Guest editors
- Bill Macbeth
- Richard Axe
- Ruth Farrell
Editorial Board
- Caterina Ailiesei
- Alison Lewy
- Tessa & Arianna Moroder
Short runs present a number of challenges that can be addressed through TCBL, many of which are associated with the organisation of production. All these issues have been identified as critical by businesses working in the textiles and clothing environment.
- Supplier minimum order quantities that are too large to be affordable for Short Run Producers (SRPs);
- Finding partners (particularly manufacturers),willing to work on low volume production runs;
- Cost increases for lower volume-Cut, Make & Trim (CMT)/fabric and components;
- Manufacturers insist upon payment or credit up-front from small companies;
- Logistics of components and cost implications;
- Impact on development and production lead times due to large volume orders receiving priority;
- Holding sufficient buying power to warrant and maintain good quality;
- Specialisation of equipment and skills AND skills shortages;
- Increasing the visibility of SRPs.
Topics can thus include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Production technology
- Aggregating buying power to gain lower prices from manufacturers
- Matchmaking: bringing manufacturers and small designers / buyers closer
- Knowledge gaps and skills shortages
- Fast fashion
- Innovative and new business models for short runs success
We encourage submission of the following different types of contributions, particularly welcoming articles from TCBL Associates:
- Journalistic work (blog posts, opinion pieces, trend updates, etc.)
- Case studies (profiles or stories of exemplary businesses)
- Academic or theoretical work (8-10 page research articles, 3-5 page reports on work in progress)
Preliminary submissions can be submitted at any time.