Seven of the top 10 apparel suppliers to the US reported positive growth during April according to the latest import data from OTEXA.

Bangladesh came in at the top with a 38.2% increase in shipment volumes to 244m SME.

Both Cambodia and Pakistan followed with a 36.4% rise in shipment volumes to 96m SME and 76m SME, respectively.

Pakistan’s apparel trade bodies recently revealed their plans to boost fashion and textile exports and beat foreign competitors amid the US tariff war, which could see a 29% tariff hike.

Vietnam, the second largest supplier of apparel to the US after China, booked volume growth of 22.2% during April to 36m SME. Its market share increased to 18.3% from 16.7% year-over-year.

Unsurprisingly, China’s popularity continued to wane as the reality of tariffs began to sink in. The largest supplier in volume terms of apparel to the US saw volumes decline by 0.2% during April to 480m SME. Its market share fell from 27.3% to 24.5% year over year.

Observing the data, Dr Sheng Lu, professor of apparel studies at the University of Delaware, said: “US apparel imports surged in April 2025 as fashion companies continued to stockpile products before the higher “reciprocal tariffs” announced by the Trump Administration take effect this summer or even sooner. Specifically, US apparel imports in April 2025 increased by 11.5% in quantity and 9.7% in value, significantly higher than the 1.5%-3% growth rate observed in early 2025. This also marked the second consecutive month that US apparel import growth outpaced the growth of apparel retail sales (i.e., about 3.5% year-over-year in April 2025), amid falling consumer confidence. In other words, the high import volume driven by tariff uncertainty may not be sustainable in the medium term and could reverse at any time.”

He also noted that uncertainty surrounding tariffs has increased pressure and complexity on fashion companies’ logistics and inventory management. For instance, industry data suggests that many US apparel retailers have significantly reduced their product replenishment rates so far in 2025 due to increased challenges in balancing product assortment and shipping logistics.

The China conundrum

The de facto “embargo” tariffs exceeding 145% inevitably saw apparel imports from China experience another month of sharp decline, added Lu.

According to OTEXA, in value terms, US apparel imports from China fell by 13.3% in April 2025, compared to over 10% growth in imports from the rest of the world.

Similarly, in April 2025, China accounted for only 12.3% of US apparel imports, a notable decline from 15.6% a year ago and marking a record low in a decade.

“Particularly, jointly affected by the hiking tariffs and the UFLPA, just 7.7% of US cotton apparel imports came from China in April 2025, down further from 12-14% at the beginning of the year,” said Lu.

But China is looking at alternative growth avenues, suggested Lu. According to China Customs in April 2025, China’s apparel exports to the European Union surged by 16.2% in value, indicating that Chinese exporters have been diversifying exports to mitigate the impact of US tariffs.

“As President Trump announced the substantial lowering of tariffs on Chinese products in mid-May as a result of a “trade deal” reached between the two countries, it will be interesting to observe the extent to which US apparel imports from China would rebound in both the short and medium terms.”

Wider Asia benefits from China swerve

In addition to Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh seeing apparel shipment volume growth to the US, India too experienced positive growth of 3.9% to 134m SME.

Indonesia saw shipment volumes increase 1.9% to 93m SME.

Lu said wider Asia experienced an order surge as US firms rushed to receive their products before the higher rates of reciprocal tariffs take effect.

“Notably, in terms of value, US apparel imports from Vietnam (up 23.4%), Bangladesh (up 37.8%), Cambodia (up 38.6%), Pakistan (up 25.7%), and Sri Lanka (up 26.4%) all experienced increases exceeding 20% or even 30%, an unusual but seemingly coordinated effort. However, due to limited production capacity and a sudden surge in demand, the unit price of US apparel imports from the rest of Asia has increased in 2025 compared to a year ago, with notable rises in Vietnam (up 3.6%), Bangladesh (up 0.8%), and Indonesia (up 2.3%).

“Additionally, several of these Asian countries, including Vietnam and Bangladesh, are reportedly engaged in trade negotiations with the US, aiming to reach a deal before the 90-day higher reciprocal tariff pause expires. Balancing all factors, these Asian countries could play a more significant role as an apparel sourcing base for US fashion companies in the medium term.”

Meanwhile, apparel shipment volumes from Central America, cooled in April.
While Mexico saw a shipment volume rise of 6.8% to 56m SME, Honduras and Nicaragua both experienced falls.

All three saw a decline in market share during April.

US apparel imports from Honduras fell 5.7% to 47m SME, while from Nicaragua they fell 11.9% to 45m SME, which could suggest nearshoring isn’t taking off in the way that was once hoped.

By Just Style