LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD News) — China remains a major force in global textiles and apparel, even as more final garment assembly shifts to other countries.
Textile strategist Robert Antoshak writes that the finished garment label can be misleading. A shirt may be sewn in Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, or Central America, while the yarn, fabric, trim, machinery, testing, financing, and logistics still trace back to China.
That matters for cotton markets because textile demand is not only about where clothing is stitched. It also depends on where decisions about spinning, weaving, dyeing, finishing, and sourcing are made.
The analysis says China is harder to replace in textiles than in sewing because textile mills require capital, energy, water, engineering expertise, and reliable infrastructure. Building that base in another country can take years.
For U.S. cotton producers, diversifying apparel sourcing may not immediately reduce China’s influence on global fiber demand.
