Over the past five months, tariffs have shaken the entire fashion industry in the US and beyond. Everyone, from independent designers to the major conglomerates, has been affected.
On 29 May, Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, visited the White House with Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Stephen Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) to discuss this impact on the already disproportionately-tariffed industry.
In a meeting with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Wintour, Kolb and Lamar addressed the scale and impact of the $500 billion US fashion industry, which brings significant wealth into the country. The industry supports 10 million jobs across design, manufacturing, media, retail and live events, many of which are highly skilled roles. The US fashion industry is also a major exporter of American culture – a key point as the country approaches significant cultural milestones, from its 250th anniversary next year to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic games.
As highlighted in the meeting, the fashion industry is already one of the most heavily tariffed industries in the US. Existing duties on clothing, footwear and accessories are subject to an average 12.6 per cent. And fashion’s share of total US imports is about five percent, while fashion’s share of total duties is more than 25 percent, according to the AAFA. In Thursday’s meeting, the industry representatives called for fairness, arguing that stacking extra tariffs on top of existing duties would place the fashion industry at a disproportionate disadvantage compared to other industries.
Rapidly changing tariff policy has put the fashion industry in a precarious position, with founders and designers facing significant uncertainty on pricing and future planning. The chaos has shaken customer confidence, hurting brand outlooks.
In just the past week, President Donald Trump promised to impose 50 per cent tariffs on EU imports before pausing them until 9 July. On 28 May, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) moved to block the President’s 10 per cent-plus ‘Liberation Day’ tariff plan, before an appeals court reversed the block a day later. The Administration has since asked the Supreme Court to pause the ruling that the tariffs are illegal.
Earlier this week, Trump said that his tariff policy was not aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing of sneakers and T-shirts. (Instead, he placed emphasis on chips, computers and military equipment.) Thursday’s meeting reinforced this point that the industry’s value shouldn’t be measured by its manufacturing contribution, but by its job and economic output, as well as its ability to project American culture.
From the meeting, plans were made to further engage with the administration in the weeks ahead, attendees confirmed.
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