All routes lead to chaos: Trump's tariff war forces brands to reroute supply chains


Amid escalating tariff threats from President Donald Trump, American fashion brands and global shippers alike are racing to reroute supply chains, shift warehousing operations, and frontload goods in a volatile bid to avoid financial whiplash.

From border towns to the heartland

For years, fashion and e-commerce brands stored goods in Mexican warehouses just across the U.S. border to take advantage of low duties and the de minimis rule, which allowed imports under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. Now, many of these operations are in full retreat.

“The week of Christmas, I got called by no fewer than a dozen brands asking how quickly they could get out of Mexico,” said Matthew Hertz, CEO of logistics firm Third Person. “It hasn’t stopped since.”

Tariffs imposed by both the U.S. and Mexican governments are making previously economical cross-border models unsustainable. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recently hiked textile import tariffs, while Trump’s renewed “America First” policy includes aggressive tariff measures against imports from dozens of countries.

Brands like New York-based Twillory and Boston's Ministry of Supply have relocated their inventory to U.S.-based warehouses—despite higher costs—just to avoid unpredictable levies.

“We had the choice to pay a tariff of about 30 percent to ship new products to the U.S., or 51 percent to ship it to Mexico,” said Ministry of Supply president Gihan Amarasiriwardena. “That’s how clear the decision was.”

But even U.S. warehousing is no haven: demand is spiking, labor is costlier, and third-party logistics providers are raising prices.

“This is a wake-up call,” Hertz added. “The good times are over.”

A Storm at Sea

As brands abandon Mexico, shipping lines are dealing with a different headache: disrupted lanes, stranded containers, and rate volatility.

Trump’s reciprocal tariffs—initially announced on 2 April and partially paused days later—excluded China from any delay, triggering a tit-for-tat hike that left goods between the two countries facing up to 125% tariffs. Exemptions for tech like smartphones temporarily calmed certain sectors, but the broader picture remains volatile.

“The pace of tariff changes is so fast, it’s destabilizing shipping schedules,” said Judah Levine, analyst at Freightos.

According to the Freightos Baltic Index, Asia–U.S. West Coast freight rates rose 10% to $2,465 per FEU (forty-foot equivalent unit) in the week ending 11 April, while East Coast rates hit $3,647 per FEU. Meanwhile, rates from Shanghai dropped 16% after tariffs kicked in, as empty containers piled up.

Ocean carriers like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced peak season surcharges as early as 12 May, signaling expectations of more frontloading before the July tariff deadline.

Collateral Damage

In a span of months, Trump’s trade war has upended entire sectors:

• Container shipping now sees blanked sailings and surging costs.

• Brands are torn between raising prices and swallowing margin cuts.

• Warehousing and logistics in the U.S. are overwhelmed.

• Global sourcing patterns are shifting, with Vietnam and Taiwan picking up the slack.

All this as the president teases further investigations into pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, which could set off the next round of tariff dominoes.

“We’re living in a moment where trade policy is being written on the fly,” said one logistics executive. “Everyone’s hedging, rerouting, and hoping they can stay one step ahead.”