Why Working with a Clothing Manufacturer Should Be About the Relationship

When searching for clothing manufacturers in the USA, some may assume that they are all the same and the process is as simple as placing an order and paying the bill. While you can go about it this way, it rarely works out well in the long run. Building a strong relationship with the company that will produce your clothing is crucial in ensuring that your true vision comes to life and that you can sustainably grow the brand over time. 

https://indiesource.com/

Creating a Clothing Line Shouldn’t Just Be Transactional

While purchasing clothes off the rack is a simple transaction, when it comes to designing and manufacturing your clothes, your collaboration with the manufacturer should go deeper than paying the bill. The apparel market is complex, and if you're new to the clothing industry, you'll find that it's challenging to determine the right designs to move forward with, the correct fabric types for the style, your budget, and a variety of other details.

When you have strong relationships with clothing manufacturers, you’ll have more control over the end product, and they’ll help you along the way. Also, once the relationship is established, the manufacturer will be more willing to work with you on changes to the product as the industry and your vision change. 


The Stronger the Relationship, the More They’ll Care About Your Product

Think about the personal relationships you have in your life; if your best friend of 10 years needed a ride from the airport, you’d drop everything to help them, but a complete stranger? You might not be so eager. The same is true in business.

When you work with an apparel manufacturer for a while, they'll start to learn more about your goals and vision for the product line. The best manufacturers will even work with you from the start, helping your line grow from an idea to a finished product. With a better understanding of your goals from the beginning, a clothing manufacturer can more clearly see what you require out of the final product and leverage their experience to consistently deliver on your requirements. 


Relationships Are Crucial for Scalability

Unless you want to limit your brand to only exclusive runs, your end goal is most likely to expand it and start shipping more units to retailers or directly to customers. To do this, you need to scale over time, something that’s easier to do when you work with the same clothing manufacturer. It’s also much more feasible when you work with a full-service apparel manufacturer who can help in the design, production, and marketing phases of your line and subsequent expansion.

With a strong relationship with your clothing manufacturer, scaling your product can be as simple as investing more in the product line. The manufacturer already knows how to produce your products and what it takes to make each piece, so they can adjust their plans accordingly. If you were jumping between different suppliers and manufacturers, you’d start at square one each time and would have to go through the prototype and testing process yet again. 


The Importance of the Manufacturer’s Relationships

Finally, it's important to discuss the relationships that your manufacturer has with its suppliers, fabric mills, workforce, etc. You want to choose a clothing manufacturer that has taken the time to establish mutually successful relationships with their partners. It's important to ask about this from the start so you can know going in that the quality of your products will remain constant, using the same materials and craftsmanship throughout the line.


About Indie Source

Indie Source is among the top full-service US clothing manufacturers. They are a one-stop shop for new and established clothing brands and have experienced design, manufacturing, and marketing experts ready to help you every step of the way. Whether you are looking for a clothing manufacturer for your next line or have an idea but don’t know where to start, Indie Source will help bring your vision to life.

To find out more about Indie Source, visit Indiesource.com

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