Women’s and girls’ jeans imports into the US have seen dramatic swings in 2019. Jeans imports from top supplier China fell 21.2 per cent while imports from Vietnam jumped 34.23 per cent. Bangladesh saw its imports inch up 0.9 per cent last year. Among the rest, increases were registered by Pakistan, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, while decreases were posted by Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia and Jordan. In dresses, imports from China decreased 7.98 per cent in 2019, with Vietnam’s shipments falling 1.79 per cent. Indonesia’s imports were flat for the year. In skirts, China’s shipments dipped 1.19 per cent for the year, as imports from Vietnam fell 3.71 per cent.

Retail apparel prices in the US rose a seasonally adjusted 0.7 per cent in January compared to December. The monthly increase was led by a 2.3 per cent hike in men’s wear, a 1.8 per cent rise in girls’ apparel and a gain of 1.2 per cent in infants’ and toddlers’ clothes, while women’s wear prices inched down 0.1 per cent and boys’ apparel sold for 5.8 per cent less.