From USA-ITA OFF THE CUFF May 2012 (Volume 3, Issue 5)
On April 12th, USA-ITA cohosted a breakfast with VESTEX in New York City titled, “How CAFTA-DR Duty-Free Opportunities Support Apparel Sourcing Strategies.”
The breakfast event featured insights from the key industry players in the CAFTA region: Kim Glas, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles and Apparel at the U.S. Department of Commerce; Sergio De La Torre of the Guatemala Ministry of Economy; Carlos Arias, President of VESTEX and President of Denimatrix; Antonio Malouf, President of the Apparel Sourcing Show and Tejidos Corporativos; and Julia K. Hughes, President of USA-ITA.
USA-ITA President Julia K. Hughes speaks at the CAFTA breakfast seminar.
The speakers provided a candid discussion about sourcing in CAFTA—and Carlos Arias noted that Kim Glas is a “hero” for her support for increased sourcing in the CAFTA region, and in the United States, too. Hughes said, “Sourcing is not a static business. The industry is always looking for opportunities, and there are opportunities with CAFTA.” While China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia represented the top five countries from which the U.S. imports apparel, the CAFTA region is close behind, with Honduras fifth, El Salvador ninth, and Guatemala 15th. “We have an opportunity to look at CAFTA as another sourcing destination,” she added. WWD covered the event here.
L to R: Atonio Malouf, President of APSS 2012 and President of Tejidos Corporativos; Kim Glas, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce; Sergio De La Torre, Guatemala Ministry of Economy; Julia K. Hughes, President of USA-ITA; and Carlos Arias, President of VESTEX and President of Denimatrix
If you’re interested in learning more about sourcing opportunities in the United States and/or the CAFTA region, we encourage you to plan to attend the Guatemala Apparel Sourcing Show from May 22nd to May 24th. It’s also not too early to mark your calendars for MAGIC in August 2012, which will feature a Made in the Americas Pavilion and a Made in the USA Pavilion. The show will take place in Las Vegas from August 20th through 23rd, and we’ll provide more information as it becomes available.
For more photos from the event, visit our album on Facebook here!