Doing everything yourself, from planning and design to pattern making, sewing, and sales.

The apparel world is highly specialized.

It takes many people to make a single garment: fabric manufacturers, trim suppliers, pattern makers, cutters, sewing factories, processors, and sales staff.

When a brand grows, specialization becomes necessary. I have no intention of denying that.

In the first place, the reason even a small brand like mine can purchase high-quality denim fabric at current prices is that large brands use fabric in massive quantities, supporting the production of fabric manufacturers.

On the other hand, at Dange Denim, we do as much as possible ourselves, from planning and design to pattern making, cutting, sewing, and sales.

This time, I’d like to write about the advantages and disadvantages of making and selling clothes by myself.

Less discrepancy between design and production

The biggest advantage is that I can translate what I imagine in my head directly into patterns and sewing.

When outsourcing, I have to turn the design into a specification sheet, pass it on to a pattern maker, and then pass it on to a sewing factory.

Of course, a highly skilled specialist will be able to make it very accurately.

However, the more people involved, the more explanation is needed to convey subtle nuances.

When I draw the patterns and sew the clothes myself, I can make changes on the spot:

“This part should be a little narrower.”
“This way of sewing makes it feel a bit heavy.”
“Actually, let’s move the pocket position by 5 mm.”

I can remake the sample until I’m satisfied.

Because we produce in small quantities, we can also try designs that are difficult to adopt in mass production.

Easier to respond to customer requests on the spot

When I handle sales myself, I can hear customer requests directly.

And I can incorporate those requests into the patterns and sewing myself.

To use a restaurant as an example:

“It’s not on the menu, but can you make an omelet rice?”

It’s like having the chef himself right there.

“Yes, I can.”
“Yes, but it will cost a little extra.”
“It’s difficult with this specification.”

I can make those decisions on the spot.

It also makes it easier to accommodate requests such as changing the sleeve length, changing the thread color, or adding pockets.

Compared to situations where the person who plans, the person who makes, and the person who sells are different, I think this closeness is a major advantage.

Less affected by the circumstances of subcontractors

When outsourcing the production of clothes, of course, you are affected by the circumstances of your subcontractors.

They may become busy and extend delivery times, labor costs may rise, or the factory you’ve been using may go out of business.

The sewing industry is also aging.

“The factory I’ve been using is gone, and when I looked for a new sewing factory, the prices were much higher than before.”

I think this will happen more and more in the future.

If I sew the clothes myself, that risk is smaller.

Of course, I cannot escape rising prices for fabric and trims.

Even so, I don’t need to negotiate sewing labor costs with anyone outside.

As a small brand, I can adopt the mindset that all I need to do is secure enough profit to support myself.

Know-how stays with me

When I make the patterns, cut the fabric, and sew the clothes myself, experience—including failures—accumulates.

“This specification is difficult to sew.”
“This sewing method works well with this fabric.”
“With this pattern, this part will be loose when worn.”

This kind of experience can be applied directly to the next product.

If I outsource, I get the finished product, but not all the experience gained during the manufacturing process stays with me.

I believe this is a great asset for continuing a brand for a long time.

Fewer middleman margins

The more companies involved from ordering to manufacturing and sales, the more each one needs to make a profit.

That is only natural.

However, the more I can do myself, the lower the intermediate costs will be.

I can keep the selling price from becoming unnecessarily high while also making it easier to secure my own manufacturing labor costs.

I don’t have to force someone else’s labor costs down.

On the other hand, there are areas where I cannot compete with specialists

Of course, doing everything by myself is not always better.

Sewing factories sew large quantities of clothes every day.

Because they repeat the same processes, their speed and skill are extremely high.

As the saying goes, “Leave it to the experts.”

Regarding manufacturing costs per garment, if you produce above a certain quantity, factory production will be cheaper.

One person cannot mass-produce.

If a brand sells 100 or 1,000 garments, sewing them all by myself is no longer realistic.

Doing everything by myself also carries major risks

If a brand is run by one person who handles production, production stops if that person gets sick or injured.

It’s like a sushi restaurant with no staff.

If I cannot move, I cannot make products.

Because I also handle replying to emails, shipping, customer service, and updating the website, I have a lot of work to do besides manufacturing.

If I am sewing during the day, I may be late in replying to emails.

If I extend my business hours, my manufacturing time decreases accordingly.

Being able to do everything by myself is a strength, but being the only person is also a weakness.

I don’t do everything myself

I don’t think “you should do everything yourself.”

There is a lot of work that is better to outsource.

When making a decision, I think about the following:

Does this work directly relate to the brand’s identity?
How much time and equipment investment is needed to acquire the skill myself?
Are there enough options for subcontractors?

For example, it is not realistic to own the equipment to weave the fabric itself.

For special processing, it is sometimes better to use a specialist’s equipment and experience.

If there are many options, the advantages of outsourcing are also greater.

Conversely, I want to keep as much as possible in-house for things that directly relate to the brand’s products, such as design, pattern making, and sewing.

People who will make clothes and people who can make clothes

In the apparel industry, I think there will continue to be many people who want to start a brand or become designers.

Planning and design are jobs where it is easy to experience the satisfaction of “thinking about what you want to make.”

On the other hand, manufacturing is basically the job of giving shape to what someone else has thought of.

For that reason, there will inevitably be fewer people who want to make sewing and manufacturing their job compared to those who want to do design.

I think the shortage of workers will become an even bigger problem in the future not only in sewing but also in related industries such as sewing machine shops, fabric shops, and special processing shops.

There are people who want to make clothes.

However, the number of people who can actually give them shape is decreasing.

With more people wanting to “make what they love their job,” and with it becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate for long hours as you would in a manufacturing setting, I think this imbalance will continue for a while longer.

When I think about it that way, being able to do everything from planning to pattern making, cutting, sewing, and sales feels like an even greater strength for a small brand than it did before.

I cannot make large quantities.

I cannot compete with specialized factories in terms of efficiency.

Even so, I will think of what I have imagined, give it shape myself, and explain it to my customers in my own words when I sell it.

This series of processes, which only a small brand can do, is something I want to continue to cherish.