CHAPTER 1: What Is a Modern Fashion Supply Chain? CHAPTER 2: Discover Manufacturers for Your Modern Fashion Supply Chain CHAPTER 3: Understanding Modern Fashion Supply Chain Logistics CHAPTER 4: Inventory Planning within a Modern Fashion Supply Chain (Coming Soon!) CHAPTER 5: Managing a Modern Fashion Supply Chain (Coming Soon!)
COVID-19 has taken the world, and more specifically the fashion industry, by storm. Brands and design houses have been forced to shutter doors and postpone shows, major events such as the MetGala and CFDA Awards have been postponed indefinitely, and retail shops around the globe have had to close their storefronts under mandated order.
Overproduction is coined “retail’s dirty little secret.” It not only costs the U.S. an estimated $50 billion per year, it is destroying the planet and can lead to a lot of bad press for your brand. While it’s no secret that fast fashion giants like H&M and Zara are guilty of overproduction, in 2018, Burberry was under fire after it was revealed that $38 million worth of unsold stock for the luxury label was sent to be incinerated.
Online sellers and brick-and-mortar boutiques alike face the pressure of ever changing fashion purchasing channels. Amazon, a now leader in apparel, makes building a fashion brand and a feasible business strategy no simple undertaking.
After designing your fashion line, you have to determine what fabric to use. It is important to consider which materials best suit the designs in your clothing line. Each material you will use affects the final product’s feel, consistency, and look.
It’s common for fashion businesses to label themselves “high-end”. What’s less common, however, is for an apparel brand to produce clothing that’s high quality, message their brand as luxury, and sell their products at a high-end price point. It’s not enough to simply claim the title of “high-end”. Your brand must truly embody luxury level values in every thing – from conscientiously-sourced materials, to artisan-level production, to marketing and price point.
“Wholesale” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the retail industry, but what does it mean exactly? Wholesale is the “selling of goods in large quantities to be retailed by others.” While buying wholesale is appealing – particularly to boutique shop owners not looking to design the clothes they sell – using a wholesale supplier has its drawbacks.
Fashion designers evaluate several factors when choosing where to manufacture their clothing lines and accessories. Beyond the sticker price for labor, fashion designers must consider the quality of the craftsmanship, shipping and customs fees, contract negotiations, language barriers, transparency, and more.
