'Made in America' lingerie squeezed by Trump's tariffs

12 hours ago 7
For the Cantiq brand, which makes lingerie successful  Los Angeles from fabrics often   sourced from Asia, the further  tariffs mean   higher accumulation   costs and imaginable   layoffsFor the Cantiq brand, which makes lingerie successful Los Angeles from fabrics often sourced from Asia, the further tariffs mean higher accumulation costs and imaginable layoffs. Photo: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
Source: AFP

After years spent moving successful sweatshops successful California, Francisco Tzul got a occupation astatine a trendy lingerie marque that prides itself connected ethical concern practices and a "Made successful America" approach.

But the 60-year-old migrant from Guatemala present fears being laid disconnected implicit President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs connected US trading partners.

Trump acknowledges his tariffs volition origin Americans immoderate symptom initially, but believes that successful the agelong tally they volition assistance bring concern accumulation backmost to the United States.

But for the Cantiq brand, which makes lingerie successful Los Angeles from fabrics often sourced from Asia, the further tariffs mean higher accumulation costs and imaginable layoffs.

The tariffs "will harm the economy, not lone for the owners, but the workers arsenic well," Tzul, who has been employed astatine Cantiq for 5 years, told AFP connected a caller afternoon.

'Everybody's going to get hurt'

Seamstresses from the Garment Worker Center sew lingerie successful  the backmost  country   of CantiqSeamstresses from the Garment Worker Center sew lingerie successful the backmost country of Cantiq. Photo: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
Source: AFP

Chelsea Hughes, 35, founded Cantiq 10 years agone arsenic an "ethical" institution that would employment radical from her section community, wage them due wages and support decent moving conditions.

But with Trump's tariffs, she said, each that could spell retired the window.

"Now they're conscionable going to marque it adjacent much hard for maine to support jobs for radical that are here, and support each of my accumulation here," Hughes told AFP from her boutique successful the trendy Echo Park neighborhood.

Marketed arsenic lingerie for each assemblage types and styles, the brand' astir fashionable point is simply a racy $35 little that can beryllium worn by women and men alike.

It's made retired of 3 antithetic fabrics: 2 sourced from China, and 1 from Taiwan.

With imports from China present taxable to an further 145 percent tariff, Hughes estimates that the terms tag connected the briefs whitethorn leap to $42, making it unaffordable to galore customers.

"I deliberation it doesn't substance large oregon small, I deliberation everybody's going to get wounded by this, it's conscionable a question of however hard," she sighed.

'Reduce my workforce'

Cantiq's proprietor  opened the boutique aiming to nutrient   'ethical' garments 'Made successful  America', but input prices person  soared nether  the US tariffsCantiq's proprietor opened the boutique aiming to nutrient 'ethical' garments 'Made successful America', but input prices person soared nether the US tariffs. Photo: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
Source: AFP

Buying cloth successful the United States would beryllium prohibitively expensive, Hughes said.

"We person an astonishing assortment of unthinkable garment workers, don't get maine wrong, but erstwhile it comes to producing agelong fabrics similar lace, similar mesh, nary 1 does it present arsenic outgo effectual arsenic they bash overseas."

And it's not conscionable her profits -- her committedness to supporting section employment is besides being called into question with the tariffs.

"My full constituent was that I wanted to... make jobs successful an ethical way, and present they're making it intolerable for maine to bash that," Hughes said. "I request programs that enactment maine financially, different I'll person to trim my workforce, which is contrary to what they accidental they privation to do."

In Cantiq's sewing store located down the boutique, Tzul has thing near but to anticipation that the tariffs would yet beryllium rescinded oregon reduced.

Tzul said helium came to the United States from Guatemala 2 decades agone due to the fact that his government, similar successful galore others crossed Latin America, ruined section economies with their policies.

"That's 1 of the reasons that millions of america had to permission our countries, due to the fact that the decisions that governments made, alternatively of helping the people, they conscionable destruct the economies," helium said.

"And we don't privation that to hap successful America," helium said.

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Source: AFP

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