Fashion Production- By now you’ve heard me rave on about how important Production is- and if not, i'm clearly not doing my job properly.

So let me take this opportunity to say it one more time.

Production is the back bone of any product based business and can make or break a fashion label.

Yeah yeah Heather, we get it- But what does Production actually mean? Doesn’t it just mean manufacturing?

Im glad you asked Karen- let me explain in more detail.

Put simply-

Production describes the overall process in which a product goes from concept through to a physical item for sale.

For most small fashion brands and start-ups, Production is the most challenging part of the process to get right. (Hello this is where we come in to save the day).

It is the least glamorous part of the fashion lifecycle, yet the most important one.

Your brands ability to succeed in the cut throat world of fashion lies solely in your Production Process. It is ultimately what defines your brand. The fashion industry is very competitive, and small errors in your production can be costly in terms of financial loss, negative feedback from customers and stockists, late delivery or poor quality manufacturing.

This is why many brands are so secretive about their production sources.

Yes you can have amazing designs that would knock the Chanel socks off those insta bloggers, but that means absolutely nothing if the product that is being delivered to the customer is …3 weeks past their pre order delivery date, or when it finally arrives the quality is so bad that it could be on one of those Instagram V reality memes.

Fine tuning your production system is priority and must be secured early on in the cycle. 

In a nutshell- this is what Production covers:

• Planning – TIME. Everything is about time. Will the collection be finished on time? Have I left it too late? Depending on your product, most fashion labels work within seasonal timelines for their collections Ie Spring/ Summer, Autumn /Winter. The typical production timeline (design through to delivery) for a collection is 8 months, so if you’re wanting to launch a collection for Spring and it is currently July.. sorry to tell you, but you’ve missed the boat.
  
  
• Manufacturing- Finding the right manufacturer that can make your product, and to the quality standard you expect. Easier said than done I know. Many people think they can do this step on their own, and if you wish to go down that path, please be my guest, and by the way- good luck with that. Your Production manager however is responsible not only for finding the right manufacturer, but to be in constant communication with them throughout the entire production process. They are speaking to them on your behalf, because quite frankly as a business owner, you have one million other things you should be focusing on other than daily calls to the factory to sort out why the black ribbon you ordered looks pink. 
  
  
• Costs + Pricing – I don’t need to be captain obvious with this, but production affects your costings, profit, price and design feasibility You need to know the cost per item before you can price your products accordingly. Are my costs within my budget? How much profit am I actually going to be making per item. Am I going to be eating tuna and rice for the next three years Everything is based on time. Does it take longer to add a French seam? Do I really need it? Is the time taken to sew it going to blow out my costs? Yes. Well get rid of it, change the design. It's time to let go.

• Sampling - Realistically the first sample you receive won’t be perfect. Time needs to be allocated to this part of the process to get it right! Once the sample is perfect- Full production of the range commences.
  
  
• Quality Control- Ok awesome, production has commenced, happy days- we’re on track! But are you, that is the question? There must be quality control procedures set in place DURING PRODUCTION (which is what we do), not just when it is finished. That is too late. And hello, imagine receiving all of your product only to find 30% you can’t sell because it is faulty. What a waste of time and money!
  
  
• Shipping and Delivery- Air freight or Sea Freight? How will my products be packaged so they aren’t damaged when they arrive to me? What freight forwarder do I even use? I've never shipped from China. How long does it take?
  Feeling overwhelmed yet?
  This is what your Production Manager sorts for you.
  Chill.

So there you have it. Heathers crash course into Production, and why it is the back bone of your fashion business. Be smart, and sort out your production first. Make it a priority.

To learn more about how we can be a secret weapon for your business, book a consult today or read more about our signature package here.