American apparel imports in January 2020 fell 11.19 per cent in value and 10.72 per cent in volume. China’s apparel exports to the US fell 36 per cent. As China was the epicenter of the coronavirus, the country declared a lockdown in many provinces. This lockdown forced manufacturers to keep their factories closed. The New Year holidays also fell in January. Apparel shipments from Vietnam to the US increased 4.12 per cent. This decent growth coupled with China’s slump made Vietnam’s apparel exports to the US almost equivalent to that of China. Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the US jumped by 17 per cent. The growth is noteworthy for the country as it concluded 2019 with a stagnation in its exports to the US. India’s exports nosedived by 2.81 per cent. The biggest beneficiaries from Asia were Cambodia and Myanmar. Myanmar almost doubled its apparel exports to the US.

The impact of Coronavirus outbreak has been reflected in the US’ apparel imports in January 2020. The outbreak has severely impacted supply chains not just in China but in other major manufacturing hubs across the world as well. This is going to impact all manufactured goods as well as services.