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China. Bangladesh. Vietnam. India. These and other foreign countries are the backbone of America's fast fashion industry, suppling around 98 percent of what fills our closets.
Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs will choke these supply lines. Vietnam faces the prospect of a 46 percent duty. India, 26 percent. For now, the tariffs are paused for 90 days—except those on China, which shoulders a staggering 145 percent rate.
Given the volatility of this political moment, even that short reprieve could vanish overnight.
Even if many countries manage to negotiate new trade deals with the United States, the economic fallout, especially in the fashion industry, will be immense. Foreign textile and garment producers are already reporting cancelled orders. Millions in contracts are already lost.
For people like me—entrepreneurs who've built fashion brands that rely on undisturbed supply chains—these tariffs hit like a sledgehammer.
I launched LeoBella, my luxury accessories brand, to prove fashion could be both sustainable and accessible. We partner with small workshops that use eco-friendly materials and uphold fair labor standards. But when duties surge in mere days, our foundations crack.
Our supplier in China is now out of reach. Vietnam may be next. We're scrambling for new partners—none quite right, all more expensive. Soon, I may have to choose between cutting corners, raising prices, or breaking the promises my brand was built on.
And I know I'm not alone. One in five U.S. small businesses fear they won't survive two more years of tariffs. Seven percent don't think they'll last even that long. Who in Washington will dare tell us our pain will be worth the bump in customs revenue?
This fallout won't stop with us. If tariffs snap back to full force, every household will feel it. This $3.1 trillion stealth tax will hit fashion especially hard. Clothing prices may have to jump 10 to 12 percent just for Vietnamese factories to stay afloat.
About $440 billion worth of goods came to the U.S. from China alone last year. With wages stagnant and a recession looming, soon it won't just be housing or college debt keeping families up at night. It'll be: Can I afford a winter coat?
We need an immediate course correction. Maybe we can't rewind to pre-Trump trade policy, not with Beijing's blowback already in motion. But we can still stop the bleeding where it matters most.
We need to lift or restructure tariffs on essentials—clothes, food, household goods—especially from countries that haven't retaliated yet. Everyday Americans shouldn't be the collateral damage in a global trade fight.
If Trump wants a trade divorce with China, fine. But let's be strategic. We should build stronger ties with Bangladesh or Vietnam—countries with solid textile industries, scalable production, and a real commitment to playing fair.
Consider Bangladesh—once dismissed after the tragic Rana Plaza collapse, it's now considered one of the sector's most forward-thinking partners. Textiles make up over 84 percent of the country's export revenue, and duty-free machinery imports and special economic zones helped fuel its rise.
Today, Bangladesh's garment industry employs over four million people across more than 3,500 factories, shipping $43 billion worth of textiles to 167 countries. Bangladesh even leads the world in certified green factories, with many using solar energy, recycled water systems, and cleaner production techniques. And now, with Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus serving as interim leader, the country is doubling down on reform, backing measures to bring labor laws in line with international standards.
Vietnam, our second-largest apparel source, is also rising. Its factories are efficient, increasingly green, and fast becoming a go-to for quality production. Even Sri Lanka is making moves, with a 5 percent spike in apparel exports in 2024, fueled by tech innovation sourced from foreign, free markets.
As human rights abuses, like Uyghur forced labor, darken China's supply chain, countries like Bangladesh offer both moral and market-based alternatives to Beijing's dominance.
That's why the tariff pause matters so much. Right now, our trade partners are reaching out, with Sri Lanka calling for fresh trade talks, Vietnam pledging to buy American defense and security gear, and Bangladesh even offering to supply its factories with Texas cotton.
Trump must seize this moment to leverage international goodwill and engage in the kind of thoughtful diplomacy we desperately need. The goal should be trade deals that work for both sides—for Americans who are justifiably fed up with lopsided trade terms, and for suppliers who are eager to win more U.S. business on fair, transparent terms.
Even with tariff income trickling in, we can't simply snap our fingers and set up local textile plants here. It'll take years just to construct a processing plant—five or more when you account for permits and supply chain complexity. Scaling up to meet the demand of 330 million fashion consumers? That takes a lifetime.
Until we find smart, effective stopgaps in this growing trade showdown, Trump's tariffs will only torch our middle class and American businesses like mine.
Sara Kazimi is an American entrepreneur and fashion innovator. In 2007, she founded LeoBella, a luxury accessory brand rooted in sustainable design. She is also the founder and CEO of Global Agriculture Development, which advances sustainable farming to address poverty and environmental challenges.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
