Cotton Update for 2012

Last year I wrote about the price of cotton going up and up. My suppliers were sending me what appeared to be weekly price increases. The impact was felt on orders of virtually every cotton fabricated wearable we supply from tee shirts to polos shirts. This apparel is a mainstay and staple of our promotional products distributorship, Wear It’s At. It was brutal and left one wondering where when the rise in materials would cease. Alas, it has mercifully stopped. Cotton prices have stabilized and retreated to historic highs of $2.29/lb. to $1.10/lb.

So, what are the projections for cotton this year? Though it’s still volatile, the higher costs have encouraged farmers to move back to the crop. Therefore, production of cotton is expected to increase by 8% in 2012. Increased supply should help steady the price in the next year or two. But that doesn’t translate into immediate price drops on apparel. Other factors that figure into the price of apparel are increased labor costs in Asia, the status of the US dollar and stable-but-higher prices of synthetic fabrics like polyester.

Wear It’s At strives to hold the line on costs by informing our customers about where prices are and where they might be going. In many cases, we try to absorb increases to make purchases as palatable and budget-friendly as possible.