The Rise of Indian Apparel in US Stores: Trend or Long-Term Shift
In the last two years, from Macy’s to Walmart, the American stores have begun to introduce India’s kurtas, block-print dresses, and clothes made by artisans. What started as a specific offer is now becoming a mainstream.
Apparel sourcing from India is not a transient tendency but a long-term supply chain change, and India is at its center. According to India’s Ministry of Textiles, India’s apparel exports crossed $17 billion in FY 2024-25, with a total export to America of around 27%. This increase in demand provides equal benefit to Indian manufacturers, small artisan groups, and wholesale suppliers.
Labour costs in India are 30–40% cheaper than in China, and with a strong textile heritage and durable production methods, this country is becoming an increasingly favourite wholesale apparel supplier for USA retailers.
American Buyers are Choosing Indian Apparel
American consumers today want more than mass-produced clothes. Indian apparel fulfils this new demand in many ways:
- Natural fabrics like cotton and silk meet ‘environment-friendly’ demand.
- Handmade products (such as block prints, chikankari, and tie-dye) are corresponding to the workmanship and durable fashion movement.
- Fusion fashion is gaining popularity: kurtas in the form of dresses and block prints in beachwear.
- Large brands such as Anthropology and Nordstrom are now expanding their Indian apparel sections.
Why US Retailers Are Restructuring Their Supply Chains
In today’s scenario, the wholesale clothing suppliers for retailers have completely changed due to the reconstruction of supply chains by US retailers. Here’s why we believe this is a long-term supply chain shift, not just a fashion trend:
Trend Elements | Structural Shifts |
Social media-driven styles | US brands diversifying beyond China |
Festival wear & celebrity trends | Retailers adopting India as a key supply hub |
Temporary style waves | Investment in India’s textile parks & MSMEs |
Influencer campaigns | Demand for sustainable, low-MOQ sourcing |
Large American retailers want stable, moral, and affordable supply chains. India, with its 28 textile parks, stable government assistance, and a huge, efficient workforce, provides it.
India's Export Boom
India’s apparel export industry saw a significant increase last year. According to the Ministry of Textiles (India), India’s total textile and apparel exports reached US $44.5 billion in FY 2024-25, showing an increase of 8.7% year-on-year. Out of this, US $17 billion came from apparel exports, of which the United States contributed more than 27%.
Let’s take a look at the top categories of Indian costumes in American stores:
- Women’s wholesale apparel suppliers prefer ethnic-fusion categories like kurtas, tunics, block-print dresses, and handwoven tops.
- Durable Dresses: Demand for cotton, linen, khadi, and silk products is increasing due to the trend of durability.
- Documentary prints and embroidery: Products showing traditional Indian craftsmanship, such as chikankari, block printing, and tie-dye, are now also seen among the mainstream American retailers.
Given the demand of American consumers of leading retailers, unique and durable products from such retailers as Nordstrom, Macy’s, Target, and Anthropologie are expanding their Indian collections.
This is not just a trend: this is a clear change in the way American brands supply their costumes.
What Should Indian Suppliers Focus on?
To establish India as a top apparel sourcing destination, Indian suppliers and manufacturers have to adopt an approach prepared for the future. As a sourcing service provider, our advice is this:
- Compliance and Quality Certification: US buyers demand recognised certification globally, such as
- Sedex (supplier moral data exchange)
- Gots (Global Biological Clothing Standards)
- ISO 9001/14001
This increases faith and attracts large American buyers.
- Design Collaboration: American retailers now want Indian suppliers not only to supply products but also to create designs. Suppliers should invest in design teams that understand global fashion trends.
- Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): To attract boutique brands and small retailers in the US, Indian suppliers must provide flexible MOQ options, helping brands to test collections without high advance costs.
- Digital communication and transparency: Real-time updates, production tracking, and digital sample approval are becoming standard expectations.
- Longevity and Ethical Production: Environmentally safe colours, zero illiterate production, and fair labour are some of the requirements of many American retailers.
Giving attention to these, the suppliers of wholesale textiles in India are able to form a long-term partnership with American retailers and brands.
Why Is It a Good Change in India?
Indian costumes becoming popular in the American markets will not only serve big factories well. It is generating overall economic impact.
- Employment: The Textile industry employs more than 45 million people in India directly and is the second largest employer in India after agriculture. Increasing demand in the US means more employment, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.
- Marketing of MSME: The small and medium dressmakers of India are gaining international reach, without which they cannot grow.
- Growing revenues in terms of foreign exchange: More orders by the Americans translate into more dollars, and this is boosting the economy of India.
- Sustainable Development: The American consumers have shifted their focus to products produced by durable artisans, traditional methods, and natural textiles, which steers India to stable and long-lasting growth.
To put it in simple words, each of the block-print dresses or kurtas sold in the US congruently raises the rural salaries and national GDP.
What's Next?
We will see the market moving in this direction:
- Indo-Western fusion apparel will become standard casual fashion in the US.
- Brands of more Indian origin will reach consumers directly in the US through online platforms.
- Small American retailers will directly buy goods from Indian manufacturers and wholesale suppliers, ignoring middlemen.
- Indian suppliers will no longer be seen as manufacturers but will be seen as innovation and design partners for American brands.
American retailers are looking for sourcing partners who can provide both cost skills and unique product differentiation—and both are available in India.
Conclusion
In our sourcing company, we believe that the rise of Indian costumes in American stores is a long-term industry change. It is not just about clothes and threads; It is about becoming a major strategic partner of India in the global fashion ecosystem.
From large retailers to boutique brands, everyone is looking for wholesale clothing suppliers for retailers from India for quality, creativity, and durable production. For American brands, sourcing from India now means
- High margin
- Moral compliance
- Unique artisans full of arts
For India, this means employment, export, and global brand construction.
If you are an American brand and are looking for reliable wholesale apparel suppliers for retailers, Inductus Global can connect you with certified, durable, and innovative suppliers across India.
