When the Factory Doors Stay Closed: What Lesotho’s Crisis Teaches Small Apparel Brands About Resilience and Responsibility

There’s a particular kind of silence that settles when factory gates don’t open.

In Lesotho, a country once known as the Denim Capital of Africa, that silence is growing louder. Every morning, crowds of women—many of them single mothers—wait at the entrance of shuttered garment factories in the hopes that someone, anyone, will call their name for a shift. But the gates don’t open. And the jobs… they’re disappearing.

Professionally, I’m still catching up on the full impact of what’s unfolding. But here’s what we know:

According to a July 20, 2025 NPR report, back in April, the U.S. announced a 50% tariff on goods imported from Lesotho, citing trade imbalances. While those tariffs have been technically “paused,” the damage has already begun. Orders have dried up. Production has stopped. And factories that once supplied brands like Levi’s and Walmart are folding—fast.

The story hits hard. Not just because of the scale of job loss (over 12,000 garment workers, with ripple effects for tens of thousands more), but because of what it reveals about the fragility of global supply chains—and the people who uphold them.

What This Means for Small Brands

If you run a small or emerging apparel brand, you might be thinking: But we don’t produce in Lesotho. Or We’re not big enough to be affected. But I’d gently challenge that.

Because the truth is, these shutdowns are not isolated. They are signals—warning lights—for all of us working inside interconnected systems. The next disruption could just as easily hit your factory in Bangladesh, your dye house in Mexico, or your cotton supplier in Ghana.

And when it does, the brands who have documented their processes, built sourcing backups, and maintained strong human relationships—those are the ones with a fighting chance.

Document Everything. No, Really—Everything.

If I could offer one actionable takeaway right now, it’s this: start documenting every step of your production pipeline.

• Who makes your garments?
  
  

• Where are your fabrics dyed, your trims sourced, your garments packed?
  
  

• What are your contingency options—not in theory, but in writing?
  
  

It feels overwhelming, I know. But documentation isn’t just for investors or customs paperwork. It’s your roadmap when the unexpected hits.

Production partners shut down. Shipping routes change. Governments pivot overnight. And when they do, your documentation becomes your lifeline—not just for operations, but for communication, planning, and preserving trust with your customers.

This Is Also About People

We can’t talk about factory closures without talking about the people left behind. The mothers. The cobblers. The young girls selling bread rolls to garment workers just trying to get by.

One woman in Lesotho told NPR that she drinks water all day just to feel full—saving the little food she has for her children. Others, once proud of their factory work, are now on "short time," working two weeks a month for less than $100.

And as heartbreaking as that is, what’s also true is this: our choices as brands ripple outward.

When we place orders, we provide income. When we cancel them, we take it away. It doesn’t mean we always have the budget to carry everyone—but it does mean we have to think carefully. Ethically. With empathy.

So… What Can Small Brands Do?

We don’t have the capital of conglomerates. But we do have community, and consciousness, and sometimes that’s enough to start.

• Stay committed to your vendors. Communicate early and honestly when your order plans change. Don’t ghost.
  
  

• Support mutual aid efforts. Many local NGOs in sourcing countries are stepping up to provide food, healthcare, and shelter. Look into vetted funds and donate if you can.
  
  

• Share your platform. Tell these stories. Name the people behind your clothes. Use your newsletter or Instagram post to remind your customers that fashion is—always—human.
  
  

• Collaborate with other small brands. If you’re using the same factory or region, consider sharing production space, shipping containers, or even raising funds together when emergencies hit.
  
  

A Global Industry Needs Global Solidarity

We often talk about sustainability in terms of materials, carbon, and waste. But sustainability is also about relationships. About ensuring that people—especially women in the Global South—can survive and thrive through economic shifts they didn’t cause.

In moments like this, it’s easy to feel powerless. But reflection can be power. Intention can be power. Documentation, collaboration, transparency—those are all tools within reach.

Fashion is built on the backs of women whose names we may never know—but whose lives are deeply shaped by the choices we make. So let’s choose to be aware. To stay informed. And to lead, however quietly, with care.

Because if we don’t look out for one another, especially now… who will?

-Samantha G.

Cloth and Coin, Staff