Important Updates about Tariffs and Swimwear

Swim is on Pause for the Winter

First mini announcement first- We're trying something new this year. 

Normally, we sell our custom-made swimwear all year round. But with all the crazy chaos that keeps upsetting our business, we're trying new ways to make ends meet. So, in order to increase efficiency in our studio, we're going to pause making swimwear for the winter, starting on Sept 10.

But don't worry! Swim will be back in the spring! But if you need anything during the next few months, grab it before it’s gone! And, as always, if you’re stuck and desperately need something in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We got you. ❤️

And speaking of the chaos… Let’s talk about that newest thing that tried to devastate our business this week. 🤮

About the new USA Tariffs

So, as we were freaking out about in our blog last week, the United States has decided to implement new tariffs as part of the trade war on Canada early, which would add 35%+ to every single package we ship. 

The good news is that our products are 🍁 Made in Canada 🍁, which means that, according to CUSMA, we should be exempt from the new 35% tariffs that took effect today.

What is CUSMA 

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is the trade deal that replaced NAFTA in 2020. It sets the rules for how goods move between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, offering tariff-free access when products meet specific requirements known as rules of origin.

The new tariffs are being implemented under something called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). While these tariffs are now on every package (with no de minimis exemption), goods that are compliant under CUSMA have currently been exempted. (That means us!)

Why our CUSMA compliance matters to you:

• No Tariffs: Products that meet CUSMA’s rules of origin can avoid the new 35% IEEPA tariff and continue entering the U.S. duty-free or at reduced rates.

• (Hopefully) No border delays: The agreement simplifies border paperwork, lowering the risk of delays or the extra $200 fee. (We can’t guarantee, however, that there won’t be delays. All this hoo-haw sounds like a mess.)

Origami Customs is Made in Canada

As you know, Origami Customs is proudly made right here in Canada, in our studio in Montréal. Every garment is designed, cut, and sewn by our small team, with nothing outsourced and no mass production. We do get some of our fabric from non-CUSMA countries, but every product is entirely cut and sewn here in our studio. 

In order to see if we’re CUSMA compliant, we figure out product by product how much the value of non-regional materials is, and then apply the “Regional Value Content formula” to determine how much of the value of our product comes from Canada. 

For example-

Thong Gaff- HS code 6212.20

Cost Sold $34.00

Non-regional Materials-

Non-regional Fabric Cost- $1.88

Fabric and Thread from China HS code 60053700

Value of Regional Materials and Labour- 

$32.12

Apply the RVC Formula-

$32.12 / $34 x 100 = 

🍁 The Thong Gaff is 94.47% Made in Canada 🍁 

A minimum of 75% of the value of the garment must originate from the USMCA region, so the product is CUSMA compliant. 

What This Means For Your Orders-

We are still doing all the work to get our paperwork in order. We pushed as hard as possible to get as many American orders as possible out before today. We’re going to pause shipping American orders for a few days while we figure this all out. 

After our paperwork is sorted, it means that each product will go out with a Certificate of Origin to be assessed at the border.

Please note, however, that we in no way control what a customs officer decides to do. 

We are legally a Made in Canada product. But borders are always a place that doesn't necessarily adhere to legality, but rather adheres to the discretion of the customs officer. 

We would love to think that all of our packages will get through without being tariffed. But we also know that it's likely that some packages won't. If your package receives a tariff, you can use the paperwork we provide to fight it yourself. But we cannot be held responsible for the cost of any mistakenly tariffed orders.

Thanks for Being Here

That’s as good as we’ve got! We’re taking it day by day. Thanks for sticking with us.