So, what puts the fast in fast fashion? A behind-the-scenes peek at Zara shows how, say, a
Question:
So, what puts the “fast” in “fast fashion”? A behind-the-scenes peek at Zara shows how, say, a woman’s winter coat can go from a designer’s sketchpad to store display racks in less than one month.
The product development process begins with a designer in Spain creating a sketch that incorporates feedback from Zara’s worldwide network of store managers about the latest trends (zippers? plaids?
Millennial Pink?). Next, a pattern maker creates a prototype of the garment; if it’s approved, a pattern is created and used to cut fabric. These steps take a total of about seven days.
Over the course of the next two weeks, pattern cutters and seamstresses physically produce the correct number of units (typically, a few thousand). It takes an additional week for the coats to be pressed; tags and labels are added, and each garment undergoes a quality inspection.
The entire production lot is then transported to the company’s centralized logistics center, where the items are boxed and dispatched within 48 hours. For example, orders bound for New York may be shipped by air to John F. Kennedy Airport on Long Island, and then sent by truck to various Zara stores in the metro New York area. All stores receive orders twice weekly.
As this scenario shows, one key to Zara’s success has been keeping manufacturing close to its home base—if not in Spain, then in nearby Morocco, Portugal, or Turkey. Another key is flexibility; if a particular item is not selling well in one location, that inventory can be quickly shifted to another location where demand is strong. Also, production runs of even
hot-selling items are limited; this helps Zara convey an air of exclusivity that translates into higher prices and fewer markdowns.
The product development process begins with a designer in Spain creating a sketch that incorporates feedback from Zara’s worldwide network of store managers about the latest trends (zippers? plaids?
Millennial Pink?). Next, a pattern maker creates a prototype of the garment; if it’s approved, a pattern is created and used to cut fabric. These steps take a total of about seven days.
Over the course of the next two weeks, pattern cutters and seamstresses physically produce the correct number of units (typically, a few thousand). It takes an additional week for the coats to be pressed; tags and labels are added, and each garment undergoes a quality inspection.
The entire production lot is then transported to the company’s centralized logistics center, where the items are boxed and dispatched within 48 hours. For example, orders bound for New York may be shipped by air to John F. Kennedy Airport on Long Island, and then sent by truck to various Zara stores in the metro New York area. All stores receive orders twice weekly.
As this scenario shows, one key to Zara’s success has been keeping manufacturing close to its home base—if not in Spain, then in nearby Morocco, Portugal, or Turkey. Another key is flexibility; if a particular item is not selling well in one location, that inventory can be quickly shifted to another location where demand is strong. Also, production runs of even
hot-selling items are limited; this helps Zara convey an air of exclusivity that translates into higher prices and fewer markdowns.
Questions
1. What is so appealing about fast-fashion brands such as H&M and Zara?
2. Fast fashion has been criticized on the grounds that the same “looks” are found on display racks everywhere and that the clothing itself may be poorly constructed. Do you agree?
3. Is the fashion industry doing enough to create sustainable supply chains? What about the issue of discarded clothing items that have never been worn or barely been worn?
Step by Step Answer:
This question has not been answered yet.
You can Ask your question!
Related Book For 
Question Posted:
