Hamilton artist stops American orders over China tariffs

Hamilton Spectator

10-05-2025

A Hamilton artist has been forced to suspend all orders from her American customers in the wake of a global trade war being waged by the United States.
Cheyenne Federiconi, known as Sugarbones, told The Spectator that with the U.S.
ending the duty-free 'de minimis' exemption for low-value imports from China
, she has had to stop all orders from fans south of the border.
'Emotionally, it's very devastating,' Federiconi said in an interview. 'These are people who have been supporting me for years.'
Federiconi's work includes enamel pins, stickers, apparel and bags, which often come in pastel colours and hinge on femme figures, both fiction and non-fiction, tied together with a hint of nostalgia.
Americans account for roughly 60 per cent of her customers, meaning she's been forced to hit pause on more than half of her usual sales.
While Federiconi doesn't expect the loss to devastate her business, she will feel the impact.
An enamel pin from Sugarbones featuring Megan Fox's character from the 2009 movie 'Jennifer's Body.'
Federiconi got her start more than a decade ago selling her work at Art Crawl in downtown Hamilton. She has since amassed more than 166,000 followers on Instagram from all over the world.
She designs all of her work and ships it out by hand from her studio in central Hamilton, but even that level of hands-on involvement isn't enough to spare her from the tariff campaign.
Before an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect on May 2, imported goods from China valued at or under US$800 were exempt from customs duties and tariffs.
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But without that exemption, all goods made in China — no matter where they're shipped from — are now subject to the 145 per cent levy (or a $100 flat fee).
However, on Friday, Trump suggested on social media platform Truth Social that he may cut the tariffs on China down to 80 per cent.
Regardless, nearly all of the products Federiconi sells would be hit by the tariffs — even if one component was made in China, she added.
But that fee wouldn't be imposed on Federiconi, she noted — it would hit the wallet of her customers, as they are considered the importer.
For example, a $15 enamel pin would cost an American customer roughly $37 with the added tariffs, while the cost of a $27 key chain would skyrocket to more than $66.
A design from Sugarbones featuring pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
'There is no way for us to eat this cost,' said Federiconi. 'Our only option was to shut down (orders) to the United States … it's extremely detrimental to small businesses.'
While Federiconi is a Canadian artist, only some of her products are made in Canada. Otherwise, she relies on manufacturers all over the world — including in China, Sweden and the United States.
A major blow for her business is the loss of sales for her enamel pins, which Federiconi noted are almost exclusively made in China. Part of her business is a monthly Patreon club, where nearly 2,000 members get exclusive pins in exchange for a fee.
'That is completely paused for now,' said Federiconi. 'We don't know what we're going to do, other than just wait.'
Locally, she isn't alone.
Sol Kyst, a Waterdown-based sunglasses brand, recently
took to Instagram
to warn its customers that their orders may be subjected to more than $100 in tariffs due to the change.
While Sol Kyst designs and ships all of its spectacles out of the region, the glasses are made in China, meaning they're subject to the tariffs, noted the announcement.
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The company had previously paused all U.S. orders, but has since reopened them, with the post noting that Americans account for 75 per cent of its business.
'You like us and we need you,' read the post, adding that the tariffs will likely have 'very serious implications' on the brand, which was featured on the CBC show 'Dragons' Den.'
Federiconi called the announcement to her customers 'extremely heartbreaking' as her fans — near and far — have grown into a community that she often interacts with both online and in-person at events.
Even if there was an option for Federiconi to take on the tariff, it wouldn't be feasible for her business, which has two other staff members.
'We would essentially pay extra money to send them a product that we would then make no profit from,' said Federiconi. 'That wouldn't make any sense.'
With American orders officially on pause, Federiconi has shifted her focus to in-person events this summer, including several vendor shows around the Greater Toronto Area and Supercrawl in September.
A design from Sugarbones featuring Margaret Qualley's character in the 2024 movie 'The Substance.'
While the idea of moving some product down to a third-party logistics company in the States has come up, Federiconi described that as a 'stressful decision,' describing her business as '(her) baby.'
'It's something I grew and that continues to grow,' said Federiconi, who started the business in her basement. 'It's kind of a waiting game.'