Publications

February 1985 (Revised August 1998)
Teaching Note

Heather Evans, Teaching Note

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

Teaching Note for (9-384-079). View Details

Keywords: Apparel and Accessories Industry

November 2010
Supplement

Esquel Group: Building a Sustainable Partnership with Cotton Farmers in Xinjiang (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Jason Cheng Qian

Details and evaluates results in Esquel's 2002 initiative to negotiate long-term partnerships with often-exploited farmers in Xinjiang (western China) to procure a superior cotton variety. View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Outcome or Result; Leasing; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Hong Kong; Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu

June 1990 (Revised October 1993)
Case

Phil Knight: CEO at NIKE--1983

By: Richard E. Walton

An edited, shortened version of Phil Knight: CEO at Nike with parts of Nike (E) integrated into it. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

12 Jul 2016
First Look

July 12, 2016

ASOS was large by online standards, traditional fashion retailers were building their own online sales capabilities, and Amazon was expanding its apparel offering. Meanwhile, new online competitors were emerging at a rapid rate. After... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 May 2013
First Look

First Look: May 14

service level to be associated with a 12% increase in demand from retailers, where historical service level is the type 1 service level performance of the apparel manufacturer over the prior year. Further, we find that retailers that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 15, 2018

School Case 317-073 Prevent Senior: A New Paradigm for Growth in the Health Care Sector? No abstract available. Purchase this case:https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/317073 Harvard Business School Case 618-020 Under Armour After 20 years of growth unprecedented... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

11 Oct 2016
First Look

October 11, 2016

October 2016 Harvard Business Review Competing with a Goliath By: Avery, Jill Abstract—A Peruvian apparel company struggles to position itself against a global brand. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51646... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jan 2015
First Look

First Look: January 20

working with high-end apparel retailers such as Bonobos, Gilt Groupe, and Zara. What distinguishes the company from its rivals is its use of Kiva robots, which collect customer items within the warehouse and bring them to the appropriate... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2023 (Revised May 2025)
Teaching Note

On

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader, Jordan Mitchell and Karen Elterman

Teaching Note for "On," HBS Case No. 723-430. On is a premium performance running shoe company founded in Switzerland in 2010. The company rapidly gained traction through its unique CloudTec cushioning technology, its innovative midsole plate called the Speedboard, and... View Details

26 Mar 2008
First Look

First Look: March 26, 2008

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=808107 Parks Capital-Investment in US Retail, Inc. Harvard Business School Case 208-104 Parks Capital acquired a Children's Apparel Manufacturer, American Child Clothing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2014
Module Note

Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Operations

By: Michael W. Toffel

September 1972 (Revised September 1983)
Case

Timex Corp.

The evolution of Timex from its inception in the 1940s to its position as a leading multinational watch manufacturer in the early 1970s. Focuses on Timex's strategy for marketing, on a worldwide basis, and its line of inexpensive watches. View Details

Keywords: Product; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Global Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Vice President of Store Operations Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella VP of Store Operations Axley Vega must review an analysis of her department’s sales data to determine the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program. BOPS implementation created significant problems for the store... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada

February 2020 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Anomalie

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones

In early 2019, the founders of Anomalie, an online direct-to-consumer provider of bridal gowns, have just agreed to a $13.6 million Series A investment from a Silicon Valley VC. They are considering three major initiatives as they move forward. (1) To scale their very... View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Entrepreneurship; Internet and the Web; Growth and Development Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

October 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Dulcie Madden (A)—Growth or Exit?

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Christopher Payton and Shweta Bagai

This is part of a three-case series that follows Dulcie Madden's journey as a founder over five years. Case (A) is about managing growth and cash flow; Case (B) is about the exit decision and conditions on a sale; Case (C) shows Madden dealing with adversity and the... View Details

December 2017
Supplement

Data-Driven Manufacturing: The Kutesmart System

By: Willy C. Shih

This supplementary video shows the Kutesmart System at Redcollar Group. It is an example of a mass customization system that is data-driven, but is predominantly based on manual operations. It is offered as a contrast to highly automated data-driven manufacturing. View Details

Keywords: Data-driven Manufacturing; Clothing; Bespoke Manufacturing; Production; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; China

January 2014 (Revised February 2014)
Teaching Note

Rana Plaza: Workplace Safety In Bangladesh (A) and (B)

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

On April 24, 2013 the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Over 1,100 people were killed in the worst industrial accident since the Union Carbide plant gas leak in Bhopal, India. Most of the victims worked for garment factories,... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Multinational Firms and Management; Labor Unions; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Working Conditions; Corporate Accountability; Crisis Management; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Bangladesh

June 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Classic Knitwear and Guardian: A Perfect Fit?

By: John A. Quelch and Patricia Girardi

Classic Knitwear manufactures and distributes casual apparel, either unbranded or under a private-label brand name. Partly because Classic has no brand recognition with consumers, gross margins are low. To improve margins, the company considers partnering via a... View Details

Keywords: Market Research; Forecasting; Consumer Marketing; New Product Marketing; Product Lines; Merchandising; Branding; Demand and Consumers; Partners and Partnerships; Marketing Strategy; Forecasting and Prediction; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

April 2012 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Social Strategy at Nike

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and Ryan Johnson

Nike, which first started experimenting with social media and networking in 2004, has been consistently reducing its spending on traditional advertising. Yet, Nike has not pulled back on its overall marketing budget, instead opting to focus on "nontraditional"... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Social and Collaborative Networks; Online Advertising; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry