Tag: Lesotho

FASH455 Video Discussion: The Lesotho Garment Industry in the Shadow of Trump’s Tariffs

Discussion questions: (for students in FASH455, please address at least two questions below in your response. There is no need to repeat the question, but please mention the question #)

  • #1 How do you see the importance of the garment industry to Lesotho—economically, socially, and politically?
  • #2 Why and how could the 15% additional tariff have a significant impact on Lesotho’s garment industry?
  • #3 What responsibilities do U.S. fashion brands and retailers have toward Lesotho in the situation described in the videos?
  • #4 If you were a U.S. garment worker, would you support more favorable trade terms for Lesotho? Why or why not?

Background

  • According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), textiles and apparel accounted for 56.6% of Lesotho’s manufactured goods exports in 2023.
  • UNComtrade data shows that between 2023 and 2024, about half of Lesotho’s apparel exports went to the United States, its largest export market. Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) made up an additional 44% of Lesotho’s apparel exports.
  • Industry sources further indicate that between January 2024 and July 2025, about 60% of apparel labeled “Made in Lesotho” for sale in the U.S. retail market were tops, including 41% of T-shirts. All of these clothes targeted the mass and value market segments, and they were typically priced even lower than those “Made in Bangladesh.”
  • The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade preference program enacted in 2000, has played a critical role in supporting Lesotho’s apparel export to the U.S. market.
  • Data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that U.S. apparel imports from Lesotho totaled $151 million, or 0.19% of total U.S. apparel imports, in 2024. Notably, all of these imports claimed the AGOA duty-free benefits, and 96.8% were entered under the “third-country fabric” provision, which allows least developed countries (LDCs) like Lesotho to use textile raw materials sourced from third countries.

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