Ah, supply chains: the unsexy topic that is currently keeping a lot of business owners up at night. Previously, we talked about the full scope of international brands that Grail sources products from. Updated for 2025, that map of where our brands are based looks like this:

However, the news of the day is tariffs, and tariffs are determined by the country where goods are manufactured, not the country of export. So, where are the products on the racks at Grail actually made?

Global supply chains are a huge topic, and I’m not going to be able to unpack the whole situation in one blog post. I will do my best to at least hit the main points because the current and pending tariffs are something that could potentially have a significant impact on our customers and all American consumers.

Why doesn’t Grail just source bras that are made in America?  There are almost no bra brands that manufacture their products in America. USA Love List actually has a pretty comprehensive list of brands on their site here. If you dig through that list, though, you’ll notice that none of these bras are underwired or use a foam-cup construction. Most of us would refer to these garments as “bralettes” rather than bras. Wireless stretch-fabric bralettes aren’t bad, but they are less structured than bras and do not provide the same level of support and shaping that one generally expects from a bra. You can also see that the majority of these made-in-the-U.S. options use alphabetical (S, M, L, etc.) sizing rather than traditional bra sizing. Even the brands that do offer band-and-cup bra sizing cover only a very small portion of the size spectrum compared to what Grail carries in-store. Lastly, these garments are often made in small bespoke batches or made to order. The brands do not supply their products wholesale to retailers and/or are on the high end or in some cases much higher than our brands’ retail prices. Plus, the fabric to make these bras still has to be imported. Grail does work with one made-in-America brand, the fabulous CantiqLA. We love their products, like the Amor Bralette and panties below. It should be pretty obvious, however, that folks who favor smooth foam underwired t-shirt bras aren’t going to accept this as a substitute, regardless of where it is made:

And because tariffs increase the cost of imported fabrics, expect these products to cost more soon as well.

Why aren’t bras manufactured in America anymore?  It involves a lot of factors and a lot of history. Check out these articles for a more detailed explanation of both. Vintage bras, like many of the ones in our Bra Museum, not only have “Made in USA” labels, they have garment union labels as well. These labels disappear completely between the late 1980s and early 1990s. The appeal of cheaper and non-unionized labor was a major driver of the offshoring movement, and labor costs are still a factor in garment production. Grail vets the brands it stocks for ethical manufacturing and treatment of its workers (although admittedly, the United States does not mandate the same level of disclosures that are required for businesses in European countries, so we have to take their self-reports on good faith.) Nevertheless, an ethical wage looks different in, say, the Dominican Republic or Thailand than it does in the U.S. There’s more to the story than labor costs, however. In the 35-ish years since the decline of American manufacturing, a lot has changed. Other countries, particularly in southeast Asia, saw an opportunity and invested heavily in their own manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure: equipment, factories, production of raw materials, and the ability to transport large volumes of goods by rail, road, and air, and sea. Specialized machinery to create certain fabrics only exists in China, for example. For international brands that are producing products for sale in many countries, not just America, the centralized location of Asian manufacturing hubs is appealing, along with proximity to textile manufacturing and the efficiency of the import/ export logistics in those regions. Even brands like Chantelle, who still manufacture some products in their native France, have opened additional facilities in Vietnam to increase their output capacity. Lastly, labor skill is as big of a factor in modern garment manufacturing as labor cost. Garment work is difficult and often unpleasant. Quality bras requires an extremely high level of precision and efficiency in sewing. All of your clothes are sewn by human beings, not some form of robotic automation. There has been a generational loss of skilled sewing skills in America.

So, is everything just made in Asia now?  Certainly not everything. Some of our favorite bras are made in-house by brands in Poland. Regardless of how the tariff situation evolves, I’m hopeful that Grail can persist as long as we don’t lose access to our products that are manufactured in the European Union. Unfortunately for our customers, those prices will probably have to go up even the 90-day pause on EU tariffs is extended, because the value of the U.S. dollar is steadily falling in relation to Polish zloty.

What kind of impacts are we looking at due to tariffs?  That depends on whether the tariffs announced on countries other than China on April 2nd, 2025, are fully implemented and also on whether the “de minimis” exemption for low-value imports on countries other than China is eventually eliminated as planned. For now, we have had to put a complete hold on ordering from international brands who manufacture some or all of their products in China, like Fit Fully Yours and Curvy Kate. American brands who manufacture in China will likely be unable to restock their own products once they run out of stock already in the country. If the tariffs are extended to the rest of the world, consumer prices on the products we can still order are going to rise. That’s not my biggest worry, however. Several of our international brands have already shown a willingness to completely pull out of the wholesale market in reaction to tariffs and just stop supplying us altogether. Chantelle has done this already, although they reversed course with the 90-day pause. As a small business owner, I’m taking things day by day. No matter what, we will continue to provide the best bras and underwear that we can source and persevere in serving our wonderful customers and community.