01Why Fashion and textiles needs specialised logistics
Fashion logistics is season-driven — peak time before spring/autumn launches, short life cycles, high airfreight share, hanging garments and folded mix, increasing focus on sustainable supply chains.
Requirements differ significantly from standard LCL logistics: different documents, different equipment, different safety standards.
02Typical goods and trade flows
Main commodities: Apparel, footwear, accessories, leather, textile yardage.
Flows usually go from a small number of production and raw-material sources to global distribution centres. Transit time, frequency and capacity booking are therefore critical.
03Equipment and packaging
Cartons with inlays, garment-on-hanger (GOH) containers, garment bags, foldable collapsible boxes.
Equipment choice directly affects transport cost, CO₂ footprint and damage rate. Recommendation: agree an equipment concept with the carrier before requesting the first quote.
04Compliance and regulatory framework
Key frameworks: EU product safety, REACH (chemicals in textiles), supply-chain transparency (LkSG, CSDDD), waste regulations.
Beyond those, industry-specific certificates and audits (e.g. supplier audits, AEO, TAPA) are typically prerequisites for market access.
Questions fréquentes
Which Incoterm should I use for Fashion and textiles?
In practice, FCA (zu Asiens Origin-Hubs) / DDP für Retail is the industry default. The final choice depends on country, sales model and tax situation — always have the term reviewed by customs and tax advisers before contract.
Which regulations are most critical?
The frameworks named above — particularly EU product safety, REACH (chemicals in textiles) — should be embedded in your SOPs and audit programme.