Trump's Trade War Threatens Spanish Hat Tradition

The centuries-old tradition of Spanish hatmaking is facing a modern challenge as President Donald Trump's trade policies threaten to upend business between the U.S. and Europe. Fernandez y Roche, a 140-year-old hat factory in Seville, Spain, fears new tariffs could drive away its Orthodox Jewish clientele from the United States.

Abraham Mazuecos, Managing Director of the factory, revealed that the imposition of a 10% tariff already strains operations, with further hikes potentially crippling their ability to maintain U.S. market presence. An estimated 30,000 hats annually make their way from Seville to New York and New Jersey, hubs of the Orthodox Jewish community in America.

The future is uncertain as these felt hats, pivotal to Orthodox Jewish culture, could become too costly for import. The factory supplies a significant portion of the community's needs but may lose out to local U.S. manufacturers. While domestic options exist, they primarily focus on cowboy hats, not the specialized black felt variety cherished by the Orthodox Jewish population.

(With inputs from agencies.)