There is a whole spectrum of customized clothing production options between one-off custom and mass-produced bulk. Each option requires a different amount of upfront development work and production time and offers a personalized, but slightly different experience to the customer.
It’s a situation I see happen far too often to brands. I hate to see it. The brand has developed a design with a full package production factory, but the factory made them and they won’t release them. So, what options does the brand have if they decide to switch factories?
Working with a factory is a big step towards getting your designs made. I find that designers fall into one of two camps when it comes to this stage. They either are intimidated and are scared to move forward on their own or they underestimate what goes into onboarding a new design successfully.