CAN THE U.S. REALLY BRING THE HOME FABRICS INDUSTRY BACK?
By Rolando Henao
October 21, 2025
Rolando Henao
MIAMI BEACH, FL(USA)—Why are we not finding better, more efficient ways to work with whom some perceive as our commercial enemy?
There is no enemy when you do not have much to compete with… it might be wise to accept that there are some industries we just cannot bring back to the U.S.A And that is fine; that is evolution. but we need a stable economic and commercial environment.
The year was 1992; I had graduated from college the year before and joined one of the American converters. It was the peak of the American textile industry, but I did not know it. I just knew that it was a good job, in a good company in a thriving industry. Within a few years I realized that, after becoming the biggest in the world during the previous century, we were no longer competitive as competition from other countries kept getting more aggressive as we continued catering to and creating for the American market first and foremost.
First, it was the Europeans; Spain with its bright prints on wide goods at unreachable prices for the U.S.A and the UK with beautiful and fresher prints. When the Chinese jacquards came into the picture, I knew it was time to get out. I became a trader and that evolved into a trader/semi converter with the support of very willing and eager new producers looking for new markets.
Trading took me to Turkiye for voiles; Pakistan for printed sheeting; India for jacquards; Italy for printed ticking and other places for various other products; all at very competitive prices and good qualities. Of course, part of that supply chain was China; mostly for upholstery and drapery goods at the beginning. But little by little, China became indispensable for everything textiles, fabrics and all types of components. The Chinese created a whole supply system, not just the weaving and finishing. They consolidated the industry in well delineated zones with the required infrastructure, from airline connections and hotels to ways to finance; quality control systems and shipping… everything, integrated and efficient and supported by a very capable and willing workforce.
The Chinese fabric and textile industry didn’t stop there. They have continued reinventing themselves in every possible way we can imagine, up until now adding automation and robotics. There simply are no alternatives anywhere else for some goods. Rebuilding elsewhere would be too costly and would take a long time (if any one country were willing to take on that task).
There is no enemy when you do not have much to compete with… it might be wise to accept that there are some industries we just cannot bring back to the U.S.A And that is fine; that is evolution. but we need a stable economic and commercial environment.
The year was 1992; I had graduated from college the year before and joined one of the American converters. It was the peak of the American textile industry, but I did not know it. I just knew that it was a good job, in a good company in a thriving industry. Within a few years I realized that, after becoming the biggest in the world during the previous century, we were no longer competitive as competition from other countries kept getting more aggressive as we continued catering to and creating for the American market first and foremost.
First, it was the Europeans; Spain with its bright prints on wide goods at unreachable prices for the U.S.A and the UK with beautiful and fresher prints. When the Chinese jacquards came into the picture, I knew it was time to get out. I became a trader and that evolved into a trader/semi converter with the support of very willing and eager new producers looking for new markets.
Trading took me to Turkiye for voiles; Pakistan for printed sheeting; India for jacquards; Italy for printed ticking and other places for various other products; all at very competitive prices and good qualities. Of course, part of that supply chain was China; mostly for upholstery and drapery goods at the beginning. But little by little, China became indispensable for everything textiles, fabrics and all types of components. The Chinese created a whole supply system, not just the weaving and finishing. They consolidated the industry in well delineated zones with the required infrastructure, from airline connections and hotels to ways to finance; quality control systems and shipping… everything, integrated and efficient and supported by a very capable and willing workforce.
The Chinese fabric and textile industry didn’t stop there. They have continued reinventing themselves in every possible way we can imagine, up until now adding automation and robotics. There simply are no alternatives anywhere else for some goods. Rebuilding elsewhere would be too costly and would take a long time (if any one country were willing to take on that task).
