Lily Taibi has been sewing men’s suits at Martin Greenfield Clothiers in Bushwick for 34 years. She’s optimistic that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will increase manufacturing in the United States.

“I don’t know about politics, but maybe in one way it’s good, because we could get work back to us,” Taibi said. 

But her boss, Jay Greenfield, who owns Martin Greenfield Clothiers with his brother, worries about business uncertainty created by the tariffs. 

Their late father, Martin Greenfield, was an Auschwitz survivor. He founded the company in 1977. Martin Greenfield Clothiers is a world-renowned tailor that has created custom suits for presidents and celebrities alike. 

His sons continue the tradition of union manufacturing in the U.S., but buy wool fabric from Italy and England. 

Greenfield said he’s concerned a current 25% duty could go up to 35% with Trump’s 10% universal tariff. 

“It’s like uncertainty. Are our fabrics going to cost more duty than 25%?” he said. “The other ingredients that we buy typically, because there are no makers left in this country or so few, there are few suppliers, so we need ingredients.”

Greenfield said his company will have no choice but to learn to adapt to these changes. He’s not sure how yet, but given that 60 employees rely on his company, he wants it to stay nimble.

“So, we’re proud of what we do and think if anything, we’re going to deal with whatever happens, and we’re not looking to capitalize on it,” he said. “We’re looking to continue doing a great job of making great clothing.”

So is Christian Drankwalter, who owns Not Just Lace, a Long Island City business that provides dye, wash and printing services. 

His company was founded by his grandfather in 1976, and he says he’s already prepared, learning from the first Trump administration. 

“I started stocking up on some more expensive dyes because I knew the prices were going to increase greatly,” he said. “Now with the increases going up and down every day, I just don’t know what these increases are gonna be.”

He said most of the dye materials his company uses for clothes come from countries like India and China, and said the cost of these dyes rose by 30% during Trump’s first term. 

If those prices go up again, he will have no other choice but to increase the prices for his clients. 

His priority is supporting his family and the two employees who depend upon him. 

“The last thing you ever want to do is, businesses slow down and you know, if you have to lay anyone off, but I only have two employees and they do depend on me,” he said. “And I have to make sure that business keeps going and that we can stay busy.”