The United States imposed a permanent 12.5% Section 301 duty on Vietnamese goods effective July 24, 2026, replacing the expired Section 122 surcharge with no gap between them. This guide covers what the duty costs by garment category, the textile mechanism that gave four competing sourcing countries reduced-rate access that Vietnam did not receive, and the preferential rates that continue to apply in every market outside the United States.

One hundred percent wool at 280gsm describes a worsted suiting and a woolen flannel equally well. What separates them, and what each choice costs a production program.

Fashion runs on a calendar almost nobody outside the industry ever sees. The palette for autumn 2027 is being set right now, and the categories with the longest runways are already in motion.

A scaled Vietnam production program runs 90 to 150 days from finalized tech pack to ex-factory. Here is where the days go, which stages flex under pressure, and why early capacity booking is the lever most buyers use too late.

Qualifying a second production origin is a phased process rather than a switch. The proving order, parallel production, and the documentation a receiving factory needs to reproduce what the incumbent already knows.