Indie Source

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.  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 stro...

Working with clothing manufacturers either overseas or in the US presents its challenges. And, just like how you carefully try on clothes before you make your final purchasing decision, you need to select which manufacturer will produce your clothing line carefully and deliver the quality you’re looking for. As you start your search and get into contact with clothing manufacturers, keep these questions in mind to help identify if they will be a good fit for your brand. 1. Who do they work with? Knowing the brands that clothing manufacturers currently work with can give you a feeling for the quality of their production. If they work with big-name brands that you're familiar with, it says a lot about their quality of work. These relationships can also provide insight into their reputation within the industry and more. 2. Will they work with your budget? As with any manufacturing endeavor, budgets start as immovable constraints placed on the project. But onc...

The fashion industry generates immeasurable benefits for the economy and society at large. From job creation to economic productivity to artistic empowerment, fashion has long been valued as a mainstay of any society. In this day and age, however, consumers and businesses alike are interested in the environmental impacts of clothing manufacturing, and for good reason. Fortunately, consumer demands and corporate conscience are driving more sustainable business operations, and it is now easier than ever to build more eco-friendly practices into your partnership with clothing manufacturers . Manufacture Locally Manufacturing your clothing line domestically is one of the best ways to ensure a more environmentally conscious process, since US clothing manufacturers are held to higher environmental standards than foreign operations. Domestic manufacturers must adhere to rules and regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency that govern many aspects of manufac...

One may sometimes hear that US manufacturing is a vestige of a bygone era. That American companies can’t compete with the cost of foreign labor and cheaper raw materials, resulting in an off shoring of jobs to countries like India and China. For many years, this was the overall trend in manufacturing. An estimated 5 million US manufacturing jobs were sent overseas between 2001 and 2011, with a third of them going to China alone, according to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Looking back even further, Forbes estimates that the number of American factory workers fell from approximately 30% of the total population in 1950 to approximately 8.5% in 2017.   This trend has plagued every manufacturing industry, from automobiles to telecom to clothing manufacturers, but many experts are starting to see a change on the horizon. For example, the Kellogg School explains that labor costs are beginning to rise globally, thanks in part to a b...

The United States is home to the largest apparel market in the world, according to Statista. In 2016, store-based retail was valued at approximately $292 billion US dollars and is projected to reach $390 billion by 2025. Women’s apparel and girls’ apparel hit $117 billion in the United States in 2017, according to Statista, while the market for men’s and boys’ apparel was roughly $87 billion. The US apparel market is notoriously frenetic, with brands, retailers, and marketers all trying to adapt to or drive consumer trends or create a shopping experience that will attract and retain customers. If you’re one of the many US designers or clothing manufacturers looking to kick-start a fashion line, it’s important to pay attention to market trends and top-selling products, including popular fabrics and designs. Global Sources tracks trends in fashion apparel and products, and found that as of September 2018, customers inquired about the following products: 1. Men’s...

It’s hard to overstate how complex starting a clothing line can be. In addition to the requisite funds needed, new fashion entrepreneurs should be prepared to enlist the support of designers, sourcing specialists, and clothing manufacturers to make their clothing concept become a reality.  This traditional model requires a painstaking amount of time coordinating with different contacts and specialists, sourcing and testing materials, and waiting to receive and review samples and prototypes. At best, designers are left working long, tireless hours to get their creative designs finished on time. At worst, a nascent brand becomes bogged down by delays, do-overs, and cost overruns. The good news is that a new apparel manufacturing model is looking to up-end this old process through a more personalized in-house approach. Brands like Indie Source are replacing dusty warehouses and distributed communication with clean, collaborative spaces and a team of project manage...

We’ve all heard the warnings about startups: 8 out of 10 new businesses fail within the first 18 months; don’t expect to make a profit for at least the first two or three years; American fashion brands and retailers are on the decline, etc .   However, like most statistics, the devil is in the details, and this case, the details offer a more promising outlook. According to the Small Business Administration, about 75% of new businesses survive at least the first two years, and roughly 50% survive at least the first five years. This five-year survival rate has been on an upward trend too. In 2016, for example, nearly 49% of companies hit the five-year mark, an increase of 3% from 2015, according to the Kauffman Foundation. This is good news for the fashion industry, which has certainly seen its share of ups and downs. So, what makes some new clothing lines succeed and others become a statistic? In many cases, it comes down to how well a new entrepreneur can ...