The Importance of Building a Strong Relationship with Your Manufacturer
When you are first shopping around for apparel manufacturers to help produce your clothing line, you will be overwhelmed by the amount of options around the world and the number of people reaching out to you for your business. Let’s face it, you will be basically inundated with Linkedin requests. It can be kind of aggressive, especially if you want to be thoughtful about the process, as I know you are. But with the amount of possible connections it seems like manufacturers are a dime a dozen and if one doesn’t work, then it’s on to the next.
But the thing is, finding a manufacturer and building a solid relationship is key to your fashion brand's success. Your manufacturer will become your partner as you are both relying on the other. It’s not a disposable connection. I know you want to find a production partner that is right for you, and likewise, the manufacturer is looking for brands that have potential to grow and who they can do good business with.
This all sounds good, right? So let’s get into what a good relationship with your manufacturer can look like.
Quality Control
When you have a good relationship with your apparel manufacturer you can both be on the same page about the level of quality that you expect. Your first production run may not be 100% spot on, but then you discuss what can be done to improve going forward and ask how they can help. Over time the factory will understand your standards and can keep an eye out for any red flags that they may see.
On the other hand, once you understand the factory's concerns and workflow you can plan in advance what you need to do to help make their job easier.
Reliability
You want your factory to be reliable because deadlines are everything in the garment industry. You don’t want to be told that maybe your production will happen this week or maybe four weeks from now. Nurturing a relationship with a manufacturer that adheres to calendars and deadlines is invaluable. We all have that friend that is at least 20 minutes late and it’s infuriating for times when it’s important. So as a fashion designer, You want to know that you don’t have to worry about the manufacturer's timing because they have it under control.
As the customer, you need to be reliable too. You need to be able to prioritize the factory's needs regarding your production above everything else. If they have an issue that they email you about, don’t wait three days to get back to them. They say you need something that they don’t have- you drop everything to get it for them. Your manufacturer works on a very tight schedule and if they aren’t working because they are waiting, they are not getting paid.
Speaking of getting paid, pay them as soon as you can. I can tell you firsthand that all service providers love clients that pay as soon as you can, before the due date. It means you value our services and respect us. Having to track down clients for past due payments is the worst. If you run into money issues, speak up. It’s always better to keep someone in the loop rather than going silent until you have the money.
Problem-Solving
I know a lot of aspiring fashion entrepreneurs feel that they need to figure it all out on your own. But the beautiful thing about a great relationship with your manufacturer is a good one will help you solve issues that arise. If they are invested in your brand, then they need you to succeed so they have a solid client for many years to come.
As a customer it is also important to not be dismissive about any concerns the factory brings up and dig your heels in that it has to be your way. Work with the factory to figure out how you can make it work for them. Also, if you are doing a second production run, have a conversation with them, if you can be doing anything different to make things easier for them. So many times new fashion entrepreneurs create a lot of unnecessary work without even realizing it.
Flexibility
Being flexible is important in any relationship, right? It’s all about give and take. Your factory will be ingrained with the way that they do things. You will have a specific idea in your mind that you want to achieve and are insistent. So where do you go from here. Compromise!
A good factory will stand their ground on important issues, but will also help to achieve what you are looking to do. The important thing to remember is that you sometimes have to be flexible as well. It’s part of the discussion. If a factory can’t do something, then try to negotiate something that will work for both of you.
If a manufacturer knows that you are a good customer and are always on time with your production and payments, they will help to accommodate you when things happen like fabric delays, calendar mishaps or personal issues. A regular good customer is gold in the garment industry.
Cost Efficiency
When you are looking to have your clothing produced, you will be collecting pricing probably from many different factories. Now, within certain cultures, some negotiation is expected. However, as a new brand, you don’t have a lot of leverage to negotiate. If you are producing in the US chances are the price is fixed as to what the manufacturer is quoting you.
Once you are doing regular business and volume with a manufacturer, then you can discuss the pricing they can give you. Chances are, you are part of a tiered pricing system based on the quantities that you produce. When you produce more, the cost will go down. But you can be lucky if the manufacturer is understanding. Maybe you are 50 pieces under their next tier minimum. They could give you a cheaper price because you are a good customer.
It’s important to understand that margins are tight for everyone. It’s doubtful that you will be quoted anything that is completely outrageous, so don’t go crazy.
When I worked for a large retailer we were doing lots of production with different factories. There were certain items that needed to be sold at a certain price point or the buyer would not place the order. Often, the manufacturing cost was not workable for the price point. So we would go back to the factory to negotiate and discuss what our options were for meeting the price point. Usually everyone could make it work with some negotiations and perhaps agreeing to pay full price, or do more volume on another garment the manufacturer were pricing next.
Innovation
A good manufacturer, who knows and understands your product, should be able to help offer solutions and new ways of doing things better. If your business grows, theirs does too, so potentially investments can be made in ways that improve your product. But that’s big picture stuff! Ideally you want someone who says to you something like- “Your fabric is not great. But I do know of a supplier that does something similar, but better quality and price”. Or, “if you can add a seam to ___ then you can save a lot of fabric yardage”.
But this is something that should not be expected at first. Factories are not creative thinktanks. They are not responsible for making your product better. They are responsible for completing the job, which is where their energy is prioritized. New fashion brands are pretty volatile, so they will not be too invested until you are a regular customer.
Calling it quits
You will no doubt come across an apparel manufacturer that will be the biggest pain, non- responsive, and perhaps poor product quality. Unfortunately these people are just not invested in their customers as much as you try to make it work. For instance, if a factory is consistently sending you garments that are not the right sizing, or the fabric is not what was agreed upon, it can be time to call it quits. There are some situations where it will just never improve so it will be time for you to look around.
But for the most part, I strongly encourage you to hold on for a while. There will be bumps along the way where you and your manufacturer just don’t seem to connect. But building a common understanding takes time. When I used to work in import production, we would always have an eye out for new factories, just in case. But even the most reliable factories that were eventually grandfathered still had a bumpy start. It takes about three years to really produce a fruitful and understanding relationship, and it will be worth it!