Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What kind of manufacturers are included in the lists? Our Starter Toolkit focuses mainly on factories and vendors who put more emphasis on working with Start-up brands. These cover product categories from streetwear, sportswear, denim and knitwear and have MOQs as low as two. Our premium sourcebook contains all of these suppliers, as well as 50 more factories who produce for larger brands and can handle a higher level of quality. Many of these cannot be found online and I only met through various contacts whilst in China. MOQs for the more premium factories start at around 30.
Q: How were these manufacturers vetted or selected? These are all suppliers I have met and spoken to whilst on sourcing trips on China. I've worked and met with hundreds, if not thousands of factories and rather than waste your time, here are the absolute best. For me, product quality is first and factories who's showrooms didn't meet my standards were not included. Communication was key too. Vendors that I've worked with in the past who were difficult to work with have been cut. Affordability/Scalability was a large factor. Making sure suppliers were capable of working with small brands with lower budgets but also had the capacity to grow and produce larger order volumes. Ethics and Sustainability were crucial too, any factories that wouldn't show me their ethical certifications and credentials are nowhere near this list. I only want to recommend factories who treat their staff well.
Q: Do I need a tech pack or can I just send them a reference image? In truth, some suppliers these days can create magic from a reference image but I would never risk the gamble personally. I've built the tech pack template featured after years of dodgy samples and realising I needed to get factories to help me develop my template for my clients designs to massively reduce the friction and wastage from samples not being what we needed.
Q: What types of products can they make? This supplier list was designed to cover a vast range of product categories. Among these suppliers we have specialists in streetwear, knitwear, sportswear, outerwear, denim, tracksuits, caps, accessories - anything a clothing brand should need.
Q: Do these manufacturers speak English / will I need a translator? Most of them speak very good conversational English - those that don't have very good translation services. Trust me, it's a lot easier over WeChat than it is in person in a random factory in Dongguan with someone who knows about 50 English words...
Q: Do I need an agent or middleman to work with these suppliers? No, all of the contact details in the list are people working with the factories so you can cut out the hassle and fees of middlemen and get straight in with them.
Q: Will I get support if I don’t know how to approach a manufacturer properly? Our communication guide should give you a solid reference point to communicate effectively. If you encounter any issues, please contact joel@alexeihamblin.com. We want to ensure everyone can win and if any suppliers aren't up to scratch - we'll cut them from the list and send out an email to customers saying to avoid them.
Q: Will these manufacturers protect my designs or could they copy them? Our suppliers are extremely professional and I've never had to worry about that before with the selected manufacturers. However, for peace of mind - we've included an NDA template in the communication guide you can use for extra protection. * We like people that are thorough with their business. Use code 'FAQ10' for a 10% off discount on your list. ;) *
Anything else you're unsure of? Email joel@alexeihamblin.com and we'll get back to you