Bangladesh, Sept. 25 -- Bangladesh's footwear industry is emerging as a key pillar of export diversification as the dominant apparel sector grapples with negative growth and sluggish orders in its largest export market, the United States.

Advertisement Driven by a massive shift in global supply chains, Bangladesh's footwear exports to the US surged nearly 9.0 per cent to US$226.94 million in the first seven months of 2026, defying an overall 5.92 per cent contraction in total US footwear imports worldwide, according to data released by the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA).

The growth came amid a sharp decline in China's shipments to the US, with Chinese footwear exports falling 37.93 per cent to $2.57 billion during the January-J...