Importance of trusted partnerships in textiles

Sourcing and supply chain, pointers from years of practical experience... 🧵 At The Pant Project we come from a family background of ~50 years of experience in textile manufacturing. As a brand, we work with vendors across India to procure the highest quality materials for our product. What have we learnt in this time about how to manage supply chains? 1. Trust is everything. If your vendors trust you to lift goods, make payments, and honour your commitments, then you are golden. If they don’t trust you, then no amount of legal documentation or paperwork can make the relationship work. Trust is built over time, with consistently honouring your commitments. Trust takes a lot of time to build up, and just a few bad experiences to lose forever. 2. Processes > people. At scale, if you are person dependent, things are bound to break. You need to have set standard operating procedures (SOPs) for everything from raw material inward to pre production processes, mid-line inspection, final quality control, packing and dispatch, else you have no way to control irregularities in quality. You also need a kaizen mindset to continuously make micro-improvements. 3. Cost is just one factor in deciding which vendor to partner with. While it’s important to optimise for the right purchase price, there are a host of other things to consider when choosing a manufacturing partner. Speed of delivery, flexibility on minimum order quantities, and quality of the product matter a lot. So it’s a vendor scorecard of all of the above that determine who wins the right to produce what & how much for your brand. 4. Diversify your supply chain, but not too much. While it’s important to have multiple partners for each critical component or SKU to minimise single party dependency risk, it is also important to give meaningful volumes to select partners so you are a relevant part of their annual operating plan and get the priority service that your brand needs. We see too many brands making the mistake of splitting volumes across too many factories before hitting meaningful scale, and they have no control anywhere. Like with any investment portfolio, while diversification protects against the downside, if you know what you are doing, some level of concentration into high conviction bets (factories) leads to outsized returns. 5. Invest in product R&D, it’s worth it in the long run. Becoming a pure commodity player is a race to the bottom. There are real innovations to be made at a yarn level, fabric technology level and garment design & engineering level, and you have to invest the $$$ upfront to reap the long term benefits. So invest in R&D to stay ahead of the curve, and co-create, collaborating closely with your supply chain partners, or run the risk of becoming irrelevant over time. The strength of your supply chain is the backbone of your brand.

If you work in fashion, textile production, or any part of the value chain - this conversation deserves your full attention. I’ve been calling this out for a while now, and more and more, major headlines are confirming what so many of us already know: suppliers need a bigger seat at the table. A few weeks ago, Sarah Kent wrote in The Business of Fashion about how fashion’s suppliers are asking to be included not just in implementation, but in the conversations that define sustainability goals in the first place. → So let’s pause and ask: why are suppliers still being treated as afterthoughts? Brands know that some of the hardest parts of traceability lie in tiers 3 and 4. And we all know that the majority of fashion’s environmental footprint happens deep in the supply chain. Therefore, how do we expect to make real progress if we’re not building strategies WITH suppliers? The article also calls out a long-standing issue: brands making bold commitments while passing the cost and pressure down to suppliers. In a moment where we need partnerships, we are outsourcing responsibility. But there are promising signals too -> The piece points to the launch of the Apparel and Textile Transformation Initiative, a manufacturer-led program backed by the IAF: International Apparel Federation and International Textile Manufacturers Federation. One example of shifting power dynamics in motion. It’s a step toward what my team and I at WORLD COLLECTIVE have been working on for some time: creating a sourcing system that center trust, collaboration, and supplier visibility from the start. Curious to hear: how do you see this playing out in your work? Are we getting closer to a more balanced model?

Most people think fashion buying is about picking styles, colors or fabrics. The truth? It’s about risk management. Every sourcing head or buyer I meet isn’t just asking: “Can you make this design?” They’re really asking: ▪️ Will it arrive on time? ▪️ Will it meet the quality promised? ▪️ Can I trust you when things go wrong? Because a delayed shipment doesn’t just cost money, it costs credibility with customers. A quality slip doesn’t just waste fabric, it damages brand trust. And a sourcing mistake doesn’t just impact one order, it impacts the next season’s growth. That’s why we built our business not only on design and production, but on dependability.  ✅ Systems that prevent delays. ✅ Quality checks at every stage. ✅ Transparent updates for every buyer. ✅ Flexibility to scale without shifting standards. Because in this industry, the garment is only half the story. The other half is trust. And that’s what we deliver, stitch by stitch. To my buyer and sourcing network: What matters more to you when choosing a partner: cost efficiency or reliability? #FashionManufacturing #BuyerInsights #GlobalSourcing #SanDeeImpex #TrustInPartnerships

“One Lesson 33 Years in Textiles business Taught Me About Trust” “In the textile trade, the first thing people ask is not ‘What fabric do you sell?’ but ‘Who do you deal with?’ When I stepped into the business to sell fabrics worldwide , I was surprised. Every buyer wanted to know my reference — not my samples, not my price list. At first, it felt unusual. But soon I realized: in this business, trust is the real currency. Fabric is only the product; the relationship is the foundation. This taught me a valuable lesson: 👉 In business or service , deals are not stitched by threads, but by trust. Whether you are in fabrics, finance, or tech — people ultimately buy from those they trust to stand by their word. I often reflect into my own behaviour pattern: 👉 I hang on to people who have stood by their promise, offered honest guidance, and acted with selflessness — irrespective of the profession or the company they worked with. That’s the kind of capital no balance sheet shows — the trust you carry in people’s hearts. In the end, fabric may be traded in meters, but relationships are measured in promises kept. 💭 What do you think — is trust valued more than price in your industry too? #TextileBusiness #TrustInBusiness #FabricOfIndia #BusinessRelationships #SuratMarket #Entrepreneurship #B2BTrade

When discussing Nigeria's fashion industry challenges, the conversation often focuses on production, marketing, and financial models. However, the deeper barrier to growth is trust. Trust is the foundation of any thriving industry, yet in Nigeria’s fashion sector, a lack of trust between designers, manufacturers, and retailers remains a significant roadblock. Many entrepreneurs still operate informally, relying on personal relationships and handshake deals. While practical in the short term, this limits large-scale collaborations and long-term growth, keeping the industry fragmented and inefficient. Designers struggle to find reliable manufacturers, leading to in-house production, higher costs, and limited scalability. Retailers, too, face difficulties sourcing locally made garments at competitive prices, turning to international suppliers and further fragmenting the sector. The "do-it-yourself" mentality also impedes growth. Entrepreneurs attempt to manage every aspect of their business, leading to burnout and inefficiency. By failing to delegate, businesses miss out on scaling opportunities. To unlock Nigeria’s fashion industry potential, we must rebuild trust and foster collaboration. Here’s how: ✅ Establish an Industry Network – A formalized fashion industry network with clear systems and rules will facilitate partnerships and streamline communication. ✅ Strengthen Legal Frameworks – Stronger legal protections build trust, safeguard investments, and encourage innovation. This is where Africa Fashion Law plays a crucial role—educating and supporting fashion entrepreneurs in structuring legally sound businesses that foster growth and collaboration. ✅ Foster Public-Private Partnerships – Governments and the private sector should collaborate to provide the necessary infrastructure and resources, such as funding and fashion incubators. ✅ Invest in Talent Development – A skilled workforce in design, manufacturing, marketing, and retail is essential for industry growth. ✅ Unite with a Common Vision – Fashion businesses and professionals should align on a unified vision, working together to elevate the sector rather than operating in silos. At Africa Fashion Law, we advocate for a structured and legally protected fashion ecosystem where designers, manufacturers, and retailers can collaborate with confidence. Trust is the cornerstone of collaboration, innovation, and scalable growth. By fostering trust at every level, we can unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s fashion industry. Let’s make trust and structure the heart of our growth strategy. What steps do you think should be taken to strengthen collaboration and trust in the African fashion industry? #AfricaFashionLaw #FashionIndustry #Collaboration #TrustInBusiness #AfricanFashion #MadeInNigeria #Innovation #FashionTech #TalentDevelopment