Global Fashion Industry Leaders Share 2024 Strategies

Perspectives from Every Link of the Supply Chain

In addition to survey findings compiled from more than 300 industry stakeholders, the new CGS Annual Supply Chain Trends & Technology Report, STEERING THROUGH THE STRAITS, includes in-depth interviews with four global fashion industry leaders. Ranging from manufacturing to retail, Canada to the U.K., each executive offers unique perspectives on business conditions, the state of the supply chain, and strategies for success in 2024 and beyond.

The following is a sampling of the valuable insights you will gain when you Download the Free Report.

CONFETEX - Full Package Denim Manufacturer (Mexico)

A happy customer. That is priority No. 1 for Confetex, a Mexican full-package apparel provider to top U.S. denim brands. “At the end of the day, if you are not doing what your customer expects you to do, you are not doing anything,” said Fernando Galan, Confetex CEO. “We make sure we can deliver what our customer is asking us to deliver. That is the foundation of having a strong relationship.”

The Puebla-based full-package denimwear producer of nearly 30 years expects its two factories, which employ approximately 1,500 people, to earn ISO9001 certification by mid-2024, a reflection of strong quality management, standardized processes, and a culture of continuous improvement.

Confetex has built a successful track record by continually investing in its business. Even during difficult economic times, the company keeps its focus on how to improve competitiveness by proactively communicating with customers, investing in labor-saving automation and increasing efficiency to ensure delivery of high-quality products on time at a competitive price.

Confetex recently implemented CGS BlueCherry® Shop Floor Control (SFC) technology to gain better productivity, visibility and control of production. It gives machine operators, supervisors, mechanics, engineers and executive leaders real-time, actionable insights to perform at their peak.

“Digitalization is key to our competitiveness, and if you know your numbers, you will find ways to do better,” Galan said. “Looking ahead, we expect stability and better demand than in 2023. We believe 2024 is going to be a good year, and we also are optimistic for 2025.”

HATLEY - Premium Sleepwear Wholesaler/Retailer (Canada)

Like many apparel businesses that survived the pandemic’s worst, premium pajama brand Hatley came away from it all with a thicker skin. The pandemic was a sink-or-swim period for the family-owned business, but it powered through and survived. That’s one reason more recent business challenges feel like par for the course.

“I can now officially say: I have seen it all,” states CEO Jeremy Oldland, a 25-year veteran of the Montreal-based company. “Bad things happen. You’ve just got to be prepared. You’ve got to roll with it.”

Soft wholesale demand from brick-and-mortar retail stores is one of the hard things Hatley is having to roll with. Thankfully, ecommerce is growing, and Hatley is seizing on that opportunity to grow sales globally, reaching consumers in 38 countries.

What technology strategy supports Hatley’s ecommerce growth strategies? Oldland has one word: Integration. “Everything’s integrations now,” Oldland said. “It’s all about how your technology talks with the ecommerce websites.” Hatley counts on CGS to help it navigate this complex web of integrations, making sure connections are seamless and automated.

Hatley has never been one to chase cheap labor. Instead, it prioritizes long-term relationships and excellent quality, said Oldland. “When you chase too many factories and keep chasing pennies, you get massive reductions in quality,” said Oldland.

Hatley and its suppliers share purchase orders, invoices, packing lists and other shipping documents through the BlueCherry® Supply Chain Management (SCM) solution. “Factories are not always technologically advanced. With this solution, they can get us what we need,” he said.

BOLLIN GROUP - Outdoor Sports Brand Portfolio Manager (U.K.)

Bollin Group is focused on three primary priorities in 2024: inventory, sustainability and systems integration. All pose complex challenges. But Bollin is no stranger to complexity as the owner of over 30 brands and distributor of another dozen. A team of about 260 U.K. associates and 80 around the world manage a brand portfolio spanning apparel, outdoor goods, housewares and many other product categories.

Bollin is tightening the inventory belt, following the lead of customers, which include high street retailers and independent stores. The company’s suppliers have more capacity and are offering shorter lead times, plus shipping costs have come down. Cann also sees opportunities to reduce the supplier base to forge closer relationships with a smaller vendor network.

Social and environmental responsibility is an important imperative for Bollin. “Sustainability is becoming a bigger and bigger issue,” said Cann, noting that Bollin puts a significant investment into factory audits. ESG auditing costs are another driver behind supply chain consolidation. “We need fewer relationships but better ones,” he said.

New business relationships often drive the need for technology systems integration. A top priority is for Bollin’s systems to “talk” more seamlessly with customers’ systems. Bollin uses the end-to-end enterprise and PLM solution Visual Next, which was acquired by CGS BlueCherry® in 2019. Bollin has successfully integrated this core business technology with Microsoft Power B.I., a tool for advanced data analysis and visualization. As a result, Cann always has key performance metrics at his fingertips. “It’s where I get all of my numbers,” he said.

TOMMY BAHAMA – Lifestyle Fashion Brand/Retailer (U.S.)

Tommy Bahama set a new bar for the lifestyle brand business model thirty years ago. In 2019, the company revamped its entire sourcing strategy, bringing functions from design to distribution in-house and diversifying production locations.

In 2024, the company will dive deeper into fashion, offer more apparel sizes and manage inventory across bi-coastal distribution centers. “We want to do more with less inventory. We want higher sell-through, more depth in fashion, and, of course, to sell out of that fashion,” said Jennifer Spoljaric, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain and Sustainability.

The brand values quality over price and is committed to sustained partnerships with suppliers. “We have very strong long-term relationships with our vendors,” she said. “Our close partnerships will continue to be key to our success in 2024.”

“Our biggest opportunity is to get the right product to the right place at the right time,” said Spoljaric. “It might sound old school, but we need to be sharper with our inventory.”

The Tommy Bahama supply chain team uses the CGS BlueCherry® enterprise suite to manage core processes, from placing purchase orders to distributing products. “I have a very complex organization, and my team is the biggest user of the solution within the company,” said Spoljaric. “We use it every day, everywhere.”

Tommy Bahama is building on its technology foundation with innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI). Starting with merchandise and financial plans, AI-driven technology will help the brand cast a tighter net to forecast demand. Next, the business will turn to machine learning to help steer inbound containers and cartons to the best D.C. and then allocate the right inventory to the right destinations.

“Better end-to-end visibility and control over logistics is the digital transformation goal for us,” Spoljaric said.

Want to learn more about how your peers and competitors are succeeding in these challenging times? Get your copy of the full report today.