Los Angeles has always been the epicenter for manufacturing blue jeans in the United States. Major labels such as True Religion, Lucky Brand, Hudson and 7 For All Mankind built their reputations on that “Made in the USA” cachet, which signaled quality and prestige in their premium-denim products.

The introductory video on the Tianello website talks about how the Los Angeles clothing maker’s collection of Tencel and silk tops lovingly passes through 100 hands before ending up in someone’s closet.

The demise of a free-trade agreement between the United States and several Asian countries is breathing new life into the Guatemalan apparel industry.

Inside the halls that house Hong Kong Fashion Week, many of the exhibitors were rejoicing that President Donald Trump had put the kibosh on the free-trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade accord between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries, was poised to be approved this year by the U.S. Congress. But election-year politics put an official end to that as both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made it known they would not back the trade pact.

The global economy started out this year with a whimper, not a bang. The U.S. stock markets have been on a roller coaster ride. In January, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 5.5 percent of its value, and the NASDAQ sank 8 percent that same month.

Inside a boxy space crammed with lace dresses, scoop-neck T-shirts and printed skirts, the whir of sewing machines fills the air as Sam Lee sits inside his small office with a clear view of the work floor. Lee is the owner of 641 Apparel Group, a small clothing contractor with 15 employees.