A Fabric Sales Rep

Does Bob deal with stretch knits?

Bob, tell us what kinds of textiles you rep, what your minimums are, etc. I’m interested in fashion-forward wovens in the 20 yard range. What timelines do you work with? Also, tell us your beefs about DE’s so we won’t make the same mistakes. Thanks

I don’t know John but if -you- were serious about doing it, becoming one…I know I’d throw some resources your way. Other people here know other resources, companies they’d like to buy from. It could work out.

I also have ideas for a cottage industry and would need to learn about hiring contract sewers and how to go about finding them and how this process works. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Patty

Hello,
I am looking for a good fabric company with deals with wholesaler/Manufactures like myslef. I am hoping to find a rep who can meet with me and bring a supply of new fabrics that are not on the market yet. I am located in Michigan. Does any one know anyone who reps a manufacture?

We need someone who is currently visiting the interior design industry for the tri-state area. We have decorative leathers and vinyls. If you have multiple product lines and existing customers in this industry please apply.

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I am trying to find a fabric rep or person who can source all the materials needed for an outerwear garment. However, I have no idea how much somebody like that would cost. First, does such a person exist? Second, how much would he/she cost? Third, Is there someone local, like in the midwest. I live in Madison, WI.

Midori, usually you don’t pay a fabric rep directly. If you were paying someone, this is a little different, you hire someone to “source” for you. It’s not very common. Sometimes consultants do it as a part of their services. Sometimes a contractor can, or even a pattern maker. It will help if you know the name of the fabric. You may end up with a “jobber”, I wrote about that before too. Mostly, you get suggestions from associates and will eventually have to go to a show at some point.

Hi I am outside of Philadelphia in Chester County PA. We use numerous textiles in our jewelry design and manufacturing…..in particular dupioni sillks, vintage fabrics, metallic linen, etc, etc. Is there a rep in our area that could call on us?

I want to apply for a fabric rep position with no previous experience..I am a decorator..and in the past have dealt with fabric showrooms..and have enjoyed this..and think that repping could give me a stable position for a couple of years…

how would I go about starting some applications..contacting appropriate people..and being seiously considered?

I have a vast number of contacts in the design field and am exposed to higher end clients daily..I am well suited for this..but again, have no previous experience..how would I begin?

I have a company that I would like to work for..

Dont know if this thread is still being followed but here is my 2 bit, if it helps……
I think contacting companies directly is not a bad idea especially if you have some in mind. You can start with a small territory to get experience and wont have to travel much. Websites have list of reps usually and even state if they are looking for anyone. It will take time of course but may be worth it. Also smaller companies are more open to newbies. How about going to a fabric show and meeting some fabric companies? Face to face is always better than cold calling. Just make sure you talk to the owner and not the rep!
Im on the other side where I am nervous about taking on reps because they may not service the clients the way I want them to. I feel one has to love fabrics and design to feel committed to selling a line, and most reps unfortunately do it mechanically and it shows.

OK, the #1 requirement for being a fabric representative is to have a very understanding spouse. Some of you know me but for those of you that do not, here is the skinny.

I’ve been selling buttons, zippers and some fabrics part time from 2001 until 2009. In 2009 I reduced the hours on my regular job (this is where the understanding spouse comes in) and started taking on more lines. On 3/1/11 I quit my job as the VP of Sales of a jacket company and spent all of my time selling fabrics, zippers, buttons and all types of garment construction necessities. I also forged alliances with factories, pattern makers, truckers and all kinds of other industry folks. Some of these connections were really sharp and others were not as sharp. Be prepared to get blamed for the stuff that goes wrong and to not get much credit for the stuff that goes right.

While I have vast experience in the garment business, I did not sell my first piece of fabric until 2003. Looking back on it, I pretty well had my head in my rear end until about early 2011 when I simply got better at my job and got better lines. As I did more business, my lines respected me and my customers more. They also sent larger checks (and sent them in a more timely fashion) which is terribly helpful.

Want to be a fabric rep?? Here is my little to do list. Go to F.I.T. and take a couple of semesters of Textile Science. Buy Kathleen’s book and give it a couple of reads. Some of your best selling ammunition is on page 33. You will spend a couple of years writing 10 yd orders. This is actually valuable training since your 10 yd customers have EXACTLY the same expectation as your 10,000 yd customers (except for the first time I wrote a 10,000 yd order, I stopped and had a martini on the way home).

Dealing with jobbers, importers, converters and mills is interesting. Some of these folks are very supportive. Others are not so good. My experience has lead me to one rule (though it does not have to be your rule). Never represent anyone from Los Angeles. Some of the people you will be dealing with deserve a tremendous amount of respect. Some are complete schmucks.

Here are a couple of other important reminders.

Your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not. Really big accounts are VERY difficult to come by. In ten years, I have stacked up two really big accounts and then another dozen that are pretty decent. I have over 200 occasional to frequent smaller accounts. Sound good? I’ve been doing this since 2001!!! So all in all, I’ve added two accounts a month and most of them have been ordering significantly less than $5,000 a year.

Be on guard for bad product. I repped a zipper and supply company that started shipping bad product. I fired them after the third bad instance of product. I lost two of those three accounts.

Ten years ago their were 35 regional sales reps. There are only handful of people making a living at selling fashion textiles as of 2011. My guess is that their are about seven or eight of us outside of New York and LA. There are only two of us at it on a full time basis in Chicago. Most of the others have some connection to retailing or are strictly jobbers.

The truth is, I find it terribly rewarding. Still, it is a tough gig with little chance of success in the first few years.