Tag Archives: industry

AAFA 2018 Sourcing Conference

This last week, I had the privilege to attend the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s annual sourcing conference. This year, the event – Supply Chain Innovation: The Key to Success in the New Retail Dynamic – was held in the Ronald Reagen Center in Washington DC.

Who is the AAFA?

The AAFA is an industry organization which represents more than 1,000 companies, including name brands, retailers, and manufacturers. AAFA represents the voice of the industry regarding public policy and political issues. Providing knowledge and services such as supply chain management, trade policy, and brand protection, being a member of the AAFA has major benefits.

 

What was the event?

The AAFA hosts an annual conference which is mainly attended by group members covering topics relevant to the current standing of the industry regarding best practices, political issues, and global issues. This years event was: Supply Chain Innovation: The Key to Success in the New Retail Dynamic. Innovation was the main topic during this event. Innovation in supply chain methods, industry relationships, ERP, robotics and other machinery were all discussed. The conference is also a great time for industry members to network and expand their contacts to create new business relationships.

Global Perspective: Business & Manufacturing

Howdy every one! We’re back in the flow of things almost a month into the second semester and I’m excited to share new experiences with you. Lots will be going on for me this semester, such as finishing up my Associate’s degree, working in my first internship, and just getting my life together in general. Right before we departed for Winter break, I wrote a post about fashion news sources. I am here to continue that series step by step, and I’m happy to say that the next source is WRAP.

Fashion News Source: #2

WRAP

Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) is the largest global sewn products manufacturing accreditation program in the world. It is a team of independent, objective, non-profit workers located around the world to ensure lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing. They are a huge deal, and when it comes to apparel, working with any WRAP accredited facility is a great way to ensure ethical standards. WRAP sends out weekly newsletters which anyone can subscribe to. They cover what facilities WRAP has certified within the week and extensive content about what the global manufacturing market is up to. It gives summaries of major events country by country so that you can have a big picture view of how the industry might be moving.

It does take some interpretation and deep thinking to understand how some of these events might be directly relevant, but trust me, from a source like WRAP, this information is invaluable.