Meet Matthew Aldo Susabda, CEO of Dust Jeans, a bestselling fashion brand for young consumers.
Despite the challenges of fast fashion competitors, Dust continues to hold - and grow - its market share.
And, no, they are not doing this by offering cheaper prices.
We're keeping an eye on a lot of market signals as we monitor the apparel supply chain.
Right now it looks like demand is picking up, but there's still a lot of uncertainty about how much growth we can expect to see at the consumer level.
As the complexities around apparel sourcing are greater than ever before, brands are starting to see the value of working with sourcing agents and other 3rd party service providers.
In 2023, Cambodia saw 241 new large-scale factories and 98 factories closed, making the number of large-scale factories operating nationwide reach 2,125, employing 1,040,333 workers, per the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI).
The advantage of having experienced ‘boots on the ground’ staff in-country who can handle quality assurance, compliance, merchandising and all the other day-to-day tasks is vital to being able to source successfully in that country.
Vietnam has introduced a key policy where businesses will have to inventory their greenhouse gas emissions.
Hanoi will start requiring major polluters to detail their plans to cut emissions - as aims to reduce reliance on cheap fossil fuels instead of investing in clean tech.
The key to AI is access to massive amounts of data. But data could be harder and harder to collect ...
1. Regulators are continuing to make access to data much more difficult.
2. The Internet is becoming increasingly full of AI-generated content which is bad as training data.
As AI becomes more widely used there is a possible ‘single point of failure’ that we need to consider:
The value and uniqueness of all products could drop to near-0.
AI is trained on existing data so over reliance on it could lead to even more product sameness than we have now.
Smart executives try to at least have a few possible scenarios - and how they could respond - as part of their strategic plans.
To do this effectively, brands are now building partnerships with sourcing agents who can expand a brand's view of the market.
An import loophole that predates e-commerce has enabled import shipments under $800 in value duty and tax exemptions into the US and Europe. (other countries have similar arrangements)
Cambodia’s private sector plans to establish a green special economic zone (SEZ) in Koh Kong province, which would be a role model for others.
The green SEZ is expected to be an eco-friendly hub for exports and production, potentially attracting considerable foreign investment.
How Stores are Saving Retail; US reluctant to cut rates; Apparel sales continue to grow preview.mailerlite.com/a3c6d…
More brands are looking to partner with solid sourcing agents who offer a low risk way to enter - or test - new markets.
The advantages of have experienced people on the ground - without having to open your own office - can alone be a huge win for brands.
Getting a closer look at the data behind what makes U.S. cotton sustainable and transparent.
So many reasons why U.S. cotton is a perfect solution for meeting sustainability goals and bringing more quality into apparel.
What a pleasure to be on the stage with U.S. cotton!!
ALT Jane Singer speaking at the US Cotton Sustainability Forum in Seoul, Korea
FTAs Drive Cambodia’s Export Growth
Cambodia’s membership in RCEP, along with bilateral FTAs with China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates and being part of ASEAN, has been foundational in driving exports.
Can The Demand for Fast Fashion Compete with the Request for Higher Worker Wages?
Most manufacturers are saying that they feel crushed by the sharp rise in energy, logistics, materials - and wages.
However brands say they are facing their own pressures.
