A nascent trend of clothing start-ups bringing business back to American factories in under way. Over the past two decades, there was a 90 percent decline in apparel manufacturing industry in the U.S., from 940,000 jobs in 1990 to 136,000 in 2015. This has been in part due to the Trans-Pacific Partnerships, which provide incentives such as lower tariffs for companies that want to produce clothes overseas - though the merits of free trade have been hotly contested in this election cycle.
Social and environmental compliance are the main issues facing today's apparel supply chains, according to industry experts consulted by just-style. The continued shift towards faster and faster fashion cycles, along with pressure on retailers to adapt to an omni-channel experience, is also throwing up challenges when it comes to flexibility in global sourcing.