According to a recent story from GQ, operating a Made-in-the-USA clothing business has actually grown more difficult under Trump’s presidency.
Given the administration’s stated ambitions in regards to trade deals and job creation, not to mention their “Made in America Week” publicity stunt initiative, you’d think businesses that make their goods here would feel bolstered by the White House.
But they don’t.
“Of the 11 [companies] that were willing to comment,” the story notes, “none said they got a heads-up that a week nominally celebrating their businesses was coming down the pipeline and none felt optimistic they were in a better place as an American-made brand thanks to the Trump administration or its policies.” Instead, they “felt more anxiety about what Trump’s policies would do to hurt their [companies].”
And those policies cover more than just proposed tariffs and trade partnerships. Many brands are worried that “Trump’s draconian immigration policies will decimate factory’s workforces,” and several of those interviewed, “specifically point[ed] out how critical immigrant employees and factory owners are to their businesses.”
Equally troubling, is the subtext of “Made in America Week,” which has left some wondering if, “the allure of Made in America clothing [is] the vision it projects of items made by classically American (read: white) people?”
“The thing that the consumer’s grasping onto is this idea that Uncle Joe’s down in the factory with his ripped off Harley Davidson T-shirt and an American flag bandana sewing your shirt for you,” says Michael Maher, co-founder and CEO of Taylor Stitch. “The reality is that’s just not the case.”
You can read more about it at GQ.
