As part of the regular interviews from the desk of The Apparel Digest, we decided to interview a dynamic and young professional from Spain. Celia Lopez is rising quickly through the ranks of the renowned company she works for in Barcelona, Spain. We believe her insights about the apparel industry and supply chain management will help our local executives to get a better understanding of the global perspective.
Born in Burgos a city in Spain, Celia Lopez is a multi-cultured and skilled professional in the fashion and apparel sector. During completing her undergraduate degree, she spent a couple of years in different cities of China, where she learned Mandarin and gained the skillsets to have a better understanding of the Apparel manufacturing hubs in Asia.
At the present, Celia is working as a Junior Fashion Supply Chain Analyst in an organization known as GV Sea Freight based in Barcelona, Spain.
Read her transcribed interview to get a better understanding of how global brands like Zara manages their supply chain operations.
A Conversation with Celia Lopez
Hello Celia, thank you for being part of this interview. My first question for you is, can you explain what is supply chain management?
Answer: Thank you Sakib and the whole team of The Apparel Digest for having this conversation with me. Well if I have to simply define a supply chain, in basic words it can be termed as a global network used to deliver services or products, including all processes that transform raw materials into final products. Therefore, the management of the supply chain consists of the handling of the entire production flow between all the “links” in the chain to maximize customer value and achieve sustainable competitive advantages.
Well, now that we know what you are skilled at, let’s talk a bit about your time in China? As a friend I know you had a great time in China but as a professional in the apparel industry what are the most valuable lessons you have learned from your time in China?
Answer: My time in China was challenging and full of new experiences. What I learned immersed in Chinese culture is that everything changes so fast and the country is always seeking innovation and improvement. Nowadays fashion is a changing industry and apparel companies should show resilience and adapt to upcoming events in the whole world such as covid-19 or climate change.
As you know, The Apparel Digest is a global apparel magazine based in Bangladesh, so can you tell us your perspective about the apparel industry in Bangladesh?
Answer: In my opinion, there is a huge potential in Bangladesh thanks to many years of experience in the apparel industry. The country has faced many challenges but became the second-largest garment exporter in the world, thanks to hard work, dedication, and perseverance. All of that will lead Bangladesh to success and satisfy customers’ needs around the world.
You have mentioned, your company does a lot of work for Inditex the globally renowned brand from Spain, can you tell us specifically about your company’s co-relation with Zara or Inditex, the parent company of Zara?
Answer: We analyze and study which is the best way to transport the garments.
My department advises Inditex and suppliers which is the loading plan they should follow to optimize space and costs, always finding the best configuration to keep the quality from the fabric to the store, avoiding any further reoperation of the garments.
We have daily contact with all the factories that do work for Inditex around the world as well as different departments of Inditex such as quality assurance teams or buyers. This communication gives us a wide point of view of the industry and allows us to innovate according to the trends of supply chain and fashion.
Unlike many of its competitors, Inditex manufactures its most fashionable items – half of all its merchandise – in Portugal, Turkey, Morocco and at a dozen company-owned factories in Spain. Can you explain to our readers why Inditex chose to do so?
Answer: The factories placed in the above countries are known as proximity production. This product is mainly for the trendy collections so Inditex can supply the stores with new garments in a faster way. These factories are mainly based in Turkey and Morocco, where the costs of production and transport are considerably lower.
On the other hand, Inditex outsources its longer shelf-life products such as basic T-Shirts to countries like Bangladesh, can you give us the reasons behind this strategic move?
Answer: The production of this kind of product must be flexible and should adapt to the apparel industry needs. For example, if production in Bangladesh factories is blocked because of lockdown, it is easier to move the production to another country such as Myanmar or Vietnam that could have the same costs.
As a professional in the field of Apparel, can you highlight the main differences between the apparel industries of Vietnam and Bangladesh?
Answer: From my professional experience, there is not much difference, both countries are competing in this industry. But from what I can tell, Bangladesh has an edge over Vietnam in terms of a more effective RMG industry and if the local industries from Bangladesh can keep up their strategic pace, Bangladesh will be ahead of Vietnam in this industry.
What are the main strengths of the Chinese Apparel Industry apart from their cheap labor cost?
Answer: The evolution of the Fashion industry in China during recent years has positioned the country as the largest producer and exporter of textiles and apparel in the world.
Chinese companies are constantly improving for smart manufacturing factories and are adopting automated production methods. This gives a huge garment production capacity and increases productivity.
What are the best positive feedbacks you received about the apparel industry in Bangladesh?
Answer: From my personal and professional point of view, I think Bangladesh is working so hard to make a difference in the apparel industry and at the same time they are also keeping up with the global needs.
Bangladesh will need to strengthen transport, energy, and digitization infrastructure to remain one of the world’s largest manufacturers.
Sustainability too is a challenge for the country, which requires enormous investment into renewable energy to meet consumer demand for environmentally friendly procedures.
On behalf of the whole team of TAD, we highly appreciate your time Ms. Lopez.
