E26: The Challenge of Finding the Right Fashion Manufacturer (Part 2)
No matter how long you may have been in the fashion industry and the level of success you have as a business, if you are a product-based brand you will be having manufacturing problems somewhere along the line. Often these challenges are self-inflicted and can to a great degree prevented if proper selection and checks […]
E24: The Challenge of Finding the Right Manufacturer (Part 1)
Fashion manufacturing is challenging at the best of times, but when you are first starting out – it can easily seem like the biggest challenge in your way to launching and success. We look into the reasons why this is and what future brand entrepreneurs can do to help themselves in the process of finding […]
E15: Unfolding the fashion retail industry with Cally Russell
This is Unfolded is a new “brand” and a new form of shopping rolled into one. Though the concept is not new, the way the founders are doing retail is challenging the fashion retail industry for sure. Interested to know more….? OK – here is some more… Episode notes: The team behind This is Unfolded […]
E13: The business of zero-waste fashion with Bhaavya Goenka
As part of our support for the cause championed by Fashion Revolution we meet and interview Bhaavya Goenka – the founder behind the zero-waste Indian brand Iro Iro. Bhaavya is also the regional leader for Fashion Revolution India, Jaipur chapter, and is active in her community in promoting sustainability and ethical manufacturing. Episode Notes During […]
E3: Why finding a manufacturer is so hard
Despite how much information can be found online, it is as hard as ever, for fashion entrepreneurs to find a good manufacturing partner to work with. More often than not, this is due to fashion creatives not knowing how to do proper research, how to communicate what they are looking for and what criteria to […]
Think globally but manufacture fashion locally
What a phenomenal time to be alive. There has been no other time in the history of humankind when so much has changed in such a short period of time. When the opportunities we have, outnumber the obstacles we face. [The original version of this article was first published at Estila magazine Vol 12 / […]
10 Top Signs You’re Working with the Wrong Manufacturer
Fashion manufacturing is not for the faint-hearted. Working with the wrong manufacturer can be painful. Fashion manufacturing is like relationships. In fact, it is apt to compare the process to dating…Pick the right fashion factory – and you’ll live happily ever after. Pick the wrong one – and life will not be worth living. Regardless […]
When to Look For a Manufacturer – Before or After Crowdfunding Campaign ?
QUESTION: When should I look for a manufacturer – before or after the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign I plan to do, to raise funds, to launch my business? Astrid, Oslo (Norway) Hey Astrid, great question! Launching via a Kickstarter type of crowdfunding campaign is a great new way to leverage the power of the […]
5 Ways Startups Can Use Tech Packs to Cut Costs and Save Time
Tech packs! Love them or hate them, if you’re in fashion – you simply need them! Like anything in life, the quality of the outcome depends on the quality of the input. In fashion, this is truer than in most other industries. Without a proper brief, a visual and verbal accurate communication, the end result […]
Why do so many fashion brands fail?
For an industry as dynamic and fast-paced as fashion, why do so many fashion brands fail? A topic that’s covered more and more of late, in the wake of so many retail stalwarts and iconic fashion brands filing for bankruptcy. The fashion industry is famous for its smoke and mirror image. Things are never how […]
The Rise of Ethical Fashion Manufacturing
The terms “ethical (fashion) manufacturing” and “sustainability” have become the buzz words of our generation. But are they just a marketing gimmick or do brands and customers really care about the issues? One of the many great things about the internet era we live in is access to information. Everything and anything, 24/7. It is […]
How to Work with Fashion Manufacturing Companies as a Startup
Working with fashion manufacturing companies is easy if you know and follow the few simple do’s and don’t do’s most entrepreneur learn the hard way. Don’t be one of them – read this and get a start on the right track.
What Clothing Manufacturers Want Fashion Startups to Know
It has never been so easy or so hard to start a fashion brand. Read what clothing manufacturers wish fashion startups do less of and how to best present yourself to suppliers if you want to work with them.
9 Top Tips to Get the Best Out of Your Pattern Cutter
How to get the best out of your pattern cutter should be at the forefront of your mind if you’re about to embark on developing a fashion range. Learn how to prepare for your meeting.
I Can’t Sketch! How Can I Communicate My Ideas on Paper?
You don’t have to be Karl Lagerfeld to launch your brand. Learning how to communicate your designs and draw is just a skill that, with practice, can be acquired and improved on.
The Ultimate Guide to ‘What is a Wholesale Fashion Line Sheet?’
A wholesale fashion line sheet is an essential sales tool for every brand no matter how small or large must present to buyers if they are to be taken seriously.
Where Should I Make My First Proto Sample?
A beginner or an experienced professional, everyone needs to know the best way to make their first proto sample.
Should I Have a Pattern Ready Before I Contact a Factory?
If you are a beginner, how will you create your pattern before even fixing a factory in the first place? Read to know how.
Fabric Sourcing Everything Before Contacting A Factory?
Fabric sourcing raw materials in advance of manufacturing is an essential part of the development process. Let’s find out which is more advantageous – fabric sourcing yourself or asking the factory for support.
7 Top Tips How to Avoid Manufacturing Drama During the Chinese New Year
The Chinese textile manufacturing industry is one of the world’s biggest apparel exporters to the west. But their Chinese new year celebrations can affect negatively your fashion business. Read and learn how to avoid this from happening.
How to Make the Best of Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)?
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is a requirement of factories – the lowest quantity of a certain product that a supplier is willing to produce.
How Cutting Fabric for Production can Bring You Savings
Cutting fabric for production is a skill seasoned professionals know about and use as a way to make savings. Scaling up from sampling to production is a huge leap in regards to fabric and trimmings consumption.
How to Make a Handbag When Your Background Isn’t in Fashion
Every day newcomers enter the fashion industry. While they may bring new ideas and enthusiasm, their lack of knowledge of how the industry works, development and sourcing know-how and process often leaves them exhausted and with depleted funds.
How to Find the Right Factory to Make Your Product
How to find a factory to make your product? A common question anyone looking to turn their fashion idea into a reality will ask countless times. Not because it is hard to find contacts these days, but simply because the prospect of contacting a manufacturer, whether by phone or through email, for the first time can be a scary one.
How Denim Manufacturing Impacts the Environment
If you are a denim-wearing eco-warrior then perhaps you are more fashion and less eco-conscious! Read below and get the basics of why the current denim manufacturing has a negative environmental impact.
Cut Make and Trim (CMT) vs Fully Factored (FF) Fashion Manufacturing
As a fashion designer, exploring the options in regards to manufacturing, there are many things to consider. One of the hardest and most important decisions would be how to get your bulk production made. Learn how successful brands do it and the two most widely used methods they work to.
11 Top Tips for Working with Indian Manufacturers
Working with Indian manufacturers offshore is a good option for any growing fashion brand looking to improve margin, but before you embark, consider these wise words and the benefit of others experiences.
3 Tips to Make a Perfect Garment Sample
Making a perfect garment sample good enough for the factory to follow through to production, can be approached in three ways. Whichever way you choose, your final outcome is to produce items to a very high standard so that they can be used by a factory as a template for your production.
Fashion Insider Tips for Sourcing Fabric Efficiently
Sourcing fabric for new fashion collections is one of the most exciting aspects of running a fashion label. Learn how to do it better with our top tips.
Offshore manufacturing vs local manufacturing: What is the right manufacturing location for your brand?
Before embarking on production for your fashion start-up, you will no doubt research the differences between manufacturing locally or offshore. Costs will surely be at the forefront of your mind, but there are so many other things to consider.
What is a Fashion Buying Agency? – By Ayushi Nath
Foreign brands that work in Asia often do so with the help of buying agencies. Ayushi Nath, a fashion designer at Impulse buying agency based in India, shares the inner working of a design and manufacturing agency.
What is a Critical Path and Why your Business Needs it?
What is a critical path in fashion? It is a continuously reviewed system, which is used to track the progress of fashion projects and production deliveries. A production plan that contains a list of all of the necessary activities that are required to be done within a particular time frame.
The easy guide to Fashion Sampling
Whether you are new to the industry or seasoned professional, embarking on product fashion sampling is one of the most exciting and satisfying parts of the design process.
What is “Just In Time” Manufacturing?
In the 1940s the Toyota Motor Company pioneered a type of manufacturing called “Just-In-Time.” Its objective was to eliminate waste, inconsistencies, and unreasonable requirements from the production process, thus resulting in improved productivity. Simply put, it meant making only what was needed, when it was needed, and in the amount needed.
11 ways to screen fashion factories before working with them
Asking fashion factories key questions before working with them will save a lot of time, money and heartache. Learning how to identify the best from the rest will be the single most important skill you need to develop.
The importance of Quality Control in fashion manufacturing
Quality control in the fashion manufacturing industry is incredibly important. Failing to maintain certain standards can lead to all sorts of problems, especially for a start-up company. Without a track record for selling your products, buyers who do invest in you will expect perfection. But what exactly is Quality Control? Simply put, it is a […]
Why fashion manufacturing locally can open a world of possibility for new brands
Fashion manufacturing locally is not a new concept. It has been done by brands large and small for as long as manufacturing has existed. But with advances in technology that helped make the world more reachable, many have tried their fortunes far afield hoping to improve prices, leadtimes or quality.
Changing Dynamics of Garment Manufacturing in India
India based Meenal Malhotra caught the fashion bug post her MBA stint in Finance and Marketing. After gaining some insights into the fashion industry whilst working with Masaba, the well-known fashion designer from India, she decided to set up a factory of her own – R and M Enterprises.
Everything You Need To Know About The Sample Making Process
Embarking on garment sample making is one of the most exciting and satisfying parts of the design process. Bringing your ideas to life in the form of a tangible product is the icing on the cake after months of designing, fabric sourcing and pattern cutting.
What is a Fashion Spec Sheet and why you need one?
If in architecture you cannot build a good building without a blueprint, in the fashion you cannot create a product without a Specification sheet. Let’s learn all about Fashion Spec Sheet in this article.
5 tested tips for finding the right fashion manufacturer
Finding a good manufacturer is not as tricky as many believe it to be. Like with any first business meeting, you need to go prepared and armed with clear information about who you are, what your business is about, where you want to go, and what you need out of this meeting.
5 tips on how to work with a manufacturing supplier
Here are some tips on how to work with a manufacturing supplier.
What To Look For In A Manufacturing Partner
One of the challenges most often faced and talked about in fashion is the delicate matter of finding a manufacturer – the right manufacturer for you and your brand.
5 Reasons Why a Fashion Factory Ignores Designers
Approaching fashion factories for the first time can be a nerve wracking experience, especially if you’re new to the fashion business
Made in England – Why Buy British?
Fashion industry professionals including small business owners, students and representatives from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) were among the crowd at the sell-out event in Manchester yesterday evening (Wednesday 29 July)