Apparel Companies Eye Myanmar as Next Sourcing Spot

Before it was prohibited to import from Myanmar, U.S. apparel companies brought in as much as $409 million a year in clothing from that Southeast Asian country, which lies northwest of Thailand.

That amount dropped to zero after U.S. import bans went into effect in 2003 to punish a military dictatorship charged with human rights and civil-liberties violations. But now with the United States naming a new ambassador to Myanmar (formerly Burma) and investment being allowed there, apparel companies are eager to renew their sourcing ties with a country where the average garment worker makes a about $80 a month.