Vietnam is best known for manufacturing basic ranges of garments.  Even though in the South, around Ho Chi Minh City, factories are producing more sophisticated garments, most manufacturers are still focused on big volume orders of simpler styles. Kiara Garments, a state-of-the-art factory just two hours outside of Hanoi (in Nam Dinh province), is doing something different.   It specializes in making more complex mid-tier ladies tops and dresses.  Kiara is one of on...

Outlet malls are playing a key role in China to help brands clear inventory – and bringing luxury labels to the mid-tier consumer. China’s consumers are becoming increasingly similar to shoppers in developed markets.  One sign of the nation’s retail evolution is the growing success of outlet malls. In 2002, China welcomed its first outlet mall.  However only recently has this retail model taken off.  Since 2016, outlet malls have been one of the few ret...

“I see that there are three different groups of buyers right now,” said Brent Crossland.  “One group simply wants to know that the cotton they are using is grown sustainably.  A second group wants to take it a bit further.  They want to talk about some of the inititaives and advancements that sustainable cotton farmers are doing.  Then there’s a third group that wants something where they are more ‘invested’.  They want US cotton that ...

Subscription services were hailed as the ‘next big thing’; the newest e-commerce launch that was going to revolutionize the way consumers shopped and in the process lay one more blow to traditional retail.Turns out, that’s not what’s happening.Recent consumer surveys show that the level of consumer adoption of subscriptions, outside of the entertainment category, is fairly low.  Less than a quarter of all consumers who made a digital purchase in the past 18 months ha...

Traditional Brands to DNVBs:   “Welcome to Our World”Since the early days of the tech boom, executives at established brands and retailers have been justifiably envious of the business ‘playground’ that e-commerce start ups enjoyed, while they toiled away to meet quarterly profit targets.   Unlike shareholders, venture capitalists were looking to fund innovation and top line growth - with no immediate concern about profitability.  The goal:  ...

Toys R Us Cancels IP Auction, Focus Shifts to Brand Development Toys R Us could be making a surprise comeback. The iconic 70-year old US specialty toy store has received court approval to cancel a previously scheduled October auction of its brand marks and intellectual property.  Instead, it will pursue a plan of reorganisation that will shift the focus to developing its popular brand names.In the court filing, Toys R Us attorneys said that by retaining its IP (rather than selling...

A transparent supply chain is not that easy to achieve, especially for the apparel industry where manufacturing spans many nations, and where documentation is often nebulous, if you can even get it.

Can one company change an entire industry? Muhammad Sohail has a vision for Pakistan’s textile industry and his company, Green Textiles International (GTI), is working with companies to help them find practical, commercially viable ways to become more sustainable.

A race to open factories in Vietnam (in part driven by the US-China trade war) could be both a blessing and a curse for the nation.  Most countries actively court inward investment however for Vietnam, there’s the very real threat of ‘too much, too soon’.  Here are the potential threats Massive investment could lead to disorder in Vietnam’s market, as competition for land on which to build factories and labor heats up. Vietnamese manufacturer...

Michael Kors is said to be negotiating to buy Versace for an estimated $2.4 billion. Versace has sales of around $800 million. Kors had $4.7 billion in sales in the year ended in March. While the Versace acquistion will help to boost top line sales, will make enough of a contribution to the bottom line?