Updated April 08, 2025 at 11:12 AM ET
Bayard Winthrop, founder and CEO of the apparel company American Giant, built his brand on the promise of selling U.S.-made clothing.
Winthrop's company sources and manufactures almost all its products in the U.S., from cotton to the final stitch. While that drives up costs, he said one of his business' principles is to make good quality U.S.-made products that are affordable to average U.S. consumers.
In 2023, American Giant partnered with Walmart to sell $12, fully U.S.-made T-shirts.
His business is the kind that President Trump might say the sweeping global tariffs are meant to help.
While Winthrop supports some of the tariffs, he said the Trump administration's approach is too broad and poorly targeted.
"The breadth of this move — that kind of captures up everybody — I don't agree with," Winthrop said. "But I certainly think in the case of China particularly, it was long overdue."
Here are three takeaways from his conversation on Morning Edition:
On how the tariffs help his business:
"Let's see where they land, but they certainly begin to move in that direction with China," he said. "I mean, the situation with China is really bad in the textile industry."
He added: "For people that are not in the middle of trade negotiations, if you stared at some of the nature of how we trade with them in textiles in particular, it's terrible, and it really hurts facilities like ours and communities that really need good work, that need work in Gaffney, S.C. and Middlesex, N.C., and places that good, vibrant towns that need jobs, that are working, are getting really hit by what I view as a totally out of whack trading relationship with China, and so some of them really do."
Are others in his industry worried about any tariffs?
"Most apparel brands, big and small, are really dependent on a globalized supply chain, and in many cases, very dependent on places like China and Vietnam," Winthrop said. "And I think for those people, it's a scary time, because – particularly in regards to China – if the tariffs roll in and hold... I think that's going to fundamentally change the posture."
Winthrop said there are purchasing cycles in the clothing industry and that apparel companies are currently buying for fall and the holidays. Some companies, he added, may be feeling confused about the textiles supply chain.
"And so you've got to make calls right now about whether this is — this is it? Do we have to lock in and move? Can we wait for a little bit?" Winthrop said. "Do we have to create an alternate supply chain?"
His advice to policymakers:
"I think the key thing is that the administration needs to strike the balance between good decisive action, beginning to really address some things that are long overdue, but understanding at the same time that this is – it's fragile, and the supply chain is fragile," Winthrop said.
"And we have allowed ourselves to get so dependent on cheap goods imported from overseas that unwinding that is going to take partnership and time and communication and leadership and clarity.
"I think giving some time to allow countries to adjust and businesses to adjust would be helpful, to give people the opportunity to begin to think a little bit about: Where are we heading? And how are we going to adjust to it?"
The story was adapted for the web by Majd Al-Waheidi and edited by Obed Manuel, with the radio version edited by Reena Advani.
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