US blue denim apparel imports from China fell 11.01 per cent in this year till July. The drop is dramatic compared to overall apparel imports from China in the same period, which were up 2.33 per cent.

Most of US blue denim apparel imports are jeans. US denim apparel importers are reducing their exposure to China tariffs through a combination of partnering with vendors and diversifying their geographic production capabilities. They are reducing the percentage of their total apparel production which comes from China and reducing their dependency on China.

China’s jeans market share came down to 22.48 per cent, just a tick above Mexico’s 22.27 per cent. For the first seven months of the year, jeans imports from Mexico grew 12.53 per cent in value, topping China’s shipments so far this year. This was notably in contrast to Mexico’s overall apparel shipments in the period, which were down 2.94 per cent. Among the suppliers gaining ground this year from Asia was Vietnam, with imports to the US up 30.24 per cent, and Pakistan, with shipments rising 8.72 per cent. But imports from Bangladesh were down 1.51 per cent. Shipments from Cambodia declined 9.48 per cent and those Indonesia dropped 13.89 per cent.