Over the past year, I’ve explored the fashion supply chain in depth, visiting more than 50 farms and factories to report on the changing nature of Made in Italy and Made in the UK labels. As I learned how vast these supply chains are and how few garments come from a single source, I started wondering: can you create an outfit that’s completely traceable?
A few weeks ago, I asked nine brands to share their supply chain stories through one garment each. They all had different methods and focused on different materials, so the final outfits—we ended up with two—show a range of challenges and solutions. Some brands work directly with farmers to trace natural fibers back to their origin, while others use aggregators that offer “batch traceability,” tracing products to a small group of suppliers. Some are testing high-tech traceability tools, while others still rely on Excel spreadsheets. A few have fully developed digital product passports (DPPs) on their websites, while others are figuring out how to turn traceability into transparency.
The result is a mix of strategies you can adapt based on your business size and traceability goals. No matter which approach you choose, traceability is becoming urgent. As the brands involved noted, the European Union is moving quickly to implement DPPs, and traceability is essential for compliance. After all, if you don’t know where your products come from, how can you share that with customers or make improvements?
Collaboration is key
When Tamanna Mullen launched Arth Atelier two years ago, she aimed to build a fully traceable brand. She thought it would be straightforward, since she was starting from scratch and didn’t have to overhaul a complex, outsourced supply chain. But Mullen soon realized it wasn’t that easy. “I quickly found out that full traceability is really hard to achieve,” she says. “Part of the issue is that the system is built for mass production.”
Starting with wool, Mullen reached out to established fabric suppliers, hoping they could help trace the material back to the farm. But as a small, independent brand, she couldn’t meet their minimum order requirements. When she tried working directly with mills, cleaners, and farmers to build her own supply chain, she faced the same volume problem at every step. Eventually, she found a middle ground: partnering with aggregators that focus on transparency and traceability. For wool, she teamed up with Nativa, which uses blockchain to track every stage of production. This allowed her to trace the wool to a group of regenerative farms in Uruguay. (Aggregators collect materials from various sources and sell them to brands. Some provide little information about origins, while others, like Nativa, let brands trace products to a few certified sources, if not a single one.)
Arth Atelier isn’t alone in using partnerships to speed up traceability. Since 2021, Reformation has collaborated with Fibretrace, a textile traceability platform, to trace about half of its denim supply chain. “It’s a great example of a solution we’ve expanded beyond a pilot because we want technologies that can grow and become part of our operations,” says Kathleen Talbot, Reformation’s chief sustainability officer and VP of operations.
The supply chain begins at the Good Earth Cotton farm in Australia, which uses regenerative farming and is owned by Fibretrace co-founders David and Danielle Statham. Before the cotton is shipped to the…At Wathagar Ginning Company, cotton is treated with a special pigment that enables physical traceability. This pigment remains intact through processes like spinning, weaving, and dyeing, allowing the cotton to be scanned and verified at every step of the supply chain. Talbot notes, “Our main challenge was developing a durable tracing method that wouldn’t wash off and wasn’t just a label. Since it’s embedded in the fiber itself, we’re confident in its reliability, which is why we’ve expanded our partnership with Fibretrace.”
Bringing Suppliers on Board
During my reporting for last year’s Made in Italy series, Facopel, a hatmaker owned by Gruppo Florence, mentioned they had to operate 16 different workstations to handle the five distinct traceability systems required by various brand partners. This scenario is common among suppliers, as the fashion industry hasn’t yet settled on a universal traceability standard, and the EU is still defining the specifics for Digital Product Passports.
For brands focused on traceability, convincing suppliers to adopt new practices is a significant hurdle. Talbot explains, “It requires suppliers who share our values and are willing to put in extra effort. Brands need to evaluate how they engage with vendors, how they support them through changes, and how they address any financial or operational challenges. If a supplier has been doing things the same way for decades, it takes negotiation and careful change management.”
Gonzalo Pertile, VP of sustainability at Theory, emphasizes that traceability is more about building relationships than upgrading technology. “We focus on people, not paperwork. Success depends on collaboration across teams and having support from vendors to top management. Trust encourages openness in sharing information.” Theory’s long-term partnerships, such as with Italian mill Botto Giuseppe, have been key. The mill’s founder connected them with Congi Farm in Australia, which now supplies regenerative wool for their Atelier Wool coat.
Orlagh McCloskey, co-founder of Rixo, agrees that strong, lasting relationships are essential for traceability. Rixo, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is digitizing its traceability data with suppliers, moving from spreadsheets to systems like Intertek and Trace For Good. McCloskey points out that a history of consistent orders helps gain supplier cooperation. “We’ve worked with the same supplier since our start, and I’ve even spent time in their factory. Seeing firsthand how unpredictable brand decisions can lead to waste has made production visibility a top priority for us.”
Reducing waste is a major goal for Rixo, and close collaboration with suppliers—facilitated by traceability—helps achieve it. While they often use digital printing to lessen environmental impact, certain products like bias-cut scarves require placement printing. By working directly with the supplier, McCloskey adjusted the scarf designs and lengths to minimize waste, a detail that might have been overlooked otherwise. “You need that transparency and flexibility with suppliers to find solutions together.”
Sourcing Directly
Many natural fibers come through commodity supply chains where aggregators and auctions obscure their origins. “Fiber from multiple farms is often blended into one yarn for efficiency and cost reasons, so our best approach has been to purchase through certified…”Amy Powney, former creative director of Mother of Pearl, notes that while certification is a step forward, it remains complex and not always followed. She launched her own affordable luxury brand, Akyn, this year with a limited fiber selection.
To address these issues, brands such as Theory are forming direct partnerships with farmers. In the UK, British Pasture Leather (BPL) is part of a movement to link fashion more closely with agriculture. Since 2020, co-founders Alice Robinson and Sara Grady have been tracing leather back to its farm origins, aiming to highlight regenerative practices over harmful ones. Grady explains that livestock farming varies widely, making traceability crucial for brands to support positive impacts.
BPL collaborates with a small group of British farms certified by Pasture for Life but currently uses batch traceability rather than tracking individual items to specific farms. For instance, Been London’s Calvert tote was reimagined in British leather as part of BPL’s Made With campaign. Founder Genia Mineeva, who typically works with waste materials, chose parts of the hide often overlooked, like suede and belly pieces.
Similarly, jewelry brand Monica Vinader is focusing on gemstone traceability. In 2022, it introduced Digital Product Passports for its top styles and a Mine to Market program. Chief Product Officer Megan Shearer points out the industry’s complexity and opacity, with human rights and environmental concerns. While the brand has switched to recycled metals and lab-grown diamonds for easier traceability, only 52% of its gemstones are traced to their mines.
A success story is their aquamarine, sourced from Zimbaqua, a women-run mine in Zimbabwe. Shearer admits the process has been slow, with some suppliers resistant, so they’ve sought partners who share their goals. Without a suitable existing certification, they developed their own with help from human rights experts and SGS, which Zimbaqua met after minor adjustments. This framework is now being applied to other gems like turquoise and green onyx.
Some brands are going beyond tracing to building their own supply chains. Spanish brand Miista is constructing its second factory in Galicia to produce more in-house, ensuring better control over labor conditions. Founder Laura Villasenin emphasizes the risks of outsourcing to less-regulated facilities, a known issue in Italian luxury production. She values the ability to oversee every aspect of production and welcomes transparency.
From traceability to transparency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about creating an outfit with a fully traceable supply chain designed to be clear and helpful for all knowledge levels
Beginner Definition Questions
1 What does a fully traceable supply chain for clothing actually mean
It means you can track every single step of an outfits journey from the original source of the raw materials all the way to the finished product in your hands
2 Why is this suddenly a big deal Isnt all clothing traceable
No most clothing is not traceable The fashion supply chain is often very complex and secretive with materials and labor sourced from all over the world with little transparency
3 Whats the main benefit of a traceable outfit for me as a shopper
It gives you confidence that your clothes were made ethically and sustainably You know workers were treated fairly and environmental impact was minimized
Benefits Why Should I Care Questions
4 How does traceability help the environment
By knowing exactly where materials come from brands can ensure they are sourced sustainably and reduce pollution and waste in the production process
5 How does it ensure ethical production
Traceability allows you to verify that the factories involved pay fair wages provide safe working conditions and do not use child or forced labor
6 Does a traceable supply chain mean the clothing is higher quality
Often yes Brands that invest in transparency are usually more committed to quality and durability at every stage leading to longerlasting garments
Common Problems Challenges
7 Whats the biggest challenge in creating a fully traceable outfit
The biggest challenge is the complexity A single tshirt can involve farmers spinners weavers dyers finishers and sewers often in different countries making it hard to track and verify each one
8 Is traceable clothing always more expensive
Usually yes Paying fair wages using higherquality sustainable materials and implementing tracking technology all add to the cost
9 Can a brand lie about its supply chain being traceable
Unfortunately yes This is called greenwashing Thats why its important to look for brands that provide verifiable proof like certifications