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Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs
ATLANTA (AP) — Before the oppressive summer heat descends on Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually gets her thick, curly hair braided at a salon to preserve her healthy mane. But it's more expensive this year. So she'll only pay for her teenage daughter and son to get their summer hairdos. Not having braided hair 'creates more of a hassle for everything,' said Sims, who counts herself among the tens of millions of women that regularly spend on the Black hair care industry. Now, she said, she has to 'go home and figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair in the morning, after I went to the gym and it's messed up with sweating and frizz.' President Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up prices for products many Black women consider essential, squeezing shoppers and stylists even more as they grapple with inflation and higher rents. Much of the synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel and other products is imported from or has packaging from China, which was subject to a combined 145% tariff in April. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention, and they can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs and braids. The Associated Press spoke with several Black hair industry experts, beauty supply store owners, and wholesale companies, as well as nearly two dozen Black stylists and braiders, some of whom may have to raise prices even as business has slowed. On Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated most of Trump's tariffs on imported goods after they were blocked the day before by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Earlier this month, the United States agreed to drop the 145% tax on goods imported from China to 30% while the two economic superpowers negotiate new trade agreements. Imports from most other countries face baseline tariff rates at 10%. Regardless, the next few months 'are already shot' for many items, said Marty Parker, a University of Georgia business professor and supply chain expert who worked in the hair care industry. The costs companies have been facing at ports are making their way down to consumers, supply shortages are getting worse, and it's unclear what will happen if negotiations break down. 'Prices go up very fast and come down very slow,' Parker said. Costs go up for Atlanta stylists Some stylists said they're seeing fewer clients because prices are going up for virtually everything. Atlanta stylists are paying more for hair from China. Atlanta stylist Yana Ellis, who also sells products like wigs, paid an extra $245 in shipping for 52 bundles of hair in March compared to 40 bundles in December. AaNiyah Butler said her shipping costs for human hair more than doubled from February to May. And Dajiah Blackshear found in early May that a beauty supply store raised the cost of the kind of hair she's used for years by $100. The store owner said he may have to stop selling that brand of hair because it went up so much. Similarly, some wholesale hair stores have seen higher costs or are expecting them in the coming weeks. Even the typical $6 to $10 cost of a pack of synthetic hair has crept up. Blackshear doesn't want clients to bring hair because she likes to vet the quality. But if expenses continue to mount, she may have to raise her prices. 'It's going to be extremely difficult,' she said, especially for clients who are 'having to make those hard decisions, between 'do I get my hair done or do I pay my bills?'' Janice Lowe, who runs 5 Starr Salon in a lower-income neighborhood southeast of Atlanta, has started asking clients to bring hair and is unable to purchase certain products. 'I'm falling behind on my obligations,' she said. The industry braces for uncertainty Consultants vary on how much prices will rise, when they'll go up and for how long — and the full harm to stylists and consumers could be months away. The global Black hair care industry was worth about $3.2 billion in 2023, according to and Black women spend six times more on hair care than other ethnicities. Stylists often purchase some harder-to-get professional products from door-to-door distributors that buy from wholesale companies or larger distributors that purchase directly from other countries. Lowe has seen some of her distributors vanish altogether, making it harder to get professional lines such as Black-owned leading professional hair care brand Design Essentials, manufactured in Atlanta at McBride Research Laboratories. Design Essentials is trying to delay big price increases until 2026 or 2027, and may turn to layoffs or pause promotions to save money, said president Cornell McBride Jr. Most packaging plastics come from China, but ingredients can come from many places. 'Nobody wants to put it to the consumer but the person who pays is the consumer in the end,' McBride Jr. said. Hawa Keita and her mother usually charge customers between $160 and $250 for braiding at their shop, Eve's African Hair Braiding in College Park southwest of Atlanta. Keita is determined to take losses because their customers 'can't afford the Atlanta prices,' Keita said. The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China went up for the first time in two years, from $250 to $300, Keita said. They order weekly, often multiple boxes. Some companies say they'll soon raise prices or run out of stock. Making customers happy is ultimately what will keep the business afloat, Keita said. She smiled as she recounted braiding a young woman's hair for her birthday with a style she suggested. 'When we finished, she gave me the biggest hug, and she was in here screaming and just yelling because she just really loved her hair,' Keita said. Priced-out consumers face unfair beauty standards For many Black Americans, especially women, affording their hair care also means confronting unfavorable beauty standards. Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington said recent discoveries about dangerous chemicals in synthetic hair and hair straightening products have sparked conversations among Black women looking for hairstyles that don't require as much imported products. But embracing natural hairdos can be daunting for women like the soon-to-be lawyers and clerks Washington advises who face pressure to straighten their hair. 'That puts everyone who does not have organically, naturally derived straight hair at a disadvantage in these spaces,' she said. 'I think that a definition of professionalism that favors one phenotype — European phenotype — over all others, is inappropriate.' Longstanding income disparities between Black and white American women can also make higher hair care prices untenable. According to the U.S. Census, as of 2023, the median household income in Atlanta is $131,319 for white households and $47,937 for Black households. It's an inequality issue that professional hairstylists are aware of nationwide. Stylist Mitzi Mitchell, owner of PIC ONE Beauty Services in Pennsylvania, said she has stocked up on certain products and tools for another year in anticipation of price increases. She wants to avoid 'bootleg' products, which are made illegally and often aren't as safe, but became much more prevalent in the marketplace during economic downturns. 'I'm really conscientious about my Black minority clients because we make a heck of a lot less than other nationalities,' said Mitchell, who is Black. 'I try to keep prices low so we can continue to have the same services, but I know I will have to raise it.' ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
If You're Wondering If You Dress Like An American Tourist Abroad, These Signs Are A Dead Giveaway
If you've ever seen the iconic Modern Family clip where Mitchell is increasingly bothered that people in France know he's American just by looking at him — that is, until he purchases an outfit from a local store and fits in with the locals — you'll understand the plight of American tourists. Sometimes, even with the right language skills or a demure presence, our clothes alone give us away. This is because Americans have a specific way of dressing, stylists say, whether they're visiting Europe, Asia or another locale. And while fashion is different in every city and every country (and among different groups in said place), Americans still manage to stick out no matter where they are. Below, stylists from around the world share the styles that make Americans stand out from locals and how to dress like an international traveler instead. Wearing Athletic Wear Asbury Park, New Jersey, travel USA, 'People in America really like the idea of dressing comfortably,' said Brooke Crum, a fashion stylist who also organizes bespoke shopping tours for visitors in Japan. This often results in Americans wearing athletic wear while out and about on vacation, Crum said. When thinking of workout clothes, Crum said one item comes to mind first. 'What's one thing not to wear? Leggings, full stop,' Crum stated. 'People wouldn't stare, it's not like 'Oh, this is an American person,' but I think the way that some people style leggings is more of wearing it for comfort. So it's a racerback tank with just long leggings, and in Japan ... if you're going to the yoga studio, wear the yoga pants. If you're going to run, wear the tracksuit,' said Crum. 'Clothes have their purpose and athletic wear is for athletics,' she stated. When people in Japan do wear workout clothes outside of an exercise situation, they style them intentionally, she said. 'It's more of an elevated, casual approach. So if you're going to wear a jersey, put a blazer over it, Crum said — or, you could style a track jacket with a pair of jeans. Crum said it's also more common for people in Japan to wear muted, monochromatic athletic wear instead of bright separates, which makes for a more put-together look. According to Anne-Victoire Lefèvre, a fashion consultant based in Paris, it's also common to see visiting Americans in baseball caps or carrying backpacks, two things that also fall into the athletic wear category. Being Too Dressy Speaking of dressing casual, Nathalie Oliver, a private stylist at Le Bon Marché department store in Paris, said that while Americans are often too casual during the day (in athletic wear and the like), they are too dressy come evening. For women, being too dressy could mean wearing a special-occasion dress and a pair of heels or going all out in a fancy skirt, blouse and wedges. 'Men are probably the worst dressed Americans ... from what I'm seeing,' Oliver said. 'I think that most of them have the same outfit, which is a polo shirt, a pair of chino [pants] and a pair of sneakers,' she said, adding that a navy blazer, chino pants and white shirt is another common combination for guys. To look Parisian, Oliver suggests that travelers aim for less sophisticated outfits in the evenings and try not to be too Ivy League (for example, by wearing the navy blazer combination). For women, try a silky dress with a bulky jacket draped over your shoulders (brownie points if it's a stylish men's jacket). Or, try a pair of denim pants, high heels and a blouse. For men, linen shirts, cotton pants and a pair of low loafers are a go-to for Parisian locals. Aim for clothing in neutral colors during the summer months, like off-white, beige and camel, added Oliver. Having Perfect Makeup And Hair Going all out applies to other aspects of Americans' presentation as well. American women are much more likely to have on a full face of makeup, unlike Parisian women, especially in the summer, Oliver stated. 'I always notice that American ladies, they are real nicely made up, doing the makeup with the foundation, it's very sophisticated, and most of ladies in Paris ... they're not really like this,' said Oliver. What's more, Americans often have their hair and nails done perfectly, too, 'which is fantastic to me, because I know that I have some American friends and they're waking up at 5 to be perfect at 7 to leave the house and go to work ... it's not our way of life, to be honest,' Oliver noted. 'I think we're more paying attention to accessories ... I would say outfit is important, but shoes and accessories are, for French ladies, the thing, the best part of the outfit,' she said. Wearing Too Many Logos Lefèvre pointed out that Americans' more comfortable outfits often include T-shirts or sweaters with logos, or carrying a tote bag with the logo and name of a museum you recently visited. 'I think we avoid logos and choose timeless pieces that you can mix with your whole wardrobe,' Lefèvre stated. If you don't want to be instantly labeled an American tourist, avoid logo-ridden clothing or bags and 'wear black, or just a classic white shirt with a top under and jeans,' she said, 'And comfy ballerina [shoes] for women.' This creates a more chic look, Lefèvre noted. Dressing Too Beachy 'I'm not saying that all Americans are like this or dress like that, but the general vibe we get is a mix between beach and activewear,' explained Laura Carrillo, a stylist and fashion designer based in Mexico City. 'I think that's because most people think Mexico is just a country of beaches and towns, but our cities thrive with metropolitan energy and culture,' she said. So, just because you're traveling to a country that's known for its beaches doesn't mean you should only pack beachwear — especially if you're going somewhere that isn't close to the beach, like Mexico City. 'The culture of 'fashion' is relatively new to our country, but it's coming fast and hard,' Carrillo said, 'We have a longstanding heritage with artisans and we are quickly marrying them into something unique.' When it comes to dressing like the locals in Mexico City, Carrillo said it's not that easy. 'It's a different culture and energy. We have to remember that Mexico isn't Condesa or Roma [fashionable neighborhoods in Mexico City]; it's hard to put your finger on exactly what a local would dress like,' she said. Instead of trying to fit in, Carrillo said tourists should try to focus on not standing out too much as a visitor. 'A lot of [Americans] have style and carry themselves as they would at home,' Carrillo said. She advised visitors to 'dress how you would at home and embrace Mexico as you would your own country.' Don't be afraid to try out new styles and get inspiration from the world around you. If you happen to be a fan of 'American' styles, that's OK, too. You can always blend those looks with other styles to create a unique look. 'I think you just have to play with fashion,' said Oliver. 'And if [you look] in the mirror, and you think you are beautiful ... go out like this.' Fashion is subjective, meaning no one look is going to be a home run for everyone. 'I really think it's important that people stay true to their own style, whether it's casual or it's elegant, or it's polished,' stated Crum. If you know something works on you and makes you feel confident, lean into it... and consider elevating it a little. 'Like, if wide-leg denim pants are great on you, wear those ... wear them in khaki, wear them in dress pants. Find different versions of them that accentuate your look or elevate your look,' Crum said. It's also important to have a collection of basics that fit you well — like white shirts, black shirts, jeans and blazers — to pull from, Crum added. 'Then you can layer those really easy.' You can even find fashion inspiration while traveling, whether you're out shopping at a vintage store or simply taking in the culture around you. 'Look at people in the street, be in a terrace, have a drink in different places and different areas,' Oliver suggested. '[You] just have to sit there and look around, and you see a lot of style, a lot of people, and maybe it can help you to find the style you like,' Oliver said, adding that she also finds style inspiration this way. But it's important that you source ideas and inspiration, not an exact look. 'I know that with my customers, every selection is different because there's a different body, different sizes, different eye, different occupation ... so, you don't do copy and paste — there's no point to do that,' Oliver article originally appeared on HuffPost.
