December 3, 2024

Just a few weeks before last month’s US election, Jimmy Zollo made an urgent move to protect his fast-growing adaptive clothing start-up, Joe & Bella, in case then-candidate Donald Trump won the White House.

When polls showed Trump ahead of his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Chicago-based entrepreneur did not want to take any chances on the prospect of more tariffs on imports from China. His panic button: an order for 5,000 shirts with his supplier in Guangzhou.

“It was the largest order to date on our men’s button-down shirts, so we could get ahead of what was coming,” he said, explaining that the decision was because of Donald Trump’s pledge earlier this year to impose new hefty tariffs on Chinese imports. Zollo hoped the increased inventory would provide a buffer to navigate the challenges ahead.

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