Cotton's share in the US clothing market had fallen following the sharp rise in cotton prices in 2012. Since November, polyester prices have started moving south while cotton prices have rising. Synthetic apparel imports rose by more than 20 per cent from 2011-13, while cotton-based imports fell 14 per cent.
After the sharp rise in cotton prices two years ago, many companies substituted high percentages of cheaper synthetic fibers in what had been 100 per cent cotton items. However, American consumers don’t like the decline of cotton content in their apparel purchases. Major concerns are shrinking, wrinkling, pilling, fading, stretching, snagging, itching, and odor. Synthetic clothing tends to have more major performance issues than apparel made with natural fibers like cotton. Some synthetic clothing has a higher likelihood to have odor and snagging issues.
Shoppers are willing to pay 20 to 30 per cent more to keep cotton in their clothing. The US still maintains over 60 per cent market share of cotton in fashion apparel, which is much higher than the world average in the mid 30 per cent range. For brands although reduction in cotton content may have provided short-term cost-savings, long-term challenges such as potential customer loss, decreased profits, and harm to a retailer or brand's image may occur.
