“Cherry Blossom Season: A Reminder for Renewal”
By Kevin M. Burke
President and CEO
Originally appearing in the March 2010 issue of Fashion Mannuscript
Washington’s most anticipated annual event occurs in late March through early April each year: the National Cherry Blossom Festival. During this heralded time of year, the trees that surround the Tidal Basin in Washington flourish in bright hues of white, pink, and purple. When these magnificent blossoms are set along a clear blue sky and towering white monuments to America’s rich history, it is no wonder hundreds of thousands of people flock to our nation’s capital to see them.
These beautiful trees were a 1912 gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo, Japan, to Washington in recognition of the blossoming relationship between our two countries. To date, more than 6,800 cherry blossom trees line the Tidal Basin. The blossoms in store for this year are just what this city needs.
This past winter has been one of the coldest winters on record in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Not only did temperatures hover in the upper twenties, political tensions were just as frigid as our elected officials debated, cajoled, and moved forward on comprehensive health care reform.
Despite the hard work of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Congress’s intense and partisan focus on health care reform has crowded the conversation and pushed several important issues to the wayside. In the heat of debate just before adjourning for 2009, Congress failed to renew now-expired import duty suspensions and pass new inclusions to the Miscellaneous Tariff and Trade Bill (MTB) on certain apparel and footwear products no longer made in the United States. AAFA and other stakeholders aggressively pushed for quick passage, but the health care debate prevented a vote. Thankfully, in the very last moment and at AAFA’s strongest behest, the Senate found a few moments extend two important trade preference programs – the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Generalized System of Preferences – to prevent further business disruptions for producers who source from beneficiary countries, like Colombia.
For our businesses and our consumers, congressional multi-tasking is more important than ever. While health care and apparel and footwear may seem to have no common connection, both are life necessities that encompass a large portion of the average consumer’s budget. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average U.S. household in 2008 spent $1,801 on apparel and footwear products and $2,976 on health care costs. In order to pass along a real savings benefit to consumers, Congress cannot work to only bring down the cost of health care. They must also ensure that apparel and footwear prices remain competitive. Otherwise, consumers are not saving any money on any thing.
As millions of cherry blossoms prepare to open their petals in just a few weeks, I am hopeful that Congress and the Obama Administration will be filled with a sense of renewal and focus. AAFA will continue to promote and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. apparel and footwear industry by working to reduce trade barriers and provide support for domestic manufacturers. To do this, we must continue to grow our international trade relationships and provide our domestic produers with equal footing when they bid on government contracts. AAFA will also continue to serve as a conduit between the U.S. government and industry to develop a transparent and effective risk-based approach to ensure the clothes and shoe we sell – and wear – are safe.
Now just over one full year into Barack Obama’s first term as president and only a few short months away from Congress’s mid-term elections, our leaders can no longer afford to ignore the issues important to the U.S. apparel and footwear industry. At stake are jobs, affordable clothing and shoes, and economic security for hardworking American families.
All of these issues are at the heart of AAFA’s 2010 Annual Executive Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 10 – 12. Every apparel and footwear industry leader should plan to attend this conference as we engage with our nation’s most powerful people. Your influence and leadership will be the driving force behind our industry’s success this year. Learn more about the 2010 AAFA Annual Executive Summit by logging on to the Summit Web site at www.apparelandfootwear.org/summit.html.
