US' home textile imports at $22 billion in 2022, downtrend continues

Imports experienced record growth in 2020, reaching $32.569 billion from $18.757 billion in 2019, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. This was largely due to COVID-related lockdowns, which forced people to stay at home and led to a surge in demand. 

However, imports have been on a downward trajectory since 2021. Imports dropped to $24.285 billion in 2021, and the sluggish trend continued in 2022 due to changing consumer preferences. Initially, consumers preferred to buy garments instead of home textiles as they began to venture out of their homes. In the second half of 2022, high inflation and unemployment dried up their pockets, making discretionary purchases such as garments and home textiles less feasible. Brands also slowed down their sourcing as they struggled to clear their stock in showrooms, and some even postponed or cancelled purchase orders. 

In 2022, the US imported home textiles primarily from the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted for $18.015 billion, or 81.9 per cent, of total imports. The country also imported products from North America (6.18 per cent), the Middle East (6.13 per cent), Europe (3.68 per cent), Central & South America (1.34 per cent), and Africa (0.77 per cent). 

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)