Featured Articles
- 0
- 1
- 2
 Emerging Trends in Retail MarketingBY PASCAL BOLLON – GLOBAL DIRECTOR FASHION, GfK RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY Marketing theory grew hand in hand with mass-production and mass-consumption, a natural consequence of the technological, managerial and financial revolutions. Fashion retail marketing is no exception to the need to balance to the basic equation of mass investment in manufacturing, stocks and / or point of sa... Read More |
 Driving Productivity in the Apparel Supply ChainBY MIKE DOHENY, PRINCIPAL, MCKINSEY & COMPANY AND KARL-HENDRIK MAGNUS, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL, MCKINSEY & COMPANY It is high time supply chain thinking became more fashionable for apparel companies. While some have turned their supply chains into a source of competitive advantage, others still struggle to achieve acceptable performance amid changes in the commercial environment and in customer behaviour. Read More |
 Trend Forecasting: The Old, New Competitive AdvantageBY FRANK BOBER - CEO, STYLESIGHT Trend forecasting isn’t a new competitive advantage, it’s the instantaneous delivery of forecasting that’s driven by instinct and data that really offers an edge. It’s trend forecasting that works within the style industry’s greater creative lifecycle and workflow that provides return on in... Read More |
 ITMA 2011 - Celebrating 60 Years of SuccessBY STEPHEN R. COMBES - PRESIDENT, CEMATEX With the global business environment becoming increasingly competitive and complex, buyers have become more selective in choosing the exhibitions they attend in order to source the best equipment to help them improve their return on investments. They are constantly exploring options to improve their productivity and to integrate the upstream and downstream processes, as well as adding value to their product and service offeri... Read More |
 IAF World Apparel Convention 2011BY HARRY VAN DALFSEN - PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL APPAREL FEDERATION The world has dramatically changed over the last 3 years. Economical, financial and political developments have also influenced our fashion business worldwide. What was for sure for a long time is not necessarily the case for the near future. In some parts of the world the economy is booming whereas in other regions economic growth is slow with consumers hesitating to buy our pr... Read More |
 ITMA - The Global Textile and Apparel Industry’s Business and Knowledge PlatformBY SYLVIA PHUA – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MP INTERNATIONAL Today, the textile and apparel industries represent one of the most established manufacturing sectors in the industrialised world. With increasing globalisation and integration of communication, transportation and trade, industry players are constantly on the search for the ‘next big thing’ that could impact their bu... Read More |
 Virtual Fitting Rooms – The Only Way to TravelBY GARY LLOYD, COUNTRY MANAGER – UK & IRELAND, CISCO TELEPRESENCE TECHNOLOGY GROUP How many working days are ‘lost’ per year through international travel? Of all the companies in all the different industries that Cisco works with, I believe the fashion industry undisputedly suffers hardest from the effect of travelling time on their business; visiting suppliers, sourcing fabrics and reviewing designs all over the wo... Read More |
 Texprocess: New Trade-Fair Concept For The Modern Apparel MarketBY IRIS JEGLITZA-MOSHAGE – SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT, MESSE FRANKFURT Globalisation has advanced rapidly and a large proportion of the garments and textiles produced worldwide are now made in Asia. However, there are already signs of change here. With growing domestic demand and the increasing wages in China, many apparel manufacturers are looking for al... Read More |
 A New Myth of Sisyphus? The Highs and Lows of the Global Price of CottonBY ROBERT ANTOSHAK – MANAGING DIRECTOR, OLAH INC. Perception, as much as reality, drives markets, as does fear or greed. As cotton prices soared over the past year or so, the tension between reality and perception has come to dominate the textile business. Some people fear there's no cotton to be had anywhere, which is silly; there's plenty of cotton out there. It all just comes down to the price one is prepared to pay. The perception of a shortage has not only helped to feed panic in the market, but it has also helped suppliers to prime their customers for higher pr... Read More |
 The Business of Fashion Has Changed ForeverBY ANDREW DALZIEL – MARKETING DIRECTOR, LAWSON The fundamental shift in the manufacturing cost base and low cost sourcing destinations combined with stagnating Western retail demand is leading to a whole new set of economics and channels to market for the apparel and textile industry. Read More |
 The Evolution of Sourcing and the e-Sourcing ModelBY TONY FORCUCCI – GLOBAL DIRECTOR, APPAREL AND TEXTILES SOURCING MARKETPLACE, MFG.COM Forty years ago the USA and several other Western countries had strong textiles manufacturing centers and sourcing overseas was still somewhat of an exotic and complex route of trying to piece together a string of events over huge distances without the luxury of faxes, email, and chat. If for example you were based in a place like the USA, Italy, or Spain you had a solid “in-country” or “near-country” ability to handle your manufacturing needs and didn’t really have to travel too far to manufacture textiles and ap... Read More |
 Indian Textile and Apparel Industry: A Strategic OverviewBY SHARAD MEHRA – SR. VICE PRESIDENT - FASHION & APPAREL OPERATIONS, TECHNOPAK The Indian textile and apparel industry is one of the leading sectors of the Indian economy and one of the largest sources of foreign exchange earnings for India. This industry accounts for 5 percent of the Gross domestic product (GDP), 14 percent of industrial output, and around 17 percent of export earnings. The sector alone employs more than 35 million people directly. .... Read More |
 Work To Be Done...BY HAN J.A. BEKKE – SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL APPAREL FEDERATION Over the last decades the apparel world has dramatically changed. The globalization of apparel manufacturing, stimulated by the liberalization of trade in textiles and clothing some five years ago, has intensified competition in the textile-apparel pipeline. This has been accelerated by the present financial and economic turmoil that has also affected the fashion bu... Read More |
 Labour and Environmental Compliance: Managing a Sustainable Supply ChainBY STEVEN A. JESSEPH – CHIEF EXECUTIVE, WORLDWIDE RESPONSIBLE ACCREDITED PRODUCTION Labour and environmental compliance – ensuring that employees are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and that laws on wages, benefits, child labour, working hours, and health and safety are followed, and that we are not polluting the environment we all share – are the cornerstones of responsible business pr... Read More |
 Megatrends in the Fiber IndustryBY FRIEDRICH WENINGER – COO, LENZING GROUP Two years after the culmination point of the financial crisis we can state that the man-made fiber industry is back on track. Similar to the global economy the Emerging Markets play the role of being the growth locomotive for our industry. It is the development of domestic demand in the emerging markets that continually boosts a positive performance, and thus provides substantial im... Read More |
 PLM and Supply Chain Management: A Strategic ImperativeBY BILL BREWSTER – PRESIDENT, GLOBAL MARKETING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, GERBER TECHNOLOGY Visibility into the entire supply chain keeps management informed of critical vendor/supplier capabilities and allows early product development decisions to proactively affect sourcing placement awards. Key areas to monitor at the supplier level include social, technical, and environmental compliance records as well as available capacities, capabilities and sc... Read More |
 3D Body Scanning and Avatar Creation Come of Age for Virtual FashionBY DR. MICHAEL T. FRALIX – PRESIDENT AND CEO, [TC]² The basic output of the body scanner is a 3D point cloud generated over the body surface. Once the point cloud is computed, the application (Body Measurement System) first detects major landmarks (crotch point, armpit points) in the point cloud and then segments the body. Read More |
 High-Technology Fashion PLM Solutions: Transforming the Challenges of a Trend-Driven Industry into Sustainable Competitive AdvantagesBY WALTER WILHELM – CEO, WALTER WILHELM ASSOCIATES Today’s fashion industry is facing a unique challenge: consumers are becoming more and more cost-conscious, and we have to face the fact that fashion consumption is now largely driven by wants rather than needs. Together, these factors mean that brands are obliged to create desire in their customers, incite purchases, and fight for their part of market sh... Read More |
 Competitive Advantage through PLM: Staying Ahead of the CurveBY KARINA KOGAN – PRESIDENT, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS While it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that the current global economic climate is driving more and more businesses to seek that proverbial “competitive edge”, the truth of the matter is that regardless of the time, place or situation, every company wants that thing that sets them apart from the r... Read More |
 How to Take a Strategic Approach to PLM ImplementationBY VINOD RANGARAJAN – PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SOURCING SOLUTIONS, ZYMMETRY INC. No matter how much you plan and prepare, no matter how enthusiastic or supportive your user community is, you can count on resistance to change in some form. Human nature dictates that there will be people who oppose the changes that the organization is trying to make. Read More |
 Leveraging PLM for Sustainable Competitive AdvantageBY HANS THALBAUER – VICE PRESIDENT, SOLUTION MANAGEMENT, SAP PLM FOR SAP AG Gone are the days when a robust list of products and services ensured a company’s competitive advantage or when an entrepreneur could turn an idea into a dream company and then comfortably settle into a predictable niche, perfect a process or product, and expect a stable business. Read More |
 RFID Continues to Deliver Business Value for RetailersBY MIKE POLDINO – VICE PRESIDENT, ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS, MOTOROLA Every consumer is looking for the perfect outfit – from a pair of jeans or couture dress, to the accessories that help to enhance the look. For fashion designers and retailers, success of meeting each consumer’s needs hinges on having the right item, in the right style and size, in the right place, at the right ti... Read More |
 How the Fashion Industry can Emerge with AdvantageBY JOHN SQUIRE – VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, ENOVIA, DASSAULT SYSTÈMES While many companies may view the current global economic situation as a reason to limit spending, many market leaders are increasing their level of investment to ensure that they’re well-positioned to take advantage of new opportunities as the economy begins to bounce back. Read More |
 PLM Helps Companies Manage the Complexities of CPSIA ComplianceBY MARK BURSTEIN – PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING, NGC The deadline for complying with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) takes effect on Feb. 10, 2010, and the impact of these regulations has sent shock waves throughout the retail and consumer goods industries – adding significant cost and delays to supply chain operations. Read More |
 International Resources for Boutique BrandsBY DR. PAUL A FRIEDMAN – PRESIDENT, FASHIONWARE TECHNOLOGIES CORP. If ʻfashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six monthsʼ, as Oscar Wilde proposed, then the infrastructure that supports the fashion industry not only needs to be a step ahead, but it must be focused and targeted. Read More |
 Using ERP Technology to Optimize Your Supply Chain Functions – Are you getting the most out of your systems?BY RON GRILLI – CEO, SIMPAREL INC. In order to be competitive and operate with the efficiencies expected by your customers, it's critical to choose an ERP system that will support your needs with the utmost flexibility and lowest cost. After all, your ERP system is the work-horse behind managing the numerous changes within your business, from the organizational structure to the rules and regulations, and properly managing your supply ch... Read More |
PLM SYSTEMS — Seeing the Wood from the TreesBY ANDREW DALZIEL – MARKETING DIRECTOR, LAWSON Today’s global apparel and textile supply chains may help reduce production costs and provide access to complementary skills, however, they also add lead time and impede communication due to the large geographical distances, associated time zones, languages and cultures. Read More |
 Getting Products out Fashionable EarlyBY ANDREW SPENCE – DIRECTOR, SUPPLY CHAIN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, ORACLE Many AFA firms have reduced costs by outsourcing production, however it increases the need for quality control and compliance with regulation. The complexities of managing different suppliers and meeting certain regulations, related to safety and material sourcing, can become overwhelming for AFA businesses and can expose the inefficiencies and bad practices of their or... Read More |
 Advances in Knitting Technology: Innovation in ContextBY MASAKI KARASUNO – CREATIVE DIRECTOR, CORPORATE PLANNING DIVISION, SHIMA SEIKI In 1995, fearing the onslaught of inexpensive imports would damage the knitting industry of Japan and other consumer nations, Shima Seiki developed the WHOLEGARMENT knitting machine as a means for knit manufacturers to remain competitive despite such fierce conditions. It achieved this by developing the world's first commercial application of seam-free kn... Read More |
 Expanding PLM to Deliver on its “Lifecycle” PromiseBY SUSAN NIGRO – DIRECTOR OF PLM PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, CGS, INC. Over the past decade, fashion and other textile-based product manufacturers and retailers have been challenged to address increasing consumer demands for greater variety, more frequent innovation, and greater product value. The tough economic climate of the past two years has only served to accentuate the need for faster, more cost-effective, and better business operations and pr... Read More |