The FDRA confirmed that 2015 US annual imports rose by 5.8% in value terms and by 5.7% in volume terms from 2014, achieving new records, and growing at the fastest paces in the last four and five years, respectively.

According to the same source, Vietnam expanded its share of the US import market the most, up by 21.9% for the year to an unprecedented 4.3 billion US dollars in total value (at border).

Despite that, China remains–by far–the largest supplier to US consumers, but the country saw its annual share of the US footwear import market slide again to just 65.6%, a fifteen-year low.

Athletic footwear imports went up by 11.6% (a record level) and children’s footwear imports grew by 8.6% (also a record level).

“Our analysis of 2015 footwear import data shows the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) has grown substantially in importance to the footwear industry", commented FDRA President Matt Priest, adding: “Based on these numbers, TPP would save our industry half a billion dollars in duties the first year of implementation. The data also shows growth in both athletic as well as leather footwear from Vietnam. This confirms what we have been hearing from on the ground – that more and more companies from all product categories are starting to manufacturing there, meaning TPP would provide real relief to our industry’s 2.9 billion US dollars annual duty bill as well as lower the cost of footwear for millions of middle class American families.”

The FDRA analyzed the numbers and has highlighted the fact that the US footwear industry paid 2.9 billion US dollars in duties in 2015 an increase of 200 million US dollars over 2014.

With the growing importance of the TPP to the footwear industry and to American footwear consumers, the FDRA calculates TPP would now save the footwear industry half a billion dollars in duties on year one of implementation.