Trade Shifts Talk of AAFA Summit

WASHINGTON — In a climate of high expectations for an Asia-Pacific trade deal this year, fashion executives are calibrating their sourcing strategies to take advantage of new market-opening opportunities, while still investing in new production in the Western Hemisphere. Executives attending the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s summit here last week stressed the importance of intensifying the pressure on Congress to approve several trade measures this year that will have a major impact on their sourcing strategies. The industry has a big stake in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, being negotiated between the U.S. and 11 other countries, particularly because it includes Vietnam, the second-largest supplier of apparel to the U.S. Tom Glaser, vice president and president of global supply chain at VF Corp., said in an interview that TPP could have a big impact on sourcing, depending on how it is structured and implemented. “It has a potential to impact our trade on what we do around [production in the countries of the North American and Central American Free Trade Agreements],” Glaser said. “We want to make sure that is managed well. It also has potential in businesses where we source a significant amount. Vietnam has the potential to be a big

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