Sourcing Journal Radio

Transparency may be seen as a major buzzword throughout the apparel supply chain, but to build “the greenest ecosystem that denim has ever seen,” Crescent Bahuman Limited knows it has to be 100 percent transparent about the materials being woven within its denim products to embody the sustainability principles that have driven the company for nearly three decades. Zaki Saleemi, vice president of C...

As digital transformation takes shape across not just apparel, but all industries, speed to market and customization continue to become greater demands for consumers. The rise in content platforms such as Spotify and Netflix, as well as delivery services like Amazon Prime, has produced an expectation that individualized tastes need to be catered to at all times. Omer Kulka, chief marketing officer...

Apparel overproduction remains one of the biggest costs on both the industry and the environment. In fact, Omer Kulka, chief marketing officer at printing solutions provider Kornit Digital, estimates that between 20 and 25 percent of manufactured apparel goes unsold. Such alarmingly high numbers indicate that apparel needs a better way to produce that not only keeps garments out of landfills, but...

An engaged employee is often a happier one and a better performing one. In a working environment like a factory, building a real relationship with employees can save brands both time and money. Jose R. Suarez, founder and CEO of Vaēso and Impactiva, calls the 60 million factory workers across apparel and footwear “artisans” as a way to underscore the significance of their position. Further, he cal...

As a customer-centric industry, retail is often viewed in the lens of improving the front-end experience to boost sales, even by its top executives, and the factory side of the supply chain is too often “out of sight, out of mind” for C-level leaders. This mentality must change if the industry is to overcome the production and quality issues that the pandemic has worsened. “If the C-level suite do...

The future of the supply chain may be driven by consolidation as Covid-19 fueled bankruptcy hits more manufacturers and suppliers. But even if more factories close, the challenges apparel retailers and brands have faced in gaining visibility over their processes can be overcome if they’re willing to get as close to the source as possible. Jose Suarez, founder and CEO of Vaēso, a comprehensive digi...

The fashion supply chain is infamously opaque, but brands and retailers are increasingly heeding calls for greater transparency and traceability that gets to the heart of their social and environmental impact. The shift can’t come soon enough. According to a 2019 survey by Ipsos MORI, four in five Americans want fashion brands to provide more information about their environmental commitments and t...

Carbon neutral. Climate positive. Carbon negative. Net zero. Today, it's no longer enough for an environmentally conscious brand or retailer to simply be "sustainable." And no wonder: The fashion industry is responsible for anywhere between 4 percent to 10 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, depending on the source—too much, no matter how you look at it. But what do these terms mean, exactly?...

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a period of unprecedented upheaval for the retail industry, which has fielded a battery of hits due to shuttered storefronts, retreated foot traffic, shrinking discretionary incomes and mounting economic uncertainty. Brands and retailers have to contend with collapsing revenues, rent payments and mountains of unsold merchandise. Does something need to change? In...

Sustainable sourcing begins with raw materials. Experts agree that a “sustainable materials mix” should be a priority for the fashion industry because they can reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, pare back water and carbon footprints and pose less of a burden at the end of their lives. But what makes a material sustainable? And should we look to the past or the future for answers? In this episode...

G-Star RAW's denim and sustainability expert, Adriana Galijasevic, has a wealth of knowledge she wants to share with the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the ultimate impact of COVID-19 won’t be known for years, apparel has already begun to assess the damage, as businesses across the value chain chart a course through the pandemic. From a rocky start filled with cancelled orders and fractured relationships, the industry is now looking ahead to the initiatives, technologies and culture shifts that could finally transform it. In this episode of...

Kontoor Brands senior director of global sustainable business Roian Atwood is somewhat of a wonk for denim sustainability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warp + Weft founder Sarah Ahmed talks inclusivity and building a direct-to-consumer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outland Denim founder James Bartle dishes about his decision to dabble in crowdfunding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Denham, founder of Denham, talks quality, premium jeans and preparing for pandemics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fashion needs to rethink its take-make-dispose model. With the COVID-19-stalled supply chains exacerbating the millions of tons of of textile waste produced every year, keeping clothing out of the landfill has become more vital than ever. In the this episode of the Sustaining Voices podcast, Sourcing Journal reporter Jasmin Malik Chua speaks with Gwen Cunningham, lead of the Circle Textiles progra...

Sustainability has moved from the sidelines to the center of the conversation but even so, the apparel industry is facing so many headwinds, it’s fair to wonder how and if the C-suite can and will prioritize true change in this area. In this episode, Karl-Hendrik Magnus and Sara Kappelmark, apparel industry experts from McKinsey & Company, discuss the McKinsey Apparel CPO Survey, which revealed pu...

Talking about the state of today’s apparel industry without focusing on sustainability is impossible. After years of poor, inefficient practices, marked by the rise of fast fashion, the industry is now struggling with nearly every aspect of sustainability—how to make less, what to consider while making it, what to do with it at the end of its life, and how to even define what sustainability should...

For the past year, the apparel and footwear industries have been on edge as tranche after tranche of tariffs have been placed on goods coming out of China. And while our industries had largely been spared, consumers are likely to feel the full brunt of the impact starting with Spring ’20 goods. In response to the uncertainty and hit to the bottom line, brands and retailers have been searching for...

Blockchain is—finally!—evolving from buzzword to mainstream terminology, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t saddled with confusion. In the latest episode of Sourcing Journal Radio, SJ founder and president Edward Hertzman sits down with Amit Guatam of TextileGenesis to learn how the technology can be used to authenticate fibers, which—for as long as clothing has been sold—has been nearly impossible to...

Menno van Meurs, CEO of Tenue de Nîmes, talks about sourcing premium denim and building a sense of community in denim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether they’re jumping into a spin class or running to the office, consumers today expect the same thing from their clothes. They want them to look great, feel even better—and have a positive impact on the planet. And DuPont™ Sorona® offers exactly that. The 37 percent plant-based polymer can be used to add comfort and durability to formal wear, workout clothes and everything in between. Renee He...

Isko product manager Baris Ozden discusses trends, street style and why the future of sustainability relies on “responsible innovation.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has several key points that differentiate it from its predecessor—points the textile and apparel industries need to take note of before it comes up for a vote in Congress. Here, Suzanne Richer, director of the Trade Advisory Practice for E2Open, points out: • The differences between NAFTA and USMCA • How the new agreement handles rules of origin • What companies ne...