The average piece of clothing travels a long way from manufacturing through shipping along the fashion supply chain. Clothing - also referred to as garments or apparel - is a textile, and the top textile-producing country is China, accounting for nearly 45% of all textile exports in 2020.
Combine that with the raw materials to make textiles and other locations that may be used to process and finish the clothing, and the typical cotton t-shirt or dress has likely traveled several thousand miles before reaching your closet. As just about everyone wears clothes, the fashion industry makes a pretty big mark on the retail sector - to the tune of $2.5 trillion globally. So shipping clothing along the fashion supply chain is both big and important business.
How are clothes transported?
Clothes are transported across the globe using any and all of the major shipping methods - sea, road, rail and air. The most common of these worldwide is ocean freight, as upwards of 90% of clothing spends at least a portion of its journey on a ship. When imported clothing hits dry ground in the U.S., it's most likely to spend time in a truck - either full truckload or LTL - but it can also travel intermodally via rail. Whatever combination is used, clothing is typically fine in a normal shipping container or dry van - no temperature-control required. The key is keeping moisture out of the equation. Regardless of which shipping method is used, clothes should be transported in palletized form - typically bagged and boxed - with loads clearly labeled as per FTC guidelines.
What is the fashion supply chain?
The fashion supply chain reflects the journey clothing takes from raw material to consumer. The steps represent a process that's constantly repeating to keep up with fashion trends and seasonality of clothing, including:
- Design
- Raw materials/Sourcing
- Manufacturing/Finishing
- Distribution
- Retail
- Consumer
As an example, a piece of clothing may be designed in the U.S. The raw cotton to make that clothing could be harvested from Texas perhaps, then that cotton is shipped to China where it's milled into finished cloth. After that, the cloth goes to Bangladesh for dyeing, cutting and sewing, before it's packed up and taken via ocean freight back across the Pacific to the U.S. and retail shelves. This process on average takes in the neighborhood of four to five months, with storage time sometimes added on.
As noted above, a piece of clothing can travel many thousands of miles before arriving in a closet. While this is a somewhat typical path, the number of stops, distance traveled and back-and-forth of it all - along with a lack of transparency from many fashion producers about this process (and associated labor practices) has led to consumer concerns. And a common disclaimer here of late: while fashion has its own supply chain processes, clothing shipping is also at the mercy of outside supply chain factors which have caused issues with many products of late.
Shipping clothing along the fashion supply chain is a complex process. And once that clothing is ready to leave the factory, you may need some help getting it to consumers on time. Good news, we coordinate clothing shipments just about every day, so we may be able to help you too.
If you're ready to take the next step, at InTek Freight & Logistics, we can help. Just tell us what you need and we'll discuss how our expertise can help with the unique shipping challenges your business faces. Rather do a bit more research first? View our Freight Guides for comprehensive articles and eBooks on all things freight and logistics.
- Common Misconceptions of Intermodal
- The Complete Guide to Intermodal Transportation
- The Complete Guide to Truckload, LTL and Expedited Freight Capacity
