Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • A factory with rows of Bangladeshi garment workers behind their sewing machines working on fashion garments
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    Allison Joyce / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Why apparel companies embrace supplier scorecards

    The tool can help build more transparent sourcing relationships and better measure supply chain metrics.

    Kelly Stroh • Oct. 18, 2024
  • Workers manufacturer shoes in a factory.
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    Adam Glanzman via Getty Images
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    De minimis: Helping or hurting U.S. manufacturers?

    While groups like the National Association of Manufacturers claim the exemption benefits domestic production, others say it erodes the U.S. industry’s competitive edge and forces factory closures.

    Philip Neuffer • Sept. 16, 2024
  • A UPS driver makes a delivery on June 30, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Temu and Shein packages are flooding delivery networks. Will the surge persist?

    Parcel carriers are counting on the e-commerce companies to adapt to any potential de minimis changes, as many have come to rely on the added volume.

    Max Garland • Aug. 30, 2024
  • A worker bring boxes of flowers into the Avianca Cargo Warehouse before they are inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    What would the demise of de minimis mean for supply chains?

    E-commerce companies rely on the exemption to sell U.S. consumers low-cost goods. Experts say they need to be prepared for a change.

    Max Garland • Aug. 16, 2024
  • A man stands in a room reminiscent of a college dorm wearing jeans and a red NYC t-shirt.
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    Courtesy of Urban Outfitters
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    Back-to-school 2024: How brands can win younger consumers as uncertainty endures

    The power of Gen Z and Gen Alpha to influence their parents to consider a brand could be the key to success amid another turbulent season.

    Jessica Deyo • Aug. 9, 2024
  • Actor Jeremy Allen White is pictured for a photoshoot in black and white. He is wearing Calvin Klein boxer briefs and a wet T-shirt.
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    Courtesy of PVH Corp.
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    Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White ads turned heads, but the biggest impact may be to the brand’s image

    “The Bear” star’s images generated $74 million in media impact value amid a years-long effort by holding company PVH to make the line more desirable.

    Laurel Deppen • June 27, 2024
  • Behind a wide table with cut pieces of fabric, a person with pink hair a black top and blue denim jeans is standing next to a person with gray hair wearing a purple short sleeved collared shirt and sitting in a wheelchair. Two people watch from the background.
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    Courtesy of Open Style Labs
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    Adaptive fashion’s inclusivity problem

    Brands are trying to meet the needs of disabled consumers, but critics say the industry can do better.

    Lauren Schenkman • June 3, 2024
  • A golfer swings a club and wears a black skort outfit.
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    Courtesy of Under Armour
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    Golf fashion moves into the mainstream

    A new line from Tiger Woods, LVMH's latest collaboration with Tyler, the Creator and indie brands are helping to bring the sport from performance wear to streetwear.

    Howard Ruben • April 12, 2024
  • A crowd of spectators raise their cell phones to record the events taking place at the Concept Korea fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
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    Arturo Holmes via Getty Images
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    7 fashion industry trends to watch in 2024

    The coming year will bring fast fashion battles, more mergers and acquisitions, an evolution of luxury and a presidential election, and that’s just for starters.

    Laurel Deppen and Lara Ewen • Jan. 12, 2024
  • Destination XL storefront
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    "DXL Men's Apparel store located in Natick, MA." by JCarnellDXLG is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Nearshoring apparel: Inside DXL’s pivot to Central America

    The clothing maker is one of many eyeing the region, but economic and policy barriers could stand in the way of greater investment.

    Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 15, 2023
  • Person with hand tattoos kneels and laces up a Sperry boat shoe.
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    Retrieved from Sperry on November 09, 2023
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    Rocking the boat shoe: Sperry’s search for a lifeline

    Wolverine is looking to unload its 88-year-old lifestyle footwear brand, but finding the right buyer is a hard sell.

    Lara Ewen • Updated Nov. 20, 2023
  • A person walks across a landfill in India with a bale of recyclables on their head.
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    Daniel Berehulak via Getty Images
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    New regulations seek to expose fashion greenwashers’ true colors

    In Europe, governments plan to prohibit fashion companies and other industries from making vague or misleading environmental claims, and the U.S. could soon do the same.

    Lauren Schenkman • Nov. 1, 2023
  • person wearing a brown cap, orange jacket, jeans and sneakers sits cross-legged, off to the right, against a blue-green background.
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    Courtesy of Gap Inc.
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    How Gap lost its khaki soul

    Can the brand that once defined and even elevated American style get its vibe back?

    Daphne Howland • Oct. 17, 2023
  • Margot Robbie, and actor, is dressed in pink and takes a selfie with fans, also dressed in pink, at the red carpet premiere of the Barbie movie, in which she plays the title character.
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    Antony Jones via Getty Images
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    5 lessons brands can pull from Barbie’s marketing master class

    Now that Greta Gerwig’s movie has left theaters, here’s what the fashion industry needs to know about the next trend.

    Laurel Deppen • Oct. 17, 2023
  • An aerial view of shipping containers on a ship docked at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    5 ways fashion brands can reset their supply chain strategies

    Port disruptions, labor negotiations and other shipping industry upheavals have forced apparel companies to develop new solutions to enduring challenges.

    Howard Ruben • Oct. 4, 2023
  • The European Parliament building is pictured with flags waving outside.
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    Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    The ambitious regulations cleaning up fashion’s supply chain

    From pollution to human rights violations, new laws in Europe are holding global fashion brands accountable for collateral damage.

    Lauren Schenkman • Sept. 26, 2023
  • Four older people in oversized novelty sunglasses smile at the camera
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    Creative via Getty Images
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    Style’s silver lining

    Fashion’s wealthiest generation is also its oldest, and as its ranks expand, there are opportunities and challenges for an industry that largely ignores them.

    Lara Ewen • Sept. 12, 2023
  • A person window shops at store at a street corner. An orange corner is parked on the right, next to a stop sign.
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    Courtesy of Gap Inc.
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    What Gap Inc. needs from its new CEO

    Next week, longtime Mattel executive Richard Dickson takes the reins of an apparel conglomerate — whose brands all need some help.

    Daphne Howland • Aug. 16, 2023
  • White lab coats hanging from hook at laboratory
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    pidjoe via Getty Images
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    Can science save fashion?

    Researchers and brands are racing to create sustainable, biodegradable fibers, fabrics and materials.

    Lauren Schenkman • Aug. 2, 2023
  • Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden speaking in front of a white background with a Yeezy logo on it.
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    REUTERS/Heiko Becker

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    Yeezy was only part of Adidas’ problems. The athleticwear brand has been falling further behind Nike for years.

    Since 2013, Adidas’ net sales have grown by less than $5 billion as it struggles to keep pace with the broader market. Could a new CEO and a clean slate reverse those trends?

    Cara Salpini • July 24, 2023
  • A Roblox character wears G Lock stud earrings that digital fashion designer Samuel Jordan created for Rebecca Minkoff’s new virtual collection.
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    Courtesy of Samuel Jordan
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    From screen to store: metaverse goes mainstream

    Digital fashion makes the leap into the real world as avatars and their creators share silhouettes and styles.

    Khanh T.L. Tran • June 6, 2023
  • A the interior of a store glows through the front windows, with a sign reading "Bonobos" in white capital letters above.
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    Courtesy of Express, Inc. and WHP Global
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    What’s behind Walmart’s DTC selloffs?

    The retail giant has been ditching its e-commerce acquisitions for years to refocus on its core. But it could also mean a fresh start for Eloquii and Bonobos.

    Dani James • May 17, 2023
  • Image of an old fax machine, circa 1980.
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    luoman via Getty Images
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    Out of fashion: Apparel manufacturing needs a tech update

    Tied to fax machines and Excel spreadsheets, many companies are resistant to change and slow to adapt to new ways of doing business.

    Krishna Thakker • May 10, 2023
  • Piles of unsold multi-colored clothing in a large heap
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    Spencer Platt/Getty via Getty Images
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    An unglamorous solution to fashion’s sustainability problem: make less stuff

    Overproduction, greenwashing and unchecked growth have created a huge problem. Experts say strict regulations may be the only solution, but it won't be easy or fast.

    Lauren Schenkman • April 17, 2023
  • Four anoraks, (brown, green, blue and navy) hang on a black rack. their collars and the background are cream-colored.
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    Courtesy of J. Crew
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    Resale’s big secret? It may need stores

    To join the secondhand market boom, many apparel retailers and brands have turned to third-party platforms that struggle to sustain a profit.

    Daphne Howland • April 17, 2023