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FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing
Copyright© 2012-2023 Dr. Sheng Lu, Associate Professor, Department of Fashion & Apparel Studies, University of Delaware
FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
When I entered college a few years ago, the focus on sustainability in the University of Delaware’s fashion programs is a large reason I was drawn to the school. In my time at the university, my understanding of sustainability has become more nuanced, which is important since as mentioned in the interview, sustainability means different things to different companies. This nuance allows students to be more critical thinkers in their careers. Moving forward, I would love to see a course on supply chain compliance at the undergraduate level for the fashion and apparel studies.
great suggestion! At FASH, we actually offer a graduate certificate program on sustainable apparel business (https://www.fashion.udel.edu/graduate/graduate-certificate). It is also interesting to see more job openings in the area of trade compliance. for example: https://aeo.jobs/jobs/senior-analyst-trade-and-regulatory-compliance-53149
Sustainability is a key factor that all aspects of the fashion industry must adopt from sourcing to production, to exporting, to end life, etc. There are so many things that go into the life cycle of a garment piece and it’s important for everyone to understand the true meaning behind sustainability. Before coming to UD and taking fashion courses revolving around the matter, I had never truly taken the time to think about sustainability and what it means to be sustainable. Once you are educated on the matter it’s hard to forget about those things and I definitely now consider aspects of sustainability before making decisions now. I hope that in the future more fashion companies will be more dedicated to providing a more transparent and sustainable sourcing strategy to consumers and help educate the world on the matter as I have been from courses and discussions such as this one.
yes, and fashion companies are hiring more talents in the area of trade compliance also.
sustainability in all aspects of the fashion industry is essential knowledge to hopefully help apparel brands make a positive change within the industry and on the planet. Going into studying Fashion Merchandising, I had a limited perspective on sustainability, fast fashion and the whole ethical side to the industry but after learning about all these aspects I added a sustainability minor to learn a bit more about these issues and how post grad I can hopefully help to resolve some of these pressing sustainability issues within the fashion industry.
Throughout my studies prior to University of Delaware I knew there were initiatives to help the environment but I did not know what this involved pertaining to the fashion industry. I now feel as though I have a well developed knowledge of sustainability in the fashion industry deriving from my studies. The emphasis and enthusiasm of sustainability in our generation is one that will benefit the fashion industry in the long run. I do agree that capital and team work are needed to make a true change and redefine the fashion industry. With the ever changing world due to the awareness of sustainability practices which have arisen through the pandemic, I am confident in the potential of sustainability. The sustainability segment has become one which is very competitive, as companies are working to develop new technologies to get a competitive advantage over their competitors. Though it is a good point to see how small companies would adjust to this new drive for sustainability.
Prior to coming to the University of Delaware I had very little knowledge about sustainability and the big impact it has on the fashion industry. With picking up the Sustainable Apparel and Textile Innovation minor and by taking this course I have gained so much knowledge on this sector of the fashion industry. I am sure there are many people like me out there who have very little knowledge on sustainability in general. I think colleges should start implementing more basic sustainability courses across majors that are required because it is very important to the world and specifically the fashion industry. Even if you are a nursing major or communications major you are a consumer and purchase things everyday. I think everyone in general just needs to be more educated on sustainability and sustainability within the fashion industry. Based off of my experience all of my non-fashion friends have very little knowledge on the sustainable issues and continue to buy into fast fashion. If everyone was educated more on it then we could build for a better future.
Throughout my classes at Delaware, sustainabiliy has always been something that was taught to us and incorporated in all of my classes. Sustainability is so imporatant, as it is a huge factor of all aspects of the fashion inudsty. Consumers look for brands and companies that pride themselves on sustainability and intergrate these practices throught their production process. Sustainability is also important in order to ensure a good quality future for the envirnment. Fast fashion practices are so bad for the envirnment, as there are so many resources wasted on cheap materials and products that are doing more harm than good. Practicing sustainability should be incorpoarated throughtout the whole fashion industy and should be continued and improved for years to come.
Sustainable in every aspect of a company is difficult but just like Professor Lu said companies can not do it alone. It is best to work with everyone in the company’s supply chain. It will take time and practice to change the fashion industry to become sustainable. The University of Delaware is big on sustainability. The University of Delaware has taught us numerous ways we can be sustainable. The knowledge that the students have is going to change the fashion industry tremendously. The knowledge of sustainability should not remain with fashion majors but should be spread to other majors. Consumers need to know more about where their clothes are coming from and how it affects the environment.
I never really knew about how much waste and pollution the fashion industry actually creates until college and I can say now that my perspective of fashion has completely shifted. I think sustainability is the future of fashion and with all this damage being done to the environment, I believe companies need to start taking sustainability more seriously and see it as a requirement within a business model. I agree with the suggestion that there should be a set of guidelines or a set of rules that help brands transition to a sustainable business model. I think that without direction, companies will not take the initiative themselves because they will be thinking how to get the most profit. Im glad to say that I do not buy cheap clothing from fast fashion retailers anymore, I spend my money on quality garments that are made in a sustainable way.
In my sophomore year, I attended the seminar on Fashin & Sustainability, which was the first time for me to deeply realize the importance of sustainability in the garment and textile industry. Nowadays, people are paying more and more attention to the development of sustainability. After analyzing the efforts made by each brand in sustainability, we know that people gradually realize that sustainability is of profound significance to human beings and even the earth, which is not only a contribution to the environment but also to society. By now, ordinary consumers will gradually realize the importance of sustainability. I believe that the fashion industry will be full of expectations for sustainable development in the future.
Really enjoyed this post on sustainability! This topic needs to continuously be brought up more and more in our industry in order for change to happen. I was happy to hear you point out how many companies are promoting job opportunities relating to sustainability because this is a sign of a want for change to occur. Being apart of the younger generation that will be entering the work force, I agree that sustainability is something a lot of us genuinely care about and want to make a difference in. I really enjoyed the point you made as well that, “companies are composed of people” as we have the ability to be the change we hope to see in the industry. I have high hopes that the fashion industry will continue to grow and change to help our environment. After all, the environment provides so much for us within the T&A industry, so we should protect it!
It was interesting to hear what professor Lu had to say about sustainability. I like the fact that he mentioned that sustainability is a very broad spectrum. When I think of sustainability there are many different aspects that come to mind and because of this, there is always something that is going to be missing. Although this is true, this also means there are many opportunities and places for companies to improve their sustainability. An important point he also brought up was that it is very difficult and almost impossible to achieve sustainability alone and working with supply chain partners is essential. Now that sustainability has become more detailed, I hope that companies will continue to put a greater emphasis on it. Overall, I believe professor Lu did a great job of answering the questions by having not only detailed answers, but answering in a way that is relatable to students.
Yes your class has helped us look at all issues of the apparel industry from supply chains to sustainable practices.With your statement being about there is no exact definition of what it mean to sustainable, that is very true. A lot of companies say they are sustainable but without consumers know their efforts or having that transparency it is hard for consumers to see their practices. I honestly think that deciding if something is sustainable enough comes from ones one personal beliefs. We are taught to save the planet but how can modification be done within the supply chain to create a more eco-friendly production? Often supply chains are in third world countries that have a disregard for sustainable practices. Also the waste of apparel is another issue that the industry is facing. Companies care about profit and without specific guideline to implement sustainability it will be hard for companies to really look at this issue.
I agree with the discussion about how sustainability includes all levels of the fashion industry and it takes a team effort in order to achieve sustainability. I also think we need a new way of thinking about sustainability and people within the industry to focus only on sustainability. It is impossible for companies to accomplish sustainability all alone but rather it is more effective to work with a whole supply chain. In the environments current state, I believe that sustainability is more important hat ever. Not only fashion companies need to be taking innovative but also consumers who are buying from the companies. I also believe there need to be rules to guide companies in moving forward in their goal of sustainability.