SOURCING at MAGIC Digital Issue Volume 4

DIGITAL ISSUE VOLUME 4

Sustainability: Beginning With the End in Mind Business Insights: Key Takeaways Sourcing 101: Tips for Fashion Entrepreneurs

CONTENTS 04

Introduction

06

In Focus: Sustainability + Social Good

10

In Focus: Fashion Technology

12

In Focus: Fashion Entrepreneurship

14

Business Insights

18

Community Highlights

18 Community Highlights 12 Fashion Entrepreneurship

2

06 Sustainability + Social Good

3

Celebrating 20 years of SOURCING at MAGIC Sourcing pros at all levels gather for business, sharing, and camaraderie SOURCING at MAGIC celebrates 20 years this season, and of course we couldn’t have done it with you, our ever-evolving stream of attendees and exhibitors. As always, this season proved to be about so much more than finding great resources and making great deals (although there was certainly plenty of that, too). At the center of all that commerce were also opportunities to connect with a global community and discuss the issues that confront today’s entrepreneurial thinker in the sourcing industry. From big picture issues like sustainability and artificial intelligence, to more practical matters like what technologies a start-up can implement in its business practices to help address challenges, SOURCING at MAGIC proved itself to be a rich reserve of knowledge and networking.

covered everything from trend forecasts by the experts at Fashion Snoops and Pantone, to sustainability concerns with Dr. Cindy J. Lin, of Hey Social Good — our sustainability partner — in conversation with FABSCRAP’s Camille Tagle and Drexel University’s Lisa Hayes to Ben Hanson, Editor-In-Chief of fashion tech magazine The Interline sharing his suggestions for technology solutions that even the smallest companies can utilize for scaling their businesses. Ilse Metchek of the California Fashion Association also hosted a timely conversation with Gina Bibby, a lawyer who specializes in Artificial Intelligence and its implications for our industry.

Read on to learn a bit more about the many learning opportunities that were available at all our SOURCING at MAGIC Our education programming is at the events this season. We can’t wait to see heart of our live events in both Las Ve- you again in February to learn, connect, gas and New York. This season’s topics and move the industry forward together.

REGISTER NOW

4

5

Beginning with the End in Mind Although a completely sustainable fashion industry remains somewhat elusive, many in our profession are dedicated to doing what we can to create a more earth-friendly future. Here at SOURCING at MAGIC, we’re proud to continue our commitment to bringing eco-conscious discussions and sustainable solutions to the forefront of our events. This season we once again collaborated with Hey Social Good (HSG) to verify exhibitors’ sustainability and social good strategies through the organization’s verified exhibitor’s program – a program now in its third season with SOURCING at MAGIC.

sions with experts about sustainability, circularity, and product lifecycle at both our Las Vegas and New York events.

If there was a single theme guiding this season’s discussions, it was that apparel design must become a more systems-oriented process, where designers focus on creating products that stay in circulation, seeking to prevent waste completely, and where entrepreneurs take the risks needed to push the movement forward.

Here are some takeaways from this season’s sustainability sessions:

Dr. Cindy J. Lin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Hey Social Good, led several discusPictured from left to right: Camille Tagle and Professor Lisa Hayes

“In very simple terms, circularity means that there is no end-of-life to a garment. Normally when you produce something, it gets sold, worn, and eventually thrown away. Our goal is to be innovative, creative, and more sustainable. When we create value for waste, it takes on a completely different definition.”

—Dr. Cindy J. Lin, CEO and Co-Founder, Hey Social Good

“Asking the right questions starts with the designer. Know your craft. Become the expert. Ask the questions. If the person you’re asking doesn’t know, they’ll point you to somebody who does.”

—Camille Tagle, Co-Founder & Creative Director, FABSCRAP

“Nobody is doing a good job at communicating information about making these decisions, and until consumers start asking questions and speaking with their wallets, we won’t see change. We’ve all done it with food. We’ve done it with cars and solar panels. But when we get dressed, did you buy it because it was a better decision?

—Professor Lisa Hayes, Drexel University

6

7

“As entrepreneurs, we all want to be perfect, but we all fail sometimes. Being agile and nimble, making decisions quickly, and moving on is the best part about being an entrepreneur.

I encourage everyone to experiment, take risks, and make sustainable choices.”

—Andreu David, Vice President, SOURCING at MAGIC

SOURCING at MAGIC’s Social Good Row: Social Good Row is dedicated to matchmaking brands and nonprofit organizations to build collaborative relationships for a philanthropic mission. Social Good Row encourages brands to connect with these featured nonprofit organizations and take part in the new paradigm shift towards Sustainability and Social Good.

Sustainability Gallery – Verified Sustainable by Hey Social Good:

“I look at sustainability as an actionable concept for envisioning a future that is ethical, inclusive, socially responsible, and that doesn’t compromise our environment. It also considers lasting prosperity: not just profit, but the wellbeing of our community and that of the people who make our clothes.”

Apparel, accessories and eco-friendly products were displayed from our verified sustainable exhibitors. The companies showcased in our gallery have been independently vetted by a third-party data assessment firm, Hey Social Good, using the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals as the benchmark to verify that the enterprise has adopted sustainable and social good practices throughout their business. Walk the gallery and get a glimpse into the remarkable strides these exhibitors are taking towards a more sustainable future.

—Michelle Gabriel, Graduate Program Director for Sustainable Fashion, Glasgow Caledonian New York College

“We saw an opportunity in the waste from factories—that we could use these materials, not letting these valuable things go to the landfills or oceans, but instead figuring out how we can use them to make new products.”

—Uddhav Bagrodia, Co-Founder & President, Wastewear Inc.

8

All portrait photography by Hailley Howard @hailleyhoward

Lifecycle of a Sustainable Fashion Garment Presented by MAGIC x SOURCING at MAGIC: MAGIC x SOURCING at MAGIC collaborated on the Lifecycle of a sustainable garment activation at our New York event. The lifecycle starts with a fashion illustration and ends with recycling.

9

Hanson pointed out that, in the fashion industry, if you have the right skills and the right education, you can start and sustain a small business. It gets to ascale that a and grow to the next level. That is where a small organization starts to compete with larger ones, and the industry favors big brands.”

Big brands can meet minimum order quantities; Hanson explains as an example.

They have an existing, extensive wholesale and/or DTC network.

If they choose to target a new geographic area, or just want to try something different, the capital, flexibility, and systems to do it are readily available. They already have wide consumer and retailer recognition and, with brand recognition, it’s easy to move into different categories, because they are already trusted.

Big Tech for Small Companies

Hanson made it clear, however, that small brands also offer some key advantages: “If you’re small, you can try new things, you can do new things quickly. You have agility.

One of those things a small business can try is new technology, which, up until recently, could be expensive and, therefore, only available to big companies that could afford it. As more and more services have moved onto the internet, however, an upstart can try new technology without making a major commitment—financial or otherwise. As Hanson describes, here are some recent technological solutions that can help a small business grow: • Trending competitive analysis: Web-based subscription services now “scrape” publicly available information to let users know what’s going on with the competition’s pricing, advertising and marketing, new product releases, and more.

Ben Hanson

How smaller brands can scale with a little help from technology While SOURCING at MAGIC is an invaluable resource for companies of any size, newer, smaller brands can find a wide range of solutions to build their businesses, too.

As Ben Hanson, Editor-In-Chief of The Interline (an online fashion technology magazine) put it in a talk he gave at SOURCING at MAGIC Las Vegas, “scaling a brand is about being smarter, more efficient, and more practical about what you do. And that means thinking about the systems that you use”. No matter what size brand you are, you can start to make use of some really cool tools that previously would have only been available to big businesses.

10

• Market testing: Web-based platforms now offer access to consumers segmented by specific demographics so a small company can test what it’s bringing to market before investing in expensive production runs.

• Collaborative mood boards: Easy consumer-facing applications now allow users to share concepts with stakeholders in real-time.

• 3D design tools: The shortest route between having an idea and seeing what it will look like in real life…without having to go through multiple physical samples.

• Technical development: Tech packs are the bane of any designer’s existence. Now, with commonly used and accepted templates for pattern making, etc., that job is faster and easier than ever.

• Fit inclusivity and adaptability: Virtual body forms allow easy adaptability to larger sizes, petites, athletic builds, etc.

• PLM and PDM packages: Can help manage all the product data for anything you’re trying to make in an efficient, time- and cost-saving manner.

• Sourcing and sustainability: New web-based solutions allow easy monitoring all along the supply chain.

• DTC store: There are several options for setting up your own digital storefront. There are even digital photography studios so that once a garment has been designed in 3D, it can be placed on virtual models, and even shown in various colorways—all before a single piece has been cut.

11

Trish Concannon, Buyer Relations Specialist, SOURCING at MAGIC Portrait Photography by Hailley Howard @hailleyhoward

Sourcing 101: Tips for Fashion Entrepreneurs SOURCING at MAGIC buyer relations specialist, Trish Concannon, shares her experience in growing new brands.

12

Although businesses of all sizes see SOURCING at MAGIC as their starting point for any given season, newer brands can find just what they need to get an idea off the ground and into the market. The broad mix of manufacturing capabilities, technology solutions, and materials suppliers can be almost overwhelming to an up-and-coming fashion entrepreneur. To help make things clearer, Trish Concannon, Buyer Relations Specialist for SOURCING at MAGIC, offered “Sourcing 101,” at the New York event.

Pictured from left to right: Trish Concannon with Andreu David

focus on design, and even delved into costing, tech packs, choosing factories, and much more.

“When you’re just getting started on creating a new brand, you want to keep up to date with what’s going on in the industry. What are the trends — not only in color, style, and silhouettes, but also how is the consumer market trending? How are people buying? This industry has changed drastically in the last 20 years, so you must keep up to date and know your consumer,” says Concannon. “HavBefore joining the SOURCING at MAGIC ing a good business sense — or a good team, Concannon operated a not-for- business partner — is key, no matter how profit organization that helped fashion talented you are as a designer.” startups. Her session started with the basics of where to find the right resourc- Perhaps most importantly, remember es to bring a design concept to life, and that you’re not in this alone. At SOURCcovered topics as diverse as finding the ING at MAGIC, we not only provide great right technology partners, launching connections to get the job done, but also an e-commerce site, having a business provide a forum for networking and partner who can handle finance, mar- meeting other fashion professionals. keting, and other areas so that you can 13

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

Intro the Season: Culture, Materials, and Color One of our Digital Discovery Sessions and on-site sessions in Las Vegas featured the expertise of Nia Silva, Materials Director at FS (Fashion Snoops), who looked at coming trends through the lens of our industry streamlining processes within the supply chain, including repurposing waste, traceability, and the impacts of A.I. Silva led the group through a series of exciting trends that both design and merchandising professionals could use to more accurately hit the mark with consumers in coming seasons, includ-

ing trends like extending product life and value, as well as offering products with more flexibility.

Silva pointed out that, “brands are looking to the origins of everything from raw materials sourced through ancient regenerative agricultural practices, to the incorporation of long-held artisanal techniques and fabric construction, embracing the richness, the skills and the thinking of the past to carve a way forward in design.”

Three education sessions offer trend and sourcing resources for brands of all sizes.

At SOURCING at MAGIC, while of course our main goal is to offer a vibrant marketplace, we also want to inspire our attendees with the very latest in fashion and industry trends. Three recent seminars helped fulfill that promise, two by offering trend guidance that fits into big picture, society-wide movements, and one that is a helpful guide to some of the legal issues around artificial intelligence.

Nia Silva

14

15

Unseen: Discover What Lies Beneath to Emerge Colorfully Optimistic For A/W 2024/2025

The Possibilities and Perils of Artificial Intelligence — Is the Fashion Industry Ready?

Finally, one particularly timely seminar held in Las Vegas was “The Possibilities and Perils of Artificial Intelligence.” A.I. has been dominating the headlines this year, so we asked Ilse Metchek, president of the California Fashion Association, to host a talk with Gina Bibby, an intellectual property attorney at Withersworldwide. Bibby, who is also a former software engineer, listed the various kinds of A.I. that will most likely impact our industry, then shared her expertise on the legal issues surrounding the A.I. phenomenon. She explained that concerns mainly fall into two areas: copyright and

data privacy. A.I. is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for both the creative and sales sides of the business, so the key is to be sure that it’s used within a legal framework that protects both you and your business.

“Nobody wants to deal with attorneys, and we’re expensive,” reasons Bibby. “But it is much less expensive and easier to consult with an attorney from the beginning than to wait until there’s a problem when it’s going to be much more expensive and painful.”

Gina Bibby

Isle Metcheck

Tannese Williams

In an in-person session at our New York event, Tannese Williams, Product Manager of Fashion Home & Interiors at Pantone, presented the color authority’s A/W 2024/2025 trend forecast. The focus of the presentation was on the invisible forces that directly influence our lives.

“For some, facing the unknown is scary,” says Williams. “For others, it’s seen as a challenge or an opportunity to discover

16

a tantalizing and mysterious world. Autumn Winter ‘24/’25 is the time to bring these two attitudes together.”

Beyond projected color trends for the season, Williams also imparted the growing importance of texture, sustainability, as well as the growing Arab, Gen-Z, and Millennial markets.

Portrait photography by Hailley Howard @hailleyhoward

Whether preparing for next season or for the unforeseen future, SOURCING at MAGIC is always looking out for the next big thing to share with our community. These presentations were just three of many designed to equip today’s fashion professionals for success.

17

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

20th Anniversary — 20 Countries Booth Crawl With a passport in hand, attendees helped celebrate our 20th Anniversary by exploring 20 different countries at their corresponding booths. Once passports were filled with stars, attendees were entered to win a $100 gift card.

Celebrating 20 years of SOURCING at MAGIC Happy Hour

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SOURCING AT MAGIC We commemorated SOURCING at MAGIC’s 20th anniversary at the August edition in Las Vegas, and it wouldn’t have been as memorable a milestone without you— our community of cutting-edge suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers, who are moving this business into the future. But SOURCING at MAGIC isn’t only about doing business, our events are where our global community comes together to learn, share, and connect with one another in person and online. Check out a few of our favorite moments from SOURCING at MAGIC Las Vegas and New York.

18

We toasted to 20 years of SOURCING at MAGIC with our dedicated attendees and exhibitors who have kept us going for so long.

Ribbon Cutting at India’s Pavilion For the past 20 years at SOURCING at MAGIC, India has had a tradition of opening their pavilion with a ribbon cutting.

19

SOURCING at MAGIC Booth Awards

Our exhibitors know how to show off their latest offerings by outfitting their assortments in style. Here are the winners from our first-ever SOURCING at MAGIC Booth Awards.

SUSTAINABILITY: Veshin

MANUFACTURING: Handa (Yangon) Garment

ACCESSORIES: Wenzhou Loostar Leather PRODUCT

FASHION TECH: Inspectorio

FOOTWEAR: Sichuan Huaying Import & EXPORT

FABRIC, TRIM + PACKAGING: GTC

20

Otis College of Art and Design Fashion Showcase

SOURCING Aisle Style

We welcomed 9 alumni from Otis College of Art and Design who showcased their designs at the August event. Attendees and exhibitors networked with these rising stars while at the show.

From playing with patterns, to pops of color, the SOURCING at MAGIC community was dressed to inspire while in Las Vegas and New York.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Montagne Custom Packaging Trade Commission of Peru in New York

21

SOURCE BOTH LIVE AND DIGITALLY AT OUR UPCOMING EVENTS.

LAS VEGAS

ONLINE

February 13-15, 2024

February 5 – April 5, 2024

REGISTER NOW

COMING SOON...

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL FOR MORE SOURCING AT MAGIC CONTENT #SOURCINGATMAGIC