How changes in the sudden tariff policy affect Trump on one small clothing factory in New York City: “Every terrified person”

He is on Thursday afternoon in New York and Bolin Locke has a problem.
At the Apparel factory, it works on West 36, and it stores hundreds of fragile cotton blouses that have declined-almost a must-almost completed except for some decisive details: shirt buttons stuck somewhere on their journey from China, and the date of their arrival is not overcome.
Lock Instyle Usa, a 35 -year -old company that has made clothes for famous American brands, including Calvin Klein, Dona Karan, Halston and Eileen Fischer. Over the past few decades, it has survived tectonic transformations in the local clothing industry, as globalization has led retailers of fashion to production abroad to the cheapest countries. But she has never faced a crisis like the crisis in which it is now, as she is trying to move in Trump’s tariff.
Locke says she is Check in the spirit of President Trump’s recent policies aimed at re -manufacturing to the United States, even if that means that the Americans will pay more for their clothes. But the “mutual” definitions presented by President Donald Trump on imports earlier this month created a headache of what Instyle carries after securing the epidemic, or blackout from Hurricane Sandy, or the shock of 9/11.
She says local factories should be noisy luck. But instead of responding to the rush of applications from desperate clothing stickers to find local manufacturers, the latest changes in commercial policy forced them to reduce their employees in half, and create a “hurricane” of repercussions. “During the 35 years in which we were in business, we have never had to give up such,” she says.
“On a personal level, everyone is terrified.”
Snow Storm, Hurricane, a group of rotation
Lock works specifically the type of local manufacturing business that the definitions aim to enhance.
The company cooperates with local designers to make a preliminary model for their business, fabric sources and finishes from all over the world, and the final products of handicrafts. It also makes clothes with special signs of retailers like MACY’s. Today, only 2 % To 3 % One of the clothes that the Americans wear is made in the United States, with many for the army; Instyle is part of the small residue of the manufacturer once.
For Instyle, the crisis began immediately after the so -called “Tahrir Day” of Trump on April 2, when the President announced a tariff on imports of dozens of countries and a basic tariff for all incoming products, claiming that his strategy will rebuild America’s manufacturing and forcing his counterparts to improve the conditions of trading in the United States. China was first exposed to a 34 % tariff. Vietnam, India and Cambodia were threatened with definitions of 46 %, 26 % and 49 %, respectively. A few days later, after a rise in treasury revenues and the stock market decreased, Trump put a 90 -day stand on the customs tariffs for almost all countries except China, which pushed a somewhat trade war to 145 %. (China imposed a fee of up to 125 % on American imports).
But temporary suspension for three months, subsequent negotiations between countries, bends for exceptions such as computers and electronics did not do much to help American companies already on thin margins, were severely exposed to China, relying on a healthy consumer economy to survive. “A lot of things have stopped,” says Locke. “The problem is uncertainty. It is like walking on the ice, not sure if you will start.”
Designers do not know how to plan future projects, because the costs are not very clear. Retail dealers have stopped submitting requests because they are not sure that consumers will continue to shop. (In today’s environment, Locke says, people are unlikely to choose new shirts and pants on food payments or rent. For example, Lock, stores usually ask for a delay when delivery is delayed. Now they may say: “Well, we are not sure if this will be sold, so since you will be late, we will cancel all requests.”
The new definitions also led to bottlenecks in American customs offices. I have found that customs staff are steeped, follow constantly changing rules, and holding the products you need – severe materials such as denim, silk, decoration and decoration – for a longer period, not sure that the importer has paid sufficient tasks.
For clothing makers, shopping about source materials in countries with low customs tariffs may not pay off: France and Italy do not face the same sharp drawings as China, but high -quality European fabrics are priced before applying any tariff.
Meanwhile, it is difficult, if not impossible, replacing such supplies with exported goods locally because a few are produced in the United States. It took years for fashion marks to move supply chains and the entire manufacturing factories, which destroys the base of the wide companies that includes the industry of prosperous American clothes, but the transformation has been completed. Instyle is now working in Specialized market It depends on suppliers abroad for materials.
To increase the manufacture of American clothes, Locke says: “We have to make sure we have a solid basis before we cut the rest of the world.”
Similar crises in small and medium companies throughout the United States play unlike multinationals, these companies do not have cash reserves to accommodate the costs of new definitions. Even if they do so, the continuous transformations in the policies of customs tariffs and all unknown people about what may happen after that may have thwarted companies from stability on one strategy or a major investment that may carry them during this period. The American Chamber of Commerce estimates that the customs tariff has already cost small companies An additional $ 24 billion During the past month.
Locke says that if the circumstances do not change, Instyle and other clothing work will be separated from its size within six months.
“Family” collapses
Lock cannot choose only one metaphor to describe the past few weeks. She says Fallout from definitions was like a snowstorm, or like a secrets. She had to reduce the number of workers in an hour in her factory from 20 to 10.
She said, “We have invested a lot, we are like a family here, and we do not want to see our family collapsing.”
It explores other options to bring work to the factory and consider a temporary axis to make the uniform. Her competitors say the same conversations, she says, they ask themselves how they can survive.
Locke says she is trying to remain positive and even get some good news on Friday afternoon. She was late for weeks in customs, the buttons you need to finish the shirts that suffer from almost a complete condition, and will be sewn soon. The request must be concluded and on a truck by Monday – and at least this time, Instyle is not achieved by Snafu.
“People understand, and we are grateful for that,” Locke says.
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com