An academic study compares US apparel imports from Africa and Asia to see whether the region is ready to serve as an alternative sourcing destination for US fashion companies.

University of Delaware professor of fashion and apparel studies Dr Sheng Lu who conducted the study describes the prospect of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as an apparel-sourcing base for US fashion companies as a “growing heated debate”.

Plus, he points out the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference programme allows eligible apparel exports from SSA countries to enter the US import duty-free, which creates substantial financial incentives for US fashion companies to source from the SSA region.

How did the study test Africa’s viability for US apparel sourcing compared to Asia?

His study examined the detailed product information of a total of 10,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) of clothing items sold in the US retail market from January 2021 to December 2023.

It found half of the items were sourced from the six largest apparel-exporting countries in SSA: Lesotho, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Tanzania. Together, these countries accounted for over 96% of the value of US apparel imports from the SSA region between 2021 and 2023.

The remaining half came from China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, and Indonesia, which are the six largest Asian apparel exporters and accounted for approximately 90% of US apparel imports from Asia over the past decade.

The remaining half came from China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, and Indonesia, which are the six largest Asian apparel exporters and accounted for approximately 90% of US apparel imports from Asia over the past decade.

By Just Style