Buyers and sellers in the U.S.-Central America-Andean apparel supply chain conducted more than 700 meetings at the 2017 COTTON USA Western Hemisphere Sourcing Fair in Cancun, Mexico, to increase U.S. cotton yarn and fabric exports to the Western Hemisphere. The Fair encouraged fashion brands and retailers to choose U.S. cotton as a solution for quick response and closer-to-home sourcing alternatives.
Sample orders amongst the 77 participants represent an initial measure of potential export business for manufacturers in the region. On post-event surveys, brands and retailers estimated placing 275 sample orders at the Fair, and 91% anticipate increasing their purchases of U.S. cotton products as a direct result of the Fair. Brands and retailers said they anticipate purchasing more than 550,000 units of U.S. cotton-rich products.
One Latin American manufacturer alone anticipates purchasing 5 million pounds of U.S. cotton yarns, valued at $5.8 million, as a result of its participation, while another expects to purchase 1 million kilograms of fabric valued at $3.5 million. Another manufacturer said it expects to produce more 3 million units of U.S. cotton products as a result of its participation in the Sourcing Fair, while two regional garment makers expect to produce 470,000 more pairs of jeans per year.
The Fair brought together 12 U.S. mills, 19 retailers/brands from the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe and 46 textile and apparel manufacturing companies from Colombia, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.
Participating U.S. mills included: Antex Knitting Mills, Buhler Quality Yarns, Corp, CAP Yarns, CCW, Cotswold Industries, Contempora Fabrics, Frontier Spinning Mills, Hamrick Mills, Inc., Parkdale, Swisstex Direct and Zagis USA. Participating retailers and brands were: El Corte Ingles, Full Beauty Brands, Gander Outdoor, Hermeco, S.A., J. Crew, Levi, Liverpool, Macy's, PVH, Tiendas por Departamento Ripley, S.A., Under Armour and VF Sourcing Latin America.