Following customers’ confidence for shopping after a disastrous 2020 in terms of both values and quantities, the US apparel imports grew by 26.92 percent to $35.38 billion in H1’21, compared to H1 ’20. In terms of volume, imports increased by 38.39 per cent Y-o-Y to 13,365.48 million SME.

As per Textile Focus, the value of clothing imports into the United States fell by 11.63 percent in the first half of 2021, to $ 40.04 billion. However, there was no significant drop in volume in the US, which decreased by only 0.23 percent compared to H1 ’19.

The two-year comparison shows, customers are still importing garments in large numbers from all over the world. The drop in values, on the other hand, indicates that unit prices are tightening – especially for basic commodities – which will intensify competition for manufacturing sites in the coming months!

During the first half of the year, the unit price of US apparel imports dropped significantly s. UVR (Unit Value Realization) per SME was $2.64 in H1 ’21, down from $2.88 in H1 ’20 and $2.99 in H1 ’19. These falling unit costs indicate the fierce competition being witnessed by clothing exporters post COVID-19.