Page 102 - Inbound Logistics | April 2017 | Digital Issue

An alternate strategy applies to ship-
ments bound for Canada, which has
different regulations. “We package
individually for the end user, but those
packages are consolidated into a sin-
gle entry,” Haeber says. “That reduces
our costs.” After a shipment enters
Canada, Indochino breaks it down for
final delivery.
Like any fashion company,
Indochino must carefully manage its
relationships with overseas contractors.
“Doing business in China is all about
capacity planning and commitments,”
Haeber says. “Forecasting is critical.”
Indochino used to spread its produc-
tion across five contract manufacturers
Indochino sells menswear custom-tailored to the consumer’s exact dimensions. The in China. “We reduced our risk by hav-
company had to restitch its supply chain to enable quick delivery and fulfill its “perfect fit” ing many sources of production capacity,”
promise.
Haeber says. Then, a new production
through the customizations, giving partner offered to make a strategic invest-
As You Like It recommendations on what’s trend- ment. Company officials decided to
name that partner its exclusive suit sup-
ing in fashion, whether it’s the style of
the pockets, one button or two, wide or plier. “We will be moving a lot of our
owadays, personalized style narrow lapel, pleats in the pants or not,” shirt production to them also,” he says.
isn’t reserved just for wealthy Haeber explains. Working with one production part-
N consumers who can take their Indochino allocates the right fab- ner makes vendor management much
desires to a dressmaker or tailor. Thanks ric from its inventory and feeds all the simpler. “We have our own production
to e-commerce and “mass customiza- details to its factory in China, where a management staff that oversees what’s
tion,” you can buy anything from a software-driven system creates the cus- going on in the factory,” Haeber says.
pair of shoes to a complete ensemble tom pattern. Then the fabric, pattern, That presence provides visibility, a cru-
made to your measurements, with the and associated buttons and trim move cial element in the made-to-measure
fabric, color, trim, and other elements from station to station on the pro- business model.
you prefer. duction floor. Workers cut the fabric, “If we have a production problem, we
Among the notable players in this per- assemble the garment, iron it, and send can’t just tell the customer, ‘Sorry, the
sonalized fashion market is Indochino, it through several stages of inspection suit for your wedding will arrive late,’”
a Vancouver-based firm that special- and quality control. Haeber says. “Having a tight partner-
izes in custom-tailored men’s suits and Indochino ships its finished products ship with the factory, being able to
shirts, plus accessories. Indochino sells from the factory via air to customers track orders and proactively identify
its made-to-measure clothing through around the world, with most packages bottlenecks or other production issues,
its website and one dozen showrooms in bound for North America. becomes critical.”
Canada and the United States. It takes about 11 days from the time
Whether he checks out suits in per- a customer places an order to the time
son or peruses the selection online, the the finished product goes out the door. Life of Athleisure:
customer who orders from Indochino That quick turnaround is crucial, as is
air transportation. “A high percentage Spandex Meets
starts by providing measurements. For
e-commerce customers, Indochino uses an occasion—a wedding, a graduation, Cashmere
of our customers are buying clothes for
a video to show how to collect the right
data and provide information about a new job—so they’re on a deadline,”
posture and body shape. These details Haeber says. eggings, running shoes, yoga
are crucial for ensuring that the gar- Indochino ships packages to the pants—you see them everywhere
ment will fit and drape correctly, says United States individually, to take L from family parties to the grocery
Clay Haeber, Indochino’s chief operat- advantage of a rule that allows items store to Sunday brunch. The athlei-
ing officer. worth $800 or less to enter the coun- sure wear trend stems from the public’s
Next, the customer picks a fabric and try duty-free, as long as the shipment is love of comfortable fabrics, and from a
color. “Then we’ll walk the customer addressed to the actual end consumer. desire to look fit and energetic even in

100 Inbound Logistics • April 2017