India Positioned to Reclaim Textile Export Share as Brands Move Beyond China
Global apparel brands adopting a China+1 sourcing strategy could help India recover textile export share it lost over the past 15 years, according to Moneycontrol. The shift reshapes sourcing decisions for importers weighing capacity, cost and supply diversification.
India's textile sector eyes a comeback
India could reclaim textile export share it has lost over the past 15 years as global brands look to source beyond China, according to a report by Moneycontrol. The shift centers on the so-called China+1 strategy, under which importers and apparel brands add production locations outside China to reduce concentration risk in their supply chains.
For importers and exporters, the significance lies in where garment and fabric orders land next. As brands diversify sourcing, textile-producing countries compete to absorb volumes that were previously concentrated in China, the world's largest textile and apparel exporter over the period in question.
Why brands are looking beyond China
The China+1 approach reflects a broader effort by global buyers to spread manufacturing across more than one country. Rather than replacing China outright, brands add alternative suppliers to hedge against disruption and over-reliance on a single origin. Moneycontrol frames this reallocation as an opening for India, which held a larger share of the global textile trade before ceding ground over roughly a decade and a half.
What it means for India's position
According to Moneycontrol, the opportunity for India is to recapture market share it has lost since its earlier peak in the sector. India remains one of the established players in the global textile and apparel trade, with an integrated base spanning raw material, yarn, fabric and finished garments. A durable recovery would depend on India's ability to attract redirected orders from brands actively diversifying away from a single sourcing hub.
Signals for trade participants
- Sourcing diversification under China+1 is redirecting apparel and textile orders toward alternative suppliers.
- India is identified by Moneycontrol as a potential beneficiary seeking to recover share lost over 15 years.
- China remains the reference point as the dominant textile exporter that brands are now looking to supplement.
The outcome for importers and exporters will hinge on how quickly alternative origins can meet brand requirements on volume, cost and reliability. Moneycontrol presents India's potential rebound as a function of the ongoing move by global brands to broaden their supplier base beyond China.