The Outpost

Research done by omnichannel inventory management firm Brightpearl has revealed that one-third of consumers polled say they have been “let down by an online order since the COVID-19 crisis,” while 45 percent of shoppers said online deliveries “are taking longer to arrive.” This presents an opportunity for retailers to focus on their ecommerce presence and order fulfillment in a time when consumers are increasingly relying on online shopping for purchases.

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2020 has been a year of challenge for almost every business. Early in the year, LumberUnion was excited about their apparel rolling out through brick and mortar, but COVID put a stop to that. Disappointed, the spring and summer did not deliver any good news either. The Seattle-based apparel company was in survival mode as customers spent money on masks and household cleaners and not much else. Holding onto as many staff as they could, the company kept employees for as long as possible.

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Traditional apparel manufacturing is a filthy process. As one of the dirtiest industries in the world, it is tied with oil at being the worst offender in increasing climate change. Much of the pollution from apparel manufacturing is concentrated in India, Bangladesh, China, and Southeast Asian countries, where a vast portion of the world’s supply of apparel is dyed and made. The pollution associated with making apparel is ruining childhoods and changing lives, but not for better.

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Apparel brands have had to adapt and get out of the “business as usual” mode, LumberUnion has taken this transformation to the next level. Early this year, the company placed tech and finance leader Shane Boudreau into the role of CEO. Reshaping, rethinking the way they do business, LumberUnion had to rethink the end to end apparel process of the typical apparel company and change it to behave like an agile market-responsive leading tech company.

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Gone are the days of hunting for that one unique piece of clothing that jumps out at you as you walk through Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, or Bloomingdale’s when you have an hour to yourself on a Saturday morning. Shopping used to be a fun visit to a department store or retailer but has now been replaced by scrolling through Instagram at home. The coronavirus pandemic has shifted how we shop, from exciting in-person finds at retailers to now digital discoveries online.

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Landfills are overflowing with our fashion waste. In the 1980’s, the average person bought 12 new items of clothing a year. The average person will now buy 68 garments annually, wearing each item a mere seven times before discarding it. Wasteful. You can make a difference by disposing of your used clothing in a responsible way.

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