The U.S went low, and China went lower! Tariff wars get ugly and luxury brands get exposed

by Nomonde Simelane

In every war, there are casualties, and popular luxury brands have become just that as major Chinese manufacturers have come to social media to expose where the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Prada manufacture their so-called luxury goods.

What began as Donald Trump and the United States trying to flex their political muscle has escalated to an intense tariff ‘war’ between global superpowers China and the U.S. Tensions continue to escalate, and have intensified further after China retaliated to Trump’s 145% tariff hike with a 125% tariff of its own, and have stood on business of refusing to let Donald Trump and his administration ‘bully’ them.

The phrase ‘when the U.S sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold’ seems to apply perfectly in this situation, as the actions of the president of the United States have appeared to affect various international brands, and could result in some seriously devastating consequences for these companies. With the continued rise in tensions between the two superpowers, it appears the Chinese have gained an extra sense of nationalism, and have prioritised supporting local businesses as much as possible.

This has spilled into various sectors, such as in the fashion manufacturing world, as some Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) have taken to social media to expose that they have been the hands behind the products of some of the most popular luxury brands, some for roughly three decades.

@lunasourcingchina Manufacturers behind Nike, Addidas, fila, new balance……..! #sourcingtips #sourcingagent #yiwuagent #Lunasourcingchina #chinasource #nike #adidas #fila #newbalance #timberland #shoemanufacturer #shoefactory #factory#chinashipping #wholesale #directfactory #nailfactory #chinasupplier #fyp #tiktokrefugee ♬ original sound – LunaSourcingChina

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This exposé also revealed that these companies have been charging their customers exorbitant amounts of money, when they get them manufactured for really low prices in China, leaving them with a massive profit. As expected, this has caused some commotion on social media, as consumers voice their shock and frustration with these brands, for what they have labelled as unethical practices.

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