Month: November 2025

What Do You Take Away from FASH455? (Updated December 2025)

I encourage everyone to watch the two short videos above, which provide an excellent wrap-up for FASH455 and remind us of the meaning and significance of our course.

Firstly, I hope students can acquire essential knowledge about the textile and apparel trade and sourcing from FASH455. As you may recall from the videos, in FASH455:

Whether your dream job is to be a fashion designer, buyer, merchandiser, or marketing analyst, understanding how trade and sourcing work will be essential and beneficial to your future career, given the global nature of today’s fashion industry. And indeed, apparel trade, sourcing, compliance and trade policy offer exciting career opportunities for our college graduates, both in the public and private sectors.

Secondly, I hope FASH455 helps students shape a big-picture vision of the fashion apparel industry in the 21st-century world economy and provides students with a fresh new way of looking at the world. Throughout the semester, we’ve examined many critical, timely, and pressing global agendas that are highly relevant to the textile and apparel industry, from how to effectively expand near-shoring from the Western Hemisphere, and the debate on the textile and apparel provisions in U.S. free trade agreements, to the controversy of forced labor in the apparel supply chain. As the fashion industry moves toward sustainability and non-conventional factors like geopolitics play a more significant role in fashion companies’ sourcing decisions, we might see apparel sourcing and trade patterns continue to evolve substantially. Additionally, the emergence of AI tools could provide opportunities for fashion companies to optimize sourcing and logistics, identify and evaluate new suppliers, and improve supply chain efficiency.

Therefore, it is critical to remember that we wear more than clothes: We also wear the global economy, international business, public policy, and trade politics that make affordable, fashionable, and safe clothes possible and available for hardworking families.

Thirdly, I hope FASH455 can make students reflect on why “fashion and apparel” matters. A popular misconception is that “fashion and apparel” are just about “sewing,” “fashion magazines,” “shopping,” and “Project Runway.” In fact, as one of the largest and most economically influential sectors in the world today, the fashion industry plays a critical and unique role in creating jobs, promoting economic development, enhancing human development, and reducing poverty. For most developing countries, textiles and apparel typically account for 70%–90% of their total merchandise exports and provide one of the very few opportunities for these countries to participate in globalization. Likewise, maintaining a robust and competitive domestic textile and apparel manufacturing capacity in the US could also be strategically important—just consider the urgent demand for surgical masks and medical textiles during the pandemic.

Additionally, I hope that by taking FASH455,  students will take away meaningful questions that can inspire their future studies and even life’s pursuits. For example:

  • How can apparel sourcing and trade be made more sustainable and socially responsible? What are the roles and responsibilities of fashion companies, policymakers, and consumers?
  • What policies and regulations could be enacted at the national and international levels to incentivize sustainable apparel production and trade?
  • How will factors such as AI, digitalization, the sustainability movement, and geopolitics continue to shape the future landscape of apparel trade and sourcing? Who will emerge as the new winners and losers?
  • How can trade policy be utilized to address challenging global issues such as forced labor and climate change?
  • How could courses like FASH455 further challenge students’ perceptions, deepen their understanding of the global nature of the fashion apparel industry, and foster their global citizenship?

So, what do you take away from FASH455? Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

Dr. Sheng Lu

How EU Fashion Companies Navigate Trump’s Tariffs (Updated November 2025)

This study aims to examine the impacts of the Trump administration’s escalating tariffs on the apparel sourcing and business practices of EU-headquartered fashion companies. Based on data availability, transcripts of the latest earnings call from about 10 leading publicly traded EU fashion companies were collected. These earnings calls, held between August and November 2025, covered company performance in the second quarter of 2025 or later. A thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted using MAXQDA.

First, reflecting the global nature of today’s fashion apparel industry, many EU-based fashion companies also see tariffs as one of their top business concerns in the second quarter of 2025. However, overall, luxury fashion companies reported less significant tariff effects than fast-fashion retailers and sportswear brands. The result reflected luxury fashion companies’ distinct cost structure, supply chain strategies, and competitive factors, making them less sensitive toward tariff-driven sourcing cost increases.

Second, EU-based fashion companies generally regarded the rising sourcing costs and the resulting pressure on profit margins as the most significant impacts of Trump’s tariffs. Companies also noted that the tariffs’ financial impacts would be more noticeable in the coming months as more newly launched products became subject to the higher import duties. For example:

  • Adidas: “We already had the double digit hit when it gets to cost of goods sold already in Q2 in the U. S…the impact of these duties, if they are the way we have calculated them here, an increase in cost of goods sold of about CHF 200,000,000 (about $250 million USD).”
  • H&M: “Against that, we have the impact of the tariffs that will then, based on the tariffs we pay during Q3, a lot of those garments will be sold during Q4, and that’s when they affect our profit and loss.”

Third, EU-based fashion companies commonly adopted a sourcing diversification strategy to mitigate the tariff impact. Companies also increasingly look for vendors that can deliver speed, flexibility, and agility.  Furthermore, some EU companies have been strategically leveraging regional supply chains to meet the sourcing needs. For example:

  • Adidas: “We work with our suppliers who are mostly multi country…”
  • Hugo Boss: “Since our last update in early May, we have taken concrete steps to mitigate tariff-related impacts. Our well-diversified global sourcing footprint has a clear advantage in this regard. It enables us to swiftly adapt to changing conditions and optimize sourcing decisions.”
  • H&M: “We are working on how to increase the speed and reaction time in our supply chain. That’s a wide work that includes both, as we mentioned before, how we move production closer to the customer with what we call nearshoring or proximity sourcing, but it’s also working with a set of suppliers that can be much quicker and where they can support with a larger part of the product development process.”
  • C&A: “In the last quarter, we developed our logistics strategy to sustain C&A’s growth curve till 2030…This strategy was designed so as to bring greater speed and flexibility to our operational model through a more regionalized network, that is a network that is closer to the stores and major consumption centers, allowing us to have greater capacity to respond to the demands of each store.”

Fourth, like their U.S. counterparts, some EU fashion companies reduced their “China exposure” to lessen the impact of tariffs. Others establish a “China for China” supply chain due to perceived market opportunities there. For example:

  • Puma: “Our China exposure got reduced further for the Spring/Summer 2026 collection…The vast majority of our U. S. Imports originate from Asia, with Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia accounting for the majority…”
  • Adidas: “China is almost irrelevant for us because we have reduced the amount of China imports into the U. S. to only 2%…What we did is that we transferred the Chinese capacities to be mostly China for China…We have a more verticalized supply chain in China.”
  • Hugo Boss: “In particular, we have increased our inventory coverages in the U. S. And successfully rerouted product flows from China to other regions.”

Additionally, despite tariff-driven cost pressures, many EU-based fashion companies were cautious about raising prices, worried about losing customers in an overall weak market. Meanwhile, luxury fashion brands seem more comfortable raising prices than non-luxury brands. For example:

  • Adidas: “What kind of price increases could we take depending on the different duties, but there’s no decision on that…We are not the price leader, but we’d, of course, follow, a, what the market is doing, our competitor is doing and also, of course, look very closely what the consumer is accepting because in the end, it’s to keep the balance between all these factors.”
  • H&M: “That we do in the U.S., as we do in all other markets, and that leads to both price decreases and price increases to stay competitive. That’s an ongoing work. We are cautious about looking at the Q4 development in the U.S., given that we know we have already paid tariffs that will impact the gross margins as we look into the fourth quarter.”
  • Inditex (Zara): “With regards to the tariffs in the U.S. specifically, we have a stable pricing policy that we’re always talking about. Of course, all pricing activity, be it in the U.S. or any other geography, is primarily driven by commercial decisions, not financial ones. What we try to do in every market is maintain our relative position.”
  • Burberry: “19% of our revenues are from the US…We spent much of last year looking at the supply chain, looking at price elasticity…We took quite a surgical approach to price increases in the US, and…we really definitely understood where we had price elasticity there.”
  • Hugo Boss: “we will introduce moderate price adjustments globally with the upcoming spring 2026 collections, which will begin delivery towards the 2025. These steps aim to safeguard our margin profile while remaining aligned with broader market dynamics.”

by Sheng Lu

FASH455 Exclusive Interview with Avedis Seferian, President & CEO of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)

About the interview

Social responsibility is a critical topic in apparel sourcing and trade. Gen Z, both as consumers and future professionals in the fashion industry, care deeply about this issue. At the same time, the conversation around social responsibility has become more technical and complex, such as compliance with new regulations like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

In the interview, Avedis Seferian, President & CEO of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), shared his insights and extensive practical experience about the current landscape and emerging trends in social responsibility related to apparel sourcing, including:

  • What does “social responsibility” truly mean in the context of today’s global apparel industry, and how has that meaning evolved over the past decade?
  • What are the key expectations for fashion companies if they need to achieve socially responsible sourcing?
  • Is social responsibility more of a legal issue or an ethical issue for fashion companies? Where does the line lie between what is required by law and what is expected ethically from apparel brands and factories?
  • How does a typical social compliance audit work on the ground, and why does it involve much more than simply “completing a checklist,” as some people may misunderstand?
  • Does greater supply chain transparency help promote social responsibility? How can fashion companies be encouraged to become more transparent, and what challenges remain?
  • What is the impact on garment factories and their workers when fashion companies suddenly cancel sourcing orders? As fashion companies increasingly expect suppliers to be “flexible,” such as accommodating last-minute changes to sourcing orders, could this expectation further complicate social responsibility efforts?
  • Can AI and technology have some potential applications in promoting social responsibility in the fashion industry?
  • Advice for students and young professionals entering the apparel industry who want to make a meaningful impact in social responsibility and ethical sourcing.

About Avedis Seferian

Avedis Seferian joined WRAP in 2004 and became its President and CEO in 2012. Avedis has extensive knowledge of social responsibility issues within the highly complex worldwide supply chains of the apparel, textile and footwear sectors. A recognized expert in the area of social compliance and responsible sourcing, Avedis was named by Assent Compliance as one of the top 100 corporate social responsibility influence leaders for 2020.

Additionally, Avedis speaks five languages, has lived in four countries and holds three degrees from three continents—a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University in India; a Master of Business Administration from the American University of Armenia; and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in the United States.

About Emilie Delaye (moderator)

Emilie Delaye is a master’s student & graduate instructor in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, with a specific interest in supply chain, global sourcing, and sustainability. Emilie is also a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) 2025-2026 Student Committee and the University of Delaware President’s Student Advisory Council.  

Interview with Modaes (Spain) about the Shifting Global Apparel Trade and Sourcing Patterns (November 2025)

Full interview in English HERE ; Spanish version HERE

Below is the interview summary

Q1. Since the pandemic, has the global fashion supply chain changed?

Key point: The pandemic taught fashion companies the importance of flexibility and agility in sourcing. Heavy reliance on China caused major disruptions during lockdowns, prompting companies to diversify their sourcing base and develop stronger supplier relationships to reduce various sourcing risks.

Q2. Is supply security now more important than price in sourcing decisions?

Key point: Security and sourcing are becoming more closely linked. Leading fashion companies understand that sourcing now requires balancing cost with other important factors such as flexibility, regulatory compliance, and risk management. New regulations related to sustainability demand increasingly detailed supply-chain documentation and transparency. Meanwhile, geopolitical tension between the U.S. and China further adds complexity to fashion companies’ sourcing decisions.

Q3. Are companies continuing to reduce the number of suppliers, and why?

Key point: Recent studies show that many fashion companies are diversifying sourcing beyond China, importing more from emerging supplying countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Egypt, and more. However, there are two divergent strategies: some brands expand their supplier base to spread risk and enhance capabilities in sustainable fibers, while others consolidate suppliers to strengthen partnerships with large vendors operating across multiple countries, many of which are still based in China.

Q4. Can the value chain function without China?

Key point: Not realistically. While China’s share of finished garment exports is declining, it still dominates in textiles raw materials. Even when apparel is made in other countries (like Vietnam and Cambodia), much of its fabric, investment, or ownership is Chinese. The newly released OECD data also show that about 30% of Southeast Asian apparel exports include Chinese content.

Q5. Which countries could take advantage of China’s declining role?

Key point: China’s dominance comes not only from its low costs but also from its capacity to produce almost any product category at large scale. To replicate this, companies need to use multiple sourcing locations — a “many-country model” instead of relying on just one. Therefore, diversification, rather than substitution, is the most practical approach. Firms seek to avoid over-dependence on any single country, especially given the volatility of tariffs and supply-chain disruptions.

Q6. Does “friendshoring” apply to fashion?

Key point: Politically appealing but impractical for apparel sourcing. The idea of friendshoring — trading only with “like-minded” nations — doesn’t fit with fashion’s global manufacturing system. Europe and the U.S. share values, but Europe lacks large-scale apparel production. Over 70% of U.S. apparel imports still come from Asia, where most countries are not formal U.S. allies. Therefore, political alignment cannot guide sourcing strategy in fashion; cost, capacity, and speed are more important.

Q7. Will geopolitics and the trade war reshape fashion sourcing in Europe or the U.S.?

Key point: Nearshoring remains a popular concept. European companies explore Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean; U.S. firms consider the Western Hemisphere and limited domestic production. Sustainability has emerged as the new opportunity for near-shoring. Fashion companies now aim to use more sustainable fibers in their clothing products. EU sustainability rules could also attract new investment to expand production in the EU. However, in general, small-sized firms need more resources and support to meet these high environmental standards, both to comply with the law and sustain their businesses.

Q8. Is de-globalizing production possible?

Key point: True de-globalization is unlikely. Instead, globalization is shifting toward greater transparency and accountability. Companies now need to track and report where products are made and how workers are treated, including the sourcing of raw materials. This encourages brands to work closely with their suppliers and promote stronger and strategic collaboration.

Q9. Are there enough incentives for production automation in fashion?

Key point: Yes — Automation provides a way to increase efficiency in high-wage countries like the U.S. With labor costs high and factories shrinking, machines and AI are being adopted to boost productivity and customization. Automation can also help cut down on overproduction — one of fashion’s major waste issues — by supporting made-to-order or small-batch manufacturing.

Q10. Why don’t we see full automation yet?

Key point: Cutting, sewing, and material handling today still require human labor, although factories increasingly use automated tools to boost productivity. Asian suppliers are upgrading equipment to handle smaller, faster orders. Automation is bringing back niche manufacturing (e.g., sock production in the U.S.) and supporting recycling efforts, such as sorting used garments. It helps lower minimum order quantities, matching production to uncertain consumer demand.

Q11. How can Europe maintain relevance amid the U.S.–China trade war?

Key point: Europe continues to be a key player in both textile and apparel manufacturing and consumption. Nearly half of the apparel in the EU is produced locally, often in high-wage countries like Italy, Germany, and France. Asian countries are looking for more market access to the EU because of higher tariffs imposed by the US (e.g., trade diversion). Europe also leads in sustainability and regulatory standards. Complying with EU rules often means meeting the highest global standards. Luxury branding (“Made in Italy/France”) remains highly influential, and the EU’s proactive trade agreements might even enable it to export textiles for processing in Asia, expanding supply chain integration.

Q12. Why hasn’t Africa become a viable textile hub yet?

Key point: Africa’s potential greatly relies on trade preferences like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which recently expired. Without duty-free U.S. access, U.S. companies are less likely to source there. However, the EU could help bridge the gap by forging partnerships for recycled textile materials and sustainable production. Regional collaboration could unlock Africa’s place in circular fashion supply chains.

For students in FASH455: Feel free to share your thoughts on any of the interview questions above. You may also challenge and debate any points raised in the interview and present your arguments.

FASH455 Exclusive Interview with Mikayla DuBreuil about Technical Apparel Design and Sourcing

About Mikayla DuBreuil

Hello, my name is Mikayla DuBreuil, and my passion is to bring designers’ creative visions to life. I have a diverse background in apparel design, from intimates and compression wear to dresses and jeans, and everything in between! My resume consists of technical design positions at Under Armour, Marena, Anthropologie (URBN), Lee & Wrangler, and, most recently, SPIRIT HALLOWEEN.

Above all, my joy in apparel design lies in pattern-making. Designers are the artists, and pattern makers are the engineers who bring their designs to life. I love problem-solving to create fantastical designs and reduce physical sampling. Most of my work is in CAD 3D software, specifically CLO 3D. I am also a certified super user in the 3D CAD software, Vstitcher, and experienced in the 2D CAD patterning software, Accumark and Optitex.

Note: Mikayla Dubreuil graduated from the University of Delaware (UD) with a Master of Science in Fashion and Apparel Studies. She also graduated from UD with a Bachelor’s Science in Apparel Design in 2018. She received the International Textiles and Apparel (ITAA) Sara Douglas Fellowship for Professional Promise-Masters in 2019. Mikayla’s master’s thesis Traditional vs. big-data fashion trend forecasting: An examination using WGSN and EDITED was published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education and have been cited by more than 100 other scholarly papers.  

Sheng: What are your main responsibilities as a technical designer? Can you walk us through your typical day? Also, what makes you love your job?

Mikayla: A technical designer’s job is to ensure the proper execution of fit and construction of a garment to meet the designer’s & buyers’ expectations whilst keeping cost in mind.

This involves creating detailed tech packs with key measurements, i.e., specs like waist, front neck drop, across shoulder, sweep, and front length from high point shoulder, measuring garments, conducting fittings on a live fit model, and submitting fit comments. A common technical design goal is to approve a design with as few physical samples as possible.

Some technical designers’ responsibilities are more rooted in construction and creating tech packs, whilst others focus on fit.

However, in my opinion, the best technical designers have a strong pattern-making and construction background. By having a strong pattern-making and construction background, technical designers (TDs) can communicate to designers what silhouettes and constructions are feasible. In this manner, TDs can find creative solutions to execute the designer’s vision and improve fit.

As an Associate 3D Technical designer, my typical day consists of taking design set-ups/hand-offs, pattern making the designs in CLO 3D, and attending buyer review meetings.

I love my job at Spirit Halloween because I can build garments in 3D, both bringing the designer’s vision to life and improving sustainability by reducing sampling. I also have an incredible manager, which is very important.

Sheng: How does a technical designer collaborate with the sourcing department, and in what ways does your work influence sourcing decisions?

Mikayla: To preface, the sourcing department is responsible for deciding what fabrics and trims will go into the garment.

Technical designers collaborate with the sourcing department or buyers by recommending ideal fabrics to achieve the desired look of a garment. For example, for a bodysuit, technical design would recommend a stretch knit fabrication. TDs affect sourcing decisions by providing knowledge on how the garment will execute in the desired fabric.

Ultimately, it is often sourcing/design/buying’s decision—the call varies from company to company—to choose the fabric. Ultimately, technical design commonly doesn’t make the call on what fabric is used.

This impacts our work because technical designers will base their specs and patterns on the fabric and desired silhouette. For example, a stretch denim pant would have smaller specs than a non-stretch denim pant since the stretch denim has more ease.

Further, the sourcing department affects our TDs’ work because it determines which vendor is making the garment. As a result, this affects our decision on whether to make the pattern internally or externally, based on the vendor’s expertise & capabilities.

Sheng: Our students are particularly interested in fabric sourcing. From your experience, what factors do fashion companies weigh most heavily when selecting fabrics, and how do these influence design and production decisions?

Mikayla: Cost. Cost and fabric drape.

However, designers and technical designers can push back if a lower-cost option is executing poorly. Buyers can make the decision to increase the retail price to meet initial markup goals to accommodate higher fabric costs.

Alternatively, the team may choose to use the low-cost fabric option in a less high-profile area of the garment and spend more on a high-quality fabric in a statement area of the garment.

On a separate note, if there is liability fabric, i.e., extra fabric that is not being used, buyers often reallocate the fabric to a different or new silhouette.

Sustainability is also at the forefront of mind, especially at denim brands. There is a shift to move towards recycled cotton.

Sheng: Many fashion companies are incorporating “preferred sustainable fibers” such as recycled, organic, or regenerative materials. From your perspective, what are the opportunities and challenges in integrating these fibers into apparel?

Mikayla:Cost and fit are both challenges in integrating these fibers into apparel. For example, many consumers want stretch in denim jeans, but it can be difficult to achieve that effect when switching to certain “preferred sustainable fibers”.

Additionally, it’s difficult to source a “sustainable” faux fur for a teddy bear costume. The plush material is so specific, resulting in a lack of sustainable choices.

One opportunity is using fabrics that are composed of a single fiber. Fabrics with fiber blends are much more difficult to recycle. A lot of opportunities are available to the consumer! Buy fewer and higher-quality items. Wear clothes more than once before washing.

Sheng: Looking ahead, what industry trends will you be keeping a close eye on in the next 1-2 years, and why?

Mikayla: Tariffs!! Tariffs impact our ability to source and distribute our garments. Also, pop culture matters, since many want to dress up as the latest phenoms!

Sheng: Reflecting on your time at UD and in FASH, what experiences helped prepare you for your career? What advice would you give to current students as they plan their career paths?

Mikayla:Think about what you want and your goals. I am so glad that I attended the FASH Grad program, which gave me exposure to CLO 3D and ultimately led to my current role. While I was at UD, I was proactive by working with professors on projects that gave me industry visibility. For example, I worked on an Optitex project that allowed me to attend a training at the Under Armour HQ, which helped me earn a spot as a technical design intern and catapult my career.

–The End–