How the Apparel Industry Changed—and What Entrepreneurs Can Learn
By Steven Fishoff
An Industry Defined by Constant Change
Few industries demonstrate the importance of adaptability as clearly as apparel manufacturing.
Over the past several decades, the clothing business has experienced significant changes in manufacturing, retail distribution, international competition, technology, and consumer purchasing habits.
For Steven Fishoff, an entrepreneur and business consultant based in Southern California whose career began in New York's apparel industry, these developments illustrate a broader principle: businesses must continually adapt to the markets in which they operate.
Fishoff's professional background includes working with established apparel companies, serving as president of a dress division, and later establishing private-label apparel businesses.
His experience provides a perspective on how business owners can respond to changing industries while maintaining the fundamental disciplines of sound operations.
The Traditional Apparel Business
During earlier decades, New York was a major center of the American apparel industry.
Manufacturers, designers, sales organizations, showrooms, retailers, and suppliers operated within a business environment that relied heavily on personal relationships and established distribution channels.
Companies developed merchandise collections, presented products to retail buyers, coordinated production, and worked to deliver orders within seasonal selling periods.
Success required anticipating consumer demand well before merchandise reached store shelves.
For manufacturers, a mistake in product selection, production timing, or inventory planning could have substantial financial consequences.
Fishoff's early experience with companies including Langtry Limited, Poor Charlie of California, and Podell Industries exposed him to this demanding commercial environment.
As his responsibilities expanded, he gained experience with the management challenges that accompanied merchandising, production, customer relationships, and business operations.
The Growth of International Manufacturing
One of the most significant changes in apparel was the increasing globalization of production.
As international manufacturing capabilities expanded, clothing companies gained access to additional sourcing options and different cost structures.
These developments created opportunities for businesses to broaden their production networks, but they also introduced new challenges.
Longer supply chains, shipping requirements, quality control, currency fluctuations, and international competition became increasingly important considerations.
Manufacturers had to evaluate not only where products could be produced at competitive prices, but also whether suppliers could meet quality expectations and delivery schedules.
The broader lesson for entrepreneurs is that lower costs do not automatically create a better business model.
Reliability, quality, flexibility, and the total cost of delivering a product remain essential considerations.
Retail Consolidation and Changing Customer Relationships
The retail industry also changed significantly.
Department stores, specialty retailers, discount chains, and other distribution channels experienced consolidation and shifting competitive pressures.
As larger retailers gained purchasing influence, suppliers often faced greater demands involving pricing, delivery, product specifications, and inventory management.
For private-label manufacturers, these changes could directly affect how business was conducted.
Maintaining strong customer relationships remained important, but companies also needed to understand the financial and operational consequences of depending heavily on particular accounts.
This highlights an issue relevant to businesses in many industries: customer concentration.
A company that relies on a small number of major customers may enjoy meaningful sales volume, but it can also face substantial risk if purchasing decisions or commercial relationships change.
Entrepreneurs must balance the benefits of major customers against the importance of maintaining a resilient business.
Technology Changed the Speed of Business
Technology has transformed nearly every stage of apparel operations.
Digital design tools, inventory management systems, electronic ordering, production tracking, and online retail platforms have changed how clothing is developed, manufactured, distributed, and sold.
Information that once moved through slower communication channels can now be shared almost instantly.
Retailers and manufacturers have greater access to sales data, consumer behavior, and inventory information.
These capabilities can improve decision-making, but they also create expectations for faster responses and greater operational efficiency.
The lesson extends beyond apparel.
Technology should not be adopted simply because it is new. Business owners need to understand whether a particular system improves productivity, customer service, financial oversight, or another meaningful part of their operations.
The goal is not technology for its own sake, but better business performance.
The Rise of Faster Fashion Cycles
Traditional apparel businesses often operated around relatively predictable seasonal collections.
Over time, changing consumer expectations and faster product-development cycles placed additional pressure on manufacturers and retailers.
Companies increasingly needed to respond to trends more quickly, manage shorter selling windows, and reduce the financial consequences of unsold inventory.
These changes made forecasting and operational flexibility especially important.
Producing too much merchandise could create costly inventory problems. Producing too little could mean missed sales and dissatisfied customers.
Entrepreneurs in other industries face similar challenges when consumer preferences or market conditions change faster than their existing operating systems can accommodate.
Flexibility must therefore be considered when designing the business itself, not only when responding to a problem.
Lessons From Building Private-Label Businesses
After working in established apparel companies, Fishoff founded Jenna Ashley Inc. and later Decked Out Inc.
His experience with private-label manufacturing placed particular importance on understanding customer requirements, controlling costs, and managing the responsibilities associated with independent business ownership.
Decked Out operated for approximately a decade, providing experience across different commercial conditions.
Private-label operations required manufacturers to compete on more than design or price alone.
Customer relationships, product consistency, production capabilities, and reliable delivery were all important to maintaining business.
These operating principles remain relevant to companies producing goods or providing services in many different markets.
A business must be able to fulfill the promises it makes to its customers.
Five Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Take From Industry Change
The transformation of the apparel business offers several lessons for entrepreneurs.
1. Adapt before circumstances force you to.
Companies should regularly examine whether their products, processes, and business models remain competitive. Waiting until a major customer is lost or operating costs become unsustainable can limit available options.
2. Understand the entire cost of doing business.
The lowest manufacturing price is not always the most economical choice. Transportation, quality, reliability, inventory, financing, and delays can all influence the actual cost of delivering a product.
3. Avoid excessive dependence on one customer or market.
Strong commercial relationships are valuable, but businesses should understand the risks associated with concentrated revenue sources.
4. Use technology to strengthen operations.
Technology can improve efficiency and visibility, but successful implementation requires clear business objectives and practical execution.
5. Preserve the fundamentals while changing the methods.
Industries evolve, yet core business responsibilities remain. Companies still need to understand customers, control expenses, maintain cash flow, deliver quality, and manage risk.
Experience as a Foundation for Adaptability
Fishoff's professional career eventually expanded beyond apparel manufacturing into financial markets and other entrepreneurial activities.
Although the industries differed, the experience of operating in changing business environments reinforced the importance of evaluating circumstances rather than relying entirely on past assumptions.
Experience can provide valuable perspective, but it should not prevent business owners from recognizing when established methods need to change.
Entrepreneurship requires both confidence in one's knowledge and a willingness to reconsider earlier decisions.
Looking Ahead
The apparel industry's evolution demonstrates that no business model remains unchanged indefinitely.
Global competition, changing consumer preferences, technology, and shifting distribution channels continue to influence how companies operate.
For Steven Fishoff, the broader lesson from decades of business experience is that entrepreneurs must combine practical operating discipline with the willingness to adapt.
Products may change. Markets may change. Technology will continue to evolve.
But the fundamental responsibilities of entrepreneurship—understanding customers, managing resources, building relationships, and making informed decisions—remain central to operating a business.