Consumer Trends May Hurt The American Apparel Industry.

In today's globalized economy,

A large part of them are products of multinational companies, because raw materials are produced in different countries, and pportation and assembly occur in different countries.

Consumers, however, do not know much about them. They do not know whether the clothes they wear are produced domestically or overseas.

Now，

Researchers at University of Missouri have found that American consumers are willing to pay more for clothing made entirely in the United States, which is made from raw materials of the United States rather than partly or wholly overseas.

The value is so high that experts at University of Missouri worry that this trend may damage the clothing industry and the overall economy of the United States.

Jung Harbou Luke Hill, an assistant professor of textiles and clothing management at the University of Missouri School of human environmental science, said in a study published in the Journal of clothing and textile research that they surveyed American consumers to determine how much money they would pay for clothing produced in different countries.

She showed a cotton shirt and told the participants that it was made in China and sold at retail outlets for $40.

She came out with the same clothes and told the respondents that the dress was made in the United States, and cotton was also planted in the United States.

The participants in the study priced $57 for shirts made in the US cotton, the same as those produced in China.

It's 42% higher.

Harbou Luke Hill said this proves that this is a disturbing trend for us consumers.

Harbou Luke Hill said: "Americans tend to overestimate clothing made entirely in the United States.

This is because if Americans price American products very high, they think that these products are too expensive, which may reduce procurement and choose to buy similar Chinese products, because the prices of Chinese products are more likely to be within their price range.

To help American apparel industry create and maintain domestic employment opportunities, American consumers must have a real understanding of the value of American clothing.

"

A positive finding in Harbou Luke Hill's research is that American consumers really value the clothing produced by American cotton producers, even those produced by overseas producers in the US cotton production.

When she showed a similar cotton shirt to the participants in the survey and told them that it was made in China with American cotton, the participants priced the dress 47 dollars, or 17% higher than the "made in China" label.

Harbou Luke Hill said that the appreciation is not big enough, which is not enough to discourage consumers.

"American cotton growers can use these findings to better indicate what clothing is made from American cotton," Harbou Luke Hill said.

"At present, retailers are only required to indicate where clothing is produced or sewn, but if consumers can see that garments are made in China but they use American cotton, they may be more willing to buy these garments."

Harbou Luke Hill will also show her research at the November textile products Label Summit in University of Missouri.

The summit will include discussions among national policymakers, researchers, consumer advocates and industry leaders, with important topics covering the current practices and regulations for textile labelling.