The US imports $100B+ in textiles and apparel annually — clothing brands, fabric mills, yarn manufacturers, and accessory importers. With Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India rapidly growing their share, this is one of the most active and shifting import categories in the US.
| Country | US Market Share | Products Exported |
|---|---|---|
| China | ~30% | All categories — still dominant for non-apparel textiles |
| Vietnam | ~18% | Apparel, knitwear, footwear |
| Bangladesh | ~10% | Woven garments, denim, basics |
| India | ~9% | Cotton apparel, home textiles, yarn |
| Cambodia | ~5% | Knit garments, activewear |
From Nike and Gap to mid-market brands and D2C startups, clothing companies are among the most frequent manifest filers. Track import volumes by season, identify brands that are growing, and reach out when their supply chain is clearly in flux.
Textile mills and distributors import raw fabrics, technical textiles, and yarn for domestic manufacturing. These B2B importers are often overlooked by brokers but have consistent, high-volume shipping needs.
H&M, Zara (Inditex), Shein's US operations, and private-label retail brands import enormous volumes. Their shipping patterns are highly time-sensitive — speed-to-market is the key metric and they pay for it.
Representative records from US CBP public manifest filings
| Shipper | Product | US Consignee | Port | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HANSAE CO LTD KOREA | KNITTED GARMENTS | GAP INTERNATIONAL INC | Los Angeles | 28,400 KG |
| EPIC GROUP BANGLADESH | WOVEN TROUSERS | PVH CORP | Savannah | 18,200 KG |
| TAL APPAREL VIETNAM | MEN'S DRESS SHIRTS | BROOKS BROTHERS GROUP | Long Beach | 12,800 KG |
| ARVIND LIMITED INDIA | DENIM FABRIC | US APPAREL MFR LLC | New York | 42,600 KG |
"women's apparel" or "clothing" imports from Vietnam, Bangladesh"athletic wear" or "activewear" from China, Cambodia, Vietnam"denim" or "jeans" imports from Mexico, Bangladesh, China"fabric" or "woven textile" imports to garment manufacturing hubs"yarn" or "thread" imports for domestic textile millsThe ongoing shift of apparel sourcing away from China creates a steady stream of new importer-carrier relationships to capture. When a brand moves production to a new country, their existing broker often can't serve the new origin. That is the opening.
Fast fashion brands and trend-driven retailers pay premium rates for speed. They use air freight, expedited ocean, and priority handling. Brokers who understand these needs and can deliver earn significantly more per shipment.
As US apparel brands shift some production to Mexico for faster lead times, the freight moves across the US-Mexico border instead of across an ocean. This creates new opportunities for brokers with strong Mexico cross-border capabilities.
Yes. Many D2C fashion brands import directly using their brand entity as consignee. Searching by product description and filtering by consignee size (shipment volume) helps surface the mid-market importers.
Apparel descriptions in CBP data range from generic ("clothing, NEC") to specific ("women's woven cotton blouses"). Category-level search (apparel, knitwear, denim) is highly reliable. Brand-specific searching works best by consignee name.
Yes. By searching a brand's name as consignee and looking at historical manifest records, you can see volume trends. A brand reducing shipment frequency is potentially changing suppliers — both a risk and an opportunity.
Yes. Home textiles (bedding, towels, curtains, rugs) are a major sub-category within textiles and fully covered in manifest data. India, China, and Pakistan are the dominant origins for home textiles.
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