Air, Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics, Sea
Fashion houses tear up the rule book
[ January 8, 2025 // Chris Lewis ]With Fashion Week kicking off in Milan later in January, logistics plays a pivotal part in ensuring the new season’s collections reach their destinations in time, says Umar Butt, chief executive of the UK and Europe at global logistics specialists Aramex.
But this year, with geopolitical tensions around the world continuing to test supply chains, operators have had to tear up the rule book. He says: “There is absolutely no room for error during Fashion Week, and fashion houses have had to evolve their strategies in the run up to these events as the old ways of doing things are gone. We’ve been ingrained to working to a fixed model for decades, but the world is changing at a rapid rate, and things are no longer as they were.”
Disruption in the Red Sea and regular rerouting of ships mean that delays, capacity shortages, port congestion is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
As might be expected, there has been an uptick in demand for air freight to avoid the potential two-week extra lead time, as brands opt instead to bear the expense of transporting a percentage of their stock.
Meanwhile, ships are also unloading larger quantities of cargo at major transshipment hubs, which has caused significant congestion at major ports. With fewer ships currently available due to being tied up on longer routes, this has not only put a strain on existing capacity but also contributed to the current backlog.
Umar Butt commented: “As a rule of thumb fashion houses should begin working with their logistics partners at least six months in advance to secure capacity. However, that timeline has almost certainly had to be extended to nine to 12 months to ensure collections arrive in time. This extended window allows for contingency planning and accounts for high-risk factors such as customs delays, adverse weather conditions, and unexpected port congestion.”
Umar Butt continues: “The unexpected has become the new normal, meaning that traditional planning methods have been made redundant. While established timelines may have been set in stone for months, it’s entirely possible that brands this year will have to pivot on their plans and adjust their strategies last minute to cater for any sudden issues.
“Fashion designers and brands, which operate on tight schedules to deliver their collections on time, could face significant difficulty in meeting deadlines, not only if they have yet to secure capacity, which should ideally already be in place, even for shows scheduled later this year, but also if they have failed to implement robust contingency plans into their logistics strategies.”
He continued: “It’s cliché but preparing for uncertainty is the new currency of success. From considering alternative routes such as sea-to-air combinations, rail freight, to using smaller regional ports if delays become imminent, it’s important that fashion houses are in constant communication with their logistics partners throughout the year to ensure that if a crisis does occur, they’re in a solid position to adjust plans accordingly without causing any unwanted delays.”
Umar Butt is also urging fashion houses to remain vigilant to theft during Fashion Weeks, with freight crime currently on the rise across Europe. According to data from The Association for the Protection of Technological Assets (TAPA EMEA), transport theft cases in the European Union increased by 35% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Fashion houses are especially vulnerable to theft during this period, with opportunistic criminals primed to jump at the chance of seizing priceless collections.
During Paris Fashion Week in 2023, a delivery van that contained around 50 designs which were due to be included in the Balmain line-up, was stolen ten days prior to the show. The financial director of the fashion house estimated the loss at €645,000.
Umar Butt added: “There’s a significant focus on transporting fashion but the final leg of the journey often falls by the wayside, when arguably this is when such high-value items are at their most vulnerable. Shipments should be tracked as standard, but given the severity of freight crime at present, brands should be going that one step further by using high-security transport services as well as secure packaging and tamper-evident seals to deter criminal gangs.”
Tags: Aramex