Every sourcing conversation in 2026 eventually lands on the same question: India, Bangladesh, or Vietnam? The honest answer is that it depends on what you're making, how much you're making, and where it's going. Here is a category-by-category breakdown based on what we see across our own factory network and the broader market.
India: the compliance-capable, full-spectrum hub
India's primary advantage is breadth. No other sourcing country covers cotton jersey, woven shirting, home textiles, knitwear, embroidered ethnic wear, and technical fabrics under one compliance umbrella with the same depth of factory infrastructure.
The Tirupur cluster alone produces roughly 90% of India's knit apparel exports. Karur dominates home textiles. Ludhiana owns heavyweight knitwear. NCR handles woven embellishments. This geographic specialisation means the right factory for a polo shirt is a different factory from the right one for a duvet cover - and both are reachable within the same sourcing programme.
Where India wins: cotton apparel, home textiles, knitwear, sustainable/organic categories, brands that need GOTS or OEKO-TEX certified supply chains, and orders that need compliance documentation for EU or US market entry.
Where India is weaker: very high-volume basic wovens (Bangladesh undercuts on CMT), technical performance fabrics (Vietnam has more specialist capability), and extremely price-sensitive fast-fashion basics.
Typical FOB lead time: 60–90 days design-to-delivery on a new programme, 45–60 days on repeat styles.
Bangladesh: volume wovens at unmatched cost
Bangladesh's competitive position is clear and narrow: high-volume woven apparel - shirts, trousers, basics - at CMT rates that no other market matches. A woven shirt CMT in Bangladesh typically runs $1.00–1.30 USD; the same garment in India is $1.80–2.20 USD.
The ACCORD/NIRAPON certified factory infrastructure means EU and UK brands can source with confidence on labour compliance. Bangladesh is also FTA-advantaged for EU duty purposes under the Everything But Arms scheme, which adds another 12% cost advantage on EU-destined wovens.
Where Bangladesh wins: basics, volume wovens, EU-destined product, fast fashion shirting, and brands where CMT cost is the primary variable.
Where Bangladesh is weaker: knitwear (less deep than India), home textiles (very limited), any category requiring sophisticated compliance documentation beyond social audits, and orders below 3,000 pieces per style.
Tradio status: Bangladesh launching Q3 2026. We are in active factory-qualification mode.
Vietnam: technical capability and FTA optionality
Vietnam's textile sector has evolved significantly in the past decade. What was a T-shirt factory country is now a serious player in performance apparel, activewear, outerwear, and technical fabrics - categories where fabric engineering matters as much as CMT cost.
The key strategic advantage for Vietnam is FTA coverage. Vietnam has active FTAs with the EU (EVFTA), the UK (UKVFTA), and participation in CPTPP - meaning brands shipping Vietnam-origin product to the EU or UK benefit from significantly reduced duty rates compared to India or Bangladesh.
Where Vietnam wins: performance fabrics, activewear, technical outerwear, brands diversifying away from China in premium categories, and EU-destined product where duty savings on higher-ticket items are material.
Where Vietnam is weaker: home textiles (very limited depth), organic/sustainable categories (GOTS infrastructure less developed), and price-sensitive basics where Bangladesh's CMT advantage dominates.
Tradio status: Vietnam launching Q4 2026.
The practical decision matrix
If you are sourcing cotton jersey apparel at 500–5,000 pieces per style with EU/UK compliance requirements: India.
If you are sourcing woven basics at 5,000+ pieces per style for EU market with cost as the primary constraint: Bangladesh (from Q3 2026 with Tradio, or direct today).
If you are sourcing performance activewear or technical outerwear with EU FTA savings: Vietnam (from Q4 2026 with Tradio).
The mistake most brands make is treating this as a binary choice. A well-structured programme sources knitwear from India, woven basics from Bangladesh, and performance from Vietnam - with a single compliance spine and one operational partner across all three. That is the Tradio model.