The Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA) has issued a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, asking him to exclude shoes from a new round of proposed tariffs.
In a joint letter signed by more than 80 major US footwear companies, including Nike, Adidas, and Skechers, the group warns that the industry is at risk if tariffs are applied to imported shoes, Business Insider claims.
“Our industry is uniquely vulnerable,” the letter states.
“With some of the highest tariff rates already in place, especially on children’s and low-cost shoes, these new tariffs are simply unsustainable. They won’t bring manufacturing back, but they will hurt families at the register.”
The signatories describe the situation as an urgent crisis, warning of immediate consequences for American workers and shoppers alike. The letter outlines fears of job losses, increased prices, and a potential drop in consumer spending.
The coalition stressed that footwear already bears some of the steepest duties under current US trade policy, with import taxes reaching 20%, 37.5%, or even higher, especially on children’s and affordable footwear categories relied upon by working families.
Many companies, they note, are now struggling to cover sudden and unexpected tariff bills on inventory that was ordered months earlier and is only now arriving in the US.
“The inability to pay for these immediate and unforeseen additional tariffs places many US footwear businesses at imminent risk,” the letter warns.
Rather than sweeping tariffs that hit widely used consumer products, the group advocates for a more selective policy focused on sensitive or strategically important goods. This, they argue, would better support national interests while avoiding “unnecessary pain on American families.”
The letter ends with a clear plea: “We respectfully ask you to remove footwear from any reciprocal tariff regime.”
Separately, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden raised his own concerns about the proposed tariffs, saying they could affect prices across the brand’s entire U.S. product range.
“Since we currently cannot produce almost any of our products in the US, these higher tariffs will eventually cause higher costs for all our products for the US market,” Gulden said on Tuesday.
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