United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel

Joining the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) offers a broad range of resources and enables you to better compete in today’s global market. 

A leader among the nation’s associations representing the textile and apparel importing industry, USA-ITA represents the interests of brands, retailers, importers, service providers, and suppliers before the U.S. Government and the international business community.

USA-ITA is an unparalleled resource for education, information, and advocacy to those involved in the business of textile and apparel sourcing, importing, and compliance.

In the past year, USA-ITA has taken an active role in:           

• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Negotiations. USA-ITA leadership and members have traveled to Dallas, San Diego, Leesburg, and Auckland, New Zealand, with the TPP Apparel Coalition in the past year. USA-ITA regularly meets with negotiators and stakeholders to ensure that the TPP agreement’s apparel provision will work for our industry.
• Center for Excellence & Expertise for the Industry. USA-ITA is part of the Industry Working Group for the CEE, which is providing recommendations to U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) on how the CEE should operate. We regularly meet with CBP officials at our Board of Directors meetings, annual conference, and other events to discuss our priorities for the CEE, and for textile enforcement more generally.
• Sourcing in the Western Hemisphere, Including the United States. USA-ITA worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to organize the second Sourcing in the Americas event at SOURCING at MAGIC in Las Vegas in August 2012. We met with Commerce Under Secretary of International Trade Francisco Sánchez and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as brands and manufacturers, to have a frank dialogue about opportunities and challenges to sourcing in the region, and particularly, the U.S.
• Human Rights & Sustainability. USA-ITA participates in coalitions to make policies that not only help our members, but also help make the world a better place. We have been outspoken on key corporate social responsibility issues including opposition to child labor in the Uzbekistan cotton industry, opposition to mulesing in Australia, and support for the expansion of labor rights and fire safety training in Bangladesh, to name a few.
• New Sourcing Opportunities. In addition to our advocacy work in support of new Free Trade Agreements, USA-ITA partners with textile and apparel organizations across the globe to find new sourcing opportunities for our members. This year, we worked with groups from Mexico, Egypt, India, China, and Southeast Asia, and participating in a number of international events including Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong, the Guatemala Apparel Sourcing Show, and INEXMODA in Colombia, to name a few.
• Professional Development for the Industry. USA-ITA is dedicated to helping our members learn and grow professionally. In 2012, we hosted seminars and events in New York, California, Nevada, and of course, Washington, D.C., as well as over a dozen webinars on topics ranging from challenges and solutions for sourcing and compliance in Bangladesh to how to address Argentina’s import restrictions to retailing in China.

Membership Benefits

As a unified voice for the industry, USA-ITA works to shape the policies that affect the importing community.  Our members rely on our expertise to stay up-to-date on breaking trade policy and customs information as well as to navigate the complex rules and regulations affecting the industry.

Benefits of joining or affiliating with USA-ITA include…

News & Information. Receive exclusive publications packed with news and expert analysis. These communications include: news alerts and analysis from our staff and outside counsel, sent on an almost-daily basis; monthly customs overviews by our customs counsel; OFF THE CUFF, our monthly newsletter with feature articles and news about our members and the association; and regular event notifications. For more information about our publications, click here. 

Networking. Connect with brands, retailers, importers, leading industry service providers, and international suppliers, as well as government officials and experts.

Involvement. Serve on a USA-ITA committee and work with your peers to help draft comments and position papers and meet with top regulators to discuss issues of concern. For more information on our committees, click here.

Education. Stay up-to-date on the latest trade rules and regulations while receiving members-only discounts on conferences, seminars, and webinars.

Advocacy. We combine the knowledge and experience of our staff and counsel with our members to ensure a strong voice on the issues that matter to you. For more information about our advocacy efforts, click here.

Development. Promote your company through our events, communications, and other opportunities. Hiring? USA-ITA can help you find the right candidate from our large network of textile and apparel importing professionals by posting your job opportunity in our Career Center.

We invite you to join today and start taking advantage of the wide variety of benefits. To join, contact us or apply online using the links below.

MEMBERSHIP: Brands, Retailers, & Importers 

MEMBERSHIP: Service Providers & Associates 

SUBSCRIPTION: International Suppliers & Organizations

Membership dues are 95% tax-deductible.