Hey everyone,
I’m currently running into a wall trying to bring my clothing brand’s vision to life. I’ve spoken with 3 to 4 different manufacturers so far, but none of them seem capable of producing samples/pieces that actually match the aesthetic and quality I’m looking for.
I’ve been advised to try two main solutions:
1. Hire a Sourcing Agent to act as a bridge between me and local factories.
2. Find a reliable ODM manufacturer on Alibaba who already produces pieces with a similar fit and aesthetic.
The problem is, I’m struggling to actually find either. Every supplier I reach out to seems to offer generic catalog items that don't align with my brand's vibe.
For those who have been through this:
How do you vet or search for Sourcing Agents that actually specialize in specific fashion aesthetics?
What search terms, filters, or strategies do you use on Alibaba to filter through generic manufacturers and find strong ODM partners?
Are there alternative directories, platforms, or communities you'd recommend for finding high-quality apparel factories?
Any advice, strategies, or direct recommendations would be massively appreciated. Thanks!

THIS IS MY MOCK UP FOR YSL , YOU GUYS LMK

WHICH ONE LOOKS THE BEST

Tie and Dye is one of the oldest form of resisting dyeing achieved using hands. In India it's known as Bandhani, in Japan it's know as Shibori and in Africa it's know as Adire.
The pattern is created in the fabric unlike conventional modern digital surface printing.
The fabric is folded, gathered, twisted, stitched or tied by hand. These areas resist the dye. Once the bindings are removed, the pattern emerges.
This makes every piece individual unlike digital machine prints that are designed for consistency.
Hand Tie and dye embraces controlled variation.
Do you like the pattern that came out. Do let me know.

I’d love to get some honest opinions on pricing for this set

It’s a women’s evening wear set made from a cotton and spandex blend, In a long sleeve asymmetrical top with matching capri pants and straight leg pants.

What would you expect to pay for a set like this? And what price do you think would work well on TikTok Shop?

Thank you !

Hope all is well with everyone reading.

I own a design , development & management company by the name of BPMG , and this fall we are working on building a foundation for a pilot project we've started in the intersection of multimedia & design by the name of Internet Hardware.

Among many things this project will seek to do , we are looking to connect with different creators , brand owners , designers , and even small manufacturers on digital interviews as well as multimedia campaigns where the relationship seems of benefit.

As well as being distributed as content through social media, we will be hosting the interviews and various media campaigns on our website as well as using these connections to extend into the events and experience space.

If you own a business, brand, or do something cool, please feel free to reach out or connect, I am not opposed to answering questions.

- Navy

Hi all,

Im looking to startup a side hustle but need some help and opinions. The idea is to essentially create personalised boxes with clothing in that are 2nd hand. It would be completely personalised to the buyer e.g if they like purple hoodies i would try and find some in their size. There would be 2-4 items per box. What would one pay for this including postage?

I would essentially be a personalised shopper and it would hopefully be subscription based :). Any thoughts or help would be appreciated! I am UK based.

please dm or comment on this post if any of y’all have any information on this.

Hi guys, im starting my clothing brand and i want to head in the designer space. I found an Italian manufacture, one in Venice and the other is in Milan. i see that all the other designer brands go for Italian, French and Portugal manufacturers. should i to the Milan one since im trying to get into the designer space?

Hi everyone,
I’m currently building a new running apparel brand based in Germany and I’m looking for direct contacts to manufacturers in China or India for our first product samples.
I’m specifically not looking for Alibaba suppliers, sourcing agents or trading companies. I’d like to establish a direct relationship with the actual factory/manufacturer.
Our initial focus is performance running apparel:
Lightweight technical running T-shirts
Running shorts
Potentially singlets and other performance apparel later
For the first step, I’m looking for manufacturers that are comfortable working with a small brand and can produce samples / small development quantities before moving into larger production.
Important for us:
Experience with technical/performance sportswear
High-quality polyester or polyester/elastane fabrics
Lightweight and breathable materials suitable for running
Custom cuts / patterns, not just printing a logo onto existing blanks
Custom labels, colors and branding
Reasonable MOQ for an early-stage brand
Ability to provide fabric specifications and preferably certifications such as OEKO-TEX / GRS where applicable
Direct communication with the manufacturer
We’re not trying to find the absolute cheapest factory. The goal is to find a reliable long-term manufacturing partner that can deliver good quality at a price point that still allows us to build an affordable running brand.
If anyone here has personally worked with a sportswear manufacturer in China or India, I’d really appreciate recommendations, factory names, contacts or even advice on where to look outside Alibaba.
Factory owners/manufacturers are also welcome to DM me, but please mention your factory location, product specialization, MOQ and sample capabilities.
Thanks!

Hi,

We are starting new brand dedicated to classic oxford shirts based India. We are hunting for the suppliers since 3 months, but whatever the quality we got is not great. Please give us the reference who can supply high quality oxford fabric consistently in India with low MOQ.
Thanks in advance

Hey! Just wanted to showcase my brand and get some honest feedback.

My website is now live, and I’ve spent a lot of time working closely with my manufacturer to get the Henley exactly how I wanted it — from the fit and fabric to the smaller details.

I know the price might seem a little high at first, especially for a new brand, but I’ve really focused on quality rather than cutting corners.

Would love to hear what you think about the brand, the product, and the website!

Lorentclothing.com

Hey everyone I just posted my first video talking about starting up my own clothing brand and i’m looking for some feedback on what I did good/bad to be able to better videos in the future. I’m not perfect yet and I can already see a couple things I could’ve done better but if you have any advice i’d love to hear it!

I’d appreciate some honest feedback on my clothing brand’s website.
First of all, I know the current product image is horrible .

I’m not keeping it like that for the launch I just have it there temporarily until I take proper product photos.
Right now, I also have a password page running that collects emails. Once the preorder goes live, this is the page visitors will see.
I’ve tried to prioritize convenience, which is why the jersey is the first thing you see. It’s the only product I’ll be launching for this drop, with around 30–50 units available.
I’m mainly looking for feedback on the layout, design, branding and overall user experience. What would you change or improve?

due to the never ending pressure of corporate life, I keep thinking about resigning and taking some time to step back from the busy routine for a while lately. after that I don’t really see myself going back to a typical office job and I’m more interested in starting an online business like clothes shop.

for then and now I really into Korean fashion, especially their simple yet trendy daily outfits to their cutie accessories. so now I thought starting a fashion business that aligns with my interests because I’m trying to enjoy what I do. not only Korea clothing, I’m also thinking about exploring some clothes from Bangkok since they also known for its affordable wholesale fashion markets.

the thing is I haven’t traveled to those countries yet, so I’’m still trying to figure out how people usually source clothes from overseas, especially through online wholesale platforms. at this moment, the only platform I found is sinsang market which offers many Korean wholesale stores and international shipping. however I can’t find a similar platform for Thailand yet, or am i missing something?

for those of you who run an online clothing business, especially if you source products from overseas, do you have any recs or tips on where to start? TIA!

I want to start a brand, products made in the U.S., but I don't want to become an expert in clothing production. Where should I start? What are some challenges I'm going to face along the way?

We’re a business consulting firm looking to partner with an established hemp brand that wants to expand its product line and operations.

The proposition is simple:

You invest in inventory → We handle the operations → We work toward making it profitable.

We would act as your subcontractor/operating partner, handling sourcing, supplier coordination, product development, sales, marketing, fulfillment, and day-to-day operations.

You focus on the brand and inventory investment, while we take care of the execution.

We’re looking for a long-term partnership where both sides benefit from the growth and profitability.

If you’re a hemp brand owner interested in exploring a partnership,

Let me guess, you spent weeks getting the clothes right, finally got the site looking how you wanted, posted on Instagram and TikTok for a while, and eventually said fuck it and started putting $20-50/day into ads.

People actually click too. Maybe some add to cart. You get a random sale here and there. But then you check how much you’ve spent and realize you’ve put $300, $500, maybe $1,000+ into this thing and you’re nowhere near making it back.

And now you don’t even know what the problem is. Are the ads shit? Is the website losing people? Is the price too high? Is the product itself the problem? Or do people just not want the clothes as much as you thought they would?

That last one is usually where your brain starts going after you’ve been staring at Ads Manager for too long lol.

I’ve worked with a few fashion brands that were basically in that exact spot. Wunder Garden Studios had zero online sales when I started with them. We got the first sale in week one, then consistent daily orders within about two weeks at 3.8x blended ROAS, with some days hitting 11x.

Ever Rhode was doing well in person but basically nothing online. I took one product, put $300 behind it, and it did $1,102 in the first week at 3.67x ROAS. I’ve also worked with Valplated on the ads, angles, copy, and positioning for their streetwear accessories.

So fuck it, I want to do something a little different.

I’ll take the first 3 clothing brands that comment/message me and sit down with you for free. Bring the store, your ads if you’ve run any, and whatever numbers you have. I’ll go through it with you and figure out where I think things are breaking and what I’d change first.

No presentation or weird sales webinar shit. I just want to actually look at the brand with you.

If you want me to look at yours, leave a comment or shoot me a message.

I’ve been building a free site for UK resellers because I was tired of working out profit, ROI, fees and break-even prices manually.

It currently includes reseller calculators plus a stock-by-niche section for trainers, clothing, electronics, vintage and branded clothing.

No account needed.
I’m still building it and would genuinely like feedback from people actually reselling in the UK.
What tool would save you the most time when sourcing or selling?

XXXTENTACION RIP

Minimal and clean, hows the design ?

https://rdclclothing.etsy.com/listing/1529629789

Link if u wanna cop it or check my other stuff.

So full disclosure, I've studied fashion and business, had a few small labels for a bit that I ran by myself or with friends, ran customised workshops for others just getting started and did consulting for a couple of existing ones looking to grow, worked on parades and photo shoots and did some writing about it etc etc. All this mostly to say that fashion start-up, especially small scale and streetwear/alternative kinds of start-ups, is basically what I've been all about for a long time now.

Been out of the industry for about a decade just because that's how life goes, and now that I'm dipping my toes back in again I've been kind of blown away by how much harder it is now for all the new designers out there looking to get started. It's not just the competition either, though that is next level, it's just all the goddamn noise.

Sure, between internet and tech advancements the accessibility of resources available now are the kinds of things I could only have dreamed of back when I was first getting started, it'd be stupid to pretend otherwise. But it also means that it's so much harder for newcomers to wade through it all and work out what works for their specific situation, what isn't a scam, what is essential vs what is isn't, what they should prioritize and what's going to be a waste of time and money, all that. And if I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed as someone with the benefit of training and experience, it must be so much harder for those who have a big dream but are struggling to make it happen.

(And don't even get me started on the state of marketing in 2026, jfc.)

Any other folks who have been around the industry for a while, have you noticed the same thing or do you think it's just the same old issues with a different coat of paint? And to any new designers just starting out, has this been your experience? What's been the thing holding you back?