Import/Export

IMPORT & EXPORT

Cargo-Container Volumes Surge at Local Ports

By Deborah Belgum | July 17, 2014

With contract negotiations still going on with West Coast longshore workers, apparel importers and retailers were pushing to land their goods before a potential work stoppage or port strike takes place.

William Rast Label Headed to Europe for Big Expansion

The Los Angeles–centric William Rast label hit Canada last year and was in all of the Hudson’s Bay department stores, now it is headed to Europe, where it will be in stores in Germany, Switzerland, England and Italy.

U.S. Apparel Makers Forgo Free-Trade Production

The United States has free-trade agreements with 20 countries around the world, but only 14 percent of the apparel imported into the United States actually takes advantage of them.

Cargo Container Imports Will See a Rising Tide This Year  

During the first half of this year, cargo-container activity at the nation’s ports is expected to inch up 4.3 percent over last year, according to the recently released “Global Port Tracker” report, prepared every month for the National Retail Federation.

Customs Expert Tom Gould Joins ST&R Law Firm

After more than a decade running his own customs consulting business in Los Angeles, Tom Gould is joining Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, a law firm that regularly advises apparel and textile companies in California.

Port Traffic Predictions This Year Indicate a Healthier Economy Ahead

If cargo container volume at the nation’s ports is any indication, 2014 should be a good year for retailers.

The United States Is Manufacturing More Apparel Than in Recent Years

Apparel production in the United States saw an 8.5 percent jump in 2012 over 2011 as American shoppers focused more on buying domestically made clothing.

2013 Year in Review: U.S. Concentrates on Concluding Two Major Free-Trade Pacts

The United States has free-trade agreements with 20 countries. But if it finishes up negotiating two major free-trade accords with Europe and countries around the Pacific, it will have free trade with another 34.

2013 RETROSPECTIVE Import/Export: China Still at the Center of U.S. Apparel and Textile Imports

Consumers loosened their purse strings this year and spent nearly 3.5 percent more on apparel and textile imports than last year.

2013 Newsmaker: European Union Denim Tariff

At a time when the Obama administration has been trying to boost U.S. exports overseas, Europe this spring put a crimp in the president’s initiative.

Texworld Teams With Tradegood

Texworld USA, the biannual fabric show in New York, has struck a partnership with Tradegood, the online B2B sourcing site founded by Intertek.

Law Firm Gets UK to Strike Down Steep Tariff on Hudson Jeans

Law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg has won a ruling in the United Kingdom that exempts Los Angeles–based Hudson Clothing from paying a steep 38 percent tariff on its women’s premium denim jeans made in the United States.

Interim Executive Director Takes Over at the Port of Los Angeles

Gary Lee Moore has stepped in as the interim executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, replacing Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, who earlier announced she would be retiring at the end of the year.

USA-ITA Changes Its Name After 24 Years

When the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel was launched in 1989, the United States had only one free-trade agreement and apparel was made mostly in this country.

New Free-Trade Agreements in Negotiations Could Change Apparel and Textile Sourcing

Currently, the United States is negotiating two free-trade agreements that could boost U.S. textile exports to other countries but reconfigure sourcing patterns for apparel manufacturers around the world.