Editorial: Reshoring—a renaissance for the textile and apparel industries in advanced economies or a passing fad?

Over 97% of the US apparel market is now supplied by imports – such has been the shift in sourcing from developed to developing countries as brands, retailers and traders have sought ever lower costs. This leaves less than 3% in the hands of US apparel makers. However, there is a momentum to bring apparel manufacturing back to the USA, and to other developed countries, and there are signs that "reshoring" initiatives are proving successful as costs escalate in China, minimum wages rise in other developing countries, and manufacturing close to the market becomes increasingly important with the growth of fast fashion and the need for quick response. In the UK, the Alliance Project aims to identify sectors and opportunities where textile and clothing manufacturing in the UK could be viable. Reshoring was a major topic at a symposium held at the third edition of Texprocess Americas – a trade fair for equipment and technology for the development, sourcing and production of sewn products held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, during May 2016. Advocates of reshoring say that if just 10% of imports were replaced by US-made goods, this could lead to the creation of 300,000 US jobs. The task of rebuilding the US apparel industry is a daunting one. One of the biggest barriers is the level of labour costs in the USA. Another major problem is a shortage of skilled sewing machine operators and technicians. But USA-based factories are overcoming these problems by utilising automation and other technological developments to reduce the amount of labour required. Also, some reshored operations are using immigrant workers who already have the necessary skills and are willing to work in apparel factories. As well as offering quick response to changes in demand, USA-based factories are able to provide their domestic customers with easier monitoring of safety and environmental compliance than factories based overseas. In this report, Robin Anson discusses the moves which are being made to repatriate textile and clothing manufacturing to developed countries and the associated opportunities and limitations.

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