What does home-grown, made-in-the-USA, all-American luxury mean? It’s perhaps easier, when thinking of luxury, to think of Europe – a Swiss-made watch carries a certain cachet, for example. As does perfume and lingerie produced in France, or British wool, German cars, or Scottish whiskies.
“The messages sent out on the AW17 catwalks at New York Fashion Week were largely anti-Trump, pro-inclusiveness and pro-women.”
But Trump’s made-in-the-USA policy may fail before it’s even started when it comes to the luxury market. Many luxury firms, particularly those in the fashion industry, are working hard to disassociate themselves from Trump and his pro-US stance altogether. Fashion by its very nature is forward looking and constantly evolving, and the messages sent out on the AW17 catwalks at New York Fashion Week were largely anti-Trump, pro-inclusiveness and pro-women. They had a global, progressive feel: the opposite of Trump’s domestic, conservative values.
Beyond fashion week, major firms are making statements that suggest the U.S. luxury retail industry isn’t wholly behind Trump, either. Luxury department store chain Nordstrom dropped Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump’s fashion line in February. In a statement, the $14.4 billion business cited poor sales for the decision.
In his inaugural address, Trump promised U.S. industry would “bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth, and we will bring back our dreams.” It’s a big promise, and one that will need the backing of the U.S. luxury industry, among many other major industries, if it is to succeed in the long-term. U.S. luxury businesses that choose to adhere to Trump’s made-in-the-USA principle will have a lot of number-crunching, and presumably price hikes, to do. They will also have to clearly demonstrate what an American-made item has to offer above and beyond one made abroad – and carve out a very specific story of what American luxury truly is – if they are to win customers over to this vision, too.
