Goods coming from anywhere in the world into the US will be subject to a 10% tariff as of 5 April, with further reciprocal tariffs added to dozens of others that include some key fashion trading partners.

In an address at the White House Rose Garden, US President Donald Trump said: “For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike … our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years, but it is not going to happen any more.

“This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence. For years, hard-working American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense, but now it’s our turn to prosper.”

Reciprocal tariffs will begin on 9 April and will include a 20% duty on goods from the European Union.

China and Mexico have been omitted from the tariff announcement in a turn of events.

But key fashion trading partners have been hit hard including China whose total levies are now over 50% following a 34% increase announced on 2 April.

India too has seen a sharp tariff increase of 26% while Thailand has seen a 36% increase in tariffs for US-bound goods.

Goods coming from Cambodia are subject to a 49% duty increase and from Bangladesh, 37%.

Pakistani imports will see a 29% tariff hike while Myanmar imports are subject to a 49% tariff increase.

The UK is to be hit with a 10% tariff hike.

An earlier report from Aston Business School said Trump’s tariffs introduce “substantial economic disruptions”, exposing clear vulnerabilities stemming from the UK’s reliance on critical markets such as the US and the EU.

“However, these disruptions also offer strategic opportunities for adaptation and repositioning, the report read. “Navigating this challenging economic landscape requires agile policy responses. Despite the complexity of current trade dynamics, the UK’s independent trade policy framework allows for quicker and more targeted actions, enabling it to adapt proactively to shifting global conditions. Policy measures could include diversification of supply chains, strategic engagement in alternative markets, and fostering resilience by reducing dependencies on tariff-impacted regions.

“Ultimately, a proactive and responsive approach will be essential in mitigating risks and enhancing the UK’s economic stability and competitiveness amid escalating global trade tensions.”

How will the global fashion sector be impacted by the new tariffs?

“Reduced exports from the UK”

Adam Mansell, CEO of UKFT, said: “The US is the UK’s second largest export market for fashion and textiles and the new US tariff regime will benefit no-one.

“It will lead to reduced exports from the UK and will impact UK fashion and textile manufacturers, at time when they are already facing unprecedented cost increases.

“Although the 10% tariff on UK exports is lower than the 20% on EU products, it adds to existing tariffs, making some luxury fabrics from the UK subject to a 35% tariff in the US. At the same time, UK retailers and brands that manufacture in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh and ship directly to the USA will face huge increases in costs. The new US tariffs will also mean increased prices for US consumers, and it will make the cost of raw materials for US manufacturers more expensive.”

“Fashion brands, retailers to be particularly affected”

Commenting on the announcement, the USFIA said it was “deeply disappointed” by the Trump Administration’s decision to impose new tariffs on all imports.

“This action will particularly affect American fashion brands and retailers. Some of the major suppliers for US imports and the major customers for US exports are targeted with the substantial “worst offender” tariffs.

“The fashion industry depends on global supply chains more than perhaps any other sector of manufactured goods. For instance, a bale of cotton might be grown in Texas, shipped to Europe to be spun into yarn, sent to Korea for fabric production, then to Vietnam for garment assembly, and finally to the US for retail sale — back in Texas. Additionally, these garments may be sold not only in the US but also in global markets such as Singapore, Japan, Dubai, or London.

“While tariffs can be a useful tool in addressing unfair trade practices, they disproportionately impact the fashion industry. US imports of textiles and apparel are subjected to some of the highest tariff rates. For example, in 2024, the average tariff on steel was 5%, while the average tariff on apparel was a staggering 14.6%.

“Moreover, the reality is that high tariff rates are unlikely to bring manufacturing back to the US. Despite the $13.2bn in tariffs collected by CBP in 2024 (accounting for 16.6% of all tariffs collected) and an additional $2.48bn from Section 301 trade remedies on textile and apparel goods, the percentage of apparel made in the US remains just 3%. The textile and apparel industry has been paying higher tariffs for decades with little impact on reshoring manufacturing.

“We urge the President to reconsider these tariffs and focus on supporting American families and American companies with lower costs and the benefits of trade.”

“Reciprocal tariff to result in nearly $35bn in total tariff duties on apparel sector products“

Sheng Lu, professor of apparel studies at the University of Delaware, agreed the reciprocal tariff would significantly increase the tariff burden for US fashion companies and those domestic apparel manufacturers that rely on imported textile raw materials.

“Based on my rough estimation using the import data in 2024 as the base, the reciprocal tariff would increase the average US import tariff rate for yarns and fabrics from 6.3% to 21.0%, an increase from 8.4% to 28.4% for made-up textiles and a jump from 14.5% to 30.6% for apparel. Assuming the value of US textile and apparel imports in 2025 remains unchanged from 2024, the reciprocal tariff would result in nearly $35bn in total tariff duties on these products — an increase of $19.9bn compared to the current tariff levels.

“While the announcement of the details of the reciprocal tariff clarified some previous questions in our minds, it raised many additional questions. For example, how long will the tariff last? How will US trading partners respond and retaliate? How will the reciprocal tariff affect the US economy, inflation, and consumers’ demand for clothing? Will US fashion companies cancel sourcing orders? Will the World Trade Organization step in?

“One thing is certain, though — fashion companies will have to continue to navigate a highly turbulent business environment, keep their sourcing and supply chain flexible, and monitor the ripple effect of the reciprocal tariff.”

“There is no escape from tariffs”

GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders said the tariffs came as no surprise but the comprehensiveness of the new regime was “shocking” with some very high rates.
“What has been confirmed today is that there is no escape from tariffs. Every company that imports is going to have to deal with higher costs that result from this new way of conducting trade.

“There will be some distinct challenges for fashion as many of the countries listed like Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and so forth are important locations for textiles and fashion. Nike, for example, makes 97% of sneakers in Vietnam, Indonesia and China.

“The good news is that retailers and brands now have certainty. The hard work starts now in terms of working through this and finding ways to mitigate and offset the higher costs.”

“True liberation would have involved eliminating this high tariff burden”

American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)’s president and CEO Steve Lamar said: “Before today’s so-called ‘Liberation Day,’ the average tariff on clothes, shoes, and accessories, necessities every American must buy, was already more than five times higher than on other US imports. True liberation would have involved eliminating this high tariff burden and relieving US consumers of its regressive and misogynistic effects, rather than layering on more costs that fuel inflation. While we welcome President Trump’s focus on reducing foreign trade barriers, we need to reduce America’s high trade barriers as well and do so in a predictable manner that enables long-term investment and supply chain decisions. For companies that had been in a ‘wait and see’ mode, the chaos of the last few months, coupled with the confusion from today’s announcement, has only created more uncertainty.

“While the President touts ‘America First’ policies, this tariff plan overlooks its destructive impact it will have on the US manufacturers in our industry. These American companies depend on foreign inputs which have no, or very few, American substitutes. Tariffs will significantly increase the cost of manufacturing in the US, and, when paired with the retaliatory tariffs that will surely come, will undermine US export opportunities as well.”

“More tariffs equal more anxiety and uncertainty for American businesses and consumers”

National Retail Federation EVP of Government Relations David French said consumers would be hardest hit by the tariff reveal.

“88% of voters say that small businesses play an important role in their local economy, according to an NRF poll conducted by Morning Consult. These tariffs will have a disproportionate impact on local communities and will be particularly harmful to small retailers.

“Tariffs are a tax paid by the US importer that will be passed along to the end consumer. Tariffs will not be paid by foreign countries or suppliers.

“Even more so, the immediate implementation of these tariffs is a massive undertaking and requires both advance notice and substantial preparation by the millions of US businesses that will be directly impacted.

“We encourage President Trump to hold trading partners accountable and restore fairness for American businesses without creating economic uncertainty and higher prices for American families.”

“The major uncertainty that remains will freeze new investments. 

Cem Altan, president of the International Apparel Federation, said the announcement “creates a new reality affecting billions of dollars of investments and the lives of tens of millions of people working in our industry globally.”

“Ultimately, someone will have to pay the price for all of this. In this context, IAF will be vigilant about deteriorating purchasing practices. The new reality also requires a careful analysis and the IAF will be working with its membership on a full joint apparel manufacturing industry position.”

“This decision is like going back in time”

EURATEX, which represents the European textile and clothing industry told Just Style the US is EU’s fifth most important trading partner, with total trade exceeding €9bn ($9.95bn).

It added that US customers enjoy high end fashion items, but also technical textiles coming from Europe, so adding a 20% duty will hamper that relationship. 

EURATEX director general Dirk Vantyghem warned against this tariff escalation. He said: “This decision is like going back in time; it will lead to a loose-loose relationship within the global textile industry. EURATEX stands for free but fair trade, based on common rules which are respected by all; the EU and the US should lead by example, and promote high quality and sustainable textile products.”

“Mexico, Canada decision will provide neashoring incentives“

The National Textile Organisation’s Kim Glas applauded the president on the reciprocal tariff plan and preserving US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) qualified goods.

Glas said: “The US textile industry ships $12.3bn, or 53%, of its total global textile exports to Mexico and Canada and those component materials often come back as finished products to the United States under the USMCA. It is by far the largest export region for American textile producers, representing $20bn in two-way trade that spurs enormous textile investment and employment in the United States.

“Preserving duty free, qualified trade is absolutely critical to the US textile industry and will provide incentives for more companies to onshore even greater production capacity, giving a boost to American textile manufacturers and their workers.”

“Global apparel and textile sector would greatly benefit from negotiations and collaborative policymaking”

K. V. Srinivasan, president of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) pointed out US importers are exploring alternative sourcing options in countries with lower tariffs.

“However, many of these alternatives have higher production costs and often lack the required product ranges or production capacities.

“Reshoring apparel manufacturing to the US would also pose significant challenges. Labour costs are substantially higher, and many essential textiles for apparel production would still need to be imported—now at increased costs. Additionally, the US faces a shortage of skilled workers in the apparel sector. Whether through higher tariffs on imports or costly domestic production, the outcome will be increased apparel prices, ultimately contributing to higher inflation.

“The trade policy pursued by the U.S. administration will disrupt textile and apparel supply chains, increasing uncertainty, and driving up prices. Rather than implementing unilateral tariff hikes across all product categories, it would be far more beneficial for the global textile and apparel industry if governments engaged in negotiations and collaborative policymaking.”

By Just Style