URGENT NOTE TO U.S. WEAVERS: Short Supply Status Sort for Wide Range of Wool and Cashmere Woven Fabrics Under DR-CAFTA

The U.S. textile industry has been contacted on behalf of S. Rothschild & Co. ("Rothschild"), 1407 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018, regarding the availability of certain coating weight wool fabric.

Rothschild produces men's and women's outerwear in Central America with the benefit of the U.S. Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement ("CAFTA-DR"). Rothschild seeks to obtain fabric meeting the specifications described below that is woven in one or more CAFTA-DR countries.

Fabric Type: Coating weight wool, cashmere, and wool/cashmere blended fabrics

Fiber content: 100 percent wool or cashmere, or any combination thereof

HTSUS: 5111.19.60

Yarn Type: Filament yarns of 16 to 20 microns

Yarn Count: Varies

Weight: 365 to 510 grams per square meter

Width: 145 to 155 centimeters

Finish: Piece-dyed or of yarns of different colors; drap, plush or melton finish; vaporized and brushed

Quantity and Delivery: Rothschild will require between 40,000 to 60,000 yards (between 36,580 to 54,860 meters) of the requested fabric annually, with a minimum of 20,000 yards (18,290 meters) delivered in 30 days from the order date and the balance of the order completed within 60 days of receiving the order.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO U.S. WOOL WEAVERS: It is the opinion of Agathon Associates that Rothschild have no serious interest in sourcing these fabrics from a DR-CAFTA weaver. Rothschild has a long history of sourcing wool and fine animal hair fabrics for outerwear apparel programs in the DR-CAFTA region and surely knows who the potential suppliers are. It is the opinion of Agathon Associates that Rothschild's real interest is in having these fabrics placed on the DR-CAFTA short supply list. If you are a domestic U.S. weaver or wool or cashmere please contact David Trumbull at david@agathonassociates.com to discuss how we can stop these fabrics from going on the short supply list

IMPORTANT NOTES TO ANYONE WITH INTEREST IN DR-CAFTA.

• The product description as drafted is not appropriate for a DR-CAFTA short supply petition because it covers the entire range of wool and fine animal hair outerwear fabrics, not a single product as required by the DR-CAFTA Commercial Availability Procedures.
• The product description is defective in that it seeks fabrics of carded wool or cashmere (i.e., spun yarn), yet specifies "Filament yarns"
• Fabrics of this description are, unquestionably, NOT in short supply. In 2016 U.S. mills shipped 14,230 square meters of such fabric, for a total value of $1456,642, to the DR-CAFTA region. Given the type of fabric (fabric for overcoats) it may be assumed that none was for consumption in the region, but, rather, was for DR-CAFTA production to return to the U.S. duty-free under DR-CAFTA.

.

THIS ATTEMPT TO PLACE WOOL OUTERWEAR FABRIC ON DR-CAFTA SHORT SUPPLY MUST BE DEFEATED!