At this moment, we are in the midst of a challenging Supply Chain environment. Some would say Global Supply Chains are well and truly broken. The Omicron variant has hit China during the past week, and suddenly we're back to not knowing what will happen next. As a supply chain specialist, I've looked at every source of information and considered many different scenarios the country may take to handle this wave. It is still unknown how this journey will unfold. Certainly, it reminds us of two years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. How come we have not changed or learnt our lessons. It is clear that how the past was, is not what we need in the future.
The subject of Supply Chain has never been something that has garnered much attention until the past two years. The pandemic has pushed us all to our limits and gone way beyond the parameters of the previous Supply Chain models, where the dependence on low-cost locations in distant places with lengthy lead times prevailed. Squeezing a lower price from manufacturers and putting pressure on businesses and workers left little space for disruption. It doesn't work anymore.
As the pandemic seemed to be coming to an end, we thought that we had things back on track, only to see that other world events can and do seriously disrupt what we seemingly have under control. The past models were mainly global and focused on achieving the lowest costs for the greatest margin. Executives, suppliers and workers stretched as the industry grew and sped up until it broke at the onset of the pandemic.
The new direction was ready to emerge. A generational demand for a new way forward was created by the demands of Gen-Z consumers. A demand for transparency, integrity and awareness in the supply chain.
Any start-up or new brand cites sustainability as one of its key foundations or values. Sustainability is no longer a 'nice to have' or a 'box to tick'. It is integral to the future of fashion business models. What does this mean for the future of the supply chain?
John Thorbeck, in his recent article in 'Business of Fashion': "How to fix the Fashion Supply Chain, begin with culture", spoke clearly about culture being the solution for the future.
I can certainly agree with this direction, but let's just look at this further. When we look at the supply chain as a living, breathing entity, this provides some opportunity for addressing it newly. It involves humans and a lot of them.
Humans are not machines, the pre-pandemic Supply Chain demanded this. We humans have our own sensitivities, challenges, strengths and emotions. Creating efficiencies through force and expectation is only a short-term solution. In coming out of the pandemic, we see that there's an opportunity for "we're all in this together" to be "let's create this together". The future supply chain is where collaboration replaces contractual, time-based relationships and constant demands for increasing margin. Where efficiency is important but doesn't factor has the number one value. In a collaborative approach, we can create so much more together.
As is constantly considered in the subject of sustainable fashion or upcycling, there is the "awareness" factor, the discussion about "conscious clothing".
In the Fashion Industry, could it be that we're moving from a dependence on discounting and cheap products to building more value into the product so that we don't need to buy as much? Certainly, those huge digital fashion sites will continue to produce vast amounts of styles on a daily basis. But, there is another direction available, one where a supply chain is built like art or craft. When partners collaborate and understand the needs of each aspect of the business. So that the demands of sales are collaborated and fueled by the manufacturing partner, the opportunities are endless when we can collaborate to create something greater than we've created before. This is a true opportunity for the future of the supply chain. One where partnership, trust, innovation and commitment generate a successful brand and the supply chain is the engine to fuel the run's growth.
What a beautiful future to imagine and create.