Product Sourcing

Consumer expectations have never been higher. They want simple shopping experiences online, on their mobile devices, and in person — whatever is most convenient at any point in time. Most of all, they want to be able to purchase the exact item they’re looking for, and they want it delivered fast. For the last decade,…

The chief executives of seven top clothing companies, including Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), Gap, and Adidas, are calling on governments to agree to a strong climate change deal, saying they fear global warming will drive up their costs. Almost 200 nations are meeting in Paris until Dec. 11, trying to work out a deal to…

Amazon.com, which has been working hard for years to build up Amazon Fashion, anticipates selling its own private-label clothing brands, an executive said at a conference Tuesday. “For Amazon, we know our customers love brands, many of the brands in this room … and that’s where the lion’s share of our business comes from,” Jeff Yurcisin,…

Business executives from global clothing giants H&M, Inditex and Gap have canceled trips to Dhaka this month after the killings of two foreigners, industry sources said, causing anxiety for Bangladesh's $25 billion garment export sector. Bangladeshi suppliers to the world's top brands said they didn't expect the disruptions to hurt their orders for the year-end Christmas…

Fur will be flying. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is hopping mad at hipster retailer Urban Outfitters and its Free People clothing brand for selling sweaters, hats and dresses made from angora rabbit fur. The group is launching a campaign Monday targeting Free People and highlighting the cruelty it says is inflicted on rabbits…

Whole Foods will stop selling products made using a prison labor program after a protest at one of its stores in Texas. The company said the products should be out of its stores by April 2016, if not sooner. Whole Foods said it has sold tilapia, trout and goat cheese produced through a Colorado inmate program…

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Taobao shopping website should be put back on the U.S. government’s “Notorious Markets” list for failing to stop the sales of fakes, according to a group representing U.S. clothing makers. Taobao is synonymous with counterfeits and has been unwilling to make serious reform since it was removed from the list in 2012,…

By going direct to consumer, luxury bedding brand Boll & Branch has been able to keep its prices competitive without sacrificing the quality on which the brand has built its reputation (its products are made with certified organic cotton). In this episode of Total Retail Talks, Scott Tannen, co-founder and CEO of Boll & Branch,…

Etsy is adding more manufacturers to its artisanal crafting platform. The company announced Monday that it's creating a manufacturing marketplace that connects third-party manufacturers with its sellers. Since 2013, Etsy has allowed select sellers to work with outside manufacturers, but this move expands the partnerships. Etsy said manufacturers will be able to apply to be part of the…

H&M, Europe’s second-largest clothing retailer, is rolling out a more generous compensation program for its Asian suppliers to improve factory conditions and combat unrest in the countries that produce the majority of its apparel. The Swedish retailer, which has 3,649 stores across 59 markets, is introducing a “fair wage method” to 68 factories in China, Cambodia…