Sourcing Journal Radio

Material innovation takes two forms. You can develop new alt materials that have less impact on the planet, or you can take existing fossil fuel-based materials and develop circular recycling systems to keep them out of landfills and use them again. Both innovations are exciting and both are hard. The good news is that VC funding in the green space has bounced back, albeit with a more selective approach that shifts the investing vibe from "gold rush" to "growth state." In this episode, Alex Harrell, Sourcing Journal's sustainability and innovation reporter, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about what's new and what's next in material innovation, what "innovation tourism" is and why it's slowing progress. Download the Material Innovation Report: https://bit.ly/4lHK5DU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shapewear has typically been associated with synthetic fibers, but a recent launch from Spanx is proving natural materials have a place in the category.Based on consumer feedback, Spanx set out to create shaping garments using natural fibers, and it landed on long-staple Supima cotton as the base material. The SpanxShape Invisible Supima Cotton collection combines Supima’s natural inherent benefits with targeted stretch and hold from Lycra FitSense. The result is lightweight, breathable, moisture-wicking innerwear that gives the shaping Spanx is known for. In this episode, Spanx's chief design officer Pascale Gueracague and Supima's vice president, marketing and promotions Buxton Midyette talk with Sarah Jones, senior editor, strategic content at Sourcing Journal, about what makes Supima a fit for shapewear and how this collection delivers the "Spanx effect." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Business is rapidly embracing technology, but at what cost? Can robots and AI can make the fashion industry smarter, faster, better—without sacrificing humanity? Sourcing Journal's business reporter/tech editor Meghan Hall chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diversification has quickly turned from “nice to have” to “need to have” as an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China has made the industry’s number one manufacturing destination a more expensive choice. In a challenging climate, brands are also becoming more risk averse, and a broader sourcing map that goes beyond the “China plus one” strategy helps to hedge against headwinds. “The importance of diversification—and not just to one other area plus China, but to many other geographical locations in several different continents, potentially—is seen as an importance and an urgency, regardless of the logistical frictions that may exist in pursuing such a strategy,” said Yossi Nasser, CEO of Gelmart, which manufactures intimates for major retailers like Target and Walmart. Although it also has operations in China, Gelmart is leaning on its factories in the Philippines amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. More than just a means to circumvent a tariff spat, Nasser noted the Philippines is a sourcing destination that should be on the industry’s radar.  Listen to this episode to hear Nasser speak with Sourcing Journal's sourcing and labor editor Jasmin Malik Chua about what makes the Philippines a solid choice for garment production and how Gelmart is strategizing for long-term resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talk about tariffs has been filling newspapers, websites, airwaves, boardrooms, factory floors and dinner tables for a while, but reality is just starting to sink in now. What are the true costs of tariffs, and who is going to be paying for them? Ian Fredericks, president and CEO of Hilco Consumer-Retail, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about how tariff worries — real and perceived — are affecting shopping behavior, inventory and pricing, and what companies can do to prepare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Geopolitical upheaval. Tariffs and trade wars. Inflation. Sustainability concerns. Changing buying patterns. As the list of disruptions and demands that the industry must consider when sourcing goods keeps growing, one strategy has become a top priority: diversification. “The retailers and the brands are looking for multiple countries of origin and mitigating their risk by making sure that their productions are spread across different regions,” said Masooma Zaidi, vice president sales and merchandising at manufacturer Interloop Limited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Upscale legacy brands have a challenge when it comes to technology. How do you blend future-facing digital strategy with the timelessness of luxury? How do you balance exclusivity with digital-first accessibility? And how do you integrate omnichannel innovation into personalization, as well as the in-store experience? Here, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Yang Lu, the chief information officer at Tapestry, to learn how Tapestry is approaching luxury in this digital age. Lu explained the company’s test-and-learn digital strategy to meet customers where they are, and why “iteration is the new perfection.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political will toward sustainability is constantly shifting, and with the official exit from the Paris Agreement and a ‘drill, baby drill’ fossil fuel mentality, things are moving in another direction. This has created a climate of uncertainty for eco-minded businesses seeking support from government sustainability requirements. That said, the underlying drivers of a sustainable future—innovation, tapping into cost-efficient renewable energy, and consumer demand for ethical practices—remain intact. In other words, eco-champions are a tenacious bunch. Sourcing Journal has dug deep into the situation with its State of the Industry Sustainability Report, released the same day as our Sustainability Summit in New York. Here, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with two editors who wrote most of the report: Jasmin Malik Chua, SJ’s Sourcing and labor editor, and Alex Harrell, SJ’s Sustainability & Innovation Reporter. To download SJ's Sustainability Report, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lately, tariffs have become the most powerful word in the world. They are moving stock markets, upending longstanding international trade agreements, and evoking lots of confusion—and emotion—across industries. Sourcing Journal recently released its annual State of the Industry Sourcing Report, and one thing is clear: tariff turmoil has gripped the fashion sector. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal’s features editor and resident tariff expert, on where things stand now, where they might go, and all the implications in between. To download SJ's Sourcing Report, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roughly half the world’s zippers and fasteners come from YKK, totaling an astounding 10 billion zippers in 2024 alone. And at such scale, these little parts have big impacts. That’s why YKK has doubled down on sustainability, from recycled materials and zipper slides that can carry data-carrying digital product passports (DPPs) to new material innovations that allow for circularity. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director, SJ and Fairchild Studios, chats with Brian La Plante, senior manager, sustainability, of the Japan-based YKK Fastening Products Group, about addressing sustainability's "full hierarchy of circularity." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices