The clothing industry is changing. Fashion giants face increasing competition from small clothing brands that benefit from more individual customer demand and more accessible manufacturing.
HONG KONG / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2019 / It's no secret that the fashion industry is becoming more diverse in every respect. Just a few decades ago, there were easy to spot fashion trends that only changed once a year or even slower. Today's fashion cycles are much more distinct and short-lived. Especially millennials, becoming the most important consumer group, see themselves as more individualistic not following general trends set by big brands.
"You could see a similar development with craft beer brands popping up everywhere during the last few years,'' explains David Garcia, the director of the clothing manufacturer Intrepid Sourcing. His company initially only worked for large clothing brands and corporate customers, but has adapted to the new development. There is an increasing demand for small fashion brands' clothing and growing number of fashion startups filling this gap.
Especially younger people do not only see fast fashion and big brands increasingly critical, but they are also looking for options to express their personality more individually through clothing. Ever larger clothing collections and faster fashion cycles worked quite successfully for a while. However, American consumers are neither buying more nor more expensive clothing for almost a decade now, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA).
The trend towards more individual and conscious clothing coincides with another one. Clothing manufacturing has become a lot more accessible in recent years. The global supply chains for garment production have moved to Asia decades ago, which made the cost of clothing go down significantly. However, the move to overseas made it also a lot more inaccessible to people with little experience in manufacturing.
Factories in Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines have matured. After being dependent on large Western brands for managing their operations in the nineties, they have moved on to work for themselves. Globalization has also helped tremendously to bring down shipping cost and the internet did the rest by simplifying the coordination. It is definitely possible to start a clothing company from anywhere these days.
Certainly, for Garcia, the time of small fashion companies has just begun. Bridging this gap and allowing literally anyone to make their own clothes professionally has become Intrepid Sourcing's main goal. "We cater to the person that always had clothing designs in their mind but didn't know where to start with creating them,'' he adds. "By implementing a standardized design and sampling process, you can even start out with a simple sketch done by hand".
Large minimum order quantities have scared off many aspiring entrepreneurs in the past. It is much safer to test the waters by starting with small quantities. This way, feedback can be implemented and larger orders can be financed. "Abolishing the minimum order requirements by more streamlined processes has since resulted in many happy small brands growing their business,'' Garcia states.
For learning more about small quantity clothing manufacturing, Intrepid Sourcing can be reached here: https://www.intrepidsourcing.com
Media Contact Info:
Name: David Garcia
Email: [email protected]
Organization: Intrepid Sourcing and Services
Address: Unit 1104, Crawford House, 70 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: +1 347-783-6030
Website: https://www.intrepidsourcing.com
SOURCE: Intrepid Sourcing and Services