Retailing and Merchandising in Textiles and Appare 3(2+1)
Lesson 13 : Merchandising
Sourcing
With more than 50 percent of U.S. apparel products being imported from around the globe and fewer and fewer companies manufacturing in their own factories, sourcing is a growing responsibility. Depending upon the size and departmentalized structure of an apparel company, sourcing may be the sole responsibility of merchandising; it may be an independent, senior-level management function; or it may be a shared responsibility. Whichever the case, the merchandiser must understand the complexities of domestic and international sourcing.
When the responsibility for sourcing falls upon the shoulders of merchandisers, it becomes extremely difficult for them to fulfill this responsibility while dealing with the demanding task of product development and meeting production deadlines. In many companies some of the product development responsibilities such as prototyping (the creation of the initial garment sample of a style in either the actual fabric or in a muslin for evaluation purposes) and fabric procurement are transferred to the sourcing contractor as a value added (any activity, over and above the direct cost of producing a garment, that adds to the value of the garment) function. This occurs in the more highly developed sourcing countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. The merchandiser and a member of the design team may visit the sourcing con tractor to review the progress of the current production orders and also to work on developing the new product line.
