Inflation, Inventory Issues to Plague Retail Through Holiday

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This was the theme of “U.S. Economic Outlook: How Will It Affect the Consumer Market,” a panel at Texworld that featured Gretchen Jezerc, senior vice president of marketing at First Insight Inc.

According to Jezerc, the fashion categories suffering the most today are footwear, accessories, jewelry and “ironically” casualwear.

At Texworld’s summer edition held July 19-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, the event championed wellness-inspired themes such as Color Therapy, Future Craft, Hyper Nature and Spirit Quest for upcoming seasonal trends.

Back in person for the first time since 2019, the event garnered collegiality that was fitting for a season that proffers a lively tone, with collections across textiles and denim exhibiting a sense of brightness and levity at a time of instability in the market. Tricia Carey, director of global business development, denim and Americas, Lenzing Group, told Sourcing Journal that the textiles segment itself is in a moment of transition.

“The textile market is on a rollercoaster ride with increasing raw material prices. Some natural fibers have been at record highs, while Tencel fiber prices exhibit lower volatility. It is very difficult to plan six to nine months or even one year when there is instability.”

As prices continue to skyrocket across all sectors, consumers in turn, are purchasing less. What does this mean for sales today and through the holidays? 

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retail  inventory  sourcing journal  inflation