A man bought shoes at a Nike Outlet store in Los Angeles on April 10, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty images
The largest shoe brands in the United States ask President Donald Trump for a tariff postponement.
The distributors of footwear and retailers of America Trade Group sent a letter to the White House Week and for an exemption to the so -called reciprocal Trump tariffs, which the association says it represents an “existential threat” for the footwear industry. The letter is signed by 76 footwear brands, including Nike” Adidas” Skechers and Under armor.
“Many colleagues who make affordable footwear for working families with lower and media income cannot absorb such high rates, nor can they transmit these costs. Without an immediate relief of the reciprocal rates they simply obtain.
“Many orders have a waiting leg, and the Footwear inventory for US consumers may soon be concentrated,” said the commercial group.
The broad Trump tariffs, announced on April 2, included levies in several countries that are important sources for footwear suppliers, including China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Although the initial tariff rates of more than 45% for Vietnam and Cambodia were reduced to 10% for a 9 -day period, the Trump administration has only increased the tariffs of Chinese imports, which are now subject to an effective rate of 145%.
Trump’s highest rates in commercial partners will resume in early July.
Adidas previously warned this week that tariffs would lead to higher prices for US consumers. At the end of March, before the specific reciprocal rates rates were announced, Nike Chief of Finance said that global taxes and economic uncertainty would result in lower sales of the quarter.
The letter of the Footwear Association said that the industry had already faced significant tasks such as children’s shoes before Trump announced its wide rates. In total, US Footwear Companies will face tariffs that vary between 150% and around 220%, the commercial group said.
“This is an emergency that requests immediate action and attention. The American footwear industry has no months to adjust the business models and supply Chaains while absorbing this unprecedented and unforeseen routine.
The group also warned that tariffs will not result in the manufacture of return to the United States, as Trump has promised“ Because they erase the certainty that companies require to invest in supply changes.
The White House did not immediately respond to the request for CNBC comments.
