, there is a limited synthesis explaining how CE research in this sector has evolved, which themes dominate the field, and where key knowledge gaps remain. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review and bibliometric mapping of circular economy research in the fashion and textile sector from 2014 to 2024. The results reveal a significant geographical imbalance in knowledge production, with research concentrated in high-income countries while regions in the Global South, where much of global textile manufacturing occurs, remain underrepresented. The analysis identifies six dominant research clusters: (1) Business and Management, (2) Regulation in the Apparel Industry, (3) Barriers and Behavior, (4) Transition, (5) Models and Practices, and (6) Waste and Resource Management. The findings also show a recent shift in the literature toward governance mechanisms and institutional coordination, reflecting growing scholarly attention to regulatory frameworks and multi-stakeholder governance, which suggests that policymakers, industry actors, and civil society organizations play a critical role in strengthening sustainability standards and regulatory alignment across global textile supply chains. This study contributes to a systematic understanding of CE research in the fashion and textile sector. It identifies key directions for future research, particularly in examining the social dimensions of circular transitions, improving verification of corporate sustainability claims, and developing comparative analyses across production regions.</p>