Textile and Apparel Industries

Which Apparel Sourcing Factors Matter?

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Abstract

This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the influence of primary sourcing factors on fashion companies’ determination of apparel sourcing destinations. The results show improving the performance in stability and quality can help a country enhance its attractiveness as an apparel sourcing base. However, fashion companies’ current sourcing model does not provide substantial financial rewards encouraging better performance in sustainability. Further, price, tariffs and production capacity have no statistically significant impact on a country’s apparel export volume. findings of the study suggest that fashion companies’ sourcing decisions today appear to be more complicated and subtle than what is revealed by the existing literature and the public perception. The findings also call our attention to the significant impact of non-economic factors on companies’ sourcing decisions, particularly the perceived political risks.

Keywords: apparel sourcing, sourcing factors, sustainability, stability

How to Cite:

Lu, S. & Davis, E., (2022) “Which Apparel Sourcing Factors Matter?”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13467