Following the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s hearing in August on the third proposed list of $200 billion in tariffs, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) filed comments urging the Administration to remove certain apparel products and consumer goods from the list.

“The Administration has proposed tariffs on many items manufactured and sold by USFIA members, which will have a direct impact on American consumers, especially during the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons,” we said. “Of particular concern to USFIA’s member companies and consumers are the proposed tariffs on hats and headwear in HTSUS Chapter 65; luggage and handbags in Chapters 42 and 46; leather and faux leather apparel and products in Chapter 42; and lamps and furniture in Chapter 94. Our members also have concerns about the proposed tariffs on cookware in Chapter 73; picture frames in Chapter 83; plastic articles including rainwear and hangers in Chapter 39; certain electrical equipment including vacuum cleaners and television sets in Chapter 85; paper products in Chapter 48; articles of wood including jewelry boxes in Chapter 44; aluminum products including sanitary ware in Chapter 76; feathers used for stuffing and down in Chapter 5; textile products including felt and nonwovens and certain yarns in Chapter 56; and specialty textile products including embroidery in Chapter 58.”

The comments explain how the tariffs will harm consumers and jobs in the United States, while doing nothing to solve the IPR challenges with China; furthermore, the tariffs will actually discourage sourcing and manufacturing within the United States. The comments are available here.

In addition, USFIA joined multi-industry comments from a coalition of more than 150 trade associations representing U.S. retailers, manufacturers, farmers, technology companies, natural gas and oil companies and other industries. “Our organizations agree that longstanding issues in China have negatively impacted many U.S. companies, and we support the administration’s efforts to negotiate meaningful, binding and long-term solutions with the Chinese government, (but) applying these high levels of tariffs on Chinese products will continue to miss the mark,” we said.

USFIA joined additional comments from apparel, soft-goods, and retail associations, as well, available here.

Washington, D.C. -- Following the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s hearing in August on the third proposed list of $200 billion in tariffs, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) filed comments urging the Administration to remove certain apparel products and consumer goods from the list.

“The Administration has proposed tariffs on many items manufactured and sold by USFIA members, which will have a direct impact on American consumers, especially during the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons,” we said. “Of particular concern to USFIA’s member companies and consumers are the proposed tariffs on hats and headwear in HTSUS Chapter 65; luggage and handbags in Chapters 42 and 46; leather and faux leather apparel and products in Chapter 42; and lamps and furniture in Chapter 94. Our members also have concerns about the proposed tariffs on cookware in Chapter 73; picture frames in Chapter 83; plastic articles including rainwear and hangers in Chapter 39; certain electrical equipment including vacuum cleaners and television sets in Chapter 85; paper products in Chapter 48; articles of wood including jewelry boxes in Chapter 44; aluminum products including sanitary ware in Chapter 76; feathers used for stuffing and down in Chapter 5; textile products including felt and nonwovens and certain yarns in Chapter 56; and specialty textile products including embroidery in Chapter 58.”

The comments explain how the tariffs will harm consumers and jobs in the United States, while doing nothing to solve the IPR challenges with China; furthermore, the tariffs will actually discourage sourcing and manufacturing within the United States.

The comments are available here.

To speak with an expert from USFIA, contact USFIA VP of Communications Samantha Sault at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or 301-529-1451.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined more than 100 trade associations in a letter to the House Ways & Means Committee expressing concern about the Section 301 tariffs. The letter is available here, and the Wall Street Journal reported on the letter here. The committee is holding a hearing on the tariffs today; we’ll provide any relevant updates to members after the hearing.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, in a letter to President Biden USFIA joined 32 other U.S. trade associations representing a wide range of sectors--from fashion to manufacturing, agriculture and consumer products-- calling for an end to the   Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. The letter comes as President Biden arrives in Europe for discussions with the G7 and major trading partners.

Since their inception in 2018, the 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum have caused supply disruptions and price fluctuations for some of the most critical inputs used by U.S. manufacturers, effectively handing a competitive advantage to overseas producers and raising costs for U.S. companies that rely on steel and aluminum products.  In addition, retaliatory tariffs against U.S. exports put in place by traditional trade allies have hurt a wide range U.S. exports, including fashion products.

“These tariffs continue to hurt small, family-owned businesses and the communities in which they built their companies, while fracturing relations with overseas trading partners and spurring a frenzy of retaliatory trade measures against both related and unrelated industries,” the 33 trade associations write. “The restriction on the supply of goods and raw materials resulting from the tariffs has sent a ripple throughout downstream industries, disrupting supply chains and threatening the economic security of American workers. Our members rely on the movement of their goods and inputs without [[constant]] government intervention that causes delivery delays and arbitrary price spikes,” the letter continues. You can read the full letter here.

For press inquiries please contact Shannon Brady, Communications Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In advance of next week’s hearing, United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has joined two multi-industry comments filed with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. One led by a group of soft-goods industry trade associations expresses “very strong opposition to any tariff increases on U.S. imports of consumer products, such as clothing, shoes, home goods, fashion accessories, or travel goods from China.” Another includes dozens of apparel, retail, agriculture, electronics, automobile, tech, and other industries who say the tariffs “will not effectively advance our shared goal of changing these harmful Chinese practices in a durable, verifiable, and enforceable manner.” USFIA will be filing our own comments today, which we’ll share with members next week.

The U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined several soft-goods industry groups in sending a letter to President Trump opposing “tariff increases on U.S. imports of consumer products, such as clothing, shoes, home goods, fashion accessories, or travel goods from China.” The letter is available here. According to multiple reports, President Trump is expected to impose up to $60 billion in new tariffs on products from China on Friday; some sources say there may be a public comment period, but it’s not entirely clear. The steel and aluminum tariffs are set to go into effect on March 23, just 15 days after President Donald Trump signed the proclamations, without such a comment period.

USFIA President Julie Hughes, USFIA Washington Counsel David Spooner, and Christine Berghofer and Tom Kukanza of USFIA's Premier Partner PwC discussed the impact of the  tariffs on the industry, the potential for more retaliatory tariffs on imports from China, and strategies for companies to respond to the tariffs. 

This month, The Federalist Society, a prominent conservative and libertarian legal non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C., produced a short documentary, Fashion & Free Trade: Questions About Globalism, Tariffs, & Trade, featuring USFIA President Julia Hughes and USFIA Washington Counsel David Spooner, as well as NCTO’s Auggie Tantillo. The documentary has been widely shared and well received among pro-trade influencers in Washington, D.C. You can watch the documentary here.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined with Americans for Free Trade in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer requesting an exclusion process for the most recent wave of tariffs on $200 billion in goods. While an exclusion process was provided to American businesses for the nearly $50 billion in previously announced tariffs (Lists 1 and 2), the administration has said that no similar process will be provided on the most recent tariffs on $200 billion (List 3) in goods that went into effect Monday, September 24, 2018. The letter is available here.

Responding to the US decision to initiate the process to impose 301 Tariffs on apparel and footwear, the US Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) said the tariff lines that are now threatened with additional tariffs up to 25 per cent include products that are already highly taxed. Clothing and shoes for US citizens are currently taxed more than $15 billion per year.

Read the full article on Fibre2Fashion. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After months of anxiety and carefully watching the latest Twitter attacks, this week the Trump Administration declared war on American consumers.  Until now the Administration has argued that the tariffs on China were just a tool to keep the pressure on during trade talks that were going to cover everything from stopping counterfeits to revising the entire economic system in China.   There might be some tough times for certain industries, and definitely tough times for American farmers, but – so the story went – there was the promise of substantial growth in exports and more regulation of forced technology transfers and IPR violations.  

But that all changed yesterday with the announcement that the Trump Administration is planning to put 25% tariffs on ALL imports from China.  In the notice released by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative there are 135 pages of tariff lines that are now threatened with additional tariffs up to 25 percent.  These tariffs are a tax that will be paid by American companies and ultimately by American consumers.   A recent study commissioned by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland estimates that imposing tariffs of 25 percent on these imports from China, combined with the impact of retaliation, cost the average U.S. family of four nearly $2,300 each year.  Plus the economic impact would jeopardize more than 2 million American jobs.

What policy-makers seem to be forgetting is that many of these products are already highly taxed. Clothing and shoes for American families are currently taxed more than $15 billion per year.  And these tariffs already are extremely high -- tariffs on clothing can be as high as 32 percent.  Tariffs are a direct tax on the American consumer—and will affect consumers at all income levels, from the single parent struggling to make ends meet as they purchase back-to-school necessities for their kids, to the consumer of high-end fashion manufactured in the United States, and every American family in between.

These tariffs on imports of clothing, home textiles and footwear will do little to punish China for its intellectual property and technology transfer practices but do a lot to harm American fashion brands and retailers as well as consumers of their products.   Let’s work together to find a solution that does not use American companies and American families as the hostages to a trade deal.  

USFIA speaks out against the Trump Administration's decision to initiate the process to impose 301 tariffs on clothing, home textiles, and footwear.

Read our full statement on Textile World's website here. 

The threat to fashion brands and retailers—and the consumers who love them—heightens as the Trump Administration considers new tariffs on products from China, which could potentially include clothing, shoes, accessories, and home textiles.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has joined with business groups in many sectors, including fashion, footwear, retail, and tech, in sending letters to President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider the expected broad-based remedy tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. (Click here to read both letters.)

In case we weren’t clear the first time, while we support efforts to protect the intellectual property of brands and retailers, we will never support punitive tariffs based on the fiction that imports harm domestic jobs and growth. These new tariffs will not create more jobs in the United States, but instead, will harm the companies that already create thousands upon thousands of high-quality jobs in design, in marketing, in retail, in logistics, in compliance, right here in the United States.

And these tariffs will absolutely harm American consumers, who will face higher prices on the clothes, shoes, home products, and other essentials.

To reiterate, tariffs are not the way to support American companies and jobs, and definitely not the way to participate in the global economy. We urge the Trump Administration to consider the implications of these tariffs, and at the very least, consult with American brands and retailers before taking this egregious step.

Washington, D.C -Yesterday, the USFIA submitted comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in response to the September 3, 2019 announcement that the Trump Administration would further ramp up tariffs on consumer goods (as part of the Section 301 case against China). In the comments, USFIA President Julia K. Hughes urges the Trump Administration to remove allapparel products and consumer goods from the list of products subject to tariff increases under this Section 301 case.  “It is time to end the trade war now,” says USFIA President Julia K. Hughes. 

USFIA  has seen the negative impact that tariffs are having on American consumers and business. Our members, representing brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers in the US who provide fashion for American consumers, as well as high quality jobs in the US, have already spoken out about the way these tariffs have negatively affected them. According to the USFIA’s 2019 Benchmarking Survey, “companies across the United States said they are very worried about rising costs, and they are feeling less optimistic about the outlook for the fashion industry; a direct link to the 301 action against China.”

USFIA emphasized the urgency of the tariff situation to USTR as layoffs and company closures loom ahead for some companies. “These additional tariffs do not address China’s unfair trade practices and instead are causing harm to the U.S. economy.  We support face-to-face negotiations to end the trade war and instead focus on serious and enforceable trade agreements with China to resolve these issues.” 

We know that fashion is only made possible by global trade. USFIA has asked USTR to support American consumers, businesses, and the creation of high-quality jobs in the U.S. by supporting global trade.

Today, USFIA President Julia K. Hughes testified during the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s hearing on Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. In her testimony, she emphasized the importance of global trade for our industry and explained how tariffs would harm jobs in our sector and the price of clothing for consumers. The testimony as distributed at the meeting is available here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the U.S. Fashion Industry Association joins hundreds of American companies who are speaking out against the Trump Administration's proposal to impose additional tariffs on American families.  Our message is clear --  These tariffs are a tax that will be paid by American companies and ultimately by American consumers.   

USFIA calls on the Administration to exempt all clothing, home textiles and footwear from these retaliatory tariffs.  Clothing, home textiles and shoes for American families are currently taxed more than $15 billion per year.  And these tariffs already are extremely high -- tariffs on clothing can be as high as 32 percent.  Tariffs are a direct tax on the American consumer—and will affect consumers at all income levels, from the single parent struggling to make ends meet as they purchase back-to-school necessities for their kids, to the consumer of high-end fashion manufactured in the United States, and every American family in between.

In USFIA’s statement we highlight the fact that these tariffs will hurt American brands, retailers and wholesalers.  Higher prices and lower sales will threaten jobs:  from entry level retail positions to highly paid design, sourcing and e-commerce positions.  

We also rebut the claims that higher tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.   USFIA and our members support Made in USA and manufacturing in the U.S., but there is not the capacity to make apparel in the United States today.  “Apparel and textile supply chains are complex, and already involve inputs from multiple countries.  Talking with sourcing executives, they say that it takes anywhere from two to five years to identify and approve a new vendor.” In USFIA’s 2019 Benchmarking Survey, which will be released in July, not a single respondent said that they had found the capacity for production to return to the U.S.  And some respondents said they are worried that the China tariffs will increase costs for their Made in USA products and exports.  

These tariffs on imports of clothing, home textiles and footwear will do little to punish China for its intellectual property and technology transfer practices but do a lot to harm American fashion brands and retailers as well as consumers of their products.   Let’s find a solution that does not use American companies and American families as the hostages to a trade deal.  

Click here to read USFIA President Julia K. Hughes’ full testimony as prepared for the hearing. 

USFIA’s full comments are available here. 

To speak with Hughes or another industry expert, contact Molly McNulty, USFIA Communications Coordinator, 202-419-0444, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The United States Fashion Industry Association Presents

Fighting on the Frontlines of the Trade War: Strategies for Minimizing the Impact of the New Tariffs on Your Business

The U.S.-China trade war has reached the fashion industry. Starting September 24, 2018, the Trump Administration will impose tariffs of 10 percent on many textile and fashion products; these tariffs will increase to 25 percent on January 1, 2019. Join the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) for a series of webinars to help you understand—and minimize—the impact of the new tariffs on imports from China on your business.

Click here to see the list of tariff lines affected by the tariff increases.

These webinars are free for USFIA members and affiliates!

If you have questions about these webinars, or the new tariffs, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

How to Fight the Trade War: The Exclusion Process

October 2, 2018 at 2:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)

Are the new 10-25 percent tariffs on Chinese imports hitting your products in advance of the upcoming holiday season? It’s possible to get some reprieve—if you act quickly. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has implemented a product exclusion process by which companies may request the exclusion from these duties on one or more products on the list subject to the Section 301 tariffs. Join the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and USFIA Associate Member Arent Fox for a 30-minute webinar to learn the what, how, and when of the exclusion process—including an overview of the specific forms and guidelines, the deadlines for submitting the requests, and how to file responses to posted requests.

USFIA Members/Affiliates & Arent Fox Clients: $0

Non-Members: $95

Click here to register for The Exclusion Process.

How to Fight the Trade War: The Broker’s Perspective

October 4, 2018 at 2:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)

So, you’ve realized some of your imports from China are going to be subject to the new Section 301 tariffs—which will be 10 percent now, and up to 25 percent by January 2019. There are a variety of strategies to help your company avoid or reduce the impact of the tariffs—many of which could have an enduring benefit for your company beyond these specific tariff increases. Join the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and Mary Jo Muoio, Senior Vice President of USFIA Customs Broker Partner GEODIS USA, to get the customs broker’s perspective on how to deal with tariff increases. Mary Jo will draw from her many decades of experience as a savvy customs broker in the industry, as well as her intel from U.S. Customs & Border Protection, to help you save your company money on duties in the immediate- and long-term.

USFIA Members/Affiliates & GEODIS USA Clients: $0

Non-Members: $95

Click here to register for The Broker's Perspective.

How to Fight the Trade War: Triage Your Supply Chain

October 11, 2018 at 2:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)

Are the new 10-25 percent tariffs on Chinese imports hitting your products in advance of the upcoming holiday season? It’s possible to get some reprieve—from these new duties, and others—if you think creatively to triage your supply chain and take advantage of duty-savings initiatives. Join the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and Laura Rabinowitz, Special Counsel at USFIA Associate Member Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, for a webinar covering a variety of smart strategies to save money in your supply chain. Laura will draw from her decades of experience handling international trade projects for a wide range of clients, as well as her depth of knowledge regarding global customs law, to cover topics including First Sale, drawback, temporary importation bonds (TIBs), bonded warehouses, shipping in-bond, and American Goods Returned, among other ideas.

USFIA Members/Affiliates & Kelley Drye Clients: $0

Non-Members: $95

Click here to register for Triage Your Supply Chain.

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.

By Minh Nga

In its annual “Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study” released in July, the U.S. Fashion Industry Association said while 100 percent of respondents currently source from China, around 67 percent plan to somewhat decrease their sourcing value or volume from the country over the next two years, a significant increase from 46 percent in 2017.

A study done in April and May of nearly 30 leading fashion brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers, including some of the largest brands and retailers in the U.S, also found concerns about the trade tensions that seem to have more of an impact on decisions to shift sourcing from China.

Click here to read the entire article on the VN Express website.

By Sean Higgins

"As we inch closer to a final deal, a key part must be the full and immediate removal of all added tariffs when the deal is signed. Anything that falls short of that goal would be a loss for the American people," said the ad-hoc coalition group Americans for Free Trade in a letter to President Trump Monday. The White House has imposed tariffs of 10%-25% on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods.