Dear President Trump,

We thank you for your continued leadership in putting America first—defending our borders, standing up to foreign adversaries, and fighting to ensure fairness in international trade. As proud American entrepreneurs, we share your mission to protect American jobs and restore a level playing field for U.S. businesses.

We support efforts to crack down on loopholes like De Minimis and to hold our trading partners accountable. However, we write to you today with deep concern regarding the impact of the current and enacted tariffs on the bridal and special occasion apparel industry—an industry that is both culturally significant and economically vital.

While reciprocal tariffs may be a necessary tool in broader trade negotiations, a broad strokes approach fails to account for the realities of certain specialized industries. Bridal, prom, and formal occasion dresses are uniquely vulnerable to these tariff increases. These garments are labor-intensive and require specialized skills—hand-beading, lacework, embroidery—that are not currently available in the United States labor force at the scale required.

Approximately 90% of formalwear garments are manufactured in Asia, including not only China, but Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Myanmar, and other countries with the skilled labor and infrastructure needed to produce them. These supply chains have taken decades to build and cannot be replicated domestically without significant disruption and cost increases that will ultimately be borne by American families.

This is not a case of offshoring by choice—it is a supply chain necessity. Our dresses are not mass-market fashion. They are made for life’s most cherished moments: weddings, proms, Quinceañeras, communions, and more. These are sacred American traditions that transcend politics, religion, and geography—touching nearly every American family.

There are over 15,000 independently owned bridal retailers across the U.S., employing more than 300,000 Americans in sales, alterations, design, logistics, and support. These are family-owned businesses embedded in their communities—employers, neighbors, taxpayers—who will be disproportionately harmed by additional tariffs. These tariffs will not create new American jobs in garment manufacturing; they will only increase costs, close businesses, and eliminate American jobs in retail and service sectors.

Mr. President, we respectfully ask that formal and special occasion attire be excluded from the current and proposed tariff increases. Please consider an exemption for Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code 6204.43.4030. Without immediate consideration, Americans will lose their businesses and their jobs—and families across this country will lose access to affordable celebrations of life’s most treasured milestones.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your team to share additional data and insights into how our industry functions, and to explore how future trade strategies could better distinguish between commodity products and high-touch specialty goods.

Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your continued commitment to American families and businesses.

Respectfully,

 

Justin Warshaw, CEO, Justin Alexander (justin@justinalexander.com) Springfield, NJ

Kelly Crum, CEO, Allure Bridals (kelly@allurebridals.com) Memphis, TN 

Steve Lang, CEO, Mon Cheri (steve@moncheribridals.com) Trenton, NJ

Sydney Watters Rohleder, Director, Watters (sydney@watters.com) Dallas, TX

Wayne Harris, CEO, Essense of Australia (wayneh@essensedesigns.com)

Ben Speed, CEO, Madi Lane (ben@madilane.com)

Kelly Midgley, CEO, Maggie Sottero (kelly.midgely@maggiesottero.com)

Peter Grimes, Publisher, VOWS magazine (peter@vowsmagazine.com)

Phyllis Brasch Librach, President, Sydney's Closet (phyllis@sydneyscloset.com)