Customs Attorneys for Apparel & Footwear & Textile Imports
Apparel, Footwear & Textiles
These categories hold some of the highest duty rates in the U.S. tariff, and in FY 2017 accounted for 41% of all duties collected ($13.5 billion).
Common import strategies to minimize the magnitude of such duties includes:
Tariff engineering of products to meet lower duty classifications
Use of FTA (or preference programs) programs
Re-engineering existing transaction structures to ensure the lowest possible declared value
Use of TPL and short supply provisions
Non-dutiable buying agency commissions
Minimization of duties and fee using Foreign Trade Zones
Creating royalty programs
All of these strategies require care, and attention to detail to prevent these duty-saving strategies from turning into liabilities.
Intellectual Property
Fashion law has become far more complex in recent years as a number of court cases involving intellectual property rights infringement have changed the legal landscape in the fashion world. Customs regulations have been amended to provide greater information about infringing shipments to right holders, making private lawsuits more common.
Government Resources for Importers
FTC: Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts
Customs: ICP: Marking Requirements for Wearing Apparel (2008)
Customs: ICP: Footwear (2012)
Customs: ICP: Classification: Apparel Terminology under the HTSUS (2008)
Customs: ICP: Classification of Children’s Apparel (2008)
Customs: ICP: AGOA (2003)
Customs: ICP: Classification of Knit to Shape Apparel Garments Under HTSUS Heading 6110 (2008)
Customs: ICP: Classification of Ribbons & Trimmings under the HTSUS (2008)
Customs: ICP: Country of Origin of Knit to Shape Apparel Products (2006)
Customs: ICP: Fiber Trade Names and Generic Terms (2006)
Customs: ICP: Classification of Fibers and Yarns under the HTSUS (2011)
Customs: ICP: Classification of Textile Costumes under the HTSUS (2008)
NIST: A Guide to United States Apparel and Household Textiles Compliance Requirements
Mexico: Minimum Import Reference Prices Publication (2016)
We are attorneys who understand the intersection of customs & fashion law...
Contact a firm attorney at (415) 498-0070
Textile and Apparel News:
September 28, 2021: CBP: USMCA: Federal Register Notice that textile and apparel imports from Mexico will require an eCERT filing. (Effective date: October 5, 2021).
June 28, 2021: WSJ article: Apparel Importers Tripped up by ban on forced labor goods from China.
February 13, 2021: Effective date of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) WRO. (See Jan. 21, 2021).
January 13, 2021: CBP: issues a Withhold Release Order regarding cotton products and tomato products produced in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) (effective February 13, 2021).
October 10, 2020: CBTPA: POTUS signs CBTPA renewal on Oct. 10. which will apply retroactively to allow CBTPA claims against entries on/after September 30, 2020.
June 6, 2019: DOJ: Criminal/Civil charges announced against CEO of Apparel company for Customs Fraud
April 8, 2019: CBP: NPRM: 50/50 blends: classification based on the fiber that is last in numerical order per GRI 3(c).
June 29, 2018: ITC: Annual compilation of bi-weekly reports of textile/apparel imports from China, as requested by the House Ways and Means: Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2017.
May 6, 2018: Ethiopian apparel manufacturing
May 3, 2018: OTEXA: publishes the March Textile and Apparel Import Report
December 22, 2017: California Apparel company pleads guilty to money laundering scheme.
December 22, 2017: CIT: LF USA decision on the classification of waterproof footwear.
November 27, 2017: Registration is now open for the 2018 Smart Fabrics Summit - April 24, 2018, Washington, DC.
11/03/2017 – September 2017 Textile and Apparel Import Report
10/27/2017 – CPSC final rule prohibiting children’s toys and child care articles containing more than 0.1 percent of certain phthalate chemicals - effective on April 25, 2018.
10/11/2017 – CPSC Guidance Document on Hazardous Additive, Non-Polymeric Organohalogen Flame Retardants in Certain Consumer Products.
08/03/2017 – USTR: National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE).
Our customs lawyers are known nationally and internationally for our expertise in customs and international trade law. The firm's customs attorneys are located in San Francisco, California, Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California.
Our customs law practice offers legal counsel in every area where companies import goods into the United States. Our lawyers represent clients in matters including tariff classification, import valuation, admissibility, customs detentions, seizures, penalty proceedings, customs audits and enforcement investigations. We advise clients on compliance and design and implement compliance programs.
Our practice areas include classification, valuation, admissibility, customs detentions, seizures and penalty proceedings, and customs audits. We bring litigation, and handle numerous other types of issues arising in international trade. See our services listings.