December 3: ... While he said was thrilled with the agreement reached between President Xi Jinping, and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the G20 Summit in Argentina, [Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association] expects US workers and consumers to begin feeling the effects early next year. (Source: South China Morning Post)

December 3: ... “Nothing’s been removed, nothing’s been stopped, things are just delayed,” said Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents more than 1,000 manufacturers, retailers and name brands. “The 25 percent is still out there. It’s still going to be hanging out there.” (Source: Bloomberg)

December 2: ... Trump's comments confirmed what many have long suspected — that he would use the act of withdrawing from NAFTA as a cudgel to force Congress into passing the new deal. (Source: Politico)

November 30: ... “I think the effects of the last year, regardless of what happens over the next 18 months, will reverberate dramatically for a good 5 to 10 years or longer,” [Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association] told FN. “If the trade war gets worse or escalates, then that long-term impact will be even much longer.” (Source: Footwear News)

November 28: ... “We are on the cusp of the biggest sourcing disruption that we have seen in a generation,” said Stephen Lamar, executive vice-president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association ... “The No. 1 thing I hear from companies is along the lines of: ‘For years we have been talking about diversifying from China and now we have to actually do it’.” (Source: Reuters)

November 28: The nonprofit Vocational Guidance Services (VGS) hires and trains people living with disabilities, who can have a hard time finding work. It has held a government contract for about 20 years, and its Cleveland factory produces thousands of women’s military trousers each month. (Source: PBS NewsHour)

November 28: Told that the cozy shirting fabric could no longer be made in America, one man began a yearlong quest. (Source: New York Times)

December 3: ... Copying brands has been a long-time tradition in China, but you don’t often see an entire ecommerce platform being copied. (Source: Tech in Asia)

December 2: ... Telling the good from the bad online has long been a problem. With Christmas around the corner, here is how to avoid getting stung by unscrupulous sellers. (Source: The Guardian)

November 27: ... outside the cutting-room floor, brand owners are winning major legal battles, causing industry observers to wonder: could China’s IP reputation be changing for the better? (Source: South China Morning Post)

Trade war truce? This past weekend, President Trump announced a ‘cease-fire’ in the trade war with China following a dinner with President Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina. AAFA's statement is available here.

AAFA's Rick Helfenbein appeared on CNBC on Friday, November 30 to preview the talks and what the industry was looking for as a result:

AAFA President and CEO Rick Helfenbein on CNBC’s Closing Bell. Watch now.

AAFA/WRAP Working Hours Best Practices: Just published for AAFA members is the Working House Best Practices guidance (member login required) to help companies achieve greater transparency into the actual hours being worked by employees in supplier factories and address root causes that lead to excessive working hours. Download now! Contact Nate Herman for further details on this project or for other matters related to AAFA’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, including the AAFA-Fair Labor Association Commitment to Responsible Recruitment (now with 127 signatories).

NAFTA termination threat: Over the weekend, AAFA cautioned the Trump administration against terminating the North American Free Trade Agreement prior to the ratification and implementation of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, following reports that they will give a formal termination notice to Congress.

Protecting duty-free benefits: On November 29, AAFA’s Steve Lamar testified at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative urging the Administration to keep travel goods imported from Thailand and Indonesia duty-free under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. Why this is so important:

AAFA Executive Vice President Steve Lamar discussing the importance of GSP
benefits for the travel goods industry. Watch now.

AAFA at JAPBI: In Cherry Hill, New Jersey last week, AAFA participated in full force at the Defense Department’s Joint Advanced Planning Brief for Industry (JAPBI) conference for the government contractors who supply uniforms to American war fighters. For more information about how AAFA supports our government contractors, contact Christina Mitropoulos.

See all of AAFA’s latest letters, comments, and testimony here.