Apparel industry survey
times, increases visibility across the entire value chain, enables quick response to changes at retail, and ultimately delivers satisfaction to the consumer, in the form of the right product, at the right place and time, at the right price, and in the right size and color.
8. Forecasts
In general, the U.S. apparel industry is alive and well. That is not to say there still aren¡¯t some serious problems and question marks. The point is: it remains a viable, innovative and forward-looking industry, one that¡¯s likely to edge back after years of economic decline. Growing emphasis on new stylings should help, by keeping consumers in a spending mode. So should an economy which, while still far from robust, is expected to grow at a respectable 2.5 to 3 percent annual rate over the coming year.
Nor do costs seem to present any insurmountable problems. To be sure, there should be some small advances in fiber costs, but ample supply will keep such boosts in bounds. Combine this with solid productivity gains that should pretty much offset relatively modest payroll hikes, and overall cost pressures seem quite manageable (3).
9. Ethical and social responsiveness issues
The industry¡¯s central concern is the use of child labor in the production of apparel for the U.S. market in foreign countries. To tackle this problem, the U. S. government has begun to review the extent to which U.S. apparel importers have established and are implementing codes of conduct or other business guidelines prohibiting the use of child labor in the production of the clothing they sell.