Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practices and Strategies of the Global Clothing and Textile Value Chain

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has created lots of uncertainties that force clothing and textile (C&T) companies to question their current practices and make urgent changes to navigate their future. Given that this period represents an unprecedented market situation with almost no prior research on how an industry can recover from such a crisis and reshape its value chain, this study aims to present new possibilities with C&T value chain by evaluating specific industry responses. The global value chain framework and resource-based theory of the firm were used as the theoretical framework in this study. Based on case study analysis and extensive literature review, this study develops a conceptual model illustrating the connections among various value chain segments in C&T that have been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings provide actionable considerations for C&T practitioners when implementing appropriate strategies during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 outbreak.