Although apparel sourcing has been on a steep decline in North America as inflation has subdued consumer demand, denim exports from Bangladesh to the United States are on a healthy rise.
The official sources confirm that Bangladesh’s denim apparel exports to the United States surged by 41 percent in the first quarters of 2022, to $739 million. Bangladesh is the preferred sourcing destination for foreign buyers because of the short lead time and strong backward linkages. Moreover, the prices offered by Bangladeshi producers are attractive.
Another factor that goes in favor of Bangladesh is the strong wave of factories going green. The representatives of Bangladesh’s denim industry however caution that going forward they expect a slowdown in denim exports is expected from October onwards.
The official US data shows that Bangladesh has emerged as a denim exporter to the country commanding over 22 percent share. It is followed by Mexico and then Pakistan. It is worth noting that denim used to be a forte of Pakistan as its cotton suits the production of denim fabric but was late to benefit from this advantage. In recent years many denim apparel-producing factories in the country have. Its denim fabric exports are declining and denim apparel exports are on the rise.
