Women's, Girls' and Infants' Apparel Manufacturing in the US - Industry Research Report

Dressed for success: Domestic demand for industry products will likely increase

The Women's, Girls' and Infants' Apparel Manufacturing industry is in a state of long-term decline, as low levels of domestic product innovation and a falling number of industry operators have caused revenue to decrease over the five years to 2022. Largely as a result of overwhelming import competition, industry revenue is expected to fall an annualized 7.6% to $2.8 billion over the five years to 2022 as apparel production is moved overseas to low-cost manufacturers. Labor costs are significantly lower in developing countries and automation for apparel manufacturing is somewhat limited. As a result, most companies have moved overseas and domestic operators satisfy a relatively small portion of total demand; in 2022, imports are expected to account for 97% of domestic demand. Furthermore, revenue declines accelerated as domestic demand and international trade was constricted due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. As a result, industry revenue is expected to slightly decrease 0.5% in 2022, as the industry returns to normal production following historic lows.

Industry operators manufacture blouses, shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, nightwear, suits, coats and other outerwear for women and girls. This industry includes women’s, girls’ and infants’ clothing jobbers who perform entrepreneurial functions involved in apparel manufacturing and complete tasks such as buying raw materials, designing and preparing samples and marketing finished apparel.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.