All I Want For Christmas Is… A New Supply Chain?

Never before have consumers been so aware of our supply chain – or at least the idea of it. It’s become standard cocktail conversation as Americans are fraught with angst over the possibility that their gift purchases coming from overseas won’t make it under the Christmas tree. In fact, a recent survey by Oracle revealed the extent that consumers are “anxious, worried and fretting” about scarcity and disappointing friends and family.

 

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But this lack of awareness shouldn’t be surprising. So often it isn’t until we are personally affected by world issues that we take notice. At the beginning of the pandemic, when PPE – and toilet paper – was hard to come by, Americans realized how over reliant we are on offshore supplies and production. But just as quickly, many forgot and resumed looking for the best deals on masks, regardless of their origin.

A quick reminder of how we got here. To put it bluntly, Americans are addicted to fast and cheap, especially in the fashion space; and going through “rehab” is not fast, easy or a sure thing. For the past 30 years “fast fashion” has exploited impoverished workers - primarily women – making slave wages in dangerous conditions, all so Americans can buy a $10 pair of jeans. And of course, there are the environmental effects.

 But it’s not as easy as merely wanting to make products in the U.S. We’re dealing with our own issues. If you believe that sweatshops exist only in places like China, Bangladesh and Vietnam, you’d be sadly surprised that we still have some in our own country.  California recently cracked down on workers being paid a “piece rate,” which is based on the number of garments or pieces produced, often resulting in wages as low as $2 per hour. The new law will protect Los Angeles’ 45,000 garment workers requiring they be paid minimum wage. Brands and businesses are supportive, but also concerned about being held responsible for manufacturers who don’t abide by the new law, as revealed in conversations like this Marketplace report.

We get it. Change is hard. If it were easy, someone would have fixed this mess a long time ago. At ISAIC, we’re fortunate to be building our model from the ground up, not having to dismantle old and outdated methods that are burdening cities like L.A. and New York City. Locally, we’re helping Detroit build this industry – the right way. But we’re also here on a national level to be a resource. It’s one of the significant roles we’re playing – helping manufacturers think differently. Far too often they are stuck in an old paradigm, outdated traditional pricing models, squeezing margins from factory worker pay, poor allocation of highest human skills, archaic work spaces, and lack of investment in innovation. ISAIC is flipping the narrative by looking at change as an opportunity towards increasing competitive advantage. It may not for everyone. It’s going to take courage and creativity. But it will be worth it.

ISAIC has always stood on the principle that sustainability starts with people. To rebuild our domestic production and become less reliant on cheap labor, we must begin by building a workforce for the future. It starts with elevating skills that only a human can provide, and rewarding this art of the production process, while reserving rote work for automation. That’s right, as in robots.

 How can we claim to put people first and also support the notion of giving tasks to robots? Because the future of work cannot be based on a workforce of the past. That’s why we created our skills development and apprenticeship programs to provide instruction not only in traditional sewing skills, but also advanced and emerging technologies. These stackable credentials, certifications and paid-on- the-job training opportunities create paths to high skill careers that the industry needs, especially for those from underserved communities and with barriers to quality employment. It’s all about building better lives through a better industry.  

We’ll share some of the piloting and testing that’s going on in the ISAIC factory and how these technologies are helping move the industry forward in a future blog post. But until then, what about those gifts? Simple - stay close to home. Now is the perfect time to support local artists, designers, brands and small businesses. Happy holidays!

 

 Jen Guarino, President and CEO of ISAIC, is one of the industry leaders who conceived and created ISAIC. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

 
Innovation, Manufacturing, Sustainability, TrainingGuest Userapparel manufacturing, apprenticeship, sewing, supply chain, From the CEO, domestic manufacturing, future of work