In H1 2026, US textiles-apparel imports confirmed the trend observed in 2025. Out of $51 billion worth of textiles-apparel imported by the USA in January-June this year, approximately $8.7 billion, up 2.9%, came from Vietnam, while $6.6 billion, down 29.7%, came from China, which lost its long-standing position as the USA’s leading supplier.
A significant shortfall that underscores the impact of the trade war triggered by the USA last year. In fiscal 2025, textiles-apparel imports to the US from China dropped 32.3%, causing China to lag for the first time behind Vietnam, whose textile-apparel exports to the US instead grew 12.9% last year, to $18.4 billion.
However, the fact that US textiles imports from Vietnam remained relatively stable in H1 2026 could herald further shifts. Since the start of the year, the legal underpinnings of the new tariff policies introduced by the US administration have crumbled, until a stop was put to the new policies and reimbursements were ordered by the US Supreme Court, despite the administration’s delaying tactics.
The latter may partly explain why US companies remain reluctant to source goods from China, and also why buyers aren’t willing to suddenly ramp up the orders they are placing with Vietnamese suppliers. A prudent attitude that adds to the impact the war against Iran is having on international shipping.
As reported by FashionNetwork.com, the resulting costs and risks to global shipping, in parallel with the annual summer peak in cargo traffic, set off a fresh boom in container freight prices between Asia and ports in Europe and the USA.
While the long-term trend in US textiles-apparel sourcing is still unclear, the Department of Commerce’s H1 figures show that Bangladesh remained the third-largest supplier to the USA, despite a 5.3% drop in imports value, ahead of India, whose imports fell 23.3%, reflecting current diplomatic tensions.
The EU ranked fifth, with textiles-apparel imports by the US worth $2.9 billion, up 10.8% over H1 2025. Behind the EU were Indonesia (with imports by the US up 3.6%), Cambodia (up 11.3%), Pakistan (down 1.7%) and Mexico (down 6.7%).
Notably, trade relations between the US and Canada are increasingly fraught, while Canada ranked 20th among US textiles-apparel suppliers, with $510 million worth of goods imported in H1, down 7.6%.
