I’ve spent over 20 years in the fashion and retail industry—living in factories, launching brands, helping small business owners build dreams from nothing. I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with importers, designers, and manufacturers trying to carve out a space in a brutal global market.

And now, the government is treating our entire industry like a disposable afterthought.

President Trump recently said:  “We’re not looking to make T-shirts.”

That one sentence says it all. Our industry—the fashion and textile industry—is being deliberately excluded from the American manufacturing vision. Meanwhile, a 55% tariff is being slapped on clothing and footwear imports, as if we can all just magically “pivot” overnight.

Here’s the truth:

• 97% of our clothing and shoes are imported.
• Most small businesses can’t absorb a 55% cost hike.
• These tariffs aren’t bringing factories back—they’re putting businesses out.
• And they’re not just on Chinese goods. Countries like Vietnam, India Bangladesh, and Indonesia—key players in global textile production—are also feeling the squeeze through unpredictable and retaliatory trade moves.

The flow-on effect is massive.  Tariffs aimed at one country create shockwaves that disrupt entire supply chains. Raw materials become harder to access. Costs skyrocket. Smaller nations that rely on stable U.S. trade crumble under the fallout. And the entrepreneurs stuck in the middle? We’re left with impossible choices and shrinking margins.

I’ve had enough.

This isn’t just bad policy. It’s dangerous. It’s breaking entrepreneurs, raising consumer costs, and ignoring the thousands of people who work in this sector—from warehouse staff to e-commerce startups to family-run import businesses.

I'm asking for immediate action:

• Reverse the 55% tariffs on clothing and footwear imports from china and all other retaliatorily tariffs on other countries that affect clothing and footwear.
• Provide a clear, inclusive plan for U.S. manufacturing that includes fashion and textiles.
• Support small businesses during supply chain transitions instead of penalizing them.

I’m not doing this just for me. I’m doing this for every small business owner out there trying to stay afloat while policy decisions threaten to sink them.

Please sign this petition. Share it. Speak out. Let’s remind Washington that what we wear matters, and so do the people who make it possible.

I WILL NOT STAND DOWN!