Fashion Incubator » Contractors http://www.fashion-incubator.com How to start a clothing line or run the one you have, better. Thu, 16 May 2013 00:39:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=446 How to prevent theft by bad contractors http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-prevent-theft-by-bad-contractors/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-prevent-theft-by-bad-contractors/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:43:19 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://fashion-incubator.com/?p=12652 yesterday's entry, I'll post some suggestions on getting your stuff back from a sewing contractor. The first step is to know what you have (inventory management) and a lot of people don't. I will also provide some suggestions to avoid getting in a bind like this. By way of introduction is this quote:
I just told my sewing contractor yesterday that I will no longer be needing their services. They have my patterns and fabrics that I want shipped back to go to my new contractor and I want them back ASAP. I don't really trust that they will ship all my patterns and fabric back in a timely manner. I owe them $100 for samples although my property is worth 20 times this amount. They want me to pay this before they ship and I want them to ship before I pay. It's a Mexican stand off (minus the third party). I feel if I pay them first then there is no real incentive for them to ship my stuff out quickly.
I omitted a lot of information from the quote but the designer in question is justified in worrying about getting her goods back. It must be said that it is traditional to pay before shipping but she has legitimate reasons to worry her goods won't be shipped when she needs them so it is the proverbial Mexican stand off.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-prevent-theft-by-bad-contractors/feed/ 5 When your contractor is stealing from you http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/when-your-contractor-is-stealing-from-you/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/when-your-contractor-is-stealing-from-you/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:00:41 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://fashion-incubator.com/?p=12644 thiefHere the worst has come to pass, such an ugly drama. If you're not a member and can't access the details, one of our designers -we'll call her Jane- received several angry emails from her sales reps saying that another designer -let's call her Haley- was selling many of Jane's styles and in Jane's exact fabrications. Jane isn't one to jump to conclusions but she did some legwork and found that Haley was even selling clothes that were made of Jane's custom printed knits. More worrisome, Haley was describing the styles as having been cut from another manufacturer's scraps. Stop right there. If you're having things made from another manufacturer's leftovers, don't assume it is okay with that manufacturer. They may find out and you'll be painted with the same brush. In this case, since Jane's contractor got caught, he is blaming Haley for all manner of indiscretions -ranging from design theft and theft of a cell phone. No one gives the contractor much credence at this point but it is wise to avoid any hint of impropriety. Speaking of (forgive the digression), you need to be very cautious if a contractor is providing your fabric because it may be stolen from another party. Once the contractor gets caught, he may go out of business but even if he doesn't, your fabric source and artificially low production price is going to increase so if your customers are spoiled with low prices, you'll find yourself in a peck of trouble both coming and going. ]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/when-your-contractor-is-stealing-from-you/feed/ 9 100 years of magical thinking http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-magical-thinking/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-magical-thinking/#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:58:50 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://fashion-incubator.com/?p=12241 Yet another overseas factory burns, killing workers. Have we learned nothing in the last hundred years? Considering the Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), all we've done is push tragedy farther from us -where we can conveniently forget about it, competing as it does with a new week's news. I don't know what incenses me more, here's a partial list:
  • Diddy's licensee tells shareholders this won't affect the bottom line
  • The facility had been flagged for violations repeatedly by compliance officers from Sears, Wal-mart, Target and Disney.
  • The factory owner claims he didn't know he was supposed to have emergency exits
I think I'll run with the last one because it hits closer to home. I know how this plays out. Many of you rest easy because your offshore factory is small [you don't have the scale to hire a larger factory so you feel you've dodged a bullet]. Tragedy of this scale is unlikely to affect you because your factory has a lot fewer workers and worst case, they can jump out of the single story (ground floor) windows. What this really means is that the innumerable small factory fires that occur each year, killing however many workers annually far in excess of this most recent one, don't get the same air time. Five here, seven there, who is counting?]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-magical-thinking/feed/ 19 5 questions every designer must answer revisited http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/5-questions-every-designer-must-answer-revisited/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/5-questions-every-designer-must-answer-revisited/#comments Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:47:43 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://fashion-incubator.com/?p=11877 5 Questions every designer must answer -the latter being more of a rant- so I find myself amending at this late date. Recapping from the earlier entry are these five points:
  1. A brief description of your product.
  2. Your customer profile
  3. Your anticipated price points
  4. The types of stores you would like to sell to
  5. Who you aspire to hang with.
Before I describe the points separately, first a brief word on what you shouldn't tell a provider. And that would be all things marketing. By that I mean, don't try to sell us your product, we're not a buyer nor the end consumer. To us, the branding message is just so much talk talk talk and most of us don't care about that end of your business. It also bears reminding that you need to be able to provide these five bits of information before requiring a signed confidentiality agreement -if at all. I think it would be helpful to write all of this out before you start calling around otherwise no one will return your calls and you'll wonder why you're getting the run around.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/5-questions-every-designer-must-answer-revisited/feed/ 3 International Pleating http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/international-pleating/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/international-pleating/#comments Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:15:55 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://fashion-incubator.com/?p=11517 Lisa B1 -we have three Lisa B's so they're numbered- mentions a new-to-me site that may interest you (HT), that belonging to International Pleating. Fully embracing today's demands for connectivity and transparency, they also have a blog and a FaceBook page. In business since the 1930's, International Pleating provides contract pleating services delivered to your specifications. They offer two types of pleating, hand (pattern pleating) and mechanical. Machine pleating ranges from knife, box, distressed and Fortuny pleating. Hand pleating types are sunburst (accordion), large box pleats and herringbone. You can see samples of each type here.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/international-pleating/feed/ 7 3 reasons you should pay for samples http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/3-reasons-you-should-pay-for-samples/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/3-reasons-you-should-pay-for-samples/#comments Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:14:40 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=11408 a LinkedIn discussion on this subject, I thought it would be good to talk about it here. The question was (paraphrased and edited slightly):
If a contractor approaches you with a production proposal, is it okay that the contractor charges for the initial sample? How about if they say that if you place an order, they will refund the cost? Shouldn't this be a cost of doing business? What are your thoughts?
With over 100 comments (although some are spam, typical of LI), this has been controversial to say the least. I think the better question is: if you approach a contractor with the idea of doing business with them, should you pay for the initial sample? The reason I think my question is better is because it is basically the same thing. The issue of who made the approach is immaterial once you sift through the pros and cons. Even though there are tiny operations out there that only exist to generate revenue making crappy samples, I think you should pay. Not that you should pay the former, that's what due diligence -and escrow- is about. You should pay for these reasons:]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/3-reasons-you-should-pay-for-samples/feed/ 7 What to do if a contractor shorts an order http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-to-do-if-a-contractor-shorts-an-order/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-to-do-if-a-contractor-shorts-an-order/#comments Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:24:21 +0000 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=11380 I have a problem with my sewing contractor. They were willing to work with me on my first order and agreed to make 250 so I appreciate that. However, when I got the shipment, I was shorted by 9 dresses that they charged me for anyway. They said something about "losing those in cutting" but I am not clear what that means. If they made cutting mistakes, I think it is fair they pay me back but I shouldn't have to pay for something they did not sew. I realize they did me a favor with a lower minimum but I don't think this is fair. I feel like I should say something but I don't know what. Other than this I really like my contractor and want to make this work but I don't think this is acceptable. In the olden days, I would have been brimming with outrage but I know better these days. Many designers don't realize that determining the size of an order is much more than filling in a blank on a form. The key questions here are how did it happen and whose fault is it (who should bear the cost of the shortage?) There are two ways to indicate the lot size of an order. One is with the purchase order (sewing contract) and the second is with the marker plan (supplied by manufacturer vis a vis a marker maker). Of the two figures, the marker plan takes precedence. That's because a contractor can only cut from a marker they've been given.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-to-do-if-a-contractor-shorts-an-order/feed/ 3 Like a puppy chasing a bus: Sourcing like big brands http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/like-a-puppy-chasing-a-bus-sourcing-like-big-brands/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/like-a-puppy-chasing-a-bus-sourcing-like-big-brands/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:26:52 +0000 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10976 puppy_unfortunately_not_chasing_a_busApologies for the title that a lot of people won't like either. Titles aren't my strong suit. But no mind, someone I'll call Art writes:
I am trying to start up a small to medium sized clothing line and have been looking into manufacturers and sewing factories for men's shirts. I am looking for the factory/supplier list for XXX, YYY and ZZZ. I was able to find the worldwide factory list for Levi's but have been unsuccessful with other brands. Is there a way to find the supply chain or factory list for commercial brands and high end designer labels?
I told him that attempting to source from factories used by the biggest brands is like a puppy chasing a bus. Assuming you could catch one, what ever would you do with it? I also said that if one were prepared to enter into a relationship with prominent contractors, it would not be so difficult to locate them (when the student is ready, the teacher appears). The matter of being able to get their attention based on the small quantities a new brand is likely to want is another (situation-untenable) story altogether. Then Art responded, his comments evolve the conversation in ways that are useful to us. He said:]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/like-a-puppy-chasing-a-bus-sourcing-like-big-brands/feed/ 11 How to search for clothing manufacturers http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-search-for-clothing-manufacturers/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-search-for-clothing-manufacturers/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:48:12 +0000 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10776 F-I Facebook page inspired this one on how to search for clothing manufacturers. Said one visitor (in response to my news that domestic apparel production continues to increase for the third quarter in a row and is now at 20%!)
It sure would be nice if there was a list of manufacturers in the USA. It's pretty difficult to figure it out. Have any recommendations for women's wear?
I'll give the redux of my response to her below but back to the cheat sheet I made on how to search for clothing manufacturers: search_for_clothing_manufacturer]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-search-for-clothing-manufacturers/feed/ 13 Advice to sewing contractors pt.3 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/advice-to-sewing-contractors-pt-3/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/advice-to-sewing-contractors-pt-3/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:22:15 +0000 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10692 part one, part two), it has a distinctly different flavor. Again, I think it would be beneficial to read it even if you're not a contractor etc. Without further ado, a sewing contractor friend of mine -let's call him Al- writes:
Sometimes I wonder what should I do in the near future. I have a nucleus of 3 good pattern makers, real seamstress (not just machine operators) in my family plus a better than average setup of sewing machines. Should I produce a line? Should I or shouldn’t I? What would you do if you were me?
Two quick thoughts come to mind. First is that this contractor -in spite of having enviable resources- is facing a lot of the same hurdles that DEs do. Second, that because of these hurdles, you have less to fear from a contractor stealing your ideas than you imagine. Follow me: In the book I explain that the whole shooting match is broken into three phases namely design, sales and production. Of these, Al only has the last part (production) in the bag. He has a few advantages in design in that he has the capacity to make patterns and produce samples but the first part is missing. In the sales segment, he's completely bereft.I know you think anybody in this industry is magically connected to all the other segments in this business but sales is the weak link -particularly for production people because we're talking about two entirely different personality profiles. Simplistically stated, sales and production are like oil and water -immiscible.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/advice-to-sewing-contractors-pt-3/feed/ 4