About Natalie Kaucic
Natalie Kaucic is a Merchandising professional currently in the role of Global Merchant for Dockers Men’s Tops at Levi Strauss & Co. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 2019 with a Fashion Merchandising Degree and Business Admin minor. During her studies, she was awarded the Fashion Scholarship Fund scholarship, studied at John Cabot in Rome, participated in the Disney College Program, and was a leader for the Delaware Diplomats. Natalie’s research on the global market for sustainable apparel was published in Just-style, a leading fashion industry trade publication. Post university, Natalie started as an assistant at Minted as a Merchandiser, where she worked in the Wedding category and faced the adverse challenges of the wedding industry during COVID-19. Levi’s was her next endeavor where she started as an assistant, and has since been promoted to run the Dockers Men’s Tops Category for the Globe.
Disclaimer: The comments and opinions expressed below are solely my own and do not reflect the views or opinions of any company.
Sheng: What are your primary job responsibilities as a global merchant? What does a typical day or week look like for you? Which part of the job do you find most exciting? Were there any aspects of the position that surprised you after you started?
Natalie: My primary responsibility is to create a brand-right and consumer-focused product assortment. Under the covers, this looks like a vast variety of tasks that I do on a seasonal basis. I regularly listen and work with regional merchandising to understand their regional specific needs, collaborate with design on new product ideas and fabrics, and meet with product development to work on new fabric innovations and product costing. Every week looks dramatically different for me in my work. Sometimes, I’m heads down in assortment strategy; other weeks, I work on creating templates and calendars for process improvement.
What I find most exciting is seeing the product in person. Most Dockers Tops are not sold domestically, so it’s really fun to see a product you worked on in the wild! I am also grateful to be able to manage an assistant. Seeing things click for her and watching her succeed is incredibly motivating.
What surprised me the most was the number of different teams I work with, including planning, regional merchants, product development, marketing, styling, design, garment/fit development, copy, IT, analytics, sales, business operations, and e-commerce. Learning what everyone does and who to go to was the most significant learning curve and the biggest shock coming into my role.
Sheng: Based on your observation and experience, how do the merchandising, product development, and sourcing teams collaborate in a fashion apparel company? Could you explain their respective responsibilities and how they support one another?
Natalie: In my role, I have more direct contact with our product development team than the sourcing team. I work very closely with product development as they are the team that helps produce our product. They manage fabric & garment development, costing negotiations, and innovation development/testing. They also work through some more micro-sourcing strategies, for example, moving the production from one factory to another to get better duty rates. As a hypothetical example, we sell a poplin shirt primarily in Europe. Pretend we produce the shirt in India at a cost of $10/each. However, shipping it to Europe incurs a 40% import duty, bringing the cost of goods sold (COGS) to $14. If we could produce the shirt in Mexico, where the duty rate to Europe is only 5%, even if the production cost is higher—say $12—the overall cost to Europe would still be lower. There are endless complexities to this that I’m sure you will learn more from FASH455—topics like free trade agreements, yarn forward rules of origin, etc.
Sheng: Fashion companies need to balance various factors such as cost, quality, speed to market, and compliance risks when deciding where to source their apparel products. Could you share your experiences and reflections on managing these challenges in the real world?
Natalie: Below is an example of natural fibers and the cost challenge with cotton-forward apparel products.
Currently, linen is in high demand, but there isn’t enough crop to meet industry needs—it’s a classic case of supply and demand. Not only does this drive up costs (COGS), but it also complicates the process of securing raw materials. It’s easy to overlook that the apparel industry is fundamentally tied to agriculture, making it vulnerable to factors like bad weather, natural disasters, and inaccurate demand forecasting. These challenges force us to make critical decisions. With rising garment costs, should the company absorb the expense to keep prices steady for consumers? Our product development team might ask if we need to pre-book fibers to lock in pricing—when is the right time to do that, and how much should we purchase?
This isn’t a new challenge. For example, cotton, our primary raw material for clothing, fluctuates in price like oil, making agility in sourcing essential!
Sheng: Studies show that consumers want to see more “sustainable apparel products” in stores. How are fashion companies responding to this demand? What opportunities and challenges does this trend present for fashion companies’ business operations, especially in merchandising, supply chain, and sourcing?
Natalie: This is such a complicated question. I think about this often as I am personally really passionate about this topic!
In my day-to-day work, I focus on sustainable fibers, as the fabric content of a garment is something I can directly influence. Working on a global scale, I collaborate with regions worldwide, each of which—along with their retailers—has different values regarding sustainable products. Europe, for instance, is relatively ahead of the US in sustainability and often requires a certain percentage of sustainable fibers (e.g., organic cotton, recycled cotton) in our products. In Europe, items using 100% organic cotton hold significant value and can command a higher price in stores such as Galeries Lafayette or Zalando. However, not all retailers and consumers globally share the same commitment to sustainability. In some cases, we may need to use synthetics for functional purposes, such as in activewear. In those instances, we prioritize using recycled polyester or nylon to meet our sustainability goals. Regardless of the consumer or price point, our goal is to integrate sustainability at every level and for every product.
One challenge I find particularly interesting is working with “recycled cotton.” As you may know, recycling cotton typically involves breaking down the fibers, which shortens and weakens them. Because of this, there’s usually a limit to how much recycled cotton can be used before fabric quality is affected. That’s why you often see recycled cotton blended with virgin cotton in the same garment. However, newer recycling methods that aim to preserve the staple length are emerging, offering hope for improvements as the technology becomes more mature and accessible.
Ultimately, heavy consumption, regardless of the fabric being recycled or organic, isn’t truly sustainable. The focus should be on choosing pieces you love and investing in items that are made to last.
Sheng: Are there any other major trends in the fashion industry that we should closely monitor in the next 1-3 years?
Natalie: In the next 1-3 years, I’m eager to see what AI-driven tools will be introduced to assist merchants in making smarter, data-backed decisions. In merchandising, we are constantly trying to predict the future. A lot of research and data analysis go into decision making, but also a big handful of going with your gut. Will AI be able to help us find trends in the past that can better help us make decisions for the future?
It’s not exactly a trend, but I’m really curious about the future of fast fashion giants over the next decade. With growing interest in sustainability and new regulations emerging from Europe, will we eventually see a decline in these dominant players, or will demand for fast, cheap apparel always persist?
Sheng: Last but not least, is there anything you learned from FASH455 or other FASH courses that you find particularly relevant and helpful in your career? What advice would you offer current students preparing for a career in the fashion apparel industry?
Natalie: I felt really prepared coming out of the FASH program for my corporate job. I picked this degree, as I’m sure many have because it combined the necessary key concepts of a business degree with the skills and knowledge to build a career in apparel. I think the classes I reference the most in my day-to-day life are product development classes, textile classes, and apparel buying. As a merchant, I need to be able to talk about fabric types with designers, cost engineering with product developers, and financial metrics with planners. FASH455 was one of my favorite classes because sourcing, trade, geopolitics, and policy constantly pull the strings behind the scenes in the apparel sector. FASH455 gives you insight into how these factors create ripples in the apparel sector.
When it comes to advice, it’s tried and true: network! Talk to teachers, reach out to alumni, sign up for the UD Job Shadow Program, and talk to the career center. There are so many services to take advantage of while at UD. Other than networking, I would highly recommend steering the subjects of your papers to companies and topics you are interested in. I worked on a few reports about Levi Strauss & Co., which confirmed it as a target company for me and helped me succeed in the interview process.
Lastly, be flexible! You might come in, as I did, thinking you want to be a buyer, only to realize it’s not the best fit. Or, you could start with greeting cards and stationery merchandising and pivot to apparel. Or even move out of apparel entirely! Nothing is set in stone, and that’s both the most stressful yet reassuring lesson I’ve learned since graduating.
–The End–
FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
I really enjoyed reading this interview. I always see the title, “Global Merchant” come up when I am looking at job posting, but I never knew what it really meant. This interview gave me insight into this. I found it interesting how global merchants, specifically Natalie, works with other teams within Dockers. I think this makes you a more diverse background and gives you a better understanding of how the company operates. It can also create a better work environment since you will know more people at the company. I also found the conversation about how much it costs to make the products and how tariffs/ duty plays a role in the total price. Natalie said how although labor costs may be lower in India than in Mexico, you still end up paying more for the product in India because of import duty. In class we are currently talking about trade agreements and how tariffs play a large role in the overall price of merchandise. It is interesting to see professionals, currently working in the industry, talk about a topic we are learning about in class, and applying it to their current job. I know the information we are learning about in class is important and will be relevant in our future careers, but it is enlightening to see professionals talking about it.
After reading Natalie Kaucic’s interview with Dr. Lu, I’ve gained valuable insight into the day-to-day life of a merchant. As a fashion minor, I’m always eager to explore potential career paths within the industry if I choose to dive deeper into this passion. Learning about Natalie’s daily tasks has helped me clarify my own interests, which lean towards the marketing side of fashion. I hadn’t realized that working in marketing for an apparel company would involve close collaboration with teams across merchandising, analytics, operations, styling, design, and e-commerce. I’m especially intrigued by Natalie’s curiosity about how AI will influence the fashion industry by predicting trends and analyzing data. I anticipate that AI will become increasingly embedded in business practices over the next few years. I’m also curious about how AI might impact the authenticity of ideas and designs, especially in terms of ownership.
I too was intrigued by the utilization of AI. It is very interesting how AI can predict trends since it is only supposed to be an extension of what is already known.
Hey Brooke! I also am interested by the utilization of AI, I think as the industry is ever changing there will be an increase in the use of AI as it becomes more advanced.
I really enjoyed this article and the insights it offered into the industry. As a college student with limited expereince, it is always nice to hear first hand what to expect. The focus on collaboration and coordination makes sense and reinforces the class load I have been taking. This class often times stresses how nuanced the industry (specifically the textile industry) really is. The ammount of collaboration, either through trade agreements, or communication that is needed in the industry is highlighted throughout the article. It makes me really think about how much everybody relies on eachother to tackle a common goal. Additioanlly, her attention to sustainability is very interesting! A key factor we learn a lot about in class regarding the textile industry is how consumers wants for sustainability can heavily affect who and where textiles come from. It is nice to see that merchants are also thinking about this as well. Overall, this article offered key insights and some reassurance about the fashion industry and I would love to see more articles like it.
I enjoyed reading about this interview. Natalie Kaucic’s insights provided an interesting overview of the complexities and excitement of working as a global merchant in the apparel industry. As I approach graduation in December and continue applying for jobs, I found her thoughts regarding how collaborative she is in her role to be particularly interesting. Many companies emphasize how closely teams work together, and I saw this firsthand during my internship this summer. She explained how she collaborates with design and product development teams while also navigating trade policies and tariffs, which shows how interconnected the entire process is. I liked the example she shared about the cost implications of shipping apparel from India versus Mexico due to import duties which truly highlights the significant role global economics play in the fashion industry. As a college student who never really thought about the global supply chain before this class, it is impactful to see that the knowledge we’re gaining in class, especially regarding global sourcing and trade, directly applies to real-world challenges in the industry. I’m excited to explore these concepts further in my career one day!
After reading this article, I feel much better about what awaits me post-graduation. I think a lot of the time I get in my head thinking that the only options with a degree in fashion merchandising are going into buying or working retail, so it is always super refreshing to hear what other paths people go down. It was very interesting to learn about her role as a global merchant, what other jobs she had before working at Levi’s, and especially her takes on sustainability initiatives. Knowing that her research on the global market for sustainable apparel was published in Just-style was enough to tell me that she was extremely insightful but hearing what she had to say about sustainable fibers was so great since she is so passionate about this topic.
This interview made me feel really confident about my life post grad. I find myself going back and forth between what direction I want to pursue within the apparel industry. It is reassuring to see that there is no right or wrong decision and you will eventually find something that fits. It was interesting to read about how diverse Natalies role is, all the different departments she works with and how different her job is from week to week. This also made me feel more confident in whatever I do post grad because one of my biggest concerns is having the same work day week after week, month after month. Hearing how fast paced and ever changing her job is makes me excited to be in the field doing real work. Lastly, it was interesting to read about how the concepts we learned in FASH455 and other FASH classes directly transfer over to jobs within the industry. I feel prepared and excited to take on this next chapter in my life.
Natalie Kaucic’s interview gave me a much ndeeper appreciation of what a global merchant does and how much collaboration the role entails. I didn’t realize how closely merchants work with certain teams like product development, sourcing, and marketing. This makes her job both challenging and exciting all at the same time. I found it particularly interesting when Natalie talked about the cost differences between sourcing from Mexico v.s. India due to import duties. This really showed me how important it is to understand global trade policies when coming into a company not only in regards to fashion but any industry. Her insights on balancing sustainability and cost effectiveness were also inspiring and interesting. It’s refreshing to see a company like Levi’s integrate circular fashion into its massive operations. This interview helped me connect what we’re learning in class about global sourcing to how these decisions are made in real life in the industry.
Natalie Kaucic provides an inspiring look into the role of a global merchant and the complexities of the fashion industry. I found it fascinating how her role involves working with so many different teams. She works with design, product development, and marketing which just showing how interconnected the process of creating and selling apparel truly is. The example she gave about how sourcing decisions like choosing between Mexico and India, are influenced by tariffs and trade policies, really connected to what we’ve been learning about global trade and policies in class. I found her stance on balancing sustainability with cost were also insightful, especially the challenges with recycled fibers. It’s encouraging to see professionals and brands such as levis tackling these real world issues while staying focused on creating sustainable solutions.
This interview did an amazing job at expanding my horizon within the fashion industry as well as opening the floor to conversation and reflection. For example, the idea that sustainability is perceived differently in different places raises concerns about how businesses should develop global strategies while maintaining their local values. It shows the dependencies of trade policy, consumer preferences, and supply chains, and how these factors create opportunities and challenges for merchandisers. This relates to class, specifically around sourcing strategies and sustainability methods in global markets. Sustainability is a big topic in class as well as in the industry so it was interesting to see how this was applied to real-life situations. At the very beginning of the semester, we briefly spoke about AI and what effect we think it will have on the fashion industry. I think it was very interesting when Natalie posed the question of if AI will be able to help us predict future trends, particularly because AI is a reflection of what we already know. Knowing that AI has the potential to completely transform the fashion industry’s decision-making process due to its knowledge of past trends is extremely enticing. I think it is possible that AI will take a bigger part in the fashion industry as it becomes more advanced and it was nice to see that people involved in the industry are aware of the ever-changing AI!
Natalie’s passion for incorporating sustainability into her work and her approach to it were aspects of this interview that I really enjoyed. Her emphasis on environmentally friendly fibers and overcoming the difficulties associated with recycled cotton were especially important, and so was her recognition of the limitations of existing technologies and her hope for future advancements in this field. I liked her balanced view of sustainability, which takes into account both functional and consumer needs in addition to implementing it where possible. It’s great how she adopts a global perspective, collaborating with areas with varying sustainability priorities while remaining dedicated to implementing sustainable practices wherever possible. It is really impressive how committed she is to this crucial issue while managing the demands of quality, cost, and functionality.
Natalie’s experience as a global merchant at Levis offers insight into the complexity of global trade in the industry. As she works with many teams ranging from product development, sourcing, and marketing, Natalie works with the challenges of creating product that balances cost, and quality. Her role highlights the importance of understanding regional trade dynamics. such as import duties and free trade agreements, which directly influence sourcing decisions some of which we discussed in class extensively when talking about tariff cost and free trade agreements. For example, when she mentioned the cost savings from moving production from India to Mexico shows how tariffs and other agreements, can significantly impact the cost of goods sold which would impact pricng.