Discussion questions (note: you may answer any of the following questions. However, you must watch all the videos above and use examples from the videos to support your viewpoints and arguments. For this learning activity, students are expected to form their own independent assessments of the topic.)
#1 Based on the videos, how do you expect the apparel sourcing strategy of US fashion companies to evolve in response to the tariff increase? For example, will companies continue to diversify sourcing, wait and see, or focus on expanding sourcing to countries or regions regarded as “safe havens”?
#2 Do you expect the higher tariffs on U.S. imports, including textiles and apparel, to benefit domestic “Made in the USA” production? Why or why not?
#3 As consumers, how do you perceive the impact of the tariffs on your shopping behavior and experiences? Have you noticed any changes, such as in price and product availability, while shopping for clothing recently? Feel free to share your observations.
#4 Are there any other notable impacts of the tariff increase on the global fashion apparel industry that we should be aware of? What additional questions do you have in mind about the tariff impacts?
FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
Thank you for the article, Dr. Sheng Lu.
Tariffs threaten global supply chain stability and hinder domestic production. I suggest smart sourcing diversification.
Video number three shows how prices of wedding dresses are getting to be very expensive due to the tariff war that has been going on. How I see the impact on my shopping is mainly the prices. I do not personally have the money to go shopping all the time especially as a college student but what I know for sure is that I will not be able to afford simple clothing items now. Wedding dresses are just one example and knowing so many people getting married this year, I am scared to say that I will have to wait a while if I want a nice wedding dress. I have not changed my buying habits that much in clothing but I have with foods. I am starting to look for graduation dresses and I know that I need to go to places where sales are a specialty because I am not going to buy a graduation dress for more than $50. Right now, I have seen a little increase in clothing prices when looking around at stores but once again, I do not shop every week or every month, I use my clothes until I am no longer able to wear them and I go thrifting somewhere, where I know will have better prices. I am not too excited about the increase in prices, just like everyone else. When I went on the fashion bus trip to NYC we visited Steve Madden and Gerson and Gerson, and when we visited both companies you can tell that the stress level has completely changed for the worse because of the tariffs. There will continue to be a lot of changes that everyone, especially apparel companies, will not like.
In response to the first discussion question, I expect U.S. apparel companies to intensify efforts at sourcing diversification and aim for politically stable “safe haven” nations as tariffs rise. Video 5, Trump’s Tariff Twist: Can Pakistan’s Textiles Fill China’s Shoes?, shows how countries like Pakistan are promoting themselves as alternatives to China, especially for cotton goods. However, reliance on any single country is risky. Similarly, in Video 4, Bangladeshi factories are concerned about the ripple impact of U.S. trade shifts, even though they are not yet directly in the line of fire. Such cases suggest that waiting to see what comes next is not viable. Instead, companies will gravitate toward spreading sourcing across a series of locations like Vietnam, Mexico, and Central America, balancing trade benefits with risk management. Flexibility and nimbleness will be the watchword in the future.
And to respond to discussion question two, I feel that while tariffs were rooted with somewhat beneficial intentions, I do not believe they will have a positive effect on domestic apparel production. Video 2 shows to what extent high labor and operation costs make American manufacturing a daunting goal. While tariffs increase the cost of imports, U.S. production costs remain far too high to reach at scale, particularly in the fast-consumer apparel industry. In addition, Video 1 demonstrates that although certain positions will come back, they are narrow in scale and not sufficient to restore a competitive domestic value chain. Tariffs alone cannot stimulate significant reshoring of the apparel sector without more comprehensive structural support, such as automation, worker training, and tax incentives.
Question #1
U.S. fashion companies would continue to expand their sourcing strategies. Some brands have already reduced their reliance on China, shifting production to countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Mexico. Trade policies have made many companies adopt waiting to see the outcome approach. Brands such as Steve Madden and Nike have been looking for alternative sourcing locations to mitigate the impact of tariffs. The concept of nearshoring is gaining traction due to advantages like shorter shipping times and favorable trade agreements. Capacity limitations in these regions create challenges to rapid expansion. While diversification is definitely a priority, companies are trying to be cautious, balancing the need for cost effectiveness with the complexities of global trade dynamics.
Question #3
As consumers, the impact of tariffs on consumer shopping habits is becoming increasingly apparent. Many customers are seeing price increases across various apparel categories. For example, a $50 women’s cotton pants could cost $56 to $60 under the new tariff scenario, prices are projected to skyrocket even by 29%. With these rising costs, consumers are turning to more affordable alternatives. Everything is now not as affordable as it used to be and consumers are looking for more affordable options because the income is less then it used to be. This shift reflects an awareness of the financial implications of tariffs and to maintain fashion choices without significantly impacting personal budgets. The uncertainty surrounding product availability and potential shortages is prompting consumers to make more calculated purchasing decisions, often prioritizing essential items and delaying non essential purchases.
Hi Jenna, I really enjoyed your response. I completely agree that so many fashion brands are rethinking the way they source products and I believe that moving away from China wouldn’t be the worst thing for the industry.
#1 Based on the videos, how do you expect the apparel sourcing strategy of US fashion companies to evolve in response to the tariff increase? For example, will companies continue to diversify sourcing, wait and see, or focus on expanding sourcing to countries or regions regarded as “safe havens”?
Increasing tariffs and uncertainty in international trade have induced U.S. clothing firms to diversify and expand their bases of supply even further. Some of the firms, such as Nike and Steve Madden, have already started diminishing their reliance on China by shifting their production to countries such as Bangladesh, Mexico, and Vietnam. Further, the video “Tariffs: Europe’s textile industry holds its breath” illustrates how US firms search for larger, risk-free sources since European producers, especially from countries such as Italy and Portugal, do not want to lose US orders in case they are charged tariffs. Where strengths in these areas slow down rapid growth, the idea of nearshoring also gets appealing on account of benefits like reduced lead time for delivery and favorable trade agreements. Mostly, firms are taking a guarded, wait-and-watch attitude, balancing cost-effectiveness against uncertainty in trade relations even as diversification continues to be an overriding necessity.
#1 Based on the videos, how do you expect the apparel sourcing strategy of US fashion companies to evolve in response to the tariff increase? For example, will companies continue to diversify sourcing, wait and see, or focus on expanding sourcing to countries or regions regarded as “safe havens”?
The videos have lead me to believe that US fashion companies will have to change their apparel sourcing strategies due to the tariff increase because many of the regions they source from are the ones being tariffed. US fashion companies rely heavily on China when considering sourcing decisions. China is the number one country that is being tariffed within the new administration. I think that companies should consider to diversify sourcing locations as it may be shown to be cheaper in the long run as those new regions do not have tariffs attached to them. Waiting and observing may lose the US fashion companies a lot of money because the tariffs do not seem to be going anywhere soon.
#2 Do you expect the higher tariffs on U.S. imports, including textiles and apparel, to benefit domestic “Made in the USA” production? Why or why not?
I think that the tariffs on U.S. imports, including textiles and apparel, may benefit “Made in the USA” products because it may encourage consumers and retailers to consider domestically produced alternatives. This huge shift may potentially increase demand for American made apparel, support for local manufacturing, and help create jobs within the US textile industry, as these options would be cheaper than the alternative. It also may shift sourcing decisions along the supply chain to be more domestic than they have ever been before.
I found this article really informative because it explains how the ongoing tariff war is reshaping the fashion industry, especially in terms of where brands source their products. As a college student who is conscious about spending, I’ve noticed clothes are getting more expensive and there’s less variety, which makes sense after reading how companies are dealing with rising import costs. It’s interesting to see how brands might shift to countries like Vietnam or Bangladesh, but the article also points out how complicated that can be. It really shows how global trade policies impact our everyday shopping habits more than we realize.
#3 As consumers, how do you perceive the impact of the tariffs on your shopping behavior and experiences? Have you noticed any changes, such as in price and product availability, while shopping for clothing recently? Feel free to share your observations.
Since learning about the tariff war and the insane tariff percentage placed on china, i have been more cautious with buying clothing and unnecessary items. My shopping behavior has definatly become more sparse and im only shopping second hand or buying items I can see myself wearing in the next few years to come. I also have been speaking to a few of my friends about the tariffs and many of them told me they’ve also seen a huge price change with online shopping, especially items in demand right now like bathing suits. One of my friends showed me a bathing suit she was planning on buying and the total was $100 for the top and bottom. The price is already shocking however, as she was going to check out and buy it, there was $175 added in “duties” so the total went up to around $280 with the tax and shipping prices. I was so shocked at this because I had never seen a price increase of so much before and i had no idea businesses would begin to implement the tax so quickly. I then looked up where this specific brand was manufacturing these bathing suits from, and sure enough it was Hong Kong, China.
In regard to discussion question 2, the increase in tariffs will not lead to more “made in USA products”. Based on the case studies, articles, videos, and news we have been presented in class, this fact is evident. Firstly, the US is a capital intensive country, and will never be able to satisfy manufacturing needs for apparel. Apparel manufacturing requires labor intensive countries overseas to manufacture, because their turn around time and inexpensiveness is incomparable. Secondly, many USA manufacturers for products like textiles, do not have the resources and materials available to them in the USA. This means that there is still a need for global trade and sourcing even for “made in USA products”. Thirdly, it is clear that the American consumer is responsible for paying tariffs as they rise. This will cost the US household a large sum of money solely on tariffs in the long run, and not brands and companies. Overall, higher tariffs may promote more “Made in USA” products, but the practicality of reducing global trade is low and inconsistent.
As a consumer, I view the impact of the tariffs to shift my shopping behavior and experiences. As explained in the video “Tariffs could raise wedding dress prices for American brides”, some brides feel pressured to find and purchase a wedding dress as soon as they can in attempt to avoid the increased prices. For my own shopping habits, I already shop for most of my clothes through secondhand shopping websites such as Poshmark and Depop. As a result of the new tariffs, I believe that I will be shopping more on these secondhand shopping websites, along with searching for more timeless pieces of clothing. I would want to search for more timeless pieces of clothing in efforts to increase the longevity of those pieces. I also would be more mindful as to where my clothes are coming from because that will directly impact what price I will be paying for those clothes.
#1: I believe that based on the videos, I expect US fashion companies to evolve in response to the tariffs increasing. I think that companies will continue to diversify their sourcing strategies, but I also think that there will be companies who wait and see as well. We have already seen how many US based fashion companies have already started diversifying their supply chains when the first tariffs were implemented. So I think that they will continue to reach out to other manufacturers in different countries and continue to try and diversify their supply chains to lower costs on their products. However, since many US fashion companies have trusted relationships with their suppliers and manufacturers in areas affected by tariffs, I think that many may try and salvage the relationship by still continuing to work with them. This could include US fashion companies lowering the amount they order or their suppliers working with them to help with cost.
#2: I do not expect the higher tariff on U.S. imports, both textiles and apparel, to benefit domestic “Made in the USA” production. Items made in the US or NAFTA region are not able to create the same products like those in Asia and other highly tariffed areas. Due to a couple differences in the diversity of product range that other countries are able to implement compared to the US. When we look at the range of fabric that Asia has in comparison to the US, we can see that Asia wins in a landslide. They tend to have both newer technology fabrics as well as fancier fabrics like silk. Whereas the US’s main textile is cotton, polyester and protective/medical fabrics. Due to how different each area’s textiles are, at this moment it would be impossible for companies to just switch and have them be manufactured in the US. So many US companies will not switch to having their garments manufactured in the US.
In response to discussion question 2, while the Trump Administration is under the impression that the higher tariffs will benefit domestic businesses, I believe it will have the opposite effect. As shown in video 2, US apparel companies are already seeing the issues that come along with these higher tariffs. Even if products are produced in the US, it is likely that many of the tools and materials needed are sourced from overseas. Therefore, as a result of the tariffs, these US companies face much higher costs when producing their product, and in turn have to charge their consumers more money. This has lead to deceased sales for US businesses, as highlighted in video 2.
In response to discussion question 3, as a consumer I have already noticed differences in pricing from the tariff increase. This week, my mom mentioned to me that all of the products she had saved on Amazon had all gone up in price ranging from $5-$10. When I went to take a look myself, I noticed the same thing. Out of curiosity, even though I do not shop from this brand, I decided to check the Shein website to see if their prices had changed. Surely enough, many of their products were much more expensive than what you would expect from one of the cheapest fast fashion brands. I think this is only going to get worse, and prices are going to continue to increase. Unfortunately, this is going to result in a loss of business for many brands, as consumers have already been complaining before the effects of the tariffs that prices are getting out of hand.
Question #1
U.S. fashion brands are rethinking where they source products, moving away from China and exploring options like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Mexico. Near shoring is becoming more popular thanks to faster delivery times and trade benefits, but limited factory capacity makes it hard to scale quickly. Companies like Nike and Steve Madden are testing new regions while staying cautious, trying to manage costs without taking big risks in an uncertain trade environment.
After watching all the videos, I think the tariff increases are definitely going to push U.S. fashion companies to rethink their sourcing strategies, and not just in a “wait and see” way. It seems like diversification is going to be what happens. In the video about Pakistan, for example, they showed how some U.S. companies are exploring alternatives to China to avoid tariffs, and that trend will likely continue. But it’s not just about finding cheaper places, it’s about finding more politically stable, “safe haven” countries that won’t be hit by surprise tariff changes. I don’t think the answer is bringing everything back to the U.S. either. Even though the Northern Virginia t shirt company is trying to make it work, they’re struggling with high costs and competition. So while “Made in the USA” sounds ideal, it’s not realistic for most brands at scale. Ultimately, tariffs are shaking things up, but I think they’re also giving fashion companies a wake up call to build more resilient and flexible sourcing strategies that aren’t overly reliant on one region. And as a consumer, I’ve noticed prices creeping up, especially on more formal wear, which totally makes sense with the wedding dress example. It makes me think more about where things come from and what global politics might be behind the price tags we’re seeing now.