Category: Fashion

Why haven’t you started your fashion brand yet? The answer is always one of two things. The first one is,“I’m not ready. I will get started after I [insert whatever life-changing event needs to come and pass here].” To this, I always respond, “But if not now, then when?” Because there is ALWAYS going to be something preventing you from getting started. The second reply I often get is, “I don’t have enough money.” So if cash is what’s holding you back, and you wish you could find the perfect fashion investor (because surely someone would love to invest in your great idea) – this blog post on fashion funding is for you.

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:

1. Self-funding
2. Friends + family 
3. Crowdfunding
4. Grants
5. Bank loans and alternative loans
6. Private fashion investors
7. Additional resources

*I will discuss your funding options from most startup-friendly to least.

SELF-FUNDING

Self-funding is my number one recommendation for funding a fashion startup and  this is why:

You might not need as much money as you think you do to start your fashion brand. And when you self-fund, you are more likely to take your time learning the right way to do things. Self-funding serves as a speedbump to slow you down so that you make thoughtful decisions rather than wasting your hard-earned cash.

How much money does it take to start a fashion startup? I usually say 10k is the sweet spot to get started. But I’ve had students start with only $2,500 and grow from there.

A word of advice for self-funders, regardless of how much capital you are starting out with: start small and slowly scale from there. Invest your initial dollars in education so you avoid making huge mistakes that cost you thousands. 

There is one way I can tell if people should not be gambling with their life savings – it’s when they tell me this:

“I want to take your course, but I can’t afford it right now, so I am going to do it on my own.” 

Now, my fashion industry programs range from $349-$3,000. And here’s the thing. If you can’t afford to get educated in an industry you know nothing about, then you definitely can’t afford to lose $1,500 on a bad sample. 

The entire cost of my most expensive program could be wiped out by one rookie mistake (take it from my students, my mentorship has saved them all from multiple mistakes).

The reality is, that you will not do everything perfectly on your own, and you will lose money. No, you aren’t special, or the exception to the rule. 

And, it kills me to watch that happen to people. Waste the little money they have on a dream that doesn’t work out.

Keep saving, and in the meantime, keep learning. I put out so much free content. Take the time to learn as much as you can as your bank account grows. Because the more you learn, the less chance you have of making a mistake that wastes all your hard-earned savings.

Check out this interview with the founder of Fubu, who had his clothes on some of the most famous celebrities at the time and was STILL working full time at Red Lobster. 

FRIENDS + FAMILY

I always say that when you’re starting a fashion brand, you will quickly realize there are two different types of people in the world: people who are rooting for you to fail (jealous much?), and people who are willing to go out of their way to support you in any way they can.

It’s interesting seeing which people in your life turn out to be the naysayers and which people become your cheerleaders because you can’t always predict it. Some of my wealthiest friends complained over the $150 price tag of my ethical and sustainable skirts, while they dropped serious cash at Bloomingdales on “designer” made-in-China garbage. 

Then I had other people in my life surprise me by showing up to support me at popups and in all aspects of my business.

My point is, you don’t know who might be willing to help unless you ask. People aren’t mind readers. They don’t know where you are struggling unless you open up and tell them.

So when it comes to asking friends and family members for money to invest in your business, it can feel awkward. But you know what? Being an entrepreneur involves a lot of “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” if you want to be successful.

I RECOMMEND PACKAGING YOUR REQUEST FOR CAPITAL IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

1. Gifts
2. Loans
3. Equity

GIFTS

Obviously, gifts are the most ideal form of funding you can get from friends and family to support your business since it’s money you don’t have to pay back. 

Nervous about asking for something as bold as a free investment into your business? 

Here’s a little trick I tell my students to try:

Ask for the cash, like any other gift, as a birthday or holiday present. Gift-giving is often super stressful for people, so they’ll probably appreciate it if you just tell them what you want (this is why wedding registries exist). 

Before the next holiday or gift-giving occasion, you can simply send out an email or text to the people in your life who typically gift you and say, “What I’d love more than any material gift is some cash to help grow my small business.”

Remember, it’s always okay to ask. And to make it less awkward, just make it clear that there is zero pressure and no hard feelings if they don’t want to.

LOANS

This is money you would borrow from friends or family members and pay back later. 

Paying them back can be done in two ways: with interest or without interest.

For example, you can pay back a loan with 10% interest, so if you borrow $1,000, you would pay back $1,100, probably by a mutually agreed-upon date.

If your friend or family member agrees to loan you money without interest, you would just pay back the $1,000.

Now you might be thinking, I might as well just go to a bank rather than inconvenience my loved ones. But the problem with this is that often small fashion startups don’t qualify for bank loans (we will talk more about bank loans in a minute). 

If you find that you can’t get money from traditional financial institutions, then taking out a loan, or several loans, from friends and family members, might be a good way to go.

Quick tip here – make sure you are very clear about the terms of borrowing the money and when it needs to be paid back.

EQUITY

Equity means stock in your company or a percentage of ownership. You are essentially selling part of your company for cash.

So, for example, you might borrow $10,000 from a lender in exchange for 10% of your company. So, if you make $50,000 in profits per year, you would owe your lender 10% of that, or $5,000 per year.

A common mistake I see is that brands are desperate for cash when they are starting out, and cash can be hard to find, so they offer way too much equity (stake in the company) in exchange for tiny investments. 

I know 10k might sound like a lot to you now, and maybe you feel like it’s worth giving away 25% of your company. But when you grow and scale (and you will), it’s going to feel like an unfair deal. 

Think of it this way – if you make $100,000 per year, that means you need to give $25,000 to your original fashion investor every year… forever. All for a measly $10k initial investment.

So. Please be careful about the deals you work out in your early stages. And be careful not to undervalue your brand’s future worth.

CROWDFUNDING

I bet Kickstarter comes to mind when you hear the word “crowdfunding” and the unicorn stories you’ve heard of brands raising millions of dollars on the platform.

WHEN IT COMES TO CROWDFUNDING, THERE ARE ACTUALLY FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES:

1. Donation
2. Reward
3. Lending
4. Equity

DONATION

An example of donation-based crowdfunding would be GoFundMe. Basically, donors don’t get anything back in return for their investment. This is a great option for brands that have a charity component. 

REWARD

This is the Kickstarter model. Where customers pre-purchase an item for a discount or for free stuff.

LENDING

Leninvest is a great platform for this type of crowdfunding campaign. With this type of campaign, you are responsible for paying back your fashion investors their initial investment plus a percentage of your profits for a set period.

EQUITY

For this form of crowdfunding, try Seedrs. Fashion investors will get equity (read, ownership forever) of your company. I recommend this method the least because I am a control freak and don’t want to have to deal with a partner in my company forever because they gave me money once 10 years ago.

But I recognize that everyone is different and needs to make the right decision for them. So here it is, equity included in the list.

Still not sure if crowdfunding is right for you? Here are a few pros and cons.

PROS OF CROWDFUNDING

• Minimizes risk – with a pre-sales model like Kickstarter, you will only produce what you sell, so your chance of having a bunch of unsold inventory is basically zero.
• Validation – again, with Kickstarter, the people buying your product are real customers interested in what you are making. They are so interested, in fact, that they are willing to give you money now and wait, possibly
• Product research – if your crowdfunding campaign is a slam dunk, that gives you a pretty good indication that your idea is good without spending tons of money on production.
• Access to cash – crowdfunding puts money in your pocket immediately, allowing you to pay off your product development and production bills right away.
• months to receive what they paid for. This proves your idea is a good one, which should give you an instant confidence boost.

CONS OF CROWD FUNDING

• It’s public – many people think that their idea will be stolen if they publish their idea on Kickstarter before they are 100% ready to do a full launch. Maybe. But the truth is that most people are too lazy to go through all the effort it takes to steal your idea and build a brand. And the ones that do . . . well, let me put it this way: a cheap Chinatown Louis Vuitton knockoff will never be worth as much as the real deal. Sometimes, factories actually do scour Kickstarter to try and steal ideas and beat them to market with even lower factory direct-to-consumer prices. But again, a copy is never worth as much as the original.

GRANTS

Grants are free money. But they require A LOT of work. 

To find out about grants and other fashion funds, scroll to the bottom of the page for additional resources.

Grants are a lot of paperwork and often require presentations to boards, meaning they require serious work.

One of my students worked for nearly a year to get a grant. She had to fill out forms, write reports, and even present to a panel. Basically, she had to prove she did her research, that her idea was a good one, and that she had a plan to make more money in the future once she got the grant money.

And after all that hard work, she got about $35,000 to start her company, which is pretty amazing if you ask me.

The nice thing about grants is that they do not need to be repaid. The downside is that they do come with strings attached. 

For example, grant money usually needs to be spent in specific ways. And the people who give out the grants want to make sure their investment is as impactful as possible, so you might have to have quarterly, monthly, or even weekly check-ins with them to ensure you are on track.

Quick tip for getting grants. Because grants are essentially free money, they are incredibly competitive. So you want to make sure to put your best foot forward. Really do the research and crunch those numbers so you can prove your idea is viable and will make money.

If you need help with applying for grants, I have a program called Make A Plan + Fund Your Brand that can have you looking like a startup pro in only one week. 

THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF GRANTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Federal
2. State
3. Country and City
4. Company
5. Organization

Federal grants are given by the federal government, like by the United States of America.

States grants are organized and given by states, like New York, for example.

County and city grants, well, I think you are getting the idea here. They would be given by, say, New York City.

Companies sometimes give other companies grants (Tory Burch and Spanx are two famous examples of companies that give out grants to small businesses, and I have tons of other resources at the end of this article).

And, lastly, organization grants are given by non-profits. One of the most famous non-profit grant-givers is the Gates Foundation.

BANK LOANS AND ALTERNATIVE LOANS

Ah, bank loans. Bank loans are usually one of the first forms of funding new brands consider, but it’s #5 on my list. This is because it’s way more formal than a loan from a friend or family member.

Yeah, if you can’t pay your friend back, it’s super embarrassing. But chances are they will understand and work with you to break your payments up or extend the timeline. When you can’t pay the bank back, it can cause detrimental ripple effects throughout your life. Like lowering your credit score (meaning trouble renting or buying a home or car in the future).

Starting a new business is risky, and if things don’t work out, you want to make sure your failure won’t negatively impact your finances for the next decade. That is why loans are fifth on my list, and I suggest going with self-funding, loans from friends and family, or crowdfunding before exploring this option.

Also, if I’m going to get really real, a lot of people don’t qualify for a bank loan, or don’t qualify for as much as they had hoped to borrow.

For example, one of my students could only qualify for a couple thousand dollars, not the tens of thousands they were hoping for. Factoring in her monetary restraints, we used a combination of other options to get the money she needed.

While we’re on the topic of bank loans, it is worth it to also mention alternative loans . . . 

Since the pandemic, it feels like everyone is lending money. That is because the big companies that have cash on hand to spare are realizing that one of the easiest and quickest ways to beef up their bottom line is to loan that cash out to small businesses for a premium. This means that if you borrow $100, you need to pay them back $110.

The companies that are super easy to get cash from (and loans are based on your current business volume) are Shopify, PayPal, and Amazon. Many businesses are finding that these alternative lending options are a great substitute to more traditional loan options. 

PRIVATE FASHION INVESTORS

This is a common email I get:

“I have been following you for a while and love all your free advice. I want to work with you, but I don’t have all the money I need to start my brand yet. As soon as I can find an investor, I want to work with you.”

And to that, I think to myself, “Okay, see you never.”

I know that sounds harsh, but that’s the truth. Here’s why . . . 

Fashion investors want to make money. So they are only giving money out to companies that they think are a safe bet. The way you prove yourself to a fashion investor is by proof of concept and a proven track record.

But how do you get a proof of concept to show to a fashion investor if you don’t have any money? 

Easy. By using any of the money-raising options above.

I don’t want to say never, but big investment firms rarely invest in an idea. They want to see numbers and proof.

VC AKA VENTURE CAPITAL

We all hear stories about brands that get millions in funding. Like Rent the Runway, which raised $526 million, and Allbirds, which raised $202 million. 

While numbers like these feel mind-blowing and life-changing, there are three things you need to remember. 

One, you are getting money in exchange for equity. Think, lifelong business partners. Think, getting married without the option of divorce. 

Secondly, seed funding isn’t a payday as silicon valley might have led you to believe. It’s not meant to be spent on fancy cars and mansions (that’s how you end up in prison). 

And third, with VC money, there are strings attached. Often, VC firms become very involved in the brand’s daily operations, trying to maximize profits and make back the money they invested and then some.

If you don’t want to take a backseat to your company’s business and financial decisions, then VC money might not be for you. 

Personally, I am waving red flags in your face, urging you not to take this road.

ANGEL INVESTORS

There is one other option, and that is getting funding from an angel investor. While a VC firm is a company, an angel investor is typically one high-net-worth person who invests in your company for equity.

The benefit of an angel investor over a VC firm is that you are working with only one person instead of an entire company. So business decisions feel much more intimate, and you might feel like you have more say in what is going on with your own company.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

And that’s it! Everything you need to know about fashion funding.

Before I go, I have one last question . . .

If you need money to start your fashion brand, which fundraising option will you start with?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES…

As promised, here are some of my favorite fashion funding resources:

FASHION STARTUP GRANTS

AMBER GRANTS FOR WOMEN – “By applying just once for the $10,000 monthly Amber Grant, you automatically become eligible for that month’s $10,000 Business specific grant”

HELLO ALICE – “From a grant to jazz up your online storefront to a loan to help you stock up on inventory, the Small Business Funding Center connects you with the capital you need to launch and grow your small business.”

TORY BURCH FELLOW PROGRAM – “1- year fellowship, premier peer network, $5,000 grant, and a trip to the Tory Burch offices in NYC.”

CARTIER WOMENS INITIATIVE – “Grants up to $100,000, training, international exposure, community, and more.”

FASHION CAPITAL PARTNERS

THE GOOD FASHION FUND (GFF) – “financing the implementation of highly impactful & disruptive production technologies in Asia. The Fund targets long term USD debt investments in textile & apparel manufacturers in India, Vietnam & Bangladesh.”

HEED CAPITAL – “We back purpose-driven founders across the globe who transform the world’s biggest challenges into the world’s biggest business opportunities.” 

CLOSED-LOOP PARTNERS – “a New York based investment firm that provides equity and project finance to scale products, services and infrastructure at the forefront of the development of the circular economy.”

STYLE WITH SUBSTANCE VENTURES – “ The investment arm of Style With Substance, a company that supports innovation and sustainability in the fashion and lifestyle industries.”

BEYOND FORM – “a venture studio building and investing in fashion tech.”

ALANTE CAPITAL – “investing in the future of sustainable apparel.” 

SMALL BUSINESS LOAN CALCULATOR

CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS LOAN

ALTERNATIVE SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY LOAN OPTIONS

CLEARCO – “Equity-free. Bias-free. Hassle-free. E-Commerce funding built by Founders for Founders.”

With India remaining a rather conservative society, even though we love our fashion, it can be tough to try new things. Fire up a pair of leggings, and chances are your Daadi will be giving you funny looks all through your next breakfast together. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be young and adventurous, and discover the latest practical, comfortable men’s fashion trend for yourself. We connected with Valentine Aseyo to talk about this new trendy menswear.

Valentine is the founder of Matador Meggings, a company that wanted to re-engineer how men feel and fit in leggings. Tired of men being treated as the afterthought in the leggings arena, they’ve created a global community of supportive guys just like yourself, all loving their new fashion options and what they bring to the table. He wanted to ensure he wasn’t just building a leggings brand, but a community where men could learn to be confident and enjoy themselves in tighter looks. Today you’ll find ‘Bulls’ flexing their Matador Meggings across the world, and you could be the next one. With his help and pro tips, let’s dive deeper into why men love leggings.

All I Do Is Run Away from a Hard Days Work (Says My Amma)

Well, you know what they say! When you look good, you feel great. So if you’re looking for something comfortable to work from home in, a new fashionable piece to take to the street, or simply want a comfortable, supportive garment you can slip under your usual streetwear to stay warm and ready for action, there’s leggings out there to suit you too.

What should you look for in a solid pair of leggings? We’ve already mentioned buying a brand that’s specifically shaped to help a man remain dignified and supported. Valentine suggests you add these features to the list:

• Breathable fabric that ‘wicks’ sweat away: This helps you remain comfortable and cool no matter what the weather or activity.
• Convenient pockets: It’s critical we remain in touch with our offices and loved ones, and you don’t want to see your splashy new cellphone go flying out of your pocket the first time you wear them. A combination of deep, ‘bounce proof’ zippered and unzippered pockets is the smartest choice
• Thick and durable: They’ll last longer, and look better.
• Fit Features: Just being clingy isn’t enough to ensure a comfortable fit that will never let you down. Valentine added a wealth of fit features to the Matador brand, including a thick, grippy waistband and a hidden internal string you can use to adjust the fit. Look for similar in your leggings.
• Colors you love: Whether you lean bright and bold, or sleek and elegant, the right color combo is out there for you. While the heart of the Matador brand is in its construction and care, Valentine also wanted to showcase a range of tastes, from slimming black and navy to wild and fun prints. Trendsetters are always welcome in the Matador Bull community!
• Length: While you get shorter leggings, the most practical and best looking choice will always be an ankle-length. Plus, if you like the look of some traditional Indian garments like the Kurta, it’s easier to style your leggings into the look for a balanced, modern take on traditional favorites.

Action and Adventure

After all, what is a pair of tight, comfortable, and flexible pants but the latest upgrade on churidar that truly lets you live life your way? Now being embraced by active adventurers and athletes, from the gym to parkour, leggings just make sense for an active lifestyle.

No one wants to be hampered by close-fitting, inflexible, and chafing pants when they’re trying to get the best from their body, and you shouldn’t too.

From running rings around the competition to rock climbing, yoga, and base jumping, leggings are a comfortable and practical fit for any active lifestyle. 

Valentine himself is, as well as an entrepreneur, a certified yoga instructor. Instead of getting sad about the lack of flexible, comfortable sporting options for this niche and others, he wanted to create a product that would challenge the standard and give men the freedom to concentrate on their workout. While he could find many leggings labeled for men, none were up to exactly what he needed – and modesty and comfort were two of the big issues.

Are Leggings Immodest?

If they’re poorly made, they can be, and maybe we’ll let Naani have her skew looks if you grab any old pair off the shelf. However, there’s no excuse for bad quality no matter what you’re doing. Instead, you want to look for a lightweight, form-fitting, and breathable pair made with only the best sturdy materials, so you can live life your way without worrying about rips and tears. Valentine uses sturdy Lycra in Matador Meggings, and it’s a great bet if you’re looking for the right combination of comfort and durability. Spandex can be practical, but unless it’s in a blend with a different fabric, tends to be thinner and sweatier.

And it goes without saying, we don’t want unisex here. We want everything to remain stylish and discreet no matter what you’re doing. Worrying about your ‘bulge’ sticking out in public is one of the most-mentioned concerns about wearing tight clothing for men. 

When talking about Matador’s bulge-taming system, he often quips that all superheroes wear leggings- and they were the inspiration for Matador’s anatomy-conscious design, affectionately nicknamed the ‘no VPL’ system. With a soft cup for added discretion, and anatomy-conscious styling, Valentine created the Matador Meggings prototype to ensure no embarrassing fails could happen, instead streamlining everything downstairs into a neat, comic-book-friendly package you could wear in front of the whole family without blushing. This also benefits the man wearing them, as it helps keep you comfortable and contained, instead of vulnerable to knocking yourself in the family jewels while working out.

So, provided you’re looking at brands with a similar anatomy-conscious design, there’s nothing to worry about in the modesty department. In fact, we guarantee a well-built pair of men’s leggings will look much more elegant and suitable than slippery, loose running shorts that risk baring all if you take a tumble or make a high jump! It’s time to find active wear that moves with you, instead of fighting you at every step. That way, you can concentrate on getting better and bigger without wondering who’s looking at you oddly across the gym or track.

It’s time for an action-adventure fuelled revolution in menswear for the Indian market. So why not try out a pair of leggings for your athletic activities (or plain comfort) today?

You can create the best email in the world, but it won’t matter if it doesn’t make it to your subscriber.

And that’s why it’s vitally important you work with an email service provider (like FeedBlitz!) who places the highest possible focus and dedication on their deliverability practices.

But what does deliverability mean? And how and when does it actually happen? And is there anything you can do to help?

The answers to those questions and many more are what you will find in this post. There’s a lot of ground to cover when it comes to email deliverability, so without further delay, let’s jump right in.

In this post, you’ll learn:

What is email deliverability?

Deliverability is a fairly common buzzword in the world of email marketing. However, unless you’re in the business of establishing and safeguarding it — or have had your email efforts impacted because of the lack of it — there isn’t a lot of clarity around the term and how companies achieve, monitor, and protect a high deliverability status.

In the simplest of terms, deliverability is the processes and protections that allow your emails to reach your subscribers. It sounds pretty simple, but everything that takes place to get your emails from creation to open is much more complex.

Knowing the ins and outs of email deliverability will help you make wiser decisions regarding your email marketing efforts. And it’ll also offer vitally important clarity when deciding which email service provider (ESP) to work with.

Because again, you can design the prettiest emails possible, filled with the best content of your life, but it all means nothing if you’re with an ESP who cuts corners and your emails don’t actually get delivered.

Key terms related to email deliverability.

Anytime you’re working with a complex topic, starting with a foundation of key terms is best. The following terms will be helpful to know as you dig deeper into this blog post:

• Deliverability – getting your emails to a subscriber.
• Inboxing – getting your emails to a subscriber’s inbox (including Gmail’s promotions tab) as opposed to the spam folder.
• Reputation – receiving internet service providers (ISPs) review, judge, and estimate the safety of emails being sent by a particular email address — based on their own top-secret set of rules and guidelines — which ultimately determines whether your email will be allowed or denied.
• Authentication – a process to further validate the sender of your emails established through SPF, DKIM and DMARC, which use DNS to ensure permission has been granted.

What happens when you send an email?

Deliverability checks are not something that takes place one time, in one specific step of the email sending process. It can — and does — happen at multiple stages of the process every time one of your emails begins to send.

To help give you a better idea of how and when this can happen, we’ll start with all the things that happen when you send an email, i.e., the path your email takes from the moment it begins sending to its arrival at your subscriber’s door.

There are many more steps than you may realize, and that’s because most of the process takes place behind the scenes. The full process is a bit more nuanced and detailed than what’s outlined here, but the six steps highlighted below will give you a solid frame of reference for the process.

While most ESPs follow similar, if not the same steps, below is a FeedBlitz-specific version to help show additional checks performed throughout the way:

Step 1 – You create an email. And when working in FeedBlitz, before you’re even able to send or schedule the mailing, the content is checked against our in-house protocols. For example, you won’t even be allowed to send an email that may potentially be rejected by ISPs.

Step 2 – The email begins sending. A unique email copy is created for each subscriber and sent to one of our outbound SMTP servers. (SMTP = the internet’s email protocol)

Step 3 – Our SMTP servers send the email to the ISP. FeedBlitz’s SMTP servers then send your mailing to the receiving ISP’s servers.

Step 4 – ISP reputation check. The receiving ISP’s inbound email server runs a series of reputation checks (on the sender) and content scans (on the email).

Step 5 – Receive, reject or quarantine. The ISP will then either allow your email through, immediately reject it, or quarantine the email by sending it to a subscriber’s spam folder.

Step 6 – Email received! (or bounced/rejected) FeedBlitz gets feedback on whether your email was received or recorded as a bounce/undeliverable.

At any step of the process, deliverability and reputation checks can kick in and prevent your email from arriving.

Luckily, the strict standards and practices many ESPs (like FeedBlitz!) have in place work to catch anything before the email even reaches outbound servers. They will also diligently monitor all feedback loops from ISPs and swiftly suspend any list whose feedback is not up to par.

Actions you can take to boost your deliverability and sender reputation.

Good email deliverability isn’t only in the hands of your ESP. You as a client can have a significant impact on your reputation with your subscribers, which can and will boost your individual deliverability success.

Below are five action items you can do to help boost your own deliverability and sender reputation even further.

1. Set up authentication for your sending domain.

   Authentication is an added layer of verification to let ISPs know you are the true, valid sender of the email and that you’ve okayed FeedBlitz to do that for you. It involves SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. However, DMARC is typically used by high-level enterprise clients.

   FeedBlitz servers send your campaigns on behalf of the sending email you supply. (Note: This is why you may notice your email reads via feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com in email apps like Gmail or Outlook.) Authentication provides additional validation by saying, “Yes! This email is from me, and I authorize FeedBlitz to send it on my behalf! But please show me as the true sender.”

   This reinforces the level of trust an ISP forms with you and your emails. Hello, reputation booster.

   Are you a FeedBlitz client and not sure where you stand on your authentication? Click here to log in and run a quick scan.

   And if you’re ready to put authentication into action for your FeedBlitz-support campaigns, these steps walk you through how to set things up for your account: Protect Your Brand with SPF and DKIM and What Is and How to Create a DMARC Profile.

2. Keep an eye on engagement data for your campaigns.How your email is received by subscribers is a strong indicator of the reputation you have with your audience. Are they opening? Clicking? Complaining? Unsubscribing? These data points are very important to FeedBlitz, fellow ESPs, and to individual ISPs who decide whether to prioritize (or deprioritize!) your emails.

   Healthy engagement is the strongest indicator of a healthy mailing list. And everyone likes healthy when it comes to deliverability.

   In FeedBlitz, you can track engagement data for each campaign from the list dashboard, dive deeper into in on the individual mailing dashboards, or pull a full engagement report to see engagement data over a chosen period of time.

   Note: Not sure what a good open rate is? Check out this episode of Win the Inbox to learn more.

3. Review your content strategy and email best practices.

   This may seem a bit broad, but it relates back to something in section 4 of this post: Your audience ultimately determines what is or is not spam.

   Along with your quality content, you want to deliver a smooth, seamless experience for your subscribers. This means taking into consideration details such as:
   
   – Are you mailing regularly? A consistent cadence sets your subscribers’ expectations and can heighten open rates.

   – Is your branding all connected? From your website to your email template, the colors, the images, etc.? This helps with brand recognition, emphasizing you are someone the subscriber knows, likes, and trusts. (Again, better engagement is the result!)

   – Are you sending the content your audience signed up to receive? This can be a big determining factor in the frequency of how often a subscriber opens your emails. Deliver on what you promised when they signed up!

   – Is your template accessible for different audiences? This is where font size, color contrast, alt text for images come into play. The easier your email is to read and engage with, the wider your audience can become.

   That’s a small selection of things to consider, but it’s a great start to creating a smooth experience for your subscribers.

4. Subscribe to your own list.Somewhat related to actionable #3 above, subscribing to your own mailing list not only ensures the end-to-end subscriber experience is up to your standards but also lets you know immediately if your emails are potentially being routed to somewhere other than the inbox.

   This also falls into best practices as you’re able to view test emails across different platforms and devices before hitting send.

   Again, the idea is to make sure your subscribers are having a seamless experience with every campaign you send, so it’s always best to check on different devices and email agents when possible.

5. Remove people who are no longer opening or clicking your emails.While FeedBlitz handles unsubscribes and bounces for you automatically, if there“s one thing the team recommends the most to clients across the board, it’s removing inactive subscribers. This keeps your list — and engagement data — healthy.

   If a subscriber hasn’t opened or clicked one of your mailings in 60+ days, chances are they’ve lost interest. So instead of keeping them on your list with the mindset of “a bigger list is a better list!” set them free and move forward.

   In FeedBlitz, there are two ways you can go about this: one would be to send a re-engagement campaign and check if these inactive subscribers are still interested in sticking around, and the other would be to identify and remove them in one fell swoop. The choice is yours. Just remember, the name of the game is healthy, engaged mailing lists!

Some of these action items you can work on and complete right away, and others you may choose to take a week or month to focus on. Either way, the suggestions outlined above will not only have a positive impact on your deliverability but also on the relationships you have with your subscribers.

How FeedBlitz safeguards and boosts deliverability.

In this section, you will learn some of the secrets, standards and practices FeedBlitz has in place to protect and boost email deliverability.

These practices not only keep our clients’ emails going but allow us to consistently maintain our industry-leading deliverability rate of 99.8%. When an ESP works hard to safeguard their reputation, they’re also working hard to safeguard yours.

It’s important to take deliverability practices into consideration if you’re comparing ESPs to see which is a good fit for you. While an ESP may not go into great detail on their in-house practices, you’re welcome to use the six items outlined below as a guideline for questions to ask.

Without going into too much detail — we do have to protect some industry secrets, and we’re highly aware that bad actors read this to learn how to try and skirt the rules — below are six deliverability-related items you may find interesting. (Or, at the very least, you may find them insightful if you’ve ever had a list suspended or mailing halted!)

1. We own all of our servers.That means when you’re sending with FeedBlitz, you’re not sharing a server with anyone who hasn’t been well-vetted or anyone who also isn’t being monitored 24/7/365. We have complete control over our infrastructure.

   Owning our own servers is hugely important. Some ESPs do not own their servers, and ultimately, they do not have full control over their reputation management. This leaves you vulnerable to your emails being potentially stopped if an unknown bad actor sends from the shared server your emails are sending from, the entire server, and everyone on it, is taken down.

   When this happens, the server’s IP can be added to a blocked list which is monitored by ISPs (who then reject your emails, not letting them through the door), as well as third-party lists many ISPs check as well — all because of emails you didn’t even send!

   One bad apple really can ruin the barrel in these situations…which is why FeedBlitz doesn’t cut corners when it comes to protecting deliverability.

2. Feedback loops and changes with major ISPs (i.e., Gmail, Yahoo, Comcast, etc.) are constantly monitored.Meaning, we keep very close tabs on things such as how your audience interacts with your emails, any rejections or bounces which come through, oddly large groups of hard bounces, and velocity-based triggers. Resulting in your email having the best chance of getting through to your subscriber.

   As part of the monitoring process, if one of our servers is being throttled by an ISP, your campaigns will be quickly routed away from the machines in question so they can continue sending while further research is completed on the server and IP.

   If an ISP has cleared out a batch of old or undeliverable emails, we’ll confirm this is correct and not merely a glitch in the email ecosystem.

3. Every email list and every subscriber is checked before they’re even allowed in the door.

   And that is not an understatement. It doesn’t matter if you have 10 subscribers or 10 million subscribers, each and everyone is checked against our own set of internal block lists, matched against 3rd party known purchased or rented lists, and will result in immediate suspension — and quite possibly being blocked from FeedBlitz all together — if an email address returns as a spam trap.

   We ruthlessly guard imports to protect the reputation of all FeedBlitz clients. If a list is suspended due to a blocked import or poor quality metrics (more on this below), it will remain suspended for at least 24 hours while the import file is being reviewed. After reviewing, the deliverability team will evaluate whether or not the import will be allowed to proceed and if the list will be reinstated.

   To put it plainly, we check receipts on each and every subscriber you try to bring into our home so our clients can rest easy knowing everyone is held to the same high level of quality control.

4. Before you’re able to leave the editor, your emails go through the same content filters ISPs will run when deciding whether to allow or deny your email entry to the subscriber.

   Step four in the process listed above is where the destination ISP runs a series of checks to then decide what to do with your email.

   FeedBlitz created a series of content-based checks within the Visual Mailing Editor (VME) to mirror those an ISP will run.

   And while the industry has evolved quite a bit, and there is less emphasis on the presence of common spam/trigger words when it comes to deciding whether to allow your email through or not, it is still a factor to take into consideration.

   These content scans are also a safeguard against making sure your account has not been compromised.

   It’s frustrating, but bad emails can still come from good places, and that’s why multiple checks and balances are in place throughout the email creation and sending process to help ensure the success of your efforts.

   Important note: Because reputation extends to the links in your emails as well, this is why FeedBlitz doesn’t even allow an email that links out to a bad IP to be sent. We’re always looking out for you!
   

5. How your subscribers engage with your mailings has a big effect.Just because a mailing passes our filters, ultimately, it’s up to your audience to decide whether or not it’s spam.

   Even if your email isn’t flagged as spam, ISPs (and FeedBlitz!) track all feedback from subscribers in how they interact with your mailings.

   This includes opens, clicks, and unsubscribes. It all has an impact on your deliverability. ISPs keep just as close tabs on this as we do. For example, when emails aren’t opened frequently, a subscriber’s ISP makes note of this and can demote or deprioritize them.

   FYI: If a mailing comes back with a lot of unsubscribes or complaints, it’s suspended in FeedBlitz for at least 24 hours while our team conducts a thorough review.

   This all works to keep your reputation and the reputation of all FeedBlitz clients in as good of standing as possible. And as you’ve probably picked up on by now, we don’t play around when it comes to sending reputations.

6. New practices are regularly implemented.

   As the world of email evolves, so do we. Our team continually adjusts our in-house practices and protocols, as well as implementing new items. For example…

   – In April of 2022, we informed clients our deliverability team was increasing our email capacity by 40% by warming up a new batch of servers. Deliverability ✅

   – Large lists with a very low open rate (<10%) will be run through an auto-purge feature to maintain open rate stats and engagement data? You guessed it, deliverability ✅

   – New DMARC checks are live in the authentication dashboard of your account settings. Again, hello, deliverability ✅

   Some updates are minor (auto-purge, for example) while others are more substantial (i.e. a new batch of servers). Regardless, all current and new practices are multi-pronged to address a variety of deliverability-related factors.

That’s a very small handful of the practices in place which keep FeedBlitz not only in good standing with all major ISPs but also leading the industry with a consistent 99.8% deliverability rate.

Because when your ESP has a good reputation, you have a good reputation, and your emails are much more likely to reach your subscribers.

And that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

Why deliverability should be your ultimate determining factor.

Email deliverability isn’t as exciting as email templates or a buffet of features you may or may not use. However, it’s email deliverability that will actually get your emails to your subscribers. And even though it’s incredibly important, it’s not always top of mind when considering who to work with on your email marketing.

If you’re in the market for a new ESP, factor the provider’s deliverability practices and rate into your search. Ask their team if deliverability is a high priority for their company (which it absolutely should be!), and they’ll be more than happy to chat with you about it.

You don’t even need to get super technical here. A few key questions to ask would simply be:

• What is your deliverability rate?
• Do you own your servers? If not, do you use shared servers?
• How do you handle bounced and undeliverable emails?
• What do you do to safeguard subscriber imports?

Those four questions, paired with the information in this blog post, will give you a strong overall sense of a provider’s deliverability prioritization, helping you make a better-educated decision on who will facilitate communications with your audience.

Because again, you can create the best email in the world, but it won’t matter if it doesn’t make it to your subscriber.

Ready to send your emails with FeedBlitz’s industry-leading deliverability?

Head to this page to start your free trial. Questions? Feel free to reach out with any questions through our Support Page. While live support is available Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern, and you can always find helpful information 24-7 at the resources linked here.

If you feel like everyone in fashion is lying about their environmental impact, and have been wondering how to avoid greenwashing, this is for you.

I started in the sustainable fashion space in a time when no one really knew what they were talking about.

Back then, the people drawn into sustainable fashion were models and influencers who couldn’t hack it in mainstream fashion. Conveniently for them, there was close to no competition in the environmentally friendly fashion space.

So sustainable fashion was dominated by models who had no idea how clothes were actually made and had definitely never been in a factory. And, (if you really want my honest opinion) they were all caustic personalities that were outcast from fashion because of their problematic behavior.

Sustainable fashion was a toxic place, full of false environmental claims, led by non-experts – most of them are actually famous for leading cancel campaigns having other influencers and brands erased from social media (not for the groundbreaking world-changing work they pretended to do).

And that leads us to the chaotic space that is sustainable and ethical fashion today. If the rules feel like they are changing every day, it’s because they are. And if you have been asking yourself how to avoid greenwashing, and feeling like you end up with more questions than answers, you are not alone.

But, before we get started.

Have you heard about the super secret document that everyone in the fashion industry uses, but no one is talking about? Probably not. That is because you can’t find it on Google or TikTok (believe me, I’ve tried).

It’s a form I have used for over 13 years at every job I have ever had. Literally everyone from brands to fabric suppliers use it, but you can’t find it anywhere publicly. 

The best part? It can cut your sourcing time in half, and save you tons of money in product development! This is the kind of info consultants charge the big bucks for. And, I’m giving it away for free until the end of the month. 

so, get ready to make fashion startup life a whole lot easier, and GRAB YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE NOT SO SECRET SOURCING DOC HERE

WHAT INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS POST

Now for the fun part. I was inspired to write this post when an influencer I follow put out a list of questions that customers should ask brands in response to them asking her for help in how to avoid greenwashing. Call me a masochist, but for some reason, I decided to click on the post being promoted on the gram, knowing full well that it would annoy me.

Honestly, sometimes I think my success is purely fueled by rage. It’s what motivates me to keep putting out all this free information and continue working towards changing the fashion industry.

Anyway, I obviously wasn’t thrilled with the questions in the list, and it led to me writing this post you are reading now.

Here is how this is going to work. I will share with you the how to avoid greenwashing questions that the influencer suggests you ask brands. Then I will explain to you why they are actually encouraging more greenwashing and suggest better questions you should be asking instead.

CAN WE SKIP TO THE GOOD PART?

SINCE WHEN DID CONSUMERS START DEMANDING ANSWERS ABOUT WHERE THEIR CLOTHING COMES FROM?

Let’s start at the beginning with a little backstory . . .

It all started with a simple campaign from the advocacy group Fashion Revolution that asked customers to ask the brands they love: “Who made my clothes?”

In response to customers demanding answers about where their clothing came from, brands provided photos of their workers smiling and holding signs that said, “I made your clothes.”

If you can’t see how this is problematic, don’t worry, you are not alone. I’m going to spell it all out for you right now.

This was basically the original fashion greenwashing campaign.

Here is what went down.

In providing these photos of minorities holding signs next to sewing machines, brands wanted to make their customers believe they knew their supply chain and therefore, they were ethical, fair trade, transparent – you know, all those conscious fashion buzz words.

But it was all a facade.

First off, brands chorused workers into taking the photos for solely their own benefit. The factories and workers almost NEVER benefited because they were never tagged in the images (brands kept this secret so other brands wouldn’t run out and steal their sources).

Then there was the lying.

Any brand, even the unethical ones, could get workers to take these photos. Having the photo didn’t actually prove anything about the brand’s supply chain. But, for some reason, consumers thought it did (because that’s what Fashion Revolution was wrongfully promising at the time – saying, if a brand can show an “I made your clothes photo”, they are safe to buy from).

In reality, these “I made your clothes” photos gave consumers this false sense of security that companies participated in ethical manufacturing when, in reality, they did not. Some brands were literally finding poor people on the street and paying them a dollar or two the hold up the sign.

And last, let’s talk about the people in the photo (if they really were factory workers).

Factory workers hate these photos. I have asked hundreds of factory workers at this point if they enjoy these photos, and they all say they hate them (but they tell brands they love them because they don’t want to lose their business for not complying). Countless times, they have told me they feel like animals at the zoo and not human beings when they are part of these campaigns.

When they see their photos on brand websites, they don’t feel pride within the 10-minutes of fame. Instead, they feel used and abused. And anyone that is arguing differently, I can guarantee is a brand using the image to sell more products.

Basically, a campaign that was created to help teach people how to avoid greenwashing, actually created more of it.

And from there, consumers went from asking “who made my clothes” to asking lists of other questions to get brands to prove they were ethical (because this is how the internet works, we are always trying to outdo the last thing).

INFLUENCER QUESTION #1

Where are all of your products/materials sourced from and how are they produced (details of each material type if there are multiple)? E.g. countries, certifications, including swing tags, packaging, etc.

This is an insane thing to ask. Period. Full stop. I am not even going to pretend it’s ok to ask a brand this. Because it’s not.

This question shows just how little people understand about supply chain (yes, even the “expert” “influencers”).

Notice the question specifically asks “where are ALL OF your products…”

A brand could be working with hundreds of different suppliers. Remember, a bag supply chain, is different from a dress supply chain, is different from a jeans supply chain. If you are only interested in one top, why on earth do you need all that info?

You don’t.

For some reason, influencers always think that when talking about how to avoid greenwashing the solution is a 20-page document. Who has time to ready something like that anyway?

So, the first thing to do here would be to narrow down your question to what you want to purchase.

Not interested in actually purchasing anything? Well then, stop it with the questions how to avoid greenwashing questions, Nancy Drew.

If there is something you are interested in purchasing, I would rephrase the question like this:

“I am very interested in your Pamala t-shirt, and I noticed you say it’s 100% organic cotton but don’t have any organic cotton certifications. Is there a reason for this? Can you help verify that the top is actually organic?”

See the difference in the question? In the rephrased version:

• You want to buy something from them.
• You prove you have done your own research. Because, you know what the item is made of but still have questions and are asking for more specifics.

The first is an example of an uneducated and lazy customer; the second is an example of someone who is educated, doing their part, and asking a brand to meet them halfway.

People that come to brands demanding for full supply chain audits are like babies throwing a tantrum. They want what they want, for no real reason, and will lose their cool until they get it.

Don’t be an ethical fashion baby. Be a cool informed consumer.

INFLUENCER QUESTION #2

Where do your products end up at the end of their life? How can they be recycled and kept into the resource loop?

IMO in the how to avoid greenwashing conversation, the end life of sustainable products is the consumer’s responsibility, not the brands. Because when brands take over, it’s not always what is best for the customer.

What do I mean by this?

Let’s take a look at very famous sustainability resale program, that many mainstream media outlets have deemed revolutionary.

This is going to get mathy. But I promise it’s worth it.

So here is how the program works. Let’s call the brand, The Best Clothing Company Ever. You can sell your used items on the brands website. And after you make a sale, you get 100% of your sale in The Best Clothing Company Ever store credit.

Hmmmm….

Let’s look at the retail math. Say you buy one of their 100% organic cotton tops that retails for around $250. The cost to make this in India would be about $30, add $5 for shipping and duties. That’s $35.

Okay, so let’s assume they profit $215 off the sale.

Now you are tired of the shirt and want a new one. So you sell your shirt on their resale website for say $100. And get $100 The Best Clothing Company Ever store credit (notice you don’t get cash – this is done for a reason, and I am getting to it).

So now The Best Clothing Company Ever has made another $100, and you have the opportunity to buy something new.

Maybe you want a new shirt to replace the old one. The only problem is you only have $100 in store credit, not the $250 you need for your new purchase. So you need to spend an additional $150.

Yeah, you feel like you are getting a good deal with your credit from old clothes, but let’s look at the numbers.

The Best Clothing Comapny Ever already got your $100 from the sale of your old shirt and now they are getting another $150 from your bank account. That is a total of $250 for them. So again, they are getting the same profit on the shirt of $215.

Business as usual for The Best Clothing Company Ever.

But you, the customer, ends up being the loser.

Because, cash is king.

Locking your money into their buy-back credit system allows you to only shop from their store.

You could have taken your $100 and gone literally to any other shop on the planet. But now, if you want to use your credit, you are essentially forced to make another purchase from them.

YOU HAVE MORE POWER THAN YOU REALIZE.

And that, my friends, is how companies turn your one-time order into a two-time order, doubling their bottom line. All in the name of environmental benefit.

And here is another startling figure. Many Americans forget about their gift card money. It is estimated that more than three billion dollars is lost every year to gift cards that are never redeemed.

So, that is why I hate this question.

When you put the power in the hands of the brand to do the do-gooding for you, often you, the consumer, is the one getting taken advantage of.

Instead of asking brands this question in your how to avoid greenwashing quest, my advice is to donate your used clothing, or sell them for cash using one of these popular apps/sites:

Or, you can recycle your old clothes on your own with a company like

Or try participating in a clothing swap. This is also a great place to network and meet new friends. To find a clothing swap near you, check out Facebook or Eventbrite for local clothing swap events.

INFLUENCER QUESTION #3

How are your products shipped to customers? E.g, packaging, and carbon neutral shipping.

Shipping has become one of the influencers’ favorite topics on how to avoid greenwashing.

There are never-ending arguments about the best way to shop. Does it take less gas to get in your car and go to the mall four times a year? Or less fuel to ship everything to your home. What about the returns in shipping from eco-conscious companies like rent the runway?

For right now I just want to talk about carbon credits. And, let me start off by saying I hate carbon credits.

They are such a lazy way of getting credit (literally) for not actually doing anything. I won’t even bore you with all of the reasons carbon credits are greenwashing and kind of outdated. If you want to learn more, scroll to the bottom of this article and I’ll share some educational resources.

Instead, when it comes to shipping, here is what you should care about:

Weight.

The heavier something weighs, the more it costs to ship and the more fuel it takes to move it.

So, if you really care about shipping, you want to make sure companies are shipping in lightweight compostable poly mailers with no added fluff like tissue paper or other “unboxing experience” nonsense.

Instead of this influencer question, I want you to write a request.

“Can you please ship my item in a simple mailer with no added tissue paper or extras?”

Boom, you are taking control of your own carbon footprint! Instead of taking the easy way out with carbon credits.

INFLUENCER QUESTION#4

Who makes your products? (as specific as possible, please). Aside from the people who make your products, tell me about your team culture and how your head office/staff are treated. E.g. living wages, bonuses, staff wellbeing.

Please remember my fashion revolution story here. Ritu made your clothes . . . now what? What does that prove? Does asking this question really help you figure out how to avoid greenwashing?

You’ve got a face and a name . . . but not much more.

This is a tricky question designed to make you think you are connected to the brand, when in reality, the person you feel you are helping could be made up.

Yeah, I said what I said. It could all be a lie.

Now, let’s talk about brands coming back from their sourcing trips and talking about everything they learned and the people they met in order to prove they understand their supply chains.

I would like to add that most brands go and visit their factories for two weeks out of the year. There is so much they miss in that short amount of time. It’s basically the factory putting on a show for them.

So, we need to normalize the fact that most brands (unless they live in the country they make in) don’t really have that great of a grasp on their supply chains or the people making their clothes.

Their relationship is as extensive as a celebrity meet-and-greet at a comic con convention. Yeah, you met them. Yeah, you chatted and asked some questions. But you aren’t part of the inner circle.

As soon as we can all admit to ourselves that a two-week vacation working with a factory does not make you a real expert, the sooner this industry can change.

Seriously, I know a girl who runs around calling herself an Indian supply chain expert. She took a vacation for two weeks to India about 10 years ago and still tells the same stories to make her sound like she knows what she is talking about when she doesn’t have a clue. (She also steals stories from me and pretends they are her lived experiences – 🤦‍♀️).

Instead of brands telling their stories about their trip to India, Africa, insert some other developing country here, they should allow the factory owners to be front and center in communicating what goes on in their walls.

Because the reality is, brands have little to no control over what happens in a factory. So, they should pass the mic and let the people that make the day-to-day decisions speak.

So, instead of asking a brand, “Who makes your products?” you can ask: “What factory do you work with, and do you have any additional resources of the owner speaking?”

As for the second part of the question: “How do you foster diversity and equity in your business? – practical examples please. Eg. Diversity of models/staff etc.”

A better alternative to asking a lazy question like this would be to look at the brand’s images. Jump on LinkedIn and look at their employees. Look at who they partner with and are tagged with.

This is something you can easily figure out on your own. Save your questions for something better.

ADDITIONAL TIPS TO HELP YOU AVOID SUPPORTING GREENWASHING AS A CONSUMER

GET YOUR ADVICE FROM EXPERTS, NOT INFLUENCERS

As I look at the top influencers in the sustainable fashion space and all the dominating voices talking about how to avoid greenwashing, I notice that they all have one thing in common:

They have never worked in fashion.

None of them.

And this is wild to me.

Would you get your medical advice from someone who woke up one day and decided they had read enough WebMD articles to deem themselves an “expert”?

I hope not.

So why are we doing that with fashion? Why are you getting sustainability efforts and best practices from people who aren’t even in the industry?

Personally, I think it goes back to a lack of education.

I truly believe that uneducated journalists writing articles think that anyone can just “do fashion.” They don’t realize that people like me go to school for extremely niched things (like making textiles), and it takes decades to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

Real experts take decades to become. Not by trust fund kids who spend 100+ hours googling “sustainable fashion”.

I think journalists think fashion is like cooking. Anyone can do it; some just better than others.

Wrong.

So, when you are reading these lists of questions and trying to get educated on how you can change the industry, look for the experts . . . not the influencers. This is my first piece of advice for you.

WHAT MAKES ME AN EXPERT?

I’m in a really unique position because I get to view the fashion industry from so many different vantage points:

• I have a brand, so I understand what it’s like dealing with a problematic factory.
• I represent factories, so I understand what it’s like working with entitled nightmare brands who want to say they are doing all the eco and ethical things but not actually pay for them.
• And lastly, I get it from a customer perspective because I buy clothes and I also watch and read the news.

NOT TO BE RUDE, BUT MAYBE, KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS TO YOURSELF…

As someone who works with small brands, these endless lists of questions are a pain in the butt. Most small brands who are trying to do the right thing are teams of one, or like, one, and an intern or a family member. They literally don’t have the manpower to sit at their computers and answer the minutiae of their supply chain for a $30 profit.

The other thing is, the big brands that do have the resources to field all your questions are usually the ones who are greenwashing the most.

So, with these questions that are meant to expose the underbelly of the fashion industry, the opposite actually ends up happening. Customers start trusting big brands with expensive marketing teams crafting well greenwashed responses over the tiny team doing the best they can.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We need to look for long-term solutions in fashion, not quick hits of satisfaction like a copy and paste email chain of questions.

IF YOU MUST ASK

Before you open gmail and click compose, I want you to ask yourself these questions.

• Why do I want to know these things? Are you really trying to figure out how to avoid greenwashing, or is it something else…
• What is the alternative?
• Did I do my own (extensive) research?

Let me explain why these questions are important.

WHY DO I WANT TO KNOW THESE THINGS

I am on the other side of so many of these ask-the-brand questions. And for the most part, like 99% of the time, the people who are asking were never going to be customers. They are just looking for their “aha, gotcha” moment. Something they can use in a desperate attempt to try and go viral on social media.

Remember how at the start of this post I mentioned most “influcners” in the conscious fashion space become famous for cancelling someone?

I have seen it time and time again with influencers – their follower counts surge every time they encourage their minions to raise their pitchforks and cancel a brand.

If that is you, please stop.

Remember, there are people on the other side of that email doing their best. If you are looking for trouble, I suggest you go find it somewhere else. There are so many better things you can do with your time than stress out already stressed out entrepreneurs.

WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?

No brand is perfect. I think consumers think that brands should have everything all figured out or they should not be in business (this is actually something that many out-of-touch influencers preach – the idea that if you aren’t perfect, don’t even bother).

But that’s crazy.

Have you heard the saying, don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house?

Meaning, no one is perfect. When you reach out to brands, understand they are doing what they can, and be open to their imperfections.

DID I DO MY OWN RESEARCH – LIKE A LOT OF IT

And, lastly, most of the questions I see customers bothering brands with can easily been found on the brands’ websites.

Read. Don’t skim.

Really dig. Don’t expect easy answers.

CONCLUSIONS

Today, you have access to so much more information (often information strategically crafted by marketers) than we did even three years ago. If you want brands to change, you need to meet them halfway. And to do that, you need to do your own research. And ask questions from a place of compassion, not an interrogation.

All of these influencer questions are form letters. Made for mass copy and paste blasting.

Saving the fashion industry is not as easy as a copy-and-paste, change-the-brand-name, press send.

To really start having conversations and understanding what you are buying, you need to ask very specific questions tailored to the brand’s values, and your own.

ADDITIONAL READING AND RESOURCES

If you are a fashion startup clothing brand or have been thinking about starting your own clothing line business, here is my advice to you. Don’t hire out when you’re first getting started. Instead, spend time learning the ropes and doing things yourself, at the beginning of your startup clothing brand journey.

Here’s why: When you are clueless, people rip you off

Mechanics always get a bad rap. And they say finding a good mechanic is one of the hardest things to do in life.

Why is that? Well, it’s because for most of us, when our car breaks, we have no idea what is wrong with it or how to fix it. So we must blindly believe whatever the mechanic tells us is wrong with our car, what they need to do to fix it, and how much it will cost. Our lack of knowledge puts us in a vulnerable position. And that is really why people hate mechanics so much. It’s because they are being forced to trust someone with something very important that they don’t really understand at all.

Now I want you to look at your fashion business.

If you think you could just go out and hire a marketing team and publicist and someone to run your Facebook ads. And then someone else to get your product made, well, it’s basically the same as hiring a mechanic. Because you don’t know exactly what deliverables you need or what returns you should be getting for the amount you’re paying. You are in a vulnerable position and at risk of being taken advantage of.

When you hire for services like these, often companies reel you in with big promises like ten x returns. And then when they don’t perform, they tell you it’s your fault.

You didn’t spend enough on the ads. Your creative wasn’t right. You didn’t give them enough details about your ideal potential customers avatar.

Excuses go on and on and on. And the thing is, you can’t fight with them because you don’t know what you did right or wrong.

You could have done everything right, and they could’ve just done a crappy job, but you don’t know.

Today I am going to show you how you don’t know what you don’t know. And, how that lack of knowledge can put you out of business before you ever even launch.

What You Will Learn

1. How DIY makes you a better business person
2. Don’t get taken advantage of by freelancers 
3. Spotting bad hires
4. Protecting your business + finances
5. Learning to be a better manager
6. Tips on hiring 
7. Additional resources 

CAUTIONARY TALE #1: BOOTSTRAPPING VS. BEING NAIVE

I am in a private mastermind group with small business owners that profit well over one million dollars. There are some small time people in the group too, but most of the members are serious e-comm players.

One woman in the group started a children’s brand. She had no experience in making products, selling products, manufacturing, or anything like that. But the idea for her brand was good and her product was original compared to everything else on the market. And it made money, fast. And, the second this woman started making money? She started hiring people to do all the work she didn’t want to do.

Which sounds like the dream right?

But then came the pleas for help and advice to the group.

• “I just hired someone to create a banner at the top of my website. They said it would take three hours, and they want to charge me well over $500. I kind of feel like I’m being ripped off. What should I do?”
• “I want to hire someone to do the artwork for one of my new products. They want to charge me over $1,000 plus royalty fees for each piece I produce. I feel like this is an unfair price. What does everyone think?”
• “My manufacturing partner told me that the specific mold for my product would cost $10,000. Is that even possible?”
• “Help! All my goods are stuck in Customs. The holiday season is starting in one month and they’re saying it will take up to three months for my goods to clear. I’m being told I’m missing important documentation that should have been done when the container was shipped. And now it’s too late for me to submit them. I need these items for my online store by Christmas, help!”

Do you notice a pattern here?

Clearly, the founder of the company had no idea how things should get done, how long things should take, and how much they should cost. She had simply thought that if she hired a professional in a factory, used the shipping agent that someone’s friend recommended, and hired people to do the work, it would get done.

All the online gurus told her the secret to success was, delegation.

But, they were wrong. And, This is lazy management, IMO.

Before she thought about hiring people, she should have done better research. She should have had a solid idea about what things cost. And, when she hired someone, she should have been monitoring what was going on at every step of every process to ensure nothing went wrong.

Managing a team is not the same as set it and forget it

I see this all the time. New startup clothing brands think a factory partner will solve their problems and fill in their knowledge gaps. They won’t.

I think in every blog post I write, I give the same advice. But no one ever wants to listen, so I keep saying it.

The factory will not solve your lack of manufacturing and supply chain education. In some cases, they will only amplify it. If you tell a factory to do something, they will do it. And if you tell them to do it wrong, you better believe they will do it wrong. Because the factory’s job is to do what you tell them to do. Not correct your mistakes.

And that is why hiring other people who are professionals and hoping they fill in the gaps where you lack education is a recipe for disaster.

Especially if you hire the wrong people who are hoping to take advantage of you.

Success isn’t luck

Now, let’s talk about the people in the mastermind group who are making tons of money.

They’re the ones who started out doing every job in their clothing business themselves. So, they know the ins and outs of everything. They might not be total experts, but they know enough to get by. And this knowledge is what allows them to be good managers. And make crucial brand decisions that grow and scale their businesses effectivly.

This is why I tell every new startup clothing brand to bootstrap.

Even if you have unlimited cash, the things you learn during this time will make your startup clothing brand a one-million-dollar business in the future.

In case you’re curious about that woman and all the questions she asked because you’re new to this industry and don’t know the answers either, here you go.

• The banner is something you can do yourself on Shopify. It takes about 15 seconds to set up, and you can change it anytime you want. So three hours and $500 later, she could’ve done it for free.
• The price of the artwork is a tricky one. I would never allow an artist to have royalties to work that I was paying for. I always negotiate so that when all is said and done, I own the artwork forever and can use it in commerce or however I want. Is $1,000 too high? That’s up to you and how much you value the artist’s work. I’ve commissioned artwork for $10, and I have commissioned artwork for $300. In general, unless the project is extra special, I don’t go above $300. So yeah, I’d say she was being taken advantage of.
• Molds can be really expensive depending on what you’re making. A mold is just what it sounds like: the physical mold that will be used to mass-produce your product. Again, the price is going to range depending on if you’re white labeling, making customizations to a white label product, or if you’re making something totally new. But here’s the thing. Her specific product didn’t require a mold. It required a digital print. And digital prints are super easy. You could print one yard of fabric for about $15-$20. So the fact that the factory was able to convince her that her product needed a mold and then convince her that the mold was $10,000 shows just how naive she was about the production process.
• Freight forwarders can be your best friends or your worst nightmares. Meaning they can make your life a lot easier or make things impossible and put you out of business. The mistake this person made was hiring someone that was a friend of a friend and not doing her own research. I have an amazing freight forwarder that I use. They can clear my goods before they even land in the United States. If there is an issue, I know it while my goods are still on the boat so I never get caught in customs. This is a great example of how hiring the wrong person on your team can be a disaster.

CAUTIONARY TALE #2: SALES AGENTS ARE SOME TIMES BETTER AT SELLING THEMSELVES THEN YOUR PRODUCT

I have a friend with a startup clothing brand. She was a self-proclaimed “terrible salesperson” and really wanted someone to handle all the sales for her wholesale business. So she hired a showroom. The showroom had a few pretty good clients and some pretty impressive numbers, so she felt like she was in good hands. But here’s what happened.

The first season, she was making big, bold conversational prints. And that first season, the showroom did a terrible job at selling her product. So they told her it was a problem with the prints; it wasn’t what their customers wanted. She needed to scrap all the prints and do a more basic line of solids and neutrals, keeping it at the same price point; it’s around the $100-$2,000 range.

The second season, sales orders came in, and again, the showroom did a terrible job. And again, they blamed my friend. They told her that no one wanted cheap polyester clothing at the hundred-dollar price point—they wanted real luxury silk for around $300.

At this point, my friend realized these people were giving her the runaround. It wasn’t her product because she was making exactly what they were telling her to make. It was them.

And now every showroom owner will absolutely hate my guts, but I’m going to tell you the truth about most of them.

They have one or two “bread and butter” clients, meaning they are the big names everyone knows about and wants to buy. They then bring on smaller new clothing lines and charge them a monthly retainer. The showroom gets that money whether they sell zero pieces or one million. I am sure you can see how that can be problematic . . .

Fashion sales are interesting. Everyone always wants the next new thing, but at the end of the day, most buyers are buying off of historical data. This means most buyers who come to the showrooms want to buy the bread and butter clients. The showroom owners then sprinkle in a few pieces of these other small startup clothing brands who, by the way, are paying the same fees as the bread and butter clients. But for the small brands, instead of getting orders by the thousands, they are selling test orders of like 10 pieces.

The best advice a random stranger gave me in LA when I was first starting out was, don’t get a showroom before you’re ready. They were a showroom owner themselves, and they literally said, “I could take you on as a client, but I would be wasting your money.” I really appreciated their honesty and advice, but finding someone like that is rare. Most people will take you on as a client, burn through your money, and blame you when things don’t work out.

Protect yourself by having your own data

If my friend had tried to do the sales job herself instead of working with a showroom from day one, she would have been having conversations with potential buyers and getting real feedback from them. Maybe they were looking for tops, beacuse no one had good tops that season, or maybe what they really wanted were rainbow prints. Who knows?

The point is, she didn’t either, and she was relying on someone else to give her that information who didn’t care about her best interest. That is why it’s important to do things yourself first and then hire other people later.

If she had been getting orders herself and was doing okay on her own, when that showroom came back to her with no sales after the first season, she would’ve known that something was wrong with them. Not her. And, she wouldn’t have had to take their word for it when they told her that if she just made some changes, her startup clothing brand would take off.

CAUTIONARY TALE #3: EVERYONE IS HALF ASSING THEIR JOB BECAUSE THEY GET PAID REGARDLESS

(read, how to stop the blame game)

Help, my samples came out all wrong! My supplier did a terrible job, and I want my money back!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails like this from people looking for any help they can get. And here’s the thing. When I dive in and look at what’s happening, almost 100% of the time, it’s the brand’s fault.

Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of bad suppliers out there. The suppliers that take advantage, steal your money and run, and ship super-crappy product that you thought would be much nicer than they end up being. But thanks to the Internet and cancel culture, there are fewer and fewer of those types of players around. And yet, it seems like there are more and more unhappy customers in the industry, or at least in the startup clothing brand industry.

So, things aren’t adding up.

Now, when you hire someone like an agent or a consultant to do all of your sourcing, you are relying on their expertise. As my clients know, I treat their products like my own product. I’m anal as fuck, and I think five steps ahead, which is annoying to most people, but totally necessary in this industry.

The problem is that there are tons of bad actors, meaning fashion consultants with no business in this industry. I’ll tell you what they are, though—they’re good marketers.

The internet makes it easy for consultants to sell their services to startup clothing brands, but is it too easy?

These fake it till you make it consultants have stolen just the right bits of copy to convince people that they know what they’re doing even though they’ve never worked a day in the industry until they started their own consulting agency.

If you don’t know any better, you might hire one of these people to make your product, which will end up in disaster. Guarenteed.

Here is an example of that.

This person’s samples kept coming out wrong, and they didn’t know why. The consultant that they were working with kept saying it was a problem with the factory (meaning they were doing everything right). And of course, the brand did’t know if that was true or not because they had no idea what was going on, and they had to trust what the consultant was saying.

A little detective work

I did some digging, and some more digging, and asked some questions that people didn’t really like me asking. But here’s what I figured out.

It was a pattern problem. The pattern was created incorrectly, so the factory made the garment incorrectly. It wasn’t a problem with the factory, it was a problem with the pattern maker, who just so happened to also be the consultant.

I ended up getting involved and asked her why she would send in a pattern that was this wildly wrong. And I am talking like obvious problems that anyone that had been in the industry for more than six months would recognize – even people with no formal pattern training (like me).

Her response was, “well, this is just the sampling process, so the samples never come out correctly.” And I was like, “Yea, but it also shouldn’t come out this wrong.”

And that’s basically when I figured out she didn’t really care what was happening with her client’s stuff because every time she made a pattern, she got paid.

She was making money, while the clients bank account was being drained.

Every time she remade the pattern, she again, got paid.

So it didn’t matter to her that her client was bleeding money because, at the end of the day, it didn’t affect her bottom line. It actually kind of helped her by creating more work for her to do and get paid for.

Now, the reason I was able to figure all of this out is because I went back to the communication log and I looked at what everyone said, when they said it, and where the errors were popping up. That’s how I isolated the problem. The only reason I could do this is because I spent 10 years of my life learning how clothing gets made and understanding every step in the supply chain.

Again, that is one of the benefits of learning to do it on your own. You are able to quickly understand who is not doing their job correctly so suppliers can’t play the blame game.

That’s the problem with hiring people for jobs you don’t understand yourself.

They just don’t care about the overall health of your business. You hire them, they do their job, if they need to do it again, they make sure that you pay them again, and they do it again. Meanwhile, you see your bank account dropping lower and lower.

I’ve seen this happen to so many new brands.

Now to come full circle. To be fair, sometimes the brand has terrible communication, and that’s why there are so many issues. But some times times, it’s that the people they are hiring simply do not care about the customer or the success of the brand.

And, as you can imagine, it’s an even bigger diaster when the brand has not clue what they are doing and neither does the consultant.

CAUTIONARY TALE #4: SPEAKING OF THE BLAME GAME…

Here’s another example of the blame game.

In the supply chain, fabric goes from the fabric supplier to the printer, then to the factory.

The fabric supplier knits or weaves the fabric. Then the print house prints on the fabric and sends it to your factory to cut and sew into garments. It’s usually three separate companies.

Now, when you get your garments in the mail, they are full of stains.

Who’s to blame?

Well, the answer to that could be easy or almost impossible to figure out. The fabric suppliers are going to blame the printer. The printer is going to blame the factory. And the factory is going to blame everyone else below them.

So how do you figure out who stained the fabric?

You need a system of checks and balances.

1. Before the fabric leaves the fabric supplier, it should be checked.
2. As soon as the fabric arrives at the print house, it should be checked.
3. When the fabric leaves the print house, it should be checked.
4. And the last check should happen when the fabric arrives at the factory.

If this is done, any stains will be brought to your attention immediately. And you’ll be able to isolate who is to blame. Let’s pretend that as soon as the print house gets the fabric, they send you an email that says all the fabric is stained, then you can bet that the stains came from the fabric supplier.

Without any of this chain of communication or checks and balances, there is no one that you can blame.

Meaning there is no one that will be willing to refund your money.

Meaning you will be out some serious cash.

Protect your business by knowing who to ask for refunds

While everyone else is getting paid and making money—the fabric supplier, the printer, and the factory—you’ve got a product you can’t sell.

The important lesson here is that, at some point, everyone in that supply chain saw stained fabric and said nothing. And this is why it’s important to communicate clearly and set up your own communication checks and balances so that you can quickly isolate issues when they arise. In my course, Launch My Conscience Line, I teach people how to do this, and I also offer private consulting for people who need more 1-on-1 help.

You can also learn by starting small and making your own mistakes along the way. The key here is to start small. This way you can recover from the mistakes. If you start large, and make a large mistake – well, that could easily put you out of business.

CAUTIONARY TALE #5: THE ONLY PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THINGS GOING WRONG IS YOU

Here is one of my favorite examples to use for this post because it’s so sneaky on the supplier’s part. It’s about a person who was working on their product remotely because of the pandemic. To save time and make a deadline, she decided to do her approvals by photograph.

Before I continue the story, I want to tell you this: I do not suggest anyone ever do an approval based off of a photo. All approvals should always be done in person. But sometimes, for whatever reason, you need to break the rules. And for the approvals that we were doing, we felt pretty confident we would be able to see any flaws or issues from pictures.

Boy, were we wrong, Photos can easily hide product issues

One of the components in the product was plastic pieces that were being bought in the market. Meaning, they were nothing custom, nothing special, and readily available. It should’ve been a total no-brainer, right? There was tons of custom work being done, and we were way more focused on the custom work than on the stuff that was already made and available.

So the supplier went out into the market, took a bunch of pictures of what they were buying, and asked, “Are you cool with this? And my startup clothing brand founder said, yeah. Because it basically looked exactly like what they wanted.

Fast forward a few weeks later to getting their production order in the mail, opening the package and being incredibly disappointed.

All those plastic pieces we bought from the market were scratched, dinged, and chipped. Immediately, we went back to the factory and said, “What the heck is this? Why did you think it was okay to ship such an inferior product?”

And they went back to the photographs they sent. If you zoomed in and looked really close, you could see the scratches and the chips.

My founder approved that.

And that’s exactly why I say the factory will not solve your manufacturing problems.

It is your job to cross your t’s, dot your i’s, and make sure everything is exactly as you want it to be.

The lessons, is that no matter how good or how well recommended someone is, you always have to be on top of your game, checking and double-checking everything. She learned her lesson on a very small order; she’s never going to let that happen to her again, and it’s going to help her protect herself as her orders get bigger and bigger.

ONE LAST TIP FOR STARTUP CLOTHING BRAND FOUNDERS – HIRE ONLY FOR WHAT YOU NEED

Now, I get it, you might not have all the skills you need to run your business effectively. Sometimes we need to hire people. Most of my students don’t know how to sew, make samples, design artwork, or do some of the more technical skills of running a startup clothing brand. And that’s okay. You can and should hire people to do these things.

The jobs you want to avoid hiring for in the beginning are retainer jobs like a project manager, a consultant, or a larger firm.

Instead of hiring someone on a monthly basis, hire people on a small project basis.

For example, instead of hiring a designer to design your entire collection, you would hire a print artist to design one print that would be going in the collection.

When you do it this way, you create much more solid goals that the freelancer needs to meet in order to get paid. When you hire for broader projects, you end up relying on the honesty of the person you are hiring. Which can become a problem if you yourself don’t know what should be going on.

And before you hire anyone, please make sure you have your basics in order. Know your startup clothing brand identity, target market, and all the basics for your new clothing line.

IF YOU HIRE SOMEONE, HERE IS WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Here are a few tips if you plan to hire someone for a project.

NO FACEBOOK GROUPS

The title of this section says it all. No Facebook groups, period.

Facebook groups are crawling with unprofessional people looking to make quick cash.

If they had a legitimate business they would not be sliding into your DMs. And, that’s the harsh honest truth.

It goes something like this: you post something about a brand you’re starting in a group board, and all of a sudden, your DM’s are crawling with people who want to give you a free website audit or tell you more about how you can 10x your returns without running ads or whatever new scam is going on. These people sound too good to be true, and that’s because they are. Anyone showing up in your DM’s or your inbox unsolicited and offering you business advice might as well be waving a red flag in your face. And, definitely someone you do not want to work with.

Here’s an example of a secret scammer conversation I was preevy to.

One of the scariest Facebook groups I am in is a private Facebook social media marketing group. I have no idea how they let me in, but they did. Here are some of the posts that I see in it . . .

“I just convinced a client to pay me a three-month retainer for $10,000. I don’t know much about the niche they are in, or how to target the type of customers that they want. Can someone help me create a business plan to effectively advertise their product?”

What the what?

And this group is full of people like this. Borderline con artists who convince people they have all the answers, take their money, and have no idea how to execute, so they go to these groups and beg for help from real experts.

They don’t care if they fail or succeed with your money because they’re already contacting their next 10 clients, sliding into their DMs, and telling them about all the amazing things they can promise the. Complete with fake reviews from their friends and family.

LOOK AT THEIR PORTFOLIO

If you’re getting ready to hire someone, whether it be a factory or an artist, always look at their portfolio.

Here’s a great example of something that’s going to be a disaster.

Literally, everyone wants to work with Antrhoplogies suppliers. And sometimes a startup clothing brand brand will find one of their factory partners. But then, working with them is horrible. Here is why.

I think there’s a lot of new startup clothing brands that are like, “Oh my God, I found the factory that my competitor works with, so it’s a perfect fit.” Well, not always. The thing is, most companies work with multiple suppliers that are highly specialized. So, they might have a woven dress supplier and a swimsuit supplier and a T-shirt supplier and a headband supplier.

Very rarely does one factory make everything for an established brand. And a lot of times, new startup clothing brands get the factory wrong. So, they end up going to their competitor’s woven supplier with their swimsuits, thinking the supplier can help them. What happens is, sometimes, the supplier will decide to take a stab at their project anyway. And this is where things tend to go very wrong because they don’t specialize in making what you make. They specialize in making something totally different.

Bottom line. Even if your competitor has been working with them for 20 years, if you see everything in their portfolio is T-shirts, don’t go giving them a couture gown.

ASK FOR REFERENCES

If someone tells you that all their client’s sign NDA’s and they can’t disclose any of that information, I want you to run, not walk the other way.

Because anyone who is reputable in their business will have at least one friend or client willing to stand up and say, this person is amazing and you should work with them too. If they don’t have a single person that will do that, they’re probably lying to you about who they work with and the results they can get.

One more time for the people in the back, just because this scam is so so so popular with clothing manufacturers . . . if they tell you they cannot give you at least one person they currently work with or have worked with in the past, you should not work with them.

DID I SCARE YOU?

I hope not.

The truth is, what is even scarier is not knowing about this stuff. The good news is now you know what to look out for, and can protect yourself and your startup clothing brand.

Remember, knowledge is power. I whole heartily believe that sometimes what people need is not a step by step guide (although that can be helpful too) but instead, an understanding of everything that can go wrong and how to avoid rookie mistakes.

Additional Resources 

Are you ready to start sourcing textiles for your apparel or accessories brand? Consider this the only step by step guide you will need for fabric sourcing. I will teach you how to prep, stay organized, and find fabric suppliers – whether you want to work directly with fabric mills and manufacturers or use an agent. This is the same system and process I use after 8 years working in the industry and specializing in fabric manufacturing!

But, before we get started.

Have you heard about the super secret document that everyone in the fashion industry uses, but no one is talking about? Probably not. That is because you can’t find it on Google or TikTok (believe me, I’ve tried).

It’s a form I have used for over 13 years at every job I have ever had. Literally everyone from brands to fabric suppliers use it, but you can’t find it anywhere publicly. 

The best part? It can cut your sourcing time in half, and save you tons of money in product development! This is the kind of info consultants charge the big bucks for. And, I’m giving it away for free until the end of the month. 

so, get ready to make fashion startup life a whole lot easier, and GRAB YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE NOT SO SECRET SOURCING DOC HERE

What You Will Learn

1. Prep work for counter sourcing
2. Fabric research
3. Fabric testing
4. Finding a fabric supplier
5. Writing an email to a supplier
6. Getting counter swatches
7. How to choose what fabric is best for you
8. Sampling
9. Organization techniques
10. Your first bulk order

Before you start fabric sourcing, or even think about reaching out to a fabric supplier

What do you want to make?

Do you know your product? I can’t tell you how many people come to me saying “I want to start a hemp brand” or “I want to start a sustainable fashion line”. Hmmm. ok, that’s cool. And, I would love to help you.

find your niche

You can’t be everything to everyone, so start out super focused. So you want sustainable hemp, or organic cotton fabric? Ok… Are you making women or men’s clothes, or maybe something androgynous? Are they casual everyday running errands but still want to look cute clothes? Or, fancy going out clothes? Do your clothes solve a problem? Or, maybe you only want to specialize in one thing – like the perfect t-shirt. Before you get started you need to decide all this. The direction of your brand and the type of product you want to make will dictate what types of fashion fabrics you will source.

tips on finding your niche

Did you play soccer in high school, do you love rollerblading, maybe you were in math league, idk? The best products, and often the most successful ones, are developed by people who know their industry. Think of what you are already into, and what type of product you would like, then use that to help guide you in developing your first products.

who is your product for?

Please don’t say “people who care about sustainable fashion”.

To say, we make our clothes out of recycled polyester water bottles, at this point feels like, so what? So does, everlane, billabong, nike, patagonia, even fast fashion monster ZARA, and notorious unethical Walmart!

Do your research

Take your time to figure out something special, and remember just because something sounds new to you, that does not mean it actually is. For example, did you know that sustainable fiber darling Tencel was developed in 1972 under the trade name Newcell! And now, 47 years later it is FINALLY making headlines thanks to greenwashing, but in reality, shoppers have been wearing the eco-friendly fiber for half a century! Don’t be that greenwashing person do your research.

So, to recap

Before you can get started sourcing fabric or even think about reaching out to a textile manufacturer, first you need to know exactly what you are making, and who you are making it for. Take your time and do your research before you jump into product development.

If you have tightened up your design and are ready to actually make the product, then, and only then is it time to start looking at fabrics.

How to source fabrics

A complete guide to fabric sourcing (including email templates).

step 1 – start with counter sourcing

If you are a beginner to the world of product development, counter sourcing is a great way to ensure you get the exact materials you are looking for without having to get into all the technical details and industry jargon. For someone who is more novice or has a degree in textiles sometimes we know what we want. For example, I could look at a shirt and say this is X% cotton, X% linen, the yarn size is Z and it was knit on a machine using a Y gauge. Oh, and the fabric also has a 10-minute enzyme rinse. Now please make it for me. But, the reality is most of you don’t have this type of knowledge from working fabric sourcing jobs that take at least a decade to amass. But, don’t worry, if you follow this guide you will be sourcing fabric like a pro.

step 2 – buy fabrics you like

Hit the market and check out your competitors. Who is killing it in the market you are trying to infiltrate? For example, if you are starting a yoga company. I am using this example because about 80% of the brands that reach out to me with their startup idea are yoga brands. FYI if you want to start a sustainable clothing line try to avoid yoga and swim – the market is fully saturated, competition is high, and your chances of succeeding are low. Try to think of something more original.

Anyway back to our hypothetical yoga company. You would want to shop brands like Lululemon, bandier, outdoor voices (who in my opinion the quality is crap-ola, those things bag and sag within the first 20 minutes of putting them on, but thanks to great marketing college kids love them), Patagonia, or Prana.

Now when you are shopping there are two things you want to look out for. Obviously the first is fabric. And, the second is fit. A little foreshadowing… In a few weeks, I will be releasing an article about developing the perfect fit during the process of apparel manufacturing- bought samples from competitors will be important to the process of apparel sourcing.

Ask the sales reps

Ask sales reps what styles are selling best. You don’t need to tell them you are trying to launch a competing brand. Today, more and more shoppers are asking questions about what it is they are buying. So ask away.

Store reps are some of the best resources you will find. They know the product, they see what sells, and more importantly, they see what gets returned, and even more, more importantly why it gets returned. And, they are around the dressing rooms to hear what customers have to say about fit issues.

Seriously, sales reps can add so much value to your business. Whether you are chatting up your competitors for research information or listening to your own. They are the unsung heroes of product development.

Step 3 – Test it out yourself

Buy a few of the competitors’ garments and wear them. Does the fabric end up falling apart? Does it pill (get those little balls of lint). Or maybe it loses its stretch really quickly like the outdoor voices brand. Maybe it feels hot and clammy like you are wearing a plastic bag.

The bottom line is, before you ask a fabric mill to get you the exact same fabric make sure what you are trying to copy is a good quality fabric first!

Ok did you find the perfect fabric? One that breaths, stretches, recovers, moves like a second skin, etc? Now, it’s time to reach out to mills.

step 4 – find a fabric mill

A fabric mill is basically a fabric factory.

Here is a quick mini-lesson in industry lingo. I see people get this wrong all the time. And it is an indicator to someone who is in the industry that you are an imposter. So, use these terms correctly to sound more like a pro. Fabrics come from a mill. Fabric gets printed and dyed at a house – aka a print house or dye house. And, garments are made at a factory.

how to find fabric manufacturers

First, you need to know the different kinds of fabric suppliers. There are two ways to source fabrics, they are direct with a mill. Or with a fabric sourcing agent. There are pros and cons to each method, so let’s take a look.

direct

When you source directly with wholesale fabric mills there is no middle man. This means that you are getting the best price possible. It also means there is less error in communication because you are speaking directly to the people making the fabric. But, on the con side of working direct, these people mean business. You need to be confident in what you want and how you want it, mills will not waste time on amateurs.

I have heard this story so many times before from startup brands. They are working with a fabric wholesaler, everything was going great… and then all of a sudden they got ghosted. So I tell them to send me their email chain. And, to be real, I almost always get why the ghosting happened. More than a handful of times I actually knew the mill that ghosted them, and quickly was able to take over, and keep the relationship going.

If you aren’t confident in your knowledge of textiles, you might want to consider not working directly with wholesale fabrics suppliers, and instead try an agent. Or, if you really want to go it on your own, you can use the handy email templates that I am providing for you in this article.

agent

Agents will work with the fabrics manufacturer on your behalf. They are basically a middle man, or woman. Agents take a commission off of your orders. So you will not be getting the best price possible. But, they are helpful in other ways.

Before approaching a mill for fabric sourcing, a good agent will have an in-depth conversation with you about what it is exactly what you are looking for. They will then offer you advice on if what you want is realistic and re-package your requests into easy to digest notes for fabric makers.

Pro tip – most mills do not want to waste time on such lengthy convos, they want you to come to them knowing what you want and saying what you want in as few words and sentences as possible. Think Kevin from the office.

Why agents don’t get ghosted

Remember how earlier I mentioned when I stepped in after a client was ghosted, and the mill was willing to work with me? This happened for two reasons.

The first is I had a relationship with the fabric manufacturer. Agents are beneficial because they have a pre-existing relationship with the supplier. We know each other, in some cases we are even friends, and we have a long term working relationship. So, obviously, a fabric supplier will trust an agent they have worked with on previous projects as opposed to a form email from a brand that may not have even launched yet.

The second is, time.

Mills know agents will not waste their time. Agents come to them with pre-vetted clients and projects. Their probability of making money working with an agent is generally higher than with some unknown startup fashion brand. That is why agents don’t get ghosted but brands do.

New brands, it’s great you are starting something, but sometimes you forget that our time is money. I can’t tell you how many times brands have tried to take advantage of my time, asking for resources and information from me and then disappearing. That is part of the reason why I write these posts. I want to help you, but I am getting tired of answering the same questions over and over. So here you go, again, this should be a complete tool kit.

Agents have a network

Instead of working with just one factory or mill agents have a deep network or partners, usually all over the world. For example, at virtue + vice we specialize in fabric sourcing in India, China, and the USA, with a few partners in Europe. If your product doesn’t work at one mill agents have 20 or 30 others they can reach out to and find you what it is you need. This saves you a lot of time researching.

deadstock and markets

While agents are generally fabric wholesale suppliers, they do have access to other different types of markets, like deadstock and overstock. Which are both a great place to find cheap fabrics. Agents are also able to work directly with mills to find deals on defective or abandoned fabrics.

or, let fabric suppliers come to you

if you want to work direct, tradeshows are a great place for finding suppliers.

I am going, to be honest, mills and factories that have a booming business don’t really go to tradeshows, they don’t need to, they get most of their business from re-orders and referrals from current clients. The suppliers that take the time to travel to places like NY, Vegas, and even Miami are looking for new business and probably have a little more time to dedicate to a small brand that needs a little more guidance. For that reason these tradeshows are a great place for new designers and brands to start.

Tradeshows will give you access to every type of textiles you could possibly need from velvet and silks to denim and custom cotton prints, finding what you need is easy at these shows.

Google is full of mills and factories, ( Robert Kaufman, is currently holding that number one search spot ) but before you turn to the internet (the wild west of information) to try and find someone to trust in your fabric sourcing, check out a tradeshow.

Here is my personal go-to list of a few fabric sourcing trade shows that are known for having pre-vetted and trustworthy suppliers.

textile trade shows for apparel textile sourcing

functional fabric fair

“FUNCTIONAL FABRIC FAIR New York—powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS®—is a trade-exclusive event showcasing the latest trends in fabric development for the functional textile industry and provides an opportune marketplace in the United States for the sourcing of high-performance functional fabrics and accessories.

The fair is open – free of charge – to verified designers, product, purchasing or material managers looking to source fabrics and accessories for sportswear, workwear, sportive fashion, and athleisure apparel.”

texworld

“Join us for one of the largest sourcing events on the East Coast for apparel fabric buyers, product R&D specialists, designers, merchandisers and sourcing professionals. Texworld USA is an international business platform and can’t-miss industry event that offers a wide product range covering the entire fabric spectrum – season to season attendees discover textiles of innovative structures, material mixes, and surprising color palettes.

What you can expect at Texworld USA
Education: We aim to offer ample educational opportunities through the Texworld USA Seminar Series (organized by Lenzing Fibers) and our Texworld USA floor sessions program, Textile Talks.
Networking: Texworld USA is a dynamic industry event bringing together industry professionals from all across the globe.
Trends: Discover what is new and trending during Summer 2019 edition. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a peek into the newest color and textile offerings for Fall/Winter 2020 with Texworld Showcase.
Diverse Product Groups: We are excited to feature over 16 product groups, ensuring the largest possible variety of quality, affordable products for all apparel end-uses.”

premiere vision Paris

“For 3 days, 2 times a year, at Paris-Nord Villepinte, the six major industries supplying materials and services to the global fashion industry (including Yarns, Fabrics, Leather, Designs, Accessories, Manufacturing) come together in Paris.”

Premiere vision nyc

“For 40 years, Première Vision, a subsidiary of the Association Première Vision and the GL Events Group, has been organizing shows and events for professionals in the international fashion and textile industry. By constantly adapting to the needs of international markets, the Première Vision shows remain true to the same high goals: to provide its visitors a selective, quality and creative offer and services, and unique fashion information.”

planet textiles – Sustainable textile summit

This one is for those of you interested (hopefully everyone reading this article) in sustainable fabric sourcing.

“Discover the future. Learn about radical new environmental initiatives and business models in the textile supply chain. Understand the trends. See how disruptive technologies and financial innovations can create new opportunities. Meet the new leaders. Planet Textiles features innovators in the global textile and retail businesses who are reshaping the industry. Connect. Delegates will have ongoing opportunities to forge new relationships at Planet Textiles. Explore the ecosystem. Planet Textiles explores company engagement, collaboration, transparency and how to measure.”

sourcing at magic

“In August, all 12 MAGIC shows will be hosted under one roof at the Las Vegas Convention Center. SOURCING AT MAGIC is your link to the entire global supply chain. This incredible source of inspiration, education, innovation, and resources is what keeps fashion moving. With over 40 countries represented, this must-see destination attracts designers, brands and retailers alike to discover what they need to move their business forward.”

The London Textile Fair – for fabric sourcing UK

“WITH MORE THAN 470 EXHIBITORS, THE LONDON TEXTILE FAIR IS THE UK’S PREMIER PLATFORM FOR FASHION FABRICS, CLOTHING ACCESSORIES, PRINT STUDIOS, AND VINTAGE GARMENTS.
TLTF provides manufacturers and their agents with the opportunity to showcase their products to the most influential British buyers and designers. The show is one of the top industry events within the UK with an increasing international appeal.

Location: The Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH”

apparel textile sourcing at the Mana Wynwood Convention center

Back to our yoga brand example. Miami has become a hot spot for swimwear, resort wear, and yoga athleisure wear. If you are looking for those types of fabrics, this is a tradeshow that might be worth the trip.

“Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami 2019 is more than a sourcing show, it is three days of networking, free seminars, and inspiration.

ATSM 2019 connects the southeastern United States, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean to the international marketplace for apparel, textiles, and fashion.

The 2019 ATSM Seminar Series focuses on the most prominent topics affecting apparel and trade. Visit our seminars page to see our line-up from last year’s show. (2019 Schedule to be announced)

• FABRIC & TRIM
• Swimwear & Resort wear
• B2B Ecommerce, Technology and Sustainable Sourcing”

who are your competitors using?

There is one last way to find a mill. Thanks to transparency more and more brands are listing on their websites and social media who it is they are working with. Everlane and Madewell are two that are known for listing their fabric mills and factories. If you like one of their fabrics go ahead and reach out to the mill and ask for the same thing. Easy, right?

Ok, so you know what you want to source, and you found the fashion fabric sourcing partner that you want to work with, now what?

step 5 – Introduce yourself

Say hello, and let the factory know a little bit about yourself, your product, and what it is you need from them.

Here is an email template to do this.

Hello mill name,

My name is ____________. I am the the founder, product developer, designers, etc of the brand ____________. I found your company through Google, tradeshow, a friend or colleague, etc.

(Now give a little info about your brand, BUT no more than 4 sentences, remember we are all busy people. We really don’t care how the idea came to you and your best friend while on vacation in Fiji).

Sentence one:What your brand is making
Sentence two:Your timeline – have you launched? when do you plan to launch? If possible insert a hyperlink to your website here.
Sentence three: What your brand is looking for, aka the types of fabrics you need.
Sentence four: Your projected order size. (one of the best ways to get ghosted really quickly by a factory is to tell them you plan on huge orders, and the try to order only a few yards – adios, sayonara). Be honest. If you are small, let them know – they might be willing to work with you, or sometimes even refer you to someone else that can help you if you aren’t a good fit.

Thank you for your time,

your name
website link
social media link
press link

step 6 – ask for counter swatches

If the mill does not answer or does not want to work with you, that’s ok. Keep emailing. Eventually, you will find a partner that is the right fit.

If they do want to work with you, it’s time to send a cutting.

Send a cutting of the fabric you like to the mill.

And, tell them why it is you like the fabric. Chances are they do not have the exact same fabric as the one you are sending, but they have one that is very similar.

When sending swatches make sure to label them clearly. Give each fabric a name, or number code, so nothing gets confusing. And, always type up a clear list of what you are sending.

Here is an email template for counter sourcing fabrics.

Hi name of mill contact,

Today I am sending you # of swatches via insert FedEx, DHL, or postal service tracking number here. Please confirm upon receipt. (This request is standard industry lingo, the factory will then send you a quick email saying hey we received your swatches and are getting to work).

Please note the package includes the below items:

List your items here, (remember to make sure to be clear in your documentation and naming of each item so there is no confusion).

BONUS: take photos

Take photos of what you are sending and include them in the email so there is absolutely zero chance for confusion. If you take photos, all you need to say is…

Please see the attached photos for your easy reference.

Thank you.

your name

And that’s it! Stick to the script to sound like an industry pro and keep it professional.

step 7 – review the mills counter swatches

Upon receiving your swatches, the mill will go into their library of fabrics and check out what is currently running and pull some similar items. They will then send swatches of fabrics back to you that they think might be a good fit based on your original swatches sent to them.

FYI, you are responsible for paying for your own shipping charges here. It is not the mills responsibility to front shipping costs for a brand.

step 8 test it out, sample first

Did the mill send you a fabric you like? Test it out! If they didn’t explain to them why you didn’t like the fabric and ask more more swatches.

Don’t get bullied into placing an order immediately when sourcing fabrics. You should always be able to test your fabric out first. And, testing fabric is crucial to the integrity and quality of your product.

A small swatch of fabric might look great, but you need to buy a few meters, make a garment and test out how the fabric performs. I see many brands skipping this step, and if often leads to product quality nightmares, and product returns down the line.

If a mill will not let you sample before you commit to a big bulk order, don’t work with them. There are sooooo many mills out there in the world, and the ethical ones will always let you sample first. Not being allowed to sample is a red flag to run the other way and not work with that supplier.

step 9 – stay organized

You are going to have so many swatches going out, coming in, and information floating around. Stay organized.

I always use and excel to keep track of my fabrics and all the textile manufacturers I am communicating with. Here is a screenshot of a handy template to help you stay organized.

keep key information organized with an FDS

What’s on an FDS? An FDS is a Fabric Data Sheet. It is a quick 1-page form with all of the fabrics crucial information.

An FDS contains the following info.

FABRIC NAME
This is also referred to as a quality number.

FIBER CONTENT
The percent of fiber types that make up the fabric

FABRIC WEAVE OR KNIT TYPE
Examples would be plain weave, or 3×1 twill for woven fabric, or jersey for knit fabrics

YARN SIZE
The size of the yarns

FABRIC DENSITY
Yarns per inch (YPI) for wovens, or stitches per inch (SPI) for knits.

SAMPLE MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY (MOQ)
What is the least amount of meters of fabric you can order in a sample order

SAMPLING PRICE AND VALIDITY DATE
What is the price, and how long that price is good for? Prices change as the market changes

SAMPLE LEAD TIME
How long it takes to get sample the fabric

BULK MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY (MOQ)
How much fabric do you need to order for the bulk price

BULK PRICE AND VALIDITY DATE
How long it will take to make and ship your fabric when you place a bulk order

SPECIAL FINISHES OR TREATMENTS
Washes, waterproofing, softening, etc

MOQ pro tip

Can’t meet the minimum order quantity? Partner up, and work collaboratively. Sometimes you can get a few small brands together and all place an order together in order to meet the minimum. Or sometimes, factories will let your “bulk order” be a sample order. This helps with a low minimum, But the downside is a higher price. Sampling orders are usually 1.5 to 2 times the cost of bulk orders.

Place your bulk order
So you sampled, and still, love the fabric? Now it is time to place the bulk order for your production. Generally, it is industry standard to pay 50% of the order cost at the time the order is placed, and 50% once the fabric is ready to ship.

If a mill asks for 100% payment up front, run the other way. They are most likely scammers, and your fabrics will never ship.

step 10 – Manage your bulk order

It takes anywhere from 1-4 months for a bulk fabric order, generally. Follow up with the mill periodically – like once every 10-20 days depending on how long your lead time is. And ask if everything is on track to ship on time or if there are any issues that may delay the shipment.

Congratulations! You did it!

You sourced your first fabrics! Next, it’s time to talk about making those fabrics into a garment…

Additional Resources

Its PRIME DAY! Amazon’s biggest sale of the year has started! There are such great deals going on the 12th and the 13th that you won’t wanna miss so I put together some of my top-selects of home, fashion, and other don’t wanna miss deals that I already have and some selects that I added to my cart this year. (I’ll be posting on my stories too so make sure to follow along so you don’t miss these amazing prices!)

THE DROP SQUARE CROPPED TANK (30% OFF)

TRUE & CO TRIANGLE CONVERTIBLE BRA (30% OFF)

RIBBED TAN DRESS (21% OFF)

LEVI 501 ORIGINAL SHORT – OF TWO MINDS MULTICOLOR SHORT (45% OFF)

LEVI’S RIBCAGE STRAIGHT ANKLE JEANS (40% OFF)

FRENCH TERRY SWEAT SHORT (15% OFF)

DETAILS: THE DROP WHITE SQUARE CROPPED TANK – size S (30% OFF) |LEVI’S RIBCAGE STRAIGHT ANKLE JEANS – size 26 (40% OFF)|  WHITE LACE UP HEELS (under $50) | MINI WHITE BAG – (under $20) | GOLD CHAIN NECKLACE (20% off) | THE DROP WHITE DIANA BAG (under $50)

This cropped tank is the ultimate summer essential – it’s so comfy and flattering! I purchased the red tank for the 4th of July and ended up purchasing more colors because I loved it so much. Its 30% off right now for Prime Day for under $25! I’m wearing the size small in both.

DETAILS: LEVI 501 ORIGINAL SHORT – OF TWO MINDS MULTICOLOR SHORT – size 25 (45% OFF) | GREY HANES SWEATSHIRT– size XL (31% OFF) | GOLD CHAIN NECKLACE (20% off) | INITIAL NECKLACE (20% off) | BROWN BUCKLE CLOUD SLIDES (under $25)

One of my favorite purchases from this summer has been these two-tone denim shorts, I get tons of compliments every time I wear them! They are 45% off right now which is such a steal! They come in regular and plus size (wearing the size 25 here.) Paired it with my go-to sweatshirt that is currently on sale for 31% off right now! I wear the XL for an oversized fit and share with Cody.

DETAILS: RIBBED TAN DRESS – size S (21% OFF) | TRANSPARENT HEELS (under $50) | MARC JACOBS SMALL TRAVELER TOTE BAG | BLUE LIGHT GLASSES (under $20) | SAM EDELMAN JELLY SANDALS (under $100)

Such a cute staple summer dress! I’m obsessed with the ribbed material and it’s SO comfortable. Showed it dress up and dressed down above. I paired it with these transparent heels (under $50) for a more dressed up look. Wearing the size small and comes in tons of colors!

DETAILS: LEVI’S RIBCAGE STRAIGHT ANKLE JEANS – size 26 (40% OFF) | BROWN RIBBED TANK – size S (under $20) | SQUARE TOE NUDE HEELS (under $50) | INITIAL NECKLACE (20% off) | | BLACK SADDLE BAG (under $50) | SUNGLASSES (under $20)

I bought these straight ankle jeans on last year’s Prime Day sale and this year they are on sale again for 40% off! They are such a classic fit and slightly darker wash that works for summer and fall.

DETAILS: PINK FRENCH TERRY SWEAT SHORT – size S (15% OFF) | WHITE TUBE TOP – size M (3 pack – under $30) | FILA RAY TRACER SNEAKERS (under $100) | SMILEY FACE CHOKER (under $15) | GOLD CHAIN NECKLACE (20% off) | OVERSIZED UNISEX SUNGLASSES (under $20) | GOLD HOOP EARRINGS (under $15) |

Thought these sweatshorts were so cute from the Prime Day deals! Ordered them in tan and pink (size small.) There is also a matching French Terry hoodie if you want to order it as a set. Paired them with this white tube top that comes in a set of 3 for under $30.

DETAILS: LEVI 501 ORIGINAL SHORTS – size 26 (40% OFF) | OVERSIZED WHITE SWEATER – size XL (20% off) | MESH BEACH TOTE BAG (under $20) | GOLD CHAIN NECKLACE (20% off) | INITIAL NECKLACE (20% off)

My go-to summer short each year are these Levi 501 shorts in the wash (sansome straggler-waterless.) I wear the size 26 but also have them in a size 25 if I want a slightly tighter fit. Mara also loves these Levi shorts so we love to twin 🙂 This pullover is also included on Prime Day – it’s 20% off and comes in multiple colors. I get XL for a super oversized fit – great lookalike for the FP pullover.

TRUE & CO TRIANGLE CONVERTIBLE BRA – size M 30% OFF)

This True & Co bra has been a favorite of mine for years! It’s easily one of my most-worn everyday bras. For prime day they are giving 30% off – such a good time to stock up! It comes in neutrals and other colors to choose from. I wear the size medium.

OVERSIZED UNISEX SUNGLASSES (under $20)

I’ve had these oversized unisex sunnies for two summers in a row now and love them! They are currently 36% off for Prime Day. So cute!

DETAILS: CORE 10 FRONT KNOT YOGA TIE – size S (15% OFF) |  LEVI 501 ORIGINAL SHORT – OF TWO MINDS MULTICOLOR SHORT – size 25 (45% OFF)

This front knot white crop tank is so cute for summer, I wear mine with activewear and as an everyday basic tank. It’s currently on prime day deals for 15% off! I wear the size small and it comes in tons of colors.

GOODTHREADS MEN’S FLORAL POPLIN SHIRT – size L (30% OFF)

This was one of Cody’s most-worn shirts from last summer that he’s been wearing this summer as well, I was so excited when I saw it on this year’s Prime Day sale again! It’s 30% off and comes in other colors and prints too. Cody wears the size large.

PINK LINEN BUTTON-UP COVERUP (20% OFF) | OVERSIZED UNISEX SUNGLASSES (under $20)

Love this linen button-up as a beach or pool cover up! Super lightweight and comes in lots of colors. I sized up to an XL for an extra oversized fit.

SUNGLASSES (46% OFF)

These Celine lookalikes are 46% off today! Love the shape of these frames – super flattering on.

CROPPED WORKOUT TOP (20% OFF) – WEARING SIZE M

This cropped tee is one of my favorites for the gym! It’s super stretchy and breathable and I love the fit. Comes in 5 colors and its 20% off today.

 

 

STRUCTURED HOBO TOTE (20% OFF)

I just got this bag and haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet but it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Love the structured lines balanced with the curves of the hobo tote and it’s under $100 – I would never have guessed. Great size and comes in 4 different colors.

MESH BEACH TOTE (21% OFF)

My favorite beach tote is 21% off right now – comes in tons of different colors too!

DRAWER ORGANIZER (42% OFF)

The little things always make the biggest difference – I can’t believe how excited I was for this drawer organizer! Once you start using it, you’ll never go back. Major sale today over 42% off!

PINK CHECKERED THROW (25%)

I was shocked to see this throw included in the Prime Day sale but super excited! It’s crazy soft and cozy – I’ve packed this on all the vacations I’ve gone on since I got it. Does anyone else travel with a cozy throw blanket? This would also make a great gift!

PEBBLE ICE MACHINE (26% OFF)

We just this pebble ice machine last year for the office space reno and loved it so much we got another one for our home. It’s such a game changer and currently 26% off right now for Prime Day!

 

AIR FRYER (15% OFF)

Can’t recommend the Cosori air fryer enough! There’s so many uses for it from meats to veggies – we use ours daily. There’s also a bigger air fryer included in Prime Day here that’s 20% off and gets great reviews.

CREAM CAST IRON PAN (31% OFF)

Saw this cream cast iron pan on the Prime Day sale and thought it was so pretty! It’s currently 31% off for under $40.

SODA CAN GLASSWARE SET OF 4 (36% OFF)

Obsessed with this soda can shaped glassware! Comes in a set of 4 and is currently on sale for prime day. I use mine for iced coffee and smoothies. 

MIXING BOWL SET WITH LIDS & ATTACHMENTS (20% OFF)

This mixing bowl set is a dream come true for all my organization goals haha. They have no-slip bottoms and lids, all stack in each other, and come with cute attachment tops with grates, slicers, etc – plus matching utensils! Comes in a few colors but love this neutral set.

FURBO 360° DOG CAMERA (30% OFF)

The Furbo is probably Mio’s favorite Amazon buy ever haha. It’s so convenient to be able to keep an eye on him and feed him treats while we are gone. It rotates 360°, let’s you toss treats, has two way audio, and also bark alert.

APPLE AIRPODS (43% OFF)

Such a great deal to take advantage of! I’m always misplacing mine so I’ll definitely be snagging some while they are almost half-off! 

 

LANEIGE LIP SLEEPING MASK (30% OFF)

One of my favorite beauty products is this Laneige lip sleeping mask and its currently 30% off for Prime Day. Definitely going to be stocking up!

ECHO DOT SPEAKER (27 % OFF)

Another new home item we got from the sale was this Echo Dot smart speaker with Alexa. You can ask Alexa to do anything from play music, add things your grocery list, home control like dimming lights and adjusting the thermostat.

What are your favorite deals on Amazon Prime Day? Let me know in the comments below!

xx, Christine

Let’s take a look behind the seams into the world of Jaipur block print clothing. Today I am to show you, exactly how I created this women’s block print jacket and a block printed men’s shirt for my clothing line, Terracotta City.

But, before we get started.

Have you heard about the super secret document that everyone in the fashion industry uses, but no one is talking about? Probably not. That is because you can’t find it on Google or TikTok (believe me, I’ve tried).

It’s a form I have used for over 13 years at every job I have ever had. Literally everyone from brands to fabric suppliers use it, but you can’t find it anywhere publicly. 

The best part? It can cut your sourcing time in half, and save you tons of money in product development! This is the kind of info consultants charge the big bucks for. And, I’m giving it away for free until the end of the month. 

so, get ready to make fashion startup life a whole lot easier, and GRAB YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE NOT SO SECRET SOURCING DOC HERE

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… 

1. What you need to do before you start sourcing
2. Why I chose to highlight block prints
3. How block prints are made
4. How I use design hacks to pass on savings to my customers

3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START SOURCING

The biggest mistake I see startup brands make is they start with a supply chain long before they are ready. Before you can even think about reaching out to a supplier, you need to answer a few questions first.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many brand founders slide into my inbox and DM’s and tell me if I could just share with them my list of suppliers, it would help them start their brand. But then I start asking them some very basic questions, which they have trouble answering. And very quickly, they realize they haven’t done the groundwork. They are putting the cart ahead of the horse. Or, in this case, the cart before the bull (that’s a little reference to bull carts in India).

Seriously, asking yourself these three questions is so important that I considered making it my entire home page – just this, and nothing else.

And by the way. If you’re a customer reading this and not a small brand, these three questions are equally as important to you when making conscious shopping decisions.

QUESTION ONE: WHAT’S THE POINT?

The first thing you need to ask yourself is, what is your goal? What is the problem you are trying to solve? Why do you need to make this garment and put it out to the world? This will help inform your budget and every decision you make in your process.

Or if you’re a customer, ask yourself why do I need to buy it?

For example, my goal with my company virtue + vice is to teach people how clothing is made. I want you to understand how much work, labor, and thought goes into making the garments you wear. Work that you probably would never think twice about.

I whole heartedly believe that if you understand just how many hands touch your clothes, you will have a greater appreciation for them. 

So with this first collection, I want to teach you about two things: block printing and white label manufacturing.

I want to teach you about block printing because I think it is a magical craft that is slowly dying. What I find amazing is that in some niches, block printing is becoming super popular, which I love. But even with its rising popularity, there are still more artisans than work orders.

And, because of that, many of these artists and traditions in India and other countries in the world are becoming extinct. Simply, because there simply isn’t enough demand so younger generations are not being trained in the craft. My goal is to help promote these industries by incorporating block printing into my clothing line and blog posts like this one. And, by educating small startup brands on how they can work with these artisans too.

The second thing I want to educate people on is white label manufacturing. White label manufacturing is when you take a product that already exists at a factory (you take it exactly as it is, or sometimes you make a few minor changes to it) and then stick your label on it.

Most new startup brands don’t want to use white label products because they think they need something totally unique to launch their line. But spoiler alert, nothing in fashion is new. And most customers will not realize that they are purchasing a white label product if you create your product thoughtfully.

Using these block print jackets and shirts from my clothing line as an example, I’m going to show you how you can save development costs using white label products. And can then pass those savings onto the customer.

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

I got an email the other day from a startup brand saying they would like to order a total of 40,000 units split between about 30 different styles. Now, this is something I wouldn’t think twice about coming from one of the fast fashion brands I used to work with. In that context, this would actually be a small test order. But, for a small startup brand, this is massive.

If we do the math, 40,000 pieces with an average price of $50 (the startup brand was making some pretty luxury stuff) comes out to a total cost of $2 million. And that’s just for production. That doesn’t include any of the development costs, which can really add up.

When I asked the startup brand if they had $2 million in the bank to fund this project, well, I think you know what the answer was. They were hoping it would cost them about $150,000.

What?!

Now, this is a very extreme example. But it’s part of a trend I see with small brands.

Most people don’t realize just how much it costs to develop, source, and produce a garment.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had my students say in class, “Wow, I thought this brand was just ripping me off, but it really does cost this much to make!”

That is why before you start anything, you need to know exactly what your budget is.

This way you can make strategic decisions to stay within those financial confines. If you don’t set a budget before you get started, you’ll start spending. Keep spending. And, either run out of money or go into debt.

And shoppers, this budget thing applies to you too!

It drives my fiancé crazy when we go shopping because this is what I do when I get into a store. I take everything that I want into the dressing room (we’re talking about like 50 items of clothing). And, he always get’s this super panicked look on his face like, mumbling something like we can’t buy all this stuff.

And, we never do.

Because, before I go into a store, I always set a secret budget for myself on the max I am going to spend (I don’t share this with Will because sometimes I like to watch him sweat). Then when I am shopping, I don’t even look at prices.

But that’s not to say I’m not price-conscious, remember, and I do have a plan.

The first thing I do is try everything on and I sort it into three piles: absolutely not, maybe, and I need this.

Then I get rid of all the absolutely nots and also the maybes because, let’s be honest, maybe is probably going to get worn once and then sit in the back of my closet.

When I shop, I want to shop for things that I really, really want and need. So then I try on all of the I need to have them’s one more time, and I order them from the ones I like the most to the ones I like the least.

Lastly, I look at the prices and how much is this going to cost me. And then I start making decisions.

FYI, my design and product development process is very similar to this system too.

Whether you are manufacturing or simply shopping, the reality of life for most of us is that we can’t have everything we want.

But when we have a budget, we can make decisions that will make us the most happy within those parameters if we develop or shop strategically.

Now, shopper, while I would love for you to buy my hand block print jackets and block print men’s shirts, I don’t want you to buy them if you don’t think that you’re going to wear them and really love them, or if they are out of your budget right now.

That is why I do not offer payment plans for clothing items. I think that if you’re going to buy something, you should save up, make sure you really want it. And then buy it. Don’t be tricked with four-month payment plans into buying something that maybe you don’t really need or want.

But, I am rambling now, the issue of payment plans is for another day.

QUESTION 3: WHAT DO YOU WANT?

The last thing you need to ask yourself is, what do you want?

For my line, I decided to start with block print jackets and block print cotton shirts because they are super multifaceted.

After a lifetime of capsule collections and being around some of the top stylists in the world, I believe that jackets are one of the most versatile and reusable garments for women. You can match a jacket with almost any outfit in your already existing closet, meaning you’re going to wear it the most.

And that’s what I want for the clothing I make. I want you to wear the shiz out of it.

The styles I made are quilted jackets.

And, I choose to make them out of quilted cotton. Because it’s important to me to use natural fibers whenever I can. The jackets kind of feel like you are wearing a 100% cotton kantha quilt, but made for on the go – so, super cozy. And, while these jackets are warm enough for summer nights – again, they are made out of cotton so they are by no means winter jacket status.

As an added bonus I thought, how can I make this design even better? Then thought, I’ll make this jacket reversible! So, no instead of 1 print, you get two looks for the price of one kantha jacket.

For men, I chose to do a long-sleeve button-down shirt based on my fiancé and what he wears.

He gets so much use out of these button-down shirts because they truly are (not to sound cliché) the perfect day to night garment for men. He’ll wear a button-down shirt to get coffee in the morning, all the way through the day, then to get a fancy dinner with me. They are easy to wear, easy to clean, and go with just about any bottom or shoe.

WHY I CHOSE TO HIGHLIGHT HANDMADE BLOCK PRINTS FOR MY FIRST TERRACOTTA CITY COLLECTION

This goes back to question one: why am I even doing this?

And when I dig into that question, I realize that while I love showing how garments are made, I want to go beyond that. Because these artists and crafts are not isolated things – they are tied to communities and cultures. And along with sharing the manufacturing of these garments, I want to share about the cultures behind them.

STORY TIME

I once visited a small textile village in China that was so remote, I couldn’t even find it on Google Maps.

When I got to the town, I started noticing Hello Kitty and My Little Pony prints all over the place. And not just on kids’ stuff. The prints were on adult stuff too. I saw it on T-shirts, curtains, and tablecloths. It was even on those little hand coverings that people make to protect their hands in the cold on motorcycles.

It was one of my first times traveling to a village that was a true manufacturing village, meaning fashion production is all that really happened there. And all I could think was, why is this town so obsessed with Hello Kitty and My Little Pony?

I went ahead and snapped tons of photos for Instagram of all of my Hello Kitty and Pony sightings.

But then I got to the factory and realized the product they were working on was Hello Kitty and My Little Pony.

And everything suddenly made sense.

They were using the damaged, leftover, and deadstock fabrics for their own use. Instead of wasting or sending it to a landfill, they were using the scraps for all of their homeware and apparel needs.

And well, I felt kind of dumb when I realized that.

I thought this was just a community obsessed with two kids’ shows. But what I realized was that this was a community obsessed with not letting anything go to waste even if that meant using silly kids’ prints for everyday items.

This is what I love most about textiles. Sure, I love dissecting them, figuring out how they were made, and all of the engineering behind that.

But I also love how, if you pay attention, textiles can teach you so much about a culture and its values.

BLOCK PRINT CULTURE

To bring it all back – block print textiles are deeply connected to Jaipur’s history and culture.

Block prints aren’t just made in Jaipur, they are part of Jaipur.

At almost every restaurant you go to, you will find block-printed tablecloths, napkins, or placemats. You’ll find the people of Jaipur wearing block printed clothing, both Western and traditional. You’ll even notice decorations on the walls that were made using block print motifs.

Jaipur is not just a place where block prints get made, it’s a place where block prints live and are celebrated every day.

And that’s why I chose block prints to start with for Drop 1.

A LOOK BEHIND THE SEAMS OF BLOCK PRINT MANUFACTURING

In case you’re wondering what block prints are, they’re basically what they sound like. Prints that are made out of wooden blocks.

Block printing is one of the most labor-intensive print methods around. But I think that’s why I love it so much.

The process goes like this.

First, a designer creates a print design. These designs generally require anywhere from one to five different colors. Then, artisans carve each color of the design into its own block. So, if the print has three colors, there are three blocks.

Next, they lay out the fabric on super, super, long tables. And the blocks are hand stamped one at a time to create the print.

If you’re curious about seeing this in action, check out my video of me and my friend Manu.

All in all, the process is very time-consuming and very labor-intensive. But there are some benefits compared to other printing techniques.

• Because machines are not used and people are doing the work, that means less energy is wasted.
• Also, these types of jobs create work for communities that are struggling to find jobs.
• And, as a bonus, of course, everyone I partner with is paying their people a fair wage and providing them with a safe and friendly working space.

Block print workshops are generally on farms in very remote areas, mostly located in Bagru.

BAGRU VS JAIPUR

You can think of Jaipur as the main city and Bagru as the suburbs or country. Part of the magic of learning about block printing is leaving the chaos of Jaipur city and entering the remote farmland of Bagru.

The stark contrast makes it so much more powerful.

Whenever I have someone visiting me in India and we are in Jaipur, I always make it a point to take them to Bagru. I think it’s important for people to see the different sides of India. Often, when people think of India, they think of large cities like Delhi and Jaipur. But there’s so much more to it if you just take a car ride a little out of your way.

While the cities are chaotic, overwhelming, and often too much for newbie tourists, you will find peace and tranquility in the villages. And these villages are where most of the work for block printing happens.

But, how did Bagru end up becoming a hub for block prints?

BLOCK PRINT HISTORY

Block printing dates back to the 12th century in India, making it over 2,000 years old. But this ancient art form is much older than that. Block printing came to India from China.

I think it’s super interesting to note how different cultures blended so many years ago to create such iconic trends in current culture.

CHIPPA COMMUNITY

While block printing is a dying art, we can thank the Chippa community for helping to keep it alive. The Chippas mostly reside in the village of Bagru right outside of Jaipur. And in this area, you can find generations of block print artisans continuing their craft.

Traditional, Natural Dyes – but Limited Colors

Originally, block prints were made out of natural dyes made from things like indigo and plants, and even black colors made from fermented iron (basically a metal kombucha).

But, modern fashion customers want more colors that aren’t available in the natural dye spectrum, so block printers now use synthetic dyes. Thankfully, consumers have been pushing for more natural products. So now in Bagru, you can find more and more artisans going back to the old ways and using natural plant dyes which are better for the environment and the people doing the work.

HOW I DESIGNED THE BLOCK PRINT JACKET AND BLOCK PRING SHIRT

FABRIC: DEADSTOCK VS CUSTOM PRINTS

When deciding what type of block print fabric to use, there are ultimately two paths you can go down:

• You can design your own print, have your own blocks created, and have custom fabric printed for you.
• Or, you can use dead stock.

There are pros and cons that come with each option. For example, if you are using your own custom prints, it’s going to be a lot more expensive than using deadstock. But, a pro would be that you have your own unique prints that nobody else has.

Now, if you know me, you know I wear many hats. I have my consultancy business where I help establish brands. I have my mentorship programs where I help brands who are just starting out. And, I have a few personal side projects that keep me in the retail game. So I decided to use deadstock fabric. This was the right choice for me because it took the pressure off me to design new prints. It was also cheaper than designing my own print because I could skip the entire fabric product development process, allowing me to pass those savings onto my customer.

The deadstock fabrics I focused on are paisleys and floral prints because they are the most traditional Jaipur patterns, and really show off a bit of the local textile culture.

GARMENT DESIGN

In terms of garment design, I also had two paths I could go down.

I could design my own custom fits. If you’re curious to learn how I would’ve gone about that, you can enroll in Launch My Conscious Line where I teach a six-hour lesson about this.

Or, I could go with the other, more simpler option and use patterns that the factory already has.

Now, sometimes you might not like exactly what the factory has on hand, so you can make some small changes. And that’s exactly what I did here. For the men’s shirt, it was basically perfect. But for the women’s quilted cotton jacket, I wanted to make it more of a crop style than what the factory had. And, I wanted to remove the pockets because they were just kind of awkward.

Again, by choosing to use patterns the factory had, I saved a ton of money in the development process. Again, money that I plan to pass on to the customer.

So, just how much money did this save?!

By using deadstock fabrics and available patterns, I saved around $400-$500 on these block prints and garment styles. And when you’re making small, exclusive runs the way I am (think under 30 pieces per style. That saves almost $10 per garment at cost, which in retail math becomes a savings of $40 per garment for the consumer.

Yes, that’s a huge difference in price for the customer!

Hey, small brands out there, if you are reading this, the lesson to take away here…

More small businesses should choose white label!

It saves you time and money. And, you can create a great product and give your customer an even better price.

Nervous that if you do white label and available stock fabrics everyone will have the same product as you? Don’t be. Here’s why

I remember this math problem from middle school. It went something like this. Pretend you’re at an ice cream party and there are five flavors of ice cream. Five different toppings. Three sauces. And, four different spoons to eat it with. How many different combinations can you come up with?

The answer to this problem is 300.

And, in the case of factories – they usually have at least 50 different fabrics and at least 40 different patterns for you to choose from, so that’s like 2000 different combinations.

The chances of another brand having exactly what you have are slim to none.

Protos

Thanks to not needing to wait for fabric to be designed and printed or for patterns to be made and fit sessions to be done, I was able to shave off about a month in my development time. Instead, we went straight into using the deadstock fabric and the slightly altered patterns at the factory to make my first protos.

Because I was basically using what already existed, everything came out perfect on the first shot (saving me even more in costs I would have had to pay to resample to get it right). So we went into the production run right away.

Again, I’m doing super small, super-exclusive limited runs of only 30 pieces. So production was pretty quick because the order was small and took about one month.

PHOTOSHOOT DISAPPOINTMENT

I was hoping to have my samples in hand and be able to do a photoshoot in Goa. But sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you planned it, and this was one of those times.

So my next thought was to have a photoshoot in New York City. I arranged everything and was ready to go and the morning of the shoot, I got a call from my photographer telling me that he had COVID.

Sometimes in fashion startup life, nothing goes right. But, that’s okay. You just have to keep pushing through it.

So me and my fiancé Will did a DIY photoshoot in the backyard. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and iPhones today are pretty damn good.

AND, THAT’S HOW I DID IT!

Drop 1 of Terracota City, done!

Make sure to sign up for the email list if you are a brand that wants to learn more about getting your product made.

Or, in getting A Look Behind The Seams of how the fashion industry works.

Next month, I am going to have a new blog post and new product for you that I am sure you’re going to love.

PS

All Terracotta City garments are available for purchase. But remember once they are gone, they are gone. I’m only making a few pieces of each style.

So grab ‘em while you can!

4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. We go up to my family’s cabin at the lake in Montana every year with my extended family and we’ve made years of memories spending time together, so it’s always been a magical holiday just knowing it will be family time together, keeping up years-long traditions and making new ones. Every year we do a tea party and charcuterie board, this year I wanted to attempt one before we left for Montana with some of our friends and family here- it’s been on my bucket list to do a counter charcuterie board  (savory and sweet!), so we went all out with festive drinks, and a s’mores bar.

Here are some of the best hacks I found for pulling off the ultimate 4th of July party. Don’t feel like you need to incorporate all of them! Even just adding 1 or 2 will add a fun, festive touch to your holiday weekend.

DETAILS: RED CROPPED TANK (under $30 – S) | DENIM (under $40 – size 25) | STAR BOWLS

Hack #1: Color-Coordinated Cuisine

To create a festive spread, I knew I wanted to stick to a red-white-and-blue color-scheme for all the snacks. It made it so much easier to make everything flow together and stick to the festive 4th of July theme. I went to Sam’s Club and knew the fruit would be easy with all the red and blue berries, but I was surprised at how many other red/white/blue snacks and candies they had for the upcoming holiday – especially when it comes to the ‘sweets’ spread which I’ll share later. 😉

 

Hack #2: It’s All In The Details

MINI ALPHABET CUTTERS
STAR-SHAPED CUTTERS
TREATS: SAM’S CLUB

I’m always a sucker for the details at any event I attend, so I knew I wanted to include some cute, festive details wherever I could. Try using mini cookie-cutters to spell out words in watermelon or cheese. We also used the star cookie cutters from this set for the cheese and sprinkled them throughout the 4th of July charcuterie. I had a local company from Utah help me and they made the most beautiful salami roses! My aunt actually tried to teach me a couple years ago at the lake, just use the rim of a glass and stagger them while layering them around the rim to get that perfect round shape.

Hack #3: Sparklers, But Sweet

We made some fruit sparklers for the kids out of watermelon stars and blueberries for some healthy treat options. They look so cute on their own but we also added to the red-white-and-blue drinks we made for an added festive touch.

Hack #4: Let the Festivities Flow

DETAILS: GLASSES

Whether kid-friendly or adult beverages, drinks are a great excuse to go big for the holiday. We set up a drink table for the kids where they got to assemble their own drinks. I set out red, white, and blue Gatorade and Sprite for the base and then set out Kool-aid ice cubes, cotton candy, popsicles, licorice straws, and fresh fruits so they could get creative.

Hack #5: Don’t Skimp On The Sweets

My kids would eat candy all day every day if I let them so they were in heaven when they saw this full candy spread AND the decadent s’mores bar. I’m glad my affinity for going over the top with these sort of things won me some points. 😉 They kept saying it was the best 4thof July spread ever. 😂 We did a candy charcuterie board with all the red, white, and blue finds from Sam’s Club and was so simple to put together. We also did a s’mores bar for our new fire pit area and did a mix of different chocolates – milk chocolate, cookies and cream, Reese’s, Andes mints, and more. The dessert boards were such a cute addition and were super popular with the whole fam!

Let me know if you guys have any hacks or hosting tips you love for 4th of July!

Also this red top, I’m obsessed with the square neckline on it! It comes in lots of colors and its under $30!

Also shout out to Beck & Noelle Board Co., if your in utah and want a big charcuterie board, or want to learn how to they can help you set up or do the whole thing for you. I love learning and being a part of the process but they do both!

You can also see past holiday charcuterie boards I’ve done here.

xx, Christine