Despite tariff headwinds, Brooks Running keeps pace Monica Nickelsburg September 17, 2025 / 2:24 pm

Brooks Running is old enough to remember the country’s last major tariff controversy.

The athletic brand started out as a manufacturer of specialized footwear in Philadelphia in 1914, later moving its headquarters to the Seattle area. American shoemaking was an industry targeted for protection by the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which taxed footwear imports at about 20%.

In today’s global economy, footwear remains a protected category with high tariffs — but now Brooks is the one paying them.

Nearly 40 years ago, Brooks shifted manufacturing of its running shoes to Southeast Asia, a trend across the athletic footwear industry. The shoes are designed at Brooks’ brand-new headqu

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