Category: Blogs

With the rise of the ethical consumer, more and more fashion brands are announcing their new efforts to commit to becoming more sustainable in the long run and engage in ethical sourcing practices. But, are consumers actually living up to their word when it comes to investing and buying ethical fashion products?

In the fashion industry, competition runs exceptionally high amongst fashion brands. If your quality is not up to scratch, you risk failing to meet industry and customer demands, waste a great deal of time, money and resources and inevitably fall behind your competition. Many apparel brands are also pressured to increase their output and maximize profits… Continue reading The Best Quality Assurance Methods for Apparel Brands

4 Proven Ways To Improve The Quality Of Your Softlines Producing high-quality softlines should be the end goal for all garment manufacturers and importers. But, in the highly competitive, complex fashion industry, if your product does not meet the lofty industry standards and consumer expectations, your brand can suffer immensely in terms of loss of… Continue reading 4 Proven Ways To Improve The Quality Of Your Softlines

The fashion industry, devoted to the business of making and selling clothes, is a multi billion dollar global enterprise and is one of the largest and most value-creating industries in the world. The global apparel market is valued at 842.7 billion dollars in 2016, up 5.5% from 2015 and constitutes 2 percent of the world’s… Continue reading [VIDEO] Understanding the Cost of Quality in the Apparel Industry

In the fashion industry, AQL is one of the most frequently used terms, specifically in the apparel export industry. It is referred to as the ‘Acceptable Quality Level’ and is defined as the percentage of defective pieces which are tolerated/accepted by the buyer from the manufacturer. In other words, it’s the quality level that is… Continue reading Textile Quality Management: Is AQL Your Only Option?

In the age of instant information via the internet, trends, news and information move at an accelerated rate. Moreover, as access to information grows, so has the awareness of the world around us and the impact of industry on human lives and the environment. Due to this increased digital transparency – the global trend for consumers to… Continue reading A Measured Path – The Higg Index and Sustainability

The leather material supply chain is complex creating multiple challenges for leather product importers as it is traditionally horizontal with many middleman and transformation steps where issues can occur. Everything from climate change to dangerous working conditions for staff can affect the supply chain, and cause importers problems.

With almost 70% of direct garment cost in textile products coming from raw materials, finding the structure that delivers the lowest cost when sourcing textiles and apparel can be challenging. Many mills operate with horizontal integration, and others have taken a vertically integrated approach.  Each of the two approaches has pros and cons to importers…

For those of us in the textile and apparel industry, sourcing sustainable fabrics poses some unique challenges. While it is certainly desirable for apparel brands to promote sustainability in the supply chain, how can it be assured, and what risks do we face?