There are warning signs that President-elect Donald Trump's second term could be more disruptive to the fashion supply chain than his first.
We all know the countdown is on for Trump’s return to office (20 January if you’ve managed to miss it), and he’s already taking more than his fair share of global headlines.
In just one week the news was awash with his threat to grab Greenland from Denmark by financial or even military means for “national security” reasons and the “unconditional discharge” verdict from his hush money court trial.
In a turn of events for apparel, there were reports of Trump’s advisors planning a new streamlined tariff plan that would potentially see duties being applied to selective sectors deemed vital for national or economic security as opposed to all industries.
Crucially, there was no mention of apparel being on the new selective list — which for a few hours at least — made it seem like the sector could avoid being in the immediate firing line.
However, in typical Trump fashion he quickly turned to his social media platform Truth Social to condemn the reports that had quoted his aides as sources. In fact, he went as far as to dub The Washington Post’s original article as “fake news”. ...
United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA)’s president Julie Hughes added: “No one likes uncertainty but it is the reality for at least the next few weeks”.