The world has changed. Where once governments espoused the wonders of free trade and committed to breaking down trade barriers, leaders today denounce free trade agreements (FTA) as a threat to their growth and talk about building literal walls between countries. If trends are to continue, the world’s economies will see a reversion to local insular economies of the pre-cold war era. This paper aims to link the historical trends which have led us to today’s globalized economy, and the prospects of a country-centric, localized supply chain model. It will also explore through the lens of apparel and footwear manufacturing a hypothetical scenario where the world recedes into multiple self-sustaining local economies, and how economies could move towards local arenas supported by circular economic models.