President Donald Trump may have instituted a 90-day pause on tariffs, but retailers are nevertheless spiraling. However, few industries have felt the tremor as acutely as fashion retail, as the exorbitant tariffs (up to 60%)—levied on major production hubs such as China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh—practically spelled the end of low-cost manufacturing, forcing brands to either eat into their margins or raise retail prices.

But does it have to be the end? Experts advise not to wave the white flag just yet.

“Brands and retailers are navigating a complex and fluid situation, which will require a thoughtful game plan and nimble approach,” Brittany Steiger, principal analyst of retail and e-commerce at Mintel, told Retail Brew via email. “Companies should be focusing on operational flexibility—from adjusting sourcing strategies and aligning new manufacturing partners to optimizing inventory management.”

Speaking of new manufacturing partners, a key justification for the tariffs is the goal of bringing manufacturing back to the US and, by extension, creating jobs.

But Steiger, among other analysts, believes it’s unlikely to have that domino effect simply because it won’t be feasible for most retailers to reshore to the US.

Keep reading here.—JS

Kimberly-Clark, maker of personal care products and cleaning supplies such as Kleenex, Huggies, and Scott, is forecasting $300 million in additional costs this year related to the Trump administration’s new tariffs, and as a result is lowering its 2025 profit forecast from high single digits to flat.

But the hit to the CPG brand’s bottom line shouldn’t impact prices or investment plans, according to the company’s top brass.

CEO Mike Hsu told shareholders on Tuesday that tariffs won’t translate into price hikes because Kimberly-Clark plans to “mitigate most of the cost by switching sourcing.”

Keep reading here.—AV

Solo Brands, the direct-to-consumer maker of outdoor stoves, kayaks, and swimwear, has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after its stock was trading at “‘abnormally low price’ levels,” according to an SEC filing.

The outdoor equipment brand went public in 2021 amid a wave of IPO activity from buzzy DTC brands such as Warby Parker and Allbirds.

• The latter narrowly avoided a similar fate last April, when the NYSE issued a warning to the sustainable footwear brand that it needed to raise its stock price or risk getting booted from the exchange.

The delisting is only the latest setback for Solo Brands.

Keep reading here.—AV