(War Stories) Production houses we rejected - part 4

(Ms Fan’s dashboard)

Okay, back to my factory tours.

I mentioned a “tortuous” experience.  I have to be careful what I write in this blog. I keep forgetting that my mom reads it, and she has a tendency to take my editorials literally.  So, to alleviate any concerns out there and dampen the Ningbo mobilization of any human rights activists who are RSS subscribers to my monologue: I neither witnessed nor was subjected to nor committed any acts of torture during my factory tours. 

That said, it was tortuous.  I mentioned a couple days ago my strategy: to go in with inquisitive eyes and a learner’s mindset, to admit honestly how little I understand about the industry and grab every opportunity to find out how the whole thing works.  (There’s no mystery to manufacturing clothing, I’m sure – once it’s been demystified.) 

What I didn’t consider, at all, is just how alien this approach is to the people who run these production shops.  The garment industry has a well-developed script for factory visits from would-be clients.  The client brings along a prototype garment and a detailed spec sheet for how that garment is constructed (there are literally hundreds of options, and they all impact cost, complexity and quality).  The factory representative studies these items, comments on his workshop’s capabilities vis a vis the client’s requirements, and then leads the client on a tour to see for himself.  If the client likes what he sees, he may leave the prototype with the factory and order a trial run of 100 garments.  Upon delivery and inspection of the trial run, if the client still likes what he sees, he’ll start talking serious numbers. 

My own factory visits all went a bit differently.

‘Have you brought a prototype with you?’

‘No.  Actually, I was hoping I could maybe see some of your samples.’ 

‘Certainly.  Did you bring along a list of specs?'

‘Uh...no.’

So they would guide me to their showroom, full of (no surprise there) garments, lead me over to, say, a suit – and stand there, expectantly.  I got the hint and made some show of inspecting its quality, but (and this is now first on my learning list) other than fabric quality I had a hard time seeing much difference between one suit and the other.  (I did learn, later in the day, that most of the difference is in the inner construction…more on that later.  Turns out (a) it’s significant to the quality, feel and life of the suit and (b) the suit I wore today, brand name notwithstanding, isn’t half as good as it could be.)