Runway with slogan

Fashion made possible by global trade

Fashion made possible by global trade

Fashion made possible by global trade

Global Trade

  • USFIA Testifies on U.S.-Japan Negotiating Objectives

    On December 10, 2018, USFIA President Julia Hughes testified at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s hearing on the negotiating objectives for the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement. She spoke in support of a trade agreement with Japan, an important trading partner for retail as the third-largest consumer market in the world, as well as an important sourcing destination for high-quality textiles increasingly demanded by consumers. She also called for the elimination of the very high import duties on fashion products; a flexible, simplified, 21st-century Rule of Origin for apparel; harmonized and streamlined customs procedures; and, harmonized rules and regulations governing issues like product safety and labeling. The testimony is available on our website.

  • USFIA Urges GSP for All Travel Goods

    On March 25, 2016, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a letter to Aimee Larson, Director for GSP at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), urging Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits for all eligible travel goods. The signatories, including many industry associations and member companies, explained that including backpacks, purses, luggage, wallets, key cases, and cosmetic bags in the GSP program “creates the maximum benefit for the United States and the developing world.” The letter is available here.

  • USFIA: New Tariffs on China Won’t Bode Well for Skirting Trade War

    Following our testimony at USTR’s Section 301 hearing on new tariffs on China, USFIA President Julia Hughes published an op-ed in Sourcing Journal, New Tariffs on China Won’t Bode Well for Skirting Trade War. She writes,

    While no one knows what the next executive order, or tweet, will bring in terms of trade policy, those of us in the fashion industry do know a trade war with China—and specifically, new tariffs on fashion and apparel products manufactured in China—will raise prices for American families, harm jobs in the United States, and won’t do anything to solve concerns about China’s IP policies and practices.

    In 2017, U.S. apparel imports grew just over 3 percent in volume and about 1 percent in value. China remains the dominant supplier of these products, supplying 49 percent of total textile and apparel products, and just over 40 percent of apparel, without any clear contender to replace China should the much-hyped trade war become reality. (The No. 2 supplier of apparel, Vietnam, is far behind, shipping just 13 percent of our apparel products.)

    Click here to read the op-ed on the Sourcing Journal website.

Page 6 of 6

About

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) is dedicated to fashion made possible by global trade.

USFIA represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally. Founded in 1989, USFIA works to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers that impede the fashion industry’s ability to trade freely and create jobs in the United States.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, USFIA is the voice of the fashion industry in front of the U.S. government as well as international governments and stakeholders.  With constant, two-way communication, USFIA staff and counsel serve as the eyes and ears of our members in Washington and around the world, enabling them to stay ahead of the regulatory challenges of today and tomorrow. Through our publications, educational events, and networking opportunities, USFIA also connects with key stakeholders across the value chain including U.S. and international service providers, suppliers, and industry groups.

Learn More About USFIA
Learn About the Fashion Industry
Attend Our Events

 

News

TRACKING TRUMP'S TARIFFS

USFIA has created a new web page to track tariff actions from the Trump Administration, featuring an interactive table with the latest information. Below are some high-level stats from this data.

fas fa-chart-line
0
Increase in prices for apparel in the short run due to new tariffs

Higher tariffs on apparel translate into real increased expenses for American consumers.

fas fa-earth-americas
0
Total number of new and modified tariff actions this year

Tariff actions taken so far in 2025 impact every single country; including those with no trade to the U.S. and trusted trading partners.

fas fa-money-bill-trend-up
0
Estimated tariff increase on apparel imports

From research by Dr. Sheng Lu. If the value of US textile and apparel imports in 2025 remains unchanged from 2024, the reciprocal tariff would result in nearly $35 billion in total tariff duties on these products—an increase of $19.9 billion compared to the current tariff levels.

See More Tariff Data

Sources: # of Trump tariff actions, Higher prices for apparel, Dr. Lu's analysis

Events

previous arrowprevious arrow
World Salon series

USFIA x World Salon: Redesigning Fashion: Sustainable Product Development in Practice

Virtual
REGISTER NOW

March 25, 2026
next arrownext arrow

Reports

2026 Sourcing Trends & Outlook

USFIA's 2026 Sourcing Trends & Outlook is out with data from the full year of 2025. Members can log-in to the website to download it here. 

This is the thirteenth USFIA Sourcing Trends & Outlook Report, our annual look at the sourcing landscape for the fashion industry. 2025 will be remembered as the year of the Trump tariffs. U.S. imports fell as brands and retailers had to navigate a new level of uncertainty for sourcing and for costs. The reciprocal tariffs affected all countries, except for USMCA-qualifying production from Canada and Mexico.

As we look ahead to 2026, there still is a lot of uncertainty. The reciprocal tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court, but the Trump Administration still is committed to impose tariffs above the MFN rates. The global tariffs imposed under Section 122 expire on July 24th and Administration officials say they will use other trade laws such as Section 301 and Section 232 to authorize more tariffs.

Even with the tariff disruptions, some of the major sourcing trends remain the same as in recent years. Asian suppliers continue to dominate apparel sourcing. The top seven apparel suppliers are China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan, and they ship 78% of apparel imports.

The top 5 sourcing trends in the report are:

  1. Asian apparel suppliers continue to dominate sourcing.
  2. China maintains its role as the top apparel supplier by quantity, and Vietnam is the top supplier by value.
  3. Average unit values for textiles and apparel imports had only modest increases.
  4. Some of the fastest growth in 2025 comes from major apparel suppliers.
  5. Despite tariff disruptions, FTAs and preference programs remain underutilized. CAFTA remains the major duty-free supplier.

 

While U.S. apparel imports decreased from many suppliers, there still are some clear winners from the tariff disruptions. Five of the top ten suppliers had double digit increases. Some of the fastest-growing suppliers are Asian-based apparel industries that took market share from China.

sourcing2026 fastest growing apparel suppliers

 

sourcing2026 applied tariff rates

Chart courtesy of Dr. Sheng Lu, Professor in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware.

Partners

PwC
USFIA Premier Partner

Subscribe to USFIA's Mailing List

Sign Up