Latest news with #AmericanApparel&FootwearAssociation
Fashion United
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
US trade organisations commend Trump's comments on sneaker and T-shirt production
Leading US fashion and textile organisations have backed recent comments by president Donald Trump in which he suggested that his stringent tariff policies were 'not focused on driving sneaker and T-shirt production to the US'. A joint letter – signed by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) and U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) – has said Trump was 'absolutely right' in stating that his tariffs on imports from other countries were not intended to help scale up the domestic footwear and apparel industry. Speaking to reporters last week, Trump responded to a speech by treasury secretary Scott Bessent earlier in April, who said that the US does not need a 'booming textile industry'. Trump agreed with Bessent's comments, and noted that his tariff policy was instead aimed at promoting the domestic manufacturing of tanks and technology products. 'I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships,' Trump told reporters in New Jersey. Call for reduction in tariff burden on apparel and footwear sector While the letter addressed to Trump expresses gratitude for acknowledging 'real-world challenges' the fashion and textiles industries face, the organisations underlined that these sectors 'have operated under a substantial tariff burden — the highest of any sector', for decades. The average tariff rate on consumer goods sits at just over 2 percent, contrasting the average apparel and footwear tariff rates, which exceed 14.5 and 12 percent, respectively. 'These costs ultimately fall on American families, limiting those families from participating in essential activities such as work, recreation, sports, and fitness, all activities that support mentally and physically healthier Americans and help boost the US economy,' the letter notes. It continued: 'As much as our members would love to manufacture more footwear and apparel in the US, closer to our US consumers, it is simply not feasible to do so at scale right now due to significant supply chain, labor, and cost constraints. Tariff policy cannot overcome these obstacles, especially when it is imposing new costs on existing manufacturers in our industry.' The organisations are thus calling on Trump to adopt a 'pragmatic framework that reduces the tariff burden on footwear and apparel, increases high-value jobs for US workers, and provides relief to hardworking American families'.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
'Focus on common sense solutions': US apparel, footwear industry reacts to Trump's 'make tanks, not t-shirts' remark
Trump referred to Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent's remark from April 29 and said, 'We're not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing' read more US President Donald Trump has irked the domestic textiles industry by saying that his government's tariff measures are designed to boost the production of high-end tech products and defence equipment, rather than the manufacturing of clothes. Trump referred to Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent's remark from April 29 and said, 'We're not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships,' he added. Responding to Trump's comments, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) President Steve Lamar said, 'With 97% of the clothes and shoes we wear being imported, and with clothes and shoes already the most highly tariffed industry in the US, we need to focus on common sense solutions that can move the needle.' Trump, who has upended world markets with the broad imposition of tariffs, revived his harsh trade rhetoric last week when he pushed for a 50 per cent tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warned Apple he may impose a 25 per cent levy on all imported iPhones bought by US consumers. But he dialled back on the EU threat on Sunday, extending a deadline for those tariffs until July 9 to allow for talks between Washington and the 27-nation bloc. He has sought to make good on his promises to boost manufacturing with import tariffs and herald investments by companies and foreign nations into the United States, even as the US economy remains dependent on supply chains with other countries where many goods, including textiles, are produced less expensively. With inputs from agencies STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump: America is looking to build tanks and computers not socks and T-shirts
President Donald Trump says his U.S. tariff policies - which have rattled global trade, supply chains and financial markets - are designed to encourage American manufacturing of cutting edge technology products and military equipment rather than apparel and sneakers. "I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations,' Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey on May 25. 'We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships.' Trump added that he agreed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the U.S. does not need a "booming textile industry' - comments that were roundly criticized by domestic manufacturers and producers of fiber, yarn, home products, and more. "We're not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to make military equipment,' he said. 'We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing.' China has been the world's largest apparel manufacturer and exporter for more than a decade. In response to the Republican president's trade war with Beijing, several Chinese social media users have mocked the United States with AI-generated viral videos depicting bored, unskilled and disengaged Americans unsure of how to prepare a piece of fabric before placing it on a sewing machine. Others in the videos have glazed looks while assembling smartphones. Toward the end, the screen flashes, 'Make America Great Again.' The American Apparel & Footwear Association responded to Trump's remarks saying that additional tariffs would only further burden the industry. "With 97% of the clothes and shoes we wear being imported, and with clothes and shoes already the most highly tariffed industry in the U.S., we need to focus on common sense solutions that can move the needle," AAPA President Steve Lamar said in a statement. "More tariffs will only mean higher input costs for U.S. manufacturers and higher prices that will hurt lower income consumers." Trump on April 3 announced global "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs, sending the world's financial markets into a nosedive before pausing the tariffs for 90 days for most countries except China. Trump won the 2016 and 2024 U.S. presidential elections in part by appealing to working class voters hurt by the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs over many years. The Trump administration has been negotiating trade deals with various countries since April. The only deal reached so far has been with the United Kingdom. Talks with China, which imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on the U.S., are ongoing after both countries agreed to lower steep tariffs. Contributing: Zac Anderson, USA TODAY; Reuters Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump wants America to build computers and tanks, not T-shirts
Fashion United
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Trump doesn't see a need to bring back textile manufacturing to the US
President Donald Trump has stressed that his US tariff policies, impacting global trade and supply chains across several industries and financial markets, are intended to encourage and support domestic manufacturing of advanced technology and defense equipment, not consumer goods like t-shirts or sneakers. Talking with reporters prior to boarding Air Force One in New Jersey last Sunday, Trump said that he "tended to agree" with comments made by Secretary Scott Bessent on April 29 that the US does not necessarily need to bring back textile manufacturing. "I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations," said Trump to reporters in New Jersey on May 25, reported Reuters. "We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, as well as tanks and ships." His comments have drawn feedback and criticism from American manufacturers, textile organizations, and producers of fibers, yarn, and other woven fabrics, including the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), who stressed that additional tariffs would only negatively impact the industry. "With 97 percent of the clothes and shoes we wear being imported, and with clothes and shoes already the most highly tariffed industry in the US, we need to focus on common sense solutions that can move the needle," said Steve Lamar, president of the AAFA, in a statement. "More tariffs will only mean higher input costs for U.S. manufacturers and higher prices that will hurt lower-income consumers."
Fibre2Fashion
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
AAFA & FLA urge Bangladesh to act on labour rights reforms
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) have jointly urged Bangladesh's interim government to take immediate and concrete steps to improve labour rights in the country's garment, footwear, and travel goods sectors. The AAFA and FLA have urged Bangladesh's interim government to take immediate action on labour rights, including releasing arrested workers from the Fall 2023 protests and reforming the minimum wage review process. They also called for labour law revisions to meet international standards, stressing that such steps are crucial for worker welfare, export growth, and progress in US tariff negotiations. In a letter addressed to Dr Muhammad Yunus, the organisations called for the release of workers and labour leaders arrested during the Fall 2023 wage protests and the withdrawal of associated charges. Despite prior engagements, including delegations to Bangladesh in late 2024 and early 2025, the AAFA and FLA expressed concern in the letter over the lack of progress on key issues. These include establishing an annual, transparent minimum wage review mechanism for the garment, footwear, and travel goods industries, with participation from all stakeholders, and revising the Bangladesh Labour Act to align with international standards. Reforms sought include easing trade union registration, increasing penalties for unfair labour practices, and extending full rights to workers in Export Processing Zones (EPZs). The associations emphasised that resolving these matters is essential not only for the well-being of workers but also for the sustained growth of Bangladesh's export industries. They also linked progress on labour rights to the ongoing negotiations with the US over proposed tariffs. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
