Vote for the Bloch party!
Famed stylist and designer Phillip Bloch tells us that — amid the tariff turmoil — he’s putting together a coalition of US-based clothing manufacturers to seek funding to modernize the American rag trade.
Bloch — who worked with Donald Trump as the creative style director for his pageants, dressed Tiffany Trump for the first inauguration and is a longtime pal of Ivanka Trump, and has styled Melania Trump — says “the point of tariffs is great — if you have the production in America.”
But he says that, as things are, low-cost manufacturing in the US.
But Bloch — who has dressed a Whose Who of Hollywood stars over the years — says that so-called “smart factories,” which allow manufacturers to get high-quality clothing with relatively little labor, could allow us to catch up.
“But it takes funding and 4 to 7 years to get these factories up and running,” he told us.
“You can’t even get a zipper or a label made in this country,” he said, “Everything comes from overseas.”
“Truth is, America gave up on its fashion industry a long time ago,” he added. “We are far behind in status as well from Italy, France and even England and Japan. American designers other than streetwear are not really important.”
Now Bloch and a coalition that includes behind-the-scene fashion companies including the Parkdale Mills yarn manufacturer, Stars design and manufacturing group, Variant 3D textiles, the SG Files and the Creative Coalition in trying to get a meeting with the president to get some government support for the project.
“Trump speaks the language of money and business. He loves to be the negotiator. We’re ready to negotiate!,” he said.
Bloch said that reviving American manufacturing would bring jobs not just in factories but also in retail and fashion houses.
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