Only a few brands within the fashion industry have successfully changed an entire category like Suitsupply. Suitsupply was founded in Amsterdam in 2000 by Dutch law student Fokke de Jong and focused on offering high-quality, tailor-made and affordable men’s fashion. With a focus on delivering a personalized shopping experience through expert staff, the brand has grown into a leading vertically integrated company for men’s formal and occasionwear. Today, Suitsupply offers everything from tailor-made suits to shoes and accessories, and has more than 100 stores in 25 countries. As Suitsupply continues to expand its presence, part of its continued success is closely tied to selecting and working with the right partners – especially in logistics.
“It is important that we have a logistics partner who is reliable, innovative and flexible,” says Roy Bouwhuis, Head of Logistics and Fulfillment at Suitsupply. With his nine years of experience, he recognizes that fulfillment plays a crucial role in maintaining Suitsupply’s brand image as a premium, formal menswear brand. ‘Speed and reliability of deliveries are essential to us. Our ‘fast and effective’ philosophy is important and also plays a role in logistics and transport. Regardless of where a customer lives, the same service regarding delivery should always be available to them.” Since Suitsupply has built its image on offering high-quality tailor-made suits, the need for a logistics partner that delivers their products in perfect, wrinkle-free condition is crucial. This is exactly why Suitsupply has been working with Modexpress, the partner for fashion fulfillment and tailor-made logistics, for more than ten years. In addition to shipping, warehousing and delivery, Modexpress meets Suitsupply’s unique needs through its expertise in Garments on Hangers.
‘Our Garments on Hangers (GOH) solutions are part of our extensive fashion services, uniquely tailored to the fashion industry. Our GOH solutions focus on maintaining the quality of garments during transport and hanging storage, rather than folding or compressing them for delivery in (cardboard) boxes,” explains Jan Kuipers, Supply Chain Director at Modexpress . Unlike shipping where garments are folded and flat-packed into (cardboard) boxes or crates for delivery to warehouses or distribution centers, Modexpress’s GOH solutions ensure that garments remain on hangers, eliminating the need for folding. Especially for clothing made from delicate fabrics, such as tailor-made suits, products are prepared for transport on hangers. The garments are then transported in special trucks, part of Modexpress’s own fleet, which are designed to transport hanging garments without damaging the products. “This eliminates the need to unpack and dry clean the garments at the final destination, because the garments retain their shape and quality upon arrival,” says Kuipers. GOH solutions are ideal for garments that need to be ready to sell upon arrival and ensure that Suitsupply items can be immediately displayed in store as intended by the brand’s designers.
With speed, accuracy and efficiency as key pillars of delivery, Modexpress Suitsupply’s GOH solutions have also helped streamline national and international logistics. Modexpress’ expertise in GOH transportation and dedicated delivery services to our national and international stores in Europe stand out the most for us,” says Bouwhuis. ‘Because many Suitsupply stores do not have large back-of-house areas to store many products, frequent deliveries, several times a week, are necessary to replenish what is sold in the store. Our products are shipped and delivered more efficiently using GOH-equipped trucks, significantly reducing lead times,” Bouwhuis continues. ‘This has streamlined our supply chain by minimizing the need for cardboard packaging. This not only improves our store operations, but also has a positive impact on the environment by reducing packaging waste.’ Because both companies want to do business in the most sustainable way possible, the cardboard packaging used for Suitsupply’s other packaging has been replaced with plastic, reusable containers that can be returned empty and stacked to reduce space requirements. Furthermore, Modexpress’s GOH solutions also reduce environmental impact by minimizing the need for garment reconditioning after delivery.
Modexpress leverages emerging technologies to provide customers with the best solutions and has implemented RFID technology to further optimize its GOH solutions. “Since GOH garments are stored on hanging racks in our warehouses, this simplifies order processing,” says Kuipers. Suitsupply has been using RFID technology in stores for several years to manage inventory and can use the integration with Modexpress to further tighten logistics. “The use of RFID technology not only helps our stores find products quickly, but also allows us to accept deliveries more quickly,” says Bouwhuis. “Rather than scanning each item individually, RFID scanners can detect the entire shipment as it enters the store.” Ensuring that Suitsupply can use efficient and innovative logistics is key to the brand’s success. “The most important thing for us is that we can sell our customer the product he wants, when he wants it,” says Bouwhuis. ‘Knowing which products are available and where they are available is essential, both for the customer and for store staff.’
Over time, Modexpress has developed strong partnerships with leading fashion brands and retailers, such as Suitsupply. This has enabled the logistics company to continuously refine its GOH solutions based on customer needs, ensuring the highest service standards. “Our GOH solutions are specifically designed to meet the needs of high-end and luxury clothing brands such as Suitsupply, which require garments to arrive in perfect condition,” concludes Kuipers.
Source: fashionunited.nl
