Designer Help Advice: Do you have the right suppliers??

You will need different types of suppliers depending on the type of customers you are targeting.

If you hope to supply Supermarkets, Department Stores and Design Led retailers, you will have to submit test reports from accredited laboratories on any fabrics you intend to use.  These test reports are costly and time consuming, so you need to discuss these with the fabric supplier at the time you order the fabric.  Most substantial fabric suppliers will have already had their fabrics tested and should supply the relevant report to you on demand.

If the fabric has not been pre-tested, you can pay to have the fabric tested yourself and hope that it meets the required standards for that particular retail group.

If you are supplying the public or independent shops, you will need far less quantity of fabric per design.

Single sample lengths are ideal if you are supplying the public but, if you are targeting individual shops you will need to buy fabric in minimum lengths of approximately 25 meters per design.

Will your fabric suppliers supply you with 25 meters or are you being forced to buy a much larger minimum quantity?

There are plenty of fabrics suppliers listed on the Internet; be very thorough whilst researching suppliers; find the suppliers that suit your needs.

Fabric Shops and Sari Shops are a good source of ‘smaller’ quantity fabrics.  Always ask about discounts for more than a single length or whatever you think your requirement will be.  Always check if the design is a regular stocked item.  If it is, this should allow you to only buy when you need the fabric rather than pre-buying before you have any orders to fulfill.  Buying any supplies from stock to fulfill orders will help your limited finances, pre-buying large minimum quantities of fabric or trimmings will tie up your money until the supplies are used in order and you are paid by the customer.

Your own “brand” sew-in labels and swing tickets are unfortunately, only available in a large quantity.  There are plenty of label manufacturers around; try to find the best on for you.  As a general rule, the more colors you have in your design, the more expensive the labels become whether they be woven or printed.

There can be many hidden costs associated with special processes, artwork or graphics.  If you use these types of processes always check exactly what the price quoted includes.  If you have friends or personal contacts creating stuff for you, fid out exactly what it will cost you especially if the item is successful and you need more.

Information kindly supplied by Michael Goodmaker at www.designerhelp.co.uk