HI I'm a beginner in fashion I have made very unique clothing designs for kids I'm unable to make big quantities for one reason or another I need to know how the manufactures business works. For example Flowers by Zoë and /or Ralph's Lauren all their clothing is made abroad either in China or Indonesia I would like my designs to be made abroad similar to the designers mentioned avobe.What can I do or how does it work any advise will be apreciated.Thanks
Small Business - 3 Answers
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1 :
This is actually a lot larger of a question because of all the pieces involved in getting you the contact, deterning the best order ratio of order and cost, paying for the items with moving currency exchange, shipping the items and ultimately receiving the items. But to get started I would start reading up on sites such as www.alibaba.com, www.exporters.com, www ec21.com. They have more specific q & a forums and also informational articles. Hope this helps.
2 :
First of all, it will be hard to compete with the big guys you mentioned (like Ralph Lauren) because they can undercut your prices. This has nothing to do with the fact that their clothes are made in China, it is because they have the resources to mass produce their clothing, and thus sell it for less. The only way to viably compete with such a company is to undercut their labor costs, by finding a manufacturer in a country like China or Malaysia who will charge you less per pound of textiles then their manufacturer charges them. It will be hard to do this without looking into the "grey market". Certain trade laws and treaties can be bent or even ignored all together if you know (or find) the right people. Whereas a company like ralf lauren's clothes may be made by workers who make .40-$1 per hour, it is possible to find manufacturers (mostly in rural western china) employ workers who make between nothing and 10 cents per hour. The lower the wage the lower your price. I recommend going to China, it wont take you long to find someone who (for a fee) can put you in contact with one of these "grey market" manufacturers, who technically break international trade regs by paying nothing to their workers. Don't be fooled though, there are loop holes in these laws, and these workers are paid--just in food and water. The key is in making the right connections. They will channel your goods through a "white market" shipping source, and thus avoid any restrictions you may normally face. good luck!
3 :
Hi...I am a textile manufacturer in Indonesia,if you interested we can talk more at email.my email:lovemei00@yahoo.com.au
