By Stars Design Group  /  June 27, 2024

Clothing Coulture Welcomes Top Educator and Innovator as Correspondent for Paris Haute Couture Week 2024

Clothing Coulture Welcomes Top Educator and Innovator as Correspondent for Paris Haute Couture Week 2024 SAINT LOUIS, MO. (June 21,...
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By Stars Design Group  /  May 28, 2024

Debuting Clothing Coulture Magazine with Apparel Industry Insight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Stars Design Group Unveils Inaugural Issue of Fashion Industry Magazine, Clothing Coulture May 28, 2024, St. Louis,...
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By Stars Design Group  /  January 11, 2023

Stars Design Group CEO, Bret Schnitker, Named 2023 St. Louis Titan 100

 Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli LLP are pleased to announce Bret Schnitker as a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100....
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By Stars Design Group  /  October 12, 2022

Stars Design Group Partners with threeASFOUR to produce new line

SAINT LOUIS, Mo —  St Louis based fashion design and production house, Stars Design Group (SDG), is excited to announce...
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By Stars Design Group  /  April 11, 2022

Stars Design Group Partners with Silicon Valley Tech Startup

SAINT LOUIS, Mo — St. Louis based, global apparel design and manufacturing company, Stars Design Group, is partnering with Silicon...
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By Stars Design Group  /  August 9, 2021

Stars Design Group acquires New York based influencer clothing brand

SAINT LOUIS, Mo — Stars Design Group, a global apparel design and manufacturing company is  excited to announce the acquisition...
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By Stars Design Group  /  July 1, 2021

Missouri textile and fashion experts instrumental in building Salvadoran apparel industry

SAINT LOUIS, Mo — Stars Design Group, a global fashion design & production house based  in Saint Louis, Missouri, is...
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By Stars Design Group  /  May 18, 2021

Stars Design Group launches fashion industry podcast

St. LOUIS, Mo — Stars Design Group, a global leader in apparel design and manufacturing is  supporting the fashion industry...
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By Stars Design Group  /  August 15, 2018

Stars Design Group Headquarters Completion in St. Louis, MO

ST. LOUIS August 15, 2018 Earlier this year, Stars Design Group (SDG) purchased and began renovation on their new headquarters...
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By Stars Design Group  /  May 22, 2018

BeProduct and Stars Design Group Celebrate PLM Success

ST. LOUIS May 22, 2018 Fashion technology house BeProduct is pleased to unveil a successful Product Lifecycle Management (“PLM”) initiative...
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By Stars Design Group  /  December 31, 2017

Stars Design Group Wins St. Louis 2017 Business of The Year Award

St. Louis Apparel Manufacturer Wins Business of The Year While Experiencing Rapid Growth St. Louis, MO: Stars Design Group is...
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CLOTHING COULTURE Podcast



Clothing Coulture Season 1 Archive logo
Clothing Coulture Season 2 archive logo
 

CLOTHING COULTURE Season 4

For transcripts, click the transcript link under the podcast

Embracing Imperfections: Human Process of Garment Manufacturing

The Entrepreneurial Journey with Shoe Icon Stuart Weitzman

Woman in Leadership with Eva Hughes of Vogue Latin America

World Retail Congress 2024: AI, Sustainability, and Disruption in Fashion

Upcycling Fashion with All Saint's Founder Stuart Trevor

Navigating Cultural Strengths: China's Apparel Manufacturing with Michael Lode

The Sexy Side of The Business: Retail Math                                           

Transforming Retail's Last Mile: Enhancing Efficiency and Achieving Carbon Neutrality 

Special Episode | Current Global Logistics Challenges Livestream

The Go-Giver Philosophy: Deliver Value and Develop Meaningful Connections in Business

Identifying and Avoiding Forced Labor in Global Apparel Production

Fashion's Carbon Countdown: Navigating Digital Passports and the EU

Provocative Contradictions on Greenwashing      

Rebuilding American Apparel: How Onshoring and Tech Innovation are Shaping the Future

Adapting to Political Shifts in Fashion Production

The INSPIRATION Behind Clothing Coulture

Now more than ever, there is a lack of technical knowledge in the garment industry. Years ago, the U.S. abdicated apparel manufacturing to countries overseas, making it an almost foreign concept to modern fashion designers and manufacturers in the United States. Fast-forward to today: COVID-19 completely changed the fashion industry once again. Many companies are being forced to downsize, work with fewer people and incorporate new skills as they navigate the new normal of the fashion industry. The pandemic revealed the need to improve technical knowledge in the industry, especially in the U.S., which ceased apparel manufacturing many years ago.

Clothing Coulture is a resource providing industry insights that can assist in developing new knowledge and expertise necessary to succeed in the post-pandemic garment industry.



LISTEN to Clothing Coulture


Clothing Coulture is an apparel industry resource designed to educate fashion professionals, startups and students about the rapid evolution occurring in the industry.

By sharing the expertise of industry experts and innovators, each episode helps the audience navigate real challenges in the garment sector. If you work in any of the following areas, you’ll find the insights from Stars Design Group beneficial.
• Design
• Merchandising
• Sourcing
• Production and manufacturing
• Technical design
• Fabric technology
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Students

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE

Resources From Episodes


Meet The Hosts

Photo of Bret Schnitker

Bret Schnitker

As an industry apparel executive for more than 30 years working in all facets of the sector, Bret has had the unique experience to do in business in 70 countries and work with artisans and experts worldwide. Having been in over 1000 factories that employ 200,000 people, he cares deeply about the value of the opportunity this industry brings to developing countries and its people.

Founder and CEO of Stars Design Group, a fashion design and production house, he believes in fostering an environment of innovation and evolution to stay ahead of the rapidly changing apparel industry. With offices worldwide and a network of 67 factories globally, Bret stays ahead of the trends to advise on all design, textiles, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and business strategy. Through consulting, collaboration, and thought leadership, Bret helps Stars’ brand and retail clients solve garment initiatives.

Uniquely Saint Louis based, with its historic legacy in apparel and new focus of innovation, Bret is invested in the blend of talent and technology to develop solutions that serve the demands of the consumer base, while supporting social and environmental goals.


Photo of Emily Lane

Emily Lane

As Chief Strategy Officer at Stars Design Group, a global fashion design and production house, Emily develops and implements strategic initiatives to increase awareness, support collaborative opportunities, cultivate innovation, and promote thought leadership in the organization. A serial entrepreneur with 25 years of business development experience, Emily’s strategic approach helps to foster a culture of innovation, while implementing thoughtful marketing strategies that have a history of propelling businesses to viability, increased profitability, global awareness, and market leadership.

Emily is the creator of the Clothing Coulture fashion industry podcast and also recently launched United Coulture, a fashion design community that brings established, talented designers & industry creatives together to collaborate on projects and collections, to elevate the aesthetic and quality of client programs.

Emily also serves as COO for Stars' sister company, INSPR, which helps build fashion brands inspired by the individual vision of the influencer / creators, while bringing the impact of influencer marketing to brands and retailers.

CLOTHING COULTURE Magazine


Clothing Coulture is a media outlet that started as a podcast with episodes that are released bi-monthly and dedicated to providing in-depth insights and analysis on the fashion industry. With contributions from industry experts and thought leaders, Clothing Coulture aims to be the definitive resource for fashion professionals worldwide. The magazine serves as an expansion for Clothing Coulture, extending the education and information provided by this expert industry insider. Click each thumbnail to download the issue.


ISSUE 1

Clothing Coulture - World Retail Congress Magazine

Media


Press Releases

2023 St. Louis Titan 100

January 11, 2023
Stars Design Group CEO, Bret Schnitker, Named 2023 St. Louis Titan 100
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — STARS Design Group — Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli LLP are pleased to announce Bret Schnitker as a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100. The Titan 100 program recognizes St. Louis's Top 100 CEO's & C- Level executives. They are the area's most accomplished business leaders in their industry using criteria that includes demonstrating exceptional leadership, vision, and passion.


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Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts logo

May 10, 2021
Stars Design Group Presents Lead Design Talent Award 
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — STARS Design Group — Stars Design Group CEO, Bret Schnitker presented the inaugural Lead Design Talent Award to Maggie Miller, a senior in fashion design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.


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Education

CLDP logo

Podcast Series – Business Threads
Business Threads is a joint project between Stars Design Group and the U.S. government Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) as part of the Textile Competitiveness program.

The apparel industry podcast series teaches multiple virtual professional development courses, providing ongoing support and consulting to Salvadoran textile companies. It was distributed through the CLDP to professionals in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.


LEARN MORE



Stars Design Group In The NEWS

NYC fashion line sold to City Foundry STL and Stars Design Group
VOGUE | THE ICONIC CIRCLE BAG IS BEING REISSUED AS PART OF THE LAUNCH OF THREEASFOURASONE 

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Threeasfour Asone collection
lADUE NEWS | St. Louis DESIGN COMPANY DEBUTS INCLUSIVE APPAREL LINE IN COLLABORATION WITH THREEASFOUR AT PARIS FASHION WEEK 

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photo of Bret Schnitker
VOYAGESTL | HIDDEN GEMS: MEET BRET SCHNITKER OF STARS DESIGN GROUP 

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For press inquiries contact:

Emily Lane
Chief Strategy Officer
emilylane@StarsIntl.net
(314) 771-9152 ext. 202

Pre-Production

Trim Approval Cards

Cards include buttons, zippers, zipper pulls, embroideries, main label, hangtags, etc. Keep in mind that these approval cards don’t usually come all at once; they are sent to you once they are received from the various trim providers.

Lab Dips

Lab recipes for the color approval are needed. A visual approval under a daylight filter is usually requested, as all manufacturing facilities have light boxes.

Fit Sample

Sample is the closest available to the fabric, to be used for general fit approval purposes, and is usually in size ‘large.’

 
 
 

Contact Us


Stars Design Group is staffed by highly experienced professionals across all areas of the apparel industry. Get in touch with us to request one of our experts for media appearances, speaking engagements or guest lectures.



 

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