A guide to importing luxury fashion goods

All freight is important and needs to be handled with care, but when it comes to designer fashion and accessories worth thousands of dollars, correct packaging, handling and shipping procedures is essential. 

Fashion requires fast, flexible shipping options so items arrive at the right time for their clients to market and sell them. Freight forwarders need capability to cope with seasonal peaks and large distances.  

Luxury fashion brands have strict controls over their supply chain and distribution channels and will only use trusted freight forwarders with whom they have long-standing relationships. Avion Australia is a trusted partner to many European high-end brands, high street fashion chains, and contemporary labels. Marco Viglietta, managing director of Avion International Australia, says that the team works hard to maintain these relationships. 

“With decades of expertise in importing luxury fashion items, we know what it takes to get pieces from their origin to their destination on time and in pristine condition,” he says.  

Luxury labels, Australian designers and ready-to-wear fashion brands trust Avion to ship their products safely, quickly and in excellent condition. Avion meets the tightest delivery times required by manufacturers and retailers of international brands, and 3PL warehouse solutions support local requirements in Australasia. 

More than one shipping option 

Multimodal freight solutions are often used to ship fashion goods from their point of origin to their destination. With clothing industry hubs scattered throughout Asia, India, Europe and America, it is often the case that a mixture of transport options including land, sea and air are used. 

The choice of freight method is always related to the type of cargo (volume and size) and the required delivery time.  

“The skill in organising import and export operations by connecting different shipping methods by sea, land and air allows Avion to meet the tightest delivery times required by manufacturers and retailers,” says Viglietta. 

Avion’s international network of major textile and clothing industry hubs at ports and airports means thorough knowledge of the industry and solid relationships with network members, he says.  

How to package luxury fashion for shipping 

Shipping luxury fashion and accessories begins with correct packaging to ensure items reach their destination in immaculate condition. Garments should be protected with plastic wrap or size-appropriate garment bags to prevent damage. Depending on the item, hanging may be the best way of ensuring clothing reaches its destination in pristine condition. Avion uses GOH containers equipped with hanging space for items on hangers.  

Items such as shoes and accessories should be packaged in sturdy boxes, with plenty of cushioning to protect the items during transit. Of course, clear labelling and complete sealing-up of boxes is imperative to ensure fashion items are as protected as possible from exposure to outside elements and handled with the upmost care.  

Help when you need it 

Even with the correct planning, procedures and paperwork, there can sometimes be issues with expensive clothing clearing customs. It’s important to be aware of the customs regulations in both the country of origin and the country of destination. Documentation, such as a commercial invoice, may be needed to clear customs.  

Using a freight forwarding company with expertise in shipping luxury fashion will smooth the process. Should shipments be held up or require extra information to be updated, representatives will be able to handle the issue on your behalf. 

“We take care of the complete management of the fashion supply chain: from factories to direct delivery to shops, with tracking of international shipments by air, by sea and by land,” says Viglietta. “Our order management and IT Integration systems use the latest tools and tried and tested protocols.  

“We have specialised departments dedicated to the control and packing of raw materials, such as fabrics, yarns, leathers, semi-finished products and luxury and fashion accessories, in addition to expertise reserved for high fashion products.” 

Fashion forward  

Avion has created a market-leading infrastructure for fashion including:  

• 5000 m2 for product and packaging, 500 m2 for visual merchandise 
• Main warehouse: new product, mainly used by wholesale division and replenishment for stores of latest season 
• Outlet warehouse: stock returned from stores, samples, stock not sold by stores, aged stock. Stock is stored as GOH (approx. 25%) and another portion in cartons 
• Products stored to the highest standard, in a temperature/humidity-controlled environment. This includes clean space, minimising exposure to dust and an enclosed location in a light and medium shelving structure 

• GOH fixed racks (all GOH items will be protected by plastic sleeves), flat items in shelves inside carton bins, stored in a way that maximises operational efficiency 
• Location mapping follows 3 levels of segregation: Row, Column, Level 
• Each pick-face bin number is allocated in a fixed bin location 
• The warehouse runs a WMS (warehouse management system) to control all stock and pick & pack orders.

Explore your options with Avion 

Avion Australia’s specialised team manages international textiles and fashion goods shipments for small traders through to household names luxury brands in clothes, shoes and accessories. We offer a range of options for shipping fashion goods including: 

• By sea 
  • FCL (Full Container Load) 
  • LCL (Less than Container Load). 
• By air 
  • Direct and Back-to-Back
  • Consolidated 
• By land 
  • FTL (Full Truck Load) 
  • LTL (Less than Truckload) Groupage service. 
• GOH containers 

Specialised containers equipped for the shipment of garments on hangers. 

• Reverse logistics 

Integration of different storage and sorting technologies for efficient management of commercial returns 

• Hand carry 

In-hand shipping of goods with a logistics professional 

• Customs clearance 

Assistance in import and export customs clearance to and from all countries. 

When it comes to the transportation of luxury items, care and planning are paramount. Not only is the risk of damage an extremely costly mistake for all parties involved, it’s important to work with a freight partner that is well-versed in the necessary customs policies between countries to ensure smooth and timely delivery. 

Check out our slideshow for a more in-depth look at our fashion and textile shipping and handling services here: Avion Fashion and Textile

Avion Australia is a trusted name in shipping textiles and fashion.  Find out more or request a quote.