Sheng Lu
Resources and Links
Biography
Dr. Sheng Lu joined the department in 2015. Dr. Lu's research focuses on the economic and business aspects of the global textile and apparel industry, including international trade, apparel sourcing, fashion supply chains, and trade policy. Dr. Lu also studies social responsibility and sustainability issues related to apparel sourcing and trade and the implications of big data and related digital technologies on the fashion industry, particularly from a supply chain perspective.
Dr. Lu received the 2014 Rising Star Award and the 2019 Mid-Career Excellence Award from the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) to recognize his research and teaching excellence. He is also the multiple-time recipient of the Paper of Distinction Award at the ITAA annual conferences. He was also invited to serve as a consultant for the International Trade Centre (ITC), co-run by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN).
Dr. Lu has achieved over 80 publications in leading academic and trade journals in the textile and apparel discipline. His works were cited by government reports such as the Congressional Research Service (CRS) studies prepared for members of U.S. Congress, U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) official assessment on the economic impacts of free trade agreements as well as the World Bank, International Labor Organization, and the United Nations research publications. Dr. Lu and his work were also regularly featured by media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BBC World News (UK), Bloomberg, Nikkei Asian Review (Japan), Associated Press, the Economist (UK), South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), and Business of Fashion.
Degrees
PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia
MS, Donghua University
BS, Donghua University
Courses Regularly Taught
Global Textile and Apparel Trade and Sourcing
Socially responsible apparel and global policy
Sustaining global apparel supply chains
Recent Publications
Lu, S. (accepted). Is Sub-Saharan Africa ready to serve as an alternative apparel sourcing destination to Asia for U.S. fashion companies? A product-level Analysis. Competitiveness Review.
Marsh, L., & Lu, S. (2024). Importing clothing made from recycled textile materials? A study of retailers' sourcing strategies in five European countries. Sustainability, 16(2), 825.
Laurits, H., & Lu, S. (2023). Exploring U.S. Retailers' Merchandising Strategies for Adaptive Clothing: A Focus on Product Assortment and Pricing Practices. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education. ahead of print. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17543266.2023.2288124
Keegan, M., & Lu, S. (2023).Can garment production survive in a developed economy in the 21st century? A study of “Made in Ireland". Research Journal of Textile and Apparel. (ahead of print) https://doi.org/10.1108/RJTA-09-2022-0113
Lu, S. (2024). Impact of textile raw material access on CAFTA-DR members' apparel exports to the United States: A quantitative evaluation. Journal of the Textile Institute,115(4), 544–552.
Lu, S. (2023). Explore U.S. retailers' sourcing strategies for clothing made from recycled textile materials. Sustainability, 15(1), 38.
Botwinick, A.,& Lu, S. (2023). Explore U.S. retailers' merchandising strategies for clothing made from recycled textile materials. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 16 (2), 131-140.
Lu, S. (2023). 2023 fashion industry benchmarking study. Washington, DC: United States Fashion Industry Association.
Lu, S. (2022). Apparel Sourcing in the Shadow of the US-China Tariff War. In Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases. London: Bloomsbury Academic. DOI: 10.5040/9781350928503.010
Merryman, L., & Lu, S. (2021). Are fashion majors ready for the era of data science? A study on the fashion undergraduate curriculum in U.S. institutions. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education,14(2),139-150.
Keough, K., & Lu, S. (2021). Explore the export performance of textiles and apparel “Made in the USA": A firm-level analysis. Journal of the Textile Institute, 112(4),610-619.
DuBreuil, M. & Lu, S. (2020). Traditional vs. big-data fashion trend forecasting: An examination using WGSN and EDITED. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 13(1), 68-77.
Lu, S. (2019). Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): Impact on the integration of textile and apparel supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region. In Shen, B., Gu, QL., Yang, YX (Eds), Fashion Supply Chain Management in Asia: Concepts, Models and Cases. Springer.
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Delaware
Mid-Career Excellence Award, International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA)
Rising Star Award, International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA)
Paper of Distinction Awards, International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA)
Research Interests
Global textile and apparel industry, international trade and trade policy
Fashion apparel companies' sourcing and supply chain strategies
Sustainability and social responsibility issues related to the textiles and apparel industry
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With the Trade War on Pause, Here’s What’s Next for Fashion
May 13, 2025 | Written by Marc Bain and Cathaleen Chen of The Business of FashionArticle quotes Sheng Lu, professor of fashion and apparel studies. "The next few weeks, months, or even years could be filled with policy twists and turns between the two countries, and the high level of uncertainty facing fashion companies and their suppliers is likely to persist." -
See how Shein outfits cost more under Trump's trade war
May 08, 2025 | Written by By Rachel Lerman and Jeremy B. Merrill of The Washington PostDelays at the border could cause a product shipped from China to more than double in price, said Sheng Lu, professor of fashion and apparel studies. “Now customs will have to manually check each of the packages, and each of them has to prepare documents,” he said. -
The U.S. tax loophole that made Shein and Temu rich is changing. What will happen to the brands now?
May 02, 2025 | Written by Abby Hughes of CBC NewsSheng Lu, assistant professor of fashion and apparel studies, told the Canadian Broadcasting Company that low-income Americans likely stand the most to lose from a price increase. He says basics like t-shirts and socks might see the biggest price jumps.
