U.S. imports of textiles and clothing grew by only 1.8% in 2007 following a 2.6% increase in 2006 and double-digit growth in seven of the nine years between 1996 and 2005, according to a recently published report by Research and Markets of Ireland.
Within the 2007 total, imports of made-up textiles rose by 4.5% and apparel by 3.5%. But fabric imports fell by 2.9% and yarn imports by 9.8%. Apparel continued to account for the highest share of total imports, at 43.9%, reflecting strong U.S. demand for cheap clothing. However, the importance of made-up textiles increased for the tenth successive year. In fact, the share of made-up textiles doubled between 1997 and 2007, from 16.8% to 33.7%.
In terms of fiber type, cotton dominated U.S. clothing imports in 2007 with a share of 60.2%. However man-made fiber dominated imports of all textile and clothing products on a combined basis with a 55.0% share.
U.S. import prices rose for the second year in 2007, following several years of falling prices. The increase was led by China and Asian countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam; but, the average price of imports from Mexico continued to fall. In volume terms, imports from China rose 14.8% in 2007.
