Have you ever wondered how a garment is made? The journey begins long before a finished product reaches a factory, and involves multiple stages, suppliers and countries along the way.
Depending on the material, the process may start with growing natural fibres such as cotton, sourcing animal fibres such as wool, producing wood-based fibres, or recovering existing materials for recycling. From there, materials are processed, spun into yarns, transformed into fabrics and components, and ultimately assembled into finished garments.
To help explain this journey, we map our supply chain in several tiers:
- Tier 4: Raw material sourcing and extraction, such as cotton farming, wool production, wood-based feedstocks and recycled materials.
- Tier 3: Material processing and yarn production, including spinning, weaving and knitting.
- Tier 2: Fabric production and component manufacturing, including dyeing, finishing and trims.
- Tier 1: Garment manufacturing, including cutting, sewing and finishing.
- Tier 0: Design, marketing and distribution of the final product.
Each tier involves different partners, facilities and regions. Understanding these connections helps us build greater transparency and strengthen our approach to responsible sourcing throughout the value chain.