Sourcing Journal Radio

Creating a fully visible supply chain for agricultural products, like cotton, has created problems for textile producers. Businesses continue to invest in sustainable and ethical sources of cotton of a high quality, only to see markets flooded with products that have been "greenwashed" with false labels or  mixed with lower quality fibers. Ultimately, cotton producers have been left wondering if sustainability can be profitable in this confusing climate.

Coming up with an answer to this problem is the next horizon in raw material sourcing and, in today's episode, we speak with two business leaders who have been able to crack the code. Using DNA tagging they've found a way to ensure consumers actually get what they pay for.

We spoke with David Greenstein of Himatsingka, one the largest cotton wholesalers in the United States, as well as chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association, Cannon Michael. Michael is also the head of Bowles Farming Company, a large producer of Pima Cotton. Greenstein and Michael are partners in the production of Pimacott, Himatsingka's patented Pima Cotton varietal that can be traced, genetically, from the cotton gin to the shelves of your local retailer.

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Garment manufacturing in the United States has seen better days. But, as automation technology matures, some American businesses have begun investing in local apparel manufacturing once again.

In this week’s episode, we highlight a clothing producer who has always been proudly made in the U.S.A. Dov Charney, who is best known for his first venture, American Apparel, is now building a new brand under Los Angeles Apparel. Here, he gives us a look into how his business can be competitive while manufacturing in the US.

Charney is joined by Ram Sareen, founder and CEO of Tukatech, a provider of fashion technology solutions. Sareen partnered with Charney to modernize American Apparel and has remained a powerful ally through the debut of the new business in 2016. Tukatech innovations have allowed Los Angeles Apparel to launch as a fully vertical company that specializes in speed-to-market and flexibility.

Both agree there is a future in American garment manufacturing but that it will require producers and manufacturers here to adopt the latest design and production innovations.

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This episode highlights what makes a disruptor a disruptor in a sea of new upstart brands from the perspective of Pano Anthos, founder and managing director of XRC Labs, an innovation accelerator for the next generation of disruptors in the retail and consumer goods sectors.

Pano addresses how retailers can better match services to customer expectations, what's considered white space today how direct to consumer brands are taking market share from established players and what company and founder characteristics get investors excited.

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This episode focuses on the futility of setting sustainability goals without including traceability, how doing good can also be good for the bottom line and the technology that promises to get us there.

Our guests include:

Additionally, we have Andrew Olah, founder of the Kingpins denim trade shows, which celebrate the heritage and community of this category. Andrew has also launched Transformers, a series of summits focused on helping the market become more environmentally responsible.

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Raw materials are at the heart of so much of what happens in the apparel industry. And as a result the relative health, output and price of cotton is of particular concern for many. To supplement Sourcing Journal’s ongoing market data, this episode focuses on the dominant factors impacting cotton supply and demand, how the U.S. stacks up against other cotton growing nations and the advances taking place on the sustainability front.

Jon Devine, Cotton Incorporated senior economist, details the “volatility and uncertainty” that may lie ahead as a result of a potential change in demand in China, weather related challenges elsewhere and the escalation of the trade war between the U.S. and China.

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This podcast episode will focus on how digitizing operations drives better collaboration and relationship building between brands/retailers and their suppliers. Using Crocs as a case study, Cody Bumgardner, director of product operations at Crocs and Eva Law, deputy manager at Pou Chen will share how employing a PLM system has improved the footwear brand’s ability to easily and efficiently manage products when there’s an unexpected spike in demand and improve on-time/in-full delivery enabling them to be more customer-focused and responsive to consumer demand.

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This episode of Sourcing Journal Radio focuses the importance of transparency in the supply chain, how brands and retailers are going about it today and how it relates to other key industry initiatives like sustainability.

In this episode, you'll hear from:

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This episode of Sourcing Journal radio focuses on on-demand manufacturing, how it works, the current capabilities and limitations, and why it’s a necessity today.

In this episode, you'll hear from:

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This episode of Sourcing Journal Radio focuses on data and how apparel and footwear companies can use it from both the product development and allotment side as well as from a marketing and personalization standpoint.

In this episode, you'll hear from:

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This Sourcing Journal Radio episode focuses on speed to market and how the industry’s pre-occupation with emulating fast fashion could be doing more damage than good.

In this episode, you'll hear from:

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