There has been a fall in demand of denim apparel in US and even the EU in the last 6 months. The fall in demand and hence imports to US had started setting in the last quarter of 2010 itself and is continuing since then. Lets look at the figures of denim exported by two important exporting countries to the US in the first quarter of 2011.
| Country | Year/ quarter | Total Denim Apparel (pcs) | Total Value (in USD) | Average Price ( USD/pc) | Change in qty. over last year |
| Bangladesh | 2010 / Jan- March |
11.72 million pcs |
$62.23 million |
$5.30 |
|
| Bangladesh | 2011/ Jan- March |
11.44 million pcs |
$60.65 |
$5.29 |
-2.44% |
| Mexico | 2010/Jan-March |
27.93 million pcs |
$214.70  |
$7.68 |
|
| Mexico | 2011/ Jan- March 2011 |
25.52 million pcs |
$202.59 |
$7.93 |
-8.6% |
Source: US customs
We can see that the figures of two important exporters of denim jeans and apparel to US are not very encouraging and are indicative of a steady fall in denim demand. The figures from China are also not too encouraging – in fact they are worse than the above . The Chinese exports of denim apparel fell by over 11% in the first quarter of 2011 !!
These figures are indicative of a tough year for denim ahead and also a reminder to the denim exporters that they have to continuously search for and invest in newer markets and reduce their dependence on the traditional western markets which are still not out of recession in real terms.
