This study provides a systematic description of the nature and evolution of major transactions in the U.S. apparel sector, using a theory that applies across sectors. This research investigates the determinants of the existence and magnitude of major inter-firm transactions, relying on a unique longitudinal dataset of over 2,000 of the largest transactional (buy-sell) relations between publicly traded firms in the U.S. apparel sector. The results indicate the importance of inter-firm complementarity, rather than inter-firm similarity, in explaining the sector architecture; thus contributing to the future improvement of industry classification systems. This study also contributes to a deeper understanding of the apparel sector focusing on the change in the relative importance of manufacturing activities versus service activities and in the involvement of firms from the outside apparel sector. Implications of inter-firm transactions are discussed regarding industry policies, and human and environmental welfare in manufacturing and raw materials industries.

Abstract Purpose:The purpose of this study is to explore in-store touchpoints that help creating a positive customer experience in apparel stores. The aim of this thesis is to provide further insight that may be used for implementation of experiential marketing in stores.   Problem:As e-commerce channels are gaining more customers to the detriment of brick and mortar stores, the authors of this thesis believe it is relevant to study what apparel stores can do to enhance their customer experience. There is substantial research done on customer experience but not as much on the combination of touchpoints in-store and how that connects to customer experience. This literature gap forms the problem discussion and the research question the thesis strives to explore.   Method:An exploratory strategy with a combination of deductive and inductive research approach has been applied for the study. Through secondary data and literature search the authors explored the field of experience and in-store touchpoint elements contributing to customer experience and interaction. Further, a qualitative approach was used to form case studies on three companies; Firstly, Qmatic a global leader in helping companies seamlessly integrate online and offline touchpoints, through pioneering software and hardware systems. Secondly, the women’s fashion brand NA-KD, having sold clothes to more than 150 countries in less than two years. Thirdly, Partners, a traditional family-owned brick and mortar store selling apparel to gentlemen.   Findings and Conclusion:The analysed empirical findings present that apparel stores work differently with touchpoints depending on who their customer is. Based on the three case studies, the authors conclude that “employee and customer interaction” is the most prominent touchpoint connected with in-store environment. This element can be reinforced by other touchpoints customized for specific brands and stores, which also plays a big role for the customer experience and interaction.

L’organisation du transport international et la gestion de la supply chain deviennent essentielles pour les entreprises multinationales quand la production se délocalise. Etant une filière dont la production se mondialise très tôt, la filière du textile-habillement illustre bien le processus de la mondialisation. Cette thèse étudie la question du transport dans la filière du textile-habillement à partir de la sous-traitance de production en Chine, actuellement le site de production de vêtements le plus important du monde. Par les entretiens avec des entreprises du textile-habillement et des organisateurs de transport en Chine, à Hong Kong et à Taiwan, nous décrivons d’abord la répartition des responsabilités de transport entre producteurs, intermédiaires et distributeurs. Ensuite nous analysons comment les acteurs s’adaptent à la contrainte du transport en organisant leur production et comment la façon dont ils externalisent leurs activités de transport affecte le marché des organisateurs de transport international. Avec les entreprises hongkongaises et taiwanaises, les acheteurs occidentaux peuvent se décharger de la coordination des activités de production en Chine. Une chaîne industrielle intégrée de l’amont à l’aval dans les agglomérations industrielles chinoises permet de réduire le temps de transport des tissus et d’autres produits intermédiaires. La vente FOB des produits d’habillement chinois laisse toute latitude d’organiser le transport international des produits finaux aux distributeurs. Le marché des produits d’habillement dans la plupart des pays industrialisés se concentre de plus en plus entre les mains des grands distributeurs. Ceux-ci sous-traitent l’organisation de transport aux organisateurs de transport à l’échelle multinationale capables d’organiser le transport international dans plusieurs pays. La domination des distributeurs dans la filière a créé un environnement favorable au développement des organisateurs de transport multinational. Cette thèse montre parallèlement les évolutions de deux systèmes, le système de la production et celui du transport, qui sont liés par l’externalisation des activités de transport. C’est un processus interactif de la mondialisation où l’un s’adapte à l’autre d’une façon complexe dans les deux sens. Le développement technique, la réglementation internationale et nationale, la force du marché, et la particularité historique, géographique et sociale : tous ces facteurs interviennent dans ce processus. Dans le cas de la Chine, nous voyons qu’un environnement de transport qui facilite les échanges internationaux des marchandises est indispensable pour que les entreprises industrielles d’un pays puissent s’insérer dans la chaîne de valeur mondiale. / The subject of international transportation organization and supply chain management are becoming essential for multinational companies in today’s global economy. The textile and apparel industry illustrates well the process of globalization in the manufacturing sector as this is an industry whose manufacture takes on a global dimension earlier than other industries. Starting from 2005, apparel exports from China accounts for more than one-third of world’s total apparel trade. Most researches on supply chain management in this industry emphasize the role of retailers, e.g. brand chain stores, department stores or hypermarkets. This paper focuses on the manufacturing aspect, namely the process from raw materials to products. We have conducted interviews with Chinese manufacturers, commercial intermediaries (Hong Kong and Taiwan), western buyers and freight forwarders. Firstly we analyze the process from textile procurement to apparel delivery, with an emphasis on the Incoterms (Internatonal Commercial Terms) and transportation mode, time and cost. We can see how the actors adapt to the constraints on transportation systems and how this shapes the way that western buyers outsource the manufacture. The apparel industry in China adopted the manufacturing model used in newly industrialized Asian countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. From 1980s, the companies in these countries moved their production chain to China and became intermediaries between Chinese manufacturers and western buyers. The manufacturers take care of everything from textile procurement to apparel making instead of handling only the final stage. A complete vertical integration in the industrial clusters in China can reduce the transport time of tissues and other intermediate products. Subcontractors in China usually sell the goods on Incoterms FOB that gives western buyers the latitude to organize international transportation. Besides, the ways they externalize their transportation activities affect the market share of international freight forwarders. Western buyers often externalize the transport organization to those freight forwarders who have their own network in multiples countries. The dominance of distributors in the apparel industry has created an environment favorable to the development of multinational freight forwarders. At last we examined the market of freight forwarders in China from the viewpoint of regulation. The western freight forwarders groups expand their global network while western industrials establish their foreign sites. As western buyers have more power to decide the transportation of exporting goods, western forwarders have also the dominance in the China’s market. In this condition, it is difficult for local Chinese forwarders to develop their own worldwide network. Hence, Chinese government takes measures to comply with the WTO principles but protect the local Chinese forwarders at the same time. This thesis shows in parallel the development of two systems, the one of production and the other of transportation, which are bound by outsourcing of transportation activities. It is an interactive process of globalization where one fits the other in a complex way in both directions. Technical development, international and national regulations, market power and historical, geographical and social features: all these factors involved in this process. In the case of China, we can see that a transport environment which facilitates the international trade is essential for the industrial enterprises of a country to integrate into the global value chain.

The present Master's thesis seeks to evaluate a business plan of Start-up Company in apparel industry. The purpose of the paper is to determine the acceptability of an introduced project. As a starting point, the theoretical part elaborates indispensable principles of the business plan providing the fundamentals for further work. Since the project is taking place in another country, the second part describes its macro-environmental factors including the analysis of essential aspects of apparel industry. Finally, the last part provides the concrete business plan, the results of which adduce a possible acceptance of the project.

O objetivo principal desta tese é desenvolver um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências (competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais). Para alcançar o objetivo geral, foram elaborados os objetivos específicos, que correspondem aos cinco artigos constituintes desta tese. O primeiro artigo tem como proposta identificar as competências e delinear como estas relacionam-se e articulam-se no âmbito da Gestão de Design, por meio de uma revisão sistemática de literatura, identificando inter-relações e conexões possíveis sobre o tema em questão bem como aspectos relacionados às competências e à gestão de design. O segundo visa propor um modelo conceitual que evidencie relações e conexões entre aspectos atrelados às competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais na gestão de design. Já o terceiro artigo objetiva investigar o entendimento dos especialistas sobre competências em gestão de design, assim como as articulações e fatores intervenientes no contexto da indústria do vestuário da região sul do Brasil. Este artigo também apresenta como objetivo conhecer a estruturação das equipes de design e o relacionamento destas com a organização, identificando quem são os agentes participantes destas equipes. O quarto artigo visa a sistematizar o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e seus envolvidos, identificando fases e atividades do profissional de design que são determinantes para a ocorrência da gestão de design no contexto analisado. Para finalizar, o quinto artigo tem como objetivo relacionar o modelo conceitual ao processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e suas fases bem como as atividades do profissional de design, resultando em um framework representativo da indústria do vestuário. Este artigo também objetiva avaliar a aplicabilidade do framework proposto para viabilidade e melhor estruturação da gestão de design em empresas da indústria do vestuário, pela ótica de especialistas do setor envolvidos com a gestão de design. A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho tem caráter exploratório. Em um primeiro momento, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura, de natureza aplicada e, em um segundo momento, uma pesquisa qualitativa, a partir de um estudo multicaso, com realização de entrevistas em profundidade. Como resultado, foi desenvolvido um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências. / The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competencies (individual, collective and organizational). In order to achieve it, specific purposes were developed, which correspond to the five constituent items of this thesis. The first article is to show how competencies relate and articulate within the Design Management, through a systematic literature review, identifying inter-relationships and connections possible on the subject in question as well as aspects related to competencies and design management. The second proposes a conceptual model that provides evidence about relationships and connections between aspects linked to individual, collective and organizational competencies in design management. The third article aims at investigate the understanding of experts on competencies in design management, as well as the joints and intervening factors in the context of apparel industry in southern Brazil. In addition, this paper presents the objective of ascertaining the structuring of design teams and the relationship of these with the organization, identifying who the participant agents of these teams are. The fourth article aims at systematize the product development process and its stakeholders, identifying determinant moments for the occurrence of design management in the analyzed context. Finally, the fifth paper aims at relate the conceptual model to the product development process and its determinant moments, resulting in a representative framework of the apparel industry. This article also aims at evaluate the applicability of the proposed framework for feasibility and better structuring of design management in companies in the apparel industry, from the perspective of industry experts involved with the design management. The methodology used in this study is exploratory. At first, a systematic literature review of applied nature was developed and, in a second phase, a qualitative research from a multi case study with in-depth interviews was conducted. As a result, we developed a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competence.

The apparel industry is pointed out as an industry highly contributing with negative environmental impacts in all different stages of the production to consumption chain. Companies within the outdoor industry have been trying to combat this issue by producing apparel that are less harmful for the environment and by encouraging consumers to keep, care and repair for their apparel over time. Educative communication with customers regarding the environmental issues deriving from apparel consumption is seen where some brands go as far as to engaging in environmental activism. Regarding retailers within the outdoor industry, the use of educational communication needs to incorporate many different brands and thus communicating about environmentally preferable apparel is more complex. This study investigates the Swedish retailer Naturkompaniet’s approach to educational communication in order to identify what possibilities there are to encourage consumers to purchase environmentally preferable apparel and to care for it over time. The study find that Naturkompaniet does use educational communication to encourage consumers to purchase environmentally preferable apparel to some extent. It also identifies room for improvement and give suggestions on how the communication can be developed further.

In order to achieve good apparel fit, it is necessary to identify, define and classify the size and shape of a population based on a combination of key body measurements (Petrova & Ashdown, 2008). Unrepresentative sizing systems ultimately lead to apparel fit problems which are further compounded by an unstandardised and ambiguous communication of sizing and fit within the apparel manufacturing sector (Chun-Yoon & Jasper, 1996; Winks, 1997; Simmons & Istook, 2004). According to Magagula and Zwane (2006), the sizing system used by the apparel industry in Swaziland is based on British anthropometric measurements taken in the 1940s; yet there is a significant variance in the body proportions and dimensions of different ethnic groups and within ethnic groups (Yu, 2004c:183). It is therefore predictable that young Swazi women would experience apparel fit problems with ready-to-wear apparel. Body forms are manufactured using body dimensions of the apparel manufacturer’s target market in order to yield satisfactory levels of fit. This is however not the case for the Swazi market, as very little current anthropometric data exists on Swazi women. As a result, small-scale apparel manufacturers encounter problems with regard to body forms that are not manufactured according to the shape of Swazi women. The aim of this research was therefore to identify and describe the most prevalent body shapes of young Swazi women using body dimensions, to identify and describe the body shapes of the currently used body forms through body dimensions, to describe and compare the most prevalent body measurements and proportions of young Swazi women and those of currently used body forms, and finally to test and evaluate the fit of the test garment which represents the most prevalent size and shape of the Swazi women, on the body forms. This study is explorative in nature as it helped to clarify a largely undefined area of body shape analysis in respect of young Swazi women. Under the quantitative research strategy, a survey research methodology was used. Anthropometric techniques and traditional tailor’s measurements were used to obtain body measurements for various dimensions of young Swazi women, and training in anthropometry was undertaken to ensure that the measurements were taken reliably and accurately. It emerges from the results of this study that the most prevalent body shape of young Swazi women is the triangular body shape, followed by the hourglass body shape, while the inverted triangle is the least common body shape. The two body form brands employed in this study on the other hand are found to bear different body shapes from each other. Though one brand appears to have the same shape as that of the most prevalent body shape of young Swazi women, it is apparent that there are notable differences regarding the degree of the body contours, i.e. the Swazi women are conspicuously heavier and more rounded at the hip area – as the measurement differences show. The expectation that this body form will offer a better fit to Swazi women as they have similar body shapes in principle, is not realised when the fit of the test garment is evaluated, due to the vast differences in the drop values. The fit problems that are predicted to be experienced by young Swazi women when using the body forms for pattern generation, based on the significant measurement differences, are indeed observed during the evaluation of the fit of the test garment on the body forms. The fit problems exhibited during the testing of the fit of the test garment based on the most prevalent body shape of young Swazi women on the body forms, are mainly due to a wider lower hip girth and shorter length proportions at the upper torso of the young Swazi women. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the body shapes that exist among young Swazi women and the fit problems that young Swazi women experience as a consequence of unrepresentative body forms being used in terms of size and shape. Furthermore, the need for all stakeholders in the apparel manufacturing industry to reach consensus on the standardisation and communication of sizing emerges as a step toward affording better fitting apparel to the Swazi women. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Background: The fashion world is increasingly aware of different body types and becomes more diverse every year. However, breast asymmetry, which is highly common among women with a rate of 88 percent, is not addressed by the fashion industry at all. Current advertisements of lingerie brands mainly support a flawless, slim and symmetrical body type. This beauty standard seams not in accordance to the high rate of affected women with breast asymmetry. Moreover, there are several factors which are negatively influenced by breast asymmetry, such as a failing weight support of the bra, an asymmetrical look due to the ill-fitting bra and confidence issues. Purpose: The aim of this research is to empirically investigate the influence of breast asymmetry on the product development of bras. Method: The research makes use of a mixed methods research design. This concurrent design has the focus on the quantitative part. The empirical tools, which are selected for this research, are a survey and semi-structured interviews. In order to obtain more information about the research topic, a literature review has been conducted first. The systematic review critically examines the already existing literature. The theoretical starting point of this research begins with breast asymmetry and product development to then continue with conducting a survey among women and interviewing experts, based on interview guides. Results: The results are gathered through the survey and interviews. More than 65 percent of the respondents of the survey see or feel a difference between the two sides of their breasts. In total, almost 60 percent of the women identifies the left side of their breasts as larger. More than 80 percent of the women mention volume as the affected asymmetry factor. The degree of difference between the two sides of the breasts differs from woman to woman. Around 25 percent of the respondents, who say they are affected with breast asymmetry, indicate that they try to even out the breast asymmetry. Conclusion: In consideration of the rate of affected women and current product development practices, a differentiation between a low degree of asymmetry and a high degree of asymmetry has to be made. Lingerie companies should consider to adapt low breast asymmetry in their product development, as current solutions are sufficient to even out small differences. Adequate labelling and branding of the products, which are suitable for breast asymmetry, need to be introduced. For the high degree of asymmetry, special bras need to be constructed. This is feasible for most brands, yet only successful for brands where this type of bra matches the product portfolio and values of the company.

The Brazilian textile industry has many years of experience in producing apparel within the country. Brazil is a country with a well developed supply chain, yet they import a big amount of manufactured textile products from Asia each year. Globalization has made fashion brands look outside of the country's borders to be able to deliver a good price to the end consumer. In this study an investigation has been made to elucidate why the apparel companies import from Asia, what is imported from Asia and how the image of the companies would be affected by working more sustainably by utilizing the existing resources available in Brazil. In order to learn why companies do import, semi-structured interviews have been made with people who work and have good knowledge regarding this subject. To put this matter into context a Brazilian apparel company named Cia.hering has been used as an exponent for this report. This to get a more clear view on how the company might be affected by producing more locally and if it would be possible. To learn about how the Brazilian consumers look at sustainable fashion and what they think of Cia.Hering as a company a survey has been conducted. The outcome of this study shows that the consumers have a big effect on how companies choose to produce but that it is up to the individual apparel company to choose how they want to produce their goods. Producing locally makes it a lot easier to control the full supply chain and to work as a more transparent company.

In recent years, e-commerce has become an essential part of the global retail framework. The retail industry has undergone an essential conversion due to the rise of the Internet and the ongoing development of digitalization. The Internet is more easily accessible with a rapid increase globally, and the number of potential online buyers is gradually increasing. This accessibility of the Internet has become evident in Sweden, which has been ranked as one of the top three most digitalizing countries among the member states of the European Union. In the year 2020, sales in e-commerce increased sharply in Sweden. It has been assessed that the change in consumer behavior has led to the increased use of e-commerce, and this continuous change will proceed in the future. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine e-service quality in online apparel stores in Sweden using the E-S-QUAL model. In addition, this study investigates if each of the four dimensions in the E-S-QUAL model has an effect on customers’ e-satisfaction in online apparel stores. The research investigates how much each of the independent variables is affecting customers’ e-satisfaction. This will be researched using Swedish university students. The research follows a quantitative research design, and the data was based on the answers from an online questionnaire which resulted in 62 responses. Random- and snowball sampling was used to collect the data, and a survey research design was followed in the study. The data were analyzed using SPSS, where regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis. From the analysis, it was found that all of the four dimensions have an effect on customers’ e-satisfaction. However, the results show that the two dimensions efficiency and privacy have the highest impact on customers’ perception of e-service quality and thereby are affecting customers’ level of e-satisfaction the most.