You’re on the verge of finishing your clothing design and sending it off to the garment facility for production. We understand how exciting this stage is, but don’t get ahead of yourself — by the time you contact the facility, you should have everything ready to go, from fabrics and labels to hang tags and trims.
Additionally, manufacturers that don’t perform product development will want additional resources such as samples and a tech pack before they can begin manufacturing. The source materials are important as well as the kind of industrial sewing machines operating inside the facility. Let’s look at the essential factors that require your whole focus to accomplish material sourcing success.
The availability of quality fabric
This is the first step. Of course, knowing whether a style will be timeless, if it’s ready to hit the runway, or if it’s about to retire in the closets of fashionistas will help you decide whether it’s worth designing and ordering the materials for. But that isn’t the only consideration; certain materials, particularly printed fabrics, are more difficult to come by or more expensive to make.
Prints with consistency will be less expensive to buy than to have custom-printed, but they will be much more difficult to come by. Meet with a fabric vendor to examine what they have in stock so you can make the best option for you, your brand, and your wallet. Also, check with the vendors who provided you with tailoring devices {Commercial sewing machines} about the specifications so that they should not get entangled or damage the fabric.
Quality checks
Avoid cutting corners and always use the best materials available in your market and at your price point, as the quality of your apparel speaks volumes about your business. Although it may appear that the less expensive choice will save you money, if it results in a loss of consumers and additional costs to repair your garments, you will not be saving money for your future projects.
Be competitive
In the fashion industry, the only way to stay competitive is to define and sell your originality. The less competition there is in your industry, the more distinctive your apparel is. Create mood boards and vision boards to help you identify and realize your ideas and voice as a designer entrepreneur. They will help you define and realize what sets you different and what you want to achieve with it.
