RFID has become foundational to modern apparel operations, enabling brands to meet the demands of fast inventory turnover, global logistics, and omnichannel retail. Once limited to large-scale deployments by global retailers and fast-fashion champions like Walmart, Uniqlo, and Decathlon, RFID is now empowering smaller brands to achieve the same level of control over inventory, production, and distribution.
In this case study, we examine how a growing fashion brand implemented RFID tagging across its apparel range to enhance traceability and operational efficiency. With weekly product drops and an in-house software team, the brand required a scalable, cost-effective tagging solution that could be fully integrated into its in-house RFID Warehouse Management System (WMS) and withstand the rigors of textile processing.
By partnering with Xerafy, the brand deployed washable RFID tags from the TEX series, along with item-level woven, hang, and price labels, to digitize inventory management across its global supply chain.
A Fast-Moving Fashion Brand with Global Reach
The fashion label at the center of this case study operates at the intersection of speed and scale. Known for its affordable luxury womenswear collections, the brand releases new styles every week, catering to a global customer base through a mix of retail stores and direct-to-consumer channels.
Managing design, production, fulfillment, and retail in-house, the company runs a tightly integrated operation. Studio teams in Asia collaborate with factories, centralized distribution centers, and retail locations spanning the United States, Europe, and Australia. This vertically integrated model gives the brand control—but also presents challenges when it comes to visibility, coordination, and speed at scale.
Key operational pressures included:
- Weekly product drops with little margin for delay
- High product variation, with each collection containing dozens of SKUs
- Multiple handoff points, from factory floor to global distribution
- Manual inventory processes slowing down throughput and data accuracy
As order volumes grew and retail expectations evolved, the brand needed to digitize its tracking processes—not only to improve internal efficiency, but also to support broader initiatives in sustainability and compliance. With forthcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulations in Europe, brands are expected to provide transparency into each item’s origin, composition, and lifecycle. RFID offered a scalable way to associate serialized product data with each garment, forming the foundation for traceability, circularity programs, and brand accountability.
Enabling End-to-End Item-Level Traceability
To modernize its inventory tracking and support global growth, the brand implemented an RFID-enabled Warehouse Management System (WMS), developed in-house by its system integration team. The goal: Achieve seamless item-level traceability—from production to distribution to retail—without incurring the high costs often associated with large-scale RFID deployments in Europe or North America.
Xerafy worked closely with the brand’s engineering and operations teams to select the optimal mix of RFID tags for use across their supply chain. Key requirements included durability through textile processing, compatibility with existing printing and encoding workflows, and full support for EPC Gen2v2 and ARC retail mandates.
Xerafy offered the TEX series of durable laundry washable tags.
The solution included:
- TEX series washable RFID labels, used for tagging garments throughout production and logistics. Designed to withstand handling, washing, and folding processes.
- Woven RFID labels, made from soft, sewable nylon with integrated UHF antennas, offering permanent item-level identification through the product lifecycle.
- RFID hang tags and price labels, supporting serialized encoding and integration with barcodes and QR codes for omnichannel and retail automation.
The Xerafy team also supported encoding setup and onboarding, ensuring alignment with the brand’s serialization scheme, data capture points, and integration with their WMS and labeling systems. The implementation was designed to scale, with scheduled bi-monthly deliveries of 300,000 RFID tags and labels, and the flexibility to ramp up as volume increased.
Understanding ARC Certification
What is ARC Certification?
ARC is a performance and compliance standard developed by Auburn University’s RFID Lab in partnership with major retailers like Walmart and Nordstrom. RFID tags that are ARC-certified have been rigorously tested to meet defined performance benchmarks for retail environments.
Why it matters:
For apparel brands, ARC compliance ensures:
- Compatibility with global retail mandates
- Consistent readability across supply chain touchpoints
- Reliable encoding and serialization support
Xerafy’s tags are engineered and certified to meet these requirements, making them ready for retail deployment from day one.
RFID Tagging Across the Apparel Lifecycle
Tag Type | Application | Key Features |
TEX series | Factory and warehouse garment tracking | Durable, washable, long-read range, thermal-printable |
Woven Labels | Sewn into garments for item-level ID | Soft nylon, sewable, ARC-certified, permanent ID |
Hang Tags | Retail display, anti-theft, checkout | Serialized EPC, printed barcode/QR, detachable |
Price Labels | POS integration, inventory, pricing | Custom face stock, RFID + price info + barcode/QR combo |
All tags support UHF RFID (860–960 MHz), EPC Gen2v2 encoding, and are compliant with major global retail standards.
Xerafy Technical Support and Scalable Supply
The fashion label led its RFID implementation internally, supported by its own system integration and development team. To ensure the success of the initiative, they required a reliable technology partner able to supply compliant, high-performance RFID tags at scale—without overcomplicating the selection process.
Xerafy supported the brand across three key areas:
1. Tag Selection Support
- Provided technical input on tag durability, wash resistance, and label form factors
- Delivered a custom-sized 50 x 35 mm TEX series washable label tailored to the garment workflow
- Recommended woven label options optimized for direct-sew applications without compromising RFID performance
2. Compliance and Integration Readiness
- Supplied ARC-certified inlays meeting major retailers’ RFID performance standards
- Supported EPC Gen2v2 encoding and seamless alignment with the brand’s serialization system
- Delivered label formats compatible with upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) initiatives
3. Reliable Supply and Flexibility
- Enabled bi-monthly deliveries of over 300,000 RFID tags and labels
- Offered scalable production to support evolving product categories and seasonal demand
- Maintained commercial alignment with the brand’s volume-based pricing expectations
By working alongside the brand’s in-house development team, Xerafy helped accelerate the rollout of RFID tagging across their operations—contributing to a robust, scalable foundation for item-level traceability in fashion
Building a Smarter Supply Chain with RFID
With RFID tagging now embedded across production and distribution, the brand has significantly improved its visibility and control over the flow of goods. Item-level data is available in real time, supporting faster decision-making, more accurate inventory, and streamlined global fulfillment.
The RFID infrastructure also positions the brand to scale confidently into new regions, product categories, and compliance frameworks. As the industry moves toward greater transparency and circularity—driven by retail mandates and sustainability requirements like the Digital Product Passport—item-level RFID becomes more than a tool for logistics. It’s a strategic asset for traceability, accountability, and growth.
By enabling serialization and lifecycle tracking at the garment level, RFID lays the groundwork for future initiatives such as resale, rental, and recycling programs—extending the value of each product beyond the point of sale.
Talk to the Xerafy Engineering Team to evaluate RFID tagging solutions for your apparel supply chain—from factory to retail floor.
Xerafy is a pioneer in Industrial RFID, bringing to market several innovations that enable advanced industrial identification and automation capabilities.
In addition to a complete range of field-proven RFID tags available off-the-shelf, Xerafy offers Custom RFID Tags services, covering everything from a personalization service bureau to custom-design engineering capabilities.
