Are You Nearshoring? New Factory Sourcing Platform for StartUp Fashion Brands
Get early access to the new go-to hub for factory sourcing in North America, LatAm, and Europe!
This blog post features our partner Nearshore. The content is inspired by the factory sourcing service they have created for fashion designers. While this is a sponsored post, I would never share anything with you that I don’t believe is a truly helpful resource. Promise.
One of the biggest hurdles fashion brands face is finding the right factory to manufacture their collection.
I understand why. It’s an important process that can feel really overwhelming because of how closely it is tied to the success of a fashion business.
So let’s talk about how to overcome this hurdle.
Before you even begin looking for your factory, it’s important to understand that this is a relationship that you’re building and you play a big part in nurturing that relationship.
You need to approach this process from a place of being…
Transparent and upfront about what you need. Get clear on the types of services you need (patternmaking, sample making, production), the order quantity that you want to start with (don’t fudge these numbers, be honest), and the lead time you hope to have (know your goal but also be realistic).
Communicative. It’s your responsibility to follow up, ask questions, share information and updates, and keep your factory partner in the loop as your needs grow and evolve.
Professional and friendly. Remember that this is a relationship. You can be firm while also being polite.
Once you understand these rules, then you can start the process of looking for factories and learning if they're the right fit for your brand.
There are two big problems that fashion designers need to solve in order to get a collection made.
Problem #1: Finding Your Factory
These days, everyone who is looking for a factory to create their products has nearshoring on their mind.
In case this term is new to you– nearshoring is producing or sourcing goods closer to a brand’s main market or country of operation.
This is a big deal because it offers a lot of advantages for fashion brands at a time when trade tariffs are top of mind for businesses.
Faster Turnaround Time- with significantly shorter transit time, you can introduce new products and restock inventory a lot faster.
Cost Savings - lower shipping costs for shorter distances is a big win. But there’s also big cost savings when it comes to the tariffs because there’s the opportunity for reduced duties and leveraging free trade zones (many nearshoring hubs offer preferential trade agreements or operate within free trade zones).
Improved Brand Image- you’re able to emphasize reduced environmental impact, ethical labor practices, and local or regional production into your brand story.
Sustainability- nearshoring reduces the environmental impact of long-haul shipping. Plus being closer to your factory makes it easier to monitor labor and environmental standards, making brand transparency easier for you.
And that’s just a few. There’s also better supply chain control, improved communication and collaboration with your factory, and the ability to mitigate the impact of tariff issues, shipping delays, and global crises.
Problem #2: Vetting Your Factory
Once you find a potential factory, the work then becomes figuring out if this factory is right for your business. You need to understand whether or not your needs and their offering are aligned.
It takes a lot of back and forth to learn their order minimums for both sampling and production, their lead times at various times of year, their pricing structure, their specialties, their certifications…and the list goes on.
Solution: Use a Platform that Does the Work for You
Our partner, Nearshore, is an AI-powered marketplace of factories across the USA, Latin America, and Europe, and they are solving the problems I discussed above by helping eCommerce brands find manufacturing partners closer to home.
Their database includes over 2,000 nearshoring suppliers across a range of product categories—such as clothing, footwear, and accessories—at a variety of quantities and budgets.
How Nearshore is helping Independent Fashion Brands
Nearshore is founded by fashion industry veterans who have made it their mission to help fashion designers access best-in-class nearshoring manufacturers, from Mexico to Massachusetts to Brazil.
They are helping brands like yours to source your products closer to home.
They are the only comprehensive database of nearshoring factories across the USA, Latin America, and Europe.
You can join for free and submit your first sourcing request.
When you join as a paid member, you can filter your factory search by country, by product specialties, by languages spoken, or by certifications, to name a few.
Using this platform can help shorten lead times, streamline logistics, and lower overall costs. All of which are things I know you’re looking for!
Nearshore Promo for StartUp FASHION Designers
Nearshore is currently in an early-access period, and brands can get access by invitation only.
This is a platform where you can source factories to create finished products, but also fabrics, trims, and other components, packaging, and more.
It’s the place to go to help you get from product idea to ready-to-sell.
You have two options for using Nearshore:
Option #1: free membership. With this you can submit one request and get matched with a potential factory.
Option #2: paid membership. With this you can submit multiple requests, search the extensive database of factories, and opt in to Nearshore Introductions, which means their team will make personalized intros to best-fit factories to kickstart a productive conversation.
As a StartUp FASHION designer, they are offering you 75% off your first 12 months of annual paid membership (usually $299).
Use code: STARTUP75
You pay only $75 for an entire year when you join by March 10, 2025! Click here to sign up.
Here’s an exclusive peek inside Nearshore:
The fashion industry is historically pretty antiquated. There’s so much opportunity for technology to make it easier, faster, and cheaper for brands to bring their products to life. And I believe that Nearshore is doing that for you, designers.