During this past election cycle, when rumors of possible tariffs started circling, I started to get asked if I thought my brand (an American-made brand) will have an advantage over imported brands. Now that we are getting closer to this being a reality, these questions are coming at me more frequently. Last week I had a lovely interview with Julia Waldow of Modern Retail during which we focussed mostly on how difficult it has been for me to find American partners these past 10 years. Julia interviewed numerous stake holders and I highly suggest you read her full interview here.
Having just recently raised my prices in order to keep up with the rising costs of labor and advertising here in the US, I am highly doubtful that the tariffs will play a major role in making my coats "more affordable." I do believe however, that these tariffs could potentially to raise prices on many fast fashion brands such as Temu and Shein making them less easy to grab (which is not entirely bad.)
However, ultimately more than anything, what I believe will and can make a difference when it comes to supporting US Made Apparel is a greater appreciation for craft and the hands that make our clothes. For far too long sewing has been viewed as a remedial skill to be learned by people who have no other skills to offer. As a person who has sewn and taught sewing for close to 20 years, I can tell you that not only is this line of thinking offensive, but it's just not true.
Last week, I welcomed a new batch of sewing students into my class. I gave them my traditional first day pep talk during which I explained that learning to sew is much like learning to play an instrument, if takes patience and practice. Just as no musician will master their craft overnight, no sewist will learn how to make a beautiful garment overnight. Yet our perception is that anyone can do it (even though most people can't/ don't.)
The US has off-shored garment manufacturing because we want to believe more than anything that sewing is cheap and easy. We get so angered when we are confronted with the truth that we actually need to pay for the services of design, fit, materials, and sewing that we often squack at price tags that don't align with this vision.
So in answer to this question...will tariffs save American apparel manufacturing? My answer is an unfortunate "no." What will "save" US Apparel Manufacturing is a respect for the craft and those who partake in it.
