Supply Chain news and archive

Strait of Hormuz blockage, an “unprecedented freeze” on global maritime trade

Paris (France) - The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an “unprecedented freeze” on global maritime trade, affecting everything from cosmetics and food products to pharmaceuticals, cars and precious marbles. While it primarily impacts petroleum products, it also threatens many other industrial sectors. Importance of the Strait of...

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Unspun names former The North Face executive as CEO

US-founded B-corp-certified apparel technology company Unspun has appointed former The North Face and Boardriders executive Arne Arens as its new chief executive officer, as it looks to accelerate the shift from offshore overproduction to US-based manufacturing. Arens, who has decades of experience leading global consumer apparel brands, has...

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Mapped: the impact of the West Asia crisis on global textile trade routes

The ongoing West Asia crisis has thrown open the extreme vulnerability of supply chains, including those of the garment and textile industry. FashionUnited has taken a look at why the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait are such “jugular veins” of the textile trade between Asia and the West and what it means in terms of shipping times,...

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European fashion stocks decline amidst Middle East conflict

Madrid – Major European fashion companies are holding their breath, waiting to see how markets and their shares will evolve following the outbreak of the new military conflict between the US and Israel against Iran. The war has unleashed instability in the Persian Gulf region. This has been fraught with uncertainty since last Saturday, which...

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Value chains in jeopardy over Iran: Maersk diverts its vessels to the Cape of Good Hope

Madrid – Tensions are returning to global value chains following the military conflict that erupted this Saturday, February 28, in the Middle East. This follows coordinated attacks against Iran by the Israeli and US armies. The ayatollahs' regime has already responded to these hostilities, announcing an unpredictable escalation of the conflict....

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How the West Asia crisis is putting a tax on every garment moving east to west

The garment industry, a sector famously built on the “just-in-time” philosophy and razor-thin margins, is currently navigating one of its most complex periods of structural volatility. The West Asia crisis has evolved quickly from a regional concern into a systemic chokehold on global textile flows. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is...

Fashion

Marks & Spencer launches cotton programme in bid to strengthen biodiverse farming practices

British department store Marks & Spencer has established a new partnership with sustainability innovator Pilio to launch the Affordable Clean Environment (ACE) cotton programme. The initiative intends to broaden access to clean energy and strengthen biodiverse farming practices within Indian cotton-growing communities. Developed as part of Marks...

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New report uncovers unfair practices in UK brand-supplier relationships

A new survey of UK clothing manufacturers has raised fresh concerns about the way brands and retailers manage their supplier relationships. The research, carried out by the University of Nottingham, the University of Leicester and Transform Trade, gathered responses from 48 tier-one manufacturers across England, Scotland and Wales between March...

Fashion

How Primark x Coleen Rooney benefits garment workers in Bangladesh

A high-profile partnership between Primark and Coleen Rooney as reported in the British press, is apparently worth millions. Media personality Rooney, wife of footballer Wayne Rooney, will be the face of a new athleisure collection by the Irish discounter that has been described as “stylish yet practical”. Rooney experienced a spike in...

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From words to measurable impact: OECD due diligence forum urges transition

The main sessions of the 2026 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, which took place on 11 and 12 February, centred on the urgent transition from a culture of compliance to one of tangible impact, specifically focusing on how global brands must navigate an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. In his opening...

Fashion

Scottish fashion seeks new talent for homespun crafts

Far from the glamour of fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London, a nondescript cashmere mill on Scotland's western coast that supplies luxury labels hopes local training programmes can attract new talent. "It's a dying trade," 61-year-old Maria Wade said of her job as a "greasy mender" at Alex Begg, a semi-rural mill that has been based in Ayr...

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What do the election results mean for Bangladesh’s garment and textile sector?

Following the unprecedented unrest of late 2024 and the subsequent interim administration, Bangladesh voted last Thursday and declared results on Friday: The BNP-led alliance won 209 seats and the Jamaat-led bloc secured 68 in the 297 constituencies for which results were declared. For the ready-made garment (RMG) sector—the very heartbeat of...