U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports will simply mean that American consumers have to pay higher prices for products down the road, an industry association leader said on Friday.

"We're having some serious problems with this tariffs situation," said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO at the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

"This is disruptive to our supply chains, this is hurtful to our business," he added.

Helfenbein was speaking on the back of a new round of U.S. tariffs on , which kicked in on Thursday, prompting Beijing to retaliate with its own levies on American goods worth the same amount.

"What's going to happen down the road is very simple — prices will go up, sales will go down, jobs will be lost. This will have a negative impact on the economy," Helfenbein told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

The apparel and footwear industry will be hard hit by the tariffs because 41 percent of all apparel, 72 percent of all footwear and 84 percent of all accessories imported into the U.S. come from China, said Helfenbein.

There are limited sourcing options as most products come from China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, he said.