How do manufacturer brokers find high-quality clothing manufacturers?
Manufacturer brokers attract potential manufacturing partners for events such as fashion shows where brokers are looking for manufacturers. During this search process, brokers acquire the manufacturers’ contact information and arrange investigative meetings where they begin their preliminary assessment to determine if the manufacturers are a good prospect.
In addition to fashion shows, brokers can also find potential manufacturers through trade associations. This is especially true for Italian clothing, shoe and accessories manufacturers, where craft associations are proving to be valuable partners in finding solid candidates for manufacture.
Beyond the professional associations of fashion craftsmen, brokers search for potential manufacturers through word of mouth. This is a good place to start when looking for garment manufacturing partners as it provides direct accounts from people already connected to recommended manufacturers. These accounts can illustrate more granular information that is important before forming a manufacturing partnership, such as: B. Deadlines, communication style, product quality and more. This word of mouth approach is also used by aspiring designers. However, the limitation of word-of-mouth as an aspiring designer or even an established fashion entrepreneur is that other fashion designers are often unwilling to share important production contacts with their current or existing competitors. A manufacturer intermediary is therefore crucial, as it is perceived more as an intermediary and thus less threatening than a competitor. Even if a designer chooses to share his manufacturing contacts with another designer, because of the highly specialized knowledge required in the world of manufacturing, a manufacturing specialist such as a broker is required to research and review a potential manufacturer.
What about established fashion brands that already have a production partner?
What should motivate fashion brands that already have a manufacturing partner to work with a broker to find more manufacturers? It seems that an established brand that already has a production partner doesn’t need to make any change, especially if that same partner has produced for the brand through their success. However, given the huge risks and high costs that fashion brands face when working with clothing manufacturers, only an intermediary such as a manufacturer broker can properly assess a manufacturer’s product quality, certify the craft, review its documentation, and evaluate your manufacturing operations. Therefore, it is almost always worth consulting a manufacturer broker for the following reasons:
1. Due to their expertise, manufacturer intermediaries are able to find the highest quality and most compatible manufacturers for brands.
2. Brokers can spend a disproportionate amount of time researching and reviewing manufacturing partners, unlike designers who simply don’t have the time.
3. Linking a fashion brand with a manufacturer’s broker also means access to an entire network of verified clothes manufacturers. Because brokers build this network from their own proximity to the world of manufacturing and their expertise, they can introduce even the most established brands to discrete manufacturers with expertise in a designer’s product niche.
4. Manufacturers’ middlemen stay abreast of changes in the manufacturing world and changes in manufacturing practices in their manufacturing network. This allows them to notify designers of changes that could directly affect the design or operation of a brand.
Ultimately, one of the most compelling reasons to partner with a manufacturer broker is because they act as a safeguard between the designer and the manufacturer. For example, designers often complain about manufacturers that manufacturers often fail to respond. However, a notable benefit of working with a manufacturer’s broker is that a broker can act as an intermediary between the designer and the manufacturer. Manufacturers are more likely to react or negotiate when a more objective third party, such as a broker, steps in to resolve the problem, rather than adjusting the problems that are common in the manufacturing process. Hence, a manufacturer broker is key for fashion companies to solve manufacturing problems, defend their fashion brand, and ultimately protect their stability and growth.