Latest Commerce Department’s Office of Textiles & Apparel (OTEXA) figures reveal US apparel imports increased 17.1 per cent in September. Shipments from Cambodia rose two per cent, up 10.71 per cent in the nine-month period. This came after a 29 per cent decline in July year on year was followed by 18 per cent rise in August. Apparel shipments from China increased 25.2 per cent in September compared to a year earlier. This outpaced a 15.6 per cent rise in August; year to date, apparel imports from China were up 33.22 per cent. Despite ongoing Sino-US tensions and ongoing tariffs imports from China has been on the rise.

With COVID related factory shutdown in Vietnam imports fell 4.6 per cent in September compared to a year earlier to 345.11 million sq. mt. equivalents (SME), according to OTEXA. It may be noted that Vietnam’s apparel exports to the US had increased a year-over-year 22.3 per cent in August. For the first nine months of 2021, Vietnam’s apparel shipments were still up 19.19 percent to 3.37 billion SME.

Imports from Bangladesh increased 42 per cent for September and were up 33.83 per cent year to date. Shipments from India rose a year over year 31.8 per cent and increased 41.89 per cent year to date. Imports from Indonesia were up 33.1 per cent for September and 14.39 per cent in nine months. Imports from Pakistan increased 18.3 per cent year over year and rose 50.02 per cent year to date.

US imports from Honduras rose 2.3 per cent in September but were up 35.95 per cent year to date. Shipments from Mexico increased 15 per cent year over year in September and imports from El Salvador were up 6.3 per cent for the month and gained 50.12 per cent year to date.