image: FIBER (Fashion International Business Education Response) is a new online journal produced by researchers in the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies. view more
Credit: University of Delaware
Did you know that many of the brand-name blue jeans sold in the United States are made in Guatemala"
Slightly smaller than Tennessee and with a population of 12.7 million, Guatemala is the largest and most populous country in Central America. It also is emerging as an important manufacturing center for clothing sold in the United States.
The Guatemalan market, including an interview with Carla Caballeros, manager of VESTEX, the country's apparel and textile industry commission, is highlighted in the first issue of FIBER, a new online journal produced by the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies in collaboration with the Center for International Studies, the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies, and the Research Communications Initiative in the Office of Public Relations.
The electronic journal's name is the acronym for the “Fashion International Business Education Response” project, which is funded in part by a two-year, $165,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The FIBER journal, which will be published semiannually, is a major component of a research and outreach project on the internationalization of the apparel industry led by Hye-Shin Kim, associate professor and project director, Marsha Dickson, professor and chairperson of the department, and Sharron Lennon, the Irma Ayers Professor of Fashion and Apparel Studies.
The mission of the online journal is to showcase fashion and apparel markets around the globe, share the insights of leaders in the industry and the latest academic research, highlight resources and opportunities for further education, and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, according to Kim, who serves as the e-publication's executive editor.
“The U.S. share of the global apparel market has grown substantially over the past decade,” Kim said. “A major goal of the FIBER journal is to assist the fashion and apparel industry, including U.S. small businesses, in learning more about emerging world markets and to share best practices for working internationally,” Kim noted.
According to industry estimates, in 2005, the United States exported $4.4 billion and imported $68 billion in apparel, and apparel accounted for more than $540 billion in U.S. retail sales.
While large U.S. apparel companies and retailers increasingly have outsourced the manufacture of their clothing overseas to remain competitive, a recent survey by Kim, Dickson and colleague M. Jo Kallal, professor of fashion and apparel studies, reveals a number of perceived obstacles thwarting the direct participation of small businesses in international trade.
The survey results, published in the “Research Briefs” section of FIBER, are based on the responses of more than 60 small business owners of apparel and accessories stores in the Mid-Atlantic region, from New York to Washington, D.C.
While the survey respondents identify several perceived benefits in sourcing their products directly from foreign manufacturers, including increased profit margins, they perceive many more barriers that stand in the way of their involvement in international trade, ranging from long shipping time and/or slow replenishment of products, to limited information about foreign manufacturers, problems communicating with foreign manufacturers and unfamiliar foreign business practices.
“There are approximately 63,000 apparel and accessories stores in the United States. Yet many international business courses and training materials are developed from the perspective of large multinational companies,” Kim said. “While the emphasis in the past has been on exporting, our survey results suggest that there is a strong need to provide information applicable to small businesses on importing--in how to work with foreign companies in all stages of product development and manufacturing.”
The premier issue of FIBER also includes the insights of top industry leaders, including an article on apparel sourcing by Bob Zane, chairperson of the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA).
A recent presentation at UD by Dusty Kidd, former vice president of corporate responsibility compliance at Nike Inc., and Eddie Bauer's programs on social responsibility also are highlighted, as well as UD's new online graduate certificate in socially responsible and sustainable apparel business.
In “Threads,” a column designed for readers to share their industry experiences and tips, UD undergraduate student Anna Konigsburg talks about her recent internship at the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Future issues of the e-journal will highlight other critical apparel production centers and emerging markets, including China, India, Thailand and Italy, Kim said.
The FIBER e-journal's editorial team also includes George Irvine, program specialist at UD's Center for International Studies and the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies; and David Barczak, senior art director, Pam Donnelly, production coordinator, and Tracey Bryant, assistant director, all of the Research Communications Initiative, Office of Public Relations.
Subscribe to the e-journal at [www.udel.edu/fiber].