Sourcing Journal Radio

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

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

The holiday season is make or break time for retailers, as the last two months of the year can account for more than 20 percent of annual sales for many businesses. But this season is expected to be like none other, as 2025 marks the first year with agentic AI rewriting the retail playbook, from marketing to customer support. In this podcast for Retail Rx, David Dorf, global head of retail solutions at Amazon Web Services (AWS) chats with Ian Fredericks, chief executive officer of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco Global’s retail and consumer platform. They explore the many ways agentic AI is being used to help retailers seize this next chapter, and whether retailers should have a chief AI officer.  “When we talk about agentic AI, it's really based on the word agency, so we’re giving the [large learning model] autonomous ability to go out and act on our behalf,” said Dorf, explaining that there’s a “litmus test” he uses to see if it’s really an agent. One, can it reason? Two, does it have access to tools – like a weather site – that can help it make a decision? And three, is it autonomous? Answer engines with AI summaries are another growth area. “Around 75 percent of people have said that they have used an answer engine to start their shopping journey before,” said Dorf. “We’re going to see more of that. Walmart said has about 20 percent of their referral traffic is coming from these answer engines; people asking it a generic question and ending up at the Walmart site. So this pretty impactful.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SJ Denim turned 10 this year, and after a decade reporting on the business of denim, one thing is clear: trends might be constantly looking to the past, but innovations and sustainability attitudes are all about the future. In this episode, Sourcing Journal executive editor and denim expert Angela Velasquez chats with Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, about the latest issue of SJ Denim and the industry at large. With the Kingpins denim show in Amsterdam fresh in her mind, Velasquez also offered forward-looking trend and business insights on the future of denim. https://sourcingjournal.com/report/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the rapid growth in e-commerce, retailers increasingly collect and store customer data to deliver personalized shopping experiences. Yet without proper safeguards in place, unsecured data can introduce significant risk. It’s not just consumer personal data that’s increasingly at risk, but corporate information as well. “The retail industry is one of the most IP-intensive industries in the world, and it needs to protect its trade secrets as well as intellectual property,” said Alexander Niejelow, executive director, Hilco Global Cyber Advisors, in a fireside chat for Retail Rx with Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any brand can claim sustainable materials, but words mean nothing without third-party testing and certifications. In fact, unverified sustainability claims—even if they are valid—can often lead to suspicions of greenwashing. Here, Min Zhu, senior director, technical services and operations, US & Canada Softlines, of global testing and certification company SGS, and Haley Gershon, marketing manager of SGS Beta (formerly Beta Analytic), a leading Carbon-14 testing lab for biobased materials that SGS acquired in November 2024, discuss why biobased materials need verification. Watch the fireside chat to learn: The current status of circular fashion and its key progresses  The journey of SGS and Beta’s combination and synergy SGS solutions to material sustainability and circularity   How SGS collaborates with fashion brands to test and verify biobased materials SGS’ IMPACT NOW sustainability initiatives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to logistics and technology, machines and humans continue their symbiotic dance to get goods loaded, shipped, railed, trucked, stored, sorted, picked, packed and delivered with ever-greater efficiencies. And what they’re achieving, is nothing short of amazing, although not without its challenges. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of SJ and Fairchild Studios, dives into SJ's "Logistics Report: The Technology Issue" with two Sourcing Journal editors, logistics editor Glenn Taylor and business editor Meghan Hall, business editor. They discuss what's now, what's next, and what it all means for your business. Download the report at: www.sourcingjournal.com/report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the denim industry places greater emphasis on circularity and the full life cycle of a product, AGI Denim is emerging as a key player driving change through innovation and intentional growth. To build a more sustainable supply chain and manufacturing model, the Pakistan-based vertical denim manufacturer is investing in advanced technologies that deliver more with less. This includes Smartec Dyeing Machine that reduces water usage simultaneously enhancing color vibrancy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there anything more quintessentially American than blue jeans? Denim is so entrenched in the American psyche that it can be easy to forget that most jeans have been manufactured overseas for decades. To explore this disconnect—and to dive into the trials and tribulations of bringing domestic denim manufacturing back—Sourcing Journal themed its Summer SJ Denim edition the “Made in America” Issue. In this episode, Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal's executive editor and denim editor, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about what Made in America denim really means. Read the report HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the political and economic landscapes shift amid President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, the fashion industry—like many others—is bracing for impact by tightening supply chain operations. To help navigate these disruptions, Computer Generated Solutions (CGS) released the 10th annual edition of its BlueCherry State of Supply Chain and Technology Report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as cotton sustainability starts at the farm, leather sustainability starts at the ranch. Leather is a natural byproduct of food production, but cattle farming accounts for about 40 percent of all GHG emissions from agri-food systems, not to mention deforestation when not managed correctly. That’s why the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is teaming up with companies that utilize leather to support the newly launched Deforestation-Free Leather Fund, transform leather supply chains and protect the world’s forests. Listen to the podcast with Fernando Bellese, senior director for beef and leather supply chains, WWF, and Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio to learn: How the Fund is educating brands about leather’s role in deforestation and providing solutions.  Why it so important to preserve tropical forests.  Why companies must work together to address deforestation and promote more transparent supply chains. How the Fund is helping to scale leather traceability systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Material innovation takes two forms. You can develop new alt materials that have less impact on the planet, or you can take existing fossil fuel-based materials and develop circular recycling systems to keep them out of landfills and use them again. Both innovations are exciting and both are hard. The good news is that VC funding in the green space has bounced back, albeit with a more selective approach that shifts the investing vibe from "gold rush" to "growth state." In this episode, Alex Harrell, Sourcing Journal's sustainability and innovation reporter, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about what's new and what's next in material innovation, what "innovation tourism" is and why it's slowing progress. Download the Material Innovation Report: https://bit.ly/4lHK5DU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shapewear has typically been associated with synthetic fibers, but a recent launch from Spanx is proving natural materials have a place in the category.Based on consumer feedback, Spanx set out to create shaping garments using natural fibers, and it landed on long-staple Supima cotton as the base material. The SpanxShape Invisible Supima Cotton collection combines Supima’s natural inherent benefits with targeted stretch and hold from Lycra FitSense. The result is lightweight, breathable, moisture-wicking innerwear that gives the shaping Spanx is known for. In this episode, Spanx's chief design officer Pascale Gueracague and Supima's vice president, marketing and promotions Buxton Midyette talk with Sarah Jones, senior editor, strategic content at Sourcing Journal, about what makes Supima a fit for shapewear and how this collection delivers the "Spanx effect." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Business is rapidly embracing technology, but at what cost? Can robots and AI can make the fashion industry smarter, faster, better—without sacrificing humanity? Sourcing Journal's business reporter/tech editor Meghan Hall chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diversification has quickly turned from “nice to have” to “need to have” as an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China has made the industry’s number one manufacturing destination a more expensive choice. In a challenging climate, brands are also becoming more risk averse, and a broader sourcing map that goes beyond the “China plus one” strategy helps to hedge against headwinds. “The importance of diversification—and not just to one other area plus China, but to many other geographical locations in several different continents, potentially—is seen as an importance and an urgency, regardless of the logistical frictions that may exist in pursuing such a strategy,” said Yossi Nasser, CEO of Gelmart, which manufactures intimates for major retailers like Target and Walmart. Although it also has operations in China, Gelmart is leaning on its factories in the Philippines amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. More than just a means to circumvent a tariff spat, Nasser noted the Philippines is a sourcing destination that should be on the industry’s radar.  Listen to this episode to hear Nasser speak with Sourcing Journal's sourcing and labor editor Jasmin Malik Chua about what makes the Philippines a solid choice for garment production and how Gelmart is strategizing for long-term resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talk about tariffs has been filling newspapers, websites, airwaves, boardrooms, factory floors and dinner tables for a while, but reality is just starting to sink in now. What are the true costs of tariffs, and who is going to be paying for them? Ian Fredericks, president and CEO of Hilco Consumer-Retail, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about how tariff worries — real and perceived — are affecting shopping behavior, inventory and pricing, and what companies can do to prepare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Geopolitical upheaval. Tariffs and trade wars. Inflation. Sustainability concerns. Changing buying patterns. As the list of disruptions and demands that the industry must consider when sourcing goods keeps growing, one strategy has become a top priority: diversification. “The retailers and the brands are looking for multiple countries of origin and mitigating their risk by making sure that their productions are spread across different regions,” said Masooma Zaidi, vice president sales and merchandising at manufacturer Interloop Limited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Upscale legacy brands have a challenge when it comes to technology. How do you blend future-facing digital strategy with the timelessness of luxury? How do you balance exclusivity with digital-first accessibility? And how do you integrate omnichannel innovation into personalization, as well as the in-store experience? Here, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Yang Lu, the chief information officer at Tapestry, to learn how Tapestry is approaching luxury in this digital age. Lu explained the company’s test-and-learn digital strategy to meet customers where they are, and why “iteration is the new perfection.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political will toward sustainability is constantly shifting, and with the official exit from the Paris Agreement and a ‘drill, baby drill’ fossil fuel mentality, things are moving in another direction. This has created a climate of uncertainty for eco-minded businesses seeking support from government sustainability requirements. That said, the underlying drivers of a sustainable future—innovation, tapping into cost-efficient renewable energy, and consumer demand for ethical practices—remain intact. In other words, eco-champions are a tenacious bunch. Sourcing Journal has dug deep into the situation with its State of the Industry Sustainability Report, released the same day as our Sustainability Summit in New York. Here, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with two editors who wrote most of the report: Jasmin Malik Chua, SJ’s Sourcing and labor editor, and Alex Harrell, SJ’s Sustainability & Innovation Reporter. To download SJ's Sustainability Report, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lately, tariffs have become the most powerful word in the world. They are moving stock markets, upending longstanding international trade agreements, and evoking lots of confusion—and emotion—across industries. Sourcing Journal recently released its annual State of the Industry Sourcing Report, and one thing is clear: tariff turmoil has gripped the fashion sector. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal’s features editor and resident tariff expert, on where things stand now, where they might go, and all the implications in between. To download SJ's Sourcing Report, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices