By Lyndsay McGregor
“We need to be flexible where we can because things are going to change,” stressed Michael Lambert, director of global trade and compliance at Urban Outfitters Inc., speaking on a panel discussion Wednesday at the 28th Apparel Importers Trade and Transportation Conference in New York City. “We must be prepared to deal with that flexibility and provide options to leadership as to how we can make sure we comply with trade policy. We need to have that constant engagement so we can influence trade policy so that there is an opportunity for us to be heard—even if it’s a discussion with someone who’s already made up their mind about whether they were going to agree with us. We need to find that common ground, move forward from there and possibly have a dialog about something in the future.”
Julie Hughes, president of the U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), echoed this sentiment.
“Sometimes the most important meetings are those that we have with members who think they are opposed to trade and don’t understand our industry, don’t understand our global value chains and don’t understand where the jobs come from here in the U.S.,” she said.
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