Apparel

Ralph Lauren Unveils Forest-Friendly Sourcing Policy

January 17, 2017

Ralph Lauren has committed to tracing its supply of wood-based fabrics to prevent rainforest destruction and human rights abuses.

Ralph Lauren Joins Fight To Ensure Fabrics Not Damaging Forests And Lives

January 12, 2017

The New York Times

Fashion giant Ralph Lauren Corp, whose designs are sashayed on Hollywood's red carpets, has unveiled plans to trace wood pulp used in its clothes to avoid buying from regions destroying forests or violating human rights.

How Technology Is Improving The Returns Process

January 11, 2017

RIS News

Retailers prepare for months for the all-important holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the holiday season can account for as much as 30 percent of an individual retailer's total sales. The NRF also notes that the holiday returns process accounts for about 24 percent of returns for the entire year.

European Co-op Tries RFID For Tagging Shoes

January 10, 2017

RFID Journal

ANWR Group, a European trade cooperative composed of footwear, leather-goods, sporting-goods and bicycle retailers, is conducting a three-store proof-of-concept (POC) project involving the RFID-tagging of shoes.

The Future Of Fashion Is Mushroom Leather: A More Sustainable Fashion Industry

January 9, 2017

Bloomberg

As you slipped into heels or a tux to toast the New Year, you probably weren't thinking about the fact that the leather in your shoes polluted drinking water in Indian villages, or that merino sheep were made miserable for your suit - and François-Henri Pinault doesn't want you to have to. This year, the 54-year-old Frenchman is toasting the results in his 2016 sustainability report.

Retailer Asos Boosts U.K. Sourcing After Pound's Brexit Fall

January 5, 2017

Bloomberg

Asos Plc, Britain's largest online-only fashion retailer, plans to double its U.K. manufacturing as the pound's post-Brexit plunge makes domestic production more affordable.

A Custom Shirt Is No Longer So Hard to Find

January 4, 2017

The New York Times

Seph Skerritt bought his first custom shirt in Shanghai, during an internship after college. It got him thinking why the same service wasn't available to a wider audience. "I told them exactly what I wanted, and that's what I got," he said.

KnowTheChain Ranks Supply Chains That Are Fighting Forced Labor

January 3, 2017

Apparel

KnowTheChain has launched a ranking of 20 large apparel and footwear companies on their efforts to eradicate forced labor and human trafficking from their supply chains, finding that only a small group of companies seriously addresses exploitation. Most companies have systems in place to monitor and react to forced labor and human trafficking, but few companies address systemic causes, the human rights group says.

The Growing Pressure on Supply Chains to Eradicate Slavery and Human Trafficking

January 3, 2017

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Laws and regulations to eliminate human-rights violations in global supply chains are multiplying. But companies shouldn't consider their current lack of "teeth" as a license to ignore them.

5 Worst Practices for Managing Global Freight

January 1, 2017

Phil Marlowe, President, Acuitive Solutions

Apparel

The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the apparel industry — which consists of companies that manufacture clothing, accessories and footwear. Learn how apparel companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.