Small Biz Bites Blog
China: Manufacturing Problems in Your Pants
I grew up surrounded by industrial emblems in my father’s uniform company. While my dad was focused on acquiring new business with police departments and security companies, I was determined to find a way to make the goods in his warehouse fashionable.
Upon launching in Jan 2003, my company made headlines when Jennifer Lopez celebrated her engagement to Ben Affleck by getting “Ben” name patch thong underwear (you know those same name emblems that gas station attendants wear) It was the height of the “Bennifer” phenomenon so People Magazine and The Today show were happy to report the sexy scoop. Boom… Blume was up and running… the orders were piling in faster then the seamstresses could sew.
So how does a social worker, turned actress, turned panty designer figure out sourcing for her new clothing label? Well, at first that was easy… a domestic company called American Apparel –a wholesale supplier. American Apparel is certainly a key component that provided me with a large variety of ‘bodies’ in an array of colors that could be purchased one case or even one dozen per style, per size, per color… fantastic! As a small business owner and designer, major hurdles of cash flow and manufacturing were solved.
But as a company grows, so do their options…. and thus the overseas market was enticing. Once the company had grown to a point where we needed to manufacture 40,000 thongs at one time, it just seemed to make more sense to do so for ½ the cost in China …. Or does it?
The first time I attempted to work with a Chinese factory, the language barrier was a big obstacle. So then I contacted a broker/agent as an experienced middle man who could communicate what needed to be done. There was a lot of back and forth. Every detail needed to be approved… the weight of cotton, the colors/ lap dips, style/cut, elastic waistband stretchy enough for a range of women’s hip size, inside labels soft, outside labels… clean white with the strong bold red Blume label. Seems easy- right? But, no such luck. The elastic bands that make the Blume thongs s/m fit women size 0-6 did not stretch at all. Uh oh! Thousands of thongs all ready to get personalized with their name patches had to be returned.
So back to the drawing board, and I tried a third time with a different agent. Once again everything seemed to be going smoothly; after 4 months of another detailed approval process, tens of thousands of thongs arrived at the Blume headquarters warehouse. But it was like a scene out of a nightmare Christmas. Upon opening box after box, it was clear that the thongs were all wrong. Too thin and flimsy and worst of all they were teeny tiny small! The size small/medium was more like a negative zero! Nothing like the original sample approved– the difference was very visible. It was like the case of the incredible shrinking thong.
Although, the savings would have been significant, I am not willing to risk the quality of the Blume brand and therefore I have made a commitment to stick with my original domestic manufacturer… American Apparel- and leave the nightmares of manufacturing overseas behind for good.
[Editor's note: See more about guest blogger Stacey Blume of BlumeGirl at her website and her NYTSBSC profile. Dov Charney, founder/CEO of American Apparel, is a nutball but a PR genius and his company makes solid product. - Andrew]
2007
12:09 pm
Stacey:
That was a very impressive article!! I think you should be a major entrepreneur! Contrats!
Beth Kramer Interiors
Posted by beth kramer
2007
2:50 pm
reads like she is talking directly to the reader-entertaining and informative. easy to tell that she really knows what she is talking about:cheaper does NOT mean better.
Posted by ruth steckelman
2007
6:53 pm
very impressive article. I know how soft the underwear is so I appreciate that you intend to keep up the quality.
Posted by Jane Eisler
2007
7:56 pm
It sounds like Stacey knows what she is talking about wihtout pretension which is hard to come by. I would definitely trust her experiences.
Posted by Emily Blumenthal
2007
8:15 pm
Wow Stacey… you really seem to know what you are talking about! Thanks for the advice!
Posted by Jennifer Dalva
2007
7:35 am
Stacey Blume is an inspiration for all women who aim to go out on a limb and try business ownership. She keeps expanding and growing with her customer’s needs. Her children’s line is high quality and creative.
Posted by Joanna Hoffman
2007
7:39 am
Great article Stacey. I am so impressed. You’re a true business woman!
Posted by Jill Greenspan
2007
1:10 pm
Great article Stacey. I am a particular fan of the baby line which I give alot as gifts. All the new Mom’s love to receive the Blumebaby pieces and all mention the quality and the softness of the product.It makes a difference!
Posted by Janice Elkinson
2007
5:38 pm
I actually have a perfect mental image of you rummaging through those boxes. Great advice/warning. Thanks Stacey!
Posted by Veronica Kastre
2007
10:10 pm
Stacey,your article is very intuitive. Your effort in getting it right for the customer is commendable. I am wearing my “Bomber Jacket” and very much enjoying its comfort ,quality and warmth.
Posted by Richard Allaire
2007
9:33 am
I read this while wearing my very comfortable Blume thong (complete with my husband’s name).
Thanks for making certain that the quality of your product will never be tossed aside!
Posted by Amy
2007
12:50 pm
Stacey’s experience with outsourcing is a great lesson to business owners about being open to options in the marketplace and not fighting the path they may lead you down, even if it’s back to where you started.
Posted by Anne Marie Bowler