By James M. Borneman
The U.S. textile industry has entered 2026 as both a stressed sector and a strategic pillar of the nation’s manufacturing base.
Chuck Hall, president and CEO of Spartanburg, S.C.-based Barnet and immediate past chairman of the National Council of Textile Organizations, makes that case in this issue’s State of the U.S. Textile Industry address (see “2026 State Of The U.S. Textile Industry,” page 12).
His remarks underscore how much is at stake for an industry that employs 453,122 workers and generates $60.9 billion in annual output while supplying critical components to apparel, automotive, industrial, hospitality and defense markets.
According to Hall’s address, the industry delivers more than $1.8 billion in uniforms and textile-based equipment and more than 8,000 textile products each year to the Department of War and the armed forces, including flame-resistant fabrics and advanced ballistic materials tied directly to mission readiness and national security.
Hall doesn’t hold back. He acknowledges that in the past two and a half years, more than 40 U.S. textile plants have closed, many in rural communities built around a single mill. Key indicators weakened in 2025, as man-made fiber, textile and apparel shipments slipped to an estimated $60.9 billion from $63.9 billion in 2024 and exports dipped to $27 billion from $28 billion. Blanket global tariff increases, predatory trade practices, illegal transshipments, customs fraud and logistics breakdowns have stressed the industry more than some could bear.
At the same time, Hall highlights real reasons for cautious optimism. From 2017 to 2024, the industry invested $34.3 billion in advanced domestic manufacturing and $5.5 billion in new plants and equipment in 2024 alone; and the United States remains the second-largest individual country exporter of textile-related products.
Hall also emphasizes policy gains secured through the National Council of Textile Organizations’ engagement with senior administration officials and Congress.
Hall points to other positives, including preserving duty-free treatment for qualifying textile and apparel trade under current trade law. Efforts to safeguard and expand the Berry Amendment requirements — along with a growing emphasis on American-made procurement across federal agencies — reinforce the link between national security and domestic capacity.
Taken together, the themes in Hall’s address amount to both a scorecard and a call to action. The challenge is clear: Policy shifts will only translate into durable advantages if companies continue to invest, engage on policy and adapt to a tougher global playing field.
For senior management throughout U.S. textiles, Hall’s address offers a concise view of where the industry stands, where policy is moving and where strategic decisions in 2026 may matter most.
Policy and politics remain a challenge, but Hall’s remarks suggest real strides have been made that provide U.S. textiles an opportunity to demonstrate its value — and strategic relevance — to the nation’s manufacturing base.
2026 Quarterly Issue II
