How do you find a manufacturer for your own collection?

You have a product in mind. A cushion, a throw, a dog bed. You want it made under your own brand and you are looking for a manufacturer. That is where it gets difficult: you don't know where to begin, you don't know the rules on importing, you can't just fly out to India to take a look, and you have no idea whether the factory you found online can be trusted.

That's normal: this is a trade in its own right.

Where do you start if you have never had anything made?

Not with the factory. With the product. A manufacturer can only say anything about price and feasibility once they know what they are making: what size, what fabric, what filling, what finish, how many pieces and when you need them. A sketch, a photo or an existing product that comes close is enough to start. The more concrete it is, the sooner you get a real price instead of an estimate.

How do you know which region suits your product?

Every production country is good at something and weaker at something else. That difference often matters more than the price per unit.

India: baskets, artisanal finishing and scalable textile production.

Pakistan: bed and bath textiles such as towels, terry towelling and bed linen.

China: volume, large runs and competitive prices.

Europe: short lead times, premium finishing and sustainability.

So there is no single supplier for everything. Anyone building a collection across product groups usually ends up working with several manufacturers. Certification is possible in every region, not only in Europe.

How do you know whether a factory is reliable?

You can't tell from behind a screen. A website, a listing on a trading platform and a quick reply say nothing about what comes off the production line, or about what happens when an order runs into trouble. Reliability only shows by the second or third order.

That is why Ed works with a network of many manufacturers in India, Pakistan, China and Europe, built up over decades. He has visited nearly all of them himself on his travels, has seen how they work and knows what each one can and cannot do.

Do you have to go there yourself?

No. Samples are sent to you, so you can judge them at home or in the office before anything goes into production. Ed arranges the checks at the factory; how that is done depends on the product and the supplier. You don't have to travel for it.

What is involved in importing?

More than ordering and waiting. Someone has to stay on top of production, check samples and step in when quality drifts, arrange shipping and make sure the goods arrive complete. If you need certification, that has to be arranged too. Each of those is a point where things go wrong if nobody is keeping an eye on it.

How long does it take from first question to delivery?

For India, Pakistan or China, count on roughly three months of production plus a month at sea. With a European manufacturer it is four to six weeks after the sample is approved.

That period only starts after approval. Before that, you develop your idea, find the factory that can make it, and have samples made and reviewed. How long that takes depends on how clear your brief is and how many rounds a sample needs. There is no standard timeframe for it.

Can you start small?

Usually you can, though there is no fixed number. The minimum order differs by manufacturer, product and region: for one product you can begin with a small run, for another the minimum is higher. You only know for certain once it is clear what you want made and which factory will make it.

So small quantities are usually possible, but they raise the cost per piece. What a sample costs is quoted up front, so you know the amount before it is made. It usually comes off your first order.

What can you hand over?

In practice, the whole route: the conversation about what you want and whether it is feasible, developing the product and finding the right manufacturer for it, checking the samples, and production and shipping. One point of contact, instead of managing every link in the chain yourself.

Not sure yet what you are looking for? That is usually the best moment to call. Ed will help you think it through from the very first idea.