Insights on International Trade

Most fashion, beauty, and retail companies depend heavily on global supply chains to produce products sold in the United States, but with significant tariff increases looming and an unpredictable trade landscape, companies need to reassess sourcing and manufacturing strategies. Countries that were traditional sources of lower cost and high-quality products could be the target of tariffs under President-elect Trump’s proposed tariff policies. We explore scenarios for these tariffs, the impacts on the fashion, beauty, and retail industries, and what companies can do to mitigate the impacts of the potential tariffs.

Many e-commerce retailers are closely monitoring increasing bipartisan criticism of the Section 321 de minimis program.

Arent Fox Partner Angela Santos will speak at the annual ICPA Conference on February 28.

The proposed New York State Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (Fashion Act) and recently enacted Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) aim to compel the fashion industry to expedite the pace of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) initiatives in the fashion industry and wi

Brands Must Ensure Forced Labor is Not Used and Environmental Claims are Accurate

The Trump Administration did an about-face over the weekend, announcing that the sweeping 25 percent tariffs on products imported from China were placed on hold, as the two countries try to iron out a deal that would avoid the impending trade war.

Retailers should be paying close attention to tax reform and possible implications for the fashion industry.

A watchdog organization known as Transparentem has uncovered dire working conditions in the heavily polluted tanneries located outside of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

As the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump nears, retailers should be paying close attention to expected seismic changes in domestic trade policy that will have an important impact on the fashion industry.

The False Claims Act imposes liability on persons and companies who defraud the government of monies, whether it is by receiving monies based on false statements or material omissions, or avoiding the payment of monies through false statements or omissions.

Two China-based clothing manufacturers, Motives Far East and Motives China Limited, and their affiliated US importer, Motives, Incorporated, agreed to pay nearly $13.4 million for engaging in a double invoicing scheme designed to defraud the US out of millions of dollars in customs duties.

Why does it matter? This seemingly inconsequential distinction may mean the difference between being able to prominently display your embroidered brand trademark on your jeans and being required to place a large “Made in China” marking next to the embroidered brand trademark.

The Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2015 repealed the “consumptive demand” exemption to the ban on imports made by “forced labor.” The repeal became effective on March 10, 2016.

This alert brings you recent developments affecting importers at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The developments affect how importer information is filed with CBP.

Has Estee Lauder built such significant brand value that a retailer is doomed if it cannot stock Estee Lauder’s products on its shelves? This is the question Duty Free Americas asked a federal appeals court to once again consider after both the district court and the appeals court said “no.”

In this episode of Fashion Counsel, Partner Anthony Lupo talks with former Senator Byron Dorgan, Senior Policy Advisor in the Government Relations practice.

In September 2014, Arent Fox reported about a US court case with which every corporate officer of a company doing business in the United States should become familiar.

US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Office of Regulatory Audit will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, October 9, 2014 from 2:00 pm–3:30 pm Eastern Time to provide an overview of its Focused Assessment (FA) Program.

Import managers and compliance personnel can now be held personally liable in circumstances other than fraud for imports that violate US custom laws.

Robust compliance programs are the best defense to a False Claims Act investigation.

Pursuant to Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued final regulations on September 12, 2012 requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their use of “conflict minerals” in their products.

Overcoming the challenges of fighting organized crime networks involved in industrial scale illicit trade and counterfeiting, international partnerships recently led to 6,000 arrests and the seizure of 24 million fake goods worth nearly $133 million US dollars.

Selecting where to source manufacturing of fashion goods is not dependent on price alone. Companies looking to source need to be aware of consumer perceptions when selecting a sourcing territory.

As experienced members of the fashion industry can attest, trade matters such as duties and taxes, and other regulations can have a huge impact on global sales and sourcing decisions.

In this video episode of Fashion Counsel, Arent Fox Partners Anthony Lupo and Nancy Noonan discuss the best visa types to assure smooth extended stays for strategic managers on assignment in the US for up to seven years.