How many times have you heard the word “tariffs” this year? And how many times did you hear it last year? Take the bigger number, multiply it by your birthday, and you've nailed the math for the new “reciprocal tariffs”. Hehe. 

Tariffs used to be one of those boring words reserved for importers and policy nerds. It's not exactly the stuff of dinner table conversation. But lately? It feels like everyone has a take. What an exciting time to be alive! I’m traveling overseas right now, visiting our suppliers, so I thought I’d send out a Contemplations, “Tariff edition.” 

I just landed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to visit our longtime factory partners. We’ve been building outerwear with this team for over a decade—which, in our world, is basically a lifetime. Before that, we bounced around the globe every year or two, always searching for a new home for our small-batch, high-performance products.

We’ve made gear in the U.S., Canada, China, Nepal, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. And yes, we’ve built some excellent products in the States. We’ve made fleeces and softshells in the Pacific Northwest, cutting and sewing with fabric we sourced from local warehouses or directly from Malden Mills (Polartec) in Massachusetts. More recently, we collaborated with our friends at Northwest Alpine to produce their iconic Spider Hoodie when they were still sewing it in Salem, Oregon.

So let me be clear: I don’t buy into the idea that technical apparel can’t be made in the U.S. It absolutely can. It’s harder, yes. It costs more, yes. But great brands and factories are doing it every day—and they deserve our support. At the same time, I believe the U.S. government should invest in growing that industry through education, infrastructure, and, yes, the occasional well-placed tariff.

But a zero-sum trade war that is cutting off U.S. consumers off from global manufacturing doesn’t strengthen us—it weakens competition, innovation, and, ultimately, the gear we rely on in the mountains. Our ability to travel worldwide and find the best partners for our products is why we are still here today. Yes, cost is a big factor in apparel. It takes a lot of humans to assemble a technical garment and where wages are higher, the cost of producing apparel will also be higher. But cost is not the only factor. Expertise, knowledge, technical ability, and relationships drive our decisions.  

I consider my friends in Bangladesh to be some of the foremost experts in our product category in the world. I have learned a lot from them and our products have improved from over a decade of working together. And, importantly for me, I consider many of these individuals my friends and colleagues. Call me whatever neoliberal globalist name that you want, but I think that there is something magical about individuals from wildly different backgrounds and world views (Muslim, Hindu, etc.) working together on a common goal. 

To sum it up, if working properly, free market globalization can help small businesses like TREW establish relationships with category experts around the world. Our products and processes improve through the innovation and competition that happens in our industry at a global scale. When globalization fails, exploitive buyers travel the world to find the cheapest goods. The environmental cost to this flow of cheap goods around the world has been huge. Global trade needs to be more balanced and regulated. We need to make more goods in the United States. But not at the expense at losing our seat at the table of global innovation and competition. What do you think? 

Q&A w/ Chris

What is the current tariff situation for TREW products? 

Products from Bangladesh currently have a 10% additional tariff, with a potential 37% tariff coming into effect in July. 

Will prices be going up for 2025/26 outerwear?

Prices will increase on products between 5% and 10%. We have not announced any changes because we are unsure what our tariffs will be when we import the products. Some price increases, like the slight increase to the new Primo Collection, were already in place before the tariff announcement.  

Aside from new colors, will there be any new products in your Winter lineup in Fall 2025?

We have redesigned our best-selling Primo collection. The Fall 25 collection will feature an all-new Cosmic Jacket, TREWth Bib, Stella Jacket, and Chariot Bib. 

What is your favorite part about visiting the factory in Bangladesh?

Catching up with old friends and eating the food. 

What's your favorite color?

Blue...no YelloOOAAUUUGHHHH (if you can name the movie, we can be friends)