Are you ready to have your designs and ideas become reality?
It’s a very exciting time, but also a time that feels stressful to many designers and garment buyers who are unsure about the process, their options, or predicting the financial outcomes of the project in terms of sales or satisfied wearers. Even the most experienced fashion designers and retail managers still feel this tension, so if you’re new to the whole thing, you can know that you’re not alone. One way to mitigate fears is to have a solid project plan upfront, or at least have most of your ducks in a row before contacting a factory to request a quote for clothing manufacturing.
At Balodana, we try to meet clients where they are – but it definitely speeds up the process and reduces confusion if you come to the table ready to dig in. In order to help you get ready, we’ve created a (non-exhaustive) list of things you should prepare:
GENERAL & COMPANY INFORMATION
- Brand Name
- Contact person and contact info
- Style or Collection name/season
- Do you have an existing sales channel such as ecommerce site or retail partnerships? Provide links so we can review your current aesthetic and approach, including any social media handles.
- Will we be doing batch production only, or an “on-demand” approach where we store your fabric for incremental future orders?
- What is your expected production run size for the first batch, across all items and sizes?
- Have you ever worked with an offshore factory before? What are your concerns about it? (Let’s address these head on!)
STYLE AND DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
- What is your ideal delivery window for the first batch of production?
- Do you have a fully detailed designs for the styles?
- What stage is your design spec in right now? (e.g. line sheet, tech pack, powerpoint, excel, sketches only)
- What is your anticipated unit cost range, including shipping and duties? (We ask this so we can anticipate the budget for fabric and finishes. Are you positioned as premium or luxury or mid-priced?)
- Have you prepared complete tech packs for each design/SKU?
- Labels for brand (collar) and wash care/fabric: will you provide finished art, or need design help?
FABRIC AND MATERIALS
- Have you selected fabrics and finishings? This is the most variable part of costing, so the more detail you can provide, the better. There are differing grades of cotton, polyester, etc.
- Do you have a preferred source or supplier for fabrics?
- Are there source tracking requirements for the fabric and finishes? Certifications requirements such as organic cotton or Fair Trade?
- Will you need custom fabric made? Please describe (digital printing? unique textile design? custom milled or woven?
- Will you require any additional embellishment or hand work, such as embroidery, sequins, stones, painting, distressing?
PATTERN & SIZING, TECHNICAL SPEC
- Do you have patterns drafted for each design that are cut/sew ready?
- What digital format is your patterns created in/delivered in?
- Has a grading chart (sizing spec) been developed using body data or size models? Are you doing a full size range or only certain sizes?
SHIPPING & PACKAGING
- Do you want us to drop ship directly to your customers, or send to single location in bulk?
- Packaging requirements (inner & outer)? If we are shipping bulk, default is lightest weight polybag in shipment box.
- If we are handling drop ship to your customers, how should we handle product returns/issues?
Not quite ready to answer all the questions before you talk with us? That’s ok, you can schedule a no-pressure discussion and walk through your needs, and we’ll help you prepare for your project quote.
