Luxury fashion supply chains

Typically, discussions around fashion supply chains start at the product design stage, progress to the manufacturing stage, then to the distribution and logistics stage, ending at the point of retail. There is an alternative perspective of the fashion supply chain, which involves a complex system starting right at the raw material production stage therefore beginning long before the creative design process.

As you can see in the graphic above, this alternative view of the supply chain can be divided into five different tiers, each tier representing a key step: Raw Material Production; Raw Material Processing; Manufacturing; Assembly; and the Brand itself. Ensuring that a brand is as sustainable as possible involves not only the brand and its typical supply chain from design to delivery, but also the commitment and collaboration of multiple stakeholders across the tiers of the supply chain of materials production.

Who are these stakeholders, what are their roles within a brand’s supply chain, and what are some of the supply chain related challenges they face as they help brands move towards a more sustainable and transparent system? The next two steps explore each of these tiers and what their challenges are when considering sustainability.