MEMBER STORIES
Anonymous Fashion Designer

As a fashion designer working in the United States, navigating the ever-changing landscape of President Trump’s tariff policies has been incredibly challenging. I primarily manufacture in India and China, and over the past year, the unpredictable nature of tariff fluctuations has made it nearly impossible to create a reliable strategic plan. We've constantly had to adjust our development process—shifting timelines, reassessing production partners, and reconsidering placement strategies—just to stay afloat. Despite these challenges, our company has chosen not to raise our product prices in an effort to maintain fairness and consistency for our long-standing retail partners. However, this decision has come at a cost. With rising duties, our margins have taken a hit, and we’re now making significantly less on garments that once sustained our business. It's a difficult balancing act between absorbing financial strain and honoring the relationships that helped build our brand.

Shipping has become a major issue. Increased scrutiny on incoming and outgoing packages—especially through key FedEx hubs like Memphis—has led to significant delays and lost shipments. Authorities are strictly enforcing shipping fees and inspecting all packages, whether for sale or not. As a result, many of our packages have been delayed by over a week or lost entirely, disrupting our daily operations, deadlines, and planned meetings.