Speakers Include Representatives from USA-ITA, SAFSA, TigerTrade, and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council
For Immediate Release
Contact: Samantha Sault, 202-419-0474 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
WASHINGTON - The United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) and the Source ASEAN Full-Service Alliance (SAFSA), an Associate Member of USA-ITA, will host a breakfast seminar for apparel importers titled “Sourcing in Southeast Asia 2012 & Beyond” on Tuesday, June 19th, in New York City. The event will provide expert analysis and commentary from leading industry executives from both the United States and Southeast Asia.
The speakers are Julia K. Hughes, President of USA-ITA; Michael Blakeley, Director of SAFSA; Tanjila Islam, CEO of TigerTrade, another Associate Member of USA-ITA; and Frances Zwenig, Counselor at the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council. The topics of discussion will include Vietnam and the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, opportunities in Cambodia, and the United States’ recent suspension of sanctions on investment in Burma, among others.
“The textile and apparel sector in Southeast Asia is growing in importance,” says Michael Blakeley of SAFSA. “Vietnam and Indonesia are the number two and four, respectively, apparel suppliers to the United States—and we’re seeing even more opportunities every day with the rapid growth of garment factories in Cambodia and the recent suspension of sanctions on Burma by the United States and the European Union,” he explains.
“U.S. importers of textiles and apparel are increasingly looking to Southeast Asia as a region in which to find the best product at the best price,” adds Julia K. Hughes of USA-ITA. “It’s critical that we continue to explore opportunities there.”
The event will take place at the offices of Squire Sanders, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10112. The seminar will take place from 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM and will include breakfast and time for discussion.
To attend or schedule interviews with any of the speakers following the seminar, please contact Samantha Sault, USA-ITA Director of Communications, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 202-419-0474. Speakers will be available to answer questions after the seminar if you’re unable to attend.
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The United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) was established in January 1989 by nine companies with a vision to create a unified voice for textile and apparel importers across the country. USA-ITA provides education, information, and advocacy to executives active in textile and apparel sourcing, importing, compliance, and logistics. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA-ITA represents the needs of American retailers, brands and importers, as well as related service providers, with the objective to remove barriers to business and to trade.
