Sourcing Journal Radio
by Sourcing Journal
Sourcing Journal Radio is thought leadership brought to life. Each podcast episode provides apparel industry executives with a platform from which to showcase their personalities and share their perspectives on a range of engaging topics, enabling listeners to consider new points of view and plot their next steps.
Episodes
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How Value Will Drive Holiday Shopping Behavior This Year
Chris Riedy, chief revenue officer at Ibotta, speaks with Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco’s consumer and retail platform, about how retailers and brands can create value, what promotional tactics work well for discretionary and premium...
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The Data Advantage: Building the Foundation for Smarter Fashion Decisions
For fashion sourcing operations today, data management is often the difference between profitability and margin erosion. Without the right intel on demand and stock levels, inventory can be misaligned in either direction—leading to stockouts or discounting. As companies try to manage complex,...
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Sugarcane Stretch: How Hyosung is Scaling Bio-based Spandex
With the help of brands and mills, Hyosung TNC is bringing bio-based spandex into the fashion industry in a bigger way. The South Korea-based synthetic fiber manufacturer’s parent company has invested $1 billion to set up a plant to produce bio-BDO, an input for spandex. Whereas BDO (aka...
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Designing Responsive, Resilient Fashion Supply Chains
Following multiple years of supply chain volatility, the leading logistics priority for fashion firms is resilience. Creating agile, adaptable supply chains starts with visibility on two fronts. Firstly, knowing where merchandise is positioned so it can be routed properly. Companies should also...
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True Religion's Renaissance: Inside the Brand's Repositioning and Retail Strategy
True Religion’s chief executive officer Michael Buckley speaks with Ian Fredericks, chief executive officer of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco’s consumer and retail platform, about True Religion’s marketing approach, what factors have allowed the brand to…
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How Roller Rabbit Forges Connections with Its Multigenerational Customer Base
Roller Rabbit's chief executive officer Ed Bertouch and chief marketing officer Carolyn Phillips speak with Ian Fredericks, chief executive officer of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco’s consumer and retail platform about the brand's collaboration strategy, how it is...
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Marine Layer’s Cofounders on Brick-and-Mortar Investments, Why Materials Matter and Running a B Corp Business
More than 15 years ago, two childhood friends decided to make the switch from finance to fashion, and Marine Layer was born. What began as a small operation with a single 450-square-foot storefront today counts 55 locations, with more retail openings in the works. On this episode of WWD Voices…
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Disposable to Durable: Altering Apparel's Fast-Fashion Mindset
Over the last few decades, the industry has been reliant on ever-expanding production volumes to achieve continued sales growth. Although a few super-fast-fashion giants are often criticized for their overproduction contributions and low prices, the general mass manufacturing trend across the...
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NRF on Shopping Shifts and That $1 Trillion Holiday Forecast
With news headlines shouting doom and gloom in every direction, is the National Retail Federation’s record-breaking $1 trillion holiday forecast wishful thinking? Or something more nuanced? “The consumer is sentimentally weak, but fundamentally sound,” explained Mark Mathews, chief economist and...
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Moving Wood-Based Fibers Forward with Sustainability and Transparency
As the fashion and textile industry increasingly seeks out greener fiber options, India’s Birla Cellulose is rising to meet the demands of a more exacting market.The manufacturer, which specializes in the production of man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) such as viscose and modal, is expanding the...
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Inside the SJ Sustainability Report: A New Way of Thinking
The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” so it’s encouraging to see that sustainability advocates are reconsidering old ways and thinking outside the box. Hence the title of Sourcing Journal’s latest Sustainability Report, titled “A...
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AWS on Future-Proofing the Holiday Season with Agentic AI
The holiday season is make or break time for retailers, as the last two months of the year can account for more than 20 percent of annual sales for many businesses. But this season is expected to be like none other, as 2025 marks the first year with agentic AI rewriting the retail playbook, from...
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Inside SJ Denim's Fall Issue: A Decade of Denim
SJ Denim turned 10 this year, and after a decade reporting on the business of denim, one thing is clear: trends might be constantly looking to the past, but innovations and sustainability attitudes are all about the future. In this episode, Sourcing Journal executive editor and denim expert…
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Mitigating Retail Cybersecurity Risk
With the rapid growth in e-commerce, retailers increasingly collect and store customer data to deliver personalized shopping experiences. Yet without proper safeguards in place, unsecured data can introduce significant risk. It’s not just consumer personal data that’s increasingly at risk, but...
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Material Innovation and Verification in Circular Fashion
Any brand can claim sustainable materials, but words mean nothing without third-party testing and certifications. In fact, unverified sustainability claims—even if they are valid—can often lead to suspicions of greenwashing. Here, Min Zhu, senior director, technical services and operations, US &...
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Inside SJ's Logistics Report: The Technology Issue
When it comes to logistics and technology, machines and humans continue their symbiotic dance to get goods loaded, shipped, railed, trucked, stored, sorted, picked, packed and delivered with ever-greater efficiencies. And what they’re achieving, is nothing short of amazing, although not without…
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AGI Denim Scales Clean Tech Across Operations to Maximize Impact and Efficiency
As the denim industry places greater emphasis on circularity and the full life cycle of a product, AGI Denim is emerging as a key player driving change through innovation and intentional growth. To build a more sustainable supply chain and manufacturing model, the Pakistan-based vertical denim...
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Inside SJ Denim's 'Made in America' Report
Is there anything more quintessentially American than blue jeans? Denim is so entrenched in the American psyche that it can be easy to forget that most jeans have been manufactured overseas for decades. To explore this disconnect—and to dive into the trials and tribulations of bringing domestic...
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Why Fashion Should Focus on Data Management to Weather Global Disruption
As the political and economic landscapes shift amid President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, the fashion industry—like many others—is bracing for impact by tightening supply chain operations. To help navigate these disruptions, Computer Generated Solutions (CGS) released the 10th annual...
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Can Leather Supply Chains Be Forest Friendly?
Just as cotton sustainability starts at the farm, leather sustainability starts at the ranch. Leather is a natural byproduct of food production, but cattle farming accounts for about 40 percent of all GHG emissions from agri-food systems, not to mention deforestation when not managed correctly....
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Inside SJ's Material Innovation Report 2025
Material innovation takes two forms. You can develop new alt materials that have less impact on the planet, or you can take existing fossil fuel-based materials and develop circular recycling systems to keep them out of landfills and use them again. Both innovations are exciting and both are…
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Supima x Spanx: Inside the Cotton Shapewear Collection
Shapewear has typically been associated with synthetic fibers, but a recent launch from Spanx is proving natural materials have a place in the category.Based on consumer feedback, Spanx set out to create shaping garments using natural fibers, and it landed on long-staple Supima cotton as the base...
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Inside SJ's Tech Report: The Human Issue
Big Business is rapidly embracing technology, but at what cost? Can robots and AI can make the fashion industry smarter, faster, better—without sacrificing humanity? Sourcing Journal's business reporter/tech editor Meghan Hall chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about the...
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Addressing Tariff Tumult with Diversification
Diversification has quickly turned from “nice to have” to “need to have” as an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China has made the industry’s number one manufacturing destination a more expensive choice. In a challenging climate, brands are also becoming more risk averse, and a broader...
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The True Cost of Tariffs
Talk about tariffs has been filling newspapers, websites, airwaves, boardrooms, factory floors and dinner tables for a while, but reality is just starting to sink in now. What are the true costs of tariffs, and who is going to be paying for them? Ian Fredericks, president and CEO of Hilco...
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Adapting the Global Sourcing Playbook for Agility
Geopolitical upheaval. Tariffs and trade wars. Inflation. Sustainability concerns. Changing buying patterns. As the list of disruptions and demands that the industry must consider when sourcing goods keeps growing, one strategy has become a top priority: diversification. “The retailers and the...
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Tapestry Talks Luxury in the Digital Age
Upscale legacy brands have a challenge when it comes to technology. How do you blend future-facing digital strategy with the timelessness of luxury? How do you balance exclusivity with digital-first accessibility? And how do you integrate omnichannel innovation into personalization, as well as…
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Can Sustainability Survive? Unpacking SJ's Sustainability Report
The political will toward sustainability is constantly shifting, and with the official exit from the Paris Agreement and a ‘drill, baby drill’ fossil fuel mentality, things are moving in another direction. This has created a climate of uncertainty for eco-minded businesses seeking support from...
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Tariff Turmoil: What Now? What Next?
Lately, tariffs have become the most powerful word in the world. They are moving stock markets, upending longstanding international trade agreements, and evoking lots of confusion—and emotion—across industries. Sourcing Journal recently released its annual State of the Industry Sourcing Report…
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Small Parts, Big Impact: Making Billions of Fasteners More Sustainable
Roughly half the world’s zippers and fasteners come from YKK, totaling an astounding 10 billion zippers in 2024 alone. And at such scale, these little parts have big impacts. That’s why YKK has doubled down on sustainability, from recycled materials and zipper slides that can carry data-carrying...
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Closing the Loop on Polyester
In the mere year and a half since it launched, Reju has already made substantial progress on its path toward scaling recycled polyester production. Last October, the textile-to-textile regeneration firm opened its first operational plant that will start deliveries this year, and it is not…
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Highlights from Sourcing Journal's Logistics Report
Change, obstacles and opportunity sum up the state of supply chains in 2025. And while logistics are tumultuous under the best of circumstances—let alone during fiery geopolitics and a new president determined to remake the trade landscape—there's plenty of optimism and energy on many fronts....
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Future-Proofing Fashion Supply Chains
Listen to this podcast to discover what the fashion industry is up against in 2025 and how companies can effectively navigate an unpredictable supply chain landscape.
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Measuring the Impact: Data's Role in Sustainability Reporting
How effectively can you verify your sustainability claims and results? This question is becoming more imperative as the industry is now being held to higher standards to report and communicate their environmental impact. To meet these demands, companies need data. In 2020, the U.S. Cotton...
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Evaluating the Cotton Market and Global Economy
As a new administration takes office in the United States, the retail industry is watching what will happen with trade. While tariffs could hike the import price of finished goods, they would also have an impact on the cotton market. Any trade conflicts with China could disrupt a key export...
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Tariffs, Trade and Turmoil: Highlights from the SJ Fall Summit
Sourcing Journal turned 15 this year, so there was a lot to celebrate at its annual Fall Summit held in New York this November. The event tackled trade issues and industry turmoil, not to mention Trump's proposed tariffs, which were particularly top of mind as the event occurred just days after…
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Why U.S. Companies Can't Ignore EU ESPR
ESPR is one of the most comprehensive sustainability regulations so far in the world. Min Zhu of testing, inspection and certification company SGS chats with Lauren Parker of SJ and Fairchild Studios to offer insights.
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Why Predictive Analytics Matter for Fashion Profitability
In this fireside chat, Andre Claudio, staff writer, strategic content at Sourcing Journal, chats with Kendall Becker, fashion and editorial strategy director at Trendalytics, about how the retail intelligence platform is leveraging this technology to help retailers make more profitable…
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Managing Responsibility Under New EPR Policies
In this fireside chat, Lauren Parker, director of Sourcing Journal and Fairchild Studios, chats with Kelly West, manager of business development for North America of Trimco Group (based in the U.S.), and Claire Piccinno, sustainability advisor and ProductDNA team leader of Trimco Group (based in...
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Standvast’s Tech-Driven Approach to Speedy Shipping
In this podcast, Glenn Taylor, logistics editor at Sourcing Journal, and Cayce Roy, founder and CEO of Standvast, discuss how the company is shaping the future of order fulfillment through its innovative technology and services.
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What Will Trump 2.0 Mean for the Fashion Industry?
Kate Nishimura of Sourcing Journal chats with Lauren Parker of Fairchild Studio about what Trump's next presidency could means for apparel, footwear, textiles and retail when it comes to tariffs, trade and taxes.
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Laying a Strong Foundation for Automation
Automation holds immense potential for the product development process. Moving rote tasks from humans to artificial intelligence allows teams to focus their energy on the creative aspects of the job. It also streamlines the workflow, reducing samples and iterations, which in turn boosts…
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Cultivating More Sustainable Cotton: Modernizing Farming Methods
Combatting climate change has become a top target for the fashion industry, but reaching carbon-cutting targets will require action across the entire supply chain. In September 2022, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was named the lead recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, receiving...
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Is Fashion Doing Enough for Sustainability?
To see how the fashion industry is faring regarding sustainability, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studios, sat down with Peter Sadera, editor-in-chief, Sourcing Journal, to discuss the positives pushing things forward, as well as the obstacles blocking more progress.
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Grasping Omnichannel's Diversifying Landscape
In this fireside chat for business hub Retail Rx, Tim Anderson, senior business leader and executive vice president, Hilco Valuation Services, explains to Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, how retailers and brands must evaluate their respective brick-and-mortar and digital...
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Inside SJ's Material Innovation Report
In this episode, Alex Harrell, Sourcing Journal staff reporter, discusses the gains and obstacles in the exciting world of alt materials. Download the Material Innovation Report to learn: What’s next for Renewcell, rebranded Circulose under its new private equity owner How Under Armour is pushing...
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Supporting the Denim Industry with a 'One-Stop-Shop' of Solutions
In this episode, Lizzie Kroeze, director of product development and marketing for the EU and UK at AGI Denim, chats with Angela Velasquez, executive editor at Rivet about its upgraded operations. The vertically integrated B Corp manages the entire production process, from yarn spinning and fabric...
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Inside SJ x WWD's Tech Report: The Artificial Intelligence Issue
Far from some distant sci-fi fantasy, artificial intelligence has made its way into all aspects of our lives, and the fashion industry is no exception. In this podcast, Sourcing Journal business reporter and tech editor Meghan Hall joins Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, to discuss the...
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Combatting Microplastic Pollution By Choosing Natural Materials
Since synthetic materials came on the scene almost a century ago, they have grown to become the most popular choice for apparel. But the prevalence of polyester and other polymer-based fibers has come with a tiny yet pervasive problem: microplastics. Textiles are a key contributor to microplastic...
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Retail Rx: Shaping J.Crew's Digital Transformation Strategy
In this special “Chat Box” episode, part of a series of executive spotlights for RetailRx community hub, Danielle Schmelkin, chief information officer of J.Crew Group joins Fairchild Studio Director Lauren Parker. Schmelkin discusses the shifting role of the CIO, J.Crew and Madewell’s digital...
About this show
Sourcing Journal Radio is thought leadership brought to life. Each podcast episode provides apparel industry executives with a platform from which to showcase their personalities and share their perspectives on a range of engaging topics, enabling listeners to consider new points of view and plot their next steps.
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Sourcing Journal
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