Colombia Opportunities in United States

There are several products with which Colombia is great opportunities in the U.S. market, including: fruit and vegetables, oils and fats, flowers and plants, cosmetics, building materials, sports clothing, costumes, among others. Of these, the product selected to determine export strategy, is: Swimsuit.

The swimsuit is a product of the secondary or manufacturing sector of the economy, more specifically; the swimsuit belongs to garment industry. This industry is mainly composed of imports; well 97% of the clothing purchased in U.S. is made outside the country. So much so that in 2010 the United States imported U.S. $ 83,4 billion in garments, a figure 13,4% higher than imports in 2009, which were for a total of U.S. $ 73,6 billion. The origins of these garments (suppliers) are: China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala).

However, during the last years, the local garment industry is resurgent, due to the preference of consumers for luxury goods "Made in America". The main local industries are located in: California, Georgia and North Carolina. They are focused on the production of the “High End” segment of the market. Additionally, these companies seek environmentally friendly practices, a variable that is beginning to take hold among American consumers.

The main products of the garment industry are: cotton knit shirts, pants, towels, sweaters, vests, swimsuits, among others. The swimsuits market presented a production of U.S. $ 398.13 million in 2010. 80% of total production refers to swimsuits for women and girls, the remaining 20% relates to swimwear for the male segment (See table 1). It is seen, therefore, an important difference in the production of swimwear by gender in America.

Swimsuit production in the U.S. (Millions of U.S. $)

Segment Market share Production 2009 Production 2010Female 80% 270,3 318,5Male 20% 67,58 79,63Total 100% 337,88 398,13

Table 1. Source: US Census Bureau. Taken from Peru Trade Office in Miami, 2012.

Just as in the garment industry in general, in recent years, local production of swimwear declined in the U.S. due to the gradual replacement of local production for imports. Then in 2002, local production was of U.S. $ 790 million.