When it comes to the global fashion supply chain, there’s no longer a status quo to buck.

Geopolitics , tariffs and environmental policy shifts have all played a part in pushing the industry’s accelerated metamorphosis.

That’s evidenced in recently released supplier data from international fast fashion behemoth H&M . Many similarly positioned brands have stepped back from public-facing annual reports in recent years, but according to Dr. Sheng Lu, professor of apparel and fashion studies at the University of Delaware, assessing sourcing patterns on a brand level can yield invaluable insights into the fashion supply chain as a whole.

“I think the fast fashion business model itself has had a lot of changes. This is not a static business model.…