Against increasing doubt regarding impending trade action, the United States substantially increased textile and clothing imports during the first quarter of 2025—posting a 9.4 per cent year-to-date gain through January to March. The pre-emptive build-up came ahead of official notice from Donald Trump on 2nd April to raise new customs duties, as purchasers hurried to front-load orders before scheduled tariff increases.
The surge in import activity disproportionately favoured a number of Asian countries, whose overall exports to the US increased by 15.4 per cent over the period. Exceptionally quiet during the boom was China, the leading US supplier of textiles and apparel, which recorded a relatively modest 3.6 per cent increase. Industry experts propose that widespread expectation of a renewed trade war under the previous president caused importers to diversify sourcing away from areas most likely to be subject to targeting.
In the first quarter, the US imported products valued at US $ 26.9 billion in the textiles-apparel category, including US $ 20 billion in apparel (up 10.9 per cent) and US $ 6.9 billion in raw materials and textiles (up 4.9 per cent). Although Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Pakistan all experienced double-digit increases, China’s relatively lukewarm showing indicated a guarded re-alignment of supplier strategy.
Vietnam specifically surpassed China as the largest apparel exporter to the US, leading by almost US $ 300 million. Exports from India jumped by 20 per cent, Bangladesh and Indonesia by 25 per cent and 20 per cent respectively, whereas Cambodia and Pakistan increased by 15.8 per cent and 10.5 per cent.
At the same time, Latin American countries—many of which experienced harsh rhetoric and policy threats from Trump—experienced subdued or adverse outcomes. Mexico, America’s eighth-largest source country, posted a modest 1 per cent increase. Others such as Honduras (-10 per cent), El Salvador (-11 per cent), Nicaragua (-5.6 per cent), and Guatemala (-1 per cent) experienced steep declines. Peru alone defied the pattern, posting a 25 per cent increase in orders.
Europe, the sixth-largest supplier of US textile and apparel imports, remained unchanged in aggregate, with US $ 1.49 billion worth of products shipped in the quarter. At the country level, Italy fell 2.7 per cent, France 1.9 per cent, and Portugal recorded a slim 0.9 per cent increase.
On the textiles side, the European Union retained the lead with US $ 278 million in fabric exports, while China, at second place, registered a marginal 2 per cent rise. India, though at third position, recorded the highest velocity with a 12.5 per cent increase to US $ 174 million.
The first-quarter rally follows a year of comparative stability in 2024, as US apparel and textile imports remained at US $ 107 billion. That was after an extraordinary 22 per cent dip in 2023, due to post-pandemic stock correction and soft consumer demand. With new tariffs on the horizon, recent import figures indicate the industry may be preparing itself for another tumultuous period in US trade policy.
