I’ve dressed a million girls for prom; this year, tariffs are pricing them out

My father came to New York with almost nothing. He got a job in the Garment District, learned the business from the floor up, and in 1980 he opened a small dress shop with 10 people and fifteen styles. That was Jovani.

He believed — and I mean this simply and without any marketing behind it — that every woman deserves to feel beautiful.

My brother Saul and I grew up in that belief. We built our careers around it. We still run the company the same way he did: From New York, in the Garment District, personally involved in every decision.

To this day, Jovani donates tens of thousands of dresses each year to young women who would not otherwise be able to afford a milestone moment. This has never been about a campaign, but rather a belief my father held that every woman deserves to feel beautiful, confident, and celebrated, regardless of her circumstances.

So, when I tell you that what is happening right now with tariffs and trade policy is going to hurt the girls shopping for prom dresses this spring, I need you to understand that I am not speaking as a business owner protecting margins. I am speaking as someone who has spent 40 years making sure the price of a dress is never what stands in the way of a girl’s magic........

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