Supply Chain in the Fashion and Apparel Industry
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Supply Chain in the Fashion and Apparel Industry
Fashion is part of the broader textile and apparel industry ranging from high-end luxury brands to mainstream brands for the fast markets. The industry’s core business is producing and selling clothes along different lines, and its distinguishing factor is nature and the level of materials produced (Kim, 2013). Fashion includes styles accessories worn at any given time by any person, and revolves around the design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, retailing, advertising and promoting the brands. The industry is one of the highly globalized with a possibility of every supply chain process-taking place within different countries yet the product still reaches the consumer (Holweg, & Martin, 2011).
At the macro-level, the supply chain begins with allocation of resources, positioning of brands and implementation of key strategies for a successful supply chain. The manufacturers of apparels have to identify the places where to establish plants and invest in manufacturing capacities, outsourcing activities and introduction of the product to the market. The product or brand has to be selected with partners in the process collaborating to ensure that the product reaches the consumer (Salam, 2011). The product selection should be in tandem with the supply chain process with potential partners on board. Monitoring and implementation of strategies and measuring objectives in place for the supply chain process requires close attention.
Establishment of the supply chain process requires higher collaborations and coordination of different activities and operation spread over supply chain partners from raw material to the product. The process is complex with entities that have responsibility in part or in whole with the potential of creating problems during interaction that, the supply chain must have a model of decomposing and solving. The industry has an integration of input in terms of shared information within different levels of decision making across the globe (Gargeya, & Su, 2012). It has integration of all its processes within collective functioning.
At micro-level, the distinct entities perform best to ensure that there is proper coordinated functioning to support success of the process (Esper, Stank, & Thomas, 2010). Within the current capabilities and advancements, the micro-level supply chain of the supply chain performs with ease since every unit has its role to play in the success of the other. Cloth processing begins at identifying raw product for production of the fabric used. The fabric and accessory producers strive to do their best to avail their products, which are later used to make apparel (Gargeya, & Su, 2012). Designers of the clothing are ever ready with their designs that are used to identify the model that will best meet the customer demands at any particular time.
Even as the supply chain of the fashion industry may seem complex or simple, the coordination that exists is ensures the success of every process. After the production of different standard clothing, distributors then supply them to the retailers who then stock them for purchase by consumers (Kim, 2013). Advertising and promotion are a collaborative effort by all the key players in the process with the manufacturer and retailer promoting sales whereas designers develop their brands and designs (Salam, 2011). Players in the supply chain process are well coordinated and collaborate to ensure that products reach the consumer at the right time in the taste that meets their needs and demands.
The key strengths of fashion supply chain are that its strategies align with the competitive objectives (Gargeya, & Su, 2012). The industry has expanded to become a significant segment of global business supported with technological advancements. The industry’s supply chain strategy is designed to be responsive to highly changing market and demands consistent to the collaborating partners in the process. The industry has plans in place to ensure that it influences its markets with the brand releases to ensure that they create the demand for the products and balancing the customer needs (Esper, Stank, & Thomas, 2010).
As much as the industry enables information sharing supported by technology in place, the industry still experiences weaknesses in its supply chain due to disintegrated supply chain systems. The industry development is that every segment produces a standard product chosen and used by the final manufacturer to give final product (Holweg, & Martin, 2011). The industry has high-level market demand, short product life cycles and the uncertainties on what the customer requires. A delay in the supply chain system may end up lowering value of the product when it reaches market because the products are passed by time.
The supply chain of the industry is sustainable in the end and is not breaking anytime given the nature of product and its markets and the options brought about by technology. The industry has higher compliance standards to the different regions it operates (Wolf, 2011). It has ensured that it creates market-driven demand to ensure sale of its products. It ensures policies and compliance to tame pollution by the partners involved in the supply chain (Fahimnia, Sarkis, Soosay, & Varsei, 2014). It can be recommended that each supply chain process be responsive to the consumer needs and create avenues for information sharing to ensure that the products meet customer specifications when they reach the markets.