INDUSTRY NEWS

ARLINGTON, Va. (Aug. 21, 2009)—The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has published its Annual 2008 Trends report, a statistical and narrative analysis about the state of the U.S. apparel and footwear industry. The verdict? Times are indeed tough, but action can be taken to turn things around for retailers. “Whenever hard working American families are squeezed financially, clothing and shoes are consistently the first things to be crossed off shopping lists,” said AAFA president and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “Our industry took a serious hit this year. In 2007, the average American consumer purchased 67 articles of clothing and eight pairs of shoes. In 2008, those numbers dropped to 64 and seven respectively.” But the good news is the solution may be in the works. “Our research shows more needs to be done to stimulate retail sales and restore consumer confidence,” Burke said. “Just by quickly passing the Affordable Footwear Act alone, Congress has the unique opportunity to immediately lower shoe prices by eliminating the regressive and hidden import tax on most children’s and low-cost shoes. This would be the perfect way to jumpstart the busy ‘Back to School’ shopping season.”

He added that this act is desperately needed. “Current indicators for 2009 show an even heavier stress on the U.S. apparel and footwear industry. Industry employment numbers are reportedly down and sales continue to slide. We need action now that reverses these downturns and gets U.S. consumers back in malls and stores. Acting now will help ensure a viable, competitive, and bright future for the U.S. apparel and footwear industry.”

To order AAFA’s Annual 2008 Trends publication, please contact Darrell Sumpter at (703)797-9050 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it The publication is free to AAFA members.

  More Industry News Articles