Jeansland Podcast
This is why I do this. Jeansland is a podcast about the ecosystem in which jeans live. There are an estimated 26 million cotton farmers around the world, and about 25% of their production goes into jeans, which could mean 6.2 million farmers depend on denim. I read estimates that at least 1 million people work in retail selling jeans, and another 1.5 to 2 million sew them. And then there are all the label producers, pattern makers, laundries, chemical companies, machinery producers, and those that work in denim mills. I mean, the jeans industry, which is bigger than the global movie and music business combined, employs a lot of human beings. And many of them, like me, love jeans. The French philosopher and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, when visiting New York, said, "Everyone in the New York subway is a novel." I never met her, but I guess she made the observation because of the incredible diversity of people who ride the subway system. I'm convinced the people in our jeans industry are like those in the subway. They are unique, with rich and complex stories to tell, and I want to hear them. And deep inside me, I think you might feel the same way.
https://jeansland.co/
Jeansland Podcast
Ep 43: Are New U.S. Tariffs Even Legal?
In April, the White House called it Liberation Day. The apparel industry called it panic.
Andrew breaks down what happened when decades of predictable duty rates got wiped out overnight. Global jeans suppliers were hit with numbers no one saw coming. Vietnam at 46%, Cambodia at 49%, Bangladesh at 37%. Orders paused. Panic spread. The rollout felt like a list of naughty countries with penalties posted on a scoreboard.
But the story didn't end there. A group of small importers challenged the tariffs in court, and their case reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices, conservative and liberal, all seemed skeptical of the government's argument. Chief Justice Roberts pointed out that the emergency powers law doesn't mention tariffs once. Justice Gorsuch asked if this theory would let a president declare war alone. The Solicitor General's defense didn't persuade anyone.
If the Court strikes down the tariffs, the government could owe importers hundreds of billions and Congress would have to rebuild U.S. trade authority from the ground up. Meanwhile, the big brands who stayed silent, Levi's, Walmart, Gap, American Eagle, they'd get their money back. A silent windfall. The customers who already paid higher prices? They'll never see that money again.
This episode traces the legal fight, the political stakes, and what a reversal would mean for everyone caught in the middle.