Being succesful as a Supply Chain Manager in Fashion

This paper presents the findings of a research project on the competencies which supply chain managers in the fashion industry need to rely on, in order to perform successfully in their job. In this research project 21 supply chain managers in the fashion industry in the Netherlands have been interviewed. Together they are responsible for the distribution of goods towards 1,550 owned/franchised outlets and towards about 6,600 re-seller outlets, which is about half of all fashion retail outlets in the Netherlands. The results give a clear picture of the competencies required of a logistics and supply chain manager in the Dutch fashion industry and point to how these competencies have been acquired in practice.