Inside the SJ Sustainability Report: A New Way of Thinking

Marine Layer’s Cofounders on Brick-and-Mortar Investments, Why Materials Matter and Running a B Corp Business

More than 15 years ago, two childhood friends decided to make the switch from finance to fashion, and Marine Layer was born. What began as a small operation with a single 450-square-foot storefront today counts 55 locations, with more retail openings in the works. On this episode of WWD Voices for Retail Rx, Michael Natenshon, cofounder and chief executive officer of Marine Layer, Adam Lynch, cofounder and chief operating officer of Marine Layer, chat with Ian Fredericks, chief executive officer of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco’s consumer and retail platform, about their company’s early stages, how they are approaching product development and what is next for the brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Disposable to Durable: Altering Apparel's Fast-Fashion Mindset

Over the last few decades, the industry has been reliant on ever-expanding production volumes to achieve continued sales growth. Although a few super-fast-fashion giants are often criticized for their overproduction contributions and low prices, the general mass manufacturing trend across the fashion landscape has collectively led to excess. For 8 billion people, the industry is creating upwards of 80 billion pieces per year. Suzanne Ellingham, director of trade show Source Fashion, made the case for tamping down on overproduction and adopting a “post-growth” strategy. This leaves margins and profit intact by right-sizing inventory, reducing discounting and waste. “What we should be looking at doing is producing how much we can actually sell,” Ellingham said. “[There’s] this constant need to be producing more and more and more. The reality is volume doesn't do anyone any favors, apart from continuing to drive the profits at the cost of people and planet.” Listen to the fireside chat, with Ellingham in conversation with Jasmin Malik Chua, climate and labor editor at Sourcing Journal, to learn more about why the current production and pricing models are so harmful to people and the planet and what post-growth actually means for operations and profitability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

NRF on Shopping Shifts and That $1 Trillion Holiday Forecast

With news headlines shouting doom and gloom in every direction, is the National Retail Federation’s record-breaking $1 trillion holiday forecast wishful thinking? Or something more nuanced? “The consumer is sentimentally weak, but fundamentally sound,” explained Mark Mathews, chief economist and executive director of research for the NRF in a special podcast episode for Retail Rx with Ian Fredericks, chief executive officer of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco’s Consumer and Retail platform. That’s important because the consumer is powering our economy more than ever before. Today, 68 percent of GDP is driven by consumer spending—the largest percentage in the past 15 years. “While lower-income households are definitely struggling, what we have seen over the course of the year is that all households have protected their spending on loved ones,” said Mathews. “Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Back to School, Halloween… we've had at or near record levels of spend across all of those events.” Essentially, it’s the nature of spending that has changed, and to safeguard that spending, many have pulled back in other areas like recreation or travel. Consumers have also shifted to more promotional spending that squeeze margins. “The retailer is constrained because prices are rising, so while retailers will offer sales that are important to consumers, we may not see the breadth of sales that we’ve seen before,” Mathews said.   The NRF has been analyzing data and advising retailers for over a century. The November/December season represents roughly 20 percent of the year’s retail sales for many retailers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Moving Wood-Based Fibers Forward with Sustainability and Transparency

As the fashion and textile industry increasingly seeks out greener fiber options, India’s Birla Cellulose is rising to meet the demands of a more exacting market. The manufacturer, which specializes in the production of man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) such as viscose and modal, is expanding the production capacity for its Birla Excel lyocell, investing in the closed-loop fiber that is even more eco-friendly than its MMCF peers. Listen to the fireside chat between Vadiraj Kulkarni, business head of Birla Cellulose, and Sarah Jones, senior editor, strategic content at Sourcing Journal, to learn more about what sets lyocell apart in the fiber field and the business impact of responsibly sourcing inputs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Inside the SJ Sustainability Report: A New Way of Thinking

The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” so it’s encouraging to see that sustainability advocates are reconsidering old ways and thinking outside the box. Hence the title of Sourcing Journal’s latest Sustainability Report, titled “A New Way of Thinking.” But despite industry progress, the headwinds have never been greater. So where are we in the quest for a more sustainable fashion industry? In other words, is sustainability sustainable? In this episode, Jasmin Malik Chua, SJ’s climate and labor editor, and Alex Harrell, SJ’s sustainability and innovation reporter, sit down with Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, to dive into the report and see if the industry is doing all it can to prevent a “sustainability retreat.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]