The latest edition of the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s The Textiles Observer takes a closer look at how the global garment trade is changing and what those changes mean for suppliers, markets and brands.
The lead article, The Business of Garments, shows just how far textile trade has grown. Exports have risen from US$560 billion in 2006 to US$914 billion in 2025. China is still the world's largest supplier, but Bangladesh and Vietnam have become major manufacturing players, and demand for garments is now spread across many more markets.
So where does cotton fit in? Cotton is still central to major apparel categories, including T-shirts and trousers. But other fibres are growing faster. Cotton's share of global fibre demand has fallen from around 68% in 1960 to 21% in 2025, while synthetics now make up about 72%. Demand for cotton hasn't disappeared. The question is whether it can keep pace with a growing market.
The second article, How to Manage Stickiness and Seed Coat Fragments in Cotton, goes back to the start of the supply chain. It looks at how issues can slow processing, push up costs and leave visible defects in dyed fabric.
The two articles are closely connected. At one end of the chain, cotton is competing for market share against fast-growing alternative fibres. At the other, small quality issues can affect efficiency, cost and the final product. As the editor puts it: "Cotton's future competitiveness will therefore depend not on one intervention, but on strengthening the entire journey from fibre to finished product."
Read the August 2026 edition of The Textiles Observer to explore the latest trends shaping cotton and the global textile industry.
September, 2026.