The tariffs were the biggest thing until they weren’t.

It may have been a game of market manipulation, but prices in the U.S. will still go up. The tariff on China at the time of publishing is still at 125%.

In some ways, it makes you tighten your purse strings.

In other ways, it’s made it (even more) clear how important it is to put our money where our mouths our, as often as our finances allow it. That means supporting small businesses (and larger ones with respectable morals), but it also means supporting craft and industry.

We’re in a moment of extreme capitalism. A cycle of earn money, spend money keeping friends and small businesses afloat, then contribute to the Go Fund Me’s when the worst happens. It’s abundantly clear that all we’ve got is community, and we have to support the people and things that mean the most to us.

Designer Jessica Taft-Langdon posted about the tariff threats and how it impacts small business through the lens of craft, and her words stuck in my head. Jessica owns an LA-based shoe design, sourcing, and product development consultancy called The Company of Strangers. She works with brands you know, which means you might be wearing her shoes right now. She also owned an American-made shoe brand called the palatines in the pre-COVID era, and has first-hand insight on what all this means in everyday terms.

Earlier this week, we met at Chateau Marmont for a drink (jk, we emailed) and she shared her thoughts:

Jessica Taft Langdon: “the palatines was an experiment to answer the question ‘Can we make good quality fashion shoes in the USA?’ I spent six years learning that we can build the product, but that the cache for ‘Made in the USA’ wasn’t strong enough for customers to accept the pricing. I consistently got feedback that the shoes were great, but couldn’t I just make them in Brazil or Portugal or even China, so that the price would be lower?

After I closed the palatines, I really wanted to focus on making the best shoes I could for clients, both from a styling, materials, and sustainability perspective. This brought me back to Italy. I can’t overstate how much more robust the ecosystem and supply chain is for making shoes there. The generational knowledge and the expertise really is the best in the world. There’s nothing in North America that can compare.”

JTL: “The craftsmanship in these countries is superb. The skills have been handed down through generations, and the culture in all European manufacturing is about respecting the traditions and the work, and being open to innovation that will meet that high standard.

We’re already started seeing a lot of the smaller factories in these places closing, or being bought up by the Kerings & LVMH’s for their exclusive use. I worry that if American brands and consumers move away from making and buying high quality shoes, we’ll find that when we want to come back, they’ll be gone.

I believe in the American fashion industry, and I believe our brands here have something to offer in design, particularly. If those great American designers don’t have access to great factories….we won’t have great shoes, or great clothes or great brands."

JTL: “At the end of the day, it comes down to the relationships that are built in our industry. We don’t make widgets, we make things of value with our hands, and with the training we have in our craft. We trust each other with our very personal creativity, and there’s no other way to make good product.

That’s why I feel so emotional about the manipulative nature of the tariffs. One of the most important things you learn in this work is to keep your word, and keep humanity on the table. In fashion, we often politely forget this lesson, but at our best, we really inhabit it, and that culture needs to persist, on all continents, if at all possible.”

What I’m wearing and why:

If you haven’t heard, it’s been raining and/or chilly in New York for…a long time, so I’ve been reverting to keeping my “looks” straightforward. I don’t know what’s going on with the world or the weather, but I do know what pants fit best or what sweater feels good. The best way to fight complication? Keep it simple.

Buck Mason Mainstay Shirt ($138), Isabel Marant Drogo Jacket (mine is in gray—this one is similar, $730), Gimaguas Mini Annamaria Bag ($245), Sophie Buhai Grandfather Chain Bracelet ($750), The Row Midi Length Skirt (on The Real Real for $539.75), Mondo Mondo Infinity Pendant Necklace ($190), Grey Suit Trousers (mine are vintage men’s—this pair is similar), Gimaguas Mini Chica Bag ($445), Brown Suede Blazer (mine is old rag & bone—this one, $499, and this one, $1700 —are similar), Margiela Tabi Ballerina Pumps ($1090—but wait until they go on sale)

Three beauty products I’m using right now:

Wellness gummies: Let’s discuss. As much as I love a supplement and love the idea of a vitamin gummy, they always feel a little too good to be true. My totally unpaid, not-gifted exception is Paya—I take them regularly and swear I noticed a difference when I ran out for a couple months. They say ingesting collagen doesn’t really do anything, but my skin is bouncier and a little more glowy when I take these. (Also: they taste great.)

Personally, I was off fragrance for a while but am happy to report that it’s re-entered the chat. My everyday is a perfume I made at a workshop with my (amazing) financial advisor in Bed Stuy last year, but when I’m not wearing that, it’s Replica Lazy Sunday Morning. (My ultimate? Byredo’s Super Cedar.)

No aluminum deodorant has also re-entered the chat, and Necessaire is really doing the trick.

Necessaire The Deoderant in Olibanum (22), Paya Superior Skin Gummies ($29), Replica Lazy Sunday Morning ($85)

One organization to focus on this week:

Yellowhammer Fund: An abortion advocacy group that helps women in highly challenged areas—Alabama, Mississippi, and the Deep South. I engaged with this organization during the first awful round of this administration, and I’m back supporting them and cheering for them again. I’d love it if you could do the same.

Thanks for being here,

Robin

Robin Reetz is an NYC-based editor and founder of In Haus.

Join me on Instagram here. P.S. If you purchase something from one of the links in this email, I may earn money. And that’s showbiz, kids.