Fashion Outlook 2026: Tariffs, Trade Policy & the Global Sourcing Landscape

Description

Fashion Outlook 2026: Tariffs, Trade Policy & the Global Sourcing Landscape is a forward-looking webinar designed to help fashion and apparel leaders navigate an increasingly complex global trade environment. The session examines how evolving tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and shifting trade policies are reshaping sourcing strategies, cost structures, and supplier relationships worldwide. Industry experts will provide practical insights into emerging sourcing hubs, risk mitigation approaches, and compliance considerations, while outlining scenarios that may define 2026 and beyond. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how to adapt sourcing and procurement decisions to remain resilient, competitive, and compliant in a rapidly changing global marketplace.

Speakers

Julia K. Hughes

President, United States Fashion Industry Association

Sophie Jin

Senior Counsel, Holland & Knight

Clemens Boecker

CEO, Tapetes São Carlos

Laura Siegel Rabinowitz

Chair of the New York International Trade Practice, Greenberg Traurig

Melissa Nelson

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary,, SanMar Corporation

Guided Questions

Sophie Jin

Sophie, based on your deep experience advising importers and multinational companies on U.S. customs and trade compliance, what are the most common tariff and regulatory risks fashion companies underestimate today—and how could those blind spots become more costly by 2026? Given your work across CBP, USMCA, FTAs, and trade enforcement matters, how should fashion and apparel companies be structuring their sourcing and documentation strategies now to remain agile as trade policies and enforcement priorities continue to evolve?

Clemens Boecker

Clemens, given your nearly two decades of leadership experience at Tapetes São Carlos and your role in steering a highly verticalized manufacturing model, how are tariffs, trade policy uncertainty, and geopolitical shifts influencing sourcing, production, and investment decisions as you plan for 2026 and beyond? Drawing on your perspective as a CEO balancing heritage, innovation, and sustainability, how do you see fashion and interior brands rethinking supplier relationships and regional sourcing strategies to build resilience without sacrificing design quality or cost competitiveness?

Laura Siegel Rabinowitz

Laura, drawing on your extensive work helping global brands mitigate duty exposure and navigate complex supply chains, what practical strategies are proving most effective today for managing tariffs, forced-labor enforcement, and compliance pressures in the fashion sector? From your vantage point advising companies across apparel and consumer products, how do you expect global sourcing and tariff mitigation strategies to change by 2026, and what should executives be doing now to future-proof their supply chains?

Melissa Nelson

Melissa, as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of SanMar, how are tariffs, trade policy volatility, and geopolitical risk shaping legal and board-level decision-making today? Looking toward 2026, how should companies better integrate trade risk into core business strategy rather than treating it as a compliance afterthought? Given SanMar’s multi-brand, multi-country sourcing model, what trade compliance and tariff risks do fashion and apparel companies most often underestimate? What internal controls or documentation practices should organizations strengthen now to reduce cost and enforcement exposure?