On Wednesday, President Trump unveiled a series of new tariffs along with a standard 10% levy on all U.S. trade partners.
"It’s rather surprising to implement a uniform tariff on all imports entering the United States from every nation around the globe," stated Professor Jordan Petsas, who specializes in international economics at the University of Scranton.
Petsas states that with these new tariffs, the clothing sector is only one of many industries that will face higher costs.
"For instance, some of these retailers can't bear the full impact of the tariffs, so they end up passing it along to customers, which could result in price hikes of around 20-30%," explained Petsas.
According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association, 97% of clothes purchased in the U.S. are produced abroad.
"Higher prices could make things less affordable for some individuals, potentially causing those who intended to purchase two suits to only be able to afford one," stated Alan Smertz, the proprietor of Alan's Menswear.
Nada Gilmartin, who co-owns Nada and Co., expresses her concern over the expense of clothing items she has already ordered.
"We're uncertain about our fall inventory; we know what we paid for it initially, but we’re unsure whether extra charges could apply," explained Nada Gilmartin, who co-owns Nada and Co.
The proprietors of both apparel stores express that the tariffs introduce an element of unpredictability.
"I hope this didn’t happen because it’s really tough when you buy something without knowing what the final cost will be," stated Gilmartin.
"There is uncertainty, as everyone understands, so we'll simply have to wait and see how things develop, but this is indeed a worry," stated Smertz.