In this special “Chat Box” episode, part of a series of executive spotlights for RetailRx community hub, Danielle Schmelkin, chief information officer of J.Crew Group joins Fairchild Studio Director Lauren Parker. Schmelkin discusses the shifting role of the CIO, J.Crew and Madewell’s digital transformation strategies, and sheds light on how retailers should use AI and other technologies to set themselves up for digital success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

In 2021, Pakistan-based manufacturer Interloop had a vision: to expand beyond the hosiery category and become a “full-family” producer. As the company grew its verticals, it established separate teams for each product type, and cross-category customers had multiple points of contact. Over the last six months, Interloop has undergone a transformation to restructure its teams by job function instead of business units. This has improved collaboration in areas like product development and boosted customer service, giving buyers a single account lead at Interloop. Feroze Ah ..read more

In real estate, the mantra is often location, location, location. But when it comes to truly effective real estate asset management, there is so much more to it, like knowing when to play the long game, when to make a quick decision and why "time kills deals" In this Sku View fireside chat for Retail Rx, Laren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, interviews two seasoned real estate experts, Alan Shaw and Larry Finger. Both are executive vice presidents of Hilco Real Estate, a division of Hilco Global, and co-CEOs of Hilco Real Estate’s Asset Management division. Both have spent the majority o ..read more

Coach remains one of the world's most recognizable brands, which is no small feat after 80 plus years. It's not easy for legacy brands to stay relevant, yet reinvention with the younger consumer can be even harder. Coach has done both by realizing that product-centric isn’t enough; handbags and other fashion items can also be a stand in for self-expression and purpose. In this fireside chat, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, interviews Sandeep Seth, chief marketing officer and president of Coach North America, on how the global brand has courted Gen Z with the approach that product ..read more

Despite some bright spots, retail has had a bumpy road lately, with shifts from malls to online, store closings, bankruptcies, restructurings, liquidations and the like. Yet as Tolstoy might have put it, “Successful retailers are all alike; each distressed retailer is distressed in its own way.” In this fireside chat, Rob Gorin, managing director at Getzler Henrich & Associates, interviews Max Frumes, the global head of distress and restructuring news at 9Fin, in search of lessons learned for the industry at large and what we might expect going forward. A highly regarded senior journa ..read more

It seems as if tech is one of the biggest recurring stories that touches many facets—economies, societies and businesses. In this episode we will discuss why retailers should care about AI and what makes a successful tech-rich organizational environment. In this fireside chat, Michael Appel, managing director and head of retail practice, Getzler Henrich & Associates, sits down with José P. Chan, assistant professor, technology & innovation at Parsons School of Design to discuss AI’s implications. Watch the fireside chat to learn: ·      When we say AI, wha ..read more

More than ever before, companies must know the intricacies of their supply chains. Chief among the pressures to better understand where exactly goods stem from is a growing spate of due diligence legislation, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the United States. Signed in December and going into effect in June, this law expands the burden of proof for importers. Companies bringing goods into the United States already face Withhold Release Orders (WROs) on products with certain materials—including cotton—that were thought to be associated with forced labor in China’s Xi ..read more

Fashion companies have not typically had full visibility into their supply chains. But in response to increasing calls from consumers for transparency, the apparel industry is aiming toward more oversight of each step in the production process. “The textile supply chain is inherently filled with opacity because that provided the flexibility and cost advantages that manufacturers could leverage to gain business and do volume. That is changing,” said Marc Lewkowitz, president and CEO of Supima. One of the forces currently pushing business on this path is the need to verify the provenance of ..read more

Part of the appeal of producing garments in Peru comes from the homegrown natural fibers, including cotton and alpaca. And while these raw materials are attractive for their quality, they also boast strong sustainability credentials. As Rizal Bragagnini, executive director of the Peru Textiles Exporters Association, explained, these fibers have the added benefit of durability. For instance, in tests, extra-long staple pima cotton retains its color through at least 140 wash cycles. If garments can last and look better for longer, their impact to the envir ..read more

Following a challenging pandemic period for the global garment industry, Peru’s apparel sector is bouncing back. Exports are up over 2020, and according to Mario Ocharan, director of export promotion at trade and tourism organization PromPeru, the nation expects shipments to meet or exceed 2019 levels. In a chat with Sourcing Journal founder and president Edward Hertzman, Ocharan and Rizal Bragagnini, executive director, Peru Textiles Exporters Association, spoke to the state of Peru’s textile trade and the role that the garment industry is playing in Covid-19 recovery. Whi ..read more