Why Do Fashion Startups Struggle to Trust Their Production Partners?
What is the hardest thing I see fashion brand startups go through? Giving your vision to someone else to execute.
But that is fashion production, unless you want to do it all yourself:
Designing
Sourcing
Pattern making
Sampling
Pattern edits
Sampling again
Pattern grading
Bulk fabric cutting
Bulk sewing
Labeling
Ironing
Packaging
Selling
Not to mention prints, embroideries, dyeing… it goes on.
I’m burnt out just looking at that list. It is exactly how I ran my first fashion brand over 20 years ago. I can’t imagine knowing what I know now and not feeling heavily dependent on the people who work to create the products in the fashion industry.
Hundred of hands touch these collections. And pushing them with overly emotional fear creates friction where you want connection.
Everyone approaches their collection differently, but what I see is the same, the struggle to hand over production control.
Deadlines timelines delays.
They keep us all up at night. This industry rarely runs smoothly, but how we manage ourselves in the process to help maintain healthy relationships is everything.
IMO 😊
