Supply Chain

To help fashion brands and businesses meet growing demand for more resilient and sustainable sourcing solutions amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, Milano Unica, Italy’s bi-annual textile and accessories trade fair, is evolving its focus and programming. BoF learns more from Simone Canclini, president of Milano Unica.

Trump’s “America First” trade agenda is designed to encourage domestic manufacturing. But ambitions to move more apparel production to the US have been stymied for years by limited capacity and high costs.

Uncertainty around the rollout of the tariffs — how long they’ll last and whether more are in the works — complicates the fashion industry’s ability to adjust to the new reality.

President Trump is considering changes to the US “de minimis” exemption on import tariffs, which has become controversial due to its role in trade imbalances and the rapid growth of Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Ahead of Texworld NYC next week, the biannual trade event which sees global textile suppliers and manufacturers meet with buyers from across the fashion industry, BoF examines the key themes which the fair’s programming forecasts will shape 2025’s textile sourcing.

To combat the high costs of overstock and stock-outs, winning brands are improving their end-to-end planning with tech tools and operating models that allow for greater supply-chain agility, according to the BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2025.

Software platforms that help fashion brands turn slightly damaged returned goods into new sales are taking off as more companies look to transform online returns from a persistent dilemma into a source for profitable growth.

Following the closing of ports on the East and Gulf coasts, which accounts for more than 50 percent of apparel and accessories imported in the US, retailers are left to figure out how to get their goods to their stores and customers ahead of the busiest time of year.

Dockworkers across the US East and Gulf coasts have launched a historic strike for the first time in nearly 50 years, disrupting operations at 36 major ports and potentially causing an economic loss of up to $4.5 billion daily.

In a partnership with resale service provider Reflaunt, the global logistics giant now offers a fulfilment, shipping and platforming solution for brand clients interested in entering the secondhand space.

Shein and Temu’s growth is squeezing out space for other industries on air freighters, just as global firms are scrambling to find alternative logistics options due to the Red Sea disruptions.

From zeroing in on traceability to sharpening inventory management, PVH’s chief supply chain officer, David Savman, unpacks in this interview for The State of Fashion 2024 what it takes for retailers, brands and their suppliers to thrive together.