India's total apparel exports in the first half of 2026 (January–June) fell 13.8% year-on-year. Shirts remained the single largest category by export value, but all major categories saw declines of varying degrees.

Key points

  • India's apparel exports fell 13.8% year-on-year in January–June 2026.
  • Shirt exports totaled about US$1.384 billion, accounting for 34.83% of total apparel exports, remaining the largest category.
  • T-shirt exports were about US$756.65 million (19%), dresses about US$717.26 million (18.04%); babywear saw the steepest decline at about 28.1%.

According to textile sourcing intelligence tool TexPro, shirt exports in the first half fell from US$1.60582 billion in the same period last year to US$1.384 billion, a decline of about 13.8%; their share of India's apparel exports was 34.83%.

T-shirts ranked second with exports of US$756.65 million, down from US$874.02 million a year earlier, a decline of about 13.4%, accounting for 19%. Dresses followed closely at US$717.26 million, down about 13.9% from US$833.42 million a year earlier, accounting for 18.04%.

Among major categories, trousers and shorts proved relatively resilient, with exports falling from US$810.27 million to US$772.34 million, a decline of only about 4.7%, accounting for 19.39%. Babywear saw the largest drop, from US$153.88 million to US$110.63 million, a decline of about 28.1%, accounting for just 0.28%.

In terms of material and process structure, cotton apparel exports totaled US$2.48573 billion, accounting for 61.74% of India's apparel exports; woven apparel contributed 58% of the export share.

For the used clothing trade and textile export industry, these figures reflect that India's apparel exports are in an overall contraction phase: shirts, T-shirts and dresses, the mainstays of exports, are weakening in tandem, while basics such as trousers and shorts remain relatively stable. Changes in the apparel export structure may also indirectly affect the direction of India's domestic textile raw material supply and recycled fiber industry.

Source: India's shirt exports lead H1 garment trade despite 13.8% fall · Originally published 2026-09-28