Where to look for suppliers

No single channel is best. Each has its strength and its risk, and the strongest approach combines at least two.

The main channels

• Online supplier platforms: Fast and wide, but they mix traders, factories and paid listings, so they need tougher vetting.
• Large trade fairs: You see and touch the products and meet people, such as the regular fairs in cities like Guangzhou.
• Referrals: Brands you know, colleagues or designers who worked with a good workshop.
• Agents and sourcing offices: They save time for a fee or commission.

A long list, then a short one

Start with ten to fifteen names and log them in one sheet with the supplier tracker template, then cut them after first screening to three to five from whom you ask for samples and quotes.

Sharper search words

Use the exact product name, the fabric and the technique (such as “knitting” or “embroidery”), because a general search brings general suppliers.

Exercise

Build a long list of ten suppliers from two different channels and log them in the tracker template with the source of each name and the date of first contact.