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Biography

David Birnbaum, co-founder of Birnbaum & Father Ltd, is a garment industry specialist who has been retained by importers, middlemen, and factories as well as international institutions and governments. He is a leading expert in garment industry strategic development and transfer pricing, and is the author of nine books including “Birnbaum’s Global Guide to Agents and Buying Offices” (2015), as well as the monthly Birnbaum Report.

Articles by David Birnbaum

The failure of the US garment industry – Part III – Reshoring Y/N 16 November 2018

A 65-year strategy to force US consumers to buy made-in-US garments has been an all-time disaster, asserts David Birnbaum, with the result that the US garment industry is now in a state of failure. The technology to create smart factories means reshoring has the potential to revolutionise the industry. But the key question in this, the last in a three-part series, is: Will reshoring benefit the US garment industry?

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The failure of the US garment industry – Part II – Captive Customer Syndrome 8 November 2018

In the second article in a three-part series examining the failure of the US garment industry, David Birnbaum shows how US government policy to force consumers to buy made-in-America apparel succeeded in almost destroying domestic manufacturing.

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The failure of the US garment industry – Part I 1 November 2018

For the past 20 years, imports have accounted for between 97%-98% of all garments sold in the United States. But while everyone seems to agree that cheap labour from poor countries has all but destroyed the domestic US manufacturing industry, that assumption is not borne out by the data. In fact, the data shows that labour rates – high or low – have nothing to do with imports, garments or otherwise. Here, in the first of a three-part series, David Birnbaum takes a look at the failure of the US garment industry.

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What does US import data for a single month show us? 21 September 2018

Month-by-month the US Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) releases US garment import data. But does one month's information really provide garment professionals with a greater understanding of the industry and the direction in which it is heading? David Birnbaum provides some answers.

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Can Myanmar's garment sector reach its full potential? 29 August 2018

After a United Nations (UN) report this week branded Myanmar’s refugee problem one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises, David Birnbaum looks at the knock-on impact for the country's garment export sector. He argues that while Myanmar is one of the few alternatives to China for high value-added, complex and difficult-to-make products, its poor reputation may prevent it from reaching its full potential.

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The unintended consequences of China clothing tariffs – Comment 13 August 2018

If President Donald Trump imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese imports into the United States, David Birnbaum believes the move would simply subsidise every other garment exporting country in the world, in the form of increased orders at higher prices.

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No miracle at midnight on the coming garment tariffs – Comment 26 July 2018

China is the target in the upcoming trade war with the US, and Donald Trump's latest threat to impose tariffs on all US$500bn of imported goods from China will undoubtedly hit garments. But replacing China means replacing 37-42% of all US apparel imports – and its deflationary impact on FOB prices, writes David Birnbaum.

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Trends in US garment imports from South Asia 28 March 2018

This, the second in a series of articles showing month by month changes in US garment imports, covers South Asia: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

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Winners and losers of a Trump tariff on China garments 22 March 2018

As President Donald Trump prepares to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports into the United States – which could include apparel and footwear – David Birnbaum takes a look at the potential winners and losers in the global garment trade.

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What’s best for business – Family firms vs public companies 2 March 2018

Why are family-run firms prospering while traditional professionally-run multinational corporations are failing? David Birnbaum suggests the best examples of the contrast between the two are to be found within the global garment industry.