Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2012

While GILT and its rivals sell across verticals (apparel, home, travel, kids, local), OKL deals in just one big one: home. Access over Purchase: Rent The Runway makes couture fashion available to shoppers who lack deep pockets to buy couture. Talk about the democratization of high fashion.

Retail 14

Retail Fashion Merchandising Apparel 14

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 22, 2015

Instead, they are clear-minded about what they do best, developing a solid value proposition and building distinctive capabilities that will last for the long term. With 22,000 stores and counting, the company continues to develop its concept and to dominate the “coffee and community” space it created.

Execution 8

Execution Strategy Fashion Apparel 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 24, 2014

Since then, leaders from business, government, and civil society organizations have come together to address fire and building-safety issues in the apparel factories. Beyond the front page coverage of the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh has been stuck at the bottom of socioeconomic development ratings for years.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Apparel Bottom-up Globalization 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Instead, they let a small startup develop the first low-cost electric toothbrushes. We know of one business that had both a dental hygiene and retail battery business but missed the opportunity to combine those technical capabilities. Why do companies so often miss out on these opportunities?

Organization 12

Organization Apparel Retail Fashion 12

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 1, 2016

It was the stuff of Silicon Valley lore : Employees from across the company took a break from their regular projects to develop mind-blowing ideas about artificial intelligence over an intense 24-hour period. At their best, hackathons create a structure and process around idea development. Facebook recently hosted its 50th hackathon.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Banking Brainstorming Participative 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 2, 2015

It had focused on operational improvements inside the proverbial four walls of its factory — things like more efficiently heating and cooling the tomatoes and developing novel ways to pack the paste for shipment to customers. Fashion apparel is an excellent example. New operations. Defense against attacks from below.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Contract Manufacturing Outsourcing Operations 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 15, 2010

Successful companies develop a system of a few truly unique capabilities that help them create differentiated value for their chosen customers. Kmart, by contrast, has failed to develop a unique or differentiated way to play, and all that goes with it. At Target, you know you'll get fashionable products at prices that feel reasonable.

Succession 15

Succession Retail Merchandising Supply Chain 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 17, 2016

Consider the sports apparel company Under Armour. Its goals are extremely ambitious; it is not just a pioneer in developing new fabrics for active wear, but in developing wearable electronics. You are likely to discover, along the way, that you lack the capabilities you need, and must develop them from scratch.

Company 8

Company Engineering Apparel Survey 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 8, 2018

” Little did they know that the business they founded, Vineyard Vines, would become a darling of the fashion industry and a household brand name around the country. Like many competitors in the apparel industry, Vineyard Vines has kept their operations lean in order to preserve operating margins.

Retail 8

Retail Apparel Engineering Audience 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Just look at Uber to understand the importance of diversity and product safety or at car manufacturers scrambling to develop a competitive advantage in electric cars as countries seek to decarbonize their economics and fight pollution. In both cases, social and environmental metrics matter for the business’s financial success.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Asset Management Chemicals Long-term 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 3, 2017

The experience of a European discount apparel retailer illustrates the power of a disciplined price-perception program. As a result, the company achieved its desired “price image” as a value retailer, developed a more strategic approach to pricing, and increased revenues by roughly 1%.

Price 10

Price Retail Discount Tactics 10

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 23, 2014

Brands in categories from apparel to automotive to sporting goods to spirits are licensed. It can boost brand exposure and expansion without significant investment, helping companies enter international markets or play in new product categories without having to incur the usual product development costs and risks.

Brand 8

Brand Licensing Apparel Merchandising 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 3, 2016

To develop a BDN, you work backwards, or right to left, from the agreed investment objectives and the expected benefits, and map the required changes to structures, processes, work practices, and how staff would need to work through to the new technology necessary to enable and sustain those changes. Insight Center. Sponsored by Accenture.

Tools 8

Tools Supply Chain CRM Technology 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 30, 2014

It’s easy to scan headlines and see undisciplined for-profit companies (take GM, American Apparel). Bad Reason #5: Nonprofits are “old-fashioned” and only for-profits earn respect in their sectors. In fact, according to the National Philanthropic Trust, when the S&P 500 fell by 45% after the 2007 recession, U.S.

Entrepreneur 8

Entrepreneur Apparel Transportation Fashion 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 28, 2014

He will be “on trend,” as they say in fashion — in recent months, leaders from the new Mayor of New York to the Pope have also been vocal on the subject. Business by now has a well-developed playbook for dealing with such sustainability issues. It’s time to recognize that income inequality is a sustainability issue, too.

Golden Parachute 9

Golden Parachute Apparel Trends Short-term 9

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 17, 2014

To get everyone to agree on a realistic goal, we suggest picking a year far enough in the future that people feel safe discussing what needs to happen by that time but not so far away that uncertainty about technological or market developments would render a discussion meaningless. There are two ways to set revenue targets.

Innovation 8

Innovation Company Venture Capitalist Business Model 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 20, 2016

At the state level, New Jersey passed a big new gas tax , and Oregon , Illinois , and California developed robust energy and climate policies. In this case, Levi’s had spent a decade identifying great ways to cut water use in the apparel value chain. All of this will affect companies of all stripes.

Energy 8

Energy Banking Chemicals Globalization 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 18, 2012

This year, there were countless eco-efficiency stories about companies saving millions of dollars and developing new tools to make buildings, fleets ( Staples and UPS, for example ), and manufacturing much leaner. Keeping the apparel theme, um, running, check out Nike's new shoe with FlyKnit technology. Company Stories.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Constraint P&L Energy 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 19, 2014

And citizens, using new social media tools and old-fashioned marches, rose up to drive change. To help address this challenge, the French supermarket chain Intermarche developed an incredibly clever campaign to sell the “ugly” fruits and vegetables that growers and stores throw out because they don’t look perfect.

Chemicals 9

Chemicals Short-term Energy Report 9