/ Latest News /

The End of De Minimis — What Trump’s Suspension of ~$800 Duty-Free Rule Means for U.S. Buyers

Trump is coming for our jeans. If you’ve been eyeing up something from the EU, UK, Japan, or… anywhere else in the world, you may want to pull the trigger ASAP. As of August 29, 2025, the De Minimis for entry rule will be suspended for all countries, meaning you will soon have to pay duties on all foreign purchases.

This comes after President Trump signed an executive order on July 30, 2025, entitled “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries.”

What is the De Minimis Exception?

Often referred to as the low-value import rule, De Minimis exempts certain low-value shipments from customs duties and taxes. In the case of the U.S.A., that minimum was $800. This basically means that if the landed value of your international goods was under $800, you would not incur any customs fees. Handy if you want to buy Japanese-made denim goods from HINOYA, Redcast Heritage, or Cultizm, right? Well, not for long.

The executive order declares that:

The order outlines numerous reasons for suspending the De Minimis for entry, including its use in the distribution of fentanyl, which is considered a national crisis.

What Does This Mean for U.S. Buyers?

It means that importing goods made anywhere but the USA will cost more. All shipments will be assessed ad valorem on their imposed tariff, which depends on the country in which the item is made. In the case of Japan, this currently sits at around 15%, which means if you order a pair of $250 jeans, you can add a cool $37.50 on straight away, plus additional fees its processing at the border.

Couriers such as FedEx, DHL, and UPS have to apply this order immediately on and after August 29, 2025. Meanwhile, international postal systems get a 6-month transitional period until February 28, 2026, during which time US Customs and Border Protection can charge a flat duty per item, ranging from $80 – $200, depending on the country of origin. For Japanese goods, this is likely to be on the lower end at $80, due to positive trade talks between the US and Japan in recent times.

So, What Do We Do?

Right now? Not much. You can reach out to your elected officials (local, state, or federal), but this is a big policy change, and its linkage to the fentanyl crisis likely means it will be pretty bureaucratically insulated.

What we can do is be grateful that there are so many options for purchasing foreign-produced goods in the USA. Retailers already consider tariffs as part of their mark-up, so this is unlikely to affect prices at U.S. retailers like Franklin & Poe,Iron Shop Provisions, Vestis, Blue in Green, Independence, and the like.

/ Fade Friday /

Fade Friday – Unbranded x Pronto UB168 (9 Months, 3 Washes, 2 Soaks)

Pronto by name, pronto by nature. Thailand’s Tun Vajanchon has made some swift and impressive progress on his Unbranded x Pronto UB168 denim, carving in some great fades after only 9 months.

Tun owns a noodle shop and does all his work there — including cooking, washing dishes, and running around town picking up ingredients. It’s obvious that he’s a hard worker, and the byproduct of that is some nice fades, including whiskers and honeycombs that are hotter than Tun’s pad thai. These are about as perfect a fade as you could ask for after such a short amount of time. 

Overall contrast is key to head-turning fades, and Tun has nailed it. Forget the noodle shop, Tun should be a professional denim fader, these are beautifully worn. They’ve been washed a few times in that short time frame- makes sense, cooking can be dirty work, but they aren’t as dirty as you’d expect.

/ New Releases /

Tellason Launches Denim-Inspired Sunglasses Collaboration with Lowercase

Even after well over a decade in this arena – and a few years writing for Heddels – I still find myself surprised by just how far denimheads will go to rep their favorite fabric. But honestly? I respect it.

Case in point: these Tellason x Lowercase NYC sunglasses, denim-inspired sunglasses.

Tellason – one of the OGs of American raw denim – has teamed up with Brooklyn-based eyewear makers Lowercase to deliver three styles, all handcrafted in NYC from hand-polished Italian acetate. They’re fitted with Carl Zeiss lenses for crystal-clear optics, offer 100% UVA/UVB protection, and feature German-engineered OBE 3-barrel hinges with coated screws for extra durability.

The Ashe is rugged and semi-rectangular with rounded edges, a clean look that’s easy to dress up. The Hustler leans retro with rounded lines, yellow-tinted lenses, and a more vintage feel. And the Cassady is lean, pared-back, and understated. Pick ‘em up while the sun’s still shining.

Available for $400 from Tellason.

Franklin and Poe Welcomes TCB Jeans

In the denim and heritage-wear world, “value” is often subjective. $200 for a loopwheel sweatshirt? Maybe. $1500 for a pair of engineer boots? Gulp. But one brand whose value is as objective as a chainstitched hem is TCB, and they’ve just landed over at Franklin and Poe.

TCB (that’s Two Cats Brand) hails from Kojima, Japan, and was founded in 2012 by Hajime Inoue. They specialize in American reproduction garments from the 1920s through the ’60s. Think high-waisted jeans with wartime quirks, balanced with playful hits of design and epic fade potential. The best part? Prices are almost suspiciously reasonable, especially when you clock the obsessive attention to detail.

Franklin and Poe’s new lineup includes the roomy, slubby 1940s cut, the clean and classic 1950s straight fit, and a few wildcards like the denim seamen trousers, all pulled straight from mid-century America by way of Inoue-san. These aren’t just vintage-inspired, they’re painfully recreated, stitch for stitch, with all the imperfections and inconsistencies you’d expect from garments originally churned out during wartime rationing or early mass production. Nothing’s smoothed over, and that’s exactly the point. If you’re after authentic, era-specific jeans without selling a kidney, this is a welcome move.

Available at Franklin and Poe.

Document Your Patina with HappyPatina’s Natural Veg-Tan Leather Folder

Who said heritage wear and patina had to be confined to the weekends? For the corporate drones among us (myself included), HappyPatina’s leather folder is basically “take your patina to work day” in stationery form.

Crafted in Spain from high-quality, responsibly sourced vegetable-tanned leather, this folder skips the dye entirely, letting the natural material do its thing over time. Scuffs, oil from your hands, that classic coffee ring from the Monday morning meeting – all part of the story. The more you use it, the better it looks.

Whether you’re the kind of person who has an entire filing system of these at home (hello, quiet luxury) or you’re just looking for a stylish step up from your dog-eared manila folder, this one earns its place in your daily carry. It’s heritage gear for your 9 to 5, and there’s no raw denim required.

Available for $90 from HappyPatina.

/ Weekly Rundown /

• Donkey Kong Bananza’s Pauline Wears Selvedge Denim – X

• Papa Nui on Growth, Evolution & Authenticity – Those That Know

• Textiles Meet Taxidermy in G-Star’s Denim Gorilla Collab – Sourcing Journal

• Business News: 39% Tariff On Swiss Imports, Including Watches, Is Now In Effect – Hodinkee

• How Did Japan’s Remarkable Bootmaking—and Loving—Culture Arise? And Where’s It Going? – Stitchdown