Sourcing Journal Radio

With so much “haziness” in today’s apparel supply chain, Sorona® is determined to give brands and consumers alike the confidence that they are getting high-performance fabric backed by true sustainability claims. In launching the Common Thread Fabric Certification Program for Sorona® in 2020, DuPont Biomaterials made this a reality. Those interested in certification must submit fabric swatches to...

Apparel demand has reached a new level of unpredictability. During the pandemic, the purchasing behavior pendulum has swung from weak sales amid early lockdowns to revenge spending in 2021. Historical data is therefore no longer a strong predictor of market performance. Retailers are also contending with supply chain disruptions, including expanded lead times and shipping schedules that threaten o...

Part of the appeal of producing garments in Peru comes from the homegrown natural fibers, including cotton and alpaca. And while these raw materials are attractive for their quality, they also boast strong sustainability credentials. As Rizal Bragagnini, executive director of the Peru Textiles Exporters Association, explained, these fibers have the added benefit of durability. For instance, in tes...

Following a challenging pandemic period for the global garment industry, Peru’s apparel sector is bouncing back. Exports are up over 2020, and according to Mario Ocharan, director of export promotion at trade and tourism organization PromPeru, the nation expects shipments to meet or exceed 2019 levels. In a chat with Sourcing Journal founder and president Edward Hertzman, Ocharan and Rizal Bragagn...

Amid the retail disruptions of the pandemic, consumers began shopping online more than ever before. But escalating e-commerce sales are not solely a positive for retailers’ profitability. In AlixPartners and Sourcing Journal’s recent industry survey: “2021 Fashion in Focus: Investing in a Future Forged by Adversity,” respondents were largely split on whether the growth in online sales had an accre...

Online retailers have a recurring returns problem, especially in the footwear category where they can be as high as 30 to 40 percent. As e-commerce continues to grow at an exponential rate, this challenge will unfortunately only become more prevalent. But, one company is combining 3D foot scanning and artificial intelligence (AI) in an effort to eliminate the issue entirely and give consumers the...

For sourcing professionals, the pandemic has served up a seemingly never-ending series of logistical quagmires. Factory shutdowns, transportation capacity constraints and cost spikes, and raw material shortages forced companies to adopt plan B, C or even D. Outside of the direct effects of Covid-19, environmental disasters and geopolitical upheaval threaten to abruptly cut off supply or derail shi...

During the pandemic, home goods sales have soared as consumers prioritize spending on their living spaces. At the same time, shopping migrated online and individuals gained more time to investigate their purchases, leading them to invest in quality, organic and sustainable goods. Eco-mindedness is not solely a millennial or Gen Z trait. During a recent conversation with Sourcing Journal founder an...

For fashion to break out of its disposability rut, it needs to focus on quality. And quality begins with using materials that can last. A key tactic to reduce a garment’s impact is to get more use out of it. Being able to wash and wear something 40 times instead of five times makes a huge difference in the overall calculation of its environmental cost, explained World Textile Sourcing (WTS) CEO Lu...

Sustainability has been a top talking point for the apparel supply chain in recent years, but it’s safe to say that mere awareness doesn’t cut it anymore. Results are a must. To get there, brands have to set “measurable and quantifiable” goals, according to Min Zhu, Ph. D., technical director, U.S. and Canada softlines at SGS North America Inc., a testing, inspection and certification company. But...

Got data? Of course, you do. Most companies are drowning in it. But useful data? That’s a different story. “Talk to brand executives or decision makers today and no one’s really saying they don’t have enough data,” said Dan Leahy, co-founder and CEO of retail product decision platform MakerSights. “But ask people within a brand responsible for bringing products to market: ‘Do you have the data at...

While the Covid-19 pandemic hit most retailers hard, it created uniquely intense challenges for Hotter Shoes. The vast majority of the footwear retailer’s sales were to older customers who patronized the company’s brick-and-mortar stores. These customers, who are not digital natives, were among the least likely to shift to buying online. Hotter needed to build up its e-commerce presence and appeal...

Sustainability doesn’t always have to be a hefty investment. For apparel brands that don’t know where to begin tackling sustainability, starting small can be a great way to build out a more eco-friendly supply chain. As brands prioritize using more sustainable raw materials, adopting circularity initiatives or setting science-based targets, they often overlook labeling as an area for quick improve...

Marks & Spencer is listening to its customers. Five years after enlisting First Insight to assist in determining design, buying and pricing for lingerie products, Marks & Spencer (M&S) has scaled up the company’s “Voice of the Customer” product testing. The U.K.-based retailer has since expanded the consumer-driven predictive analytics software platform to more than 50 departments in apparel and f...

While there are numerous new tech platforms to help retailers improve efficiencies on their sales floor, a system is only as good as the frontline workers who use it. Brick-and-mortar retailing has already suffered greatly—with consumers migrating to e-commerce faster than you can say “free shipping”—and the frontline work force now is being tasked with more complex jobs. This leads to sub-optimal...

Customer demand is becoming more unpredictable by the minute, putting retailers on the defensive as they try to understand how to optimize their product merchandise offering, services and experiences. In today’s world, to get the supply and demand equation right, retailers must generate as much data as possible from product testing. “They need to rely on data to anticipate as opposed to react,” sa...

The mass cancellation of apparel orders throughout the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an excess supply of raw materials that manufacturers and suppliers quickly pivoted into the products that survived the chopping block. That left a dearth of inputs once new orders began to flow again. This chain of events put supply chains under unprecedented pressure, and created questions around the quality and...

More than ever, apparel brands are tasked with adapting to a global environment that they have no control over. With higher sustainability standards among consumers and growing ethical concerns about textile origins, brands can no longer remain ignorant to the nature of the raw materials they are sourcing. Raw material provenance, in particular, became a flashpoint when U.S. Customs and Border Pro...

Today’s apparel supply chain is in dire need of an accountability check. As brands today deliver bold promises such as “ethically made” jeans or “sustainably sourced” jackets, more consumers are demanding the proof behind these statements. But while there are many actors throughout the supply chain, it is ultimately the brand that is still responsible for the authenticity and traceability of the a...

Robert McMillan of Dearborn Denim discusses the appeal of Made in America denim, and how it makes for a more sustainable product. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers founder Han Ates discussed the ways in which his brand is practicing social sustainability and creating a London aesthetic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kings of Indigo’s Tony Tonnaer discusses how his sustainable foundation helped him navigate the pandemic, and what he has in store for 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeanologia’s CEO Enrique Silla discusses the company’s contributions during Covid-19 and what it learned from the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rudolf Group’s Alberto de Conti discussed Hub 1922’s latest innovations launched during Covid-19 that will have a lasting impact on the denim industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maurice Malone of Williamsburg Garment Company talks about the state of diversity in denim and the benefits of DTC beyond a pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices