Celebrating our 40th AAFA American Image Awards! Last evening was spectacular as we hosted our 40th AAFA American Image Awards. Hosted with award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author Katie Couric, the gala honored leaders, influencers, and innovators in the apparel and footwear industries and benefitted the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation. Find the full press release, Getty photo gallery, and highlights of the evening on social media (Twitter, Instagram) with #AmericanImageAwards.
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| Designer of the Year Joseph Altuzarra with the one-and-only Katie Couric |
AAFA President and CEO Rick Helfenbein with American Image Awards Person of the Year Emanuel (Manny) Chirico of PVH Corp. |
Busy week for AAFA on product safety: On April 16, Governor Scott of Vermont vetoed S.B. 103 following AAFA’s recent letter urging the decision! Last week — on April 9 and 11 respectively — AAFA testified before the California Assembly Committee on Natural Resources to oppose a bill that would create a labeling requirement for all garments made of 50% or more synthetic fiber and before the Consumer Product Safety Commission on their budget and priorities for fiscal years 2019 and 2020. For questions on any of these items, contact AAFA's Kristen Kern.
Last Week on Capitol Hill: Last week, the U.S. Global Value Chain (USGVC) Coalition, of which AAFA is a founding member, took to Capitol Hill to educate policymakers and the public about the American jobs and the domestic economic growth our companies generate through their value chains. Find our joint coalition op-ed with Morning Consultunder trade and take part in the conversation with #GlobalValueChain.
Tariff threats continue: On April 5, President Trump directed the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to consider an additional $100 billion in tariffs on U.S. imports from China. While a new list is yet to be released, AAFA has been extremely vocal in the response to date around all tariff proposals, including op-eds, television interviews, and joint letters. On April 6, AAFA reacted with this statement and on April 11, AAFA joined with more than 100 other associations to express concerns on tariff policy with respect to China. Most recently, AAFA spoke withBarron’sand Bloomberg regarding the tariffs.
More on this ahead at AAFA’s Government Relations Committee Meeting on April 24 in D.C. and from AAFA President and CEO Rick Helfenbein at Supply Chain Innovation: The Key To Success In The New Retail Dynamic on April 25, also in D.C.
We encourage members to share this prepared letter with your representatives in Washington expressing our industry’s opposition to tariffs.
NAFTA negotiations: On April 12, AAFA — along with more than 150 companies from the U.S., Mexican, and Canadian textile, apparel, and retail industries — wrote to the three NAFTA trade ministers in support of NAFTA modernization while also expressing opposition to any provisions that would restrict the agreement.
North Korea Forced Labor FAQs: Last week, AAFA co-signed a joint association letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — seeking clarifications to achieve better compliance with new North Korean sanctions legislation (CAATSA).
See all of AAFA’s latest letters, comments, and testimony here.