Sourcing Journal Radio

How are smart retailers bringing their own customers into the mix as co-collaborators and co-creators? PacSun is a leader in this regard, making sure its brand resonates with Gen Z, and not just in product, but in overall vibe and messaging. Whether this means using its own consumers as models in advertising campaigns or soliciting Gen Z customer and staff input on creative projects, PacSun knows...

Are retailers really listening to their customers? In this fireside chat for business hub Retail Rx, Michael Appel, managing director and head of retail practice for Getzler Henrich & Associates, and Greg Petro, CEO of consumer insight platform First Insight discuss the importance of digital tools to gather voice of customer insights data and apply the analytics to drive sales—wherever the custome...

In response to a challenged and constantly shifting retail market, WWD and Sourcing Journal have joined forces and teamed up with Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC, a Hilco Global Company, to launch “Retail Rx.” This digital content microsite presents news and insights to help executive leaders make better-informed business decisions. Fresh content is posted weekly. In this fireside chat, Lauren Pa...

“Green.” “Eco-friendly.” “Low impact.” As companies compete for consumers’ dollars, they are touting sustainability benefits alongside other product attributes. But rather than talking about vague sustainability claims, brands must track and show their work toward targets to effect change and meet consumers’ ethical expectations. Part of this accountability is companies admitting where they fell s...

The benefits of producing closer to home are well known—convenience, speed to market, lower costs, better sustainability, easier communication, less geopolitical risk, and so on. But as nearshoring production in The Americas still has a way to go, what is keeping countries like Mexico from reaching its full potential with American brands and retailers? Here, Lauren Parker, Director, FMG Studio, ch...

Product development has long been undergoing a digital revolution, but the pandemic pushed these efforts into overdrive. Today, fashion companies continue to experiment with digital product creation software, and one of the main ingredients required is virtual materials. Even ahead of 3D design’s work-from-home boost, research and promotion organization Cotton Incorporated was supporting the indus...

Bananas are a big business in Pakistan. The South Asian country grows around 154,000 tons of the fruit each year. But with this production comes waste; annually, 10 million tons of banana stems are burned. A new project between Pakistan-based manufacturer Interloop and sustainable denim consultancy Simply Suzette has transformed banana stem fiber into a multi-category fashion collection. Dubbed Un...

The fashion industry has finally come to the realization that it needs to adopt circular practices, and that’s a great start… But now what? Circularity implementation—or what could be considered Phase 2—is much more difficult. It requires having the visibility, traceability and verification tools to analyze your carbon footprint, then mindfully rework R&D in response. Here, Dr. Min Zhu, Ph. D., Te...

Artificial intelligence has been a buzzy topic in the retail field for a few years, but the industry is still falling short of using this technology to its full potential. In a recent survey from supply chain management technology firm Blue Yonder, the retail executive respondents self reported that they know about AI and are currently using it. However, while Generative AI is being used most popu...

In fashion, there’s a lot of talk about innovation and technological advancements, but when it comes to efficiency gains from technology, the industry has been slow to progress. Apparel design and production tends to be a long stepwise process, which slows down workflows and makes it harder to meet demand. Technology, however, holds the potential to provide significant efficiency and productivity...

An all-too-common consumer experience is finding that the “correct” shoe size is not a perfect fit. Numerical sizes are not standardized across brands and styles, leading to frustration and a potential missed sale opportunity. Retail technology firm Volumental has created foot scanning devices that help consumers avoid a footwear sizing headache. At partner retail stores, shoppers can get scanned,...

The past few years have ushered in a sustainability sea change for Pakistan-based manufacturer AGI Denim. Although environmental and social initiatives were already underway, the recent investments and operational shifts have created more standardization and transparency around these efforts. AGI Denim's directors Ahmed and Hasan Javed spoke to Sarah Jones, senior editor, strategic content at Sour...

Navigating the complexities of the current apparel supply chain can be cumbersome, particularly as consumers demand more sustainable and traceable alternatives and share concerns about greenwashing and labor conditions. As such, brands cannot afford to continue making sourcing decisions based exclusively on traditional pillars like cost, quality and lead times, according to Stuart McCready-Stocks,...

The 132-year-old Cone Denim, the oldest denim manufacturer based in the United States, knows a thing or two about denim but is hardly resting on its laurels. With vertical mills in Mexico and China, Cone Denim has recently invested about $14 million on more sustainable production initiatives, notably including creating a certified supply chain pipeline for recycled cotton in Mexico, water mitigati...

While some designers use 3D design merely as an add-on for existing sketches, others have realized the tremendous benefits of designing in 3D from the outset. 3D software lets designers virtually experiment and share versions with their teams—increasing ideations and creativity, all while decreasing time and sample costs. Lauren Parker, Director of Sourcing Journal’s Studio is joined by Bill Wilco...

Every retailer’s mantra is—or at least it should be—“Get the right product to the right place at the right time in the right amounts.” Yet in today’s increasingly complex retail climate, getting that right is harder than ever. As we’ve seen, having too much or too little product, or the wrong product, wreaks havoc on pricing, margins, financial liquidity and consumer satisfaction. Technology solut...

The strategic benefits of on-demand garment production are plentiful: inventory alignment, trimmed waste and higher margins. Today, this model is not the norm, but digital printing firm Kornit’s goal is scaling up made-to-order manufacturing. Here, Kornit's vice president of marketing Don Whaley speaks with Jessica Binns, managing editor and technology editor at Sourcing Journal, about the growing...

In 1973, Cotton Incorporated debuted a brand image for cotton fiber and the cotton industry that has had a lasting impact on cotton usage and consumer sentiment. Today, the Seal of Cotton can be seen on products across 70 countries, and 8 in 10 consumers say they are familiar with the trademark. The seal stands for three C’s: cotton, clothing and comfort. “Consumers love cotton, they trust it, and...

Cotton pricing depends on various factors, including basic supply and demand. Due to pandemic pressures, the market experienced volatility as circumstances changed rapidly. Although Supima and other extra-long staple cottons are unique in the market, these premium fibers have also been riding a pricing rollercoaster. Listen to the chat between Lewkowitz and Sourcing Journal founder Edward Hertzman...

Namza Akter remembers being on her way to her office in Dhaka when she heard about the 8:57 a.m. collapse of Rana Plaza. Before the workers rights activist and Bangladeshi Awaj Foundation founder learned there were more than 3,000 workers inside, more than a third of whom would be found dead in the rubble, her first thought went to news reports from the day before about factory workers complaining...

As brands seek to say more about sustainability, they need facts to back up their statements. This is where supply chain visibility comes into play, enabling communications to go beyond greenwashing. “You can't have sustainability without traceability,” said Buxton Midyette, vice president, marketing and promotions at Pima cotton organization Supima. “If you don't know where a product comes from,...

An efficient fashion supply chain has a lot of moving parts. It requires retailers, brands and suppliers to gather, centralize and act on sustainability compliance data in real time—across many teams and time zones. Visibility is key. Traceability is essential. But how can you build a collaborative supply chain ecosystem that goes beyond compliance? And how can you enhance it with communication to...

Having a net positive impact is often associated with carbon reduction, but to truly improve the world, companies must go beyond environmental responsibility to address the entirety of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance). As part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, both Pima cotton organization Supima and fashion brand Michael Stars have embraced educational and...

When Interloop rolled out its Vision 2025 strategy in 2021, it set many targets for growth across its apparel manufacturing business. But the core to this five-year plan is its investment in people. By 2025, the Pakistan-based apparel and hosiery manufacturer aims to increase workforce diversity by 30 percent by employing thousands of women in executive and non-executive teams. Additionally, the c...

Pandemic-era supply chain relationships have not always been on equal footing, with suppliers occasionally having to foot the bill for order cancellations and brands sometimes being left in the dark on the raw materials within their products. Paul Magel, president of application solutions at CGS, is adamant that it will take two to tango for any buyer-supplier relationship to thrive in the increas...