Travel needs to Return to the Fashion Industry

Usually I post about apparel technology, but today I’m going back to my roots.

Product Development, Production & Sourcing.

I was chatting with Elisa Fuss about the many years that have passed since we both worked at Ralph Lauren.

Pre-going public, pre-fancy office at 650 Madison.

The teams traveled to European & Asian factories, mills & laundries 2-4 times a year for a couple of weeks at a time.

We were lucky enough to walk the floors, talk to the line managers, see how a change in the construction of the CF zipper could throw off the production flow.

How a last minute change in pocketing forces a new pattern to be made because now the difference in shrinkage after wash.

(fast forward)
Timelines had become shorter, supply chain more complicated, and budgets were shrinking, even before COVID.

Travel was saved for the Production & Sourcing teams, so very few Designers, Product Developers & Garment Engineers (aka Pattern Makers) ever visited the factories that were producing their designs.

Post-COVID, it is rare that any member of the brand’s design office travels overseas. Zoom is the new norm.

Hands on, experiential learning is crucial to the front-end team’s ability to holistically create a superior product.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a visit to a factory is worth 5 years of industry experience. Invest in your employees and your company.